Sat. Mar. 30 

Doors – 7:00 PM 

Organ Overture – 7:30 PM 

Film – 8:00 PM 

Tickets - $6 

2hr 7min | PG | Drama/Musical | USA 

Bidi Bidi Bom Bom! Your heart will sing. Como me duele! Your heart will break. 

Selena tells the story of the rise and sudden death of Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, the trailblazing Mexican American singer, and the tight-knit family who made it all possible.

Released just two years after her tragic death, (with deep involvement and consent from the family) Selena the film has served as a loving monument to the “Queen of Tejano Music” for over a quarter century. 

Directed with sincerity and respect by Gregory Nava this modern classic has endured. It guides viewers through an uplifting musical journey, made real by the touching performances of stars Jennifer Lopez (in her breakout role) and legendary Mexican American thespian, Edward James Olmos. In the process it has ensured the legacy of its subject, allowing her music and light to shine beyond her time, inspiring new generations who otherwise may have never heard her voice. 

We could fall in love with her. 

So come to the Senate and fall in love (again) with Selena! 

The Senate Theater and The Detroit Theater Organ Society is supported by The Michigan Arts and Culture Council and The National Endowment for the Arts. 

Parking is available in our gated lot, on Gilbert, and Michigan Avenue

Doors – 7:00 PM 

Organ Overture – 7:30 PM 

Film – 8:00 PM 

Tickets - $6 

1hr 54min | NR | Noir/Crime | USA 

PRESENTED WITH MOTOR CITY CINEMA SOCIETY ON 16MM FILM

“Made it, Ma! Top of the World!”  

With these iconic lines James Cagney—his voice aching with crazed intensity—cemented his comeback as Hollywood’s most explosive movie star.  In 1949, as moviegoers sat transfixed by the screen, the movie stars’ manic desperation left little doubt: Cagney and White Heat had reached the peak of the gangster film. And today, 75 years later, few, if any, have come close to attaining such heights. 

Using real-life gangsters like Ma Barker and her four criminal sons as a jumping off point, this firecracker of a story travels across the beauty of the High Sierra mountains, deep into the horrors of the penitentiary, and into the mind of a man suffering from “homicidal psychosis.”  

On the edge of the gangster and film noir genres, it features a bold heist, a femme fatale, and moody black and white photography, all directed by gangster flick veteran Raoul Walsh (The Roaring Twenties, High Sierra).

But what really sets it apart is Cagney. Bursting with vulnerability and rage, he embodies Arthur “Cody” Jarrett, a violently volatile, (and highly quotable) criminal madman beset with mommy issues, a debilitating psychosomatic ailment, and a beautiful woman he can’t help but trust.  

Come see why White Heat, decades later, is still on top of the gangster heap, WITH THE REAL FLICKER OF 16MM FILM ON SCREEN!

The Senate Theater and The Detroit Theater Organ Society is supported by The Michigan Arts and Culture Council and The National Endowment for the Arts. 

Parking is available in our gated lot, on Gilbert, and Michigan Avenue

Doors – 7:00 PM 

Organ Overture – 7:30 PM 

Film – 8:00 PM 

Tickets - $6 

2hr 1min | R | Drama/Comedy | USA 

 A good man may be hard to find but friendship is always there. 

In Waiting to Exhale, directed by Forrest Whitaker, four Black women struggle against the tumult and disappointments of their lives. Through their bond with each other they find joy, love, hope and kinship—with a little help from some vehicular arson. 

Based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Terry McMillan (How Stella Got Her Groove Back) this trailblazing hit film spurred the production of similar films for at least a decade and has had a long-lasting cultural impact. Though it focuses on middle class Black women and their particular problems it remains a touchstone of representation for any woman. Meanwhile, it dared to buck the trend of popular Black films that focused on the poverty stricken and violent lives of young Black men, proving once again the viability of films made for and about women—their desires, their issues, and their triumphs.  

Of course, with a cast like this how could you miss?

Superstar singer/actress Whitney Houston and critically acclaimed actress Angela Bassett lead the stacked ensemble,

a who’s who of Black actors from the mid-1990s featuring Loretta Devine, Gregory Hines, Giancarlo Esposito, Wesley Snipes and more. Add to that a soundtrack and score written by R&B giant, Babyface, and it’s no wonder that this film has remained one of the most relevant and beloved classics of the era. 

