CWRU Film Society Science Fiction Marathon
StatusActive
GenreFilm festival
FrequencyAnnually
Location(s)Cleveland
Inaugurated1976 (1976)
Websitefilms.case.edu/marathon.php

The CWRU Film Society Science Fiction Marathon, held by the CWRU Film Society at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), is the longest-running 24-hour annual movie marathon event, attracting more than 100 customers annually.[1] The Science Fiction Marathon is a weekend (approx. 36 hrs.)[2] of back to back science fiction movies, trailers, and surprises. This event was started in 1976 and is attended by CWRU students, the Cleveland community, and people from out of state and from other countries.[3] The Marathon takes place every spring semester starting the Friday after the first day of classes.

Background

The CWRU Science Fiction Marathon was started by Charles Knox, a staff astronomer at CWRU. The inaugural event took place from January 18 through 24, 1976. That first year, 1,100 filmgoers watched 16 films in 28 hours with over 100 staying for all of the films.[4][5] At any given marathon, they show a variety of films from a wide range of time periods with attention to never show too many films from any one decade and always being sure to include a new title as well as an older film.[6]

In the early days of the marathon, multiple campus film societies collaborated to make an event so large able to happen, including the CWRU Film Society and the Case Interdorm, which focused mainly on on-campus residential events.[7] The Marathon soon sparked Cleveland to have a variety of other local film series events including a Charlie Chaplin series at the Cedar Lee Theater, a new winter and spring series at Cleveland State University, and a Murder Mystery film series at the Mayfield Repertory Cinema. [8] The event drew such a large crowd by its fourth year that WJW sent a camera crew to cover the opening of the marathon.[9] It continued to be the headline movie event of the season with features including being the only theater to run 70mm film. This feature has been reportedly planned to be brought back in 2022.[10][11]

The event became a selling point in admissions and Cleveland attractions books and was listed as a longstanding tradition along with other major events such as the Hudson Relays.[12][13][14]

History

Strosacker Auditorium, the site of the event

The event was first held on January 30, 1976 in Strosacker Auditorium at Case Western Reserve University. Subsequent years have seen the event repeat annually with different titles and a variety of new and old films to cater to a wide variety of audiences.[15] [16] [17] [18] [19]

In 2000, the Marathon celebrated its 25th anniversary. A local artist from Conneaut, Ohio by the name of KRASH so enjoyed attending the marathons that he created a mural with 24 sections. Each section was printed on a t-shirt and sold at the marathon. The complete mural was revealed for the 25th anniversary.

A complete list of movies shown at each event can be found on the CWRU Film Society website.[20]

Marathon 46, which took place at the height of pandemic restrictions in 2021, was feature to several alternate solutions including a program to bring marathon into people's homes and a heavily modified process to admit attendees. Attendance ran up to its cap of 60 people and during the event, special announcements and changes included a memorial for Lyle Deavers, one of only six people who had attended every one of the marathons, built-in eating blocks for people to dine outdoors, the addition of posting a "where to stream" guide for home participants, and the announcement of an endowment that had been created for The CWRU Film Society, the parent group who hosts the annual event.

Marathon 47 featured the return of 70mm to the theater for the first time in over 25 years with a presentation of Howard the Duck as well as live accompaniment for the silent film The Golem.[21]

A documentary is in progress that documents the spectacle and evolution of the event over its long history by Frank Tarasco.[22]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Movie Marathon Records". 24 Hour Movie Marathon!. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  2. ↑ By, Sponsored. "cwru sci-fi marathon". Cleveland - Freshwater Media.
  3. ↑ Olson, Remy E. (2005). Case Western Reserve University : Cleveland, Ohio. Pittsburgh, Pa.: College Prowler. p. 132. ISBN 9781596580244.
  4. ↑ Green, Tom (January 23, 1976). "Science fiction fans plan a reel thriller". The Plain Dealer. p. 21.
  5. ↑ "Monster bash unreels with no friction". The Plain Dealer. February 3, 1976. p. 19.
  6. ↑ Delamotte, Nikki (1 January 2018). "25 things to do in Cleveland this January: Film, foodie events and more". Cleveland. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  7. ↑ "A marathon, scifi version". The Plain Dealer. January 17, 1977. p. 29.
  8. ↑ Chermin, Donna (January 20, 1978). "Wide variety of film series offered here". The Plain Dealer. p. 69.
  9. ↑ Glassner, Andrew (January 24, 1979). "Sci-fi Freaks Endure Marathon". The Case Tech. p. 9.
  10. ↑ Chermin, Donna (January 18, 1980). "CWRU Film Society offers excellent series". The Plain Dealer. p. 80.
  11. ↑ "CWRU Film Society". films.case.edu. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  12. ↑ Olson, Remy E. (2005). Case Western Reserve University : Cleveland, Ohio. Pittsburgh, Pa.: College Prowler. p. 30 & 132. ISBN 9781596580244.
  13. ↑ Fiske, Edward B. (2005). The Fiske Guide to Colleges. Sourcebooks. p. 120.
  14. ↑ Carey, Miriam (2001). 365 ways to meet people in Cleveland. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland, Ohio : Gray & Co. p. 49. ISBN 978-1-886228-45-0. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  15. ↑ Rapsis, Jeff (2020-01-13). "Jeff Rapsis / Silent Film Music: Three sci-fi marathons in the next two months: Aelita; The Lost World; and Jekyll & Hyde". Jeff Rapsis / Silent Film Music. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  16. ↑ "Attention Movie Lovers: It's Time for the CWRU Science Fiction Marathon | CoolCleveland". coolcleveland.com. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  17. ↑ Cassady, Charles Jr. "The 40th annual CWRU Film Society Science-Fiction Marathon invades Jan. 16-17". Archived from the original on 2021-04-17. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  18. ↑ "Case sci-fi movie marathon returns for weekend | News | morningjournal.com". 2021-04-15. Archived from the original on 2021-04-15. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  19. ↑ Gallucci, Michael. "The Sci-Five". Cleveland Scene. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  20. ↑ "CWRU Film Society". films.case.edu. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  21. ↑ "CWRU Film Society". films.case.edu.
  22. ↑ "Sci-Fi Marathon the Movie or How to Spend a Weekend with 250 Geeks" – via IMDb.
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