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No matter what, ***big thanks*** to whomever spared the MESSAGEBOARDS during this reinventioneering and to everyone who manages and moderates them. (Believe it or not, I would miss most of you very much were they to go away a la IMDb)

The New INTRO Format - A Thumbnail Critique Just watched Ben's first intro in the new format. It's pretty good I have to say. The format borrows extensively from what Eddie Muller has been doing for several years now. (Which I have always enjoyed.) It is better than staring at the host for three minutes because it's visually more informative with photos and film clips. The set is bright and airy. Not my taste but it looks like they spent a few bucks on it. Ben was sans tie which fits his personality. I imagine he must be relieved of that. So, yeah, there I said it, Kudos TCM! ------------------------------------------ Update: Looks like the first night was the only night so far for the added visuals. Thus far it's just been Ben and the rolling camera. I looked up quickly and got a little nauseous! LOL! Not because of Ben but the rolling camera. The visuals were a welcome addition but I fear if all we're going to get is that rolling camera every night, then for me VERTIGO will always be on the schedule! ------------------------------------------ Second UPDATE: No new sets for Dave Karger? At least it doesn't look that way. A piece of new furniture perhaps? He did get a new Logo Mug for his table. If this is the case then all of this is really much ado about nothing.

"Younger" audiences aren't attracted by logos, typefaces, colors...branding. They are attracted to the station by hearing directors they admire (ie Cohen Bros, Tarantino, Spielberg, Scorsese, etc) talk about the classic films that influenced them & checking them out. Ask any teen if they want to see a "Hitchcock film" and they know it's old but should be good. I don't know about you, but I enjoy the inclusion of the past "incorrectness" shown in movies. Nothing is more shocking than seeing how women, non-whites and kids were acceptably treated 100 years ago. Seeing it in a movie where you're emotionally involved in the story is a much better historical context than some talking head dweeb 'splainin' it away. What TCM (and any classic movie fan) needs to do instead of trying to smooth over the "political incorrectness" of old movies, is to reassure younger people black&white, foreign & silent films can be worth watching. Personally, that's the prejudice I'd like to see "awakened".

Have to say here slayton that this thought, the idea that Poitier's line somehow implied he thought himself in any way "superior" to his father or that Poitier was "giving up his heritage", has never crossed my mind. (...nope, I've always felt it implied Poitier felt or at least hoped he was entering a more color-blind world, or at least one that was or would be more color-blind than the one his father had been born into just a generation earlier)

Original graphics elements Robert Osborne 2001 (RIP)

https://pressroom.warnermedia.com/us/media-release/where-then-meets-now-turner-classic-movies-unveils-new-look-meet-moment I don't mind the "refresh." It's colorful, it has a retro, yet modern vibe, I like it. I believe all the abstract designs are supposed to be various C's that match the "4 key C's of the brand" curate, context, connection, culture. A while back, when TCM changed the website to black and white, everyone complained about that. Now they add color and everyone's complaining about that. They change the font from one with serifs, to one without. They literally just changed their slogan (from the "let's movie" slogan that everyone complained about) and gave their marketing a new look as an attempt to give Classic Hollywood a modern, fresh look, yet everyone's complaining. TCM tries new things and continues to evolve to attract new audiences and people complain. However, if TCM were to keep their 1994 look and never change, people would complain that they've gotten stale and refuse to update. The way that everyone on social media (Twitter and Facebook included) are carrying on, one would have thought that they had added commercials. Frankly, I'm just sick of the constant complaining about things that are so innocuous like a channel's attempts to keep up with modern sensibilities even though at the core, they still have the same mission they had 27 years ago.

