Program slated for first Thursday in February

Rhodes

The Waupaca Area Public Library will present “Revisiting the Classic Mystery Films” at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 4.

Dr. Jack Rhodes will offer a virtual tour of the great Hollywood murder mysteries, with special attention to the detective serials released in the 1930s and 1940s.

Rhodes said this period of Hollywood history was defined by such celluloid sleuths as Sherlock Holmes, The Saint, The Thin Man, The Lone Wolf, The Falcon, The Crime Doctor, Perry Mason, Charlie Chan and many others.

The program will inform viewers about the theory of the detective film, the “rules” by which the screenwriters and directors abided in revealing the solutions to the crimes, the types of villainy depicted, the role of the detectives’ sidekicks and the popularity of the genre at its height.

The program is scheduled to coincide with the First Thursday Film Series, which is suspended due to the pandemic.

Future library film talks by Rhodes are planned for the First Thursdays in March and April. Topics for those programs will be announced at a later date.

The program will be delivered live over Zoom.

For information or to register for the program, go to www.waupacalibrary.org/event/revisiting-mysteries or call 715-258-4414. An email will be required to register, in order to send the Zoom link.