SUE SUE II...

[SueSueApplegate]

Kingrat and fillmlover, already I'm making the tough choices....
The Brit New Wave *It Always Rains on Sunday* and Lubitsch's *Cluny Brown* are
some nice, "new" features for The Turner Classic Movies Film Festival 2013.
And Lulu introduces *To Sir, With Love!*

The first official event of the TCMFF is always an opportunity to meet

the delightful folks who decide what we will see on our favorite cable

channel, and it's always a popular venue. So if you are a first-time

festival goer, be sure to attend the initial event for 2013 at 1:00

p.m. in Club TCM to find out how the process of creating one of the

most popular cable channels is accomplished by listening to comments

from the talent coordinators, programmers, staffers, and head ****

in charge.

Cher wowed everybody last night according to what I've been reading on

different websites and Facebook pages. Her April Guest Programmer stint

surprised viewers with her salient comments, her enthusiasm for classic

film, and her chemistry with Robert Osborne, the King of Smooth Sailing

through the rough waters of classic film commentary. Cher's large, white

hoop earrings were wobbling everytime she was thrilled to share her

reflections, and folks love her theme month. Will she grace the Vanity Fair
after-gala fun with her baubles, bangles, and beads?

A Woman's World, The Defining Era of Women on Film:

http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/581999%7C0/Friday-Night-Spotlight-in-April.html

Festival goers are also chatting about the torture of making the tough

choices concerning which events to attend, but almost everyone plans on

seeing Jane Fonda follow in her father's footprints...

Which will now become a Fonda family tradition...

And I'm wondering will any special friends join her?

Maybe one of her costars?

And then there's the question of..

Barbra, will you be there?

And which films will be anointed as the ever popular TBA's on Sunday?
More later as the TCMFF 2013 moves us ever closer to these unanswered queries...

[SueSueApplegate]

David from Seattle has a new blog post! Check out part of this historic trek to the TCMFF 2013 as Dave wings his way from Chicago to LA on Route 66!

http://forums.tcm.com/thread.jspa?threadID=168883&tstart=0

[SueSueApplegate]

*The Great Escape* will be screened at the TCMFF 2013 at 5:30 on Friday evening at the TCL Chinese Theatre, formerly known as the artist "Grauman's Chinese Theatre."

 

Australian author Paul Brickhill detailed the real-life escapades of the action-packed *The Great Escape* in his1950 novel *The Great Escape,* and was a trained RAF fighter pilot who was shot down over Tunisia in 1943 and then sent to Stalag Luft III where he was imprisoned with other officers. Because of his own claustrophobia, he did not assist in the actual digging of the tunnel, but did manage to tell his story in *The Great Escape,* and two other WWII novels, *The Dam Busters,* and *Reach For The Sky,* all of which were made into films.

 

The actual internment camp in the film was entirely recreated outside

of Munich, Germany, and the interior scenes were all filmed at Bavaria

studios while part of the actual escape scene was filmed in a

forested area. The production company, The Mirisch Corporation,

kindly replaced 2,000 pine trees which were damaged during the course of filming.

And because of the manner in which director John Sturges organized the shoot, Steve McQueen is actualy seen chasing himself onscreen at one point as he was allowed to perform several of the stunts in the motorcycle chase scenes, one of which included the German soldier pursuing Hilts, McQueen's character. The most climactic scene, when Hilt's character jumps over the barbed-wire fence, was actually executed by McQueen's good pal, Bud Ekins, who later appeared in such films as *Animal House, Electra Glide in Blue,* and *Bullitt.*

 

 

*FYI:* Stunt veterans Loren Janes and Conrad E. Palmisano will participate in a Club TCM panel at 3 p.m. on Friday entitled "Taking The Fall."

 

 

*Was this the film that launched a thousand careers?*

 

 

Sir Richard Attenborough, director, writer, and actor appeared as Bartlett," Big X," and was popularly known in England for his portrayal of Pinkie Brown in the classic Brit Noir, *Brighton Rock*, while his performance in *Jurassic Park*, and his directorial accomplishments like *Chaplin, A Chorus Lilne, Gandhi*, and *Shadowlands* has endeared him to American audiences. Gordon Jackson, MacDonald, "Intelligence," appeared as Hudson in the original *Upstairs, Downstairs* on the BBC. John Leyton, Willie, "Tunnel King," had a busy career as a pop-singer in the UK, and also starred in *Von Ryan's Express.* Both Charles Bronson and James Coburn had high-profile film successes in the 1960s and 1970s.

 

 

In the documentary included as part of the extras in the DVD, Donald Pleasance discusses his own personal experiences as a POW during WWII, and how that prepared him for his role as Blythe,"The Forger," in 1963's *The Great Escape.* Other cast members also experienced what it was like as captured POWs during the 1940s, like Hannes Messemer, Von Luger, "The Kommandant," who was actually imprisoned by the Russians.

