lzcutter

> How could it be that this is news to TCM on the very day they first have a new host? Sans, My guess is that they did it out of respect for Robert O's privacy. The announcement was picked up and made the papers in NYC where Robert O lives. By waiting until the day of the new host, I think TCM wished to cut down on the amount of speculation that might have gone on had the announcement been made any earlier. Either way, we all want Robert O back and better than ever.

Bumping this up because the evening broadcast sans Robert O begins in just a few minutes and I suspect there will be some folks wondering where is Robert O and why is RJ Wagner in his place? So, if they come here, hopefully, they will find this thread!

Judy, No problem. I was posting because finance was not aware that the announcement was posted not only on Facebook but here at the TCM website as well as the announcement page of these forums.

> What's this? Is somebody else going to do intros and outros? I understand that nobody else ever has done a prime time intro or outro in all the years that TCM has existed. finance, The announcement is not only on Facebook (according to the OP) but also on the Announcements page on the Main Page of the Message Boards as well as the Home Page of the website: http://forums.tcm.com/ann.jspa?annID=51 "Beginning today, Robert Osborne plans to take a short break from his TCM hosting duties for minor surgery, followed by a vacation. Osborne, who recently signed a multi-year agreement with TCM, plans to return to the network in three months and will also attend the first TCM Classic Cruise in December. He will continue to appear on TCM as part of several features, including the Guest Programmer series, The Essentials and Race & Hollywood: Arab Images on Film. Many of Osborne's hosting duties will be handled on a temporary basis by a number of special guests and friends of the network, including Robert Wagner (week of July 11), Jane Powell (week of July 18) and Tippi Hedren (week of July 25). Other guest hosts will be announced in the coming weeks." Edited by: lzcutter for clarification

> Please post your response to my key question. Thank you. Jeremy, I was able to change the time zone and print out the schedule with no problem. The type is not too small and is very legible. I used the print button on the monthly schedule and printed directly from there. I am using Firefox on both a Mac and PC and haven't had any problem with the time zone changer or printing of the schedule for the last few weeks.

> Any idea when they'll announce the dates? Last year they announced the dates in September, I think it was. They had a special offer on the various passes that expired in mid-December. As to what type of pass, it really depends upon what kind of experience you want to have at the Festival. If you want to go to the opening night gala (and walk the red carpet) and Vanity Fair party, be part of the group that gets seated first and attend other special events, attend the panels and get a lovely swag bag, then the Spotlight pass may be for you. If you want to go to the opening night film (and walk the red carpet) but skip the Vanity Fair party and don't mind standing in line, attend the panels, then perhaps an Essentials pass would work. If you want to attend the films (but not the opening night film or the Vanity Fair party) and panels and don't mind standing in line, then perhaps the Classic pass would work for you. This year they also offered a Matinee pass which was good for all the panels and the films that were shown during the day only. For more information: http://www.tcm.com/festival/index.html#/passes/index

MsW, No worries. It's just sometimes I like to bring the thread back around to the serious side of the subject.

Some of McCrea's early films I would like to see included as part of his turn as SOTM: *Girls About Town* (1931) *The Lost Squadron* (1932) *Bird of Paradise* (1932) *The Most Dangerous Game* (1932) *The Silver Cord* (1933) *Bed of Roses* (1933) *One Man's Journey* (1933) with Frances Dee *Private Worlds* (1935) *Two in a Crowd* (1936) *Banjo on My Knee* (1936) *Interns Can't Take Money* (1937)

Perhaps it is a browser issue? I am using Firefox and haven't had a problem with the time zones since they fixed it weeks ago. I also don't have a problem with the font size on either the daily schedule or the monthly schedule.

This seems like a really good time to move the conversation to why Joel McCrea should be a Star of the Month: As I noted in the original post I wrote when I began this thread back in March of 2010: He has never been spotlighted this way yet, he is an icon of American film. From his early work in the 1930s to his westerns in the 1950s to his retirement with *Ride the High Country*, he, like his peers John Wayne and Randolph (cue chorus) Scott, helped shape our ideas of what a Western hero is. He could play dramatic, romantic comedy, regular comedy, westerns and more. He was an incredibly handsome leading man and one with a flair for comedy. From the precode days to the early 1960s, Joel McCrea rarely gave a bad performance. There may be the occasional dud of a film but he was always good in it. His career had its ups and downs but he made even the low budget westerns worth watching. His grandson Wyatt is working to keep the family legacy alive and would be a perfect choice to sit with Robert O and discuss his grandfather's work (and his grandmother's as Francis Dee did star in a few pics with Joel) on the silver screen. So, here's hoping that one day soon we will see Joel McCrea as a Star of the Month.

Hawks very much liked working with John Wayne. He stated in various interviews and in his segment of *Men Who Made the Movies*, that one of the keys to working with Wayne was to hire someone who was not the same build as Wayne. He believed that it worked better on film to have someone who was shorter than Wayne and slighter of build. It's one reason he hired Monty Clift for *Red River* and Dean Martin for *Rio Bravo*. Can't say he was wrong.

