cjrogan2003 Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 The March schedule is up. It appears to be a mediocre month, but it has an excellent start: my favorite movie, BLOOD AND SAND!!! I am THRILLED to see that this is playing, since TCM rarely ever airs 20th Century-Fox films, and this schedule appears to have more Fox films than I've seen in a while. On a side note, I am disappointed about three things: that "Jerry Maguire" is premiering, but I see it's part of a theme about football which also includes Harold Lloyd's "The Freshman" and John Wayne's "Trouble Along the Way" (another premiere!). I am also disappointed that Charles Chaplin is Star of the Month because I don't like his ultra-radical views. I'm sorry classicfan1119, I know you hold liberal viewpoints, but I am extremely conservative. I'm also annoyed about the premiere of the three Rocky sequels. The first Rocky is good, but the rest are mediocre. Like a lot of you claim, I'm not beating the "dead horse" about Technicolor, I like ANY motion picture in the dye-transfer process (not just three-strip, but VistaVision, Technirama, CinemaScope, Panavision, etc.), but I still don't like films that are not dye-transfer (like Metrocolor, DeLuxe, Pathecolor and modern color) because they really are inferior in color, contrast, resolution and sharpness to dye-transfer Technicolor, and they suffer horrendous fading, which Technicolor doesn't because its photomechanical, not photochemical. In other words, the dyes are added to blank reciever stock, the dyes are not in the film. And one more thing: I'm glad that "Baby Doll" is not playing. I wish TCM would stop playing this piece of trash and instead play masterpieces like Blood and Sand or (I'm sure they'll show them soon) Captain from Castile and Leave Her to Heaven. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
classicsfan1119 Posted December 19, 2003 Share Posted December 19, 2003 You don't have to be sorry because I don't share your political or social viewpoints, M.Rogan. However, even if I were more like you, i.e. ultra-conservative, I would still value Chaplin's work. I'm thrilled that he will be Star of the Month in March! It's not about what these talented and creative people did off screen that interests me, it's what they did on screen, or for the benefit of the movie industry...another place where you and I part ways, I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 19, 2003 Share Posted December 19, 2003 Take me: I'm fairly conservative in some respects (certainly not all), but I can appreciate Chaplin for what he did on screen and have no problem with him being a Star of the Month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickdimeo Posted December 23, 2003 Share Posted December 23, 2003 I couldn't let this topic fade into oblivion (the second page) without complaining at least once that Jerry Maguire is being shown. This is TCM folks, and Jerry Maguire is being shown on these airwaves! I understand if Sleepless in Seattle or Philadelphia is occasionally aired but not Jerry Maguire. That's what HBO, or Showtime is for. Let them air a movie that is filled with profanity and sexual situations (typical of a 90's movie) not TCM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinemetal Posted December 23, 2003 Share Posted December 23, 2003 There are more sexual situations in The Smiling Lieutenant than there are in Jerry Maguire. Nor is it profane by post-1967 standards, if you ask me. Plus, its writing is far crisper, funnier and more insightful than anything by Nora Ephron since When Harry Met Sally... and Heartburn. One of Cruise's best performances, Renee Zellweger's first hint of star wattage, cinematography by Janusz Kaminski (Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan), and Cameron Crowe's second-best script (Almost Famous is my tops), not to mention the conversation-important trivia nugget that the human head weighs eight pounds...bring on Jerry Maguire! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
classicsfan1119 Posted December 23, 2003 Share Posted December 23, 2003 A bit more trivia...what set of muscles are the strongest in the entire human body? That's right, the neck muscles that hold up that 8 pound head! (smile) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjrogan2003 Posted December 24, 2003 Author Share Posted December 24, 2003 I agree with you, nickdimeo. Movies like Jerry Maguire, The Bridges of Madison County, As Good as It Gets and In the Line of Fire have no place on TCM. TCM should stick to airing only studio system movies...rare titles like The Feminine Touch, Flight Command, The Crowd Roars, You're Only Young Once, Fools for Scandal, Gold Is Where You Find It, Saturday's Children, etc. You can't find those anywhere but TCM. You can find Jerry Maguire and The Bridges of Madison County on HBO, Showtime, Cinemax and The Movie Channel at anytime! