My Memories of Norman Lloyd at #TCMFF

Ben Mankiewicz and Norman Lloyd at the Live at the TCM Classic Film Festival screening (Press photo)

Today is Norman Lloyd's 102nd birthday. To celebrate TCM willl be airing the 2015 Norman Lloyd Live from the TCM Classic Film Festival. I was in the studio audience for that legendary interview. It was an experience I'll never forget and I'm excited for everyone else to see it. To commemorate his birthday and the airing of the special I'll be sharing my memories of seeing Lloyd from three different TCM Classic Film Festivals.

Back in 2013 when I was preparing for my very first TCMFF, Laura of Laura's Miscellaneous Musings had pointed out that 98 year old Norman Lloyd would be in attendance at a screening of The Lady Vanishes (1938) and that it was not to be missed. Taking her suggestion I quickly altered my TCMFF schedule. And so began a series of amazing encounters with Norman Lloyd.

The first was at the 2013 TCMFF but before the film screening. Aurora (Citizen Screen), Laura and I were at Club TCM sitting in the way back by the main entrance while attendees were participating in the So You Think You Know the Movies? trivia game. And guess who walks through the door? None other than the man himself, Norman Lloyd. Aurora pointed him out to Laura and I and we all stared in wonder. No one else had spotted him because he had slipped in as a surprise guest and everyone's attention was on the main stage. Aurora went right up to him and shook his hand. That was one of a series of "Aurora moments" named after her special encounters which resulted from her determination and some luck. She inspired me to make my own moments at future festivals. (More on the experience here.)

Norman Lloyd at Club TCM

A couple of days later I attended the special screening of The Lady Vanishes (1938). Leonard Maltin was on hand to interview Norman Lloyd about Alfred Hitchcock and his work. Lloyd was as fit as a fiddle at 98 with a mind as sharp as a tack. The interview was fascinating. He regaled us with stories and charmed our socks off. You can watch the full interview below and check out my transcript and notes on the experience here.

Norman Lloyd getting a standing ovation at TCMFF 2013

Norman Lloyd at TCMFF 2013

Little did I know that these two experiences were only beginning. Even more amazing encounters were to come.

Fast forward to the 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival and Norman Lloyd returned as a festival guest. I had such a fabulous time seeing him in 2013 that I made a point to see him again.

That year I decided to sit in the bleachers and watch the stars walk down the red carpet on opening night. Norman Lloyd was one of those guests. Here he is on the red carpet with Ben Mankiewicz and Sean Cameron greeting the fans in the bleachers.

Norman Lloyd bows to the fans in the bleachers. 2015 TCMFF

Next up was a screening of Reign of Terror (1949) hosted Eddie Muller of the Noir Foundation with special guest Norman Lloyd who plays Tallien in the film. 

I almost didn't make it to this screening. I got there kind of late having just come from Christopher Plummer's hand and footprint ceremony. Lucky for me I got one of the last seats. Unfortunately it was in the front row at the far right which proved to be an awkward spot for viewing the film. However it was the perfect spot to see Norman Lloyd come down the stairs for the interview after the screening. 

Eddie Muller and Norman Lloyd

At 100 Norman Lloyd was STILL as sharp as a tack. At one point in the conversation he went off topic and started to ramble but remembered to come back to the original question, something I can't even do and I'm several decades younger. You can read my post about the interview here.

After the interview Lloyd at to walk back up those stairs and I had the perfect vantage point. He was going to walk right past me again and this time I was determined to talk to him. I'm a shy person and can get tongue-tied very quickly. But I can always say "thank you". It's simple, it's direct and I can't mess it up. And when Lloyd walked up to the stairs I gave him a big smile and said "thank you." He looked and said "thank YOU". I was on cloud nine. I can't believe that I spoke to the great Norman Lloyd. And that wouldn't be the only time either. More on that to come.

Set-up for the Live at the TCM Classic Film Festival with Norman Lloyd

Press photo of Norman Lloyd greeting the audience at TCMFF

At that point I couldn't get enough Norman Lloyd so it was imperative that I attend the Live at the TCM Classic Film Festival interview hosted by Ben Mankiewicz and featuring Lloyd. I blocked out an entire morning to get in line and attend the two hour event (it'll be edited down to one hour for television). 

