TCM at 20: Inspired by the Classics at the 2014 TCM Classic Film Festival

Press Photo

The TCM at 20: Inspired by the Classics panel kicked off the opening of Club TCM for the first night of the 2014 TCM Classic Film Festival. TCM's Pola Chagnon interviewed four of the ten artists including actress Kim Novak, actor/playwright Charles Busch, actress Jane Seymour and artist/producer Bruce Eric Kaplan.

Unfortunately I lost my audio recording of this event so I'll do my best to share what I remember. I'm getting a little help from the TCM at 20 Custom Designed Cards that I received in my media welcome bag. The set includes the 10 works along with a note from the artist on the back of each card.

It was a short interview and each of the four artists discussed their pieces including the symbolism and inspiration behind each of the different works. Kim Novak explained that it was a chance for her to revisit the film Vertigo, to take ownership of her image, Hitchcock was very much control on set but in this piece she was in control. Also the swirl of blond hair becomes a "Vortex of Delusion" which is the title of the piece. Jane Seymour's piece is from Gone With the Wind and the tree represents strength and the sunset represents new beginnings.

I really enjoyed Charles Busch's description of his piece. His includes a line of chorus girls auditioning for a part. All of them look the same and are looking in the same direction except for one who looks straight at the camera. Busch says that she's the one who is destined to be a star. He likens that chorus girl to Betty Grable and Lucille Ball. Bruce Eric Kaplan's piece is an illustrated homage to Hitchcock. He gives the director his own street which includes famous landmarks, both real and imaginary, including Bates Motel, Mount Rushmore, the Statue of Liberty, the school and playground in the Birds, etc.

TCM at 20: Inspired by the Classics panel discussion

TCM was having some technical issues in Club TCM. I think they were going to show the pieces on the screen behind the panel. I think it would have helped to have each piece of artwork up on the screen as the artist was talking about it. I pulled out my cards to look at each one and it helped follow along.

TCM at 20: Inspired by the Classics display at Club TCM

The original pieces were on display at Club TCM and below is a short video promo TCM did for the series.

The World of Henry Orient (1964) screening at the 2014 TCM Classic Film Festival

The line to get into The World of Henry Orient (1964) screening at the TCM Classic Film Festival was a bit hectic but well worth the temporary chaos. I knew nothing about the film except that Paula Prentiss was in it and that she would be at the screening. It was an added bonus that actress Merrie Spaeth was there too and that this film would become a new favorite.

Cari Beauchamp, author of Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Power of Women in Hollywood, interviewed actresses Merrie Spaeth and Paula Prentiss before the screening. This was the first time Spaeth and Prentiss had been together in 50 years.Beauchamp calls this film one of the great female buddy movies, the other one being Where the Boys (1960) Are which also features Paula Prentiss. Beauchamp shared a story about seeing Where the Boys Are for the first time. She had always been the tallest of her female friends so when she saw Paula Prentiss and noticed how tall she was Beauchamp wore her height proudly after that. Being tall myself (wishing I was even taller), I've always admired Prentiss' stature and beauty and dreamed of growing an extra inch and a half so I could be as tall as her.

The movie was shot in July and August of 1963. It was director George Roy Hill's third movie and the screenplay was adapted from a novel by Nora Johnson, director/writer Nunnally Johnson's daughter.

Prentiss was doing Shakespeare in the Park when George Roy Hill approached her about the part. She wasn't sure she could do both but she liked the idea of being in a film about a pianist. Prentiss also said that she could identify with the parts of the two teen leads. 

The film follows two fourteen year old girls, Gil (Merrie Spaeth) and Val (Tippy Walker), as they stalk an eccentric pianist, Henry Orient (Peter Sellers) around NYC. Paula Prentiss plays Stella, a married woman who is having an affair with Orient. The plot makes it all sound rather creepy but the film itself is funny, charming and quirky.

George Roy Hill was looking for two girls who weren't professionals for the parts of Gil and Val. Spaeth's only acting experience was in an 8th grade production of Alice in Wonderland where she played the White Knight and a second part as Tweedle Dee. Needless to say she didn't have a professional acting background and after a long casting process she got the part of Marian Gilbert (aka Gil). She was 14 years old at the time and Spaeth remembers that the pigtails she wears in the film were her idea.

