TCM Classic Film Festival 2014 - Press Conference with Charles Tabesh and Genevieve McGillicuddy

“The audience that comes to the festival is a wonderful snapshot of who watches the network. It really represents the diversity of all backgrounds, all ages that love classic film.” - McGillicuddy

Here are some highlights from the press conference with Charles Tabesh and Genevieve McGillicuddy at the 2014 TCM Classic Film Festival. Note that this is paraphrasing and not direct quotation unless quotation marks are used.

On film preservation – Ever since TCM has started working on the festivals they have become  more involved with film preservation projects. TCM tries to use various formats including film prints which are harder and harder to find. They work with studios and film archives to coordinate restorations, screenings and blu-ray releases.

On programming – TCM has a team of programmers which is led by Charles Tabesh and includes four other TCM staffers. Themes are decided upon as a group but different people handle different parts of the scheduling (day time, prime time, etc.). There is a lot of research that goes into the programming. Since there are several themes going on within a given month, Tabesh says it’s a lot of work for the programmers to research and implement the themes so that they are successful on air.

On The Story of Film – This documentary series by Mark Cousins recently won a Peabody Award. TCM originally came across the documentary when Telluride Film Festival Co-Director Gary Meyer recommended it to them. Tabesh’s team watched it and loved it and decided to add it to their programming.

On the TCM Classic Film Festival – TCM had talked about having a film festival for years and it was a natural progression for them. The timing worked out and they created the event to connect with their fans. The festival is a visible manifestation of the community coming together and it’s an extension of the channel.  It has also heightened the public's awareness of TCM.

On TCM’s programming philosophy - The programming philosophy hasn’t changed at all. They’ve always had the same mission but have become a little more adventurous over the years. TCM is still committed to exploring film history. When TCM first launched, 90-95% of what they aired was strictly from the Turner library (MGM, Warner Bros., RKO, etc.) but over the years they’ve developed relationships with other studios and distributors and have expanded their programming by bringing in more movies.

On diversity on TCM – TCM is very conscious of diversity. Over the years they’ve tried, programming-wise, to do as much as possible to focus on diversity even though so much of early film is non-inclusive. They try to include tributes to minorities, people of different walks of life, etc. to diversify their programming. Tabesh is hoping to do more kid’s programming on the channel soon.

On celebrity presenters - People like Essentials co-host Drew Barrymore and festival presenter Anna Kendrick are examples of contemporaries from Hollywood who love classic films and wanted to do something with TCM. They reach out to TCM and share their enthusiasm for the network and express interest in working with them. TCM keeps an open dialogue with these celebrities and tries to work within the constraints of their busy schedules. TCM loves to bring together new and old Hollywood and this is one of the ways they can do that.

On TCM internationally - There are TCMs in Europe, Latin America and in other regions of the world. They are programmed and marketed differently from each other and are run independently. Some have advertising, some show more contemporary movies and some work with different rights and licensing agreements and because of this each TCM is different. There are some parallels between the different TCMs but ultimately the programming is different in each country.

On feedback from fans - TCM pays attention to what fans say. Social media is a great way for the fans to interact with each other as well as to interact directly with TCM. When they receive complaints they handle them carefully. They make sure to see if the complaint is just a misunderstanding or if it's something they can improve upon. The key with the feedback is that if TCM watches it very carefully it can be useful to them.

On the greatest pleasure of working on the festival
Tabesh - the greatest pleasure for him is when hears someone say they saw a film they had never seen before and they loved it.
McGillicuddy - the greatest pleasure for her is watching an audience watching a film on screen, sharing the experience with them and knowing that she played some part in making that experience happen.

On the biggest challenge of working on the festival
Tabesh - the biggest challenges are finding good prints for the festival and having to rearrange the schedule because of last-minute changes.
McGillicuddy - to pull off an event this size with venues that are all owned by different companies. They try to utilize many different theaters which is both challenging and rewarding.

On their top sought after festival guest - Doris Day is #1 on their list. She was bumped up after their original #1, Maureen O'Hara, committed to the 2014 festival.

On working for TCM - Tabesh says he loves his job and enjoys going to work every day. He learns something from every festival experience. There is always something new going on at TCM and his job never gets boring. McGillicuddy loves having a job where she can go to the office and have a discussion about which Greta Garbo movie they're going to show next. She says that conversations like that are such a gift and she doesn't take for granted the great team of people she works with at TCM.

On nationwide screenings like Road to Hollywood - TCM is interested in doing more of those types of nationwide screenings in the future and currently in discussion about what those plans might be. McGillicuddy revealed that TCM will revive their partnership with Fathom Events and will be working them in the future.

