TCM Classic Film Festival 2017: Day 2 Recap

Greetings from the Hollywood! On Friday I attended my fifth hand and footprint ceremony and it's my fourth time covering this event for my blog. The honorees this time were Carl Reiner and Rob Reiner. It was the first time a father and son have been honored with dual imprints in cement. There were lots of special guests. We got to hear speeches from Ben Mankiewicz, Tom Bergeron and Billy Crystal. Also in attendance was Norman Lear, Cary Elwes and Kevin Nealon among others. I'll have a full report soon. In the meantime here is a sneak peak.

Kevin Nealon

Billy Crystal

Carl Reiner and Rob Reiner

Cary Elwes and Norman Lear

Afterwards I had some time to kill so I ate lunch and hung out at the Delta charging area. They had three photo stations where you could pose with backdrops. The films featured were Born Yesterday, The Palm Beach Story and The Graduate.

Delta also had a photo printout station. All you had to do was tweet or Instagram a photo using hashtag #TCMFF and they could print out a commemorative copy for you. Of course I had to have a copy of that epic moment when I met Dick Cavett. I think out of all the years that Delta has had a charging station, this year's concept was the best. The seats were great, I loved the backdrops and the photo printout idea was a winner.

Then I attended my first movie of the day, Panique (1946). Every year I try something new. This French film directed by Julien Duvivier was one I had not heard of and I'm glad I saw it. I'll have a full report soon. In attendance was Pierre Simenon, son of author Georges Simenon. The film is an adaptation of Simenon's book. Surprise guest Norman Lloyd was in the audience. Seeing him at TCMFF never gets old.

Then I made my way over to Larry Edmunds Bookshop. I had a great chat with Jeff and Sean and I bought a couple of books while I was there. If you're ever in Hollywood, make sure you stop by. It's a classic movie lover's paradise.

Larry Edmunds Book Shop

Edward G. Robinson's memoir All My Yesterdays

I then headed over to the Egyptian theatre to get in line for my favorite pre-code of all time Red-Headed Woman (1932). We had about half an hour before they seated us so Jay, host of #Bond_Age_ and the Cinema Shame podcast and cocktail connoisseur, and I headed over to the Pig n Whistle for some gin gimlets. Having a cocktail with Jay was high on my list of TCMFF must dos so I'm glad we were able to find a window of time to make it happen.

Cheers!

Cari Beauchamp introduced Red-Headed Woman at the Egyptian. The film seemed a lot sillier when I watched it with an audience.

Jay and I made our way over to Grauman's Chinese theater for Mel Brooks' High Anxiety (1977). I had never seen this Alfred Hitchcock spoof. Mel Brooks was in attendance and we were treated to a hilarious interview that ended up being even funnier than the film. Ben Mankiewicz and Mel Brooks could have talked for hours and we'd all be okay with that. I noticed this year that TCM is projecting the interview on the big screen so people in the back can see the host and special guest. This was brilliant and made the experience much more enjoyable.

Mel Brooks and Ben Mankiewicz

Another item high on my list of TCMFF musts was to attend the midnight screening of Zardoz (1974). While I'm glad I did it, I had a very mixed experience. This film was just terrible and I was so exhausted I slept through at least half of it. Midnight screenings are all about the social experience and so many of my friends were there. Millie of Classic Forever convinced Carlos to come. He had a blast. My favorite moment of the screening was when it's revealed in the movie that the name "Zardoz" comes from the Wizard of Oz. Everyone exclaimed "oohhhhh". It was a nice aha moment when the film was primarily filled with what-the-hell-is-going-on moments.

I don't know if I'll review this film here. Probably not. Let's just say it was really bizarre and everyone involved must have been on some serious drugs.

The midnight screening crew and a bonus shot of Matt Patterson

Day 3 and 4 recaps are coming soon!

TCM Classic Film Festival 2017: Day 1 Recap

In the Heat of the Night (1967) 50th anniversary red carpet premiere

Greetings from Hollywood! The first day of the 2017 TCM Classic Film Festival kicked off with a bang. The opening night picture In the Heat of the Night (1967) had a 50th anniversary celebration with guests including Sidney Poitier, Lee Grant, Norman Jewison, Walter Mirisch, Quincy Jones and Scott Wilson. I was on the red carpet and had the opportunity to interview some of the guests. Full coverage and video is coming very soon. Here is a sneak peek. (And no I didn't see Sidney Poitier unfortunately. It'll be my greatest TCMFF failure.)

Walter Mirisch

Scott Wilson

Beau Bridges

Leonard Maltin

Stathis Giallelis

Todd Fisher

John Landis

Stay tuned for my interviews with Dick Cavett, Stathis Giallelis, Todd Fisher, Leonard Maltin, author Beverly Gray and more.

