Carl and Rob Reiner Hand and Footprint Ceremony #TCMFF

Carl and Rob Reiner

There are few father and son teams who love and adore each other more than Carl and Rob Reiner. I had the privilege of attending the first ever father-son hand and footprint ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre courtyard (formerly known as Grauman's Chinese Theatre). The event was a family affair but also an opportunity to celebrate two entertainment icons.

This is my fifth hand and footprint ceremony and my fourth covering the event for my blog. It's also the very first time I was seated with the guests. For a few moments I felt like I was one with Hollywood royalty.

I got to share this event with other writers and good friends including Karen who was covering for Citizen Screen, Anne Marie of Classic Movie Hub, KC of A Classic Movie Blog, Carrie of ClassicFilmfan.com and others too.

Karen, Raquel and KC

We sat in our designated seats and watched as the guests arrived. It's always a surprise who will be in attendance and that's half the fun of this event.

Norman Lear

Kevin Nealon

Cary Elwes

Cary Elwes giving Norman Lear a hug

The guests of honor Carl and Rob Reiner with Tom Bergeron

Cary Elwes

We didn't have the best view but we made do with what we had. Actor Cary Elwes, best known for The Princess Bride (1987), sat right in front of me and I strategically had to take photos over his shoulder.

TCM host Ben Mankiewicz

The ceremony kicked off with three speeches. First off was TCM host Ben Mankiewicz who opened the event with some jokes and much praise for the two honorees. He said, "few fathers and sons are as accomplished as Carl and Rob Reiner and none are as funny." As we all know Carl Reiner has had a long and impressive career. He's not only a comedian but he's also an actor, writer, director, producer and even a political activist on Twitter. Mankiewicz noted that Carl Reiner has been in the business for 70 years and "his version of slowing down is writing one book a year." He's currently working on another memoir and a children's book.

Then there is Rob Reiner who forged his own impressive career. Mankiewicz sang Rob Reiner's praises noting his work on All in the Family, This is Spinal Tap, When Harry Met Sally, The Princess Bride and more as well as his production company Castle Rock. Rob Reiner has two political films coming out soon: LBJ and Shock and Awe.

Mankiewicz joked that the combined age of the Reiners is 165 and brought up this tweet by Carl Reiner.

Excited & worried about ceremony at Grauman's. Excited to be 1st father-son to put hand prints in cement & worried I wont be able to get up.

— carl reiner (@carlreiner) April 7, 2017

Tom Bergeron

Up next was TV personality and host Tom Bergeron. He joked that to prepare for his speech he Googled "top things to say about a dear friend soon to be immersed in cement." You can imagine what the search results would have been. Bergeron went on to say, "turns out you don't need Google to find the perfect thing to say about Carl. You go to the source." Carl Reiner once said: "The absolute truth is the thing that makes people laugh." Bergeron points out that this "speaks to the rich source of Carl Reiner's genius. He went on to say "this gave us his alter ego Rob Petrie and The Dick Van Dyke Show. Absolute truth turned into comedic beauty. And fifty years later we're still laughing."

Billy Crystal

To pay tribute to Rob Reiner was actor and comedian Billy Crystal. But before he got to Rob he started with a hilarious joke about Carl Reiner: "I realized that Carl was also a prophet. In 1966 on film he screamed “The Russians are Coming! The Russians are Coming!” And he also made The Jerk."

Crystal believed it was fate that brought him and Rob Reiner together. He remembered performing at the Comedy Store in 1975 and having a chance meeting with Norman Lear and Carl Reiner. Carl introduced himself saying "Hi I'm Carl Reiner" and Crystal jokingly replied "and what do you do?" Norman Lear called Crystal up with an offer to play Rob Reiner's best friend on All in the Family. Crystal was impressed with how Rob was inclusive and asked him for his opinion and insight. He remembers "the show did very well and we just said, we played best friends why don't we keep that going?" Their working relationship and friendship led to Crystal having the plum roles of Morty the Mime in This is Spinal Tap, Miracle Max in The Princess Bride and what Crystal calls "the part of a lifetime " Harry Burns in When Harry Met Sally. Crystal went on to say, "between them [Carl and Rob] is 120 years of great comedy, entertainment and  amazing drama. They are stretching always looking for something new to do. And that’s because the two of them are geniuses."

