The first full day of the TCM Classic Film Festival started with one of my favorite events: a hand and footprint ceremony at Grauman’s Chinese Theater (now the TCL). This time around the honoree was legendary director Francis Ford Coppola. This is the fourth imprint ceremony I’ve been to and the third I’ve covered as a member of the media. These ceremonies are always a fun opportunity to celebrate an important person’s contribution to the entertainment industry. There are several of these events held every year and some of the selections are questionable. The imprint ceremonies hosted by the TCM always feature someone classic film fans will appreciate.
Set-up for Coppola's imprint ceremony
This year we got a much better spot for photography. Some of the
bloggers covering this event with me included Paula, Jessica, KC, Anne Marie and Carrie. Carlos got in line early and managed to get a decent
spot in the general viewing area. He’s gone to all four imprint
ceremonies with me and was the most excited about this one. He was
hoping to spot some special guests (basically he really wants to see Al
Pacino in person) but there weren’t many of them there.
Carlos hanging out beneath the I Love Sugar sign trying to get a better view
I’ll have a full
report of the event soon.
KC, Raquel and Jessica and the Coppola ceremony
Francis Ford Coppola after imprinting his hands in cement
Afterwards,
Carlos and I headed over to 25 Degrees, the restaurant in the Roosevelt
Hotel, for a quick meal. During lunch we spotted Salvatore Cascio, the
child star of Cinema Paradiso, having a drink at the bar. I love the
intimacy of the festival. You see familiar faces everywhere.
Mankiewicz, Vanderbilt, Mapes, Bradlee Jr. and Singer
We attended the Club TCM panel From Headlines to Ticket Lines:
Journalism on the Big Screen. It was moderated by TCM host Ben
Mankiewicz and included James Vanderbilt, the director of Truth (2015),
Mary Mapes, portrayed by Cate Blanchett in Truth, Josh Singer,
screenwriter of Spotlight (2015) and Ben Bradlee Jr., formerly of the
Boston Globe and portrayed by John Slattery in Spotlight. Carlos and I
had seen both films recently and were excited to check out this panel.
Most of the discussion revolved around the portrayal of journalism on
film, the state of the business today and what films like Network (1976)
and All the President’s Men (1976) represent in the overall narrative
of the business. I was particularly interested in what Mapes and Bradlee
had to say about the actors who portrayed them. Mapes said meeting Cate
Blanchett was a bit unnerving because she gave Mapes an “emotional
MRI”. Blanchett observed Mapes carefully in order to mimic her
mannerisms and gestures on screen. I’d be unnerved too if someone gave
me an emotional MRI! Bradlee Jr. is a big fan of Mad Men so he seemed
pretty happy with John Slattery. Or he could have been being nice. I
thought Slattery’s performance was ok, more like a serious version of
Roger Sterling.
Signage for Mark A. Vieira's book signing
I left the panel early to get in line for author Mark A. Vieira’s book
signing in the Roosevelt Hotel lobby. There were no lobby interviews
this year and this made room for a lot more book signings, all of which
were run by Larry Edmunds bookshop. It was nice to see TCM support a
local independent bookstore instead of selling the books themselves. I
purchased Vieira’s newest book Into The Dark: The Hidden World of Film
Noir, 1941-1950. I’ll be reviewing it on my blog in the near future. I
told Vieira how much I enjoyed his Cecil B. DeMille book and he seemed
to appreciate that. I was suffering from “festival brain” (forgetfulness
enduced by heightened emotion) and neglected to bring my copy of Harlow
in Hollywood for him to sign. Oh well! I did ask him if he was working
on any new projects and he said he’s shopping around possible books on
Norma Shearer and Mae West.
Mark A. Vieira signing his book Into the Dark
I made my over to the Chinese Multiplex for a special screening of
Tea and Sympathy (1956). It’s not a film I wanted to see but I couldn’t
pass up the opportunity to hear Leonard Maltin’s interview with actor
Darryl Hickman. On this viewing I appreciated the movie in a way I
wasn’t able to before. It was an important film in Hickman’s career and
the discussion was fantastic. I’ll have a full report about this
screening on the blog soon.
