It’s a little ridiculous that I waited a whole nine months after moving to Tucson to attend a film at The Loft. Voted Best of Tucson by the readers of the Tucson Weekly every year since 2002, The Loft is described in its mission statement as “a nonprofit cinema dedicated to creating community through film, honoring the vision of filmmakers, celebrating ideas and promoting the appreciation and understanding of the art of film.” While constantly providing a rotating roster of new independent features, The Loft also regularly shows classic films, most notably as a part of their Essential Cinema series, which showcases classic art films in glorious 35mm once a month – for the low low price of free. Did I mention they also serve alcohol and vegan pizza?!?

The event that finally got my butt out of the house and into one of the cushy Loft theater seats was a special midday Mother’s Day screening of 1959’s Pillow Talk starring Doris Day and Rock Hudson. A rousing crowd of moms of all ages was in attendance, each one of them receiving a complementary fresh-cut carnation. Aw! Not only that, but the snack bar was serving delicious “Momosas” – which were, you know, just regular mimosas, but it’s the thought that counts. The best part of all, though, was the amazing Doris Day/Rock Hudson prize package raffled off before the show, featuring their three-movie Comedy Collection, TCM’s new two-disc With a Smile and a Song Doris Day CD, a cute vintage pillow, and Mattel’s out-of-print Pillow Talk dolls! Bummer that I didn’t win.

I also enjoyed the informative introduction by a Loft staff member, who, among other production factoids, revealed that Rock Hudson turned the film down three times on the grounds that the script was “too risqué.” Overall it was a great presentation with a grateful audience. The Loft is currently campaigning to raise $2.5 million in donations in order to expand their theater, upgrade their equipment and make their existing facilities fully accessible. If you’re a Tucsonan, or if you just care about good film and art-based nonprofits, you can donate to their efforts here.

Tonight I have a big decision to make – whether to see Shadow of a Doubt at Cinema La Placita, or the restored A Trip to the Moon followed by a documentary on Georges Méliès’ timeless masterpiece at The Loft. I think they scheduled them both on the same night just to torture me. What’s a classic film fan in Tucson to do?