 

 

It would be lovely if David McCallum could introduce the film along with Walter Mirisch, as another added guest star to the fabulous TCMFF 2013 lineup this year. Could it happen? McCallum currently plays "Ducky," Dr. Ronald Mallard on *NCIS*, and was enormously popular as Ilya Kuryakin on *The Man From Uncle* in the 1960's.

 

 

Happy 85th birthday to *The Great Escape* screen legend, James Garner, who played Hendley, "Scrounger," Brett Maverick, James Rockford, and many other characters on the big and little screens!

We would love to see you at the TCMFF 2013!

 

 

On a personal note, I used to watch this film with my father who was a Tank Commander in Patton's Third Army as part of the European Theater. and he helped liberate a concentration camp in Germany.

 

 

My father never wavered in his commitment to the fact that he had never seen anything like that horror in his life, and would recall how happy the prisoners were to see the Americans and be released. Films like *The Great Escape, The Pianist,* and *Schindler's List* sprang from the realities of the horrors of war, lest we forget...

My father, C.C., and my mother, Dorothy, in 1941, right before he left for England on the *Ile de France*.

 

 

Holocaust Remembrance Day was yesterday, but we need to remember and struggle against such atrocities every day.

[cinecrazydc]

Thanks for the recap on *The Great Escape*, Sue Sue. It sure would appear that, while it may not have launched a thousand ships (a la Helen of Troy), it certainly launched more than a few careers !

Nice summary of the movie and the period with a little family history thrown in to boot.

 

While I am devastated I won't be with you this year, I'm also wondering if you know who will show up ... after all, the channel was his brainchild and he was married to the honoree. "CrazyDC"

 

 

[SueSueApplegate]

Thanks for the kind words about my last post, Cinecrazy!

 

As to who might arrive at the footprint ceremony, we just won't know until it happens!

 

Paula Prentiss & Dick Benjamin were in the stands for Peter O'Toole's 2011 ceremony, and Debbie Reynolds showed up for Kim Novak's last year to help Robert Osborne introduce her. Lots of surprises at the TCMFF!

[SueSueApplegate]

TCMFF 2013 Passholders: Check your email for information concerning discounts with our passes!

 

And Dave has a new post about his historic trip to the TCMFF 2013 on ROUTE :

http://forums.tcm.com/thread.jspa?threadID=168883&tstart=0

[SueSueApplegate]

Festival passholders share their advice and experiences:

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[lzcutter]

With the passing of Jonathan Winters earlier today, perhaps the discussion at *Mad, Mad World* will be a tribute to the great, funny man who was scheduled to be on stage with other stars from the film.

 

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jonathan-winters-dies-at-87-438626

[SueSueApplegate]

Good point, Lynn. Thank you for sharing the link. It's another sad moment.

 

Jonathan Winters was a comic genius who helped America smile from Coast to Coast.

 

Rest in Peace, Mr. Winters.

[SueSueApplegate]

She earned the nickname "The Helen Hayes of Television" for her many

award winning performances, and we know her as Maddie Hayes' mother

from *Moonlighting* and Roz Doyle's Mom from *Fraser*, but her titled

nickname comes from some of her more heralded performances in

television's heyday like *Actor's Studio*, *The Prudential Family Playhouse*

as Edith Cortright in *Dodsworth*, *The Plymouth Playhouse*, *Studio One in*

*Hollywood, The Goodyear Playhouse, Omnibus, G.E. Theater* and many

others.

But her more heralded roles in film have also made memorable

impressions on the film-loving public like Eve Kendall in *North By*

*Northwest,* her Oscar winning role as a supporting actress opposite

Marlon Brando in *On The Waterfront,* her portrayal of Nell Gaither in

*Raintree County,* and Kitty Fremont in *Exodus*, as well as her roles in

*Grand Prix, The Russians Are Coming the Russians are Coming,*
and many others. Actors she has worked with include Lillian Gish,
James Mason, Carl Reiner, Jo Van Fleet, Paul Newman, Cary Grant,
James Garner,E.G. Marshall, and she has been directed by Alfred Hitchcock
and Elia Kazan. She is currently filming *Winter's Tale* with Russell Crowe,
Will Smith, Colin Farrell, Graham Greene and Jennifer Connelly, and plays
Willa as an adult from the 1983 novel by Mark Helprin.

Personally, family means a great deal to her. She is still married to

the man she wed in 1951, has two sons and three grandchildren, and
has campaigned to ban cell phone use by persons operating a motor vehicle.

By now I am sure you have guessed I am describing the woman Robert

Osborne will interview at the Turner Classic Film Festival 2013...the Emmy
awarded and Oscar winning Eva Marie Saint...