Leonard Maltin and Darryl Hickman
Pre-Codes were really popular at the festival this year as anyone who
got shut out of Double Harness (1933) will tell you! I was happy to make
it into the sold out Pleasure Cruise (1933), a wacky pre-code starring a
bunch of popular character actors and introduced by historian Cari
Beauchamp. The highlight for me was watching Una O’Connor as the
“sex-crazed heiress” chasing after Roland Young. Danny of Pre-Code.com
has a lot to say about this film which stars his favorite actress
Genevieve Tobin. You should check out his review as well as his TCMFF recap of when he attended the event (and read all of his recaps which
are wildly entertaining). There were a lot of familiar faces at this
screening, I chatted with Em of Vintage Cameo and I didn’t even realize I was sitting to New York Post film
critic Lou Lumenick until the film started! I’ll have a full review of
the film here soon.
There was another Pre-Code 6 Hours
to Live (1932) showing immediately after but I opted to skip it to get
in line for The Manchurian Candidate (1962). Angela Lansbury was going
to be interviewed before the film and there is no way, no how that I was
going to miss seeing her. A lot of people felt the same way so getting
in line early was a must. Carlos and I met after the screening of Boyz
in the Hood (1991) he attended (yes some people actually went to that
and that’s okay!) and got in line at the TCL Chinese Theater. We had a
nice long chat with Jay of The James Bond Social Media Project before we headed in. I had tweeted my queue number and Jay happened to see it and met us in line. I love how social media connects people in real life!
My number for the Manchurian Candidate screening.
Jay and Carlos in line for The Manchurian Candidate
I cannot tell you what a delight it was to see Angela Lansbury in
person. It was annoying that most folks didn’t stay for the movie. Our
aisle cleared out pretty quickly. We stayed for the entire screening
even though we drifted in and out of consciousness. There will be more
on my experience here soon.
Angela Lansbury and Alec Baldwin
I regret not going to the midnight screening of Roar (1981) which
looks like a crazy film. The folks who did go developed a bond that
continued well after the festival ended. Why couldn’t I be one of the
Roar people?! Alas, I’m a morning person and needed some sleep for what
would be another epic day. Stay tuned for my next TCMFF recap!
Thursday was the opening day of the TCM Classic Film Festival but day number 3 in my festival adventures. I spent the morning locked in my hotel room anxiously studying my notes, writing down questions, doing my hair and make-up and generally getting ready for my first red carpet event as a member of the media.
I was racked with nerves for a few weeks beforehand but once I got onto the red carpet my nervousness was gone and I was in my element. It's been my dream for years to be on the red carpet and interview people. Last year I begged my husband to get me a professional camera for my birthday. I wanted it so I could start filming more videos for my blog and to take it with me to TCMFF to capture some of the amazing moments I would experience there. The camera came in handy to film my interviews and to snap photos of stars on the red carpet. I'll be sharing full details on my red carpet experience here soon.
In the meantime, here are some photos of me on the red carpet taken by some friends who were sitting in the bleachers. Several friends were really supportive and said many encouraging things to me before and after the event. I appreciate all their kind words because I really needed them. Marya, now social media maven at TCM, helped us bloggers out a lot on the red carpet and directed talent our way. She was great!
Setting up for the Red Carpet along with Nora, Kim and Kristen (Photo Credit: Laura)
I was privileged enough to interview the following people:
Coleman Breland and Jennifer Dorian of TCM
Actor Darryl Hickman
Film Critic Leonard Maltin
Film Critic Sr. Rose Pacatte
Actor Chris Lemmon (son of Jack Lemmon)
Actress Gina Lollobrigida
Film researcher Lillian Michelson, Harold and Lillian director Daniel Raim and producer Jennifer Raim
There were other people I saw but didn't get a chance to interview. These include:
Actor Alec Baldwin
Journalist Carl Bernstein
Actor Salvatore Cascio
Actor Keith Carradine
Director Roger Corman
Actor James Cromwell
Actor Ted Donaldson
Actress Illeana Douglas
Actor Lou Gossett Jr.
