Bachelor Mother (1939) at TCMFF and My Thoughts

Seeing Bachelor Mother (1939) on the big screen has been a dream of mine for a long time and I'm so grateful to TCM for making that dream happen at their classic film festival. I cherished every moment of this experience and I'm so grateful to have seen my beloved film on the big screen in Hollywood.

Comedian Greg Proops introduced the film at the Chinese Multiplex. He was hilarious and had us all in stitches. TCM posted part of Proops presentation:

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Bachelor Mother (1939) let me summarize the plot for you. Ginger Rogers plays Polly Parrish. She’s a sales clerk in the toy department of Merlin & Son Department store. Christmas is approaching and the store lays off some of their temporary help, including Polly. Despondent, she goes out for a walk and sees an old lady leaving a baby at the door step of a foundling home. Polly picks up the baby and the foundling home staff mistake her for its mother. They track her down and convince the son of Merlin & Son, David Merlin (David Niven), to give her back her job. But to her surprise the much needed job also comes with the foundling baby. David and Polly develop an unlikely romance and hilarity ensues when other characters including John Merlin (Charles Coburn) and Freddie (Frank Albertson) get involved. It’s a sweet film with lots of hilarious and heart-warming moments. 

 I remember the first time I watched Bachelor Mother (1939) was years ago on a VHS tape. I had recorded a block of “Bachelor” themed films on TCM. The line-up included BachelorApartment (1931), The Bachelor Father (1931) and Bachelor Bait (1934) among others. While I enjoyed the other films in that line-up, I remember being particularly enamored with Bachelor Mother. It was the start of a love affair that would only grow over time with multiple repeat viewings. I re-recorded the film on another tape when I temporarily lost my original. Then Warner Archive came out with Bachelor Mother on DVD-MOD and I bought it the instant it went on sale. Ever since then I’ve watched this film many times (I estimate around 30-40 viewings) and would watch it at least twice before New Year’s.

You might not know this about me but when I was growing up my family did not celebrate any holidays. It was partly because my parents are from other countries and didn't understand American traditions and partly because of my mother's personal beliefs. As an adult holidays often confuse me and I don't tend to celebrate them with the exception of New Year's. It's the only holiday I can get my head around and thanks to Bachelor Mother it's become my favorite holiday. I love that it's one big celebration of living through the year and starting fresh with a new year right around the corner. It's basically everyone's birthday. New Year's is a time for us to reflect on the events of the past year and to make plans for the future. Bachelor Mother influenced me greatly in this respect. For Polly, New Year's Eve is a pivotal point in her life. The coming year will bring with it lots of new challenges but also great hope for love, family and overall happiness. 

Carlos and I celebrating 2013 and ringing in the New Year!

I also really love the New Year's Eve scenes in Bachelor Mother. David uses his influence to get Polly all dolled up so they can go out to a fancy dinner in Times Square and ring in the New Year. Their class differences are set aside and they come together to celebrate and have fun. My husband and I dress up every year for New Year's and I always strive to recreate the glamor and the fun of those scenes from the film (sans the fake Swedish. Svell!).

I'm very grateful that I got to share the experience of watching Bachelor Mother on the big screen with my husband Carlos. He knows how much this film means to me and he even waited in the standby line so he could get in to the screening. I'm so glad he did and that we could share this moment together.

Carlos and I at the Bachelor Mother screening (with Trevor photo bombing!)

Jerry Lewis Hand and Footprint Ceremony

Press Photo

On April 12, 2014, Jerry Lewis' hand and footprints made their permanent mark in cement at the historic Grauman's Chinese courtyard (now known as TCL Chinese). It was a moment in Hollywood history that I was very happy to witness in person. Below is my account of the event as well as a mix of press photos (labeled as such) and my own photos.

TCM's Robert Osborne gave a speech to kick off the ceremony. According to Osborne, Jerry Lewis first went on stage at the age of 5 and at the age of 20 he was partnering with Dean Martin in "one of the great duo acts in show business." He likens Lewis to Chaplin; two famous comedians who did it all: act, direct, produce and write. Lewis' performance in The King of Comedy (1983) received high praise from Osborne who thought Lewis deserved the Oscar for "one of the greatest performances ever on film". Osborne also shared with us his memory of seeing Jerry Lewis on Broadway in a production of Damn Yankees and says of Lewis' performance: "it was so disciplined, so funny, so right." Osborne calls Jerry Lewis "an incredible, incredible man… [who] is also a very dedicated and tireless philanthropist."

Osborne introduced director Quentin Tarantino, who happens to be a very close friend of Jerry Lewis. Tarantino gave a short and very personal speech. He turns 50 this year and spent some time thinking about his childhood. When Tarantino was in elementary school a mom's favorite movie star might be Barbra Streisand or Clint Eastwood and a dad's favorite might be Jeff Chandler (?) or Burt Lancaster. But for every girl and boy in his elementary school they "only had one favorite movie star… Jerry Lewis." Tarantino proclaimed, "he was the children's movie star… kids really responded to Jerry Lewis." He made a really interesting point about Lewis' influence on an audience of children that spans six or seven generations. These children grew up watching Jerry Lewis. His films would be on TV at times they were home (Saturday mornings and weekday afternoons). Kids would try to recreate Lewis' antics and grew up to have happy memories of being entertained by the great comedian. Tarantino called Lewis "a real treasure" and "one of the great actor/directors in the history of cinema."

And then came Jerry Lewis!

Lewis came out to hoots and hollers and a roaring applause. He thanked the audience then said, 

"It's so nice though that you're all here. It's so wonderful. After this we're going to my house for coffee." 

If only! Lewis didn't give a speech but spent a little time entertaining the crowd with his jokes, his "grumpiness" and his antics. He playfully gave the crowd the middle finger on a couple of occasions. Lewis said to one of the staff members who was working the event "are you going to stand there? You're blocking all of my friends?" Of the crowd he said, "what a motley looking group my God!". He even flirted with someone asking "are you going right to the hotel?"

It was very touching when Jerry Lewis took a moment to mention his daughter Danielle Lewis who was in the audience with her mother, Lewis' second wife SanDee Pitnick. "This is an incredible time for me. I have never had an experience like this have my daughter present. It's the first time I ever asked her to join me." Danielle is Lewis' only daughter. He has six sons from a previous marriage. 

Press Photo

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After signing his name in the cement and making his hand and footprints, Jerry Lewis had some fun hamming it up for the crowd. He grabbed a camera and started taking photos of all the press photographs.

Jerry Lewis then posed for pictures with Quentin Tarantino, Robert Osborne, Ben Mankiewicz, Illeana Douglas, comedians Richard Lewis and Dane Cook and his wife and daughter. At one point he even bit Quentin Tarantino's hand.

Here is a short video I took of Jerry Lewis making his footprints in cement. Keep the volume low because there is plenty of hollering and applause!

I asked one of the security guards if I could take a picture of the hand and footprints. And here they are, freshly made! It was such an honor to be at this amazing ceremony and to celebrate Jerry Lewis.

Press Photo (Getty)

Quentin Tarantino graciously came to greet the crowd. He didn't want to take pictures with fans or sign autographs but was willing to shake hands. I shook Tarantino's hand and by sheer luck the Getty Images photographer snapped a photo of this exact moment!

Press Photo

If you squint you can see me in the far left hand side. 

This was an event I will never forget! I'm glad I was able to share it with my husband Carlos and with friends Jessica of Comet Over Hollywood, K.C. of A Classic Movie Blog and Dan of Celebrity Cafe.

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

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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.