TCM Classic Film Festival Day Four Recap

On the second full day of the festival and my fourth day, I got up really early to get in line for media access to the Jerry Lewis Hand and Footprint Ceremony in front of Grauman's Chinese theater (TCL Chinese Theater IMAX). There is limited space so it was crucial that we get there early. Carlos came with me and got in as a spectator. There are some spots for Spotlight Pass holders and a few select ones in a corral area for the first people in the regular line.

It was a wonderful event! Robert Osborne and director Quentin Tarantino gave speeches and Jerry Lewis had us all cracking up. He's just as funny as ever and was hamming it up for the audience.

This is my favorite photo of the event. Jerry Lewis holding Quentin Tarantino's hand and giving us all that classic Jerry Lewis laugh. I plan to do a post about this event so stay tuned!

Afterwards I had lunch with some friends at 25 Degrees, one of the restaurants inside the Roosevelt Hotel where Club TCM is located. We are all like one big family and it started off just being a table for a few people and then it grew to a table of 8. If our group kept growing we would have taken over the whole restaurant. Robby from Dear Old Hollywood stopped by with his family. He was sporting this wonderful custom made T-Shirt with a Thin Man screen print.

Aurora of Once Upon a Screen has some serious swag in this picture. She got all of the TCM Classic Film Festival social media buttons plus a #TCMParty button and custom made buttons that she got from someone she met at the festival. Aurora has had really amazing luck. For example she was in an elevator with Richard Dreyfuss, she was in the front of the line with Kellee (Outspoken & Freckled) for Maureen O'Hara's interview and got to see O'Hara up close, she got to meet Margaret O'Brien and Joey Luft and much more. Aurora has luck but she's also so social and adventurous that she makes opportunities happen for her. 

After lunch most of us headed down to El Capitan theatre to get in line for the screening of How Green Was My Valley (1941). We were in line two hours before the event started because there was no way that we were going to miss seeing Maureen O'Hara. What a magical time! I got a bit sick before it started but was so happy to be there that I powered through. A dedicated post on this event is to come so stay tuned.

Afterwards I headed to Grauman's Egyptian Theatre to get in line for the screening of Bell, Book and Candle (1958). Kim Novak was in attendance and she gave Robert Osborne a really open and honest interview. Novak has been through a lot lately and I'm glad we were all there to show our love and support for her. More on that event to come!

Going to so many events in one day can get really tiring. I fell in and out of sleep during the end of Bell, Book and Candle. I'm glad I was already familiar with the film and that I didn't feel like I missed out when I took a much needed snooze.

I then headed back to El Capitan theatre for a screening of one of my top favorite films of all time: The Women (1939). I don't care how sick or tired I was (and I was both big time at this point), there was no way I was going to miss seeing a personal favorite on a big screen with an appreciative audience. While  we were waiting in line and also when we in the theater waiting for the screening to begin, I got to have some lovely chats with Lara Gabrielle of Backlots, K.C. of A Classic Movie Blog and Angela of Hollywood Revue. 

The interview before The Women (1939) left a lot to be desired but the screening was still amazing. More on that to come too!

After the screening I got to chat with these two lovely ladies: Casey from Noir Girl and Sarah from The Wicker Bar. They were chatting with my husband Carlos who was there to pick me up. They recognized him which I think is really neat. We chatted for a while about our festival experience and took some pictures.

This was by far the busiest and longest of all my days at the festival. It was a bit of a trial because I was tired and not feeling well. However, the spectacular events and the wonderful people I got to hang out with made it all worthwhile.

TCM Classic Film Festival Day Three Recap

On the third day and the first full day of the festival, I headed over to the TCL Chinese IMAX (aka Grauman's) to wait in line for the Charlton Heston Stamp Dedication Ceremony.

The ceremony was spectacular. It was co-hosted by TCM and USPS and Ben Mankiewicz was the master of ceremonies. Charlton Heston's widow and son, Fraser Heston, were both there. I'll be doing a post on this soon.

One of the wonderful things about the TCM Classic Film Festival is all the new friends you make while waiting in line. I met Max in line for the Stamp Ceremony. We had a blast chatting about old movies and sat together through the ceremony.

Up next was The World of Henry Orient (1964). I knew nothing about this movie and didn't do any research beforehand. I love to watch movies with no previous information because it's a completely different viewing experience than if you had seen the film before or knew some details about it.

Actresses Merrie Spaeth and Paula Prentiss were at the screening. A post on this to come!

After that I headed to the TCL Chinese IMAX to attend a screening of Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) with Margaret O'Brien in attendance. It was so lovely to see her and hear her talk about her experiences with the movie and about fellow actor Mickey Rooney who recently passed away. A post on this to come too! 

I then headed to Club TCM to attend an interview with Leonard Maltin and Quincy Jones. It started a bit late and thus wasn't a full hour but it was still very interesting. The best moment was when Quincy Jones fist bumped Leonard Maltin. Classic!

I headed to the bathroom of the Roosevelt Hotel and guess who I saw?! Margaret O'Brien! I was so close to her but didn't have a chance to say hi or get my picture taken with her. I love her funky style. She had really cool jewelry, a nose stud and a really beautiful outfit complete with black and gold high heels. She was rocking some serious style.

