lzcutter
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Posts posted by lzcutter
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ClassicGeek,
This may be the oldest issue talked about on these message boards. Since they were created back in 2002, within months,this subject was brought up and it has been a perennial around here ever since.
Have no fear, TCM is not changing into AMC. They bested AMC years ago and have no plans to start adding commercials.
"When AMC went commercial many years ago, the cable affiliates freaked out, because they were getting a lot of complaints from subscribers and they wanted to make sure that TCM never added commercials. And we?ve never have plans to add commercials. I think it?s actually written into some of our affiliate agreements." Charles Tabesh, TCM.
This article addresses some of your concerns:
http://willmckinley.wordpress.com/2013/05/11/10-things-i-learned-at-the-tcm-classic-film-festival/
As for newer movies, they have always been part of the TCM schedule.
As Robert Osborne said in his introduction the day TCM debuted on the channel:
"Hi, welcome to Turner Classic Movies. I'm Robert Osborne, I'm gonna be your host, right here, as we present some of the best, the--finest films ever made, twenty-four hours a day. We're going to be drawing not only from the great film libraries of MGM and Warner Brothers, but also from other outstanding catalogs, so: Come join us, and see not only great films and stars from the past, *but also films from recent years, featuring some of our newest and most watchable stars."*
This is the actual introduction that Robert O gave. It was part of his recent Private Screenings interview that aired earlier this month.
(Emphasis courtesy of slatyonf who transcribed the quote in an earlier thread:)
There have been a number of posters over the years who have provided statistical breakdowns that show that studio era films still make up the bulk of the weekly and monthly scheduling and that the ratio of studio era films vs modern films is still about the same as it has always been, about 20% modern films to 80% studio era films.
As staffers have said:
"And we?re very proud of having stayed true to what that vision was for the network when we launched in 1994.? Genevieve MacGillicuddy, TCM.
Tabesh added: "We?re not trying to reach a broad audience. We?re not trying to maximize the demo. We?re not trying to get the 18-34, whatever it is. There?s none of that that?s considered at all."
?We have a very open mind as to what makes a classic movie. It?s not really about years removed from a movie?s release that makes it okay,? the host said. ?We always, always want to find something that will be relevant and emotional for our audience to see.?
"(O)ur programming won?t change,? Mankiewicz added. "Nothing is going to stop us from showing the movies we already show."
And for the record, TCM is not chasing a younger demographic. Their analysis shows that the majority of their audience is between the ages of 18-54 with the bulk of that audience being under the age of 48.
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Wolfie,
I think the snow storm that clobbered Atlanta may have also impacted the scheduling of announcements this week. There were reports on Facebook of staffers stuck in traffic and snow for hours, abandoning their cars at work in favor of four wheel drive vehicles and from the sounds of things, a great deal of mayhem.
That said, I think one of the reasons that there have been fewer announcements than previous years is that because this is a milestone year for the channel and the festival, they may be holding off on announcements until they are able to get confirmations of guests and films.
Suex2,
*Doctor Strangelove* is also celebrating its 50th anniversary, this month in fact!
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>The modern True Grit remake though was in fact much superior to Wayne's original probably because I am not much of a Wayne fan
You can be a Wayne fan and still love the recent remake of *True Grit*, well, at least I can. I found much to love about the remake but it doesn't take away from my fondness for the original.
Jeff Bridges plays a very different Rooster Cogburn and probably much more like his character would have been in real life.
Hallie Stenfield can act rings around Kim Darby and finally gives the story the Mattie Ross of the novel.
Roger Deakins cinematography is absolutely gorgeous (how after ten times at bat, including this film and *Skyfall* ) has that man not won an Oscar?).
The music is elegiac powered by the hymn that helps propel the story, Leaning on the Everlasting Arms .
And the homages to various classic films throughout the film helps remind us that not all remakes stink (I was going to use a harsher word but didn't want to get censored). and the Coen brothers really know their film history.
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>If I were Robert Osborne or Ben Mankiewicz, I'd be somewhat concern about what this means.
The good news for them is that it lightens their taping schedule a bit. Both Robert O and Ben M keep fairly busy in addition to their on-air TCM duties
Ben M is a new father and Robert O has plenty to keep him busy with his other TCM duties and his writing so they might appreciate having Eddie on board to help shoulder the work.
Robert O is the face of TCM and probably has the job for as long as he wants it and TCM has been very vocal about how happy and appreciative of Ben M they are, so I don't think either has to worry about being dropped any time soon.
