5 Questions with Mr. B
Nothing says summer in Columbia like movie nights with Mr. B! 🎬
Did you know that CA’s free film series actually started on a projector aimed at a king-sized sheet? Nearly 50 years later, Tom Brzezinski (affectionately known as Mr. B) is still sharing his love of movies with the community as the host of Lakefront Live movie nights.
Check out our Q&A to learn more about the man behind the movie magic, plus some of the movie titles you can look forward to this summer!
What do you love most about this tradition?
When I first started showing movies in 1969, it was the beginning of Columbia and I felt so blessed to be here. At the time, I was the media specialist at Bryant Woods Elementary School. I thought that free films in the park would be a nice way to give back to the community when school was out. So I rented a few films, set up a projector aimed at a sheet in Rain Dream Hill Park and spread the word.
After two summers, CA approached me about moving to the Lakefront, and I’ve been hosting movie nights ever since. Now, it’s not unusual for parents who grew up with CA movie nights to bring their own kids. I’ve even seen third generations come down, which warms my heart.
The audiences are definitely the best part! There’s just this wonderful sense of community that you get coming together to watch a film that you don’t get alone. I’m very proud that people bring their own recycling bags and pick up after themselves — when the movie is done, you can’t even tell we were at the Lakefront.
How do you choose each summer’s movie schedule?
Finding out what the community wants is my number one priority. I keep a running note in my phone, and then type them up when I get home. That note comes in handy, because people will come up to me with ideas at the grocery store!
To keep up with top movies of the year, I check out Variety and Common Sense Media. And if there’s a new film in a series that’s coming up, I try to bring them back to get people excited for the new release.
It’s important for me to make sure the film program speaks to the totality of the Columbia population and represents different areas around the world. This also means covering stories and subjects that speak to this new generation.
What is your most memorable movie night memory?
There are countless heartwarming stories I could share. A few years ago, a young man came up to me with tears in his eyes after Cinema Paradiso. He had come from DC to watch it, and was so moved by it. It’s an honor to be able to share lovely films like that that connect with people on that level.
There’s also lots of special events that come to mind. Our annual environmental night is a tradition I’m proud of. For Finding Nemo, we did all sorts of activities to get the kids excited, like getting their photo taken with Nemo and giving out 2,000 snack packs that we called pirate’s booty.
One really cool memory is when we showed Secretariat. The parent of one of my students, Dave Zepp, was the veterinarian who examined the real horse Secretariat and approved him to be in the Preakness the year that he won the Triple Crown. So before the movie, Dave talked about this experience with the crowd, which was super unique.
What’s something people would be surprised to learn about you?
Before my 42 years in the Howard County school system, I served in the Army National Guard. I did six months active duty and four years in the reserves. Believe it or not, I also moonlight as Santa at various villages during the holiday season!
What is your favorite movie of all time?
My all-time favorite is Casablanca. A fun fact is that there were two different endings, and during filming the cast still didn’t know how it would end.
See you at the Lakefront!
Check out the full schedule of Lakefront Live movie nights here. This summer, you can look forward to movies like Hairspray, The Goonies, Wonka, Soul and SO much more. Plus, we’re doing special promotional nights (that means free giveaways, people!) for Barbie, Strange World and the Harry Potter movies.
All movies begin playing at dusk (around 8:30pm in early summer and 8-8:15pm in late summer).