On the discovery films at the festival - It was asked whether TCM was interested in showing more international selections as part of their "discovery" sub-theme in the festival programming. Tabesh says there are 90 films shown at the festival but 400 show on TCM in any given month. He feels there are more opportunities to branch out with the channel more than there are with the festival. However, Tabesh tried to get the Bollywood Pyassa (1957) on this year's festival schedule but he couldn't get a good print. He'd like to be more adventurous in that regard and hopes to be able to bring in something more obscure for a future festival.

On other classic film channels - Every channel is different: some are ad supported, some have a different focus and some have different business models. When TCM launched AMC was already an established classic film channel.  One of the reasons that TCM is so successful is that they never saw themselves as having to compete with another network. They stayed focused on what they wanted to. AMC's model eventually changed and new networks popped up. Tabesh says he's not being dismissive of the other channels but they're not something TCM worries about.

On the festival guests - Tony Curtis was one of the first guests of the festival back in 2010. McGillicuddy remembers being in awe that he was in attendance. She also very fondly remembers Peter O'Toole and says that meeting him was on her bucket list. TCM feels very privileged that they get the opportunity to host people like Curtis, O'Toole and many more. McGillicuddy says that Maureen O'Hara was very excited about her appearance at the festival and hearing this was immensely gratifying for the TCM staff.

Peter O'Toole smooches @tcmfilmfest Director Genevieve McGillicuddy. We don't know who's luckier here. #TCM20 pic.twitter.com/089qufVB76

— TCM (@tcm) April 10, 2014

On the Academy Museum - The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will be launching in 2017. It's been in the works for a while but is really coming together at this point. TCM has a great relationship with The Academy and are looking forward to the launch of this new museum. They have been in talks with the Academy so that TCM can partner with them in some capacity, whether it be the channel, the festival or both, to help them promote the museum. Nothing is set in stone because the museum launch is still some years away.

On Watch TCM - Will this ever become a subscription based service? Tabesh had no clear answer on this because he is not involved in the discussion. It seems like TCM's relationships with cable companies influence what they can and cannot do with Watch TCM.

On showing film and digital at the festival - McGillicuddy says there are reasons for showing both at the festival and challenges that come along with that. TCM works with Boston Light & Sound on the festival. McGillicuddy believes that company is the best in the business. They go into the festival theaters, take out all of the equipment and put changeover systems so they can show 35mm, etc.. The Egyptian theatre is already equipped to show both film and digital but the other theaters need the extra technical assistance. Tabesh says that the reason why TCM can get access to really good prints is because the film archives trust Boston Light & Sound.

TCM Classic Film Festival 2014 - Press Conference with Ben Mankiewicz

"You want to make them a little uncomfortable in their seat but you don't want to knock them off the chair." Ben Mankiewicz on interviewing

Here are some highlights from the press conference with Ben Mankiewicz at the 2014 TCM Classic Film Festival. Note that this is paraphrasing and not direct quotation unless quotation marks are used.

On how TCM has affected his life - Mankiewicz says that TCM has given him a career he didn't expect to have and has changed everything for the better.

On the Mankiewicz connection - Mankiewicz jokes that while no one is looking to continue the legacy of his family he would be lying if he didn't admit that his family connection helped him get his job at TCM. It wasn't the only reason though because he had to prove that he could deliver for that position. 

On cinema and politics -  TCM doesn't want to alienate people. It's a channel where conservatives, liberals, progressives and libertarians can all unite to celebrate movies. However, politics can't be left completely out because certain people in Hollywood had strong politic beliefs. Politics do matter.

On celebrities who leave him star struck - Mankiewicz was really intimidated by Max von Sydow who he interviewed at last year's festival. "He turned out to be the nicest guy in the world but you know he was faking it." He was also intimidated by Peter Bogdanovich. At this year's festival he was terrified about interview Jerry Lewis. Mankiewicz over prepared for his interview with Lewis so he wouldn't miss anything. He's also been star struck by George Clooney. Mankiewicz has good memories of meeting Kate Flannery, Eli Wallach and Illeana Douglas for the first time.

On TCM's audience of young people - TCM has done the research and they discovered that 66% of their viewers are from the ages of 18-49. They were surprised by how many young people attended the first festival. That encouraged them to spend some money to find out exactly who was watching their channel. "The stereotype of who our audience was, wasn't consistent with what the research showed."  Films are more readily available to young people than they were before thanks to the digital age. Mankiewicz says that young filmmakers, who don't have the money for special effects, have access to a library of movies that are all story and character-driven. Also, the young generations who love classic films and TCM will be the ones who pass on their passion to the next generation and the love of old movies will continue.