Press photo of Ben Mankiewicz and Norman Lloyd at TCMFF

Words cannot express how wonderful this experience was to me. I ran the gamut of emotions: I laughed, I cheered, I cried. I loved listening to Lloyd's stories about the Great Depression, working with heavyweights like Hitchcock, Chaplin and Welles, his work on film and TV, his beloved wife Peggy who past away a few years ago, his most recent film Trainwreck (2015) and countless other stories. My favorite moment was when Mankiewicz asked Lloyd about seeing Babe Ruth at Yankee stadium. Lloyd stood up, animated and regaled us with the story.  I sincerely hope that moment made the final cut. After a year and a half I'm curious to see video of this day, to refresh my memory on things I forgot and to relive all those emotions. Lloyd charmed us all (he even flirted with the make-up artist) and I hope he'll charm you all too.

Can you see me? I'm to the left of Norman Lloyd's head peeking out from above his chair! (Press Photo)

My Norman Lloyd story doesn't end there. I got one last glorious experience with him at the 2016 TCM Classic Film Festival and it was totally unexpected. 

When I was preparing for my fourth festival, I was determined to fulfill my dream and interview stars on the red carpet. I got the full guest list for opening night and I studied all the names closely. Even though Norman Lloyd wasn't technically a special guest at the festival, he was going to walk the red carpet and attend the opening night party. This was my chance to talk to him again! I was at the end of the interview line and by the time he came down my way he was no longer doing interviews. However I knew I had to work fast to make an Aurora moment happen. I seized the opportunity to have some sort of  interaction with him.

I called out to him proclaiming "WE LOVE YOU NORMAN LLOYD!". He stopped looked around trying to find who was calling out to him. I repeated "WE LOVE YOU NORMAN LLOYD!" He looked over at me and said "beautiful!"

Norman Lloyd looking over at me. 2016 TCMFF red carpet.

Then I replied, "no YOU'RE beautiful!" And I blew him a kiss.

Norman Lloyd blowing me a kiss. 2016 TCMFF red carpet.

And you'll never believe it but he blew me a kiss back! I almost fainted. What an experience. I flirted with Norman Lloyd on the red carpet! I didn't get video of the encounter but I have these three photos, eye witness accounts and my own memory of the event. 

Can you find me in this picture? I'm in the pink dress in between Norman Lloyd and TCM's Sean Cameron
(Press photo via Zimbio) 

I want to wish Norman Lloyd a very happy 102nd birthday. I want to thank him for all those wonderful moments at the TCM Classic Film Festival as well as his body of work in film and television which has entertained many of us for decades. Happy birthday!

The Life of Raymond Chandler

A Mysterious Something in the Light: The Life of Raymond Chandler
by Tom Williams
Chicago Review Press
9781613736784 - 384 pages
January 2012

Amazon - Barnes and Noble - Powells

Was Raymond Chandler, the author who invented detective Phillip Marlowe, as interesting as his creation? This question was on my mind when I began reading A Mysterious Something in the Light: The Life of Raymond Chandler by Tom Williams.

Born in Chicago on July 23rd, 1888 to Maurice and Florence Chandler, young Raymond had a troubled childhood. His father was an alcoholic, setting the stage for Chandler’s own struggles with alcoholism, and he abandoned the family early on. Left to their own devices, Florence and Raymond moved from Chicago and eventually settled in England where Chandler received a good education at Dulwich. Unfortunately he could not secure the funds to go to college but this did not stop him in his pursuit of a literary career. At first he made an earnest attempt at being a poet but failed miserably. After living in France, he returned to London to fetch his mother and traveled across the pond then across the continent to Los Angeles. Williams notes, “he left London as a failed British writer and arrived in America as a new man.”

Although Chandler always thought of himself as a Brit, it was his life in California that set things in motion for this new stage of his life and career. But those early days in Los Angeles were not devoted to writing. He fought in WWI by way of Canada because he could not enlist through either the US or England. When he came back from the war he devoted himself to his mother Florence. He met the woman who would be the love of his life, Cissy. Unfortunately his mother disapproved of the union and Chandler waited until Florence died before marrying Cissy. Chandler was 35 and Cissy was 53 pretending to be 43. The age difference would prove to be a thorn in Raymond’s side for the length of their marriage. His relationships with Florence, Cissy and other women in his life are explored in detail in the book. The women had the greatest influence on his ideals, the characters in his stories and his motivations in life. The author also touches upon Chandler’s possible homosexuality.

His literary career was put on the back burner in the years that followed. He began drinking and became an alcoholic in the 1920s. It was until Chandler lost his cushy job at Dabney Oil Syndicate that he picked up writing again. He took a correspondence course on fiction and started writing pulp stories for the magazine Black Mask. These proved to be popular and while Chandler didn’t see himself as a mystery writer he enjoyed the work.