Mr6, After the war, Disney Studios was on the rocky edge of financial difficulty. They had spent the war years making films for the government and cartoons in support of the war effort. Due to the proximity of the studio to Lockheed, the government moved troops onto the lot on the night of Dec. 7th, 1941. After the War, Disney wanted to get back into production. He wanted to move full-steam ahead into live action but his brother, Roy, was not so keen on the idea. They tried making a couple of hybrid films (live action with animation sequences) but the films were hardly the money makers the brothers needed to keep the studio going. Luckily, they had funds (as did their distributor RKO) in England. But those funds required the films be made in England. Walt took the plunge into live action and made *Treasure Island*. The film, done entirely in England, was a box-office success and Walt decided that making live action films was the way to go. He still kept his animation division busy with such animated classics *Alice in Wonderland* (not big at the box office on its original release), *Cinderella* (which was) and *Sleeping Beauty* (another box office dud) but since he had the live action films as well (and was soon moving into television) by diversifying, put him in better financial straits than he was at the end of the war.

> didn't they air a bunch last Dec.? They had a month-long salute to Disney Live Action films in Dec. 2008 and a day long salute to them on December 26th, 2010. FYI, *Make Mine Music* is a combination of live-action and animation.

*The Apple Dumpling Gang* *The Absent-Minded Professor* *Bedknobs and Broomsticks* *Computer Wore Tennis Shoes* *Freaky Friday* The *Herbie* movies all show up on TCM from time to time. While many on your list were shown in December 2008 when there was the salute to Disney's Live Action films, I don't think *Mary Poppins* was one of them.

It's the "By a Waterfall" number choreographed by Berkeley and part of *Footlight Parade*. At least I think it is.

I'm totally confused. The clip 8 to 9 seconds in is not a ballet number. You mean the kaleidoscope, Busby Berkeley number just before the shot of Jack Warner?

Barb, Here's an interview with Donna Hill about all things Rudy: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/tgladysz/detail?entry_id=92767 Thought you might enjoy it!

MadaboutVivien, I do hope you decide to go to the 2012 Festival. You will have a ton of fun and be among people who love films as much as you so you won't be out of place. There is a lot of information about the past two festivals as well as lodging info and more here: http://forums.tcm.com/forum.jspa?forumID=415 Good luck and if you have any questions, please post as those who have been to the Festival are always happy to lend a hand!

> Hat's off to the talented artist who did this. Wouldbe, It looks the work of diorama artist Kapralik who worked at MGM. Kyle has a thread that features more of his work: http://forums.tcm.com/thread.jspa?threadID=154698&tstart=0

Barb, I saw your post about Nita Naldi and wanted to let you know that one of your favorite Rudy authors, Donna Hill, belongs to a group called "Daughters of Naldi" dedicated to keeping Nita's legacy alive. Here's a website devoted to Nita: www.nitanaldi.com Enjoy!

Congratulations LP! We look forward to you moderating the next Challenge. In the meantime, enjoy your moment in the sun!

Another piece of the puzzle that should be factored in (and often gets overlooked) is that the Programming department (which is different from the Original Programming department) has a budget that it must work within each year. TCM has to rent/lease all the films it airs and there is a yearly budget for that. There is also the mistaken idea that there is an endless fount of money that TCM has for renting/leasing the films it shows when, in reality, like other departments in other companies, the Programming staff must work within the confines of the budget they are given. And, like any other company, cutting back one division's budget won't necessarily make another department's budget bigger. Somewhere in the message board archives are posts relating to this and also to the fact that since the economic meltdown of 2008, the budgets for all the departments have been lowered.

SD, A thread was started earlier this week about the snafu. It also includes a post from TCMProgrammr about the mix-up: http://forums.tcm.com/thread.jspa?threadID=160612&tstart=0 Welcome to the boards.

King, Well, I guess the time has come to make the tough decision. But, before I do that, I want to congratulate all the participants on an amazing set of schedules. You guys make me proud that we were able to successfully pass the torch and keep the Challenge alive. Making a decision was very difficult because each schedule was terrific and each schedule had films and themes that I would love to see on TCM. I would also like to thank everyone for the kind words for my out-of-competition schedule. It was fun to be in such great company! To Kingrat, thanks for handling the moderating chores so well! It's not easy being a moderator but you did so with panache and style. So, now the time has come to choose. I wish I could choose all of you but the rules don't call for that. I cast my vote for Lonesome_Polecat. But congratulations to all of you!

> At the risk of outraging the entire membership here Not me, MsW, I'm not outraged at what you wrote and do agree with your point of view. I had a similar thought after listening to Alec and Robert O at the end of *City Lights*. I half-expected Baldwin to name Robert Downey, Jr but wasn't surprised when he named both Carey and Stiller. I give Robert O major props for pointing out to Baldwin not only the fallacy in his thinking but that the majority of Stiller's comedy revolves around being mean-spirited. I really enjoyed the wrap-up and it gave Robert O the opportunity to explain to the entire viewing audience (not just us die-hard film buffs) why Chaplin was so special. Isn't that what *The Essentials* is all about?