Actress Anna Karina and Director Dennis Berry
Producer, Actor and Director Norman Lloyd
Producer and Actor David Ladd (son of Alan Ladd)
TCM Host Ben Mankiewicz
Actress Lee Merriwether
Writer and Director Edoardo Ponti (son of Sophia Loren)
Actress Ann Robinson
and more.
Norman Lloyd on the TCMFF red carpet
I had a special moment on the red carpet with 101 year old actor/director/producer Norman Lloyd. I saw him walking past and knew he wouldn't be stopping for an interview. I called out to him and said "we love you Norman!" He stopped and looked around trying to find the face that matched the voice. I repeated "we love you Norman!". He spotted me and said "beautiful!". Then I replied "you're beautiful!" and blew him a kiss. And you know what, he blew me a kiss right back! It was such a delightful moment. A brief flirtation with one of the most fascinating entertainers in the history of film and television. I've had the pleasure of seeing Norman Lloyd multiple times at previous festivals but this encounter with him is my favorite by far.
Poolside screening of The Freshman at TCMFF 2016
I
spent the majority of my time at the red carpet and missed the first
block of movies. I wandered over to the Roosevelt Hotel pool where I
caught the introduction to the silent film The Freshman (1925) which included
Eddie Muller of the Film Noir Foundation interviewing Suzanne Lloyd,
granddaughter of actor Harold Lloyd.
Eddie Muller and Suzanne Lloyd
Did you know that Harold Lloyd lost a thumb and forefinger when a prop exploded in his hand? After the incident he would wear a prosthetic glove in his films.
The Freshman (1925) screened at TCMFF 2016
I couldn't stay for the whole film but enjoyed what I did see. I heard some complaints about the live music which was very modern. Personally I enjoy when contemporary music is matched with classic movies. I'm also the type of person who enjoyed all the contemporary pop and hip-hop included in the film The Great Gatsby (2013).
I headed over the Chinese Multiplex to get in line for the Argentine noir Los Tallos Amargos (1956) andhung out with some friends in line. A fire alarm went off and the multiplex had to be evacuated. Some festival goers were enjoying the last few minutes of One Potato Two Potato (1964), Dark Victory (1939) and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945) when we all moved out into the courtyard. It was a funny moment that generated some chatter and gave us all an opportunity to socialize outside. There was no real fire from what I understand and we had photos and a story to share later.
Jessica and Raquel during the evacuation (Photo Credit: Jessica)
I sat with Paula, Karen, Jessica, Danny and Carlos for Los Tallos Amargos (English translation: Bitter Stems). I was quite tired and not fully awake for the film. I'll have to watch it again later for my review.
Paula, Karen, Jessica and Raquel
Raquel, Carlos and Danny
Thursday was a fantastic start to the festival. Stay tuned for more TCMFF recaps!
Little did I know this would be a trip of a lifetime.
Carlos
and I arrived on the Tuesday before the festival and I came with a
packed schedule filled with things to do. On Tuesday evening I was filmed by the TCM crew for their promo videos.
I was a bit nervous even though I had been mentally preparing for the
filming for about a week. I didn't think any of my footage would
be used but lucky for me something I said off the cuff made it into the TCM Friday Festival Update Video. In that same video you can also catch a glimpse of me interviewing Leonard Maltin on the red carpet. More on that to come!
Kim, Raquel and Carrie
The TCM crew filmed me, Carrie of Classic Film Fan and Kim of I See a Dark Theater.
I had a blast working with these two lovely ladies and getting to know
them better. Carlos was there too as official schmoozer and purse
wrangler. He also took some behind-the-scenes photographs.
On Wednesday Carlos and I made a pilgrimage to the 101 Coffee Shop in the
Hollywood Hills. It's a fantastic diner and happens to be one of the shooting locations in the film Swingers (1996).
Along the way we found Carlos Ave!
Around the corner from Hollywood and Vine, you can find Robert Mitchum's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I make the pilgrimage every year to see it and commemorate the event with a few photos. There was a lot of construction happening on that same block and some of the stars were obscured by partitions. It was sheer luck that Mitchum's star was one of the few that was still visible. It was one of several lucky occurrences for me on this trip.
