It’s been about a month since the 16th TCM Classic Film Festival, and as usual, it was a fantastic time at the movies. It was my fifth time attending my favorite festival in person, and it may have just been one of the very best experiences of all the times I’ve gone! As I do a few weeks after TCMFF has concluded, here’s my full recap of everything I saw inside and outside the theaters…
Pre-TCMFF
This year, I didn’t take part in any TCMFF adjacent activities as I have in years past in the days leading up to the festival (that is aside from the usual movie-going I do around L.A.). The week of the festival ended up being pretty jam-packed for me; on Monday night, I went to an after-hours event at Disney’s California Adventure (I got a complimentary ticket through work), and on Wednesday night, I went to a HAIM concert at the Wiltern. In between those two events before the festival, I did check out the TCMFF decor at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and the TCMFF Boutique in the TCL Chinese Multiplex theater lobby, where I bought a bunch of festival souvenirs.
TCMFF Day 1: Thursday, April 24th
Catwoman costume worn by Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns
I went down to Hollywood Boulevard just before noon to pick up my TCMFF pass and to check out some of the final preps for the opening night red carpet before Club TCM opened inside the Roosevelt. Once inside the Blossom Room, I took some time to check out the memorabilia on display; among my favorites were Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman costume from Batman Returns (I literally gasped to myself when I came across it), costumes worn by Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder from the original Superman, and life masks of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor along with her costume from Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. Also on display throughout the room were some nice illustrations of classic film stars, as well as portraits of stars (and filmmaker in the case of David Lynch) featured in some of the films screening at this year’s festival. I stayed for the first panel of the festival, which was the usual “Meet TCM” discussion, then after that concluded, I took part in a neat installation in the hotel lobby that was new for this year, which featured a different prompt every day of the festival for attendees to answer (you can see what I’m talking about here).
Then it was time for me to go across the street to get in the queue for my first TCMFF event, the opening night red carpet bleachers! What I like about watching the red carpet at the festival is that it gives me a chance to see some of the stars and filmmakers whom I wouldn’t otherwise see due to scheduling conflicts between screenings. This year, that included catching glimpses of Keir Dullea and Zooey Deschanel (who walked by so fast I almost missed her), along with Sean Young, Barry Bostwick, Michael Schultz, and George Lucas, all of whom stopped by the bleachers to chat with TCM staffers Scott McGee and Yacov Freedman. It’s also very much worth mentioning that this year’s opening night gala screening was Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, in celebration of its 45th anniversary, hence Lucas being in attendance. While I couldn’t go to the screening, TCM fortunately uploaded the conversation before the film with Lucas, which can be watched here. I also discovered later that I was featured in the thumbnail of this post on TCM’s Instagram page from when I was watching the red carpet with fellow fans (if you scroll down their profile, you’ll see me in my Cary Grant sunglasses from Oliver Peoples in the post below Michelle Pfeiffer’s hand and footprint ceremony, and in the video itself, I’m in the clip in the middle of Jacqueline Stewart’s interview).
Poolside screening of Mamma Mia! at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
Anyway, after the red carpet wrapped up, I walked back across the street to the Roosevelt for my first movie of the festival: the poolside screening of Mamma Mia!, which was introduced by TCM hosts Dave Karger and Jacqueline Stewart. As I sort of expected, it was a pretty low turnout considering the movie was from this century, but it was still a blast to see with those who were there. Plus, I got a whole bench seat all to myself, so it was more comfortable compared to other poolside screenings I’ve partly and fully attended in the past.
After that, it was time for my first theater screening and my final movie of the first night of TCMFF: Pat and Mike, with a conversation before the movie between film historian Randy Haberkamp and actress/producer/educator Diane Baker. As I’ve probably mentioned before, I enjoy any and every chance I get to see Baker as she’s such a beloved friend of TCM and the late Robert Osborne. For this screening, while she wasn’t in Pat and Mike, she spoke about working with the film’s director, George Cukor, so it was great getting that insight before the movie. Also, as I’ve noticed at a few other events she’s attended, her friend Randal Kleiser (who so happens to be the director of a little movie called Grease) was in attendance, and he was sitting near me during the introductory conversation, and I believe she even shouted him out at one point too. Since the movie started after 10 o’clock, I’ll admit I nodded off briefly during a couple of parts since it was quite late after such an eventful day, but it was nonetheless fun to see this underrated comedy starring Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy on the big screen with an audience!
TCMFF Day 2: Friday, April 25th
The first official day of TCMFF began with the 75th anniversary screening of Cinderella at the El Capitan Theatre. On my way to the theater, I caught glimpses of the set-up for Michelle Pfeiffer’s hand and footprint ceremony (which TCM uploaded on its YouTube channel here), and then I saw one of the news vans from the station I work at, which I should’ve expected to come across as we usually cover those events along with whenever someone gets a star on the Walk of Fame. Anyway, I joined the queue for Cinderella slightly later than I would’ve liked, so I didn’t get an aisle seat in the middle section as I would’ve preferred, so I ended up sitting way on the side so I could easily get out in good time to head to my next screening, which I was rather anxious about. The screening for Cinderella itself was wonderful, which was preceded by an always amusing introduction by actor/comedian Mario Cantone, followed by a great conversation between him and film critic/historian Leonard Maltin.
James Cromwell talks about acting in Babe
After Cinderella ended, I quickly walked across the street to get in the queue for my first screening in the multiplex, Babe, which was about five minutes away from starting to let attendees into the theater… or so we all expected. Some unknown issues were happening in that particular theater, so the screening ended up being delayed by about 20 minutes, which then made me anxious again for my next screening! Because of that, I decided to sit in the front row so I’d have room to leave the theater more quickly. Despite my small worries, I really enjoyed the 30th anniversary screening of Babe, especially the conversation before the movie with actor James Cromwell (Oscar-nominated for this very film!) and TCM host Alicia Malone.
Like Cinderella, I ended up staying for all of Babe despite my anxiousness, but because of the delay of the latter screening, I didn’t to the queue for my next movie until about 20 minutes before showtime. I needn’t have worried, though, as I managed to get a great seat for the pre-screening conversation in the second row at the famed Chinese Theatre. So I had an amazing view of Michelle Pfeiffer, who spoke with TCM host Ben Mankiewicz before The Fabulous Baker Boys, for which she earned her first Oscar nomination in the Best Actress category (her second overall of three so far). Following that screening, I spent the rest of the night at the IMAX theater for two movies directed by Rob Reiner: Misery and The American President. Both screenings featured the filmmaker in person, with actress Kathy Bates and Dave Karger after Misery (TCM uploaded video of that conversation here), and with screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and Ben Mankiewicz before The American President. It was terrific to revisit both of these movies I hadn’t seen in so long, especially Misery, which was so fun to see on the big screen with an audience, as the theater was fully packed. It was also great that the conversation for that film came afterward, so Reiner and Bates could talk more in-depth about it, including her iconic performance that famously won her an Academy Award!
Because of the very eventful day and an early morning to follow, I decided against going to the interactive midnight screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show as I originally intended in my post of tentative festival picks, which ended up being a very smart decision for me as I found out later that the movie ended after 3 o’clock!
TCMFF Day 3: Saturday, April 26th
While the second day of the festival was mostly dedicated to seeing a few of the most acclaimed stars and filmmakers in attendance, I was most excited for my plans on the third day, much of which was focused on watching classic movies on film! However, it was a bit of a rough start to the day, as I slept past my alarm, so I had to rush to get ready and out the door. On top of that, it was raining that morning, so I knew I couldn’t walk briskly from my apartment down to the Egyptian Theatre because of the slick sidewalks adorned by the Walk of Fame stars. So I decided to drive my car to one of the parking lots near the theater, which ended up being for the best, not only so I could make it to my first screening in time, but also for the end of the night when it was time to go home. Anyway, it was another case where I didn’t need to worry too much; though I had arrived about 15 minutes before the listed showtime, they hadn’t really let anyone in yet, and the screening ended up starting about 15 minutes after its initial start time.
Outside the Egyptian Theatre before entering the queue
So this film I had rushed to see on time was Daisy Kenyon, which was the first of two movies starring Joan Crawford that were screening in nitrate that day. It was preceded by an introduction from filmmaker Bill Morrison (who was just Oscar-nominated this year for the documentary short film Incident) and a screening of his new short film Ghost of the Past, followed by an introduction to Daisy Kenyon by film historian/author Donald Bogle. And the nitrate print for Daisy Kenyon was stunning, it was well worth getting up early to see it! After that, I lined back up for Mildred Pierce on nitrate, which I knew would be popular among TCM fans. Such a beloved movie warranted an equally entertaining introduction provided by Ben Mankiewicz and Mario Cantone; it was a riot seeing their antics in person as I did last year. While the nitrate film print for Mildred Pierce wasn’t ideal, it was still a fantastic experience seeing the movie with a full audience. Following the Joan Crawford on nitrate double feature, I queued up for one more screening at the Egyptian, Brigadoon on 35mm! It was one of the movies I was most excited to see at TCMFF this year, and it was so nice to see it on the big screen. Before the film itself, we were treated to a conversation between George Chakiris and Barrie Chase with Dave Karger; they’re a little hard to spot in the movie, but they’re there as background dancers, so it was fascinating to hear about their time on set and their early careers in Hollywood.