Thank you! Heck, when TCM debuted in 1994, I was 10. I loved the old logos that featured the various retro-designed people as part of the logo. I specifically remember there being a gangster type, a glamorous woman, I think there was a cameraman, and I'm sure a lot more. What I do remember about TCM during that time, when internet and websites were in their infancy, is that TCM had a TERRIBLE website. The schedules were very difficult to navigate. I remember it being easier to look up the schedule in our TV Guide (not the periodical) supplement that came in the Sunday paper. I remember Robert Osborne when he was "young (relatively speaking, of course) and obviously he was wonderful. I also loved the guy who hosted AMC, he had a very Osborne-like quality as well, but obviously wasn't the same. The host of A&E's Biography also had the same quality. However, I'm sure I was in the minority watching old movies at the age of 10 on TCM. Even through high school, I knew very few people who watched old movies and old television shows. However, in recent years, with social media and a focus on making TCM more mainstream and more relatable to the younger demographic, there are tons of people who are obsessed with classic film. Even the lesser known actors (e.g. not household names), not just Marilyn Monroe or Audrey Hepburn, have devout fans. People like Reginald Gardiner, Ann Dvorak, Joan Blondell, Jean Arthur, Aline MacMahon, Joel McCrea, Judy Holliday... All have rabid fans online. These fandoms are directly responsible for more books and articles being researched and written about people who previously had nothing written about them. How many more Monroe biographies does the world need? However, who wouldn't love a biography about SZ Sakall?!

Thank you Yancey. I caught the first film of the evening (The Barkleys of Broadway) after it already started, so I haven't yet seen Ben on his new set; but I did see a photo of it and I liked it. It had a nice, clean contemporary look. Of course, over on Twitter, people are complaining about his set; but people were complaining about his previous set. Frankly, I'm tired of the constant whining, TCM is damned if they do, damned if they don't. I really like the new look. It has a clean, fun, retro, yet modern vibe that I think jives well with TCM's mission to keep Classic Hollywood alive by introducing modern audiences. TCM cannot survive if they only cater to one demographic. More and more younger audiences are discovering (and devouring) TCM and classic film every day. One GOOD thing about social media is that it provides an outlet for people to connect and sometimes even bond over their love of classic film. Classic movies are such a niche interest and whatever TCM can do to make them more mainstream (which in turn, provides more opportunities for access to perhaps more obscure films), is A-ok in my book. ...As long as they stay commercial free.

Indiscreet (1958) A truly sophisticated, wonderfully talented, and very successful woman falls in love with the ultimate forbidden fruit - a married man who can not get a divorce. This movie is the most soul-warming and heart-comforting movie ever made. It shows true romance in gentle touches, soft smiles and the joy of just being together. The lingering shots of doors closing discreetly are utterly sensual. I am sorry to say that it might be a spoiler but the deepest and most meaningful scene in any movie is when she is in her bathrobe with her face covered with cold cream and is acting totally silly and turns to see the most handsome and desirable man who ever existed is standing in the archway watching her. We instantly feel her mortification and desire to become two inches tall and sneak away unseen. This is the ultimate love story within the mystical and mythic world of those who are aristocratic by right of talent. It is the good humor and gentle wit of those who know their lives are blessed. (Anna: "I wish you didn't have any money. [Pause] I wonder if I would have said that if you had not just bought a yacht.") I love Ingrid Bergman in all things but she is here beyond perfection especially after the 1:04:40 mark when there crops up the tiniest little fly in the ointment. This is a romance but it is not a women-only movie! It is one of my little fuzzy's favorites of all time. I believe that this may in part be because all men wish to be Cary Grant and this is at his most suave and smooth. I believe he identifies deeply also with Cary Grant's little subterfuge. The beauty and charm of Ingrid Bergman is not lost on him. 10/10 This is now available for viewing for free with commercials on: PlutoTV and free to subscribers to: Amazon Prime Video.

Original TCM 404 page

Zelig (1983) The Three Faces of Eve (1957) Sybil (TV movie) (1976) Charly (1968) Transamerica (2005) Boyhood (2014) Alice in Wonderland (Drink Me) (1951/2010) The Fly (1986) An American Werewolf in London (1981) The Exorcist (1973)

The Enchanted Cottage (1945) Teen Wolf (1985)

Well said! I ask myself: do I want TCM to still exist in 20 years? My answer is, of course, yes. The next question is: how does TCM keep adding to its audience over the next 20 years so that it still has a reason to exist? I’m no expert on such things, but I have a feeling that it must have something to do with presenting the channel in a way that’ll appeal to people younger than me, so that there continues to be an audience for these wonderful movies. So, while I already miss the old TCM logo and some of the other aspects of the “old” TCM style (although that style never was static), the reality is that TCM has to change to keep existing. As long as they don’t change the core mission — presenting classic movies, mostly from the Golden Age of Hollywood, with hosts, commentary, context, and associated shorts and trailers, with no commercials — I can live with changes in the presentation.

