TCM Classic Film Festival 2015: Days Three & Four Recap

Yours truly at Robert Mitchum's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

On my first trip to Hollywood I took an obscene number of photos of the stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The novelty has since worn off. However, I always make a point to stop by Robert Mitchum's star and to pose for a photo. A few years ago Mitchum's grandson Bentley Mitchum sent me the details of where to find the star and each year I've made a pilgrimage to it. Mitchum has no grave or memorial so this is my way of paying my respects to my favorite actor.

Set up for A Conversation with Norman Lloyd

A few blocks away was the Montalban Theatre where TCM was filming two long format interviews for television. I attended the first one which was A Conversation with Norman Lloyd. Ben Mankiewicz conducted the interview. Of all the special events taking place at TCMFF, this one was the one I was most looking forward to and it did not disappoint. I got emotional listening to the wonderful Norman Lloyd discuss his career, his beloved wife, his friendships, the Great Depression and working with top directors. More on this interview to come.

Ben Mankiewicz & Norman Lloyd - TCMFF 2015

Characters 101 - Club TCM - TCMFF 2015

I wasn’t feeling too well but I was determined to attend more events. I headed over to Club TCM for the Character Actors 101 presentation hosted by Bruce Goldstein. This was terrific fun and it made me realize how much I love character actors and how little I know about them. We got to see lots of clips and learned why character actors were such a part of the Hollywood system in the 1930s and 1940s. Goldstein ran a reel for the audience and we had to place names with faces. It was a lot tougher than I thought!

Author Scott Eyman - TCMFF 2015

TCM partnered with Larry Edmunds, the famous cinema bookshop on Hollywood Boulevard, and hosted three book signings in the Roosevelt hotel lobby. I went to Scott Eyman’s signing and purchased two copies of Print the Legend: The Life and Times of John Ford; one for myself and one for my friend Frank. It was great to meet Eyman and chat with him for a bit. He was wearing a Robert Osborne fan club pin!

Matt from Warner Archive always stops by TCMFF with some goodies. He brought a box of Warner Archive DVDs and some shirts to giveaway to attendees.

At this point I was really sick. The thought of standing in line for 2 hours just to get into the screening of The Apartment (1960) made me want to faint. I made an executive decision to go back to my hotel room to rest. This was a smart move on my part because it gave me time to recuperate. It did mean I had to miss The Apartment and The Loved One introduced by Robert Morse but I did end up having much more energy for the following day.

I skipped the first Sunday time slot to have breakfast with Rob of Dear Old Hollywood and his adorable daughter! She’s a budding classic film fan and Rob tells me she loves the Wizard of Oz (1939).

Bonham’s Appraisals

The first event I caught was Bonham’s Appraisals in the lobby of the Roosevelt Hotel. TCM’s Sean Cameron was the MC.

Illeana Douglas, Millie Perkins and Diane Baker - TCMFF 2015

I only caught two films on Sunday. I’m okay with this because my goal for this trip was to attend more special events. I attended a screening of The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) at the Chinese Multiplex. Illeana Douglas interviewed actresses Millie Perkins and Diane Baker beforehand. I really didn’t want to miss this film because it’s one of the few movies from my childhood that I hold near and dear to my heart.

Shirley MacLaine & Leonard Maltin - TCMFF 2015

I had missed Shirley MacLaine speak at the screening of The Apartment and my heart just couldn’t take a viewing of The Children’s Hour. I really wanted to hear Shirley MacLaine speak about her career so A Conversation with Shirley Maclaine at Club TCM was a must. When I was walking from the Chinese Multiplex to the Roosevelt Hotel, I walked passed Shirley MacLaine herself as she was signing autographs for a group of fans!

Larry Edmunds

No cinephile can visit Hollywood without a trip to the famous Larry Edmunds cinema bookshop.

Sophia Loren & Ben Mankiewicz - TCMFF 2015

The grand finale of the TCM Classic Film Festival always ends with a film at the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and this year it was Marriage Italian Style (1964). A very nervous Ben Mankiewicz interviewed the still stunning Sophia Loren before the screening. It was perfect event to cap off another fantastic festival.

Sophia Loren & Ben Mankiewicz - TCMFF 2015

It was sad to say goodbye to friends at the closing night party but left with the hope that I will be seeing everyone again in 2016

I’ll be writing dedicated posts on some of the events I attended and movies I saw at this year’s festival. Stay tuned!

TCM Classic Film Festival 2015: Day Two Recap

Christopher Plummer's hand and footprints in cement.

