lzcutter

Also, without the war there would not have been *Hope and Glory*. Would there have been the British "kitchen sink" films so popular in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Without them, Lindsey Anderson, Malcolm McDowell, Richard Harris, Michael Caine, Dirk Bogarde, Laurence Harvey all would have had different careers. Without the war, would Alec Guinness have had as many memorable roles? He wouldn't have won the Academy Award for *Bridge* and as I mentioned in the previous post, David Lean's career would be altered. Without the Cold War would we have gotten a secret agent named, "Bond, James Bond" who turned out to be immensely popular? Once you start pulling on the string of no World War II, it leads many different places and affects many different things, not just American film. Speaking of American films, think of the directors- George Stevens, John Ford, John Huston, William Wyler, Frank Capra and the stars-Gable, Stewart, Power, etc- who were all affected by WWII and that in turn affected some of their films and roles. Stevens didn't make comedies after he came home from war. Ford wouldn't have made *They Were Expendable*. Had he not gone to war would Tyrone Power's career arc been different? Without WWII, no Audie Murphy. There would have been no Hollywod Canteen. How different would the Andrew Sisters career have been? Without WWII there would be no atomic bomb, no Cold War and without the fear of the Communists, would there have been no blacklist, no House of UnAmerican Activities, how would that have affected countless careers including John Garfield's? Without the Communists and the Domino affect, no Korean War, no Vietnam War and the whole arc of history is changed. I have to stop tugging on that string!

FredC, The telcoms want to charge more, much more. One of the ideas floating around is to charge people by the minute, like the old Ma Bell days of long distance calling. And the minutes would be the length of the film. But they also want to be able to charge for not only the amount of time but the amount of bandwidth people are using. People who frequently watch films and tv via streaming eat up a great deal of bandwidth.. Right now, many people are finding that streaming, even at the higher speed like yours, during peak hours (8:00 pm-Midnight) is often slowed down because of the number of people on that bandwith also streaming. The telcoms figure people will be willing to pay a higher rate to get that higher bandwidth speed and thus not have to worry about the peak hour demands.

>On the other hand if Murdoch resent t.cm ,He can slow down the internet connection speed or eliminate this website,The same for time Warner Neither Rupert Murdoch or Time-Warner own the internet. The telcom companies, however, want very much to be able to charge a tiered system for streaming and downloading movies. The more you pay, the faster connection you can have. The less you pay, the slower your connection and the buffering problems that come with it. The FCC made a mistake years ago when the mis-categorized the internet. They have to correct that mistake and categorize it properly to be able to police it and keep the telcoms from instituting a tiered system that favors those willing to pay more. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-lazarus-20140117,0,1949780.column#axzz2qnHAQ759

There likely would have been no Manhattan Project, thus no atomic bomb or Cold War which would have impacted the 1950s "monster" movie craze which often hinged on atomic testing and the uneasiness movie goers felt about the Cold War. No *The Thing* or *Them!* or *It Came From Outer Space*, *The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms*, *Tarantula* or many of the others. Without the war, movie goers may not have wanted movies that reflected more about their lives than the escapism that movies had offered during the Depression. There wouldn't have been *The Best Years of Our Lives*. The boom in housing and the suburbs probably would have been slower and more gradual thus prolonging the life of movie palaces in the downtown areas of major cities. Or would the Paramount Decree and television have come much earlier and with it the dismantling of the star and studio system? There wouldn't have been the baby boom which would have meant no movies catering to the teen age crowd the way AIP and Roger Corman did in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Not only would there have not been WWII movies in the 1940s but there also would not have been *The Great Escape*, *The Bridge on the River Kwai* (which might have impacted David Lean's career and *Lawrence of Arabia* ), *Where Eagles Dare*, *The Spy Who Came in from the Cold* and countless others. Would film noir be as celebrated today as it is without WWII and the anxiety of the Cold War? Think of all those great noir thrillers in the late 1940s and in the 1950s that possibly wouldn't have been made or had the same impact. Would *Invasion of the Body Snatchers* be as memorable or even have been made? Lots to consider.

Ro- That was the bee's knees! I loved it! Thanks so much for sending it my way!

Thank y'all kindly for the lovely birthday messages! I truly appreciate it. Now, I need to find my rockin' chair!