I then waited in line at the TCL Chinese IMAX for the screening of Blazing Saddles (1974) with Mel Brooks in attendance. I think this was by far the most popular of all the screenings. My husband couldn't get in because they had limited standby seats. It was a packed house!

Mel Brooks was interviewed by Robert Osborne before the screening. Unfortunately, I got sick and had to leave about 40 minutes into the film. I was sad to leave and upset that I basically took someone's seat who could have stayed there the whole time. I tried to stay the whole time but I have been sick most of the festival and it was at it's worst point during that screening.

Below I have some pictures of the lovely Club TCM in between events. They had a Home Movies by Hollywood (photography from the Academy's Margaret Herrick Library) exhibit as well as a TCM at 20: Inspired By the Classics art exhibit which includes pieces by: Tony Bennett, Manolo Blahnik, Charles Busch, Jules Feiffer, Joel Grey, Bruce Eric Kaplan, Kim Novak, Todd Oldham, Jane Seymour and Burt Young. They also had a Gone With the Wind 75th anniversary exhibit and some movie memorabilia including Judy Garland's outfit from The Wizard of Oz (1939).

TCM Classic Film Festival Day Two Recap

TCM 20th Anniversary Photo Booth and Interview Back Drop

Day two at the TCM Classic Film Festival was the first day of festival activities. It was such a whirlwind! The day started off at the Chinese Multiplex theater. TCM staff was setting up the lobby with an anniversary photo booth and a charging station that looked like a living room. While I was waiting for the press conference to start, I took a look at some photos of actors and actresses at their hand and footprint ceremonies.

Steve McQueen at his Hand and Footprint Ceremony

Sidney Poitier at his Hand and Footprint Ceremony

When it was time for the press conference Robert Osborne was up first. Some key takeaways from his Q&A: Jane Darwell and Lucille Ball were incredibly influential in Osborne's life and career, they were making plans to bring Olivia de Havilland over for the festival but the last time she traveled that far it took her a year to recover, Osborne's excellent style comes from his personal stylist, she picks all of his outfits for him. Stay tuned! I'll have a more in-depth post on his talk later on.

Next up was Ben Mankiewicz who is always a hoot to listen to. He discussed how he is terrified of  interviewing Jerry Lewis and two other interviewees who made him nervous were Max von Sydow and Peter Bogdanovich. Mankiewicz said something really interesting about the art of interviewing: "you want them uncomfortable in their seat but you don't want to knock them off their chair." More on that Q&A to come.

The last part of the press conference included a Q&A with Charles Tabesh and Genevieve McGillicuddy. I love listening to Osborne and Mankiewicz talk abut Tabesh and McGillicuddy give you a lot of valuable insight into the workings of TCM as a channel and a brand. I learned that their #1 sought after star to have at the festival is Doris Day. It was Maureen O'Hara but she is finally attending this year!

Nicole, Millie, Sara, Kate Gabrielle and Casey

After the conference, we ran into these lovely ladies. I'm not going to lie but out of all of the experiences I was hoping to have at the festival, I was most excited and nervous about meeting them in person. From left to right: Nicole of Vintage Film Nerd, Millie of ClassicForever, Sara (formerly of Cinema Splendor) of The Wicker Bar, Kate Gabrielle of Scathingly Brilliant and Casey of Noir Girl.

This year's festival design theme includes a lot of amazing behind-the-scenes shots. I was looking for this billboard of director George Cukor and the cast of The Women (1939). Thanks to Diane of Classic Movie Blog for directing me to it!

I headed to the Roosevelt Hotel to pick up my media pass. Thanks again to Diane who took this picture! How perfect is this? The Women (1939) is one of my top favorite movies. And hat tip to Paul of Art, Wood, Movies and Whatnot who pointed out to me that I was also wearing Jungle Red nail polish. Perfect!

Laura of Laura's Miscellaneous Musings did a filmed interview with TCM. Here is a behind-the-scenes shot.

From noon to 4 pm, they were doing various interviews with festival guests. I happened to catch part of   Robert Osborne's interview with Mel Brooks! It's a blurry photo but I love that action shot! What an entrance. Mel Brooks was as hilarious as you'd expect him to be. Maybe even more so! He had us all cracking up.

Later that evening, Club TCM hosted a TCM at 20 Exhibit. For the 20th anniversary, several artists painted original pieces inspired by classic films.

Actress Kim Novak, actor/playwright Charles Busch, actress Jane Seymour and artist/producer Bruce Eric Kaplan were on hand to talk about each of their pieces.

Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, Kim Novak is stunning.

The opening night party extended to the pool of the Roosevelt Hotel. This is also where they had a screening of American Graffiti. They also had dancers and even a Wolfman Jack DJ.

Ben Mankiewicz interviewed Bo Hopkins, Cindy Clark and Paul Le Mat about the film. More on this event to come!

I had to leave the American Graffiti screening early to make sure I made it in time for Bachelor Mother (1939). If you know me you'll understand how important this film is to me. It's my top favorite film, currently fighting with Ocean's 11 (1960) for the top spot and it's changed my life. It was absolutely necessary for me to attend this screening and I'm forever grateful to TCM for showing the movie at their festival.

Carlos and I at the Bachelor Mother screening with Trevor from TCM Party photobombing!

Comedian Greg Proops introduced Bachelor Mother and had us all in stitches. I loved his presentation and I'll be doing a separate post about this experience soon!