As we walked down Hollywood Boulevard I took a quick photo of the iconic Capitol Records building which is just up the hill.
Capitol Records building
While we were waiting for the Larry Edmunds Bookshop to open, we stopped by a souvenir shop. Here Carlos is thanking the Academy for his Best Husband Oscar.
Visiting Larry Edmunds Bookshop is a treat as well as a major strain on the wallet. On this trip I purchased Harlow in Hollywood by Darrell Rooney and Mark A. Vieira as well as an out-of-print bio on Telly Savalas plus some prints of Murder by Death (1976) for a friend. I also attended two TCMFF book signings that were run by Larry Edmunds.
Larry Edmunds' slogan could be: come for the film books, stay for a chat. Jeff who runs the store and Sean who helped me find some prints are super friendly and I had a blast talking to them at the bookshop as well as at the festival.
Afterwards I headed to the Roosevelt hotel which is the central hub of the festival. There I picked up my media pass which unfortunately didn't have any film themed design. However the excellent goodie bag they gave us more than made up for it.
The media received a TCMFF tote bag, a copy of TCM The Essentials: 52 Must-See Movies and Why They Matter by Jeremy Arnold, a TCMFF 2016 booklet, the latest Now Playing guide, a bottle of Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope wine and a complimentary subscription to TCM Backlot, their new exclusive fan club service.
Raquel and Laura of Laura's Miscellaneous Musings
Then I was off to a press conference hosted by TCM that included Charles Tabesh, Jennifer Dorian, Ben Mankiewicz and Genevieve McGillicuddy. It's also when I got to see some friendly faces for the first time during the fest including one of my best friends Laura! Make sure you check out my full coverage of the TCMFF 2016 Press Conference.
Left to right: Tabesh, Dorian, Mankiewicz & McGillicuddy
After the press conference a few of us stopped by the TCM Boutique which
was not at the Roosevelt this year. Instead it was situated in the
Sweet! shop in the Hollywood & Highland mall. If you attend any of
the Chinese Multiplex screenings during the festival you inevitably pass
by the boutique so it was conveniently located. The set up was
beautiful but I didn't end up buying any merchandise. I was more
interested in spending my money on books.
Several of us headed to the Roosevelt hotel pool for what ended up being several meet-and-greets happening at the same time. I had two delicious mojitos which calmed some of my nerves and had some good chats with friends. It was a bit chaotic and I didn't end up getting any pictures.
However, a group of us opted to go out to dinner at the famous Miceli's for what proved to be a convivial and more relaxed evening. I had such a blast talking to my friends I forgot to eat my dinner!
Left to right: Casey, Kate, Meg/Millie, Lindsay, KC, Laura and Raquel
Stay tuned as I'll have more recaps as well as detailed posts on my 2016 TCMFF adventures.
Left to right: Tabesh, Dorian, Mankiewicz & McGillicuddy
On Wednesday April 27th, TCM held a press conference before the start of their classic film festival. The conference panel consisted of Charles Tabesh, senior VP of programming, Jennifer Dorian, Ben Mankiewicz, host of TCM and Genevieve McGillicuddy, VP of brand activations and partnerships and festival director. Tabesh and McGillicuddy oversee the logistics of the festival and Mankiewicz is taking a bigger role this year, as he did last year, in the absence of Robert Osborne. He'll be conducting most of the big interviews that will happen during the festival.
Here are some key takeaways from the press conference:
Mankiewicz, who is introducing the opening night film All the President's Men (1976), gets emotional every time he sees the movie because of the connection to his father. NY Post's Lou Lumenick has a great article with more details.
According to McGillicuddy the projected number of attendees this year is 26,000 which includes passholders and standby attendees. I didn't realize it was that many people!
TCM is launching FilmStruck (think of it like "awestruck"), a new subscription service. They've teamed up with Criterion, who will end their current partnership with Hulu, and together will be curating arthouse films, indie and cult classics and other more obscure films. Jennifer Dorian says this fills a need in the marketplace. It's important to note that this is not a standalone streaming TCM service. While it was not said at the conference, TCM's relationships with cable TV companies most likely prevents them from having such a service. Read Will McKinley's post for more details about FilmStruck.
