Where Were You In 1976? A Look Back at Bicentennial Cinema: THE BAD NEWS BEARS (1976)
TICKET PRICING
Time
Event Details
THE BAD NEWS BEARS (1976) Michael Ritchie Special pre-show of Bicentennial year goodies curated by Deserted Films at 6pm/ Film at 6:30pm “This quitting thing, it’s a hard habit
Event Details
THE BAD NEWS BEARS (1976) Michael Ritchie
Special pre-show of Bicentennial year goodies curated by Deserted Films at 6pm/ Film at 6:30pm
“This quitting thing, it’s a hard habit to break once you start.”
As American as…
Full disclosure: when we programmed this series we thought this would be our free kids matinee. That’s the role it played in our lives! Then we re-watched it. Wow! It is hysterically funny, wildly inappropriate (broad trigger warnings in full effect), and a pretty accurate comedic look at some notions that were top of mind in 1976. It is also, to our minds, Gen X’s origin story. Plus, Walter Matthau!
It’s not a kids movie. And it will offend some adults! But, you know…you make the call!
Part of the XOXO Palm Springs Citywide Arts, Culture, and Music Festival
ABOUT THE SERIES:
The USA turns 250 years old in 2026. It’s a big birthday! Our series looks back at our last big birthday… the Bicentennial in 1976. What films were we watching? What were we thinking about?
Deserted Films, the Palm Springs Public Library, and the Palm Springs Cultural Center, have teamed up to bring you a unique selection of films reflecting what was on our ‘collective minds’ at the Bicentennial. Because looking back can help us make sense of now!
Folks talked a lot in 2026 about the “dark themes” running through the films being considered for Oscars…but 1976 brought us NETWORK, TAXI DRIVER, and CARRIE! It was a year of deep (sometimes brutal) self reflection. And a year of groundbreaking American cinema. We will dig into key films from the moment and offer up some surprises!
And, of course, Hollywood filmmakers were not alone in celebrating and questioning America at 200. Each feature film in our series will be accompanied by archival gems from Deserted Films or from our colleagues in the archival community to help set the mood: home movies of people celebrating the Bicentennial, as well as educational and sponsored films and other oddities from the same moment in American history.
