Marilyn Monroe, shown in a scene from “The Seven Year Itch,” is the face of the Alpert Classic Film Society because she is the most famous Jewish movie star of all time and had a major role in one of our classic films, “Some Like It Hot.” Her mother named her Norma Jean, after Norma Jean Cohen, whose parents she admired for their kindness when she worked as a nanny for them. Monroe insisted on converting to Judaism when she married playwright Arthur Miller, although he didn't ask her to. She once said, “I can identify with the Jews. Everybody’s always out to get them, no matter what they do -- like me." See The Quiet Judaism of Marilyn Monroe.
2nd Wednesdays*
7 PM
Virtual
Free and open to all
Lights! Camera! Action!
Virtual Film Discussion Group
Welcome to the Alpert Classic Film Society! We are movie lovers who enjoy watching the greatest films of all time and then getting together to talk about them. Whether you've seen the films before or not, you'll get new insights that will deepen your appreciation and understanding.
Though the club is part of Jewish Long Beach, it is open to anyone, and membership is free. We've had members joining us from New York, Kentucky, the Caribbean, and Europe.
Want to join the club?
- Click the button below to register and receive the meeting Zoom link.
- Watch the film of the month (fees may apply).
- Hop on Zoom at 7 PM PT on the 2nd Wednesday* of the month to discuss the film with other members!
*Meeting dates may change due to holidays or schedule conflicts
Film of the Month
Bicycle Thieves (1948)
January 14 | 7 PM | Zoom
Available to watch on:
HBO Max (with subscription)
Hulu (with subscription)
Amazon Prime (with subscription)
Roku Channel (with subscription)
Apple TV (fees)
Coming Attractions
Click on each listing to see film details.
Need help getting started? Contact Dana Schneider Chanzit at [email protected]
Let's Watch
Nominate Your Favorite Films
As a member, you are welcome to nominate favorite films for us to watch as long as they are (1) at least 50 years old and (2) on one of the following lists:
- Roger Ebert's Greatest Films
- Ebert was the first movie critic who received a Pulitzer Prize. He began reviewing in the 1960s, but his list includes many films from before that time.
- Sight & Sound Critics Poll 2012 and 2022
- Once every 10 years, this film journal does a poll of top critics around the world to pick the 100 greatest films of all time. We're using the two most recent lists.
- Sight & Sound Critics Poll Documentaries
- National Film Registry
- There are nearly 800 films to choose from, but many are in the registry because of historical reasons and not necessarily because they are classics, i.e. "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein."
- Academy Award Best Picture Winners
- The Essentials List
- This has been compiled by the film experts at the Turner Classic Movies channel.
- This has been compiled by the film experts at the Turner Classic Movies channel.
Films We've Watched
2025
- November: In the Heat of the Night
- October: The Exterminating Angel
- September: Oliver!
- August: La Dolce Vita (Italian)
- July: Grand Illusion (French)
- June: The Passion of Joan of Arc (silent)
- May: Cabaret
- April: Top Hat
- March: The Philadelphia Story
- February: The Graduate
- January: Oklahoma!
2024
- December: The Lost Weekend
- November: The Searchers
- October: You Can't Take It With You
- September: Citizen Kane
- August: On the Waterfront
- July: The Apartment
- June: Funny Girl
- May: Au hasard, Balthazar (French)
- April: Great Expectations (1946)
- March: Ikiru (Japanese)
- February: The Thin Man
- January: All About Eve
2023
- December: The Lady Eve
- November: Vertigo
- October: No meeting
- September: Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (silent)
- August: 12 Angry Men
- July: Woman of the Year
- June: Singin' in the Rain
- May: The Adventures of Robin Hood
- April: The Red Shoes
- March: Metropolis (silent)
- February: Yojimbo (Japanese)
- January: North by Northwest
2022
- December: No meeting
- November: Sunset Boulevard
- October: The Wizard of Oz
- September: A Streetcar Named Desire
- August: Bob Le Flambeur (French)
- July: Black Orpheus (Brazilian/French)
- June: Red River
- May: Midnight Cowboy
- April: Dr. Strangelove
- March: The Best Years of Our Lives
- February: Persona (Swedish)
- January: Casablanca
2021
- December: Black Narcissus
- November: Battleship Potemkin (Silent)
- October: Bringing Up Baby
- September: The Women
- August: Tokyo Story (Japanese)
- July: Pather Panchali (Indian)
- June: The Third Man
- May: Night of the Hunter
- April: 2001: A Space Odyssey
- March: Viridiana (Spanish)
- February: Gone With the Wind.
- January: Some Like It Hot
2020
- December: An American In Paris
- November: A Face in the Crowd
- October: Grand Hotel
- September: How Green Was My Valley
- August: The Rules of the Game (French)
- July: Gentlemen's Agreement
