Mt. Airy ‘movie man’ projects love of films to senior citizens

Paul Sofian, long-time Mt. Airy resident, prepares to give one of his entertaining 10-a-month presentations about classic movies. (Photo by Joia Harvey)

by JOIA HARVEY

“My name is Paul Sofian, and I just love the movies!” In Linden Hall, at the Friends Home in Kennett Square, Sofian, 58, is beginning a slide presentation on classic movies entitled “1939, Hollywood’s Greatest Year.” The long-time Mt. Airy resident has been giving presentations of this kind all over the Philadelphia area for the past three years, but he never gets tired of talking about his favorite subject: the movies. This is his fourth time at the Friends’ Home, where he has given all three of his talks, “Marilyn Monroe: The Never-Ending Dream,” “The Great Hollywood Musicals” and “1939, Hollywood’s Greatest Year.”

For the residents of the Friends’ Home, it is a chance to remember the movies of their youth and relive the golden days of Hollywood. Kim Dziembowski, the activities director, enjoys the presentations just as much as the residents, and occasionally joins them in trying to guess who the actors and actresses in Sofian’s slides are. Dziembowski thinks the presentations are wonderful for the residents because trying to remember things from the past keeps the mind active. After the presentation, while giving out a snack, she asks, “Wasn’t it fun to try and remember all those movies?” The residents agree that it was.

On this particular night, Sofian begins by saying he will not simply talk about the movies, but will ask for input from the audience: “I could get up here and tell you about the movies, but I thought it would be a lot more fun if I made you do the work.” He starts off with a slide from Gunga Din and asks if anyone recognizes the man in the center of the picture.

After a few guesses, he names the actors and then proceeds with several slides of similar adventure films. After that, he runs through the comedies, the musicals, the prominent stars such as Bette Davis and Shirley Temple, and the great teams, like the Marx Brothers and Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. After many slides and much audience participation, he wraps up the evening with Gone With the Wind, a favorite with everyone.

The movies of the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s hold a special appeal for Sofian, but he also watches contemporary movies. He enjoys the work of Michael Douglas, Tom Hanks and Annette Bening, but still loves the classics such as the Wizard of Oz and King Kong. Sofian admits that a few newer movies do measure up to their predecessors, but on the whole, Sofian sticks to old Hollywood because he thinks the old movies were classier. “Movies today show you everything,” he explains. “They leave nothing to the imagination.”

Sofian gives about 10 presentations a month, but his most memorable one was for a group of 30 wheelchair-bound patients at the Brandywine Senior Suites in East Norriton one year ago. Both his projector and his backup projector did not work, so Sofian filled the hour by telling movie stories, playing music on the recorder and singing operatic songs. (Music is another hobby.) “They must have thought I was OK,” said Paul, “because when the hour was over, they did pay me.”

Sofian’s fondness for movies and movie facts began with a childhood in Northeast Philly hanging around movie theaters like the Mayfair, Merben and Liberty, where his dad was a “relief manager.” He admits, with a bit of a grin, that he probably saw many more movies than most kids his age. “When I was dating,” he said, “I went to movie theaters my father was managing because that saved me a lot of money.” As an adult, his job at a video store in Mt. Airy provided an outlet for his love of movies, as did his membership in the Chestnut Hill Film Group.

The CHFG shows classic movies for free at the Chestnut Hill public library (the weekly series will resume October 18), and Sofian used to introduce the films with facts about the actors, director or production, and the background and significance of each film. When he began giving talks on his own, he incorporated this blend of information and entertaining facts into his presentations, and added visual stills and photographs of countless movies from his private collection.

Sofian, a graduate of Olney High School and Temple University (English major) and city employee for 35 years, does not limit his travels to the Philadelphia area. He has traveled as far as northern New Jersey and this summer will expand his business even farther as he takes his slideshows to Maine, where he has nine shows already lined up, and then down to Virginia. He charges a basic fee for each presentation and adds on travel expenses, which vary with the distance he has to travel. But even though he is paid to give his presentations, Sofian does not consider this sideline as career work. With reference to his job with the city, he says, “That’s work. But this, this is fun.”