The 2013 TCM Classic Film Festival in Two Weeks! - My Plan

I can't believe the TCM Classic Film Festival is in two weeks! And this year I get to go. Woah!!!

I have been fairly quiet about the festival because frankly I have been in an extended state of disbelief. After I booked the passes, I still didn't believe I was going. Then I booked the hotel and still couldn't quite believe I was going. When I booked the flight, I finally started to let myself believe that it was really happening but I was still very cautious. It wasn't until I heard that I was received media credentials to attend the festival as a member of the press that I realized, holy crap I am going! I am actually going. Part of me still thinks that someone will call me and say "sorry Raquel, it was all a big mistake. You are not really going. Maybe next year." Part of me won't believe anything until I see it all for my own eyes. This whole experience has been very humbling.

The TCM Classic Film Festival this year is going to be epic. The folks at TCM have really outdone themselves planning a 4-day extravaganza of delights that will make the heart of any classic film fan skip a beat.

My husband Carlos will also be attending the festival with me. He'll have a Matinee Pass and I'll have a Media Pass so while we'll attend some events together we'll also be apart some of the time. I plan to blog while I am at the festival and go into more detail when I come back. Carlos has agreed to be a guest blogger and blog about the events that he goes to on his own. Thanks Carlos!

The festival schedule was released last week and while it's not completely finalized, I went ahead and made a preliminary schedule for the festival. My plan of attack is to attend as many of the events that feature a classic film star or someone involved with the film (i.e. producer, etc.). I watch a lot of films on the big screen here in the Boston area so I don't feel the need to attend a lot of regular screenings.

I prioritized to make sure I made time for the events that would mean the most to me attend. I tried to be realistic knowing that I can't be everywhere at once and that there will be long days and I'll get tired. I also created a back-up plan in case some events are changed or get canceled or if I miss one event, I can go to a similar one later. I did the best I could do planning this not really knowing what to expect.

This is our main plan:

Thursday April 25th

Meet the TCM Panel - TCM staffers discuss what's going on at TCM.
So You Think You Know the Movies - New York's Film Forum programmer Bruce Goldstein hosts a trivia challenge
Opening Night Party 
The Killing (1956) - Discussion with actress Coleen Gray
South Pacific (1958)  - Discussion with actresses Mitzi Gaynor and France Nuyen.




Friday April 26th

Libeled Lady (1936) (or sleep, whichever!)
River of No Return (1954) - Discussion with producer Stanley Rubin - (Robert Mitchum movie!)
Eva Marie Saint: Live from the TCM Classic Film Festival
The Great Escape (1963) - Discussion with executive producer Walter Mirisch (maybe if James Garner is free he could attend too?!)
On the Waterfront (1954) - Discussion with Eva Marie Saint

Saturday April 27th

Handprint/Footprint Ceremony with Jane Fonda

UPDATE: The Lady Vanishes (1938) - Discussion with Norman Lloyd (Thanks to Laura of Laura's Miscellaneous Musings - She convinced me with her post that I should definitely attend this one! Definitely check out her selection of TCM festival choices.)

Conversation with Max von Sydow
"What's the Score?" with Alex Trebek (OMG)
Mildred Pierce (1945) - Tribute to Ann Blyth (WOW!)
Le Mans (1971) - Discussion with Chad McQueen, Derek Bell and Vic Elford

Sunday April 28th

Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963) at the Cinerama Dome - Discussion with Barrie Chase, Marvin Kaplan, Carl Reiner and Mickey Rooney (MICKEY!!!) UPDATE: Unfortunately, Jonathan Winters was slated as a guest and he passed away recently. God speed Jonathan Winters!
Three Days of the Condor (1975) - Tribute to Max von Sydow
The General (1926) - World Premiere Restoration with live musical accompaniment by the Alloy Orchestra (Buster Keaton!)
Closing Night Party

Image Soure

Someone pinch me, I'm dreaming!

In addition to the above, I hope to be able to attend some pre-festival events on Wednesday the 24th. If you are attending the festival, please make sure to say hi!

Warner Archive Wednesday ~ Miss Pinkerton (1932)

Source: Cinemagraphe

Joan Blondell as Nurse Adams in Miss Pinkerton (1932). Nurse Adams is sick of the monotony of being a hospital nurse and is quite vocal about her discontent. But things are about to change for the bored nurse. She's given the exciting opportunity of working at the home of the well-known Mitchell family. The head nurse informs Nurse Adams that she'll also be assisting the police in a homicide case that happened at that same home. When she arrives, she finds herself in a situation that is a lot more than she bargained for. Her situation brings to mind the common saying: Be careful what you wish for because it might come true.

George Brent plays Police Inspector Patten who is continuously at the house investigating the suspicious death of the Mitchell family heir Herbert Wynn. He enlists Nurse Adams to help him look for clues and dubs her Miss Pinkerton, a reference to the Pinkerton National Detective Agency. It's a reference that someone from 1932 would have gotten right away but a contemporary audience might scratch their head in confusion.

