Lighthouse Cinema
525 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove, (831) 641‑0747, lighthousecinema4events.com
At least 18 films have been made from Steinbeck’s novels and short stories, including two from Of Mice and Men (1939 and 1992) and The Red Pony (1949 and 1973). Sounds like a great idea for a movie festival, and readers know just where to host it: Lighthouse Cinema in Pacific Grove. Lighthouse Cinema nearly shut down in 2023 after the company leasing the theater stopped paying its rent, but was rescued by the building’s owners, the Enea family who built the theater in 1987. Staff members are working hard to keep the four‑screen theater in business, promoting it as an events space and hosting theme parties for the public. A special Barbie premiere attracted hundreds of patrons decked out in pink. Fun fact: The theater that was around when Steinbeck lived in P.G. in the 1930s and 1940s was Grove Theater.