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.
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| Director Mel Brooks |
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| TCM host Alicia Malone |
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| Author Alan K. Rode and his wife |
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| Wyatt McCrea |
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| Silent film accompanist Ben Model |
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| TCM General Manager Jennifer Dorian and TCM President Coleman Breland |
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| The Pigeon Sisters from The Odd Couple: Monica Evans and Carole Shelley |
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| The Pigeon Sisters from The Odd Couple: Monica Evans and Carole Shelley |
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| Mandela, Melvin and Mario van Peebles |
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| Juliet Mills and Maxwell Caulfield |
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| Director Gillian Armstrong and Marya Gates of TCM |
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| Paul Sorvino |
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| Norman Lloyd |
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| More Norman Lloyd because one can never have enough of this living legend. |
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| TCM Host Ben Mankiewicz |
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| Turner CEO John Martin |
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| Costume Designer Mark Bridges (Phantom Thread) |
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| Pola Changnon |
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| Kate Flannery |
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| Keith Carradine |
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| Dennis Miller |
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| Andrea Savage and Tom Everett Scott |
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| Larry Mirisch |
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| Suzanne Lloyd |
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| Rudy De Luca |
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| TV writer John Mankiewicz (House of Cards) |
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| Martin Scorsese |
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| Lolita Davidovich and Ron Shelton |
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| Actress Ruta Lee |
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| Eva Marie Saint in the background |
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| Rosanna Arquette |
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| Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey |
