By Tony Barber
APRIL 18: Club TCM is seen during the 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival on April 18, 2024 in Hollywood, California. Photo by Gettysimages
Learning is FUN!
Marrying my love of film with my newfound interest in journalism has just afforded me one of the greatest events of my life. By asking Professor Shea (SBVC Journalism & English), he got me set up with the TCM (Turner Classic Movies) Film Festival media department and requested a media pass for me for the upcoming event. 20 minutes later they approved, and it was on, I was going to the 15th annual Turner Classic Movie Film Festival and would cover it for our school “zine” The Arrowhead.
I attended the TCM Film Festival in Hollywood from April 18, Thursday afternoon through April 21, Sunday night. I was not granted unlimited access to all events and showings, but my access was huge and I kept very engaged for all four days. I attended and took notes at about 16 events including primarily film showings but also including interviews and celebrations.
Friday through Sunday I was extremely busy from 8:00 a.m. to at least 9:00 p.m. This festival was not for the faint of heart or casual filmgoer. I saw many movies, most I had never seen before and met many wonderful people, mostly fellow TCM Film Festival attendees and festival workers. I began as one would by documenting as much as I could in notes and photos on my smartphone, though, after a day and a half, my phone failed and I became reliant on only my note-taking skills.
I was introduced to such a broad wealth of information and opportunity, and it will be difficult for me to fully express here the great splendor of this event, but I will try.
Thursday, April 18 I kicked things off by driving from
San Bernardino to Hollywood and checking into my hostel on Orange Street about 2/3 of a block from the Roosevelt Hotel where things were kicking off for the 15th TCM Film Festival. Upon arrival, I marveled at just how close I was to the entire festival and thankfully I didn't drive my vehicle again until I left Monday morning.
As I approached Orange Drive where my hostel was, I passed the historic Magic Castle Club, and turning onto Orange Drive, I saw directly ahead of me not even a full block away the Roosevelt Hotel where I was to pick up my official TCM media credential pass. I was almost giddy with joy!
After parking my Honda and checking into my hostel,
I spruced myself up endeavoring to represent smartly for the entire four-day event in a nice shirt and pants and coordinating fedora. Once garbed properly I beat feet to the Roosevelt Hotel to acquire my media pass. It was waiting for me patiently, and additionally, they gave me a beautiful hardcover book about Lena Horne; the festival was off to a fabulous start.
Across the lobby from where I picked up my pass was “So You Think You Know Movies,” which was a quiz show about very esoteric information about old movies and actors and roles they had played. It was very informative and very challenging, if a bit humbling. My next event was a documentary film titled “Made In England” narrated by Martin Scorsese about the filmmaking team of Powell and Pressburger. Though I knew the titles of several of their films, I had been clueless about their careers until then. Learning about their films, I now have another half dozen films to watch to get up to speed on their masterful work. Three of their most famous are “The Red Shoes.” “Black Narcissus” and “The Tales of Hoffmann,” my mind was blown too. Stunning films!
My final event for this opening day was a freshly restored copy of a 1966 romantic heist film “Gambit,” at the recently renovated historic Egyptian Theater; it starred Shirley MacLaine and introduced American audiences to leading actor Michael Caine. It was beautiful, engaging and very enjoyable. After a brisk walk home to my hostel, I hit the hay to sleep fast and rest up for the days ahead.
Friday morning I woke early and got going to my first full day of the festival. My first viewing was a wonderful collection of almost antique shorts from the early 1930s. Early sound films utilizing the Vitaphone sync. sound process. Most of the ten or so short films were old vaudevillian acts, and though I'm a fanboy in general, the only act I was familiar with was the final film starring Gracie Allen and George Burns, both quite young, but really entertaining. The act was beautifully polished, cutesy and fun.
The Vitaphone format consists of playing a physical 16-inch record disc while simultaneously projecting the film since sound sync films were new. This was one of the processes that proceeded sound on film where the audio recording is recorded onto the film adjacent to the accompanying image. Technologically fascinating!
Then I headed over to the 1954 ‘Atomic Monster’ classic B movie “THEM,” about giant ants terrorizing the Southwest where Atomic testing sites radiation genetically mutated tiny normal ants into BUS-SIZE MONSTER ANTS attacking humanity! Unfortunately, it got a late start and I had to exit after only thirty minutes to get to my next event.
I headed to the Roosevelt Hotel to hear a tribute interview with Billy Dee Williams (of Lando Calrissian fame).
Jacqueline Stewart Director & President of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and one of TCM's hosts interviewed Billy Dee Williams at 87 to honor his lifetime of achievements in acting etc.
Jacqueline Stewart and Billy Dee Williams speak onstage during the Tribute Conversation. Photo by Gettysimages
Billy Dee was deeply engaging and a joy to listen to. Only two audience-posed questions were asked & I was pleased to ask the second and final question. I told Mr. Williams that I had heard him say on an NPR interview that he had always wanted to play Duke Ellington. I asked him if he still wanted to play that role. He responded with a well-put-together answer and went on to discuss his admiration for the Duke and his achievements. I was thrilled to have gotten to ask Billy Dee Williams a question.
I hit the bricks again heading back to the Egyptian Theater to view a freshly restored print of Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 classic “Rear Window” starring James Stewart, Grace Kelly, and Thelma Ritter. I'd seen it before but it's a fabulous film with wonderful stars and always worth a watch on the big screen.