Carl Reiner

Carl and Rob Reiner

Carl Reiner warmed up the crowd with praise for his son by saying "Ive known this guy for almost all of his life" and went on to compliment him on his photographic memory and his terrific work on The Princess Bride. In fact, Carl Reiner likes to introduce people to three movies in particular: The Count of Monte Cristo, Random Harvest ("if you don't have a tear in your eye or a smile on your face at the end of it you're not human" and The Princess Bride.

This is the first time a father and son had a dual hand and footprint ceremony and Rob Reiner quipped "I think we should not only put our hands and feet in cement, we should put our bald heads. And that's never been done!" I really wish they had done that, it would have been hilarious.

Rob Reiner had much praise for his dad. He said, "my father was my idol. I looked up to him. He stood for everything I wanted to be in life." He remembered when he was 8 years old wanting to change his name. His parents were concerned that he didn't want to live in the shadow of his famous father. His dad asked him what he wanted to change his name to, Rob responded "Carl!" Rob Reiner pointed out Norman Lear who has been like a second father to him.

To his kids he joked, "I wouldn't be here for him having sex with my mother and then you being supportive of me. And you wouldn't be here if I didn't have sex with YOUR mother. TMI. T.M.I."

Then it was time to make their mark in cement. Carl Reiner brought up Mel Brooks, his best friend and fellow genius, who wasn't at the event but there in spirit. Brooks had added a false pinky to one of his hands during his imprint ceremony making him the only one with 11 fingers marked in cement.

Flip through my Instagram post to find a brief video.

Carl and Rob Reiner writing their names in cement

Carl and Rob Reiner just after putting their hands in cement

Carl and Rob Reiner making their footprints in cement

I wish I could have gotten a photo of all the guests with the Reiners and the freshly imprinted cement. Unfortunately the security at the ceremony mistook some of us low-level media for regular passholders and unceremoniously kicked us out before we could get a word in edgewise. It was a rather negative end to what was a quite fun event. I've tried to get that out of my mind and focus on the positives of my experience but haven't been able to do that so far.

I'm still grateful to TCM for the opportunity to cover another wonderful hand and footprint ceremony. Whenever I'm back in Hollywood and I see the imprints of those ceremonies I've covered in the past, I feel a rush knowing I was there for that historic moment.

I hope you enjoyed this armchair experience!

My Thoughts on the 2017 TCM Classic Film Festival

Thank you to the good folks at TCM for hosting another fantastic festival and for allowing me media access for the fifth year in a row. I feel so privileged to have been to this festival so many times and to share the love of classic film with my fellow movie lovers. TCM Classic Film Festival is magical and anyone who has attended it will agree. If you've always wanted to go but have never been, start saving your pennies now and make it a point to attend in 2018. (I even have some tips on how I budget for TCMFF.)

Every time I go to TCMFF I come back with memories that keep me going throughout the year. Any time I'm feeling down I just think about all the fun I had at the last festival and I immediately cheer up. My work cubicle is adorned with festival passes, buttons and photos of the red carpet and imprint ceremonies. They serve as a daily reminder of those four wonderful days of the year where I live my classic film dream.

My thoughts:

TCMFF is part of my continuing film education. The festival always pushes me to learn about new-to-me films and to explore aspects of movie history I hadn't before. I always make it a point to read all (yes all) of the film descriptions and special guests bios. At first when I looked at the schedule of films I wasn't too elated. But once I started poring through the schedule and read about the films (I watched some trailers) too, I became more excited about new discoveries and revisiting old favorites.

Old favorites - It was a thrill to see Elia Kazan's epic America America (1963) on the big screen. And while Red-Headed Woman (1932) seemed a bit sillier to me on this viewing it was still great fun seeing it with an audience of Pre-Code enthusiasts. I'm so glad I made time to watch Best in Show (2000) which was even funnier than I remembered.

