lzcutter

I used to have this problem and could never log on. Then we got a new firewall and I was able to log on. If you have a really secure firewall on your home computer that could be the problem.

Don't forget the Oliva deHaviland and Joan Fontaine feud? Legend has it that it went on for years. Lynn in Sherman Oaks www.classiclasvegas.com check out my website!

MyIdolSpencer, While I share your feelings about Private Screenings the good news is that TCM and the Turner Archival Project are doing the very work you hope they are. The Turner Archival Project is dedicated to interviewing on film, the men and women who worked at MGM, RKO and Warner Brothers Studios, in front of the camera, behind the camera, in the offices, delivered the mail, you get my drift. Filmed oral histories, if you will They have been doing this since the late 1980s as I understand it. This material is then used on TCM and incorporated in the bonus features of DVDs released by Warner Home Video. Roger Mayer started this program and is a big film preservation backer. He received the Jean Hersholt award this past February at the Oscarcast. Why more of this important oral history material is not available to TCM is beyond my limited knowledge of the project. But, like you, I wish we could see more of it. Lord knows I would watch it and I suspect many of us would as well. Lynn in Sherman Oaks www.classiclasvegas.com

I have to agree with Mongo. By all accounts Lombard was the love of Gable's life. When her plane crashed outside Las Vegas he immediately left for Las Vegas. He and Spencer Tracy stayed at the El Rancho Vegas waiting for word to come down from Mt. Potosi about survivors. The terrain was too rugged and LB Mayer would not let Gable risk his own life going to the crash site. When word came that there were no survivors, Gable and Tracy went on an extended drinking binge. According to many accounts, the loss of Lombard was one of the reasons he joined the service. Many say he had a death wish. He seems to have found some stability and love with his last wife, Kay.

lzuccter--it's not really a rant--you said it in your statement--silents show how they managed to film what they did and influence the future film makers > of course,so why look at what once was?>> So, why look at what once was? So that we can appreciate what we have today because of the giants AND the unknowns who made it possible. I don't think anyone is saying every silent film is a work of art but then neither is every movie made today. But if you call yourself a film lover then you should at least be interested in how the art form got started and all the techniques that were developed out of thought and ingenuity. Those original techniques, inventions and everything else have all been shaped and reshaped over the years. But when you think that 100 years ago they had no cranes, dollys or deep focus lenses, all those things had to be invented by men and women working on a wing and prayer and are still in use today, the least you can do is have some appreciation. If you don't like the music of the old silent films, try renting them with scores by Carl Davis, Robert Israel and others. But most of all, lose the petulant attitude that somehow because we like silent films that makes you more superior. It doesn't. And for the record, the name is Lzcutter.

Leo's rant is a perfect example of why "Hollywood: A Celebration of American Silent Film" needs an encore presentation. The one thing so many people who don't like silents but love talkies seem to forget is the art of cinema was created because of silent films. Those men and women created the art form that made everything that came after it possible. Very few people in today's era know who these men and women were and fewer seem to appreciate their legacy. Kevin Brownlow and company did us a tremendous favor by sitting down and interviewing many of those who were a part of that birthing process. In their stories you learn how they were always pushing the outside of the envelope, usually in very creative ways. They created an uniquely American art form that was sold around the world. It was silent so there were no language barriers. Other talented folks in other countries were soon doing the same. But to bash silent film and the men and women responsible for it seems to me childish and petulant. If you love film, you owe the silent film era a debt of appreciation that may be incalcuable, An encore presentation of "Hollywood" would be a good start.

Joe, Buddy Rogers sold Pickfair to Pia Isadora and her husband in the 1980s, They didn't remodel Pickfair. They tore it down and built a McMansion on the site. I think Isadora sold it a few years back. Lynn in Sherman Oaks

Jack Nicholson, after a decade of roles where he seemed to be parodying himself, was absolutely heartbreaking as Eugene O'Neill. My biggest complaint with the movie is/was I wish they had identified the witnesses. Who knew back then that the idea of people talking about history or historical figures would become such a part of the mainstream of documentaries? One of my favorite movies of the 1980s.

I was growing up in Las Vegas back in the mid-1960s. We had two afternoon movie shows (the type that Johnny Carson used to do parodies of) that showed old black and white movies. Wait Until the Sun Shines Nellie, State Fair, etc. On Saturday nights we had the Million Dollar Theatre and on Monday nights our NBC affiliate, KORK, had Monday Night at the Movies. All were treasure troves of movies. I had decided by the late 1960s that I wanted to be a filmmaker so I couldn't soak those movies up enough. We had a Cinerama Dome that ran the reissue of "Gone With the Wind" in the mid-1960s. Plus, our local library had a film night once a month that showed old comedies of Laurel and Hardy, Harold Lloyd, Chaplin and Keaton. Our Channel 5 had a Bogart/Cagney double bill every Thursday night. Long before the days of VCRs and taping to watch later. Back then, if you missed it your chances of seeing it again any time soon were slim. In the early 1970s, the original MGM Hotel opened and it was a movie lover's paradise. Each restaurant was themed after a famous MGM movie, there was a memorabilia shop downstairs that sold lobby cards, one sheets, and such. Plus they had props and costumes on display. In the hallway leading to the pool, were the makeup masks of famous stars on display. But the best of all, was the movie theatre where for $2.50 you could see a Studio Print of a Classic Hollywood movie, plus newsreel and cartoon. The bill changed ever week. Twice a year, they would show the big 4: Gone with the Wind, Doctor Zhivago, 2001 and Ryan's Daughter. I spent my teenage years in that Hotel watching all those movies. When the MGM fire occurred, the hotel never reopened the movie theatre. It was turned into a Comedy Club. I have never forgotten it.

