Battle of the Beehives Honors Mr. Movie

When Michell Muldoon’s husband, Steve Friedman, also known as Mr. Movie, passed away last year, she began the Mr. Movie Film Festival to pay tribute her late husband.

The first festival took place at the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville. This year, the second annual Mr. Movie Film Festival will take place April 3 at the Ambler Theater in downtown Ambler.

Muldoon described Mr. Movie as “a movie savant.” She said he would come up with such detail and remember everything about every movie that opened, from the running time to the actors’ individual career details.

“Anyone who knew him would be blown away by his knowledge,” she added.

This year’s festival has expanded. After travelling to Baltimore to join in the three-day, 65,000 person HonFest, an annual festival that celebrates the city's culture, and meeting Mike Nise, producer of Dancing on Air, Muldoon began pulling together this year’s Mr. Movie Festival: Battle of the Beehives.

Baltimore Beauties from HonFest will be present, including Barbara from American Bandstand and Bonnie from The Buddy Dean Show. Other American Bandstand alumni will also be in attendance. WPHT 1210 AM radio program The Remember When Show will also be joining the doo-wop style festivities.

The musical Hairspray will also be shown, Muldoon said she chose the musical over the original because it’s a blast, and her husband hated the original.

The festival will feature a beehive hairdo contest, a dance contest and dance demonstration, as well as dancing with DJ Steve Kurtz from Crusin’ 92.1.

“(It will be ) a fun, fun day, and then we’ll go watch the film,” said Muldoon.

The Mr. Movie Film Festival organizers are excited to have Wildwood, NJ, as a sponsor for this year’s event, as the town is know for its doo-wop culture. There will also be limousine rides around town.

Muldoon added that her husband, Mr. Movie, had done radio movie talk shows and passed away about five hours after he got off the air of one of his radio shows.

The Mr. Movie Film Festival benefits the National Kidney Foundation and the Mr. Movie, Stephen and Darragh Friedman Scholarship Fund, which Muldoon started to help students who have parents that are suffering or who passed away while they were in high school.

Doors for the film festival will open at 1:15 p.m., the contest begins at 3:30 p.m., and Hairspray the musical will begin at 4 p.m. Tickets are available in advance on the Amber Theater website or available at the door.