Guest Posted October 22, 2005 Share Posted October 22, 2005 it would have been the premiere of John Gilbert's final silent film.... They're showing La Boheme (with Lillian Gish) again in its place. HEY THANKS TCM..... keep it in the vault so no one ever gets to see it!!! Link to post Share on other sites
bollywood101 Posted October 22, 2005 Share Posted October 22, 2005 Bummer, indeed! I taped it the last (only?) time it ran, years ago, but on my old VCR that doesn't track so well with the one I've had since 1999, and I was looking forward to this. And there's nothing wrong with the movie, unless it's nitrate-rotted in the vaults since that last run. Link to post Share on other sites
bollywood101 Posted October 22, 2005 Share Posted October 22, 2005 PS: It wasn't the premiere. They ran this abt 1997, as part of a Gilbert salute, along with Gentleman's Fate and West of Broadway. Those are the only ones I have on the tape but there were some other features in the bill. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted October 23, 2005 Share Posted October 23, 2005 well i thought i read it was a premiere.... i've never seen it and i've had TCM since it started.... in any case I was looking forward to it. BOO TCM Link to post Share on other sites
lzcutter Posted October 23, 2005 Share Posted October 23, 2005 It may be that they are restoring it and the restoration work is behind schedule. Link to post Share on other sites
jackpickford1 Posted October 23, 2005 Share Posted October 23, 2005 I remember years ago TCM was supposed to show the rare Thelma Todd silent "Seven Footprints to Satan." Something else was shown instead. Did they ever eventually play the movie?" I did find a VHS copy of it in poor condition with Italian title cards. Hopefully a much better print will surface one day. Link to post Share on other sites
bollywood101 Posted October 23, 2005 Share Posted October 23, 2005 The print they screened in '96 or '97 didn't appear to need any restoration. It had a musical score and was in fine condition, as opposed to, say, West from Singapore, which wasn't transferred to safety stock until it had already begun to decompose.. My favorite part, admittedly, was when Mary Nolan, a real knockout in the femme lead, did a very nice **** -- without actually showing anything -- scene in an oasis. It's a good silent adventure, to all intents and purposes a western but set in the "Kallahari" desert of southern Africa, involving a diamond robbery and a trek across the desert. Title-heavy, though, and they probably should have waited a little and made it as a talkie. It really seems more like something prepped for Tim McCoy during his late silents days at Metro. Dale Van Every was one of the writers. I think it's just that when he's not teamed up with Garbo, John Gilbert is a pretty negligible library asset as far as the programmers are concerned. Even The Big Parade doesn't play nearly as often as it should. I'm still waiting for that Cossack adventure pic of his from the late silent days, though I don't know if it's still extant. Link to post Share on other sites
markfp2 Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 Well, I don't know why they pulled it, but I don't think it's just to **** off the viewers. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt that they had a good reason. Link to post Share on other sites
classicsfan1119 Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 I agree with you, Mark. Link to post Share on other sites
nickdimeo Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 I, along with many were looking forward to this movie being shown. This is certainly some bad news! Please, TCM Programmer can you address the issue of why this movie has been taken off the schedule? Thank You! Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 Yes.... it was announced MONTHS before the air date and then they run La Boheme yet again..... a perfectly good film but one that has been shown a dozen times..... Link to post Share on other sites
jackpickford1 Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 I too would've liked to have seen this film since everybody is talking about it. It is sort of the same situation they did years ago with a Thelma Todd silent. Link to post Share on other sites
lzcutter Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 The other possibility is that the rights to the musical score (noted a few posts down) may be a problem. Sometimes the rights for early films turn out to be a hornet's nest to unravel and Turner while they own the rights to the picture, may have discovered that they did not own the rights to the musical score or possibly some other element. Oft times, just because they own the picture rights does not guarantee they own all the rights to broadcast (or distribute) and they may not have discovered that until the broadcast date got closer. Message was edited by: lzcutter Link to post Share on other sites
coffeedan Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 I printed out the November schedule when it was originally posted, and both LA BOHEME and DESERT NIGHTS were on it. DESERT NIGHTS was probably dropped to make Nov. 20 a total Harold Lloyd night, which neatly coincides with New Line Cinema's release of THE HAROLD LLOYD COLLECTION next month (which looks like a busy month for classic DVD fans!). Message was edited by: coffeedan Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 you're probably right, Dan..... but I wish they had kept Desert Nights rather than La Boheme..... Link to post Share on other sites