New favorites - What's Up, Doc? (1974) was hilarious and a great way to kick off my San Francisco adventure. I finally got to see The Graduate (1967) in its entirety. I quite enjoyed the gritty boxing film Requiem For a Heavy Weight (1956), the French drama Panique (1946), Mel Brooks' Alfred Hitchcock spoof High Anxiety (1977) and Michael Douglas' nuclear thriller The China Syndrome (1979).

My approach to this year's festival was the most successful. I relied on a flexible schedule that accommodated time for friends, food and fun. I missed programming blocks to have meals, stop by Larry Edmund's for some book shopping, to write and to rest. I attended fewer events but enjoyed them individually much more than I would have had I been more tired and hungry.

The projection of the interviews on the big screen at TCL Chinese Theatre made a huge difference. I also liked the projection of Club TCM events on the small screens behind the bar. Great idea on TCM's part. I remember in 2015 struggling to see Sophia Loren at the TCL even though we sat fairly close to the front. I hope TCM adds this projection to the Egyptian and the bigger of the Chinese Multiplex theatres too.

The red carpet event was amazing. I feel very privileged to have been able to attend. I got some good face time with Dick Cavett, Todd Fisher, Leonard Maltin, Stathis Giallelis and more and some interaction with Walter Mirisch, Fred Willard and Ruta Lee. Full report and video to come!

Dick Cavett was the top highlight for me. Talking to him on the red carpet and seeing him at Club TCM. My first ever post on this blog was about Dick Cavett and I've been an admirer her for years. I'm forever grateful to have been able to see him and interact with him as much as I did.

The overall flow of the festival was good this year. I had no issues with lines, the volunteers were all super friendly and loved chatting with us, every event I attended started on time and I enjoyed most of the presentations and all of the interviews. I loved spending some time with TCM staffers and seeing them out and about. They are the backbone of the festival.

There were a few negatives...

I did not enjoy Lady in the Dark (1944) at all. It was a downer to end the festival with a film I thought to be boring and sexist. At least it had beautiful Edith Head costumes? While I'm so glad I did a midnight screening and Zardoz was the perfect bad movie to watch with friends, it really threw my schedule off for the remaining two days. I have to face the fact that I'll always be a morning person.

While I had great fun at the Carl and Rob Reiner Hand and Footprint Ceremony, we had a terrible view and security confused us low-level media members with passholders and they unceremoniously kicked us out before we could get a word in edgewise. I unfortunately missed my opportunity to take a photo of the freshly imprinted cement.

I didn't get to see Sidney Poitier which was a personal dream of mine. He didn't walk the red carpet and I wasn't able to get into the opening night screening. I was quite despondent about it.

This was my first year attending the festival after giving up caffeine. With nothing to keep me awake I did end up napping a little through a couple of the movies. Luckily I only missed a few minutes of each rather than whole chunks.

Family reunion with Kim, Carlos, Raquel, Millie, Diana, Sabina, Kate, Casey, Laura, KC and Lindsay. Photo by Doug

For me, the best part of TCMFF will always be spending time with the classic film community. We are the true rock stars of the festival. We are part of Robert Osborne's legacy and we'll continue spreading the movie love for decades to come.

I'm grateful to have spent so much time with dear friends. This is usually my one chance to see them in person. For the rest of the year we're relegated to communicating only through social media. I made it a point to spend more time with folks I hadn't been able to talk to at length at previous festivals. This planned worked beautifully. During TCMFF I treasure every moment I get to spend with them face-to-face. Here are some of the friends I was privileged to spend some time with this year.

Raquel and Millie

Raquel and Kate

Millie, Raquel, Kate and Casey

Casey and Raquel. Photo by Casey

Raquel and Aurora

Danny and Raquel

Karen, Raquel and KC

Jay and Raquel

Carlos and Raquel photo bombed by Danny and Kristen

Raquel and Matt

Marya, Raquel and Noralil

Aubrey and Raquel

Joel and Raquel

Raquel and Sabina

Until next time!