On the red carpet with the lovely Dick Cavett

After dinner at Boardner's with bloggers Danny, Kim and Jeff, my husband Carlos, and Marya of TCM, I headed over to the Chinese Multiplex to catch Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962) with Jeff and Wade of The Retro Set.

I'll have much more to come on future posts and recaps. See you in La La Land.

Alive and Kicking (2016)

What do classic movie fans do when they want to pursue their passion in other avenues? They wear vintage clothes and shoes. They style their hair in mid-century up-dos or slicked back styles. They collect big band albums and jazz records. They frequent estate sales and thrift shops. They attend historical revivals. And... they swing dance. Did you know that the resurgence of interest in classic movies of the home video era was instrumental in revitalizing swing dancing?

"Once they see those films, they really want to do it."

Let's start from the beginning. Swing dancing originated in Harlem during the Great Depression. It was a street dance with roots in the Charleston dance style of the 1920s. This dance was influenced greatly by the music of Louis Armstrong, Count Basie and Duke Ellington. The African-American community brought swing dancing to the ballroom. Herbert Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, made up of dancers including Norma Miller, Frankie Manning and others, brought it to Hollywood in films like Hellzapoppin' (1940), the Marx Bros.' A Day at the Races (1937) and shorts like Groovie Movie (1944). Swing dancing transcended its Harlem roots to become a nation-wide phenomenon. While the Lindy Hop is the most popular, many styles found their niches including West Coast and East Coast swing, Boogie-Woogie, Collegiate Shag, Jive, Rock n Roll, Blues dancing and countless others.

"It was the one relief you had from the bad times." - Norma Miller on dancing during the Great Depression

Swing dancing went out of fashion in post-WWII America. New dances came into fashion and swing dancing was soon forgotten. Movies came to the rescue in the home video era starting in the 1980s and escalating into the 1990s. People watched swing dancing on screen and felt the urge to do it themselves. The craze caught on again and legends like Frankie Manning, who had retired from dancing and became a postal worker to make ends meet, were in demand again. According to dance historian Rusty Frank, the movies Swing Kids (1993) and Swingers (1996) and the widespread appeal of Gap's 1998 Khaki Swing commercial  firmly established swing dancing as part of American culture again. However this time around it wouldn't become a mainstream fad. Instead it would find a home in a community of enthusiasts who put their heart and soul into this rediscovered dance style.

"Nobody does social dancing than Lindy Hop." - Norma Miller

Susan Glatzer's new documentary Alive and Kicking (2016) explores the culture that grew from the resurgence of swing dancing. In today's technology age, everyone is constantly connected yet disconnected. Dancing forces you to be out of your head and into your body and to connect with someone face to face. It's the ultimate rebellion against the isolation of modern life because it forces you to me intimate with strangers. This documentary explores swing dancing as a community, a spiritual experience, as therapy, as a secret conversation between two people and as a way to bridge the generations. Swing dancers come in all shapes, sizes, ethnicities, genders and ages. They travel the world to compete against and to connect with other dancers. While there's some money to be made by winning competitions, most dancers work full-time jobs and swing dance on the side or they make a living through teaching their art.

 "Swing dancing is the pursuit of happiness." - Evita

Alive and Kicking isn't a historical documentary. Nor is it instructional or specifically about swing dancing competitions. It truly is about the culture of the dancers. Interview subjects include swing dancing legends Frankie Manning, Norma Miller and Dawn Hampton as well as young up-and-comers Evita, Emilie and Rebecka and Steve and Chanzie. We learn about what motivates them, why they love dance and how they approach the lifestyle and prepare for competition. The film mainly focuses on these rising stars but it also includes interviews with many other dancers and experts. I enjoyed learning about these young dancers as much as I did about the legends. Manning and Hampton have since passed away and Norma Miller is still with us at the swingin' age of 97. Fun fact: you can watch all three of these dancers in the Lindy Hop scene of Malcolm X (1992).

"Happiness is just a few steps away."

This documentary includes many dance numbers with a focus on the Lindy Hop style, an improvised dance which is also highly technical. I appreciated this documentary for what it taught me about the culture and the dancers. I would have loved to learn more about the technical aspects of the dance but that was not the intention of the film. It did make me want to take a swing dancing lesson or two!

Alive and Kicking is a contemporary documentary but I think it'll appeal highly to the vintage community as well as to classic movie fans. It revitalized my interest in the vintage life and awakened my curiosity about swing dancing.

Alive and Kicking (2016) will be in theatres and available online April 7th. Visit the official website for more information. Thank you to Magnolia Pictures for the opportunity to review this film. Stay tuned as I'll be sharing my interview with writer, director and producer Susan Glatzer as well as swing dancing legend Norma Miller soon.