lzcutter
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Posts posted by lzcutter
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> It'd be nice if there were more people like Atticus Finch in this world.
Peter,
I think Morris Dees of the Southern Poverty Law Center is probably as close to Atticus as we have these in modern times.
Edited to add, looks like Val and I are of the same mind!
Edited by: lzcutter
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Joe,
Judy Lewis sure has her daddy's eyes.
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> I just thought it might be an interesting exercise to hear people weigh in, just in case TCM is considering doing this more often or even regularly.
Moviegal,
Going forward, I don't see it becoming a regular thing for the SOTMs to be done in just one week every month.
I do think that in April it will likely become regular unless the SOTM is being feted at the Film Festival as well.
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> Kirk, a living legend who deserves all the respect and veneration he gets, might not be up to it. Saw him on - was it this year's Oscars show or last year's? - and he seemed barely able to keep up with what was going on, difficult for him to speak, etc.
MsW,
I had the opportunity to see Kirk at the TCM Festival last year. He introduced *Spartacus* with Robert O. Grauman's Chinese was filled with film fans.
He was witty, self-deprecating and really seemed to enjoy the fact that so many people were there to see a film that means so much to him.
Since his stroke, he's not always easy to understand but if you listen carefully, you can follow his train of thought.
And he was able to follow the conversation just fine (in fact, much better than Mickey Rooney who I saw Robert O as well)!
He's coming back to the Festival this year to introduce *20,000 Leagues Under the Sea*.
Should be fun!
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*Murder He Says* with Fred MacMurray, Marjorie Main and Helen Walker.
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Also, next week is the third annual TCM Film Festival and the evening programing on the channel will be a tie-in with the Festival, including Robert O's wrap arounds and short interviews with some of the stars who will be at the Festival.
The week after the Festival is a week long theme of Spring Break films.
The programming staff opted to not to have to disrupt the Star of the Month entries during the week of the Festival and the following week of Spring Break films, so they programmed the SOTM entries the first week of the month.
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President Obama is hosting a screening of the film for a group of school children at the White House. Mary Badham (Scout) and Gregory Peck's widow, Veronique, will both be there to talk about the film (sounds like last year's Film Festival screening!).
The film being shown on USA is probably a tie-in of sorts with this screening. President Obama is a big fan of the film and though we would all prefer it be shown on TCM unedited and commercial free, USA is a basic cable channel and perhaps the hope is that being doing this, the film will reach an audience who possibly haven't seen the film before and would be interested in watching.
Also, the film was recently restored by Universal and came out on Blu less than 90 days ago, so perhaps the screening will encourage some to buy the film.
It should be in everyone's DVD library but then I'm biased about this film. It's my favorite film of all time.
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Hey fashionable Festival-goers,
Be sure to bring an umbrella with you this year. Right now showers are predicted for next Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
It really does rain (and drizzle) in the City of Angels, especially this time of the year!
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David,
Your writing is very evocative and I really like it. Thanks for letting us know about the film sites in Oregon. Part of *One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest* was filmed up there but I can't remember the town right now. Being mid-century-modern will do that to your memory.
Looking forward to seeing you next week and hope we finally get to have that drink, three years in the making.
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Those going to Hollywood a few days before or staying a few days after the Festival, there are two exhibits you might want to check out:
*Television: Out of the Box* is at the Paley Center in Beverly Hills and features clothes and props from sixty years of Warner Bros television on display.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-classic-hollywood-20120319,0,7098749.story
The Los Angeles County Art Museum (LACMA) has the wonderful *California Design* exhibit. It's part of the larger Pacific Standard Time event that multiple museums have participated in.
LACMA's contribution is a wonderful exhibit of furniture, decorative arts, the Charles and Ray Eames living room, Dick Van Dyke's Avanti automobile, leisure wear, clothing by Adrian and Edith Head, Cole of California and Jantzen. Cedric Gibbons is also on display including a montage of some of his best sets.
http://www.lacma.org/art/exhibition/californiadesign
When finished with *California Design* go across the walkway to the other pavilion and check out *Metropolis II*. Don't miss the history of street lights (especially at dusk) out in front of the Museum and the *Levitated Mass* in the back of the Museum grounds.
http://collectionsonline.lacma.org/mwebcgi/mweb.exe?request=record;id=161897;type=101
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Jules,
If Antiques Roadshow isn't coming to your town soon, you can go to the show's website and contact their appraisers that specialize in Hollywood memorablilia:
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> You would think TCM would be trying to interview what few people are left (even short interviews) but that does not seem to be the case. But possibly the people are turning them down, I dont know....
I am always at a loss when people say TCM should be trying to interview these stars as if that is the furthest thing from TCM's mind.
Yet, every year, TCM does manage to do just that either through *Private Screenings* or shorter interviews that play between movies.
The biggest obstacle for TCM is usually the stars themselves who frequently turn them down for a myriad of reasons ranging from they just aren't interested to they are enjoying their life so much they don't want to take the time to they are at an age when they feel their work speaks more about them than they can.
Not everyone is chomping at the bit to talk about their careers.
Still TCM persists and sometimes that persistence pays off, witness Kim Novak appearing at the TCM Film Festival next week and sitting down with Robert O for an interview that TCM is taping and no doubt showing on the channel at a later date.
There is also the Turner Archive Project that has been quietly doing filmed interviews with those involved in the motion picture business both in front of the camera, behind the camera, post-production and the front office, etc during the classic Hollywood era.
Many of those interviews are used in interstitials and the *Word of Mouth* promos every day on TCM.
Started by Ted Turner back in the late 1980s, the Turner Archive Project is, last I heard a few years ago, now handled by Warner Brothers. Copies of the interviews, as I understand it, are also given to the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Science's Margaret Herrick Library so that they are available to researchers and scholars.