There are only a couple of scenes in which Spaeth and Prentiss are together. Spaeth remembers being on set with Tippy Walker and watching Paula Prentiss film her scenes. Spaeth says they were in awe of Prentiss' beauty and compliments Prentiss by saying "she's just as beautiful inside as she is outside."

The film takes place in the Fall but was shot during the summer. Prentiss remembers filming a scene in Central Park and they painted leaves of the surrounding trees so they'd give the background an Autumnal look.

Spaeth told the audience to watch carefully at the Central Park scenes. She wears a very heavy double breasted wool coat, over a sweater, with a wool kilt and wool knee-high socks which proved to be very hot in the summertime.

There is a scene when Spaeth and Walker yell a made up word "splitzing" (you can watch it here). It's from Nora Johnson's novel and it means to jump high over objects which is what they do in the scene. After The World of Henry Orient, Spaeth did some TV but realized that being actress wasn't for her. Today Spaeth has a successful career in finance. She graduated summa cum laude from Smith and went to Columbia Business School. Members of her team were in the audience. And Prentiss' husband actor Richard Benjamin was in the audience too!

In the video below, Beauchamp, Prentiss and Spaeth discuss Angela Lansbury (who plays Val's mother) and Peter Sellers. Beauchamp briefly mentions Tippy Walker's affair with the director George Roy Hill (controversial considering their age difference and the fact that Hill was married). I really love Spaeth's tip about Peter Seller's accent changing from Bulgarian, Spanish, Italian and then to a Brooklyn accent. I watched for this in the movie and it made it even more enjoyable!

This was a wonderful screening! I thoroughly enjoyed the interview, loved seeing my beloved Paula Prentiss in person, I became a new fan of Merrie Spaeth and then was treated to a very entertaining movie.

USPS and TCM's Charlton Heston Stamp Dedication Ceremony

On April 11th I attended the USPS/TCM Charlton Heston Stamp Dedication Ceremony. I thought it was going to be a small ceremony but much to my surprise it was an epic event! Held during the 2014 TCM Classic Film Festival this ceremony was free and open to the public. It took place at the TCL Chinese Theatre (Grauman's Chinese) and the house was packed with festival goers, Heston fans and avid stamp collectors.

TCM's Ben Mankiewicz was the emcee and he delivered the opening speech. In his speech he discussed Heston's career as well as the directors that he worked with. Mankiewicz also shared some personal memories of seeing Heston's films when he was younger. He joked that he learned two things from watching Heston in the film Earthquake (1974): "nobody was manlier than Charlton Heston and nobody should live in Los Angeles because we're all going to die." He also pointed out that Heston's line "Get your stinkin' paws off me you damn dirty apes" is #66 on AFI's list of the greatest movie quotes.

After Mankiewicz's speech there was a military presentation with flags as well as a performance of the national anthem.

Following that was a screening of a fantastic video tribute to Heston's career. The tribute was breath taking and it even gave me goosebumps. I keep asking TCM via social media to post it online so I can share it. It's so well done. The tribute was a wonderful combination of powerful images as well as excellent narration. The video followed the span of Heston's career and explored his growth as an actor, his influence on the business, his work with directors like Cecil B. DeMille, William Wyler and Orson Welles, his big films like The Ten Commandments and Ben-Hur. The tribute also explored his offscreen life with his family, his civil rights efforts and his Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

There were lots of great lines from the video tribute but this one is my favorite:

Throughout his life, Charlton Heston embodied a multitude of mavericks and heroes; great leaders of boundless strength, largely from a distant past or future. When asked about his penchant for playing figures of other eras he simply replied, 'I don't seem to have a 20th century face.

After the tribute, actress Gabrielle Carteris delivered a speech on behalf of SAG-AFTRA's President Ken Howard who couldn't make it to the ceremony because he was unwell. Carteris is best known for her role in the hit TV show Beverly Hills, 90210. She's also the Executive Vice President of SAG-AFTRA. There was a big SAG-AFTRA presence at the ceremony. Charlton Heston was president of SAG (which has recently merged with AFTRA) from 1965 until 1971. Carteris' read Howard's speech which included some of his memories of Heston's time at the SAG. Heston felt strongly that his position at SAG was both an honor and a job and something to take very seriously.