Humphrey Bogart in Dark Passage Ellen Burstyn in Resurrection

To the TCM hosts: If I want a film studies course, I will enroll in a film studies course. But I have no interest whatsoever to do that. I just want to watch some d*** movies! Leave me alone.

I think the new set (for Ben only? or will the other hosts get their own digs?) is pretty not too bad. It reminds me more of Rob and Laura Petrie's house than a classic movie hang-out, but no real objections to it. Ben's intro and outro seemed par for the course; and, as I don't care much for him as a host, I just tune him out most of the time. (Times like these, Dargo, that I wish I had a mute button on my remote) The one thing I do have beef with is simply that the whole make-over is too frenetic and overly busy. Back in the mid-60's I had a neighbor who, when her kids got too rambunctious, would shriek "Knock it off, you're making me psychedelic!" Well, TCM/TOM, you guys are making me psychedelic! But that's just me, and I see that other people around here are fine with the new look -- de gustibus.... Now, didn't whirling cameras hit their high point a couple of years ago so that that technique could never again be inflicted on a viewing audience? While glimpsing some of the coming attractions and other fillers, I find I'm channelling my inner Mel Brooks from "The Critic" as weird geometric shapes just float around behind what I'm supposed to be paying attention to. Oh well. Could be worse. Brian

I feel people are over thinking and over analyzing these recent TCM changes (and I say the word changes lightly). Yes I know, I over think and over analyze too...but I save my over thinking and over analyzing for movies and television shows. I never analyze the hosts because I consider them temporary in the long term scheme of things (the movies will be around 50 years from now, the hosts won't be). And I try not to analyze the channel too much because it's not the only channel around and likely it will continue to evolve and change (there's that word again) whether people like it or not. You cannot cling to TCM circa 1995 for the rest of your days. What is happening is that people are trying to superimpose the word classic on to the hosts and the channel itself. The hosts and the channel (and its sets, politics and themes) facilitate classic film, they in and of themselves are not classic things. My view.

Help! (1965) Thunderball (1965) The Day of the Dolphin (1973) The Story of Adele H. (1975) Jaws: The Revenge (1987) Casino Royale (2006) Fool's Gold (2008) Note: at least seven James Bond movies filmed their underwater scenes in the Bahamas (presumably to take advantage of the crystal-clear water). But I believe Thunderball and Casino Royale are the only two where the action within the film is supposed to be taking place there.

My complaint is the cost. All that money for a refresh could've gone to lease films that have never been shown on TCM (and there are many). They waste all this money on "looks" and not content.

Right back at ya!

Reincarnation -- LET'S LIVE AGAIN THE RETURN OF OCTOBER HERE COMES MR JORDAN/HEAVEN CAN WAIT Religious conversion -- LES MISERABLES SERGEANT YORK TROUBLE WITH ANGELS Moral transformation -- SCROOGE THE GRINCH LARCENY, INC GUYS AND DOLLS YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU Makeover -- LADY FOR A DAY PRINCESS DIARIES VERTIGO CINDERELLA THE SMILING LIEUTENANT Physical transformation -- A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM X-MEN SPIDERMAN NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and other zombie movies THE SWORD IN THE STONE

Nice to read a positive comment for a change!

Let's see. This promo introducing the new TCM versus this work of genius introducing TCM when it first became a network. You make the call.

If THIS turns out to be the case, then I can't WAIT to see how the hosts will explain Blazing Saddles to all those poor little overly-sensitive wokesters out there in the coming years! (...hell, THAT would be worth the price of my constantly rising cable bill right THERE!!!) LOL

Ever Since Eve Marion Davies de-glam's to transform herself into a 'plain' secretary Dorky Prof. Kelp transforms into Mr. Cool, Buddy Love in The Nutty Professor Nia Vardalos transforms her life, and looks, in My Big Fat Greek Wedding

OH well, in THAT case, then why not just colorize it and MAYBE even add some kind'a CGI effects to where Homer Parrish can transform himself into a superhero with just a click of his hooks?! Now THAT would SURELY bring the kids around to seein' how great a film this truly is, wouldn't ya say, TB?!! (...yep, we must surely cater to the tastes of the modern generation of movie-goers, alright!) LOL

Hey hey! Art Deco was considered "Streamline Moderne" and adapted in the late 50's as "Atomic". Both are interesting, innovative styles, the difference is Moderne is smooth lines & Atomic is more dynamic. Most big design shifts come center decade- 1965-1975 and 1945-1955. I've collected Moderne for years and am so glad others have finally come around to liking/appreciating & buying it! Agreed on dumb "upgrade". Disagree on making it "period" design style. I loved the original TCM charactor logos: They were of their time, but paid homage to classic movie genres. I especially loved the animated ones.