Chandler's pulp stories improved as he developed and honed his skills. Author Tom Williams defines the pulp short genre as the following:

“The stories tended to revolve around a central male character who, more often than not, operated alone. Toughness was an essential virtue, as was a strict moral code that divided the world into good and bad, right and wrong. And the stories were characterized by simple, muscular, almost brutal prose.” 

 Chandler had a strict moral code “right and wrong were sharply defined in his world.” This bled into his writing and would often determine the fate of different characters in his stories. His stories explored “feelings of paranoia and disillusionment” and had a strong sense of place. This can be seen in his novels like The Big Sleep where Los Angeles and Hollywood are front and center in the narrative. Williams demonstrates themes in Chandler’s work with passages of text and plot points, character studies and how events and circumstances in Los Angeles shaped Chandler’s story.

“Along with The Maltese Falcon and Double Indemnity, [The Big Sleep] has come to represent the high peak of the hard-boiled genre.” – Tom Williams

Moving beyond short stories, Chandler began to write novels. His first was The Big Sleep, published by Knopf and establishing detective Phillip Marlowe as a noir figure. Williams says, “[Phillip Marlowe] was a step forward from the characters of the pulp stories – a fully realized man rather than a vehicle for action.” What differentiated Chandler works from his peers James M. Cain and Dashiell Hammett was the focus on character and setting and less on mystery and plot. Also Chandler’s narrative was in the first person which would later prove to be a strength for noir. Williams calls these elements “the key to his success.” Chandler wrote several novels, most of them featuring detective Marlowe. The biography goes into detail about The Big Sleep, Farewell, My Lovely, The High Window, The Lady in the Lake, The Long Goodbye and others. Most of his novels were initially flops. His first publisher Knopf neglected to market them well, didn’t see Chandler’s true potential. In the end Chandler’s stories proved to have legs in Hollywood and beyond.

Raymond Chandler's cameo in the film Double Indemnity

“All writing that has any life in it is done with the solar plexus. It is hard work in the sense that it may leave you tired, even exhausted.” – Raymond Chandler 

I enjoyed reading about Raymond Chandler’s work as a novelist, short story writer and screenwriter especially. Hollywood came knocking and Chandler got a gig as a screenwriter at Paramount. His first project was working with Billy Wilder on adapting Cain’s Double Indemnity for the big screen. But Chandler got a rough start in Hollywood. He couldn’t see eye-to-eye with anyone and when Double Indemnity was nominated for a Best Screenplay Oscar he didn’t even show up to the ceremony. Yet is work continued as he adapted The Blue Dahlia, And Now Tomorrow, The Unseen and other movies. He briefly worked on the adaptation of his own novel The Lady in the Lake. Always an admirer of Hitchcock, he was thrilled to work with him on adapting Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train but the two butted heads and Chandler was kicked off the project. Chandler might not have appreciated the modest success of his novels and film adaptations at the time because he could not forsee the fame and recognition that was to come.

Raymond Chandler portrait from LIFE magazine

The depth of research found in this book is often mind-blowing. I love that careful attention to detail. I read many biographies and can always tell when the author took the time and effort to leave no stone unturned in their quest for information. Some readers find the transparency of research in a biography to remove them from the narrative of the story. You get that sense a little bit at the beginning of the book but the narrative voice eventually finds its stride. This book is also the perfect example of how you can have a biography without footnotes. Nothing frustrates me more than a book with too many footnotes, it disrupts the flow of reading and often times isn’t necessary. Williams expertly weaves all the information into the narrative.

Humphrey Bogart as Phillip Marlowe

 So to answer my original question, was Chandler as interesting as Marlowe? While Chandler imbued the Marlowe character with many of his own traits, Chandler as a central figure in this biography is not as interesting as his creation. Frankly he was a fuddy duddy who had a strange viewpoint on the opposite sex and proved to be difficult in both professional and personal relationships. You’ll have to decide for yourself whether you want to keep the allure of a mysterious Chandler or if you’re willing to take a closer look at the man behind Marlowe.

Thoroughly researched, this comprehensive biography dives deep into the life of one of the most notable storytellers of the 20th Century. It’s highly recommended to any readers interested in Raymond Chandler, the writing process and the birth of noir.

Thank you to Chicago Review Press for sending me a copy of this book for review!

Interview with Philip Hopkins of The Film Detective

Philip Hopkins of The Film Detective (Photo source)

I had the pleasure of interviewing Philip Hopkins, the founder of The Film Detective. What is The Film Detective? It is a classic film distribution company based in my home state of Massachusetts that digitally restores classic film, mostly public domain titles, and releases them on Blu-Ray, DVD and for online streaming. In the last three years they've developed an impressive library of classics from all different genres and they keep expanding with much more to come.

