This site is devoted to the love of classic movies. What qualifies as a classic film or movie is somewhat subjective. There are certain films which endure because they strike an emotional chord long after their initial release. For example, a movie like "Casablanca" (1942) would qualify as a classic under that definition.
Day four of the TCM Film Festival was bittersweet. Sweet because there were some great movies on the schedule and bitter because I knew the festival was soon coming to an end. As usual, several movies were running on or around the same time, so tough decisions had to be made. Once again I tried to see movies I hadn’t seen before or in a long time. I pretty much fulfilled that goal. My first movie was screening at 10 a.m. so I got to take my time, enjoy my breakfast, and leisurely make my way to the Chinese Multiplex. The first movie I saw turned out to be my most enjoyable experience of the festival.
Calamity Jane (1953) was a movie I saw once on my Kindle Fire over a year ago. Seeing it on the big screen with an enthusiastic audience was a treat I hadn’t expected. Cari Beauchamp, the award-winning writer and documentary filmmaker, introduced the film. Of course the history is all wrong; there isn’t that much we know for certain about Calamity Jane (Doris Day) and her relationship with Wild Bill Hickok (Howard Keel). We’re not even sure if they knew each other at all, but so what; it’s a movie. Beauchamp encouraged those in the audience to go to the Academy Award Web site and petition for a special Oscar for Day. She certainly deserves it, as the morning crowd at the Chinese Multi-Plex would attest. The fun started as soon as the credits began to roll. When Day’s name came on the screen, the audience broke out in applause. Keel’s name was also welcomed with a good round of clapping as was the rest of the cast and director David Butler. Each musical number was a joy to watch, with each followed by more clapping and hooting. The world premiere restoration was beautiful. The film was an amazing showcase for Day’s singing (what a voice!), dancing, and comedic acting and timing. The songs by Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster were catchy and the Oscar-winning “Secret Love” became one of Day’s signature tunes. After the movie concluded, I was humming the “Deadwood Stage” for the next two days all the way back to Chi-caw-gee!
After Calamity Jane, it was on line for Reign of Terror (1949), a movie I don’t think I ever heard of before. It was an unusual combination of historical drama with a film noir feel. The movie was introduced by Eddie Muller, founder and president of the Film Noir Foundation. Reign of Terror is an interesting tale set during the political struggle after the French Revolution. The machinations of Maximilien Robespierre (Richard Basehart) and his attempt to recover his “black book,” an enemies list that is the “McGuffin” and sets this film in motion. Charles D’Aubigny (Robert Cummings) who is impersonating Duval, a man he killed, who Robespierre and his right-hand man Fouche have never met before, has stolen the black book. Along the way, D’Aubigny meets Madelon (a ravishing Arlene Dahl) a friend of the Revolution who assists D’Aubigny expose Robespierre for the scoundrel he truly is. The low-budget production looks first-class thanks to the talent involved, including director Anthony Mann, writers Aeneas MacKenzie and Philip Yordan, and producer William Cameron Menzies. Others in the cast include the great Norman Lloyd, Richard Hart and Beulah Bondi. I found the film to be fast-paced and exciting. It was almost like an expanded version of the M-G-M serial series, The Passing Parade. And that’s a compliment!
Steward, Hussey, John Howard, Hepburn, and Grant
Next on the agenda was The Philadelphia Story (1940). While not a big fan of this classic (blasphemy, I know), seeing it on the big screen at the Chinese Theater (my first time in that movie palace) was a treat. Ileana Douglas and Madeline Stowe introduced the film. Stowe a big fan of classic romantic comedies, rattled off a string of favorites, including George Stevens’s The More The Merrier, and I thought, this woman has great taste (who knew?). Cary Grant (Dexter), Katherine Hepburn (Tracy), and James Stewart (Macauly “Mike”) all looked great on the big screen. It was also nice to see Ruth Hussey in her Academy Award-nominated performance as Elizabeth Imbrie, Mike’s coworker and sometime girlfriend. The plot is well known so I won’t go into that. The production was wonderful, even though not a single frame was shot anywhere near Philadelphia. Virginia Wiedler as Hepburn’s younger sister Dinah practically steals the movie; she’s even better than I remembered (it must be that big screen). During the end of the film, Kristina had to leave to catch her flight back to Canada. On the way out she ran into Ben Mankiewicz and actually talked with him for a few minutes. A nice consolation and a great memory for my friend.