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MsW,
I haven't seen *Saving Mr. Banks* yet but have seen *Inside Llewyn Daivs*, *The Secret Life of Walter Mitty*, *American Hustle*, *Dallas Buyers Club* and am seeing *Wolf of Wall Street* later this week.
*Walter Mitty* is a terrific film, perhaps the best Ben Stiller has done.
*American Hustle* is loads of fun especially if you concentrate on the performances, I thought Jennifer Lawrence just terrific but the entire cast is quite good.
*Dallas* shows what a good actor Matthew McConaughey really is and makes me glad to see him turning his career around. He is also quite good in HBO's *True Detective* airing for another five weeks and co-stars with Woody Harrelson in the series.
I really enjoyed *Inside Llewyn Davis* (and like *Mitty*, thought it was beautifully shot) but my husband was turned off by the unlikeability of the main character.
There is a concert film, *Another Day, Another Time* that was done to promote the movie. It is absolutely terrific featuring a terrific line-up of folk singers including the Punch Brothers, Marcus Mumford, Gillian Welch, Dave Rawlings, Willie Watson, Rhiannon Giddens (that girl is going to be major recording star), the Milk Carton Kids, Joan Baez and Jack White (who is better known for fronting the White Stripes but has a major interest in historic Americana music). I highly recommend it if you enjoyed the music of *Davis*.
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I have heard good things about the tour but not taken it myself. It might be worthwhile to create a new thread to find out if other Festival goers are taking the tour this year.
Depending on the tour guide, like all studio tours, it may concentrate more on more modern history and likely isn't an in depth historical tour of the lot.
But, there are some historical places on the lot that even those tour guides point out such as the cafe exterior from *Casablanca*.
The WB museum is weighted more towards more modern films. When I was there a few years ago it was heavily emphasizing Harry Potter and the Dark Knight though it does have a few historical pieces.
The tour is only given during weekdays, it's not open on the weekends.
Other studios that offer tours are Paramount and Sony. Sony is on the old MGM lot in Culver City and is a bit of jaunt from Hollywood. Paramount is in Hollywood and located just east of the intersection of Gower and Melrose.
Another tour that classic film fans really seem to enjoy is the Hollywood Forever cemetery tour. Hollywood Forever is located in Hollywood and is the resting place for many classic stars including Tyrone Power, Douglas Fairbanks, Sr, Rudy Valentino and many more.
Kari Bible who leads the tours is very knowledgeable and attends the Festival regularly.
For more info on that tour: http://cemeterytour.com/
Hope that helps!
Edited by: lzcutter on Jan 27, 2014 8:02 AM
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Wouldbe,
I totally agree, Kevin Spacey on *Wiseguy* was just great and his later stardom certainly didn't surprise me because I'd seen him as Mel Profit.
But I thought Ken Wahl, William Russ and Ray Sharkey (especially as Sonny Steelgrave and his performance in *The Idolmaker* ) would have a bigger careers.
Was really glad to see Jonathan Banks (Frank McPike on *Wiseguy* ) finally get the recognition he deserved as an actor during his stint on *Breaking Bad*.
But that season of Mel Profit and his sister on *Wiseguy* was television gold!
"The toes knows"
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It's funny how the memory works, I could have sworn that scene was in the original cut I saw when it first opened all those years ago.
Oh well, thanks for the link! I don't dislike the director's cut as much as Ridley Scott does mainly due to the added scenes of Dallas and Ripley.
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>To anyone who saw the airing tonight...I noticed a new (to me) scene where Ripley encounters Dallas and Brett cocooned to the hull of the ship. Never remembered seeing this in previous viewings.
Thought we never saw the human-cocoons 'til the sequel "Aliens"
Was this some kind of new 'director's cut'??
Mr6,
That scene has always been in the film. In the Director's Cut that came out awhile back, you get more of the affair between Dallas and Ripley that is only hinted at in the original cut that aired last night.
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Adding another one to the list from a terrific decade of filmmaking:
Jill Clayburgh
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Joe,
That was probably on her ranch in Northridge. She, Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott all followed Will Rogers' advice and bought land, lots of land, in the San Fernando Valley prior to World War II.
Helped make them millionaires later in life.
She also had a business partnership with Zeppo Marx, a nearby neighbor, and they bred racehorses as I recall.