Astairegirl, I, too, am a big silent film fan. While I appreciate the lengths that TCM goes to to show Classic Hollywood films, I wish they would show more silents. A day devoted to Von Stroheim, Gloria Swanson, Doug Fairbanks, Sr, Mary Pickford, the silent films of directors who went on to become legends: Hawks, Walsh, Ford and the incredibly underappreciated Alan Dwan. The movies as we know them today were created out of whole cloth by the men and women of the silent era. We should never forget them. An encore preformance of "Hollywood: An Appreciation of American Silent Film" should be done this year. I think that series more than any other would be a delight not only to us the silent film fans, but give the folks that don't know about silent film a chance to learn and possibly want to know more and see more silent films.

i especially liked the one that co-starred one of my favorite stars-- Buster Keaton>> Buster and Roscoe Arbuckle were good pals until Roscoe's death. There was a Biography a few months back on Roscoe and they had an interview with Buster's late wife, Eleanor. She talked at length about their friendship.

bracken, I loved their "Hollywood on Hollywood" series and was bummed when they stopped running it. With all the material they have available from the Turner Archive Project I don't know why we don't see more mini docs on TCM. Perhaps it is $$ related but while I appreciate and love the work they have done on the Turner Archive Project it breaks my heart that we can't enjoy it more. So, I'll just keep suggesting "Hollywood: A Celebration of American Silent Film" and "The Men Who Made the Movies" until they rerun them, I guess.

"Hollywood" An Appreciation of American Silent Film" and "The Men Who Made the Movies" Two great series about the folks in front of and behind tha camera that made the movies all possible. I think "Hollywood", especially, would give many TCM viewers a better appreciation of silent film. Plus, it is wonderful to hear the stories these people tell. Almost all of them have since died and Brownlow and company did a wonderful job of preserving their stories for future generations. Please.

Besides "Hollywood: A Celebration of American Silent Film" and "The Men Who Made the Movies", I'd like to see "Footlight Parade", a themed event like actors in their break-out roles, more documentaries about the stars and people behind the camera, New York in film, Los Angeles in film (especially noir). But mainly "Hollywood". It is such a wonderful series and its a chance to hear from the people who lived through it, created it and made it all possible. It can't be shown enough. Lynn in Sherman Oaks

TCMProgrammer, Is it possible that TCM could reshow "Hollywood: A Celebration of American Silent Film"? It's a wonderful documentary series and given folks interest in silent and Pre-code films a great way to learn more about both. Once a week showing of all the episodes, maybe? I know a lot of folks would be very appreciative. Lynn in Sherman Oaks

If you can find it at your local library: Hollywood: A Celebration of American Silent Film The Men Who Made the Movies Hollywood and MWMTM, I consider a must see, because the men and women interviewed for those two projects made the "essential" talking movies possible. Also, essential reading: The Parade's Gone By" by Kevin Brownlow Silent Films give you a sense of the early days of filmmaking. Many of the modern techniques used in classic Hollywood Films were created by the silent film makers. Some Silent Essentials just off the top of my head: The Big Parade The Crowd Ben Hur (the silent version) The Wind (with Lillan Gish Wings The Wedding March Greed The Adventures of Robin Hood (Fairbanks, Sr) The Phantom of the Opera (Chaney version) The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Chaney version) Napoleon The General Steamboat Bill, Jr The Gold Rush Mack Sennet's Keystone Kops shorts Mabel Normand Fatty Arbuckle Lynn in Sherman Oaks

There were a number of mountain men westerns made in the 1970s. Man in the Wilderness (which has been mentioned), Man Called Horse (starring Richard Harris) and the sequel, The Return of a Man Called Horse. Hope this helps. Lynn in Sherman Oaks

Richard, It was a Dorothy Arnez film that Jodie Foster helped fund the restoration of. As you know, she was one of the first female directors waaaayyy back in the day. I think Jodie Foster may have even narrated a documentary on Dorothy's life a few years back. I agree that Jodie would make a great host for a day, especially since she has spent the majority of her life in film.