And we haven’t even mentioned how funny it is.  

We hope to see you there! 

The Senate Theater and The Detroit Theater Organ Society is supported by The Michigan Arts and Culture Council and The National Endowment for the Arts. 

Parking is available in our gated lot, on Gilbert, and Michigan Avenue

Sat. Feb. 17 

Doors – 7:00 PM 

Film – 8:00 PM 

Tickets - $12 

1hr 11min | NR | Drama/Romance | United States 

Live Organ Accompaniment by Lance Luce 
 

Depravity seizes upon poverty as extravagance collides with innocence in Queen Kelly,

a silent drama of doomed romance, presented with live musical accompaniment by Lance Luce on the Senate’s Mighty Wurlitzer theater organ! This incomplete but still captivating exercise in cinematic excess from director/screenwriter Erich von Stroheim proves that even an unfinished work from a master is still a masterwork. 

Co-produced by and starring Gloria Swanson, one of the silent era's biggest stars, what survives of the film tells the story of a playboy aristocrat who balks at his betrothal to his mad queen. On the eve of the marriage, he falls for an enchanting and fiery convent girl (Swanson) and then schemes to possess her, no matter the cost.  

In its existing form, the film presents a meticulously realized world in beautiful detail, a simple but sumptuous tale of worlds colliding—an ill-fated meeting that ends, (spoiler) in tragedy.  

But the epic and transgressive melodrama that could have been was never completed, itself a victim of incompatibility. But rather than a clash of class and circumstance, what doomed Queen Kelly from reaching its potential was the battle between art and business, the vision of an auteur versus censorship. 

Silents at the Senate is proud to present the 1932 release of this almost lost piece of silent film history!

Released only in Europe well into the “talkie” period, this is the most concise and cinematically pure version of the film. It features the so-called “Swanson” ending, filmed after the dismissal of Stroheim and shot two years after the abrupt end to the production due to massive cost overruns and the directors’ efforts to skirt the demands of censors. 

The Senate Theater and The Detroit Theater Organ Society is supported by The Michigan Arts and Culture Council and The National Endowment for the Arts. 

Doors – 7:00 PM 

Organ Overture – 7:30 PM 

Film – 8:00 PM 

Tickets - $6 

2hr 4min | PG-13 | Romance/Sports Drama | USA 

Passion and courage. Desire and determination. A deep connection built on shared dreams. 

In Love & Basketball, romance got game. 

In this new classic of American cinema, the lives of two young athletes and childhood friends (Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps) are intertwined as they attempt to navigate the world of competitive basketball. Meanwhile, a powerful attraction keeps them drawn to each other again and again through injury, struggle, and distance.  

Gina Prince-Bythewood's semi-autobiographical debut feature is equal parts coming-of-age love story and nuanced sports drama, originally intended as a Black When Harry Met Sally. Upon its release this soon-to-be cult favorite garnered plenty of critical praise but was only a minor success at the box office. In the twenty plus years since, however, its reputation has only grown, turning it into a perennial favorite for Valentine’s Day viewing and earning it a rightful place in the National Film Registry.  

Come see this Spike Lee produced gem at the Senate, with all its action—on the court and off—splashed across our big screen! 

The Senate Theater and The Detroit Theater Organ Society is supported by The Michigan Arts and Culture Council and The National Endowment for the Arts. 

Parking is available in our gated lot, on Gilbert, and Michigan Avenue

Sat. Jan. 20 

Doors – 7:00 PM 

Organ Overture – 7:30 PM 

Film – 8:00 PM 

Tickets - $6 

1hr 32min | Not Rated |Noir/Thriller | USA 

Love and hate. Darkness and light. A terrifying evil that only righteousness can overcome.  

The stuff of fables, of scripture, of the deep and eternal struggle in our souls. An old story, but rarely has this tale been told with such indelible and nightmarish beauty as in the noir/thriller classic, The Night of the Hunter! 

