Wednesday, May 16, 2018

A Morning with Marsha Hunt


Larry Edmund's Bookshop Display

Every year Jeff and his team at Larry Edmund's Bookshop host a special Sunday morning book event during the TCM Classic Film Festival. Previous special guests included Carl Reiner, Tippi Hedren, Illeana Douglas and more. I've always wanted to go to these but had never been able to work them into my schedule. This year on their Instagram (it's private so you'll have to follow to see) Jeff from Larry Edmund's did a retrospective leading up to the announcement of this year's mystery guest. I waited with bated breath to find out who it would be. When it was announced I cried for a good twenty minutes. It was Marsha Hunt, THE Marsha Hunt. I had already made plans to see her at the TCMFF None Shall Escape (1944) screening but I opted to skip that so I can see The Set-Up (1949) on the big screen and attend this Sunday morning event instead. I called ahead to the bookshop, put my name down for a coveted spot and counted down the days, hours and minutes until the event. My dream of seeing Marsha Hunt in person was about to come true.





As I was walking down Hollywood Boulevard towards the bookstore I stopped by Marsha Hunt's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her television work. It seemed very apropos.




When I arrived at the bookstore I purchased my copy of The Way We Wore: Styles of the 1930s and '40s and Our World Since Then by Marsha Hunt. Copies were autographed in advance and the event was not a book signing but more of a tribute to Marsha Hunt. I've had my eye on this book for a while and considered purchasing a used copy a few months before learning about this event. I'm glad I held out because I got my hands on a brand new signed copy instead.


Left to right: Me, Kim, Angela, Nora and "Fussy"

Czar of Noir Eddie Muller with Noir Girl Casey

Once I got in line for the event I saw lots of friendly faces. Angela from The Hollywood Revue, Kim from I See a Dark Theater, Casey from Noir Girl, Nora from Nitrate Diva and her mom "Fussy" plus more friends from Twitter. I even spotted Monika Henreid, daughter of actor Paul Henreid, in attendance.


The guest of honor: Marsha Hunt

Marsha Hunt with Eddie Muller


Marsha Hunt, Alan K. Rode and Eddie Muller

The presentation was co-hosted by film historian Alan K. Rode and Eddie Muller. I briefly chatted with Alan on the TCMFF red carpet about his long-time friendship with Marsha Hunt and the importance of her work and activism. You can watch my interview with him here. Both Alan and Eddie spoke at length about Marsha Hunt and took turns interviewing her. Even at 100 years of age, Marsha was eloquent, thoughtful and as smart as a whip. That spark has never diminished. She's still the actress, activist and glamour queen she's always been.



Here are some excerpts of what she had to say.

On fashion and her start in Hollywood:

[Muller described a moment from TCMFF when Marsha Hunt wouldn't let the make-up artist put lipstick on her because she wanted to do it herself] "I haven't been made up within memory. I've always done my own make-up. I was a Powers model in New York when I was 16.... If Powers doesn't mean anything, John Robert Powers was a former model who started his own model agency. The best New York models were Powers clients. He managed a great wonderful salon of models."

"I'm long-waisted. It's a small waist. I guess that qualifies me as a fashion model. I did some fashion work in New York. I graduated high school at 16. Meant to be actress my whole life and oddly enough I was never stage struck. It had to be movies. I knew that was going to take some managing but in the meantime what can I do to help prepare for that. Well let's see, I ought to learn how to dress, and make up and be groomed. For all of the visuals. I went to dramatic school. There was no training for movies. You learn how to make movies then by making movies. But you could train for the theater. I auditioned at NBC as a radio actress and passed muster. Though I left for California before they ever called me to do radio. I was trying to set the scene and train in every aspect I could to be prepared for film acting. It all fell into place very blessedly. At 17, a year out of high school, Paramount signed me to a contract at $250 a week. Now that may not impress you today. Then it did. My first film work was the feminine romantic lead in a Paramount feature film with two leading men. What a way to break in. Bob Cummings was one of my leading men. Darling man. And Johnny Downs who had been part of the Our Gang comedies. Those are my two leading men on my first movie. Break in on the top. Only way to do it."


