Stanford Theatre reopening in July with Hitchcock, Cary Grant

The historic Stanford Theatre is set to reopen — again — in July with a summer festival featuring the movies of director Alfred Hitchcock and suave movie star Cary Grant.

Grant kicks off the first few weeks with double features of some of his comedies and dramas from the 1930s and ’40s (“Bringing Up Baby” July 1-2, “His Girl Friday” July 8-9 and “Topper” July 15-16, “Gunga Din” July 20-21). Hitchcock makes his entrance July 22-23 with the director’s first two collaborations with Grant, 1941’s “Suspicion” and 1946’s “Notorious.” The pair split the rest of the summer, coming together again for “To Catch a Thief” Aug. 12-13 and “North by Northwest” Aug. 19-20.

The festival wraps up Labor Day weekend, Sept. 2-3 with two Hitchcock thrillers: “Psycho” and “The Birds.” After those two, you’ll need a day off to recover. You can check out the full schedule at www.stanfordtheatre.org.

The landmark movie house on University Avenue in Palo Alto had been shuttered during the pandemic, briefly reopened last summer and closed again for work on its HVAC system and other renovations. That’s good for the future of the 98-year-old theater but disappointing for fans who had to go without their classic film fix, including the traditional Christmas Eve showing of “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL THEATER: Tabard Theatre is evoking the spirit of comic Jerry Lewis with its fundraiser this weekend by staging a 27-hour telethon at the downtown San Jose venue. Executive Artistic Director Jonathan Williams will co-host with Mighty Mike McGee and Ato Walker, the hosts of Tabard’s weekly “Off Nite” talk show. The trio will welcome musicians, comedians, singers, poets and other performers to keep people entertained for the more-than-a-daylong stretch starting at 6 p.m. Saturday and running through 9 p.m. Sunday night.

It’s free to join the in-person audience at the theater in San Pedro Square, or you can tune in online through Tabard’s YouTube, Facebook and Vimeo channels. Of course, the bar will be open the entire time — though serving only coffee and soft drinks between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. because even telethons have to obey liquor laws.

Tabard, you might recall, nearly shut its doors in April before reinventing itself as a venue for live music, comedy and other events. Williams says the telethon is designed to help raise money to kick off the new chapter in Tabard’s history and to showcase the artists who regularly perform there.

“We are looking forward to bringing these artists together and discovering what surprises they have in store for us over the course of this 27-hour long event,” Williams said. Get more details at www.tabardtheatre.org.