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinemetal Posted December 26, 2003 Share Posted December 26, 2003 I'm going to stand up for those selections once again. Most of them are 7-10 years old by now and are widely accepted as modern classics. They are no longer in heavy rotation on the pay channels like HBO and Showtime. Showing a mere handful of them on TCM hurts no one, doesn't remove much air time from older films, provides just a touch of variety, and provides the only opportunity I've experienced to see In the Line of Fire letterboxed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 26, 2003 Share Posted December 26, 2003 So does TCM think it's going to get a million new subscribers by showing new films that EVERYONE has already seen? Instead of serving its rabid fans, TCM keeps showing newer and newer films and showing the same old 50s and 60s films over and over and NOT showing the silent films, transition films, and 30s films with forgotten stars that we want to see. TCM needs to remember its core of watchers and stop trying to become HBO or STARZ. AMC went down the toilet, and even Fox Movie Channel RARELY shows anything pre-1950.... GIVE US A BREAK!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinemetal Posted December 26, 2003 Share Posted December 26, 2003 Call me kooky, but I don't see Starz scheduling any birthday tributes to Una Merkel or Gregory La Cava. Maybe it's just me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 28, 2003 Share Posted December 28, 2003 Gimme a break and that's not what I said. TCM is moving away from 30s films, obscure films, forgotten stars. TCM has also started scheduling films more than once in one month rather than schedule a different film. Kings Go Forth (yuk) is scheduled twice in January. Why? It's not even a major Sinatra film. TCM should NOT be scheduling any one film twice in a month, especially considering how many films in the vault they NEVER show. The TCM move toward "new" films is a bad omen. And even when they show a Dorothy MacKaill or Alice White film now, it's buried in the wee hours. Bad signs all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffeedan1927 Posted December 29, 2003 Share Posted December 29, 2003 I dunno, Ed . . . maybe you're watching some other TCM than the one I'm watching, because I've been taping dozens of films from the '30s and earlier since November. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: TCM isn't doing anything differently in its basic programming than they've done in the last six years, and I've got a big stack of old NOW PLAYING guides to prove it. There's no trend toward "newer" films -- they've always had them in the schedule, but shown only in prime time as part of a programming theme, never at any other time. And they occupy only 3 to 4 percent of the monthly schedule anyway, so what's the beef? Personally, I like the additional variety they provide. And when AMC gave up on their classic movie programming, TCM picked up their leases. There are more Paramount and Universal titles in the line-up now, and it looks like they're working on 20th Century Fox as well. If they show Alice or Dottie in the wee hours, so what? They have to have something to fill the late hours. I'd rather see them late at night than not at all. Besides, that's what VCRs were made for. Heck, I like the idea of programming my VCR to tape a Richard Barthelmess film at 3 am so I can watch it when I get home from work. I thank God, TCM, and Panasonic (in that order) for such little pleasures. By the way, Ed, when was the last time you wrote or called TCM to tell them how disgruntled you are? I usually write or call at least once a month to give them my two cents' worth, and I'll bet I've seen a lot more of what I've wanted to see than you have. (In fact, two Richard Barthelmess films I requested are in the March schedule.) To a certain extent, if you're not seeing what you want on TCM, you have only yourself to blame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daddysprimadonna Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 THANK YOU dredagain!!! I just ranted in a new topic about this, I'm glad I'm not alone!That's what I'm trying to say, most of us became TCM fans because of the "classic" in the title, and most us tacitly accepted that "classic" meant "old", as in silent or silver screen or studio system, and TCM did too, until recently. They know darn good and well why most of us watch.Silent Sundays has become a joke, and the "classic" in Turner Classic Movies is right behind it!! It's back to my video and DVD collection! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bansi4 Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 So you didn't take heed to Coffeedan's sensible and proven explanation? Instead you rally for dredagain and went right for the jugular. You do best by going back to your video and DVD collection. Mongo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daddysprimadonna Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 Look, there's no need to be snitty with me for having my own opinion. I wasn't snitty with anyone here. I read all the opinions, and yes, I agreed with dredagain. Why would you take that personally? I know what I considered to be a "classic" movie when I began watching TCM, and so did they-what did they think I expected to see with "classic" in the label??? I don't need my defintion redefined, it was good enough when I began TCM, because they used it too. You disagree, and that's YOUR right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minatonga Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 I, too, think TCM has changed somewhat since it began. But I'm not upset about it. My VCR is usually working overtime taping all the movies I want to see - like the Lawrence Tierney movies earlier this month (I love film noir and crime movies). I don't have enough time to watch all the movies I've taped. TCM is still the best classic movie station on the air and it's a joy to have access to it. However, some of the recent posts in this thread and other threads do seem heated and to a degree angry. I think all posts should be listened to respectully as long as they don't have to do with religion, politics, or sexual orientation. If they have to do with those three subjects, they simply don't belong on this board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
classicsfan1119 Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 It's difficult for me to take seriously that "Silent Sunday's have become a joke". Here's why: Nov. 23: "Tillie's Punctured Romance" (1914) Nov. 30: Discovering the It Girl (documentary about Clara Bow, followed by) "Down to the Sea in Ships" (1923). Dec. 7: "Der Golem (Horror, 1915) Dec. 14: "The Kid (1921) Dec. 21: "Christmas Past" (a compilation of short silents with a Christmas theme). Dec.28: "The Wind" (1928) Lillian Gish Jan. 4: "The Love Light (War, 1921) Mary Pickford. These Silents have all been shown on Silent Sunday night, without interruption. If one makes a statement like you've made, it's kind of important to back it up with facts that will support it, don't you think? Additionally, I don't have to sit down and start adding up all the "silver screen" movies that TCM shows us every single day to know that at least 90% of the movies we see are both Classics, and in Black and White. Get a grip, guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daddysprimadonna Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 Classicsfan1119, you stated that nicely, and I HAVE been in a bit of a snit myself,and what you say is true-it's just hard to remember the big picture when I turn on TCM of a holiday night in primetime hours,expecting to while away the evening with some lovely B&W classic,or a Technicolor musical,and I see-"Sleepless In Seattle"---"Moonstruck"-etc. So being an insomniac, I waited up for "Holiday", and then "Forsaking All Others"(reading in the meantime,I HATE modern movies),and when they came on, I felt like I was watching TCM again:) As far as Silent Sundays,I guess it just FEELS like it gets bumped many times,more than it actually does when I see it on paper.I know I'm only griping and venting,but we fans love our TCM, I've been loyal for many many years(my cable company has carried it forEVer),and feel very "propietary" towards TCM and its classic format,probably because it IS the only place to see movies of this kind,and we don't want it diluted. So, sorry for the wild ranting:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stellabluegrl Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 Daddysprimadonna, I've been reading your "rantings" since last night and I'm glad that I came across this post of yours. As you said below, you have to remember the big picture...TCM is STILL a wonderful channel. I've been watching it for years and it still is the best channel out there if you ask me. As classics pointed out the Silent Sunday's are still being shown, and I, like coffeedan, also have a very large stack of "Now Playing" guides that prove TCM hasn't changed their basic programming. They have always shown the occasional newer movie during prime time. Sometimes I watch it, sometimes I don't. Same goes for the "oldies"--I don't like ALL of them (never been a big fan of "Citizen Kane" for example). That's when I pop in one of the classics I own--I have many that I've taped from TCM and haven't gotten around to watching yet. Oh, and I am also a MAJOR insomniac so I'm always up till the wee hours watching TCM--I watched "Holiday" and "Forsaking All Others" last night/this morning also and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Hopefully now you are out of your "snit" and will start appreciating TCM once