On the home she's lived in since 1946:

"I lived in a house on a hill that I had helped design. But it was time for a different kind of house architecturally. For what it provided. So we [her and her husband Robert Presnell Jr.] looked and found our place on Magnolia. An acre and a third it is. With a guest house, two bedrooms, living room. Complete house. Always fully occupied. A barn for stowing all sorts of colorful things. It's nice to have an acreage. Where square feet are charged. Well this is an old place. We were able to get it. So I've lived there for many years. It has a pool and a tennis court. I grew up in Manhattan, New York City. And you had an apartment. And your window looked out upon somebody else's window. You didn't have sports and space and all these wonderful privileges that we do get around here. So no wonder we came and no wonder we've stayed. Good place to be."




On politics

"I spoke very freely about whatever I cared about. Those were dangerous days. There was the left and there was the right. People made lists that had nothing to do with their talent. How they wrote or directed or acted or composed. Any of that. But it was a day when politics kind of ruled the local scene. It was unpleasant. I remember at my house we had several friends over. Just listening late one afternoon. Another friend arrived and one of the people in the room got up and left. He was not going to be in the same room with that new arrival. I think that's a shame. To carry your beliefs, unless you're talking murder or some real sins, then I think how you believe politically is your own business. I think it's rather healthy for people who disagree to have some chats and conversations."

I recorded a short video about Marsha Hunt speaking on the topic of being labeled a Communist during the HUAC era:







Roger C. Memos, director of the documentary Marsha Hunt's Sweet Adversity, was also at the event and he treated us to a few excerpts from his film. If you want to learn more about the doc you can follow his Facebook page. I've been wanting to watch this doc for a long time. I hope a screening in Boston happens in the near future. 

Eddie Muller, Marsha Hunt, and Alan K. Rode

Even though Marsha Hunt turned 100 in October of last year, that milestone is something to continue celebrating. The event ended with a birthday celebration complete with a magnificent cake. Marsha's favorite flavor is lemon so we were all treated to a lemon cake with chocolate frosting. All the attendees sang happy birthday to her. My friend Casey filmed this portion which you can see below:






Selfie with Marsha Hunt (sort of)

After the birthday celebration everyone was clamoring for a bit of time with Marsha. I was wearing my Marsha Hunt pin created by Kate Gabrielle as part of her TCMFF button pack. I showed it to Marsha but I think the pin was too small and she was too far away to see it. So I handed it to her so she could take a look and I let her keep it. I think she was surprised to see her face on a button. It was a sweet moment I'll treasure!

Marsha Hunt admiring the button I just gave her 

A big thanks to Marsha Hunt, Alan K. Rode, Eddie Muller and Roger C. Memos for a great event. And a special thanks to Jeff and his team at Larry Edmund's Bookshop. They opened the shop early and closed it off just for us. I watched Jeff working hard to make sure we had the best view, the best audio and the best set up for watching the documentary. And the cake, well that was the cherry on top. Thanks to them for making this a memorable event.

Monday, May 14, 2018

TCMFF Red Carpet Interviews

As promised in my original TCMFF red carpet post, here are the video interviews. I embedded each one individually including a quick intro from me.

This year I approached my videos differently. I invested in a microphone which helped immensely. Thanks to my friend Jonas and my husband Carlos who helped me get the right one for the project. The audio quality of my TCMFF red carpet footage is leagues better. Instead of doing compilation videos (like I did in 2016 and 2017), I decided to separate the interviews into their own videos. Now viewers can easily pick and chose which interviews they want to see. If you want to view them all in one go, complete with my intro, you can watch the TCMFF Red Carpet playlist here. Unfortunately my Dennis Miller video didn't pan out and I had one glaring issue with my Leonard Maltin one that corrected itself mid-interview. However, I was pleased as punch that my short interviews ranging from 2-4 minutes all came out really well. Enjoy!





















