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Senior citizens recreate iconic Hollywood photos for calendar

Posted at 6:18 PM, Nov 14, 2017
and last updated 2017-11-14 18:19:18-05

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- A group of senior citizens received the celebrity treatment on Tuesday, complete with their very own autograph signing.

Burcham Hills Retirement Center was packed with people stopping by to get autographs. Residents signed copies of a 2018 calendar showcasing them recreating scenes from classic Hollywood films.

From Bonnie and Clyde to scenes from the Sound of Music, the calendar captures the history of Hollywood with nearly 30 senior citizens as the stars.

Pam Mauro of East Lansing lives right around the corner from the Burcham Hills Retirement Center. She said when she heard the calendar signing was Tuesday, she knew she couldn't miss it.

"These pictures are iconic as are the people that live here," said Mauro. "To have these images in these really beautiful settings, something they can relate to makes us be able to relate to them.”

"To get all these people together, costumed, photographed, to create this much enjoy in a publication," said Mauro. "It's quite phenomenal.”

Bruce Greenman, a resident at Burcham Hills Retirement Center, came up with the idea for the calendar. This year, his character for the calendar is Clyde from Bonnie and Clyde. Greenman said while he is glad to see people loved the calendar as much as he does, it wasn't easy.

“The biggest problem was getting people to be in it," said Greenman. "But once they decided to do it, they had a lot of fun.”

This is the second year the group has created their own calendar, and Greenman knew it would be a big hit.

"The 1930’s and 1940’s were known as the golden age of movies and it was a time when all movies were pretty good," said Greenman. "The stars were big, now I don’t even know who they are.”

Last year, residents raised around $6,000 from the calendar signing event. Residents are hoping to surpass that number this year. Proceeds will go towards chartable gifts that are used for events at Burcham Hills Retirement Center.