I think she'll have plenty to tell us.

BTW, Dave has a new report as he "Kicks It In" on Route 66. Don't miss his latest installment!

[filmlover]

{font:Verdana}Nice mini-bio of Eva Marie Saint, Sue Sue...but you forgot to mention this is her return trip to the Festival. She was at the very first one, where she and Martin Landau were interviewed by Robert for North by Northwest:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8YQ-WBy-l0{font}

[SueSueApplegate]

Thanks, filmlover. And everyone will love the link!

 

Attending Eva Marie Saint's first visit to the festival in 2010 when she and Martin Landau introduced and discussed *North By Northwest* was a wonderful highlight for me. She was the first film celebrity I met at the Vanity Fair party. A truly kind, lovely lady.

 

[SueSueApplegate]

Leonard Maltin called *Safe in Hell,* a 1931 precode, an "extremely seamy tale" that "pulls no punches" as Dorothy Mackaill plays New Orleans call girl Gilda Karlson. Maltin also states that it is a "remarkably frank precode drama." Directed by William Wellman, *Safe in Hell* will be featured at 9:30 p.m. at the Chinese Multiplex 4 and in attendance will be actor, producer and director William Wellman, Jr., son of the director, and Donald Bogle, author, film historian, and professor at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and the University of Pennsylvania.

Hailed for it's unusual camera work, principal black characters not in stereotypical roles, and Dorothy Mackaill's riveting performance as a prostitute, a hidden early feminist gem with a shocking conclusion is another fascinating film passholders might not want to miss.

Bill Wellman, Jr., at TCMFF 2012 with a passholder who is a fan of

Bill Wellman, Sr., Bill Wellman, Jr., and TCM !

[kingrat]

 

SueSue, I don't know if you noticed it in the Festival 101 FAQ which TCM sent out yesterday, but:

 

 

"There is also a new cafe conveniently located inside the Chinese 6 Multiplex that will be serving a special Festival inspired menu of salads, sandwiches and entrees where attendees can eat while waiting for their next movie."

 

 

I don't know if that means that half of the lobby will be turned into a cafe, but this is great for fans. Previously the multiplex has had little beyond popcorn, candy, and soda.

 

 

[SueSueApplegate]

Kingrat, that is such wonderful news! I am sure we will all find ways to appreciate the new "cafe."

 

To visit the Festival 101 facts, follow this link:

http://filmfestival.tcm.com/attend/festival101.php

 

And we have more updates that include Burt Reynolds, Malcolm McDowell, John Boorman, Rose McGowan, and Rob Marshall.

 

This just in from the TCM Newsroom:

 

More Celebrity Appearances Announced For the 2013 TCM Classic Film Festival

With just over a week left to go before the launch of the *2013 TCM Classic Film Festival*, *Turner Classic Movies (TCM)* continues to expand the roster of special guests for the four-day event, which will take place *April 25-28 in Hollywood*. *Burt Reynolds* and filmmaker *John Boorman* will join the previously announced *Jon Voight* at a screening of Boorman's *Deliverance* (1972).

 

Director *Rob Marshall* is set to appear at a screening of his Oscar®-winning film *Chicago* (2002), starring Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta Jones, Richard Gere and Queen Latifah.

 

Actress *Rose McGowan*, a past co-host of TCM's Essentials showcase, will be on hand for a screening of Alfred Hitchcock's *Notorious* (1946), starring Ingrid Bergman, Cary Grant and Claude Rains. And actor *Malcolm McDowell* will appear at a screening of *Yankee Doodle Dandy* (1942), starring James Cagney.

 

I also noticed that Theodore Bikel is added to the introduction of *My Fair Lady* at the Capitan as well as his previously announced appearance at *The African Queen*, as well as Rob Marshall being added to the discussion of *On the Town*. More later when I have more time to peruse....

[kingrat]

 

SueSue, I don't see CHICAGO on the schedule. Am I just overlooking it? Wonder when and where they will be adding it?

 

 

Real fans obsess over every detail of the schedule, don't we?

 

 

A couple of our friends are over the moon about John Boorman and Burt Reynolds joining Jon Voight for the presentation of DELIVERANCE.

 

 

[SueSueApplegate]

Reynolds and Boorman are "good gets!" No, kingrat, it's not on there yet. Guess we will

have to wait and see......

 

And I also discovered that Eddie Muller is also scheduled to introduce *Try and Get Me*. They had originally listed Donald Bogle, but he is now introducing *Safe in Hell* with William Wellman, Jr. And I just noticed that Scott Feinberg was added to *The Train.*

 

They've also included Dennis Bartok for *The Killing* and *Suddenly It's Spring* with Kate McMurray, as well as adding Norman Lloyd and Todd McCarthy to *Ruggles of Red Gap.*

 

Marge Champion, cast as Peggy Forsburgh, returns to discuss *The Swimmer,* a film by director Frank Perry, from the John Cheever short story, with Allison Anders.

