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ABILENE, Kan. - The 2013 Paul H. Royer Film Series begins March 7 and continues March 14 and 21 at the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum Visitors Center Auditorium. Each film starts at 7 p.m. and includes free soda and popcorn. All films are free and open to the public.
The film series is sponsored by Robert H. (Hank) Royer, Jr., in memory of his grandfather, who was a founding father of the Eisenhower Foundation and Abilene High School classmate of President Eisenhower. The three films chosen for this year are movies nominated for Academy Awards 60 years ago in 1953.
March 7 - From Here to Eternity 
Starring Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Donna Reed, Frank Sinatra
(1953, Black and White, 118 minutes)
This film is a toned-down but still powerful adaptation of James Jones' novel of Army life in Hawaii just before Pearl Harbor. The depiction of the Japanese sneak attack combines unforgettable action scenes with actual combat footage. It is brilliantly acted by the entire cast.This film has been rated PG-for television. Nominated for 13 Academy Awards, this movie won 8, including Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Director and Best Picture. March 14 - The Band Wagon  Starring: Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse (1953, Color, 112 minutes) This is a musical comedy that many critics rank, along with Singin' in the Rain, as the finest of the MGM musicals, although it was only a modest box-office success. It tells the story of an aging musical star who hopes a Broadway play will restart his career. However, the play's director brings in a prima ballerina who clashes with the star. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Costume Design, Color; Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture; and Best Writing, Story and Screenplay.
March 21 - Stalag 17  Starring: William Holden, Don Taylor, Otto Preminger (1953, Black and White, 120 minutes) In this "granddaddy" of all WWII Prisoner of War films, Holden is a super-cynical sergeant suspected of being a Nazi spy. The film brilliantly blends drama with comedy to show the monotonous, anxiety-ridden life of POWs. Nominated for two Academy Awards, the movie won for Best Actor in a Leading Role. | 
