'Bueller' Picked for Movie Night

The Harvard community will be treated to popcorn and a movie Sunday night, as University President Lawrence H. Summers starts off the school year with a screening of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

In an event dubbed “It’s Movie Time,” the University will show the cult classic of a high school student’s hilarious day skipping school.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off won by a substantial margin over the other contenders, Casablanca, Men in Black, Legally Blonde and North by Northwest in a vote conducted at Friday’s activities fair.

University spokesperson Joe Wrinn said that Summers created this event as part of an ongoing effort to bring the Harvard community together.

“President Summers wanted to do something at the beginning of the year in a fun way,” Wrinn said.

Funding will come from the budget of the Office of the President. The movie will be shown outdoors at Tercentenary Theatre at 6:45 p.m.

Wrinn said the Office of the President focused on finding movies that would appeal to a diverse audience.

The movie candidates were then advertised on some House e-mail lists and in a welcome letter to undergraduates from Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis ’68.

Anyone in the Harvard community had the opportunity to vote last Friday by dropping a Juju Bee candy into one of five jars laid out at the activities fair.

Approximately 750 votes were counted by a committee of staff and students.

Wrinn said Ferris Bueller got about 230 votes with Casablanca placing second with 190.

“Even though it was obvious from the jars that Ferris Bueller had won, the students and staff still counted the beans twice,” Wrinn said.

Wrinn said the committee began by informally polling what kinds of movies people would like to see.

Wrinn said Summers was promoting “It’s Movie Time” as a way to connect with students, faculty and staff.

“Larry definitely plans on attending the show,” Wrinn said.

—Staff writer Katherine M. Dimengo can be reached at dimengo@fas.harvard.edu.