TCM Classic Film Festival Day #1 Recap

The TCM Classic Film Festival doesn't officially start until Thursday but there was already plenty of interesting things happening on Wednesday. My day started with getting to meet several bloggers at the Club TCM lounge at the Roosevelt Hotel. It was great to meet Laura of Laura's Miscellaneous Musings, Jill of Sittin' on a Backyard Fence, Aurora of Once Upon a Screen..., and several others.

I got my Media Credentials and headed to a separate room for a Media Roundtable. I was expecting a roundtable but it ended up being more of a Press Conference. Robert Osborne, Ben Mankiewicz, Charles Tabesh and Genevieve McGillicuddy (paired) took to the platform and fielded questions from us. I didn't end up asking any questions myself but a lot of the questions I had in mind were asked by others. I plan to do a separate post with much more detail about the questions and answers. I thought the conference went really well. Ben Mankiewicz was charming, it was quite wonderful to see Robert Osborne and he had a lot of great insights to share and Charles Tabesh and Genevieve McGillicuddy did a great job fielding lots of interesting questions about the festival and TCM programming.  One thing I took away from this is the realization that TCM is unlike any other channel on TV. It has a devoted following, one that TCM treasures and they feel like they have a responsibility to deliver their programming in the best way possible.

Robert Osborne

Ben Mankiewicz

After the press conference, I had lunch with Laura of Laura's Miscellaneous Musings and Jill of Sittin' on a Backyard Fence. I got to see the amazing Roosevelt Hotel pool:

This is where they are holding tomorrow's South Pacific (1958) screening with special guests Mitzi Gaynor and France Nuyen.

From noon until 3:30 pm, the Club TCM at the Roosevelt Hotel filmed a few interviews. If you watch TCM, you may see me in the background of interviews between Ben Mankiewicz and Theodore Bikel and Marvin Kaplan.

Jane Withers being interviewed by Robert Osborne.

Marvin Kaplan being interviewed by Ben Mankiewicz.

Ben Mankiewicz and Theodore Bikel!

The TCM Boutique was open and they have lots of cool swag and other goodies for sale. For now I think I'll stick TCM Classic Film Festival tote bag which is pretty awesome.

Overall, a very good day! Today and tomorrow are really my only days to socialize and mill about. The  following days will be very hectic for sure. Stay tuned for more details! You can always follow me on Twitter @QuelleLove for pictures and more details on the festival as they happen.

My First Day in Hollywood in Pictures

Today I got to spend the day in Hollywood. This is the very first time I have visited Hollywood and it was a real treat. First stop was our hotel. It's a wonderful little hotel filled with lots of great Hollywood memorabilia. (thank you to Jill of Sittin' on a Backyard Fence for recommending this hotel to us!).

Carlos got to ride the elevator with Gregory Peck.

I got to pose with Joan Crawford, as you do.

The hotel had a cool mural of Harold Lloyd in Safety Last (1923).

A portrait of Tyrone Powers hangs above the hotel bed.

We walked the Hollywood Walk of Fame and I looked for all of my favorite stars. I took way too many pictures so I'll only share a few. Here I am with Norma Shearer's star.

Lewis Stone

Richard Barthelmess

Robert Montgomery

Jean Harlow

Of all the things I wanted to see in Hollywood, Robert Mitchum's star was at the top of my list. Big thanks to actor Bentley Mitchum, Robert Mitchum's grandson, who gave me the heads up as to where Mitchum's star was located (south side of the 6200 block of Hollywood Boulevard). Here is the star with my Robert Mitchum iPhone case!

It was worth all the blisters I got walking around to find this spot! The highlight of my day.

We saw Grauman's Egyptian theatre.

We had a late lunch at the Pig 'N Whistle. Laura of Laura's Miscellaneous Musings told me that Marsha Hunt used to eat here as a child during the 1920s.

TCM Classic Film Festival signage was very prominent on Hollywood Boulevard.

We saw the exterior of the Roosevelt Hotel. This is the home base of the TCM Classic Film Festival and where the TCM Club and TCM Boutique are located during the festival.

We saw Grauman's Chinese theatre.

It was so cool to see all of the hand and foot prints in cement. Here I am with Norma Shearer's prints from 1927.

Here Carlos is with Steve McQueen's prints from 1967.

We really liked this Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward panel and decided to pose with it.

We saw the Dolby Theatre where the Academy Awards ceremony is held each year.

These pillars list the winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture for each year.

Thanks to Eric, Laura and Jill who all recommended Larry Edmund's Bookshop to me. It's a great place and the people who work there sure know their stuff. 

Your wallet will be a whole lot lighter once you leave here. It's tempting to spend all your savings on books, magazines, posters and other collectibles.

I bought this Robert Mitchum book which contains transcripts of interviews he had done over the years.

I also got Myrna Loy's book Myrna Loy: Being and Becoming. I asked for it because I couldn't find it in the stacks. Turns out I was the second person to ask about it that day. I am glad I picked it up and I'll be stopping by the store later to see if they have a George Sanders book I have been looking for.

I had a lot of fun today! I'm a newbie to Hollywood and to L.A. and California to begin with. I wish I had more time to explore Hollywood but I am glad to have spent the afternoon exploring with Carlos.

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!

 

The Good Guys and the Bad Guys (1969)

The Good Guys and the Bad Guys (1969) is a Western and the last film produced by the independent outfit Robert Goldstein Productions. The film was directed by Burt Kennedy and features a wonderful cast including Robert Mitchum, George Kennedy, both David and John Carradine and Martin Balsam. Other notable supporting actors include Marie Windsor, Tina Louise, Buddy Hackett, Douglas Fowley, Lois Nettleton who I recognized from having seen Period of Adjustment (1962) and Kathleen Freeman who is in just about every TV show there ever was.

