looney4tcm Posted October 16, 2014 Share Posted October 16, 2014 I think he speaks well but do NOT enjoy him as a host due to what I perceive as a smug, condescending persona. His aura seems to suggest he just knows he's a real smart guy. Please help me out by pointing out his fantastic qualities or perhaps TCM should just reduce his hours as a compromise. I love most of the guest hosts and Robert Osborne. I also loved old timer Bob Dorian for those of you who remember. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primosprimos Posted October 16, 2014 Share Posted October 16, 2014 I think he speaks well but do NOT enjoy him as a host due to what I perceive as a smug, condescending persona. His aura seems to suggest he just knows he's a real smart guy. Please help me out by pointing out his fantastic qualities or perhaps TCM should just reduce his hours as a compromise. I love most of the guest hosts and Robert Osborne. I also loved old timer Bob Dorian for those of you who remember. Years and years ago, perhaps, but he's much improved. After RO had his plastic surgery, Ben was cleaned up and now they're both very corporate. Relax, Ben and RO are all TCM have. The more commercials TCM inserts - notice how the movies never start at the stated time anymore? - the more RO and Ben are going to be used to hawk the cruises and the bus tours. Absolutely correct, Bob Dorian and Nick Clooney were excellent, but those days are gone forever. Remember when Bob used to talk about the old movie houses around the country, and NOT hawk anything? Gone forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NipkowDisc Posted October 16, 2014 Share Posted October 16, 2014 they could replace Ben Manckiewicz with the much more knowledgeable Bill Hader. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roverrocks Posted October 16, 2014 Share Posted October 16, 2014 they could replace Ben Manckiewicz with the much more knowledgeable Bill Hader. THAT would definitely be a trip to The Twilight Zone! Ben is just fine with me. Hader is laughable. Just as long as we never have to watch and listen to Matthew Broderick again is all I really care about. Get Alan C*u*m*m*i*n*g or Laura Linney from PBS Masterpiece. I rather enjoy their Masterpiece introductions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet0312 Posted October 16, 2014 Share Posted October 16, 2014 I like Ben. I like his voice and his style. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primosprimos Posted October 16, 2014 Share Posted October 16, 2014 THAT would definitely be a trip to The Twilight Zone! Ben is just fine with me. Hader is laughable. Just as long as we never have to watch and listen to Matthew Broderick again is all I really care about. Get Alan C*u*m*m*i*n*g or Laura Linney from PBS Masterpiece. I rather enjoy their Masterpiece introductions. I liked Vincent Price and Diana Rigg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primosprimos Posted October 16, 2014 Share Posted October 16, 2014 He's not too bad..... and much better than Ben Lyons.... Better than Ben Turpin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swithin Posted October 16, 2014 Share Posted October 16, 2014 I would prefer Paul Porcasi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGayDivorcee Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 I like Ben if he doesn't try to be too hip. I also miss Bob Dorian and especially miss the affable (and handsome!) Nick Clooney. TCM once had Kim Morgan on and I really liked her. She writes about movies with her heart and soul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markfp2 Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 The more commercials TCM inserts - notice how the movies never start at the stated time anymore? - the more RO and Ben are going to be used to hawk the cruises and the bus tours. I'll gladly take their so called "hawking", as you call it if it fends off the alternative and any former fan of AMC should know exactly what I'm talking about. It's a business folks and TCM has to pay the bills somehow. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakeem Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 THAT would definitely be a trip to The Twilight Zone! Ben is just fine with me. Hader is laughable. Just as long as we never have to watch and listen to Matthew Broderick again is all I really care about. Get Alan C*u*m*m*i*n*g or Laura Linney from PBS Masterpiece. I rather enjoy their Masterpiece introductions. What introductions? They barely talk anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ziggyelman Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 He's not too bad..... and much better than Ben Lyons.... I'd much rather listen to Ben Lyon, and I'm not lyin'! Dead or not... Ben is...Ok. I have rather actively disliked him through the years, but he has gotten better(His intros are about 1 minute shorter than Robert's, for some reason) He really looked better to me after some of the terrible, no good fill-in's while Robert was out. I'd love to see Leonard Maltin get a day or two(strangely, a very nice, very comfortable guy that has interviewed, and hosted programs/vhs tapes for years and years, seems more stiff on TCM) and hopefully feel more comfortable. I sadly can't think of their names, but 2 film critics that filled in for Robert(A short stocky guy, and a thin gentleman with a beard) seemed pretty darned good, and I'd like to see them get more chances in the future. I really don't want to see TCM turn into a young edgy host landing place. (Hey, we can get younger people to tune in if we have with a young, hip guy, a Carson Daly-----no, you can't) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misswonderly3 Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 I've never understood the "Ben Mankiewicz is so smug, he makes me sick" school of thought. He doesn't strike me as smug or condescending at all. I met him once, and we spoke, very briefly. I thought he was exceptionally friendly and genuine, none of the negative qualities some people attribute to him. My only complaint is the complete opposite of what everybody else seems to think. i liked the old "scruffy" Ben look better than the polished suits and ties he sports now. Don`t know why they felt they had to `"clean him up". He seemed clean enough before the make-over, and a bit more "user-friendly". I kind of like scruffiness. Anyway, as I said, I don't get the Ben-hate thing at all. I like him very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