Each year a number of people are interviewed for the Project. It is treated less as an interview and more as a filmed/taped Oral History which may be why some stars have consented to the Archive Project but turned down an opportunity to do a *Private Screening*.
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> You see, it started when Mom left a large chicken in her car trunk for 24 hours, and it all went downhill from there.
Barb,
Let me open a bottle of wine (or would you prefer brandy), I think we're going to need some. I'll try not to do a spit take.
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Edge,
This is from the Classicflix announcement:
Not content with their own unparallelled library of titles, Warner Bros. has acquired 74 Samuel Goldwyn films which are scheduled to start releasing later this year.
Below is a list of 78 Goldwyn holdings. Exactly which 74 have been acquired have not yet been made public, but we will keep you posted.
That means there are four films on the Classicflix Goldwyn list that won't be coming to DVD or Blu. *Porgy and Bess* could be one of those four.
http://classicflix.blogspot.com/2012/04/gold-mine-warner-bros-acquires-goldwyn.html
Had the Gershwin Estate finally relented on *Porgy and Bess* and given the okay for a DVD or Blu release, there would likely be a major press release from the Estate.
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WOOO-HOOOOO!!!!
The long anticipated return of the much missed, Bronxgirl is happening and she's bringing stories!!!
Can't wait!!!!
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SprocketMan,
If I recall from reading his autobiography (this was some time ago), Dymtryk wrote that one of the reasons why he decided to change his mind is because his wife was having a hard time with him being in jail and all that not being well regarded in their social circles. Also, being cut off from making the income he was used to bringing in, Mrs. Dymtryk was having a hard time adjusting to the lack of money.
That all changed once he recanted his position and went back to talk to the Committee.
He was able to return to his family, Hollywood and continued directing films.
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Chief,
Thanks for the beautiful shots of Buster Crabbe.
I also love him as Buck Rogers!
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> I hope there was no disrespect on TCM's part for not having a birthday day for Miss Reynolds.
It's doubtful. Ms. Reynolds is returning to the TCM Film Festival (in less than two weeks) for her second year in a row.
Debbie will be talking at the *Singin' in the Rain* screening as well as *How the West Was Won* (being shown in true Cinerama.)
TCM will be airing *The Unsinkable Molly Brown* on Saturday, the 14th.
So, by all accounts, TCM loves Debbie and Debbie seems to love TCM as well.
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David,
I think it stands for Digital Cinema Projection.
FYI, I'm putting together a list for your trip. Look for it over the weekend.
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Perhaps the evening theme on June 22nd is "Coming of Age".
Just a thought.
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The reason *The Winning of Barbara Worth* and any other silent film starring Gary Cooper in the Goldwyn library survives is because of Frances Goldwyn, Sam's (senior) wife.
Many years ago she thought there was little to no value in the silent films in the Goldwyn film library with the exception of the silents starring Gary Cooper.
She had those saved because she believed Cooper and his star power would having lasting value.
Looks like on that one she was right.
Too bad she didn't feel the same about the rest of her husband's silent library.
According to a couple of historians/archivists that I know, some of the silents on the list are considered lost films. They say it looks like lawyers provided a list of all the films that were licensed by WBHV but not all the films on the list exist.
Still, it's good news.
Edited by: lzcutter
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To go along with Filmlover's big news about Goldwyn/WBHV, comes word that the Academy has acquired (with a major assist from Cecilia DeMille and the DeMille Foundation) 70,000 production stills from historian/collector Marc Wanamaker and his Bison Archives.
The collection going to the Academy includes 8 color photos taken on the set of *Touch of Evil* while the groundbreaking opening shot was being filmed.
Have you seen the TCM produced *Moguls and the Movies* or any documentary about Hollywood and the movies in the last forty years? Then you've seen images from Wanamaker's Bison Archives.
That part of his extensive collection is now part of the Academy's Margaret Herrick collection where it can be viewed by the public (by appointment, no doubt, once it is cataloged and accessioned (and likely scanned) is great news!
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Dina,
Welcome to the message boards and congratulations on going to the Festival this year!
I can't believe it's less than two weeks away!!
One thing to keep in mind concerning the Kim Novak interview- if this interview is like the Luis Rainer or Peter O'Toole interviews in previous years, TCM will be taping this interview to air sometime in the near future.
Luis Rainer's interview was aired the following January, 2011 and O'Toole's interview will air the night before the Festival begins this year.
Don't know if that helps make the choice any easier but I did want to chime in.
Thanks so much for the kind words and I hope we get the chance to meet. I tend to hang out with Kyle and Sue Sue so that ups the odds considerably!
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Chief,
These posts are just great. I particularly love the one today, the Universal Horror Legacy!! *Frankenstein* is on my list of films to see this year.
Thanks so much for doing this.
As always, it's appreciated.
All hail the Chief!!!!!
President Obama will introduce To Kill A Mockingbird TV showing Apr. 7th
in Hot Topics
Posted
If you love *Mockingbird*, there's a nifty documentary called *Hey Boo, Harper Lee and To Kill a Mockingbird*.
It's 90 minutes and examines the story and the film. Atticus was based on Lee's own father who was a lawyer in Monroeville, Alabama. He practiced law during the Depression and tried cases in the old courthouse (the interior which was replicated in the film) which is now a museum.
Lee has said in previous interviews that her father believed in doing the right thing and standing up for injustice.
The documentary uses interview clips of Lee's voice and talks with people who know her. Most people believe that Lee is much like Scout when in reality the reclusive author believes she is more like Boo.
As someone notes in the documentary, "Hey Boo" may be two of the most powerful words ever written in literature.
Lee's older sister, Alice, appears in the documentary and at 99 years old has quite the charm and wit about her.