The White House has invited a select group to a private screening of the film classic To Kill a Mockingbird today. Those not in that august party, however, can join in for a special airing on Saturday, which will be augmented by a second-screen social TV experience powered by Viggle.
President Barack Obama will introduce the movie broadcast, which is on USA Network in conjunction with Universal Pictures. To Kill a Mockingbird was nominated for eight Academy Awards in 1963 and won three, including a Best Actor honor for Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch.
Viggle users can learn these facts and more during the airing, as the app offers live chat and social networking along with contextually relevant content like a selection of iconic moments, celebrity memories, exclusive photos and videos. By checking in and participating in the live second-screen experience, viewers will earn points. USA Networks and Viggle will match the amount of points generated by fans and make a donation of up to $20,000 to USA Networks’ Characters Unite nonprofit public service program, which is designed to promote greater understanding and acceptance and was created to address social injustices and cultural divides.
The version being shown has recently been digitally remastered and fully restored by Universal, and Saturday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on April 7 marks its first national broadcast.
The White House screening is celebrating the movie’s 50th anniversary in partnership with the American Film Institute. The AFI has recognized To Kill a Mockingbird several times, naming it as one of the 100 greatest American films ever made and listing Atticus Finch as one of the silver screen’s greatest heroes.
The film, based on Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, tells the story of lawyer Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) as he faces the consequences of defending Tom Robinson (Brock Peters). Events are related through the eyes of his daughter Scout (Mary Badham), a feisty 6-year-old tomboy, as she struggles to comprehend social injustice and racial prejudice in 1932 Alabama.
Related links:
USA Network – To Kill a Mockingbird page
Viggle – official page
USA Network – press release
AFI – press release