Sleep? Who needs sleep? I got up early on Friday to attend the Christopher Plummer Hand and Footprint Ceremony at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre courtyard. Last year's event with Jerry Lewis was so much fun so I was looking forward to this one. Ben Mankiewicz was the MC and actress Shirley MacLaine and actor William Shatner gave speeches before Christopher Plummer made his imprints in cement. We all had a great time and were grateful for being in the shade on a hot day.

Christopher Plummer setting his footprints in cement

After the ceremony I went to see Reign of Terror (1949) at the Chinese Multiplex. Ileana Douglas introduced the film calling it the French Revolution meets film noir. After the film, Eddie Muller of the Film Noir Foundation interviewed Norman Lloyd who was in the film. I had the worst seat for viewing the film but the best for seeing Norman Lloyd up close. He walked by me twice and on his way out I said "thank you" and he replied back to me "thank you". I can't believe THE Norman Lloyd looked me in the eyes and spoke words to me. I'm still on cloud nine.

Eddie Muller interviewing Norman Lloyd

After Reign of Terror, I ran over to the Roosevelt hotel for a glimpse of Ann-Margret as she was being interviewed by Ben Mankiewicz. She looked absolutely stunning.

Ben Mankiewicz interviewing Ann-Margret

Then we quickly headed over to the Grauman's Egyptian theatre to get in line for The Cincinnati Kid (1965) where I would see Ann-Margret again. The movie looks fantastic on such a big screen. The cinematography and that gorgeous cast was meant to be seen in a proper theatre. It's also one of the sexiest screenings I've ever been to. I'm glad my husband was there to share the experience with me.

Quick shot of Carlos meeting Peter Fonda

I meant to attend a Peter Fonda event at Club TCM but hunger and low blood sugar won out. I did catch a little of his talk about his dad Henry Fonda. Also, Carlos got a chance to meet Peter Fonda. He noticed Fonda was writing with his left hand so he went up to him and said "from one leftie to another" and shook his hand.

Ben Mankiewicz interviewing George Lazenby

Afterwards, we mosied on over to the Chinese Multiplex to catch On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969). Ben Mankiewicz interviewed Bond star George Lazenby before the screening started. Lazenby is quite the cad and regaled us with some hilarious and rather sexy stories.

Stay tuned as I'll be doing in-depth posts about the various events I attended!

TCM Classic Film Festival 2015: Day One Recap

This trip has been such a whirlwind of activity and excitement I don't know quite where to begin! The day started off with a 3 hour tour through Hollywood and L.A. courtesy of the TCM Movie Locations Tour bus. Ben Mankiewicz was there in person to send us off and our tour guide Michael entertained us with trivia, film clips and jokes. Our group was made up of bloggers and members of the media so you know we were all busy taking photos and scribbling down notes. A dedicated post on this tour will be on this blog soon. The tours run Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 12:30PM. TCM and Starlines also have a movie locations bus in New York City.

Jessica of Comet Over Hollywood and I on the bus tour.

Michael, our hilarious tour guide.

Next on my agenda was the Sound of Music (1965) red carpet event. We got in line extra early to be seated at the bleachers. We got a great view of the stars as they were walking down the red carpet to attend the event. Spotlight Pass holders also walk the red carpet and it was great to see what everyone was wearing and to cheer as they headed into Grauman's Chinese theatre. I got to see lots of stars including Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Shirley Jones, Peter Fonda, some members of the cast of Grease, Robert Morse, Norman Lloyd, Diane Baker and more. I'll be sharing all my photos in a dedicated post but here are a couple samples.

Part of the cast of Grease (1978)

Shirley Jones

Errol Flynn's daughter (Rory) and grandson

I spent too long at the red carpet so I missed the screening of Too Late for Tears (1949). I asked a staff member what screening was still open and he told me I could get into Queen Christina (1933).  I had never seen it before and was more than willing to give it a shot. It's such a great film. Garbo's performance was amazing and I adored seeing my favorite actors Lewis Stone and Akim Tamiroff on the big screen.

Stay tuned as I'll be sharing my daily recaps plus full-length and detailed posts about the various TCM Classic Film events that I attend.

My husband and I went to a live filming of the TV show Jeopardy! Alex Trebek took questions from the audience during commercial breaks. Normally I'm too shy but I've been feeling quite brave on this trip so I raised my hand to ask him a question.

Clue: Alex Trebek's favorite movie

Answer: What is How Green Was My Valley (1941)?

Excellent answer Alex!