Robert Mitchum stars as Flagg, the aging Marshall of an isolated town called Progress. Mayor Wilker (Martin Balsam) has just kicked out the local prostitutes (albeit temporarily) in an effort to clean up the town and improve his chances at becoming re-elected. Flagg has just heard that legendary outlaw John McKay (George Kennedy) is heading to Progress with a band of young up-and-coming outlaws. They plan to rob a train, carrying a significant load of money, when it makes it's stop at a Progress depot. Flagg wants the help of the Mayor and the Deputy plus 20 men to stop the outlaws. However, the Mayor laughs off the threat and forces Flagg into retirement.

That doesn't stop Flagg however from finding McKay and his posse and trying to stop them. What he witnesses is interesting. McKay's men don't respect him and a lot of that is because of his age. Flagg and McKay go way back and although they are on opposite sides of the law, they see pretty much eye-to-eye when it comes to how things should be done. There is a big difference between the old outlaws and the new brand of ones. The young outlaws have no respect for their elders, don't have any sense of honor, kill even when it's not necessary and will shoot a man in the back without giving him a fair chance to fight back. McKay is under Flagg's arrest and together they try to stop the outlaws from their big heist.

While the title of the film is The Good Guys and the Bad Guys this really is more about The Old Guys and the Young Guys. But I'm sure that title wouldn't have sold very many movie tickets. The main conflict here is not between good guys and bad guys but between the old and the young. Let's take Mayor Wilker on the one hand. He's technically a good guy but he clearly has bad intentions. He likes to manipulate the young including his younger sidekick Boyle (Dick Peabody) and others, notably a young married woman (Tina Louise) with whom he has an affair. He can't successfully manipulate Flagg however who is closer to him in age than his other victims. Lots of characters are paired by age. Flagg is romantically pursued by the much younger Mary who runs the boarding house he lives in. McKay and Waco (David Carradine) are always at odds. Polly (Marie Windsor) turns down the attention of a young outlaw for the platonic company of the older Grundy (Douglas Fowley). And so and and so forth. In the end, the battle is really between age and wisdom and youth and bravado.

Young, Old, Young and Old. That's a young David Carradine in the back!

I have never been a fan of Westerns but I think that is quickly changing. As I work through the canon of Robert Mitchum's work, I am finding that I enjoy his Westerns a great deal. The Good Guys and the Bad Guys is a light Western in the respect that there is a comedic undertone that keeps it from taking itself too seriously. It has a great cast and it's just fun to watch. I was not very familiar with George Kennedy, having only seen a few of his films, and I discovered that I liked him very much indeed. I'll have to watch more of his movies (recommendations are welcome).

The movie posters play up the "sex" in the form of Tina Louise (Ginger from Gilligan's Island) who had a very small role in the film.

The film has a great theme song called The Ballad of Marshall Flag sung by folk artist Glenn Yarbrough. You can listen to it with the player below. Yarbrough also sang the theme song for the film Baby the Rain Must Fall (1965). Fans of Yarbrough might like to know that his daughter runs a Facebook page for him and keeps fans up to date and also relays fan messages to her father.

Many thanks to my friend Frank who let me borrow his DVD copy!

Warner Archive Wednesday ~ The Dawn Patrol (1930)

The Dawn Patrol (1930) is directed by Howard Hawks and stars Richard Barthelmess, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Neil Hamilton. It's an all-male cast which includes Frank McHugh in his debut role.

The year is 1915 and we are in the middle of WWI. The Dawn Patrol consists of Commanding Officer Major Brand (Neil Hamilton), two Aces Courtney (Richard Barthlelmess) and Scott (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) and team of pilots and crew. Major Brand has to make some unpopular choices because of commands he receives from his higher ups. This causes tension between Brand and Courtney especially when new and relatively inexperienced recruits are added to missions full knowing that they may not come back from those missions alive. It's only until Brand is promoted and Courtney takes over his command that he realizes the stress Brand has been under. Courtney and Scott are best friends and their relationship is tested when Scott's younger brother is added to the patrol.

The Dawn Patrol is a sober study of the brutality of war, it's psychological effects on individuals and relationships between people. Grueling battles and losing their fellow pilots drives them to drink. Every night, they lose themselves in alcohol and music to numb the pain and to forget about the horrors they've faced that morning. While the film is looking back 15 years, it's still an interesting to watch for anyone interested in studying WWI.

I really wanted to enjoy this film but I found it awkward and a bit boring. I absolutely adore Richard Barthelmess and while he was not the best actor out there I will watch any film he is in regardless of what anyone says. That's how devoted I am to him! While I enjoyed watching Barthelmess, DF Jr. and Frank McHugh, I still couldn't bring myself to enjoy the film. It's one that could captivate an audience from its era with it's special effects and aerial footage. Director Howard Hawks was a WWI pilot so I feel like this would be a more accurate representation of the goings on at a WWI airbase. However, looking at it with modern eyes it does feel a bit dated.

I would recommend this film to WWI buffs or to war movie enthusiasts! The movie was remade in 1938 with the same name and with Errol Flynn as Courtney and David Niven as Scott. I would be curious to watch that to see if it's at all an improvement on the original.

Warner Archive Wednesday - On (random) Wednesdays, I review one title from the Warner Archive Collection. I received The Dawn Patrol (1930) from Warner Archive for review.