Thanks for the birthday wishes, Suex2! I really appreciate it!

Also surprised that *Fruitvale Station* and *Mandala: Long Walk to Freedom* didn't get any noms. Surprised *Blue Jasmine* lost out in Best Picture noms but Cate Blanchett, who will likely win, was nominated for Best Actress. Very suprised that *Blackfish* and *Stories We Tell* weren't nominated for Best Documentary. *Stories We Tell* was the front runner and with it now not in the running, perhaps *20 Feet from Stardom* has a better chance. Lastly, no noms for *The Butler* and no nom for Joaquin Phoenix for *Her* or Spike Jonez for directing the film.

I, too, was surprised by the absence of Tom Hanks for *Captain Philips*. Also surprised that *Inside Llewyn Davis* didn't make the cut for Best Picture. Very surprised that Oprah Winfrey and Emma Thompson got shut out for *The Butler* and *Saving Mr. Banks* respectfully Very surprised that the only nom that *Captain Philips* received was for Best Supporting Actor (no Best Director nom). Was surprised that Robert Redford failed to get a nom for *All is Lost*. Also surprised that *Philomenia* only scored a Best Actress.nom and Harvey Weinstein proves again what a master salesman he is with noms for both Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts for *August: Osage County*. There are probably a few others but I need to study the noms a bit deeper.

Ben Johnson is the first one that comes to mind. was a rodeo rider before being discovered. Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott may not have started out as working cowboys but both had working ranches in the San Fernando Valley where they didn't just sit on the porch and tell others what to do.

>No message left. I'm sick to my stomach right now. Harlowfan, I do know that when the fan programmers were called for the 15th anniversary, TCM staff who did the calling left messages with their name and phone number so that we could call them back if we weren't available when they first called. I would imagine if someone from TCM called regarding fan programmers for the 20th anniversary, they would have left a message, or tried to call you back at another time or reached out to you via email or through social media. Did you enter the Ultimate Fan Contest? If so, perhaps they were calling to let you know who the winner was. If they didn't leave a message, perhaps they weren't calling from TCM?

>Where did you find this information? It was originally announced at the TCM Film Festival last year. I heard the staff talking about it during the *Meet the Staff* panel on the first day of the Festival. Will McKinley wrote about it here: http://willmckinley.wordpress.com/2013/05/11/10-things-i-learned-at-the-tcm-classic-film-festival/ Not sure how the fan programmers were chosen this time but for the 15th anniversary they chose fans from various TCM forums. I suspect they did a similar thing this time choosing people from the message boards, the TCM Facebook page, Cruise participants and Festival goers. The winner of the Ultimate Fan Contest will also be on the channel introducing a film with Robert O- at least according to the original description of the contest. http://fancontest.tcm.com/ That winner will also receive a free TCM Festival pass (and one for their guest) and introduce a film during this year's Film Festival in April. Hopefully, the caller in November left you a message (?).

>I wonder if they are cutting corners and ordering cheaper prints? It probably has more to do with the studios and piracy. The studios may be sending less than optimal digital prints in hopes of cutting down on Youtube uploads and bootlegging. Studios can spend major $$$ to preserve and restore a film. They want to recoup as much of that as possible when the film goes to DVD or Blu. If a good print airs on TCM, it soon after is often uploaded to Youtube and/or DVR copies are sold through various websites. This cuts into the money the studio can make from the DVD or Blu release. It is one of the reasons that Warner Archives (and others) have a moratorium on their recent releases being made available to TCM until at least a year has passed.

They also reference *NBNW* in the James Spader show, *The Blacklist* on NBC.

Joe, I never made the connection when I was younger and watching Tom Tryon movies but in that photo he looks like he could be Dennis Quaid's father.

>Any place one can access past Challenge schedules?? Lydecker, Unfortunately, they are spread out through the archives. It would be great if the past challenges were in a dedicated forum and the WebAdmin could move any new Challenges there after their conclusion. I keep a spreadsheet for archival purposes. Guess it's the historian in me.

Congrats, LP! I have updated the spreadsheet (and links) of past Challenges. Looking forward to the next edition!