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When a film is replaced on the Canadian schedule it usually means that TCM was unable to obtain the Canadian broadcast rights for the film. Without the broadcast rights, TCM can't air the film in Canada.
It also usually means that another company currently holds the broadcast rights.
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Chris Cooper and David Strathairn the first time I saw them in John Sayles wonderful *Matewan* (1987), I knew they were destined for more. They've both become terrific character actors with Cooper winning the Academy Award for *Adaptation* and Strathairn nominated for *Good Night and Good Luck*.
First time I saw George Clooney on Roseanne's old show I knew he was destined for stardom. He just had that look.
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Some very underrated films from the 1970s that I remember seeing on their original runs:
*Gumball Rally* with Tim McIntire and Michael Sarrazin, predates Hal Needham's *Cannonball Run* and is a better film.
*Night Moves* with Gene Hackman as a private detective basically catches all the paranoia we felt in the 1970s.
*Scarecrow* a buddy film with Gene Hackman and Al Pacino offers a great look at these two actors.
*Murder by Decree* with Christopher Plummer as Sherlock Holmes and James Mason as Watson. With the popularity of Holmes these days, this film deserves more love.
Ditto *The Seven Percent Solution* with Nicol Williamson as Holmes and Robert Duvall as Watson. Added bonus, Alan Arkin as Freud.
Ditto *They Might Be Giants* with George C. Scott as a man who thinks he is Sherlock Holmes but most think is crazy and Joanna Woodward as his Dr. Watson. A tender heartfelt film unlike all the other Holmes films in its approach.
*American Hot Wax* with Tim McIntire as DJ Alan Freed. Great little film that most people have never heard of.
*Vanishing Point* with Cleavon Little and Barry Newman. A cross country chase film with a breakout role for Cleavon Little as blind DJ with a police scanner who befriends Barry Newman.
John Carpenter's *Assault on Precinct 13* - forget the horrible remake, this is wonderful retelling of *Rio Bravo* in an urban setting.
*The Ballad of Cable Hogue*, with Jason Robards and Stella Stevens. Probably the gentlest film Sam Peckinpah ever made and it gets lost in all the emphasis of violence of his other films.
Big John Milius' *Dillinger* with Warren Oates giving a tremendous performance in the lead role.
*The Boys in Company C* and *Go Tell the Spartans*, two very underrated films about the Vietnam War. *Spartans* stars Burt Lancaster as focuses on the war just before we committed major troops and *Company C* follows a group of soldiers from bootcamp a few years later in 1968.
*Lady Sings the Blues* with Diana Ross as Billie Holiday and Billy Dee Williams is the man who loves her.
*Bingo Long and the Traveling All Stars & Motor Kings* with James Earl Jones, Billy Dee Williams and Richard Pryor- a look at the "colored" baseball leagues of the 1930s and a charismatic charmer who gives a group of players a chance to be more.
*Prime Cut* with Lee Marvin and Gene Hackman. Two great actors in a terrific little film.
*Junior Bonner* with Steve McQueen, Ida Lupino and Robert Preston with McQueen as a rodeo rider looking for his shot.
*Prince of the City* with a breakout role by Treat Williams. Most people remember *Serpico* before they remember *Prince of the City* when talking about films about the NYPD and corruption.
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Modern films have always been part of the TCM schedule. And *Alien* was made in 1979 which makes it not only a classic but a 34 year old classic film to boot.
As Robert O said on debut of TCM on April 14, 1994:
"Hi, welcome to Turner Classic Movies. I'm Robert Osborne, I'm gonna be your host, right here, as we present some of the best, the--finest films ever made, twenty-four hours a day. We're going to be drawing not only from the great film libraries of MGM and Warner Brothers, but also from other outstanding catalogs, so: Come join us, and see not only great films and stars from the past, but also *films from recent years, featuring some of our newest and most watchable stars."*
This is the actual introduction that Robert O gave. It was part of his recent *Private Screenings* interview that aired earlier this month.
Emphasis courtesy of slatyonf who transcribed the quote in an earlier thread:
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Joe,
I bet Marlene Dietrich was ready to spit nails at Ginger Rogers after she saw that picture!
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>Have any of the accounts in Anger's books been refuted -- that is, proven wrong -- and not just disputed?
David Stenn proved the Clara Bow "accounts" wrong in his book, Clara Bow: Running Wild.
http://www.amazon.com/Clara-Bow-Runnin-David-Stenn/dp/0815410255
There used to be a great website devoted to debunking Anger's claims but it looks like it no longer is active.