Joe, I'm surprised that you're suprised that Hef would choose Bogart films. Hef is from a generation where Bogie was who they wanted to grow up to be (especially if the girl you got turned out to be Lauren Bacall). I would wager that he'll be dressed in silk robe and pajamas but I bet he leaves the barbi dolls out of camera range. Lynn

Joe, The Academy frequently shows classic movies on Friday and Saturday evenings and they are open to the public. They usually have a theme to them, such as Best Pictures that sort of thing. The Los Angeles Museum of Art and the UCLA Archives have screenings of classic films throughout the year. Plus we have a few revival theatres as well. The Directors Guild and the Writers Guild occasionally have tributes or screenings of contemporary films that are open to the public as well. Hope that helps!

Joe, I was at the DeMille Barn the other night for a slide show/film presentation by Marc Wanamaker and Hollywood Heritage for the 90th Anniversary of Universal City. Even had some of Carl Laemmle's family in the audience. The DeMille Barn is a small gem across from the parking lot of the Hollywood Bowl. The Parking Lot used to be where John Ford's house was. Anyways, the DeMille Barn has a great collection of photos and movie equipment on display. Lots of stuff on DeMille and the Ten Commandments. Next time you are out this way, you should definitely put it on your list. The Barn is small but Hollywood Heritage and others have done a good job of preserving this link to our filmic past. There is another Hollywood Museum just west of Grauman's Chinese Theatre that has a lot of displays and historic stuff. Also has the bar from Cheers, if I remember correctly. The slide show/film presentation was alot of fun. Seeing Universal Studios back when they were across from the Sunset Gower studios and their early days out in the Valley surrounded by nothing but empty land. And the original Spanish Mission style front gate was beautiful. Wish HHeritage would do more of this kind of presentation.

No matter how you feel about Hugh Hefner, there are a number of films that you can enjoy today because of he helped save them. Hefner is one of Classic Movies biggest fans and without him a number of well known and less well known films would never have been preserved and restored. Hefner has a great love for Pre-Code films and without him we would not be enjoying those treasures on DVD and on TCM. Doing the necessary preservation and restoration of any film costs big bucks and those bucks are not easy to find. If they were, UCLA, the Film Foundation and the AFI would not have to do fundraisers to raise money to save our film heritage. Martin Scorcese has been talking for almost 30 years now about the need for film preservation. In those 30 years, much has been accomplished but much more work still needs to be done. Who picks up the mantle for this when Scorcese and Hefner are no longer around to publicize and foot the bill? While you would think the older stars of current Hollywood would be the ones putting up the money to save that heritage but the reality is very different. You many not agree with the way Hefner makes his money but you have enjoyed some of the movies you watch because of the way he spent that money. Would you rather that the preservation organizations had turned him down and tried in vain to find someone else to give them money? They'd still be looking, the films would keep rotting and there'd be fewer documentaries being made on the Golden Days of Hollywood.

When I was last there it was a Radio-(A & M Records) station. However, it is now the late: Jim Henson prods. factory. Though you can mostly see inside from the street & I don't know if touring is permitted? It looked like they may be though. Near La Brea Tar Pits>> Charlie Chaplin's former studio was A& M Records for many, many years. Herb Alpert was the A in that partnership. Henson Productions now have the property. The buildings still retain their Hansel and Gretel look from the Chaplin days. The property is located on La Brea Avenue just below (south) of Sunset Blvd. I don't know if they give tours. Might be worth a phone call. Also, KCET (our local PBS) station is in the Glendale area in a former Hollywood studio building and I believe they do offer tours. Many of the old studio buildings that were here 30 years ago (such as the original WB studio in Hollywood near Sunset and Western) are now gone. Luckily, Warner Hollywood (on Santa Monica Blvd) still stands. In it's original life it was where Doug Fairbanks, Sr had a studio and filmed "Robin Hood". The sets at the time were some of the largest ever built. It was Sam Goldwyn's studio for a long time. I don't know when WB took over the property. I don't know if they offer tours or not. Hope this helps! Lynn in Sherman Oaks

nd it's funny you should mention the Cinerama Theater. I drove by it while out there and imagined what it was like in 1963 when "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World" played there. What a great experience it would be to see that movie in an original Cinerama theater. I wonder if they ever revive it in that theater.>> Hey Joe, Yeah, they do. A couple times a year, they screen original Cinerama films and old 'Scope films and 70mm films. Keep the following email addy to contact me at LZcutter@aol.com. Look forward to hearing from you!

Joe, Glad you liked the Egyptian. It is now run by the American Cinematheque. In fact, if it had not been for them, the theatre likely would have been torn down. They were one of the major forces behind its renovation. The Pig and Whistle Restaurant next door is also a fun place to eat and imagine what the place was like in the Golden Age. On your next trip, you might want to check out the Cinerama Dome. Hell, let me know when your coming and if I'm in town I'd be glad to show you some of the old sites of movie studios and such. I would love to go out to the Motion Picture Home some time. Alot of Los Angeles history has been torn down but a surprising amount still stands. I have lived here almost 30 years. One of the reasons I came here was my love of old movies. Anyways, that's my offer. Keep it in mind. Hope to hear from you. Lynn in Sherman Oaks