The Best Western on Highland Avenue- I have a good friend that stays there for during the Festival and he has good things to say about the hotel. http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/US/CA/Hollywood-hotels/BEST-WESTERN-Hollywood-Plaza-Inn/Hotel-Overview.do?propertyCode=05491 It's only a couple of blocks north of Hollywood Blvd. As for places to visit- The DeMille Barn- home of Hollywood Heritage is on North Highland Ave (probably across from the hotel) and a treasure trove of early Hollywood history. The barn was used in DeMille's first movie filmed in Hollywood, *The Squaw Man* and is one of the oldest landmarks in Hollywood. Be sure to view the Capital Records building (the one shaped like a stack of 45s) on North Vine just above Hollywood. The Hollywood Walk of Fame, the forecourt in front of Grauman's and be sure to check out the Egyptian. It would probably be a good idea to check out the locations of the theaters that will be part of the Festival as well as the Roosevelt so that you know where places are. Musso and Frank's is the oldest eatery in Hollywood and is located on Hollywood Blvd. Paramount Studios is south of Hollywood Blvd at Gower and Melrose. They offer a studio tour. The original Columbia Studios lot in Hollywood is located at Sunset and Gower and is now primarily a television studio. Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles is a terrific place to eat. Located on Gower just north of Sunset. The church from *War of the Worlds* is located on Highland and you will drive or walk by it on your way down to the Blvd. For more ideas of historic places, check out this thread- Historic Hollywood sites: http://forums.tcm.com/thread.jspa?threadID=152178&start=60&tstart=60 Looking forward to seeing you in April!

Everyone had terrific schedules! This is always the hardest part of the challenge, the voting. It is never easy and this one is no different. That said, after much thought, back and forth debating in my head, my vote goes to Fedya. I can't recall a schedule that has made me smile more while imagining it on the channel!

Are you or Helen still having problems? Looks like the techs did a reset this afternoon and posters seem to be having fewer issues now.

>Can anyone out there list a few of Wayne's better films that AREN'T westerns or war movies, where he has a major role and not just as a cameo as he has in Baby Face ? Andy, I would recommend *The Long Voyage Home* directed by John Ford, *Hatari* directed by Howard Hawks and *The High and the Mighty* directed by William Wellman,

>Curiously, while the VHS and Laserdisc releases of the movie feature the director's cut, the director's cut has never been released on DVD, only the shorter original theatrical release. If I recall the issues properly (it's been a few years): The original film elements are in very bad shape. The roadshow print that was used for the laserdisc version has faded badly and fell victim to Vinegar Syndrome ( basically rendering it unusable without considerable restoration). The film was shot on Eastman stock prior to 1961 when improvements were made to the stock but the bottom line is that Eastman color fades,sometimes badly. over the years. The original elements are in bad shape and the 65mm separation masters that were made as back ups were not produced properly and suffer focus issues. The original 6-track stereo soundtrack, that won an Academy Award, elements also have fallen victim to Vinegar Syndrome. The bottom line is that restoring this film, even from the 70mm print used in the laserdisc version, will take major, major $$$$. There was a fundraising movement spearheaded by preservationist Robert Harris a few years ago to raise the $1.4 million needed to do the restoration properly but they were unable to raise the funds. Meanwhile, the prints and elements continued to deteriorate. Robert Harris has wanted to restore this film for quite some time. Only recently has word come out that there might be some movement on the horizon. Here's hoping.

Try clearing your internet cache files. That has cleared up the problem in the past..

lavenderblue, Happy New Year! Hope you are having a good year so far. >For the last 2 days I've been getting that HTTP Status page that says the server encountered an internal error. Having problems going from one forum to another without getting that message. It might be worth cleaning out the cache files in your internet history. Sometimes that helps clear up the problem. That has helped in the past when I've encountered this problem. Hope it helps you!

Thank you so much for the kind words. If either of you (or anyone else) has questions concerning the festival, please post them. Our goal is to help everyone have as great time! As for San Francisco, the weather is definitely cooler up there than in the City of Angels. Fog, clouds and perhaps drizzle are not uncommon there any time of the year compared to the sunshine of the City of Angels. If you need some suggestions for places to visit in SF, don't hesitate to ask. Many festival goers have made the trek north to SF in the last few years and many Angelenos visit the City by the Bay on a regular basis and can recommend must-see places for film lovers.