If you enjoyed these interviews, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel!

Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Cinema Shame: Fiddler on the Roof (1971)



Fiddler on the Roof (1971) was always one of those classic musicals that I've meant to see but I never got around to. When the 2014 TCM Classic Film Festival schedule was announced, I saw the film was part of their Sunday morning line-up. And the director Norman Jewison, who has directed some of my absolute favorite films, was going to be in attendance at the screening. TCMFF is the best venue to experience a film for the first time. Unfortunately it didn't happen. When Sunday morning rolled around, I was very sick from the physical effects of social anxiety. I've since gotten over that and can attend the festivals with no problems.

Fast forward to the 2016 TCM festival when I got to meet film researcher Lillian Michelson on the red carpet. She was there with director Daniel Raim and producer Jennifer Raim to screen their documentary Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story. This is a documentary I've been championing ever since I watched it in November of 2015. In the film, Lillian discusses how she did research for Fiddler on the Roof and she met with Jewish ladies "of a certain age" at a deli and asked what young girls wore for undergarments. One of the ladies fetched her a pattern and the end result was period-specific undergarments, with scalloping on the bottom, in the Matchmaker musical number.





In my brief red carpet interview with Lillian Michelson (which you can watch here), I asked her which of the films she worked on was her favorite. And her answer was Fiddler on the Roof. Her research went beyond just the clothing so when you see the film you know the specifics are as true to turn-of-the-century Russia as possible. Also for Lillian this helped connect her to her familial roots.

Fast forward to 2018 and I was heading back to California for my sixth TCM festival. I was scheduled to have a lunch with Lillian, Daniel and Jennifer and I knew I had to watch Fiddler before I got there. The film on briefly came up in conversation but I was glad that I finally got to see that film that meant so much to Lillian, and to the Raims too!

I really connected with Fiddler. Even though I was raised Protestant and I don't know what it feels like to deal with Anti-Semitism, I connected with the story about family, about marrying for love, going against ingrained cultural norms and the disconnect between generations. The movie is over 3 hours long but it didn't feel it. The plot and the pacing are perfect and I was swept into this family saga and stayed engaged the whole time. I can see how it became a beloved musical. I would watch Fiddler again in a heartbeat.



Fiddler on the Roof (1971) is the third of eight films that I am watching for the 2018 Cinema Shame challenge. Check out my original list and stay tuned for more reviews!

Monday, May 7, 2018

Red Carpet: 2018 TCM Classic Film Festival Opening Night



Thursday April 26th was the opening night for the 9th annual TCM Classic Film Festival. That evening TCM celebrated the 50th anniversary of The Producers (1968) with director Mel Brooks in attendance. Director Martin Scorsese was also on hand to received the inaugural Robert Osborne Award for excellence in the preservation of classic film heritage.

For the third year in a row, I was on the red carpet at the opening night of TCMFF to take photos and to interview some of the special guests. The red carpet is the most exciting part of the festival. Not only do the evening's honorees walk the carpet but you also see TCM hosts, festival presenters, festival passholders, actors, actresses, directors and a host of other celebrities. And of course, Norman Lloyd. 

I had a blast this year on the carpet. I of course had my moment of Norman Lloyd as I called out to him with words of adoration and air kisses. He stopped for a brief moment to acknowledge me and my fellow Lloyd admirer Nora aka Nitrate Diva. Lloyd is always a highlight of the festival. You can read here all the previous times I've seen him at TCMFF. 

The red carpet has been a test of my social skills and each year I get better and more confident. I went from being an awkward and shy teenager to a thirty something who yells out to celebrities on the red carpet. If you told me years ago that I'd be yelling out to Maxwell Caulfield (Empire Records!) and Tom Everett Scott (That Thing You Do!) in the same evening I wouldn't have believed you.