Sophia Loren, Marriage Italian Style
Next I was back on line at the Chinese Theater to see Sophia Loren in Marriage Italian Style (1964). I had never seen this film before, but the real attraction for me was to see Loren in the flesh. She was interviewed about the film by Ben Mankiewicz before the screening. She looked amazing (she’s 80!?) and seemed very happy to be at the festival and was very appreciative of the audience. She talked about making the movie with frequent costar Marcello Mastroianni and director Vittorio De Sica. For me the movie was somewhat anticlimactic. There were parts that were enjoyable and Loren and Mastroianni were wonderful, but overall it’s not a film I need to see again. It was enough to see Loren in person, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
After the film it was back to the Roosevelt Hotel to say goodbye
Well it was time for bed and getting up early for the flight back to Chicago or is that Chi-caw-gee!
This was my first time at the TCM film festival. I had never been to a film festival before so the experience was completely new to me. It was both exciting and overwhelming, but great fun. If I have the good fortune to attend again next year, I’ll be better prepared. Look for my next blog post: Tips for First-Timers coming soon.
The Turner Classic Movies Film Festival began on Thursday March 29. The flight from Chicago to LA was uneventful (hallalujah!). After settling in at my hotel, I walked over to the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and Club TCM. I was hoping to connect with folks that I’ve known via social media for years in-person for the first time. After walking around the room for several minutes, a woman walked up to me and said, “Stephen?” I replied yes and Pam, a Twitter friend, was the first person I met. After Pam it was Kelly, Joel, Will, Aurora, Laura, and Kristina. Kristina and I have known each other from social media for several years. Two years ago we organized and managed the Val Lewton blogathon together. It was wonderful to finally meet her in person to talk about classic movies and the excitement (and our good fortune) about attending the festival for the first time.
I was almost in tears when I realized I wasn't going to be seeing this film.
To save some money, I opted out of attending The Sound of Music. I’m sure it would have been fun, but I was willing to pass up that opportunity. My first movie choice was also my first (and only) disappointment. I wanted to see Too Late For Tears (1949) starring Lizabeth Scott, but it was sold out! So instead, I went into The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) starring John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, and Vera Miles. A John Ford classic and one of my favorites of his, so it was a fine consolation for missing out on Tears.
After Valance, it was a choice between My Man Godfrey (1936), Breaker Morant (1980), or The Sea Hawk (1940). I decided I wanted to laugh and Godfrey is a movie I never tire of seeing. And on a big screen with an audience, it was better than I could have imagined. The print screened was beautiful; It looked brand new. With the constant laughter emanating from the theater, it was almost like seeing the film for the very first time.
After Godfrey, it was time to go back to the hotel and try and catch up (or at least try) on my two hours of jet lag and plan day two!
To read my overview of the Turner Classic Movies Film Festival, click here.
The 2015 Turner Classic Movies Film Festival ended Sunday evening, but here I am, on Tuesday still basking in the afterglow. As a first-time attendee, the festival exceeded my expectations.
I met attendees from around the country and the world, met fellow movie bloggers for the first time
that I’ve known online for years, and watched and enjoyed some favorite classic films—16 films in four days—on the big screen with fellow classic film enthusiasts. Honestly, what could be better than that?
Robert Osborne was missed, but the festival went forward without a hitch. With great hosts like Ben Mankiewicz—who my friend Kristina got to speak with right before she left—Illeana Douglas, Eddie Muller, and Leonard Maltin, who soldiered on with a twisted ankle, how could it go wrong?
I found it difficult to walk along Hollywood Boulevard with my mouth closed, viewing and taking photos of the stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the famous footprints—Jeanne Crain anyone?—in the courtyard of the TCL Chinese Theatre. And what a treat to actually see these classic films in legendary movie palaces like the Pantages, The Egyptian, and El Capitan.
Surely one of the benefits of the festival is meeting and making friends with fellow classic movie fans. It was wonderful to finally meet Laura (How could I not like someone whose avatar is a pic of Deanna Durbin?) and Kristina, two bloggers I’ve followed for years and whose writing I admire. It was also fun to meet Joel and Trevor, two of the managers of @TCM_Party Twitter account and Kelly and Aurora, two of the most enthusiastic movie fans and all-around wonderul and friendly women on the planet (and okay, they write pretty well too).
Over the next few days and weeks I’ll give you a day-by-day recount of my experiences at the festival and I’m compiling some suggestions for first-time attendees (I hope many get the opportunity to attend). I mean, what could be better than watching a restored print of Calamity Jane with a theater full of Doris Day fans? Answer: not much!
Day four of the TCM Film Festival was bittersweet. Sweet because there were some great movies on the schedule and bitter because I knew the festival was soon coming to an end. As usual, several movies were running on or around the same time, so tough decisions had to be made. Once again I tried to see movies I hadn’t seen before or in a long time. I pretty much fulfilled that goal. My first movie was screening at 10 a.m. so I got to take my time, enjoy my breakfast, and leisurely make my way to the Chinese Multiplex. The first movie I saw turned out to be my most enjoyable experience of the festival.
Well it was time for bed and getting up early for the flight back to Chicago or is that Chi-caw-gee!
