aretha

And is the part where you repost the link where i should go to BET for its list of films?

This really has gotten ridiculous. i never would have thought my saying that i came to a classic films channel looking for classic Black films during Black History Month would not only question my being a representative of my own demographic but then even be charged with committing slander of the network! Most people don't question television programming at all, even less seek out and post on message boards and even less sit on TCM as celebrities and discuss their viewing preferences. Ultimately, none of us are really all that representative of TCM consumers based on numbers of posters vs. numbers of viewers.

Those two films that you stated were 'tv shows' were movies and are sold as 'movies', even tho they were made for tv. Perhaps those types of movies aren't shown on TCM and you may have a point if that's the case. A Great and Mighty Walk is a documentary of a very famous Black historian, not political in the sense people may assume. i've seen films from the 80's and 90's on TCM before, i'm a viewer. But these films that you took the time to disqualify are certainly not the only films that should be shown. The films of Oscar Micheaux were mentioned, as well as race films. Someone mentioned Ethel Waters, one of my long-time favorite performers whose biography i read when i was a young girl. You'd probably also count out the films of Gordon Parks and the Motown movies. The Education of Sonny Carson. There are films from throughout the diaspora as well, such as the Harder They Come. Again, there are far too many to mention and many that will never be known because their work was repressed thru the machinations of Hollywood.

Of course i, and i hope others, recognize that Black history happens all year long and not just in February. What seems to keep getting lost is my basic statement that many Black viewers specifically come to TCM in search of classic Black films during this month and are disappointed that there are none. i'm not saying in any way, shape or form that there should not be a celebration of Black films in other months, or even in every other month, or celebrations of other peoples of the earth for that matter. Edited by: aretha on Feb 3, 2011 3:28 PM

i appreciate your defense of my original post which i think long ago got lost in the sauce. i believe the channel could and should acknowledge Black History Month, period. As stated, many Black people will gravitate to the channel expecting that a channel dedicated to "classic movies" would feature some classic Black films at this time. i'm not speaking of the entire month being devoted entirely to this as folks seem to be implying, but that at some specified times during the month TCM should show some classic Black Films that wouldn't interfere w/their 31 days of Oscar and multi-task. i just don't think it would be that burdensome to do, if not now, then perhaps in the future. Yeah, to the respondent that mentioned Baghdad Cafe w/CCH Pounder, that is a wonderful film, i love it and thanks for mentioning it! And i agree that it would be great to feature the films that were honored on the vintage Black cinema stamps. We recently lost one of our most fantastic actresses, Abbey Lincoln, and i mentioned Nothing But a Man but also loved For the Love of Ivy. i also want to become emotional again watching Cry, the Beloved Country w/James Earl Jones or any of Cicely Tyson's classics. How about S. Africa's Tsotsi, one of the best films i've ever seen. i hate to start mentioning films because there are so many i've seen and can't recall the names of and also so many i have never seen and will never know of. Hopefully TCM can help to remedy some of that if they can squeeze some into the schedule this Black History Month or maybe create a new tradition next year!

i agree that these channels that target Black consumers should be challenged to show more of our classic films, absolutely, and believe me i write and call them regularly! As i stated earlier in this thread, i was hoping to see these classic films on TCM because they are uncut and shown in their entirety on this channel. This is about what i'm asking for on THIS channel as a viewer. Since we are a part of their viewership we should be able to make requests in their programming, particularly during this month. So for those who just want to shuffle me off to BET or some other channel, understand that is not the point.

Great research, but i most specifically came to TCM this month looking for Black films to view with my grandchildren because i really thought they would focus on them for February, and i can't believe that i'm the only one who thought this. While the focus this month may be on Oscars it's not unreasonable to request that there also be a substantial representation of Black films, as well. Imagine, if you could, that every White TCM film was instead a Black film, even for one week. If you can do that, you might then understand just a bit of why Black folks are yearning to see some decent representation of ourselves at least this one month. i appreciate the poster that wrote about independent films and those off the beaten path because there are a slew of those that are poignant dramas which are just as Oscar worthy as any of those selected by that committee. Thanks to all for your great feedback!

You know, maybe i misspoke when i mentioned The Spook Who Sat by the Door being shown on TCM, i just really love that movie and would love to see it again! It would be nice to see some of the films of the great Oscar Micheaux, or the many, many race films with all-Black casts that were serious and not about buffoonery. i was also thinking about movies like J.T. w/Kevin Hooks, Cornbread, Earl and Me, Claudine, or more recently, Lackawanna Blues. Don't get me started, TCM has far too many to chose from and should feature many more Black films during this month.

i would love to see Amistad, Daughters of the Dust, Sankofa, even Eve's Bayou, the list goes on and on, that don't fall into the "blaxploitation" category and don't feature a Black man in drag. A Great and Mightly Walk on Dr. John Henrik Clarke would be fabulous. It's bad enough that i have to depend on one month to try and see these films, but to not even feature them in Feb. is terribly disappointing. Sorry, i missed everything that may have been shown on King day! It was because of TMC that i first became aware of the films of Charles Burnett when he was a guest and his wonderful slice of life films were featured and i fell in love with his work and the nostalgia of the Black community in the 60's and early 70's. Even if BET or TV One were to show these films, they wouldn't be uncut and that detracts considerably from the enjoyment. Thanks so much for your thoughtful response!

So rarely do we get to see the Black classics such as Nothing But A Man, Killer of Sheep, Take a Giant Step, Native Son, The Spook that Sat By the Door, and so many, many more that are absolutely never featured anywhere except TCM. i'm so disappointed that i don't see a plethora of these types of films dedicated to the Black community this month as has been in the past! We are also a sizable portion of your demographic and watch movies on TCM all year long and although you feature movies with Black actors sporadically, there are just not many "Black" movies that ever get shown on TV. We really look forward to at least being able to view some of our classics during this one month of the year, please reconsider including some, if not many!