Below is a collection of photos I took on the red carpet. I also conducted interviews which I'll be posting here and on my YouTube channel. Those video interviews include Alan K. Rode, Ben Model, Wyatt McCrea, Dennis Miller, Leonard Maltin, Bill Morrison, Ruta Lee, Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey.


Mel Brooks TCM Classic Film Festival
Director Mel Brooks

Alicia Malone TCM Classic Film Festival
TCM host Alicia Malone

Alan K. Rode TCM Classic Film Festival
Author Alan K. Rode and his wife

Wyatt McCrea TCM Classic Film Festival
Wyatt McCrea

Ben Model TCM Classic Film Festival
Silent film accompanist Ben Model

Jennifer Dorian and Coleman Breland TCM Classic Film Festival
TCM General Manager Jennifer Dorian and TCM President Coleman Breland

The Pigeon Sisters from The Odd Couple: Monica Evans and Carole Shelley

The Pigeon Sisters from The Odd Couple: Monica Evans and Carole Shelley

Melvin van Peebles and Mario van Peebles TCM Classic Film Festival
Mandela, Melvin and Mario van Peebles

Juliet Mills and Maxwell Caulfield TCM Classic Film Festival
Juliet Mills and Maxwell Caulfield

Gillian Armstrong TCM Classic Film Festival
Director Gillian Armstrong and Marya Gates of TCM

Paul Sorvino TCM Classic Film Festival
Paul Sorvino

Norman Lloyd TCM Classic Film Festival
Norman Lloyd

Norman Lloyd TCM Classic Film Festival
More Norman Lloyd because one can never have enough of this living legend.

Ben Mankiewicz TCM Classic Film Festival
TCM Host Ben Mankiewicz


John Martin TCM Classic Film Festival
Turner CEO John Martin

Mark Bridges TCM Classic Film Festival
Costume Designer Mark Bridges (Phantom Thread)

Pola Changnon TCM Classic Film Festival
Pola Changnon


Kate Flannery TCM Classic Film Festival
Kate Flannery

Keith Carradine TCM Classic Film Festival
Keith Carradine

Dennis Miller TCM Classic Film Festival
Dennis Miller


Andrea Savage and Tom Everett Scott TCM Classic Film Festival
Andrea Savage and Tom Everett Scott 


Larry Mirisch TCM Classic Film Festival
Larry Mirisch

Suzanne Lloyd TCM Classic Film Festival
Suzanne Lloyd

Rudy De Luca TCM Classic Film Festival
Rudy De Luca

John Mankiewicz TCM Classic Film Festival
TV writer John Mankiewicz (House of Cards)

Martin Scorsese TCM Classic Film Festival
Martin Scorsese


Lolita Davidovich and Ron Shelton TCM Classic Film Festival
Lolita Davidovich and Ron Shelton

Ruta Lee TCM Classic Film Festival
Actress Ruta Lee







Eva Marie Saint TCM Classic Film Festival
Eva Marie Saint in the background

Rosanna Arquette TCM Classic Film Festival
Rosanna Arquette

Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey TCM Classic Film Festival
Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey



Wednesday, May 2, 2018

TCM Classic Film Festival 2018: Recap #5



The last day of the TCM Classic Film Festival is always bittersweet. It's a day of goodbyes and farewells. Carlos and I kicked off the day with a family breakfast at Mel's Diner with Jessica of Comet Over Hollywood and Brandon who is currently working on a documentary about Bernard Herrmann.




At TCMFF, bloggers and writers love to pass out buttons. This year Jessica and Brandon passed out Bernard Hermann M&Ms! Follow the @HerrmannMovie account on Twitter to keep up-to-date with the documentary.



After breakfast, I headed over to Larry Edmunds Bookshop for a very special event: A Morning with Marsha Hunt. I won't go into great detail now as I plan to do a full post on this event. It consisted of a presentation, a chat with Marsha Hunt hosted by Eddie Muller and Alan K. Rode and an amazing birthday cake to celebrate her 100th year. 