Robert Mitchum stars as Robert Powell, a murderous “preacher” in Great Depression era West Virginia. After being released from the state penitentiary he quickly closes in on the stash of stolen money he knows to be hidden somewhere in the home of his now executed cellmate. With charisma and sex appeal he insinuates himself into the life of the widow Willa Harper, (Shelley Winters) presenting himself as a man of God as he preys upon her unfulfilled desire and the innocence of her children. 

The first and last film directed by acclaimed British actor Charles Laughton, The Night of the Hunter was initially ignored by audiences and harshly reviewed by critics. This, despite its daring visual style, a screenplay by Pulitzer Prize winner James Agee, and a movie star lead. Over the decades, however, the film developed a cult following thanks to television and revival art house theaters. Audiences were drawn to its strange synthesis of film noir mood, horror aesthetics, elemental themes, and abstract set design. As a result, its cult burgeoned while simultaneously undergoing a critical reassessment that now places it among the best of all time. 

Don’t miss this masterpiece on our big screen! 

The Senate Theater and The Detroit Theater Organ Society is supported by The Michigan Arts and Culture Council and The National Endowment for the Arts. 

Parking is available in our gated lot, on Gilbert, and Michigan Avenue

Sat. Dec. 2 

Doors – 7:00 PM 

Organ Overture – 7:30 PM 

Film – 8:00 PM 

Tickets - $6 

2hr 10min | PG |Drama/Comedy | USA 

Merry Christmas, Detroit! Merry Christmas Michigan Avenue! Merry Christmas you wonderful old Senate Theater! 

We’re kicking off the season of giving this year by bringing you It’s a Wonderful Life. More than seventy-five years on, this enduring holiday classic remains just as romantic, funny, and heart wrenching as ever.  

You’ve seen it again and again, but now you can see it on the big screen in a theater that was playing movies back in 1946 when this classic was released. 

George Bailey (James Stewart) is an idealist, dedicated to his family and neighbors. Almost universally beloved, he is known as a man of integrity and generosity, living his entire life within the quaint confines of his hometown. But will a stifled ambition, the cruelty of fate, and the darkness lurking beneath his picturesque surroundings lead him over the edge of despair into ultimate destruction?  

You probably know the answer. But the strength of this film, where integrity, generosity and the power of community defeats deceit, greed and a lust for power, is that knowing the end doesn’t matter. It never gets old, watching the life story of our flawed but thoroughly decent hero. We laugh and cheer at his triumphs. We ache and cry with him in his moments of darkness. We long to descend into the picture as Clarence, his guardian angel, descends from heaven to save his soul. 

Come experience this beautiful picture once again at the Senate. We’ll see you there! 

The Senate Theater and The Detroit Theater Organ Society, a non-profit and all-volunteer organization, is supported in part by The Michigan Arts and Culture Council and The National Endowment for the Arts. 

Parking is available in our gated lot, on Gilbert, and Michigan Avenue

Sat. Nov. 4 

Doors – 7:00 PM 

Film – 8:00 PM 

Tickets - $12 

1hr 8min | NR | Comedy/Drama | USA

Live Organ Accompaniment by Lance Luce
 

Brace yourselves for the magical and magnificent sounds of our Mighty Wurlitzer!  

It’s another installment of our ongoing silent film series, Silents at the Senate. This time we’re screening one of the most significant, well regarded, and beloved silent films, The Kid. Watch as Charlie Chaplin’s iconic face and physicality grace our screen. Listen as organist Lance Luce enhances the action with the Senate’s powerful theater organ. 

A poignant and charming mixture of pathos and playful comedy, The Kid is a masterwork in visual storytelling and one of the most financially and artistically successful films of the silent era.  

It should not be missed. 

Released in 1921, The Kid marks a turning point for Charlie Chaplin, who wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the film. Previously Chaplin had almost exclusively appeared in or directed short films, almost all of which were comedies. With The Kid, however, he set out to not only lengthen the runtime, but also break free from the constraints of pure comedy and create a perfect blend of what he termed, “raw slapstick and sentiment.” There was perhaps no better vessel to achieve that aim than through his beloved character, the Tramp. With his trademark ill-fitting clothes, silly mustache and clownish walk, Chaplin’s iconic vagrant had already delighted audiences for years. But never had he pulled so deliberately upon their heartstrings as he does in The Kid, which proclaims at the start to be, “a picture with a smile—and perhaps, a tear.” 

