Concord couple stage Oscar-worthy movie marathon for the ages

CONCORD, CA (July 29, 2020) – Ellen and Jerry Herdegen of Concord decided in March to spend their shelter-in-place time watching all 92 Best Picture Oscar movies – from “Wings” (1927) to “Parasite” (2019), in no particular order.

They viewed one movie most evenings for the last few months.

“With no sports and mostly bad news on TV, this was our perfect escape,” Jerry says.

Ellen had a hard time picking just one favorite. She loves “It Happened One Night” (1934), “Mrs. Miniver” (1942), “West Side Story” (1961) and “Driving Miss Daisy” (1989). But her best of the best choice is “Dances With Wolves” (1990).

Jerry’s favorite is easy: “Casablanca” (1943). His least favorite is “Hamlet” (1948). He says “Treasure of the Sierra Madre” should have won and also notes that Kenneth Branagh’s 1996 “Hamlet” is much better. Ellen’s worst of the best is “Ordinary People” (1980).

While it’s a hard act to follow, they are thinking about a special way to spend their evenings going forward.