again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daddysprimadonna Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 I'm pretty much out of it, after being shown a bit of reality-being an insomaniac maybe doesn't help:) I guess I'm just afraid it's going to become a "creeping trend"-and if no one says anything, the PTB will think we like or accept it, and start showing more new movies,and then there goes the only place to see all the old stuff that we CAME here for. I'll probably roll my eyes and be in a "snit" when thewy do it again, but I'll try to keep it to myself-unLESS it looks like they're trying to creep up on me with the new stuff.it FEELS that way, when it's in primetime,and when "Silent Sunday" is only once a week, or in the wee hours-I think maybe TCM is part of WHY I'm an insomniac,LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
classicsfan1119 Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 Hey there, Daddy's Prima Donna! It's good to see that you've holstered your side-arms, and have settled down to having some nice discussions with a few of our better members now. Atta girl! Enjoy! ML Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daddysprimadonna Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 Heh heh, I like your turn of phrase-"holstering my sidearms", LOL-I feel like Annie Oakley, tee hee:) I can't begin to express how much I'm looking forward to "Chance At Heaven" at the end of March-I adore that movie! And I was thrilled to see "Private Lives" for the first time tonight-Norma Shearer is my favorite actress, but I really had to push a mental picture of Una Merkel in "Gold Diggers of 1933" out of my mind-and even though the theme song from that movie is "Somewhere I'll Find You", in the back of my mind during the whole movie, I kept hearing "Mad About The Boy", LOL. Noel Coward was a genius, I think. I need to learn more about him,what wit! It was funny to hear all the "English" characters in the movie speaking with Midwestern or trans-Atlantic accents(I'm not sure about Norma's, it never sounded Canadian to me,though she was Canadian).That reminds me of Clark Gable refusing to speak in a Southern accent in "Gone With The Wind"(and I would know, I'm as Deep South as it gets:)) Though my accent is different from Georgia or a Carolina accent-I seem to recall, in the book, Scarlett saying that it tired her Georgia ears to hear the flatter Carolina accent.(It wouldn't tire me, I love all the Southern accents,and the British ones, and the Katherine Hepburn-Bette Davis style New England ones-heck,most all accents are fun!) I had to ramble, but it IS a LITTLE movie-related,LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
classicsfan1119 Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 Just enjoy yourself, and share whatever you want concerning movies, or whatever. (smile). ML Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alix1929 Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 Perhaps what was meant regarding "Silent Sunday Night" was that the same silents seem to be shown over and over and over and over. Although I could be wrong, a great majority of the movies listed in the post below have been shown multiple times. I will cast my vote and say that in the however many years I've been watching, I also feel the programming has changed, with a slant towards movies of the 80's and 90's. DO NOT take this as grinching. Just as an observation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
classicsfan1119 Posted January 1, 2004 Share Posted January 1, 2004 Alix, maybe the films I listed in my post below have become "reruns" for you, and probably lots of other folks here, too...but every single one of them was a first-time viewing for me. I left out TCM's special evening of Lon Chaney's works. Until I saw them, I didn't even know what Lon Chaney looked like! My point is, if there are other's in the world like me who have never seen all of the Slents and most of the 30's and 40's Classics, thank God that TCM is repeating them now and then so that we can see them, too! People subscribe to TCM every day who have never had TCM before. I've only had TCM since last May. There are hundreds of Classics I haven't seen yet! I call it good programming to reach all of the new people finally getting TCM with the best of the Classic movies by repeating them, even though that means that some people will have already seen them and perhaps be critical of them being "shown over and over and over", as you say. And, I could watch every Silent I've seen so far again many more times and still find them entertaining (smile). I envy you, Alix. You say that you've had TCM for many years, and you've seen all the Silents (and probably all the other Classics, too) multiple times. I won't live that long, as much as I wish I could so that I could see all of them multiple times, too. ML Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts