CLASSES ON CINEMA BEGAN AT CAMPUS 70 YEARS AGO.

Byline: - Bob McCarthy

The 1929 spring semester at the University of Southern California was a special time for any student lucky enough to get a seat in a popular new course titled Introduction to Photoplay. Some of Hollywood's biggest names were taking turns at the podium, talking about the art of motion pictures and the excitement of the home-grown industry with its epicenter only miles from the USC campus.

Guest speakers that semester included leading man Douglas Fairbanks, directors D.W. Griffith and Ernst Lubitsch, MGM production chief Irving Thalberg and producer William C. De Mille, the elder brother of Cecil B. De Mille. Their presence made an impact, and the university added the film course to its regular curriculum. Soon there were other filmmaking courses, including cinematography and architecture and decorative arts. Within three years, a cinema department was created, and USC was the first university offering a bachelor's degree with a major in cinema.

The rest is history - 70 years' worth - for the USC School of Cinema-Television.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which was directly responsible for university's first film course, is honoring the anniversary tonight at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Tim Allen will host the evening, and notable USC graduates George Lucas, Richard Edlund, writing partners Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (``Ed Wood,'' ``The People vs. Larry Flynt''), producers Brian Grazer and David Wolper, and director Randal Kleiser are scheduled to attend. Fox 2000 president Laura Ziskin and Fox Filmed Entertainment chairman and CEO Bill Mechanic will join them.

Fifteen student films, including ``THX 1138 4EB'' by Lucas and the Student Academy Award-winning ``A Field of Honor'' by Robert Zemeckis will be screened. A short animated film by Gary Rydstrom, winner of seven Oscars in sound and sound-effects editing, will also be shown, along with ``Black Top Lingo'' by recent graduate Rick Famuyiwa, writer-director of ``The Wood.''

Though the event is sold out, there are always a few seats that open up because of last-minute cancellations. Any available $5 tickets will be sold tonight before the event. It begins at 7 p.m. at the academy, 8949 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. Call [phone] for information.

Since its humble beginnings in the early 1930s, the School of Cinema has developed a successful training program for students wanting to break into the film and television fields. Its graduates number among some of the industry's top directors, producers, writers, composers, editors, executives, visual-effects creators, sound designers and cinematographers.

For a glimpse of the school's up-and-coming talent, try ``The First Look Festival,'' a showcase for dramas, comedies and documentaries made at the USC School of Cinema-Television.

The Directors Guild of America hosts the event Tuesday through Oct. 7 that features 29 films. Admission to the DGA, 7920 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, is free.

Call [phone] for reservations. Programs begin at 7:30 nightly. For those who can't make it, the festival is being repeated Oct. 10-11 at the Norris Theatre on the USC campus.

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos

PHOTO (1) Producer William De Mille, shown here with some USC students on the steps of the Old College (where the first film classes were held), was one of many Hollywood pros who lent their expertise to the university.

(2) USC track coach Dean Cromwell puts Greta Garbo through her paces during a 1934 photo op.

(3) George Lucas works the camera during his time at USC.

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