Hello TCM Techies! Since the update to your Roku app yesterday (9/1/21) that features your new logo and graphics, I can no longer watch TCM programming on my Roku devices. The app initially loaded and allowed me to accept terms of use and login with my provider, and then the app crashed and went back to the Roku Home Screen. I have several different Roku devices, some are TVs, some are Roku Sticks, and one is a Roku Express. None of them work after the update. They all do the same thing when I open the app. They load, show the Watch TCM Home Screen briefly and then crash, taking me back to the Roku Home Screen. Since they are all different types of Roku devices, and they all do the exact same thing, I can only assume you have a software coding issue with your Roku Watch TCM app, which will require an update to fix. I’ve also uninstalled then reinstalled the app on all my devices to no avail as well The app does, however, work fine on my Amazon FireStick. I thought you might like to know that as well. Please let me know what you intend to do about it. Thank you.

I'm one of those folks who think The Best Years of Our Lives is one of the great American films of all time. Watching it again tonight I was wondering if it would have been as effective had it been shot in color. I was trying to picture it in Technicolor and thinking, no, it's so perfect in black and white. So incredibly moving. Every scene really draws you in and makes you feel something. How can you beat Gregg Toland's cinematography? So sad he died at 44. I wonder how many modern movies would have fared better being shot in black and white?

1995 was so heavy, I'm glad we're back in 1970, but at the same time, I would like to amend my previous statement about the abject stupidity of trying to inject some humor into DARK SHADOWS (as was done so halfassedly in 2012), I would've enjoyed the Hell out of a Special April Fool's Day episode wherein BARNABAS and JULIA take the PARALLEL TIME ROOM to a few disparate destinations before landing in EL MUNDO DE LAS SOMBRAS SINIESTROS, LA TELANOVELA version de DARK SHADOWS, con TODAS LAS ACTORES HABLAN EN ESPANOL...except for a BEWILDERED GRAYSON HALL who keeps asking " does anybody have una cigareto?" (I can just hear the theme music done with MARIACHI SINGING....) PS- APOLOGIES FOR MY BAD SPANISH

Rebel in Town

I have to completely disagree. I think that is one of the greatest lines in the history of movies. To me it says a man is a man if he lives up to the concepts of what it is to be a man. If he has integrity, if he is honorable, if he has courage, if he is honest, then he is indeed A MAN. Skin color is a mere happenstance of birth that determines nothing. That is what that line says to me.

Poor Little Rich Girl, 1936

Interesting points to note. The central plot of the movie is built on impulse; Joey says she and John Prentice met 11 days ago in Hawaii so that's a rather speedy courtship. Anyway, I think ONE POTATO, TWO POTATO is quite a better movie in regards to interracial marriage.

Using MovieCollectorOH's September schedule, this is the distribution of offerings. I don't differentiate between shorts and features. 1910s -1 (Chaplin short) 1920s - 20 (TCM seems to be having some kind of silent film festival at the end of the month.) 1930s -73 1940s - 88 1950s - 106 1960s - 70 1970s - 28 1980s - 12 1990s - 8 2000s - 0 2010s 7 (mainly documentaries) 2020 - 1 (documentary) That doesn't mean that TCM couldn't slowly "creep" forward with the age of the films until the majority are from the 60s instead of the 1950s. The only thing that really holds TCM back from pretending that films pre 1970 do not exist is cost. It is far cheaper to show lots of B films from what Warner Brothers owns from the 30s and 40s than it is to go out and buy films from the modern era. The cost would simply be prohibitive. That being said, I would be willing to bet that no film featuring anybody in blackface with the exception of the Jazz Singer because of its place in film history or negative black stereotypes such as those with Willie Best will ever be shown on the channel again, unless it features a stern lecture pre-film from some Zoomer with body art on his/her forehead. Wonder Bar (1934) was last shown in June 2007at 3AM as part of the Screened Out: Gay Images in Film festival. And Golden Dawn (1930) - last shown in May 2005 - forget about it.