On the young presenters at the festival - Bill Hader and Jason Lee were mentioned. Mankiewicz was excited to find out why actress Anna Kendrick loves The Women (1939) so much that she decided to be a presenter at the screening. He went on to show his admiration of Kendrick who he thinks has a classic quality about her and her acting style. He's not surprised that these young Hollywood actors love classic films.

On Mickey Rooney - Mankiewicz says he had his best and worst interview in the same interview with Mickey Rooney. He also remembers a couple years ago when Rooney was 91 years old and was on the TCM Cruise. He had fallen down and couldn't make his last scheduled appearance. Mankiewicz sat with Rooney for 90 minutes and Rooney was very sad and apologetic.  He felt that he had let Mankiewicz and Osborne down. Mankiewicz remembers him as being incredibly sweet. Of Mickey Rooney he says, "you see him on screen and you can't take your eyes off him." A magnetic personality, Mankewicz jokes that Rooney got Ava Gardner and that means anything is possible.

On preparation  - Mankiewicz says he never shies away from enormous preparation. Don't rely on casual, off-the-cuff conversation. Prepare yourself because when you give yourself a trove of information then you can say something off-the-cuff but it's well-informed. Mankiewicz immerses himself as best he can in research. The problem with the festival is that there are so many things to immerse oneself in in a short period of time. Mankiewicz was very candid with us and shared a story from last year's festival. He was on the red carpet and met William Wyler's kids but didn't know who they were. You try to prepare yourself out of potentially embarrassing moments. However they can still happen in situations where there is a lot going on and too much to remember.

On Eva Marie Saint - Mankiewicz joked that for his next prank he'll be totally nude. For those of you who might not understand the joke it's a reference to something that happened last year. Eva Marie Saint used to make fun of Mankiewicz for being too casually dressed. At last year's festival, Mankiewicz wore jeans to the interview and stripped down in front of Eva Marie Saint and the whole audience revealing the suit pants he wore underneath.

On the TCM Classic Film Festival - "This festival means something to people. It's not just a chance for them to come to see movies… There's a connection to their heart and their soul to these movies." Mankiewicz says that fans really care about TCM and what they put on the air. It took viewers a while to warm up to him but he's glad they did. The fans are part of the TCM family and the festival gives them something tangible. Mankiewicz is really candid at this point and reveals that although he's not directly involved in the finances, he's pretty sure TCM makes very little, if any, money off of the festival. The festival is their signature event. It's good for the network, it raises their profile and "it's an opportunity to connect on a very, very base level with fans." 

TCM Classic Film Festival 2014 - Press Conference with Robert Osborne

"I didn't know being a nurse was going to be part of the job." Robert Osborne

Here are some highlights from the press conference with Robert Osborne at the 2014 TCM Classic Film Festival. Note that this is paraphrasing and not direct quotation.

On how TCM has affected his life - TCM has given him a great life. and it's given him a job he was born to do. The job didn't exist before and was created for him. What he didn't realize with this job and with TCM is that they would be a nurse to so many people. TCM is a "place" where people can be cheered up or be involved in something other than their own problems.

On TCM as family - Osborne reflected on being very close with the staff at TCM, many of whom he's worked with for 20 years. He's worked at other companies before where people don't get along. Osborne worked at a movie channel where there was a staff member who didn't even like movies. At TCM, everyone loves movies and is knowledgeable about them and that makes a big difference.

On movies - Movies are a necessity and they really add something to our lives.

On Lucille Ball and Maureen O'Hara - Maureen O'Hara was Lucille Ball's biggest competition. They were both red-heads and O'Hara was more traditionally beautiful but Lucille Ball had a lot to offer too. They were both under contract at RKO at the same time and when O'Hara showed up Ball thought of herself as "chopped liver".

On Lucille Ball being funny - Osborne shared with us that the real Lucille Ball wasn't a funny person. She didn't act funny and she didn't say funny things. Someone like Carole Burnett was naturally funny but Ball wasn't like that at all. But Lucille Ball could be funny on screen because she was that talented as an actress. Lucille Ball had a tough life. She was the main breadwinner for her family at a very young age. She went to New York to become a model at the tender age of 15. She was beautiful but up against many other beautiful young women. She couldn't tap dance like Eleanor Powell. She couldn't sing like Barbra Streisand. Her genius was that she was so talented at making people laugh.

On Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz - They had a tough marriage because she was so successful and he wasn't quite at the same level. Osborne also jokes that Arnaz was Cuban and had a wandering eye. After Lucille and Desi separated permanently, they remained close friends. Osborne remembers when Lucille Ball was performing on stage, Arnaz threw an opening night party for her even though at that point they were divorced and married to other people. Ball visited Arnaz at the end of his life and was with him when he died.

