The summer 2025 BYU Library Film Series is set, featuring a variety of classic films from Hollywood's golden age and a sports comedy from the 1990s.
Roger Layton, BYU library communications and public relations manager, and Brian Wages, a reference specialist, have overseen the classic film series for seven seasons. The films they select are mostly lighthearted and open to the community and people of all ages
“More into the summer, we like to show something a little lighter," Layton said. "The kind of film people's grandparents might have seen at a drive-in theater — films that people will bring their grandkids to."
The Flight of the Phoenix (1965)
The summer Film Series kicks off with 1965’s “The Flight of the Phoenix,” starring James Stewart, who gave his collection to BYU in 1983. It is a classic Film Series tradition to screen a movie starring James Stewart every May to celebrate his birthday.
The film is about a group of plane crash survivors who are determined to get back in the air.
Layton shared a fun fact about James Stewart in the movie.
“He actually served in the military as a bomber pilot and was a general in the Air Force Reserve. This is the last film he played, a pilot,” Layton said.
He also recalled seeing this movie at the BYU Varsity Theater as a kid.
“The Flight of the Phoenix” kicks off the summer Film Series on May 16.
The Parent Trap (1961)
Layton remembers watching the 1961 version of “The Parent Trap” at ward parties. Wages remembers seeing the movie as a teenager on reruns.
The movie is about two identical twins who are accidentally reunited at a summer camp and hatch a plan to reunite their parents.
“It's a good, fun summer film,” Layton said.
This film was also chosen for the summer lineup to highlight the importance of family history.
“If the people in this movie had done their family history, there wouldn't be a movie,” Layton said.
“The Parent Trap” will be screened at the BYU Harold B. Lee Library on June 13.
The Sandlot (1993)
“I remember when it was released and going to see it in the theater for the first time,” Wages said.
Compared to the classic film series' usual lineup of films from the 1940s, '50s and '60s, "The Sandlot" came out in 1993. To Brian Wages, it is a classic now.
The film, which is about a new kid in town who joins a baseball team and finds himself on many rowdy adventures, was primarily filmed in Salt Lake City.
Layton and Wages said they thought about bringing this film to the lineup last year, but it did not fit with the schedule and they did not want to take any press away from the Utah State Historical Society, which they thought might be planning a screening of the movie to celebrate Utah’s 100th anniversary of filmmaking.
Wages is excited to screen this film to the audience on July 11.
“When I mentioned this to my kids, who are all teenagers or young adults, that was the one that they were like, 'Oh, I would love to see that one on the big screen,'” Wages said.
Citizen Kane (1941)
The final film of the summer film series is “Citizen Kane,” considered by many film institutions, including the American Film Institute, to be the greatest film of all time.
Wages remembered seeing the film in college.
“There are so many cultural references to 'Citizen Kane' that once you've seen it the first time, all those other films or cartoons that reference it, you know 'Rosebud' or things like that, you're like, 'Oh now I understand,'” he said.
Layton said that he and Wages have discussed screening this film for years, and they decided it was time.
“August is sometimes ... a tough month for a film here because people are busy,” Layton said. "So we felt, let's do a good, strong classic and put it out there.”
"Citizen Kane" is about a reporter who is given an assignment to learn the meaning of Charles Kane’s last word: "Rosebud." Along the way, he learns about Kane's life through those who knew him.
The film will be screened on Aug. 8.
Looking into the Future
Layton said he has observed a new audience coming in to see the films over the last few years.
“For a while there, the audience for the film series was a lot of retired people, which is great, but over the last few years, we've seen a growing number of students come," he said. "That makes us very happy."
Layton also said he and Wages are inviting all the students to come out and enjoy the films.
“They're welcome to give us suggestions, but sometimes it takes us a year or two to get them into the schedule,” Layton said.
Looking ahead, the fall classic film series will include films such as “The Sound of Music," “The Bride of Frankenstein,” the 1940 version of “Pride and Prejudice” and “The Shop Around the Corner.”
Next year, Layton said they are screening “It’s a Wonderful Life,” a film that has been screened before in the classic film series, to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the film.