While at Larry Edmunds' Bookshop I also got a copy of Alan K. Rode's new biography on Michael Curtiz which he signed for me! I'm glad I waited until now to pick up a copy. 




Afterwards I headed over to Club TCM which is in the Blossom Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel. There I met this couple. This is their first TCMFF and they went all out with two Spotlight passes, the highest level pass that offers lots of access and bonus perks. They purchased this canvas bag during their trip and it was covered with celebrity guest autographs from the festival. I thought this was a marvelous idea. The festival isn't really intended for autograph seeking but it was a clever idea nonetheless.



At Club TCM, members from the Library of Congress hosted a 2-hour interactive workshop/panel called Mostly Lost. Back at the LoC, they host movie screenings where they show clips of films that have been found but are unidentified. They are usually very obscure silent films. Film buffs and historians sign up to participate. They sit in a theater with laptops, reference books, smartphones, whatever they want, watch clips and try to identify actors, actresses and things like clothing, calendars, props, logo, anything that will help identify the film, the period, etc.


Because many of the film clips are silent, they have a few house silent film accompanists, including Ben Model who was at hand to play music for the clips shown at the Club TCM event. Model also did his own presentation about how silent film comedians mastered the art of their comedy in that format. It was called Undercranking: The Magic Behind Slapstick. I love Club TCM events and while I was only able to catch one I was so glad it was Mostly Lost!



One of the great aspects of TCMFF is seeing many of my internet friends in person. I took a lot of selfies with these friends, including Jeff (above) who I've spoken to on Twitter but never met before.


After my time at Club TCM, I headed over to the TCL Chinese IMAX for my last film of the festival. While I was in line this passholder was being interviewed by TCM. I love that her lanyard was decorated with Kate Gabrielle pins!



Confession: I have never seen Animal House (1978). This was a good a time as any but boy did I feel out of the loop. People were dressed in togas (and chanting Toga! Toga!) and in College sweatshirts and geeking out about their favorite scenes. I was a total newbie and had no clue what I was getting into.


The introductions and interviews before a film usually last 15-20 minutes and 25 minutes is pushing it. I thought to myself, with so many special guests, how are they going to cram an interview in a brief time with all of them? The solution: it went on for an hour! Ben Mankiewicz was on hand to interview 8 cast and crew members including director John Landis, a studio exec (forgot his name), Stephen Bishop, Tim Matheson, Bruce McGill, Mark Metcalf, Martha Smith and James Widdoes. There were only supposed to be 7 guests and they had 8 chairs but 8 guests Ben Mankiewicz had to stand for the interview and share a mic with Metcalf.



The hour long interview provided the audience with one of the most thrilling pre-production stories I had ever heard. Landis and the cast went on about the two pivotal weeks before filming began and how they prepared for the role. They also talked about working with John Belushi, how this film almost didn't get made and much more. Even for someone like myself who knew very little about the film, I was enthralled.

In the end I quite enjoyed Animal House. I wanted it to be funnier, I wanted to laugh more but overall I thought it was an excellent comedy and one I'd watch again.


After Animal House, it was time to head to Club TCM for the closing night party. I had an early flight the next day so I only had a little time to say my goodbyes. My good friend Jessica treated me to some champagne and we made the rounds having brief chats, taking selfies and saying our goodbyes.


Sorority squats are a must at TCMFF.

A big thank you to everyone at TCM who worked tirelessly to make the 2018 TCM Classic Film Festival. A special thank you to Marya Gates who is always an incredible help on the red carpet. And a special thank you to all of my friends. Whether we had a brief moment to say hello or we enjoyed a long one-on-one chat, it means the world to me to spend quality time with you all. Until next year!

Stay tuned as I'll have a recap post on my thoughts on the festival and who I saw. Also I will have several in-depth posts about specific events. Thanks for following along!







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