[hlywdkjk]

*"No, kingrat, it's not on there yet. Guess we will have to wait and see...."* - SueSue

 

Word I have gotten is that the Press Release has it wrong.

 

Rob Marshall, director of CHICAGO, is hosting the screening of ON THE TOWN. There is no screening of CHICAGO planned for the Film Festival.

 

Kyle (Over The Moon) in Hollywood

[SueSueApplegate]

Ah. Now that makes sense.

 

Thanks, Kyle.

[hlywdkjk]

*"Thanks, Kyle."*

 

Sure. My pleasure.

 

So is SueSue going to *To Sir, With Love* that morning?

[SueSueApplegate]

 

I am still tweaking my personal choices. How about you, Kyle? What are your recommendations for that time slot? Isn't our friend, Glenn Taranto, performing in *The Donovan Affair* at that time?

 

I would certainly enjoy seeing LuLu and *To Sir,With Love* on the big screen, though.

 

 

[hlywdkjk]

Until today, I was down with attending the screening of *The Donovan Affair* with our friend Glenn. And I still think it is the most interesting presentation on the schedule.

 

But as one who has been cheerleading for *Deliverance* with Burt Reynolds in attendance to be included in a Film Festival line-up, I have no choice but to be in the Chinese 6 that morning. I am soooo looking forward to it.

 

And I am pleased to learn that Mr. Reynolds has recovered enough from his health problems this past winter to permit him to travel to the Classic Film Festival. Or so it seems.

 

Funny thing... The *Deliverance* vs. "Donovan" decision is probably the first time in four years I truly felt conflicted about what to attend.

 

Are you planning on taking in that Texas tale known as Giant Saturday afternoon? If I wasn't interested in either *Deliverance* or "Donovan" or *Giant*, I would probably choose to hang with Norman Lloyd at *The Lady Vanishes*. Or grab some lunch and then head to the relatively short *The Lady and The Tramp* just to check out the El Capitan Theater.

 

I hope everyone tries to get to one screening at the El Capitan. I think the organizers worked hard to get use of the theater for the Classic Film Festival. It would be a shame if it goes "unused" by most attendees. (Because the El Capitan is showing *Return To Oz* right now, I honestly thougth the Festival would screen the MGM *The Wizard Of Oz* at that theater and offer attendees the opportunity to take in an "Oz" Double Feature during the weekend.)

[SueSueApplegate]

Well, the addition of Burt Reynolds and John Boorman make that a choice that I am pondering.

 

I also enjoyed meeting Jane Withers at the 2011 Festival, and she is so energetic and entertaining a personality, I can't imagine anyone being disappointed by all the fascinating tales she has to tell about *Giant*. She is truly one of the classic "treasures" making an appearance at this year's festival, as she worked with Shirley Temple in *Bright Eyes,* Gregory Peck in *Captain Newman, M.D.,* and Marsha Hunt in *Gentle Julia*, and many others I can't think of right now. She was also on episodic programs like *Hart to Hart, The Love Boat, Murder She Wrote,* and many more. It was amazing all the famous actors actresses, and directors she worked with, not to mention everyone in *Giant*.

 

 

And I know how hard it was to arrange all the screenings at the El Capitan. *Lady and The Tramp* is one of my favorite Disney films. Seeing Norman Lloyd dishing about *The Lady Vanishes* is also tempting. I know a decision must be made, but I am just not ready yet.

 

And the conversation with Tippi Hedren is at the same time, too. First time festival-goers must be stressed about this section of Saturday's schedule!

 

 

And Kyle, the *OZ* double feature would have been wonderful!

[filmlover]

Kyle,

 

Thanks for plugging the El Capitan.

 

A word to anyone who goes to see a film there...be sure to be in your seat well before the movie starts. Don't go racing out for popcorn at the last second, because the opening of the curtains is completely stunning. Worth the price of admission just for that.

[lzcutter]

Suex2,

 

I have to say, with the addition of Burt Reynolds and John Boorman, I'm with Kyle on *Deliverance* (please forgive us, Glenn!).

 

Also of interest for me, John Bengston and the silent film locations presentation, Kevin Brownlow and Carl Davis and the Academy home movies redux!

 

And ladies, Bill Jr is even more dreamy in person! Don't miss him!

I saw *Safe in Hell* when TCM ran it as part of *Employees Picks* (thanks, Jeff!) and it is really, really lurid!

 

A great pre-code directed by one of my faves, Wild Bill, Sr!