Each year Hollywood releases a number of memorable films, but perhaps no year was more significant than 1939 when Hollywood outdid itself with great movies. Thomas Hischak is an internationally recognized author and teacher in the Performing Arts. He’ll present “1939: Hollywood’s Greatest Year” as part of the Ponte Vedra Library’s PV Forum program series, Tuesday, February 9 at 6:30 p.m.

Hischak was a Professor of Theatre at the State University of New York, and wrote 26 nonfiction books about theatre, film, and popular music. He’s also the author of 38 published plays and is a Fulbright scholar who has taught and directed in Greece, Lithuania, and Turkey.

He contends 1939 was a year that changed world history and offered more outstanding movies than any year before or since. From “The Wizard of Oz” and “Stagecoach” to “Goodbye, Mr. Chips” and “Gone with the Wind,” Hollywood outdid itself with great movies. His one-hour presentation takes us through the twelve months of 1939 showing what was happening in history, music, sports, radio, and – of course – the movies.

The Ponte Vedra Forum program series is presented by the Friends of the Ponte Vedra Library. It’s free and open to the public.