Wednesday, April 1, 2015

TCM Classic Film Festival 2015: Days Three & Four Recap

Yours truly at Robert Mitchum's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

On my first trip to Hollywood I took an obscene number of photos of the stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The novelty has since worn off. However, I always make a point to stop by Robert Mitchum's star and to pose for a photo. A few years ago Mitchum's grandson Bentley Mitchum sent me the details of where to find the star and each year I've made a pilgrimage to it. Mitchum has no grave or memorial so this is my way of paying my respects to my favorite actor.

Set up for A Conversation with Norman Lloyd


A few blocks away was the Montalban Theatre where TCM was filming two long format interviews for television. I attended the first one which was A Conversation with Norman Lloyd. Ben Mankiewicz conducted the interview. Of all the special events taking place at TCMFF, this one was the one I was most looking forward to and it did not disappoint. I got emotional listening to the wonderful Norman Lloyd discuss his career, his beloved wife, his friendships, the Great Depression and working with top directors. More on this interview to come.


Ben Mankiewicz & Norman Lloyd - TCMFF 2015

Characters 101 - Club TCM - TCMFF 2015

I wasn’t feeling too well but I was determined to attend more events. I headed over to Club TCM for the Character Actors 101 presentation hosted by Bruce Goldstein. This was terrific fun and it made me realize how much I love character actors and how little I know about them. We got to see lots of clips and learned why character actors were such a part of the Hollywood system in the 1930s and 1940s. Goldstein ran a reel for the audience and we had to place names with faces. It was a lot tougher than I thought!


Author Scott Eyman - TCMFF 2015

TCM partnered with Larry Edmunds, the famous cinema bookshop on Hollywood Boulevard, and hosted three book signings in the Roosevelt hotel lobby. I went to Scott Eyman’s signing and purchased two copies of Print the Legend: The Life and Times of John Ford; one for myself and one for my friend Frank. It was great to meet Eyman and chat with him for a bit. He was wearing a Robert Osborne fan club pin!


Matt from Warner Archive always stops by TCMFF with some goodies. He brought a box of Warner Archive DVDs and some shirts to giveaway to attendees.

At this point I was really sick. The thought of standing in line for 2 hours just to get into the screening of The Apartment (1960) made me want to faint. I made an executive decision to go back to my hotel room to rest. This was a smart move on my part because it gave me time to recuperate. It did mean I had to miss The Apartment and The Loved One introduced by Robert Morse but I did end up having much more energy for the following day.


I skipped the first Sunday time slot to have breakfast with Rob of Dear Old Hollywood and his adorable daughter! She’s a budding classic film fan and Rob tells me she loves the Wizard of Oz (1939).

Bonham’s Appraisals

The first event I caught was Bonham’s Appraisals in the lobby of the Roosevelt Hotel. TCM’s Sean Cameron was the MC.
Illeana Douglas, Millie Perkins and Diane Baker - TCMFF 2015

I only caught two films on Sunday. I’m okay with this because my goal for this trip was to attend more special events. I attended a screening of The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) at the Chinese Multiplex. Illeana Douglas interviewed actresses Millie Perkins and Diane Baker beforehand. I really didn’t want to miss this film because it’s one of the few movies from my childhood that I hold near and dear to my heart.
Shirley MacLaine & Leonard Maltin - TCMFF 2015

I had missed Shirley MacLaine speak at the screening of The Apartment and my heart just couldn’t take a viewing of The Children’s Hour. I really wanted to hear Shirley MacLaine speak about her career so A Conversation with Shirley Maclaine at Club TCM was a must. When I was walking from the Chinese Multiplex to the Roosevelt Hotel, I walked passed Shirley MacLaine herself as she was signing autographs for a group of fans!

Larry Edmunds

No cinephile can visit Hollywood without a trip to the famous Larry Edmunds cinema bookshop.

Sophia Loren & Ben Mankiewicz - TCMFF 2015

The grand finale of the TCM Classic Film Festival always ends with a film at the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and this year it was Marriage Italian Style (1964). A very nervous Ben Mankiewicz interviewed the still stunning Sophia Loren before the screening. It was perfect event to cap off another fantastic festival.

Sophia Loren & Ben Mankiewicz - TCMFF 2015

It was sad to say goodbye to friends at the closing night party but left with the hope that I will be seeing everyone again in 2016

I’ll be writing dedicated posts on some of the events I attended and movies I saw at this year’s festival. Stay tuned!

2 comments:

  1. Great photos, good reviews. Since you're a Robert Mitchum fan, here's a recent interview with Chris Mitchum: http://www.bnd.com/2015/03/14/3712500_in-the-shadow-of-the-stars-chris.html?rh=1

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  2. Okay, I am SO pissed that I missed that Character Actors101 presentation. Seriously, I would have LOVED to have seen that one! The first I heard of it was on Twitter when some of the attendees were live tweeting it. I nearly died! AND YOU MET SCOTT EYMAN?! Jeez girl ... I envy you lol His bio of John Wayne was one of my favourite books of 2014.

    Sorry to hear you weren't feeling well :(

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