jackpickford1 Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 Screw stuff like music rights! I'd rather have TCM air a scarce film with no music than have everybody suffer because of today's fanatical greedy copyright wars. Let whoever holds the music rights or whatever suffer and just show the film to the fans. A lot of TV on DVD suffers from music rights and instead of caving in to the greedy artists the studios just replace soundtrack songs and theme songs. At least the products get out to the fans even if it is not quite in the original form as we remember it. Link to post Share on other sites
moviejoe79 Posted October 26, 2005 Share Posted October 26, 2005 Considering all of the concern over the pull of this Gilbert film, I wish someone from TCM would give us an explanation as to why it was pulled. I for one am not familiar with the movie, but I am curious as to why it isn't being aired. Could someone fill us in? Link to post Share on other sites
lzcutter Posted October 26, 2005 Share Posted October 26, 2005 Jack, The chances of an audience watching a completely silent film all the way through in today's world is pretty slim. As I said in another post, we are a small, niche market that TCM is trying to program to while they also program films that will bring in more viewers. It's not just a matter of broadcasting the film without the music, if in fact, that is what is holding the broadcast up. A dub would have to made (a generational lost at least of picture quality) without any sound. TCM wouldn't want to run the risk of it being run with the sound track if it was included. That dub would cost $$$. The problem is that no one foresaw the video/dvd market when writing contracts all those years ago. If TCM inadvertently runs something they do not hold all the rights to, they could be taken to court and forced to pay a fine (and probably the legal fees of the rights holder). That means less money to lease films from other studios, less money for original productions and less money for film restoration. And it would mean, TCM would probabaly show fewer rare films because the thinking would be: go with the movies you know have no problems. I don't think any of us want that in the long run. Message was edited by: lzcutter Message was edited by: lzcutter Link to post Share on other sites
gagman66 Posted October 26, 2005 Share Posted October 26, 2005 Why on earth are we complaining about LA BOHEME (1926), being scheduled here? I'm rejoicing myself, and very much looking forward to the broadcast! For those of you have claimed to have seen LA BOHEME on TCM before, quote "dozen's of times", when the heck was this? Since some of you have apparently seen the TCM version, what kind of a score does have? Is it orchestral? Does anyone know the composer? Now look people, understand that I have had TCM since May 1 of 1999! That's quite awhile! I have missed very few silent's aired, and have NEVER, I repeat NEVER once seen this movie! So thank you so very much TCM, for finally scheduling it! Now if I could just persuade you to run in turn, the rarely seen Thames restoration of LILAC TIME (1928), starring Colleen Moore, and Gary Cooper, sometime soon again? Boy, would you have one happy viewer! I'm sure many other fans would love to see this picture shown as well! Link to post Share on other sites
lzcutter Posted October 26, 2005 Share Posted October 26, 2005 Gagman, I'm with you on wanting to see "Lilac Time". Colleen Moore is one of my faves. I love her interviews in "Hollywood". Those glasses, that voice. What a gal. If I remember King Vidor fell in love with her back in the silent days and carried a bit of a torch for her for the rest of his life. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted October 26, 2005 Share Posted October 26, 2005 Again I have no problem with La Boheme, which was a very good film teaming Lillian Gish and John Gilbert, and maybe it hasn't aired dozens of times but it's one of TCM's "regular" silent features and is readily available to buyers. But Desert Nights appeared on the schedule in August or September and the POOF... nothing, no explanation. I noted that someone called TCMPROGRAMMER responded elsewhere on the message board. No idea if that is a real "programmer" or just a screen name, but YES it would be nice to have a reason for pulling Desert Nights. TCM???? Lilac Time is also excellent and I've never seen it in the 10+ years I've had TCM, but I have a copy. Who can ever keep straight the issues involving LICENSING. It seems TCM gets a one-time window for some films like The Silver Cord or Remember the Night and then cannot air the films again. I have no idea but it may explain why these 2 films in particular are NEVER shown. I did read somewhere that TCM owns many silent films in good condition but without musical scores, hence the music competition. And while I think I would just as soon see one without than not see it at all, I guess that is difficult. When I bought a VHS copy of When Knighthood Was in Flower, I was shocked to find it have been taped over some classical music presentation which bled through the film's score. It was so annoying I have to mute the silent film (ha ha) and it was tough watching with NOTHING to accompany this fine film. It's surprising how important the music is to a silent film. The DVD I bought of The Birth of a Nation has a generic music score that does NOT add anything to the film. I had fond memories of my last viewing of this landmark film with blaring trumpets accompanying the ****'s rescue. My new version has music sawing away and having nothing to do with the action. Anyway..... any explanation TCM for pulling Desert Nights?????? Link to post Share on other sites
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