Notorious

It was a busy night in Middletown. At the Wadsworth Mansion, Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem held off anticipated thunder showers to the delight of a crowd.








Downtown, Middletown's newest tavern, Public, held a sneak preview opening for dignitaries.

And at the Goldsmith Family Cinema in Wesleyan's film studies program, it was the first of four classic films featuring the ethereal beauty of Ingrid Bergman.

It's great that Wesleyan, the city of Middletown and the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce has found a way to share the collected treasure Jeannine Basinger, head of the film studies program, has assembled as Wesleyan.

Basinger and staff assembled a slide show of rare family items, showing Bergman from the time she was a child in Sweden. Basinger also provided an insider's account of how the Bergman collection landed at Wesleyan, along with many anecdotes about Bergman's life as an actress. Finally, the film of the night, Hitchcock's Notorious, was preceded by home movies shot by Bergman's father early in the 20th century.

Next Wednesday it's Casablanca, introduced by actor Edward Herrman.

(Wadsworth photo by Paul Zakarian)