Which is exactly what our organ is built for. From comedy to melodrama, from epic and grandiose to idyllic and domestic, the theater organ is an instrument built to evoke the full spectrum of human emotion. But first and foremost, these instruments were built so that they might enhance the feelings a filmmaker endeavored to provoke within the viewer. Indeed, there is no better way to enjoy a silent film than with a theater organ, blasting air through its pipes and notes into your ears, blending its aural artistry seamlessly with the visual artistry on screen.  

We’ll see you at the theater! 

The Senate Theater and The Detroit Theater Organ Society is supported by The Michigan Arts and Culture Council and The National Endowment for the Arts. 

Joan Crawford in Rain (1932) “Pre-Code” Hollywood Presentation 

Sat. Sep. 16 

Doors – 7:00 PM 

Organ Overture – 7:30 PM 

Film – 8:00 PM 

Tickets - $6 

1hr 34min | NR | Drama| USA 

DRAMA! DRAMA! DRAMA! 

The word alone doesn’t do justice to Rain. It is a film so overflowing with fervid emotion, so redolent of the deepest and darkest impulses of humanity that only caps-lock, exclamation points and repetition can come close to matching its passionate intensity. 

So, in other words, Rain presents an excellent example of films released during the so-called “pre-code Hollywood” era. This brief period (1927-1934) before the enforcement of the Hays Code censorship guidelines was marked by shocking, salacious, suggestive, and even surprisingly sexually explicit plotlines that both scandalized and tantalized moviegoers.  

Rain was one such film. Set on an island in the South Pacific against a backdrop of tropical disease and monsoon rains, it stars a young Joan Crawford and Walter Huston. Crawford plays Sadie Thompson, a prostitute fleeing the law while Huston portrays the self-righteous missionary determined to dominate her. Both are passengers from a ship, now stranded due to a cholera outbreak. Both are in danger of being consumed by sin, lust, and compulsion. Neither may make it out of Pago Pago with their soul intact.  

Come see how this DRAMA! DRAMA! DRAMA! unfolds at the Senate. 

The Senate Theater and The Detroit Theater Organ Society is supported by The Michigan Arts and Culture Council and The National Endowment for the Arts. 

Parking is available in a gated parking lot on Gilbert St., behind the theater.

Silents at the Senate – Robin Hood (1922) 

Sat. May 20 

Doors – 7:00 PM 

Film – 8:00 PM 

Tickets – $12 

2hr 12min | NR | Adventure/Drama | USA 

Live Organ Accompaniment by Scott Smith 

It is a familiar tale.  

An absent king. A tyrannical prince. An evil sheriff. A band of merry men. A Lady named Marian. A champion of the people who steals from the rich and gives to the poor. 

It can only be Robin Hood. But not just any Robin Hood.  

 
Silents at the Senate is proud to present a silent film that is truly the equal of our Mighty Wurlitzer theater pipe organ. Its towering sets, baroque costumes, and exciting feats of derring-do have stood the test of time. And they will only stand taller with the marvelous musical wizardry of a theater organ at its side, played by the talented silent film accompanist, Scott Smith. 

Starring, co-written, and produced by silent screen titan, Douglas Fairbanks, this grandiose adaptation marked the first feature length screen appearance Robin Hood. Through its massive success the film firmly established a host of familiar story elements that would be repeated in later screen versions and cemented its star as a swashbuckling icon of the Roaring Twenties. The castle set alone covered ten acres in the then country setting of Hollywood, complementing the elaborate court pageantry that makes up much of the film’s first half. And when Douglas Fairbanks transforms into the acrobatic and mischievous folk hero, Robin Hood in the second half, the nearby woods of Hollywood serve as a convincing Sherwood Forest. 

So, join us, all ye merry moviegoers, for a night of action, adventure, and drama, with a live organ score to match the emotion of every minute! And remember to stick around after the show for a chance to ask the organist a question and take a tour of the organ pipe chambers. This is a rare opportunity to get an up-close look at the inner workings of this marvelous musical machine. 

The Senate Theater and The Detroit Theater Organ Society is supported by The Michigan Arts and Culture Council and The National Endowment for the Arts.