The film has a rather convoluted plot and there is quite a lot going on including murder disguised as suicide, insurance fraud, a secret marriage, affairs, poisoning, forgery, tricks and more. The film tries to spook audiences but in my opinion it falls flat and loses itself in its own plot. Even Joan Blondell couldn't save the movie for me. And I absolutely adore her and will watch just about any movie she's in. In Miss Pinkerton, Blondell's wide eyes grow even wider whenever she screams in fear. She does the frightened look well. But her character is in no way a victim even when she's put in various dangerous situations. She's sassy, clever and scrappy: the perfect detective. If I had to chose one thing I really liked about the film, it was Miss Pinkerton as a pre-code woman!

Source: Pre-Code.com

Nurse Adams/Miss Pinkerton and Inspector Patten (George Brent) have a romance which I thought could have been played up a bit more. The love story is rather neglected. It isn't given enough time to develop and because of that we don't really see any sparks between the two love birds. That whole plot line seems to have been added as after thought rather than an important part of the story.

It was nice to see actress Mary Doran in the film. She plays Florence Lenz, a gopher of one of the story's villains. Doran also played the other woman in one of my favorite pre-codes The Divorcee (1930). Also, Lyle Talbot has a bit part early on in  Miss Pinkerton as newspaper reporter.

Miss Pinkerton (1932) is one of five films in Warner Archive's Forbidden Hollywood Collection: Volume 5 DVD set. If you are a Pre-Code enthusiast, I recommend watching this film at least once to add to your repertoire.

Warner Archive Wednesday - On (random) Wednesdays, I review one title from the Warner Archive Collection. I purchased Miss Pinkerton as part of the Forbidden Hollywood Collection: Volume 5.

Campus Rhythm (1943)

Campus Rhythm (1943) is a Pathe and Monogram picture that belongs to one of my favorite sub-genres of classic film: the collegiate film. It stars Gale Storm as Joan Abbott, a famous radio performer sponsored by the cereal company Crunchy Wunchy. Joan has been in show business all her life and she's sick of it. She dreams of going to college and experiencing campus life. She's underage and still under the control of her uncle Willy (Douglas Leavitt) who just renewed her contract with manager J.P. Hartman (Herbert Heyes) for another 6 months. Joan runs away and joins Rawley University under the assumed name Susie Smith, a moniker she borrowed from her manager's new secretary.

Even at Rawley she can't escape performing life because music just happens to be very much a part of campus life. She finds herself surrounded by talented people. Buzz O'Hara (Robert Lowery) is the head of the fraternity, leader of the campus band and known prankster. Scoop (Johnny Downs), the editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper and Joan/Susie's new love interest. Scoop is as stiff as a freshly starched shirt and is opposed to anything but serious studies on campus. There is always one of those types in a collegiate movie! There is also Harold (Candy Candido) a humorous voice artist and Babs Marlow (GeGe Pearson) a budding singer. Writers, dancers, singers, voice artists, the campus is full of talent just waiting to be discovered.

Susie is always at risk of being found out as Joan Abbott. Her father and manager are on the search for her but Joan is hard to find under her very common assumed name. They come up with a publicity stunt to encourage college students around the country to find Joan Abbott if she is hiding at their school. Most people don't know what she looks like so it's a fun challenge for the students. Another nation-wide college contest seeks to find the next big band.

How long can Joan hide under assumed name when it seems like everyone is looking for her? Especially when a jealous sorority girl is on to her scheme and will do anything to expose Susie as Joan.

The premise of Campus Rhythm is very similar to that of Dancing Co-Ed (1939) starring Lana Turner. Both feature a performer hiding in a college campus under an assumed name and a nation-wide collegiate publicity stunt. In the case of Campus Rhythm, the protagonist's intentions are always genuine.

The plot can be considered rather weak but that didn't stop me from enjoying this film immensely. I liked it so much I started watching again immediately after my first viewing. There are some great songs including "But Not You", "Swing Your Way Through College" and "You Character".  Hollywood seems to love a good yarn about a fake college student or one incognito. The new person dynamic in these cases really shakes things up on campus in a very entertaining way. And what is it with nation-wide collegiate contests? Was this a thing? I'd love to learn more about the collegiate life of early to mid-twentieth century America.

Gale Storm is a delight to watch and she's one of three talents to take note of in this film. There is also Candy Candido who was famous for his ability to effortlessly switch between three different octaves. He was already a well-known radio star, was establishing himself as a voice artist and bass player in film and went on to become a voice actor for animated film. I enjoyed watching radio actress and singer GeGe Pearson who plays campus singer Babs Marlow and performs a few songs in the film.

Also watch for prolific character actor Tom Kennedy who has a small but funny role as a Police Seargant. He's a favorite of mine and I was glad to see a familiar face in the movie.

I wasn't expecting much from Campus Rhythm and was pleasantly surprised. If you love 1940s music, radio culture and collegiate films, this is definitely one to add to your repertoire. It's available on DVD through the MGM Limited Collection. I rented it through ClassicFlix only to discover I had it available to me this whole time through Netflix Instant. Oh well!