Up next was actor and SAG-AFTRA Founding Executive VP Ned Vaughn. (FYI, he was on one episode of Mad Men!). Vaughn's speech was very eloquent and thoughtful but it also had a bit of a political agenda. Vaughn noted that Heston was the third SAG president to honored with a USPS stamp. He praises Heston who joined the SAG at the height of his career and with an already very busy schedule. I wasn't aware of Heston's civil rights activism so I was pleased to learn that in 1961 Heston traveled to the South to picket against whites only restaurants. He wore a sign that read "all men are created equal."

In 1963, Heston attended the March on Washington with fellow actors Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte and Marlon Brando. Vaughn quotes him as saying, "I could no longer pay only lip service to a cause that was so urgently right in a time that is so urgently now."

Vaughn repeated the phrase "he fought for what he valued" numerous times in his speech. He also said, “it didn’t matter whether it was hard, incovenient or unpopular. Charlton Heston always followed his true moral star, his passionate belief that all men are created equal, that our liberty is precious and our God given rights are worth defending.” Vaughn brought up Heston's Republican politics, his endorsement of Ronald Reagan and his association with the NRA.

This stamp has been controversial because Charlton Heston's very public association with NRA, which has come under a lot of scrutiny. While I don't agree with Heston's politics, I do admire him for standing up for his values. I thought it was very interesting that Heston's NRA association was brought up several times throughout the ceremony. Sometimes it's difficult to separate an actor or actress's career from their politics. It's something I try to do but it's not always easy.

Following Ned Vaughn was Jean Picker-Firstenberg, AFI President Emerita. She is also the former Chair of USPS Citizen's Stamp Advisory Committee which decides who should be honored with stamps. Picker-Firstenberg shared some fond memories of Heston and showed her admiration for his diligence and work ethic. She said, "the truth was that Chuck was bigger than life, bigger than his roles and most people were in awe of him." Apparently Ted Turner was star struck when he met Heston for the first time! She finished her speech by reading us a very moving statement Charlton Heston wrote when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. Heston said, "I lived my whole life on stage and screen before you. I found purpose and meaning in response. For an actor there is no greater loss than the loss of the mind..." You can read the whole statement here.

Following Picker-Firstenberg was Mickey Barnett, the USPS Board of Governors chairman. Barnett's speech was short and he mostly complimented Heston as a performer, civil rights activist and a family man. He also promoted the USPS Legends of Hollywood series which includes Alfred Hitchcock, John Wayne, Gregory Peck, Gary Cooper among others and now includes Charlton Heston. Barnett said, "The US Postal Service hopes everyone will use the Charlton Heston stamp. When your correspondence is sent around your community and around the country, let it serve as a small reminder of one of the biggest stars Hollywood has ever known.”

Then came the unveiling of the stamp. I shot a little video of the unveiling which you can watch below.

The final speech was delivered by Charlton Heston's son, director Fraser Heston. Fraser Heston shared stories about his dad and called him a great husband, father and grandfather who had a great sense of civil duty. He also gave us a background on his father's early life and noted that he had received many awards in his lifetime including lifetime achievement awards, Golden Globes, an Oscar, Kennedy Center Honors, etc.

He went on to liken sending a stamped letter in the mail to "A deeply personal expression of who you are as a person, a window into your character...” He also reflected that if you look at all the figures who have been profiled on USPS stamps you’d get a pretty good idea of who we are as a country, our ideals, what we stand for and the kind of men and women we honor.”

Heston's widow Lydia Clarke Heston posed for photos by a large image of the stamp. Fraser Heston told us that the image on the stamp came from a black and white photograph his mother had taken of his father. The image was colorized and turned into an illustrated portrait by artist Drew Struzan.

This was a wonderful event and I'm so glad I attended. I learned a lot about Charlton Heston and it was a very touching tribute to his life and work. Afterwards, they sold first day issue stamps. They also had a signing which I'm very sorry I missed!

I just wanted to take a moment to talk about Max. We quickly became friends while we were waiting in line to get into the ceremony. One of the wonderful things about the TCM Classic Film Festival is making new friends. Meeting Max was a highlight for me. We attended this ceremony together as well as the screening of How Green Was My Valley. I had a lot of fun chatting with him about festivals, movie memorabilia, film clubs (he ran one for 17 years!), and more. If you go to the festival, chat with fellow festival goers while you wait in line. You never know, you might make a new friend!

You can learn more about this ceremony and about the Charlton Heston stamp here.