South Pasadena Library celebrates Ray Bradbury’s 95th birthday

By Nick Michael

Staff Writer

Photos by Matt Scholtz

The South Pasadena Public Library held a celebration of author Ray Bradbury’s 95th birthday on Saturday, from 7-10 p.m. The festivities kicked off with a sci-fi themed musical performance. Following the performance were two tributes to Bradbury, one by Jim and Lissa Reynolds from the Fremont Centre Theatre, and the other by Robert Kerr, an actor who performed in many of Bradbury’s plays.

“For five years,” Jim Reynolds said, “the Fremont Centre Theatre was [Bradbury’s] home.”

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Bradbury, who died in 2012, is considered one of the best science fiction writers ever, and is most famous for his magnum opus, Fahrenheit 451. He often visited South Pasadena, especially the Fremont Centre Theatre, on the corner of Fremont Ave. and El Centro St.

“Every opening night he would do a curtain speech,” Lissa Reynolds said, “which, of course, lasted half an hour.”

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After the two tributes to Bradbury, three scenes from his play Fahrenheit 451, which was based on the novel, were acted out. The event ended with a free screening of the Fahrenheit 451 feature film, directed by Francois Truffait and starring Oskar Werner and Julie Christie.

The event was completely free, and refreshments were provided, along with a special cake made specifically for the celebration by Cake Sensations.