2017 Turner Classic Movies Film Festival (#TCMFF) Recap

I can’t believe the 2017 Turner Classic Movies Film Festival is over. All winter long, I looked forward to the festival to get me through the days, the weeks, the months until those magical four days of classic movie bliss. Now, this third TCMFF is history.

This year I saw 14 movies (the same number as last year), but all the movies I attended were in either the Egyptian Theatre or the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX! All the movies I wanted to see I got to see. Last year I was shut out of Midnight and Double Harness (twice!). Since so many films were shown at the Egyptian (618 seats), it was less stressful than last year. Last year it seemed like the time between movies was so tight that I was constantly running to the next screening for fear of not getting in. Thankfully, this was not the case this year.

Part of the crowd at the Egyptian Theatre

The festival was dedicated to the memory of Robert Osborne, which was only right. His knowledge and love of classic movies will be sorely missed. I think he would have enjoyed this year’s movie lineup that included some of the funniest screwball comedies from the 1930s and 1940s. Plus his favorite movie star, Gene Tierney was showcased in the classic film noir, Laura.

My goal this year was to try and see movies I hadn’t seen before. Of all the movies I saw, six were new to me. At this year’s festival, they promoted several nitrate films. Thanks in part to TCM, the Egyptian remodeled its projection booth so that it could screen nitrate films safely. I ended up seeing all the nitrate screenings. I had seen all of these films before, but Lady in the Dark hasn’t been seen anywhere for years. It’s been at least 30 years since I last saw it—and I didn’t remember a thing—so in many ways it was new to me.

Besides movies, I attended the “So You Think You Know Movies” event at ClubTCM (tough, tough questions!), enjoyed “conversations” with Peter Bogdanovitch and Lee Grant. Good stuff!

Films were shown in the following formats: 35mm, digital, and nitrate (35mm). Below is the breakdown of film formats I saw this year:

35mm – 9 films
Digital – 5 films
Nitrate – 4 films (nitrate films were all 35mm)

Check back for daily recaps and recollections from my four days at the festival.

Robert Osborne, film historian and host of Turner Classic Movies is dead at 84

2016 #TCMFF: Sunday, The Third Full (and Last) Day

The last full day of the film festival is always a little sad. Even though the schedule is crammed with movies, it’s the realization that all good things must come to an end. On the positive side, my Thursday strategy of seeing The More The Merrier over Shanghai Express (1932) paid off. Shanghai Express was a TBD scheduled for noon.

Bobby Henrey and Ralph Richardson in The Fallen Idol

The first movie I saw on Sunday was Carol Reed’s The Fallen Idol (1948). This film from the UK starring Ralph Richardson and Michelle Morgan was one that I had never seen before. It was an intriguing tale of a diplomat’s son Philippe (Bobby Henrey) who idolizes his father’s butler, Baines (Richardson). To keep the young boy occupied, Baines made up stories about his life in Africa, a place he has never been. After Philippe witnesses a tragic accident, what’s true and what’s false gets complicated. The Fallen Idol was wonderfully directed and acted, especially by Richardson. After the movie, Bobby Henrey who played Philippe talked about his experiences making the film. Unfortunately, I had to dash before Henrey really got going in order to get in line to see Shanghai Express (1932).

I had never seen the film, directed by Dietrich’s mentor Josef von Sternberg. The restoration was flawless. Shanghai Express was Dietrich’s most commercially successful film and for good reason. The story moves along briskly and is beautifully filmed by Lee Garmes who won an Academy Award for his efforts. I was especially impressed with the slow screen dissolves, which instead of being a device to go from one scene to the other, actually helped advance the narrative. Dietrich never looked more glamorous and Garmes photographed her in the most flattering light; she looked absolutely stunning. The supporting cast is a who’s who of early-1930s cinema: Clive Brook, Anna May Wong, Warner Oland, and Eugene Pallette.

There was some time in between Shanghai Express and The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming (1966) so I went to the Roosevelt Hotel to hang out and visit with some people. While I was there, the folks promoting the TCM Backlot fan club had a trivia contest. I answered a question correctly and won a t-shirt and baseball cap, both with the TCM Backlot logo. Woohoo!

My trivia winnings

I was looking forward to seeing The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming for two reasons: 1. I hadn’t seen it since I saw it in the movies with my parents and 2. I was finally going to see Eva Marie Saint in person. Saint was in Chicago several years ago with Robert Osborne for a special screening of North By Northwest, but I was unable to attend. I thought, well that’s that; I’ll never get the opportunity to see her again. When I saw that she was on the TCM Film Festival schedule I almost couldn’t believe it. It’s hard to believe that Saint is 92 years old. She’s so vibrant and funny. She really enjoyed making The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming and she shared some stories related to its production that were both interesting and amusing. Though the political climate between Russia and the United States has changed since the movie was released 50 years ago, it’s still hilarious. The cast was loaded with great comic actors, including Carl Reiner, Jonathan Winters, Brian Keith, and Paul Ford. Again, even though the film is 50 years old, it’s aged very well.

Fred Astaire, Nanette Fabray, and Jack Buchanan from The Bandwagon

Well it finally came…the last movie of the festival. Once again, I chose a film that I hadn’t seen before. The film was introduced by director and choreographer Susan Stroman and Illeana Douglas. Hard to believe, but I had never seen The Bandwagon (1953) before. The musical stars Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Nanette Fabray, Jack Buchanan (who stole the picture in my opinion), and Oscar Levant. The plot is a thin one, Fred is a washed up song-and-dance man attempting a Broadway comeback, but it’s really all about the dancing and musical numbers. Director Vincent Minnelli and producer Arthur Freed gave The Bandwagon that MGM polish with its vibrant Technicolor photography. Far from my favorite film musical, it was enjoyable mostly for the talent involved. After the film it was time to pose for some photos, touch base with some friends and head to the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel to say my good-byes and prepare for the early morning wake-up call and trip to the airport.

Here’s to next year’s festival!

Films seen after four days:

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Brief Encounter

The More The Merrier

The Conversation

It’s A Wonderful Life

The Manchurian Candidate

Bambi

Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid

Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell

The King and I

The Fallen Idol

Shanghai Express

The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming

The Band Wagon

2016 #TCMFF: The Festival Begins
2016 #TCMFF: The First Full Day
2016 #TCMFF: Saturday, The Second Full Day

Robert Osborne won't be at 2016 Turner Classic Movies Film Festival

Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne won’t be attending this year’s TCMFF due to health reasons. TCM issued a press release (see below) announcing this today. No details were given as to his ailment and/or illness.

Osborne didn’t attend the 2015 TCMFF for undisclosed health reasons.

2015 Turner Classic Movies Film Festival Recap

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!