TCM is launching TCM Backlot, an official fan club. The membership costs $87 a year and comes with a variety of perks. There will be meet-ups across the country, exclusive content for subscribers, etc. The Backlot will give members a behind-the-scenes look at TCM and an opportunity to share feedback. Dorian says "early members will help us build the club of our dreams." I have a membership and will be following up with my thoughts on this blog.
Based off feedback, The Manchurian Candidate (1962) will be the most sought after event at the festival. Tabesh says Angela Lansbury, who will be at the screening, is always a big hit with TCM fans.
McGillicuddy says they've been really working hard on curating Club TCM events and she's proud of the offerings this year.
On sought after guests, Tabesh says Olivia de Havilland almost made it to the festival one year and their number one pick Doris Day is unlikely to ever be a guest. McGillicuddy said Sidney Poitier is someone they've tried to get multiple times are still hopeful he will come. Tabesh says Barbra Streisand is interested but hasn't been able to make it work with her schedule.
Ben Mankiewicz said "The success that the previous six festivals have had has unquestionably played a role in smoothing it over for some people because their friends and colleagues and other big stars have told them this is a worthwhile thing..." Having several successful festivals under their belt has opened up opportunities to feature other special guests. For example, this was key in getting Faye Dunaway to attend this year. Although it was not said during the conference, I do believe having Sophia Loren last year really made a difference. I can imagine that opened an opportunity to feature Gina Lollobrigida.
Spotlight and Essentials passes sold out in 14 minutes. They won't be expanding the festival to add more venues, screenings and days. They want to keep the intimate atmosphere of the festival.
Tabesh says the industry is moving towards digital. Access to 35mm prints and the ability to show them becomes more and more restricted over time.
It’s that time of year again when classic film fans from all over the world flock to Hollywood to enjoy a weekend packed with once-in-a-lifetime experiences. The TCM Classic Film Festival is something I look forward to all year round. When you go to this festival you feel like you’re part of something important. You develop a deeper and richer connection with the past while being part of history in the making.
This will be my fourth time attending the festival and I’ll be covering it once again as a member of the media. I’m very grateful to TCM for the opportunity to once again be a part of the fantastic team of individuals who painstakingly and lovingly capture and share each of every moment of the festival. It is truly an honor.
Now that the full festival schedule is posted I can share my top picks with you (fun fact: I was the first to tweet about it). It was much easier in 2015 to put together a schedule. This year there were some major conflicts and some difficult decisions had to be made.
Here are my selections. I’ve included a bonus video of me discussing my top five picks.
Wednesday
TCM Press Conference – I’ll be live tweeting and providing full coverage on this press conference which will include Ben Mankiewicz, Charles Tabesh, Genevieve McGillicuddy and Jennifer Dorian. Sadly no Robert Osborne this year. He was the highlight of the first two press conferences I attended.
(2014 Press Conference with Robert Osborne)
Thursday
Red Carpet for All the President’s Men (1976) Opening Night Gala – I was a spectator for last year’s Red Carpet and had a blast. I hope this year I can do more extensive coverage. Stay tuned!
(2015 Red Carpet at the TCM Classic Film Festival)
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967) or Los Tallos Amargos (1956) – It’s a toss up between these two. Katharine Houghton will be at the Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner screening and it would be great to hear her discuss the film. But it’s hard to turn down watching an obscure Argentine film noir!
From Headlines to Ticket Lines: Journalism on the Big Screen – I’m from the Boston area so a chance to see Ben Bradlee Jr. and Spotlight (2015) screenwriter Josh Singer discuss journalism on film along with James Vanderbilt of Truth (2015) and journalist Mary Mapes is too good to pass up.
Mark Vieira signing Into The Dark: The Hidden World of Film Noir, 1941-1950 – One of the perks of TCMFF is the exclusive book signings. This one is at the top of my list to attend.
(My review of Mark Vieira's Cecil B. DeMille book)
Two Pre-Codes – I’m glad I’ll be able to fit in two films from my favorite decade the 1930s. Pleasure Cruise (1933) and 6 Hours to Live (1932) are showing back to back and they are short enough that I can fit both screenings in before the major event of the evening.
