Classic film actress Constance Towers to visit Monterey Park library

The Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library is holding a special screening of the John Ford classic “Sergeant Rutledge” next month and after the movie, film historian Foster Hirsch will lead a discussion with the film’s star Constance Towers and Christopher Hunter, son of the film’s co-star Jeffrey Hunter.

The screening is set for 1 p.m. Aug. 3 at the library, 318 S. Ramona Ave.

“Sergeant Rutledge” is notable for its frank treatment of racism and for being the first major studio western to cast a Black actor in the lead. Set on a U.S. Army fort in the late 1800s, it tells the story of Braxton Rutledge, a Black sergeant facing court martial for murder and rape.

Towers’ film roles include “A Perfect Murder” with Gwyneth Paltrow, “Shock Corridor” and most recently “The Storyteller.” She starred opposite Yul Brynner in an acclaimed national tour of “The King and I” for three years, and she has many television credits, including appearances on “Frazier,” “Star Trek: Deep Space 9,” “L.A. Law” and “Murder, She Wrote.” Soap opera fans may recognize her as the longtime villainess Helena Cassadine on ABC’s “General Hospital.”

Hirsch is a professor of film at Brooklyn College and authored 16 books on film and theater. He is a graduate of Mark Keppel High School and attended the opening day of the current Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library.

The free screening is presented in partnership with the Monterey Park Historical Society. The event is dedicated to the memories of Larry Sullivan and Johnny Thompson, who supported the classic film screenings for many years.

For more information, call Adult Reference Services at 626-307-1368. For more information about library events and services, visit montereypark.ca.gov/library.