looney4tcm Posted October 17, 2014 Author Share Posted October 17, 2014 I most enjoy the purely enthusiastic hosts such as David Edelstein. I'm guessing Linda Blair would be an improvement on Essentials as well 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
looney4tcm Posted October 17, 2014 Author Share Posted October 17, 2014 Geez Miss Wonderly ... I doubt anybody should hate Ben just for hosting It's more likely he's the guy in high school who might have encountered a tad bit of animosity (mild to moderate) for having a smart allecky attitude Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dargo Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 "Smug"? Well, yeah, I suppose The Mankster might come across a little like that....to some. But to tell ya the TRUTH here folks, while FOR YEARS I thought the guy's voice was WAY too "nasally", that whole "smug" thing MIGHT have been the VERY thing that would eventually endear me to the guy! 'Cause as I've mentioned before around here, I PERSONALLY became a BIG fan of his the time after TCM showed PATHS OF GLORY a couple of years ago and in his "outro" Ben made the following comment: "The French Government had banned the showing of this film in France for many years, claiming it slighted the French Military....insert your own "French Military" joke here." LOL (...and SOOOO, sorry here all you "Ben naysayers", but not ONLY is THAT freakin' hilarious in ITSELF, though definitely an old AND easy joke to be sure, but I ALSO thought it took a whole lot o' GUTS just to say it on the air!....SO THERE!!!!) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clore Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 I most enjoy the purely enthusiastic hosts such as David Edelstein. I'm guessing Linda Blair would be an improvement on Essentials as well I liked the scripts that David Edelstein prepared for his stints, I would love to see more of them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primosprimos Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 Personally, I think the Mankman could use a medium infusion of his old smart alecky, irreverent tone. It shows up every once in a while, but he's mostly on the bland side now. Hey, that's show biz. Don't shake the snow globe too hard. All true, but I think he's doing okay. I think it's time for RO to hit the senior home. They could hire more kids/grand kids/nieces/nephews of famous people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lydecker Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 I've never understood the "Ben Mankiewicz is so smug, he makes me sick" school of thought. He doesn't strike me as smug or condescending at all. I met him once, and we spoke, very briefly. I thought he was exceptionally friendly and genuine, none of the negative qualities some people attribute to him. My only complaint is the complete opposite of what everybody else seems to think. i liked the old "scruffy" Ben look better than the polished suits and ties he sports now. Don`t know why they felt they had to `"clean him up". He seemed clean enough before the make-over, and a bit more "user-friendly". I kind of like scruffiness. Anyway, as I said, I don't get the Ben-hate thing at all. I like him very much. I completely agree. I have no idea why everyone hates Mankiewicz so much. I think he has really grown in the role of host and there are many times I much prefer his approach to Robert Osborne's over the top gravitas and/or fawning over morons like Drew Barrymore. I don't have a problem that they "cleaned him up" a bit. I think he has come a long way and would have no problem with him taking on the role of TCM's "main host" (he's practically there now since Osborne hosts the films less and less) one day. Lydecker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barton_Keyes Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 I really enjoyed David Edelstein's enthusiasm when he filled in for Robert Osborne. It was very reminiscent of the late Elwy Yost, who hosted the now-defunct 'Saturday Night at the Movies', on TVO, the public broadcaster in Ontario. Some of his interviews are available on YouTube I believe. Particularly interesting are his interviews with Henry Fonda and Greer Garson. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 "Smug"? Well, yeah, I suppose The Mankster might come across a little like that....to some. But to tell ya the TRUTH here folks, while FOR YEARS I thought the guy's voice was WAY too "nasally", that whole "smug" thing MIGHT have been the VERY thing that would eventually endear me to the guy! 'Cause as I've mentioned before around here, I PERSONALLY became a BIG fan of his the time after TCM showed PATHS OF GLORY a couple of years ago and in his "outro" Ben made the following comment: "The French Government had banned the showing of this film in France for many years, claiming it slighted the French Military....insert your own "French Military" joke here." LOL (...and SOOOO, sorry here all you "Ben naysayers", but not ONLY is THAT freakin' hilarious in ITSELF, though definitely an old AND easy joke to be sure, but I ALSO thought it took a whole lot o' GUTS just to say it on the air!....SO THERE!!!!) It's not that Ben is smug. It's that RO is unsmug, and most [people would seem smug by comparison. Even yours truly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakeem Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 It's not that Ben is smug. It's that RO is unsmug, and most people would seem smug by comparison. Even yours truly. I agree. Mankiewicz is an acquired taste. But his dry sense of humor grows on you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 I agree. Mankiewicz is an acquired taste. But his dry sense of humor grows on you. Give me an example of someone who has a wet sense of humor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakeem Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 Give me an example of someone who has a wet sense of humor. Kevin Costner had to have one to star in "Waterworld," don't you think? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 Kevin Costner had to have one to star in "Waterworld," don't you think? Rodney D. sweated during his routines. Is that a wet sense of humor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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