On Jane Darwell - Osborne met Darwell in Seattle when he was doing a play. Darwell advised him to not go to New York to do theatre but to go to California instead. Osborne didn't know anyone in California and stayed with Darwell. She got him an agent and he got a contract with 20th Century Fox. Osborne got the opportunity to watch actors like Marlon Brando, Gary Cooper and Orson Welles perform. Darwell was instrumental in Osborne meeting Lucille Ball, who was a big influence in Osborne's life and career, especially since Ball was fascinated with Darwell and intrigued by Osborne's connection with her.

On character actors  - TCM loves character actors and the staff were talking recently about how to do more programming on the channel with them as the highlight. It's difficult to do a Star of the Month with a character actor because you need a few films in which they have a significant role in order for the month long highlight to work.

On his wardrobe - Robert Osborne confesses that he has no style or taste in fashion at all. His stylist Holly Hadesty is responsible for putting together all of his outfits. Hadesty is very young and has a great eye for colors and patterns. It's her full-time job to get all of his outfits ready, to label them by day and time of day and to ship them off to locations where Osborne will be making public appearances. His personal style is just okay and a lot of what he wears he bases off of what's been given to him which makes putting together outfits easy. His wardrobe is such a part of his job that it really requires someone's time and effort to make sure he looks good and that he represents the channel properly.

On TCM's audience of young people - Osborne says he doesn't know how TCM acquired their audience of young people and was surprised how many young folks attend the TCM Classic Film Festival and Cruise. At least 50% of people who attend the events are below the age of 30 (he said 25-30). It really pleases Osborne that young people respond to classic films and used Rita Hayworth and Gilda as an example. Osborne thought originally that TCM would be nostalgia for people who remembered the classic films.

On TCM's Festival and Cruise - Osborne is impressed that TCM sells out both the festival and cruise so quickly and they don't need to rely on the announcements of big names or big films in order to draw interest in either. Festival and cruise-goers trust TCM enough that they'll buy tickets without knowing the full schedule.

On Osborne's influence on the festival programming - Charles Tabesh handles the programming and Osborne says that he is wonderful about taking suggestions and being open to ideas. Osborne suggested The Great Gatsby (1949) which eventually became part of the 2014 festival schedule. There were some rights issues with that one but they made the screening happen. Osborne remembers it being a good movie but missing a good Daisy.

On Olivia de Havilland - TCM came very close to having Olivia de Havilland at the festival. They were going to do a Private Screenings with her as well as have her attend the festival for the 75th anniversary of Gone with the Wind. De Havilland is 97, turns 98 in July, is as sharp as a tack but has been having health issues that come with being at such an advanced age. She visited her daughter in Malibu a few years ago and the trip was such a strain on her body that it took her a year to recover. She lives in Paris so traveling across the Atlantic and then across the U.S. is very trying on the body. TCM did travel to Paris to do a Private Screenings. They were all set up and ready to go at the famous Hotel George V but it was cancelled when de Havilland contracted pneumonia and had to stay in the hospital to recover. Osborne and de Havilland have a very close relationship and have been friends for many years. De Havilland was very apologetic because she really wanted to do both the festival and the interview however it just didn't work out because of her health. They did discuss having her come to Atlanta but de Havilland refused because of some bad memories. There were definite plans this February to have her come to New York but she had a health flare up and those plans eventually fell through. It wasn't for lack of trying on both the part of de Havilland and TCM but it just didn't happen.

On how movies have changed - There is a distinct difference between films of the studio system era and films of today. Back then there were heroes and actors and actresses were presented as larger than life. Today we want reality and real people. Today's audiences don't want any artifice. Also, so many classic films end on a positive note. Osborne uses the Humphrey Bogart film High Sierra (1941) as an example. Even though the hero dies and we see that his faithful companion, his dog, mourns the loss of his owner, Ida Lupino's character proclaims that the hero is now free. Just the addition of that one scene and a few lines of dialogue changes the ending from negative to positive. The filmmakers didn't want you leaving the theatre depressed. They wanted you to come back next week for a new movie. Osborne then compares it with depressing contemporary films such as No Country for Old Men or 12 Years a Slave.

On his favorite films - His has three big favorites: A Place in the Sun (1951), he saw it in college and is still in awe of the film years later; The Razor's Edge (1946), which he's seen many times; and This is Spinal Tap (1984), which never ceases to lay him on the floor laughing. He also throws in Sunset Blvd.  (1950) as a top favorite. There are very few films he doesn't like. He can find something enjoyable about pretty much every film he watches. His job at TCM is to show you a movie, even if it's an okay movie and not a great movie, that you may not be familiar with but is worth seeing. If you know what was going on in an actors life or what was going on in the world at that time, you'll understand the context and that can make any movie interesting.