brian34

Could you be thinking about Gentleman Jims Steakhouse. I remember them back in the late seventies, early eighties. There is still at least one in existance in Summerside, PEI. I don't know if it's just the name, or if it's the same restaraunt menu from way back then. Best image I could find of the GJ sign.

I've never seen a blackout on TCM Canada. However, there are blackouts on TCM HD. I assume that is the American feed, and no substitutions are made. The substituted films do show on the TCM Canada standard definition feed though.

Ah, if music was involved, it could have come down to licensing or clearance issues. Whoever currently holds the rights to the film may not have been able to clear the music, and instead of paying for new music, just cut out the end credits to get the product out. It happens with some TV show transfers......apparently WKRP in Cincinatti (for example) is a mess.

From the early thirties to the mid-forties. Those incredibly sexy dresses, and men that knew how to dress.

I won't be watching either. Can't stand football, and it's February on TCM 31 days of stuff I don't want to watch. DVD day for me.

Only ten more days and everything returns to normal for another year. I've hardly watched anything this month, but it's the same every February. You get used to it after a while.

Wouldn't be "On Borrowed Time" from 1939 would it? Lionel Barrymore traps death in his apple tree when he comes calling for him. It was just on TCM over the holidays. One of those odd, enjoyable movies they just don't make anymore.

So, does anybody know what happened to the original painting from "Mr. Skeffington"? As I watched the movie recently, I wondered if it was a "real" painting or just some kind of mock up.

It's been happening more and more often lately. I don't like it, but what are you gonna do? If the money (meaning ratings) is in newer movies, that's what they're going to show. I've been watching less and less TCM over the last few months. It's disappointing, but they're going to do what they want to anyway.

I thought Oscar month was bad, but this month has been worse. Too many movies from the '50s and newer. I hope this is just some kind of programming blip and not a new trend.

Technicolor is, indeed, a wonderful process, considered the best. However, it may be that what you recall from television was also the result of widescreen films being cropped and blown-up to fill your television picture screen. That always made these films look washed-out. That's possible, I certainly didn't know about pan and scan back in my younger days. But these movies I remember were almost devoid of color. That's what made seeing a Technicolor picture that much more impressive. Now, I'm talking about the early to mid-seventies here, so the prints used back then were probably less than perfect to begin with.

lzcutter- Thanks that's the kind of info I was looking for. Time to do some searching. cinemascope- Thanks- I'll check out the link.

After watching GWTW (again) and marvelling at the wonderful color photography, I have a question for anyone in the know. . Are there any books out there that document the development and use of the Technicolor process? I've always been amazed at how well the colors held up in older films compared to the various other color methods used. I can remember watching films on TV as a kid, and noticing that if the film was in Technicolor it was vibrant and clear, while if it was Metrocolor or some other process they were almost completly washed out and colorless.

Good to hear. Although, I can't say that there's any "lack" of RKO films being shown on TCM Canada. Lots of them on all the time.

Once upon a time, on a vacation down to "the States" I discovered a couple of classic movie stations while flipping through the channels at a motel. TCM and AMC. Lucky stiffs I thought. We had nothing like them in Canada. Lo and behold, many years later, one day TCM shows up in the channel guide. Could it be? I wondered. Wonder of wonders it was. Finally a movie channel worth watching. Now all we needed was the other one- American Movie Classics. It arrived about four months ago. What a complete mess that channel has become. I can't watch it. In Canada, the commercials (at least) so far, consist of constantly repeating "man in the street" pieces. Favorite lines, scenes etc. Or, profiles of the hard working screenwriter, director et al. No real ads, just these constantly repeating interuptions to the movies. I just can't watch the station. What a complete waste of bandwidth. TCM is like a breath of fresh air. It has it's faults, like everything else, but it's a helluva lot better than most of the drivel out there in the 500 channel universe.