TCM Classic Film Festival 2017: Day 4 Recap

And with a snap of the finger, TCMFF was over. Per my yearly tradition, I took it easy on day #4 of the festival in order to recuperate. I had to skip the early morning screening of Cock of the Air (1932) in order to sleep, pack and get a bit of writing in. I discovered that the easier I go on my festival schedule, the more fun I have. You won't have the best time of your life if you're tired and hungry.

Sunday kicked off with a nice chat over coffee with Marya and Noralil of TCM. I love spending time with these ladies.

Then I headed to Club TCM. I caught most of the Conversation with Leonard Maltin event. I sat in the way back and I noticed that this year they had small screens so you could watch the event even if you're view is obscured. These projections make a huge difference. Kudos to TCM for this idea!

I stayed at Club TCM to stake out a good spot for the Conversation with Dick Cavett that followed. I sat with Kate Gabrielle, Casey and Karen and we had the perfect vantage point to watch Illeana Douglas interview Dick Cavett. No more craning my neck or fighting for a seat like last year!

I'll be sharing an in-depth report on this event soon. I have to say, of all of the Club TCM interviews this was by far my favorite. Cavett was charming, funny and had the best stories to tell. Afterwards there was a signing for his book Brief Encounters (books sold by my favorite bookstore Larry Edmunds!) and a photo opportunity.

Dick Cavett loves his fans and he seemed to be having a ball. One of my favorite moments was when a TCM staffer was spelling out my name to Cavett and he responded "I know how to spell it!". People often bungle up my name or they call me Rachel instead. It's one of my biggest pet peeves. Cavett knew how to spell Raquel and for that I'm forever grateful. I brought up Raquel Welch and he said that he knew her well and went on tour with her. In addition to interviewing her on his show of course!

Cavett loved taking photos with fans and did several funny poses. My favorite part of this year's TCMFF was all the time I got with Dick Cavett: interviewing him on the red carpet, watching his Club TCM interview, interacting with him at the book signing and even walking past him at 25 Degrees at the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel. I've been a big fan of him for years and this was more than I ever dreamed of.

Afterwards a group of us headed to the Egyptian for a screening of What's Up, Doc? (1972). We got the news earlier that Bob Newhart would not be attending TCMFF for the screening of Hell is for Heroes (1962). I was in the mood for a comedy so it worked out perfectly.

Dave Karger interviewed director Peter Bogdanovich before the screening. A full report to come on this blog very soon. I enjoyed this film immensely. It was the perfect way to cap off TCMFF especially considering I was traveling to San Francisco the very next day and the film takes place there. Unfortunately...

It wasn't the last film for me. The final one was Lady in the Dark (1944) projected on nitrate at the Egyptian. While many people love the Egyptian, it's my least favorite of all the TCMFF theatres. It's always cold in there and the seats are squeaky and a little uncomfortable. And the film. Well. I just plain didn't like it. I found it quite boring and rather strange. It's very much of its era and had some rather sexist overtones. The film got a mixed reaction from the crowd. Some friends of mine loved it and others were either lukewarm about it or hated it outright. I enjoyed the fantastic Edith Head costumes, including Ginger Rogers' sequined dress with fur lining, but little else. I'd give this film another try but it's a rarity so this was my only shot until it becomes available on DVD or Blu-Ray. I could see why everyone loves nitrate so much. It had a very 3D like quality. I don't have an eye for this kind of stuff so nitrate lovers definitely appreciated that element more than I could. The best part of this whole event was actress Rose McGowan's intro. She gave a very heartfelt tribute to Robert Osborne. I loved how she said that Osborne's spirit lives within all of us who love classic movies.

 

And that's a wrap on Day #4. I have lots more to share with you including my overall thoughts on how this year's festival went down and more in-depth posts about some of the screenings and special events I attended. Stay tuned for more tales from Hollywood.