"Strictly off the Record" from YANKEE DOODLE DANDY: "It's not that I like Hyde Park, but I love to park and hide there" next another song from a Cagney movie (whether sung by Cagney or not)

The Great Victor Herbert (1939)

BROKEN ARROW (1950)

Honestly, I don't think I've ever thought a great movie would have been better if it was in color or not. To me, the image...the art...is what it is. If a movie seems perfect, it is. The same with a painting or a piece of music. It just wouldn't be what it is if it wasn't exactly the way it is. I went back and listened to a bunch of Stones songs recently after the death of Charlie Watts. Tal Bachman, the son of the Bachman, Turner Overdrive Bachman wrote a wonderful remembrance of Charlie and pointed out some simple...but absolutely perfect drum sections that made several Stone classics...classics. He was absolutely right. The Rolling Stones would not have been what they were if not for those perfect riffs from Charlie Watts. Some were technically better, but none were Charlie Watts. I suspect if THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES had been in color it would have been no less perfect. Nevertheless, the way it was shot, acted, directed, edited....just seemed right. Film making is a real art. Even a schlub like me can tell the difference. Tal Bachman: Charlie Watts Always Played the Right Thing :: SteynOnline If you read the link I was pleased to see the reference to "She's a Rainbow". It's one of my favorite Stones tunes. I love the piano part that leads into Charlie's drum intro.

And ain't it far superior? The only thing worth watching in the 1941 is INGRID BERGMAN! When that TRACY vehicle was released in 1941, MGM bought up all the Paramount Academy Award winning FREDRIC MARCH prints... Couldn't see it for years which is legendary for Monster Kids.

Well then Brian ol' boy, once again, the ANSWER to this little issue of yours can be found RIGHT HERE, dude... Ya see, all ya gotta do is push that button on your remote control just as you start seein' one of those hosts introduce themselves to ya while they begin their little intro and VOILA, all your troubles will be over in a flash! JUST be sure to hit that button AGAIN when see that MGM Lion or that big Warner Brothers logo beginning to appear on your TV set. (...and 'cause ya see, I PERSONALLY only ever use that button on MY remote control during election years, and because I DON'T want MY intelligence insulted by those damn POLITICAL ADS they run all the damn time on other TV stations during those years...nope, ya see, I can LIVE with Ben's nasally voice and what he's sayin' MUCH better than I can THOSE damn things!!!)

If this guy spent 3 months creating this promo, he must be the slowest producer/editor on earth. I figure once you had the script recorded it should take you a few hours to put this together. Of course, if you had to get approvals for every single shot selected (and I assume that was the case) that would take some time.

This is the second time for Hugo on TCM. Previous showing was on March 1, 2019.

If you read the NY Times article and Warner Media, TCM makes it clear culture does change and they must adapt to it. I guess they figure the baby boomers are dying off (which is true) and change is inevitable. Plus the influence of wokeism. It will be interesting to see the percentage of newer films in future schedules (70's plus) going forward.

Vanessa, Her Love Story (1935)

Toland did work on a Technicolor film, but it's unlikely you'll ever see it again: Disney's Song of the South

Other “Pygmalion” stories— of course MY FAIR LADY GIGI SMALL TIME CROOKS THE TOAST OF NEW ORLEANS MISS CONGENIALITY

And yet despite all these accolades and all the other Oscar recognition given this great film (and which as I've said many a time around here, this being my personal favorite film of all time) I've always found it extremely strange that Toland's terrific cinematography wasn't even nominated for one of those little golden statuettes. (...and Toto...loved that you mentioned the beautifully shot and moving aircraft graveyard scene here)

The Best Years of Our Lives is an amazing film and certainly as you describe "one of the great American films of all time". Gregg Toland's black and white cinematography is stunning. As he did in "Citizen Kane", he used deep focus to allow the viewer to watch important action in the foreground and background at the same time without breaking the scene into many cuts. This actually allows the viewer to decide on what to focus on. The artistic quality of black and white film is hard to describe. It simplifies what is seen and draws attention to shapes and contrasting shadows. In "The Best Years of Our Lives", the black and white cinematography makes me think of WWII because that is how we saw this war - not in color. One of the most striking shots in the film is of the abandoned fighter planes being looked at sadly by the vet pilot.