Raquel: You are a long-time film industry veteran, could you tell me more about how you go into the industry?
 Philip: It goes back nearly 50 years to when I inherited my family’s 16mm library. At one point, I had exhausted the enthusiasm to screen the films and I started looking for commercial films to entice family members so I could sneak in home movies. These go back to the days when you could buy prints from collectors including Blackhawk Films of old vintage one or two reelers, catalogs, and such publications as The Big Reel. In 1999, I met a budding film director in Dallas, TX and we started Marengo Films releasing public domain films on DVD. I came into the industry via my enthusiasm for old film and also my experience co-owning and operating a record company.

R: What is the history of The Film Detective?
 P: The Film Detective started in December of 2013. It’s an extension of the years I’ve been working in classic film and film restoration and distribution. We’ve grown into a solid operation with a great team and we’re going to be launching our own digital network screening our films on such platforms as Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV and we’ll continue to release Blu-rays and DVDs, as well as supply broadcasters such as Turner Classic Movies. We also work with private collectors and archives to scour the earth looking for vintage film.

R: What is the restoration process like?
 P: It can be endless and we have to make judgement calls every day. Typically, we’re working from old release prints, some are in better condition than others. Recently, we’ve been fortunate to work with a couple of film negatives. The process begins with cleaning the film, transferring it mostly into high-def, and then post-digital restoration with dust-busting, scratch removal and audio restoration. We have an in-house QC manager and editor and we work on both coasts with final restoration. When we’re done, we make a new Linear Tape Open (LTO) digital master that goes into our archive. The film then goes back into our storage facility or is returned to whoever we obtained the print or negative from.

R: Why do you think public domain movies should be restored?
P: They’re typically the last ones to be restored as the studios don’t see much return with orphaned or public domain films. Fortunately, with the change in technology, we’ve been able to justify the cost of restoring more films and serve a specific niche for that market. They’re still great films and just because they fell into the public domain, they deserve to be restored just as much as non-public domain films.

R: You partner with The Cabot Theater in Beverly, MA to premiere restorations. Could you tell me more about this partnership?
P: I grew up going to see films at The Cabot when I was a kid, back in the 1970s. The Cabot was recently rescued by local business owners and has gone through a wonderful transformation. We were thrilled to be able to continue to promote film exhibition. It’s local and we’re able to attend each screening, introduce the films, talk about what we do and bring our restorations to the big screen, which is very satisfying. They’re a great group of people and classic film lovers as well.

R: Could you tell me more about your online streaming initiative?
P: We’re launching onto several platforms. Currently we’re already live on Amazon Fire TV and Roku. Later this year we’ll be on Apple TV as well as our own website, thefilmdetective.tv. We’re hoping to build an audience and promote our restorations as well as deep library releases. We’ve also licensed a number of titles so there will be a mix of genres and content.

R: Where else can restorations from The Film Detective be seen?
P: Our films can be seen on Turner Classic Movies, Sony’s GetTV, on Blu-ray and DVD, and a number of other platforms including PlutoTV and Hoopla.

R: As a Massachusetts native I love that The Film Detective is based here. Why did you decide on Rockport, MA?
P: My wife and I have lived in Rockport since 1993. We’re both natives of MA. My wife, Susan, is from Quincy and I grew up in Danvers, which is just north of Boston. I moved to Rockport in the early 90s to work for a business that was based in Gloucester. When the business moved to New York, I stayed in Rockport and have had a hard time leaving ever since. It’s a beautiful, scenic, historic town and every summer I’m able to screen classic movies in my neighborhood for all the neighbors. Very satisfying!

R: What releases from The Film Detective can we look forward to?
P: Currently we’re working on several restorations. They range from classic noir to Blaxploitation. We’re very excited about several new releases including The Vampire Bat (1933), which we’re going to be working on in conjunction with UCLA Film & TV Archive, a lost Ed Wood TV pilot and a very rare Blaxploitation film, Joe Bullet, which was banned shortly after its release in South Africa. We were inspired to pursue The Vampire Bat because we’re friends with Melvyn Douglas’s son, Gregory Hesselberg.

R: What are some of your favorite classic films?
P: Far too many to list, but the first film my wife and I went to on our first date was Night of the Hunter (1955). That will always be my favorite as it set the tone for a wonderful partnership and friendship and affection for classic movies that we both have.

Thank you to Philip Hopkins of The Film Detective for taking the time out to answer my questions. You can find out more about The Film Detective and Philip's work on their website. Check out my review of their latest Blu-Ray release of Suddenly (1954).