However, someone thoughtfully summarized many of the points here using actual text from the website here:
http://ianundercover.com/forum/gemeral-topics-open-for-discussion/debunking-hollywood-babylon/
Topics debunked include the portrait of Roscoe Arbuckle by Anger, the William Desmond Taylor murder (for a complete look at the actual case and debunking of Anger go here: http://www.taylorology.com/). the death of Wallace Reid, Rudy Valentino and many others.
There is also a long listing for the second book.
Film archivists and historians debunk the book here: http://www.nitrateville.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=15518
http://www.nitrateville.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=16627
http://www.nitrateville.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=14809 (includes Thelma Todd)
And this extensive thread:
http://www.nitrateville.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=5784
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This announcement was posted on Facebook today courtesy of the Olivia deHavilland Fan Club:
"Olivia fans, with TCM making announcements about special guests who will be present at the TCM film festival, we feel this is an appropriate time to announce that we confirmed with Miss. De Havilland's representatives several weeks ago that Miss de Havilland WILL NOT make a personal appearance at the TCM Film festival in 2014."
It does make sense when you think about it. It's a long flight and she is on record as saying it takes her months to recover from the time differences.
So, perhaps, TCM will show clips from her *Private Screenings* interview.
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TCM's own man about town, Scott McGee, sits down for a two part interview with Elwy Yost's son, producer Graham Yost, for this month's TCM podcast.
Graham Yost talks about his father and the influence the movies have had on him:
Here is part one:
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>I also assume access to Fox or Universal films was just as limited in the 90s as it is now.
Fox seemed even more limited back in the early and mid-2000s and it was one of the big complaints of posters here especially in the mid-2000s.
The breakthrough seemed to come with Fox partnering with TCM to spotlight the massive Ford at Fox DVD box set in December 2007.
That month, TCM spotlighted once a week (if I'm remembering correctly), many of the films in the box set including the Will Rogers films and the early 1930s that Ford did for the studio, including *Up the River*.
After that, Fox seemed to be more willing to work with TCM and more films from Fox's library began to appear on the schedule compared to years past.
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Dargo,
We tend to go on the weekends so traffic is less a problem when going to the Arclight in Hollywood. (I think I can count on one hand the number of times we have gone during the week).
And the Arclight in Sherman Oaks is less than three miles from our home so we never get on the freeway to go to it.
In fact, we saw *Dallas Buyers Club* yesterday and had no problem with trafffic.
And yes, I know LA is famous for its traffic and it can be very annoying but I still prefer living in LA (even after almost forty years) to anywhere else I have lived, traffic and all.
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3. The Marx Brothers
5. Director Raoul Walsh
21. Charles Laughton
17. Clark Gable
28. Joe E. Brown
Aqua Caliente was designed by the great Wayne McAllister, an architect who also designed casinos in Las Vegas and the Bob's Big Boy in Burbank.
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Mark,
We go to the Arclight chain here in the City of Angels. They have clean theaters, take their jobs seriously, discourage talking, cell phones and texting during the film and the audiences are 99% of the time respectful.
We are hard pressed to remember the last time we had an unsatisfactory viewing experience there.
Prices are a bit higher than other theaters but it also seems to discourage audience members from misbehaving.
Prices are $15.50, it is reserved seating and in Hollywood and Sherman Oaks, the parking is free for the first four hours.
They also have over-21 screenings which allow you to bring alcoholic beverages from their bar and they have classic film screenings throughout the year.
Oh, and we also get to see movies in the Cinerama Dome!
I guess it gives credence to that old age, you get what you pay for.
And at the Arclight we rarely disappointed.
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Teresa,
Hope you had a wonderful birthday plenty of fun and laughter.
How do other viewers feel about scheduling more and more recent movies?
in General Discussions
Posted
> If TCM sells out and stops showing these movies, it's like setting fire to the history of cinema.
TCM is not selling out and going the way of AMC. Modern films have always been part of the schedule from the day TCM debuted twenty years ago.
This article may help the new posters who aren't aware of it:
http://willmckinley.wordpress.com/2013/05/11/10-things-i-learned-at-the-tcm-classic-film-festival/
It is filled with information from TCM staffers about their plans to continue to bring the films from all decades to the channel and keep the emphasis on the studio era films. Just as they have always done.