During the introduction of the movie “Gambit” on Friday night it was mentioned to us that the first nitrate film of the festival would be shown first thing Saturday morning. I had never seen a nitrate film before so I headed directly back to the Egyptian Theater. It's my understanding that only three theaters in Southern California have the ability to project nitrate films, largely due to their fragile volatility. Nitrate film Is very flammable and can spontaneously combust; this stock was used from the 1890s to the 1950s. Nitrate film was composed of microscopic silver salts suspended in gelatin on cellulose-based flexible “tape” or “film stock.”
The nitrate movie shown was “Night Has a Thousand Eyes” from 1948 a film noir classic starring Edward G. Robinson, Gail Russell and John Lund. It was a lush extravagant gorgeously set film about destiny and ESP in glorious “metallic silvery” B&W. It differs from other film noir cops and robber shoot ‘em up flicks with stark, bare and sometimes bleak sets. It was rich, textural and amazing to look at & the print was fantastically beautiful and the contrast was stunning!
I gained a whole new love for film noir and nitrate films.
My newfound adoration for nitrate films intact, I was excited to step back into the Egyptian Theater once again this time to see the 1950 musical “Annie Get Your Gun” in Technicolor & starring Betty Hutton, Howard Keel and Keenan Wynn. It was also a nitrate print & while it was a cute romantic romp of a musical, the print was older and it paled to my earlier nitrate experience just proceeding it.
Next I was running to the original historic Grauman's Chinese Theater, which has now been reinvented as an IMAX, to see a newly restored 70 mm print of Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece “North by Northwest” from 1959 starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason and Martin Landau.
It was originally filmed in Paramount's widescreen process known as VistaVision and is one of only two MGM (Metro Goldwyn Mayor) films shot in VistaVision. Though I had seen this film in the past, it was magnificent to get to see this fresh newly restored print there in Grauman's Chinese Theater.
Afterward, I hit the exit running immediately to my next viewing (that I barely got into) of the old but freshly restored animation cartoon “Back From The Ink” mostly by the Fleischer studios, primarily Max and Dave Fleischer who are the inventors of rotoscoping and the creators of Betty Boop and the first animators of Popeye amongst many other gorgeous cartoons. Rotoscoping is the process of frame-by-frame over tracing of live-action footage to create “realistic” movement into a cartoon. Cab Calloway was overdrawn to spectacular effect in several Fleischer cartoons. Rotoscoping has evolved to become so accessible to include numerous Apps.
This viewing began with an interview with Seth MacFarlane (the creator of “Family Guy”) because he was deeply involved in these cartoons’ restorations. While all of the cartoons were fun, my two favorites came at the beginning first a silent starring Koko the Clown & it was accompanied by a live organist, and a second a Betty Boop cartoon I had not seen before. It was a great ending for my Saturday’s viewings.
Sunday morning arrives and I'm rushing back to the Grauman’s Chinese (IMAX) theater to see the quintessential film noir triumph from 1944 “Double Indemnity” starring Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck and Edward G. Robinson. This is a classic crime and punishment style film fabulously created by Billy Wilder & written by himself and Raymond Chandler (the author that invented Philip Marlowe P.I.).
Double Indemnity’s script is spectacular & if a better film noir dialogue was ever written or performed, I am unaware of it.
The chemistry between Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray was absolutely palpable, and it has put me on the hunt for other films Raymond Chandler may have written scripts for.
I virtually flew out of my seat when the house lights came up to try to get to the Billy Dee Williams book signing that began before “Double Indemnity” ended, but I was too late, the line had already been closed. So I went directly to the next movie on my list: a Billy Dee Williams & James Earl Jones film about segregated baseball the movie came out in 1976 and is called “The Bingo Long Traveling All Stars and Motor Kings.” Billy Dee Williams, speaking to Ben Mankiewicz, a TCM staple host & film critic, introduced the film.
Then a quick jump back to the Egyptian Theater to view a newly restored 70 mm print of a classic 1956 Western film by John Ford “The Searchers.” It starred John Wayne, Vera Miles, Jeffrey Hunter and Natalie Wood. I had never seen it before, and I found it enjoyable, though I thought the women's roles were far more interesting than the male-dominated cast parts.
Immediately upon exiting, I got right back in line at the Egyptian to view the pinnacle of the film festival for me; two films by Buster Keaton, which is one of my personal favorite filmmakers. Both of these silent films were accompanied by a live five-piece Orchestra from Colorado, and they did a masterful job of providing sound to both of these gorgeous films. “The Goat” from 1921 is a raucous and hilarious example of a “running joke” literally & figuratively via an almost constant and very clever “chase scenario.” I laughed out loud repeatedly and joyfully! “Sherlock Jr.,” from 1924 and celebrating its hundredth anniversary, was even more fun and exhilarating. Buster truly breaks the fourth wall of movies in a dream sequence and an astral form of himself rises out of his sleeping body and joins the actors in the film on the screen and it explores the hilarity of “match cuts” to glorious effect & hilarity. His dream self imagines himself to be the world's greatest detective comically as “Sherlock Jr.” where further merriment ensued.
Keaton’s timing is flawless!
To this day I am befuddled by Buster Keaton's ability to have mastered the then-only a few decade-old art of filmmaking.
If you have never seen a Buster Keaton film, I highly encourage you to change that and see as many as you can.
He was a comic and cinematic genius!
Finally, it was back to the Roosevelt Hotel to bookend the entire weekend. There was an after-party in the Roosevelt Hotel where the primary TCM hosts led us all in a farewell toast. We all mingled and caroused, reminiscing about our favorite moments of the festival.
It was magnificent!
Learning is FUN!
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