American Made Movie Tour Arriving in Bethlehem

It is fitting that a new documentary about the decline of American manufacturing will make one of its 32 national premieres in the shadow of the blast furnaces that once made Bethlehem one of the greatest industrial centers in the world.

On Wednesday, the American Made Movie bus will make its way into the Lehigh Valley as part of a 32 days in 32 cities tour. The film is set to open to wider audiences in August.

The documentary’s directors will make several stops before finally settling in at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks for a 7 p.m. showing, followed by a panel discussion featuring film directors Vincent Vittorio and Nathaniel Thomas McGill, Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. president and CEO Don Cunningham and Jack Pfunder, president and CEO of the Manufacturing Resource Center.

The film attempts to show how Americans can make a difference with every-day buying decisions and also documents the success of several American manufacturing businesses in a more competitive global economy.

The screening is being sponsored by LVEDC and tickets are available through the corporation’s marketing director, John McGran, at jmcgran@lehighvalley.org or (610) 266-7682.

Even if documentaries aren’t your thing, it still might be a good week to catch a film at SteelStacks.

On Monday night, for example, the film noir classic Double Indemnity—now 69 years removed from its premiere—makes a return to the big screen at 7:15 at the Banko (the Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas).

A brief plot description:

Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) seduces insurance agent Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) into murdering her husband to collect his accident policy. The murder goes as planned, but after the couple's passion cools, each becomes suspicious of the other's motives. The plan is further complicated when Neff's boss Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson), a brilliant insurance investigator, takes over the investigation.

Double Indemnity didn’t win an Oscar, but it was ranked as the 29th greatest film of all time by the American Film Institute in 2007.

If you like comedies, Girl Most Likely, a new film starring Kristen Wiig (formerly of Saturday Night Live) and Annette Bening, will be playing at the Banko all week.

If you’re looking for something to take the kids to, how about The Lion King, which is screening for free at the Levitt Pavilion at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Tickets for the movies at the Banko are $10, less for matinees, seniors, students and ArtsQuest members.

The Bethlehem Area School Board will hold a special meeting for general purposes at 6 p.m. Monday at the Education Center on Sycamore Street. The agenda is dominated primarily by personnel decisions, including the hiring of a whole slate of athletic coaches for Freedom, Liberty and all four middle schools. The Facilities and Curriculum committees will also be meeting.

The Bethlehem Township Planning Commission meets at 7 p.m. Monday. Find the agenda here.

Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Daryl Nerl at Daryl.Nerl@patch.com, or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.