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)– This might be the most sought after film screening of the festival because living legend Angela Lansbury will be there. I can’t pass up an opportunity to see her and watch this fantastic mind-bending film on the TCL Chinese Theater’s gigantic screen. I'll have a lot of competition though.
Saturday
90th Anniversary of Vitaphone – Ron Hutchinson, founder of the Vitaphone Project, will be hosting this presentation of the history of Vitaphone complete with Vitaphone shorts. My favorite short of all time The Beau Brummels (1928) with Shaw and Lee will be screened and I’m beside myself with joy.
An Afternoon with Carl Reiner/Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (1982)– This four part extravaganza is hard to pass up. Not only do you get to see this film at the TCL Chinese Theater there will also be a Carl Reiner tribute video, a conversation with the man himself and a book signing immediately afterwards.
Harold and Lillian : A Hollywood Love Story (2015) – This is my number one pick for the festival. I can’t believe my hero Lillian Michelson will be there along with director Daniel Raim. I had to give up seeing Buona Sera Mrs. Campbell with Gina Lollobrigida to watch this but it’ll be worth it.
The Endless Summer (1966) – If you know me you know that I love documentaries and The Endless Summer is one of the most influential documentaries in film history. It’s a stunning color film narrated and directed by Bruce Brown, who will be in attendance, and follows two surfers as they travel the globe searching the best waves. I can’t wait to see the gorgeous colors of this film on the big screen.
Band of Outsiders (1964) – I dare anyone to stop me from seeing Anna Karina in person. This French New Wave icon will be touring to support the new restoration of this Jean-Luc Godard classic. It’ll be my first time seeing this film and wow what an experience it will be.
The Art of the Film Score – I’ll miss the morning screenings but hope to catch this at Club TCM.
A Conversation with Gina Lollobrigida - I’m not kidding when I say Gina Lollobrigida is my favorite Italian. Conflicts will take me away from special screenings of Buona Sera Mrs. Campbell and Trapeze but that’s okay because I’m perfectly happy to sit and listen to Lollobrigida talk for a straight hour. This will be glorious!
The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming (1966)– I love madcap comedies and this one looks like a lot of fun. Eva Marie Saint will be on hand to present and maybe Carl Reiner, Walter Mirisch and/or Norman Jewison will surprise us with an appearance?
Network (1976)– Unless a TBD calls my name, I’ll be staying around the Egyptian to catch this contemporary classic. I saw Network for the first time last year and loved it.
Closing Night Party at Club TCM – This party is always bittersweet and usually I have to leave early. But this time I hope to stay longer for one last hurrah with my friends.
What are your top TCM Classic Film Festival picks?
“We possessed a treasure trove of rare interviews with some of the greatest stars of Hollywood’s golden years.” – Bawden and Miller
When you find yourself sitting on a gold mine, what do you do? Keep it to yourself? Share it? Lucky for us classic film fans James Bawden and Ron Miller decided to share theirs. New from one of my favorite publishers The University Press of Kentucky, Conversations with Classic Film Stars is oral history in book form. Within its pages are interviews with 34 of the most beloved stars, collected over a few decades by TV journalists Bawden and Miller. Each interview was conducted face-to-face with the individual and recorded on audio. Some of the interviews were one-time occasions whereas others were composites of several conversations. The interview questions are edited for clarity and continuity but the words themselves are directly from the stars. Each conversation gets its own chapter and includes background on the actor or actress, “setting the scene” which describes how Bawden and Miller came to interview the stars, the Q&A format of the interview plus a couple of black-and-white photos for good measure.
The 34 interviews are broken up into 7 categories: Silent film stars, Leading Men, Leading Ladies, Queens of the Bs, Singing Cowboys, Four Very Special Stars and Bob Hope gets his own category Giant of Comedy. Some of the featured stars include:
Jackie Coogan
Gloria Swanson
Cary Grant
Joan Fontaine
Joseph Cotten
Maureen O'Hara
Joan Blondell
Melvyn Douglas
Luise Rainer
Roy Rogers
Jane Greer
Keye Luke
Irene Dunne
and more
Even if you’re very familiar with the star being interviewed there is always some hidden jewel of information to discover. While I was taking notes for my review I picked out one interesting fact from each of the interviews. Here are some notable ones:
Gloria Swanson was a champion for organic foods and loved to push her weird bean sprout diet on other people.
