At Athenaeum's Flicks on the Bricks, next up is the 1949 film 'Tension'

San Diego Union-Tribune

Aug. 9, 2018 12:45 PM PT

It’s not summer in San Diego without outdoor movies, and the outdoor patio at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library in La Jolla has proved to be a popular venue in years past.

This year, the Flicks on the Bricks series presents what the Athenaeum is billing as “the first ever showcase of film noir in America’s Finest City.”

The series — curated by KPBS film critic and host Beth Accomando and noir aficionado D. A. Kolodenko — kicked off last week with a double bill of “Devil Thumbs a Ride” (1947) and “The Clay Pigeon” (1949). Today’s featured movie is 1949’s “Tension” — “set in Culver City, California, where mild-mannered drugstore manager and ex-sailor Warren Quimby (a young Richard Basehart) tries to convince his restless wife Claire (Audrey Totter) to accept a life of domestic suburban tranquility — a notion that bores Claire.”

Each film in the series has a San Diego connection, and even though the city doesn’t make an appearance in “Tension,” it’s featured in one of the film’s most memorable lines.

The series continues with “The Brothers Rico” (1957) on Aug. 16 and “The Grifters” (1990) on Aug. 23.

Flicks on the Bricks at the Athenaeum: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Aug. 23. Athenaeum Music & Arts Library’s outdoor patio, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. 4-movie series: $32 members, $52 nonmembers. Individual screenings: $10 members, $15 nonmembers. ljathenaeum.org/flicks-on-the-bricks

Twitter: @outdoorlivingsd

michael.rocha@sduniontribune.com

Arts | Culture

Michael James Rocha

Michael James Rocha is the digital creative director at the Union-Tribune. He oversees the online presentation of Union-Tribune stories online and has oversight of the photo and graphics teams. Most recently, he was the arts and entertainment editor. During his tenure, the Union-Tribune’s Sunday arts section was named the best in the nation two years in a row (2021 and 2022). Michael started his career at the Union-Tribune in December 1997 as a features page designer. He eventually became the features design editor, managing a staff of 15 designers and 17 features sections. Through the years, he has done stints as the front page designer, audience development editor and home decor editor. He previously wrote a monthly column on outdoor living, which focused on outdoor decor. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communications (with an emphasis on print journalism) from California State University-Fullerton in 1994. He is a founding member of the Asian American Journalists Association’s San Diego chapter, and he has taught magazine writing, editing and design at Point Loma Nazarene University. He also loves dogs.