Van Johnson was hit by a drunk driver and almost died because police were arguing over the jurisdiction of where the accident took place.
A Letter to Three Wives (1949) was supposed to be four wives with Anne Baxter as the fourth.
Douglas Fairbanks Jr. avoided doing action films while his father Douglas Fairbanks, whom he affectionately called "Pete", was still alive.
Anna Lee referred to Fritz Lang as a "sadist".
Glenn Ford got his stage name from Glenford in Quebec, his dad's hometown. His real name was Gwyllyn Ford.
Rosalind Russell was MGM's back-up Myrna Loy.
Keye Luke started out as a fine artist and helped paint one of the original murals in Grauman's Chinese Theatre.
Jane Greer developed Bell's Palsy early on in life. This is why we rarely see her smile in her films.
You get a really good sense of the individual’s personalities. Rosalind Russell was fiesty, Van Johnson was very protective of his sexuality, Glenn Ford and Jane Wyman were very fussy, Joan Blondell was as charming as you'd image she'd be and Cary Grant talked about Cary Grant as though he were a separate person. My favorite interview was with Keye Luke, famous for playing Charlie Chan's #1 son. Harold Russell, of The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) fame, had a non-profit organization, Harold Russell Association Inc., which helped the disabled get job training and placement. After some research I discovered that the original office is on my daily commute to work!
All of the stars included in the book have passed on (the only exception at the time of this review is Kirk Douglas). There are several recurring themes I've noticed. Because many of the stars were interviewed later in their lives there is a lot of discussion about their TV work in addition to their film career. Most of the stars equated billing in film credits with their current level of success. There is plenty of information about what it was like behind-the-scenes, working with other actors and the challenges of the studio system.
For those of you classic film fans who hail from Canada, many of the interviews took place in Toronto!
I spotted some errors in the book. For example in Jane Wyman’s interview, a publicity photo of her with Ronald Reagan inBrother Rat and a Baby (1940). It incorrectly lists them as the parents in the film when it was really Eddie Albert and Jane Bryan. In the same interview the authors claim that Wyman is the only “movie actress” ever to be married to a president not realizing that Nancy Reagan was also a movie actress. In the intro to Gloria Swanson’s interview, the authors explain why she never married Joseph Kennedy. I don’t think the authors are giving the reader much credit here. We know why! I found the simplicity of the text and the assumption about the reader a bit frustrating but the quality of the content makes up for this.
Conversations with Classic Film Stars was a quick enjoyable read. This book is perfect for someone who doesn’t want to invest their time in full-scale biographies but still wants to learn something new and interesting about their favorite stars. And if you’re like me and just devoured a 900 page biography, a compilation of short interviews makes for a great palate cleanser. Conversations with Classic Film Stars would make a great gift for someone who is just starting to develop a love for old Hollywood or for someone who has had a life long passion for classic movies.
French New Wave legend, Jean-Luc Godard muse, style icon and all around goddess Anna Karina is making a rare visit to the United States. She’ll be in California and New York to promote the US premiere and theatrical release of a new restoration of Band of Outsiders (1964). This film is one of several collaborations between Karina and her ex-husband director Jean-Luc Godard which also include A Woman is a Woman (1961), Vivre Sa Vie (1962), Le Petit Soldat (1963), Pierrot Le Fou (1965), Alphaville (1965) and Made In USA (1966).
Anna Karina in Band of Outsiders
If you’ve ever wanted a glimpse at Anna Karina in person, now is the time! I’ll be at the TCM Classic Film Festival and seeing Anna Karina at a screening of Band of Outsiders is very high on my wishlist. I’ll have lots of competition for the coveted seats in the theater but if I make it in I’ll make sure to report back here.
Now is your chance to see Anna Karina in person and to watch the new restoration of Band of Outsiders!
Karina’s tour is funded by Turner Classic Movies, French Cultural Services and Unifrance. The Band of Outsiders was restored by film distributor Rialto Pictures.
My father passed away in August and since that time I have been in charge of his settling his affairs. Recently I took a day off to get a few errands done including delivering my parents' tax forms and paperwork to their lawyer. He's been in the business for 52 years and still does everything with pen and paper. When I entered his office I was struck by the lack of technology. He had a simple fold out desk, a basic chair, and paperwork scattered everywhere. There was no computer. He did everything the same way he had been doing it for the last half century. I delivered my parents' paperwork knowing that this is what my father would have wanted. He would have wanted his taxes to be done by the same lawyer who had been doing them for the family since the 1980s. He would have wanted them to be done with pen and paper. He would have wanted a paper check for his tax return. As my father's daughter I saw to it that his final tax forms were done the way he would have wanted because honoring the wishes of the dead is the responsibility of the living.
Later that same day I watched the RKO film The Miracle of the Bells (1948). It had been recorded on my DVR in December when TCM had their Frank Sinatra month and I forgot about it. I picked a film at random from my DVR and wouldn't you know it it's a film about carrying out the wishes of someone who has passed away. It's like the universe was waiting for this exact day for me to watch this movie.
It's a bizarre little film. Fred MacMurray plays press agent Bill Dunnigan. He brings the body of deceased actress Olga Treskovna (Alida Valli) to her hometown. She left him very specific instructions on what to do after she died. Olga wanted a funeral service held at St. Michael's church, 6 girls dressed as angels surrounding her casket, ringing of church bells and a burial at the top of a hill where her parents were laid to rest. Coaltown is aptly named because of the thriving mining business. The town is also the reason why Olga's parents died and why she died, the coal dust weakened her lungs and tuberculosis set in. Dunnigan's first encounters with the people of Coaltown is disheartening. No one remembers Olga, they speak ill of her father who was known as a town drunk and the funeral director (Harold Vermilyea) wants to squeeze every penny out of Dunnigan. His faith in humanity is restored when he meets Father Paul (Frank Sinatra, yes that Frank Sinatra) of St. Michael's church. Father Paul's humility, patience and willingness to listen allows Dunnigan to open up about Olga's story which the audience see through flashbacks.
Publicity photo of Fred MacMurray, Alida Valli and Frank Sinatra from The Miracle of the Bells (1948).
She's determined to become a star and knows she has very little time to achieve her goal. Dunnigan steps in as her savior in more ways than one. As it turns out Dunnigan has discovered a wonderful new talent in Olga and works to get her the role of Joan of Arc in a film produced by Marcus Harris (Lee J. Cobb). Olga turns out a marvelous performance only to die the day after the film is finished. Harris threatens to shelve the film and reshoot it with another star. Dunnigan is determined to save Olga's legacy. He wants to make her funeral a national story. How does he do it? He pays 5 churches of Coaltown to ring their bells continuously for 72 hours hoping this will bring national attention to Olga and change Harris' mind about shelving the film. In order to make a difference Dunnigan will have to go big or go home.
The Miracle of the Bells (1948) might have an odd plot but this quirk film will draw you in and hold your attention. You can't help but root for the main characters even while you're scratching your head with confusion. The first scenes of the film show Dunnigan (MacMurray) bringing Olga's body to Coaltown and this sets a morbid tone to the film. It's not a weepy nor is the film overly sentimental. Which is odd because I think that was the intention in the first place. Because this film is so strange its quirks make it seem more genuine despite of itself. There are religious overtones but it's not heavy handed. Flashback scenes give us plenty of time to learn about Olga and to watch as her relationship with Dunnigan develops. They also give us a respite from the somber tone of the present day's situation.
This movie did not fare well despite it being based on the best-selling novel by Russell Janney. It suffered a financial loss at the box office and it was released when Frank Sinatra's career was on a downward spiral. Most people give this film unfavorable reviews however I liked it despite its flaws. Maybe you just have to be in the right mood to enjoy it.
The Miracle of the Bells (1948) is available on DVD and Blu-Ray from Olive Films.