Saturday evening was quite busy on Hollywood Boulevard; not only was TCMFF going on, but also that night it was the AFI Life Achievement Award ceremony for Francis Ford Coppola at the Dolby Theatre. I was across the street from the red carpet when I walked by, and I didn’t notice any big names at the time that I was near it. Instead, I focused on getting in the queue for the first of two films screening on VistaVision at the TCL Chinese Theatre. When I was standing in line for my next movie inside the Ovation Hollywood mall (in which both the Chinese and Dolby theaters are housed), I did hear a lot of cheers as stars walked down the red carpet into the Dolby for the AFI event.
But anyway, the big events for me that night were at the Chinese, where for the first time since the 1950s, VistaVision film prints were being screened using VistaVision projectors! The first movie being screened was We’re No Angels, which was preceded by a conversation between TCM host Eddie Muller and Paramount Pictures archivist Charlotte Barker. She revealed that the movie we were about to watch was also using the Perspecta sound system, in which the sound was directional, so the audio would be heard on the side of the screen from which it was coming within the film (hopefully that makes sense). The film print for We’re No Angels was simply stunning, I was just awestruck by how amazing it looked on the glorious IMAX screen. And I enjoyed seeing the movie itself with a big audience, as I found even more humor in it than I did in the previous times I watched it at home.
In the queue outside the TCL Chinese Theatre
After I got my queue number for the second VistaVision screening, I had some time to kill, so I stopped by the poolside screening of I Love You Again for a few minutes and grabbed a free TCM Wine Club sample while I was there. Then it was time for Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, which I was watching for the first time! It was cool to finally see this western in such a historic fashion, and the print was gorgeous too. I will say I was a little bummed that the Oscar-winning cinematographer of The Brutalist Lol Crawely wasn’t on hand as planned to introduce either of the VistaVision screenings, but Charlotte Barker more than made up for it with informational introductions about the VistaVision process (I only wish I could’ve seen her presentation at Club TCM as well!). It was also a cool bonus to see the trailer for Paul Thomas Anderson’s upcoming movie One Battle After Another screened in VistaVision before both films, as it was also filmed in that format, like The Brutalist. It was truly special seeing a couple of movies screened the way they originally were when they premiered, and I do hope there are more VistaVision screenings at future festivals!
While my energy was waning a little, I was determined to make it to the midnight screening of Wild at Heart, one of two movies directed by the late, great David Lynch that was screening at the festival this year. The screening was introduced by one of his many on-screen collaborators, David Patrick Kelly, who treated the late-night audience with some music before and after his conversation with Dave Karger. As I expected after five other movies that day, I dozed off here and there, but with a Lynch film, that only adds to the experience. Plus, I did see the movie fully conscious in a theater earlier this year, so I didn’t mind closing my eyes for a bit.
TCMFF Day 4: Sunday, April 27th
The last day of the festival is always the most flexible, and on this day, I diverged a lot from my original plans. A few days after I made my initial pick to see 2001: A Space Odyssey with Keir Dullea this morning, I realized it would be too much of a rough turnaround after the midnight screening. It also worked out that I ended up seeing the actor on the red carpet a few days before, so that cemented my decision not to go. Instead, my interest shifted to the world premiere restoration screening of The Big Combo, which was originally going to have an introduction with Rosie Perez, but instead had cinematographer Ernest Dickerson on hand with the Czar of Noir himself, Eddie Muller. However, I didn’t get up as early as I should’ve to get to the screening at a good time. Instead, I let myself sleep in a little, and I naturally woke up at a good enough time to make it to the multiplex about 20 minutes before the screening was set to begin. I should’ve figured with how popular Noir Alley is among TCM viewers that The Big Combo would have a full house. I had just about accepted I wasn’t getting in until being informed that there was literally one seat left, and as I was the only one by myself toward the front of the line, I managed to get in! I did miss the introductory conversation and about the first ten minutes of the movie (I had taken the seat that was occupied by the person recording the intro for TCM), but fortunately, I’d seen this movie a few times before, and an attendee later posted a video of the intro online. So, as seemed to be the theme of my experience at this year’s festival, everything all worked out for the best for me! And it was marvelous to see this classic film noir with a packed audience first thing in the morning!
TCM host Alicia Malone chats with Natalie Wood’s daughter Natasha Gregson Wagner and granddaughter Clover before the screening of Splendor in the Grass
Next, I decided to head to another world restoration screening, this time for Splendor in the Grass, a formative movie for me in my appreciation for classic cinema. As I expressed in my TCMFF picks post, I was a little concerned about a potential scheduling conflict if I saw this, but ultimately I knew I couldn’t skip out on this opportunity to see one of my first favorite old films on the big screen, especially as it was being introduced by Natalie Wood’s daughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner. Another lovely bonus was hearing from Wood’s granddaughter, Clover, who was seeing the movie for the first time. It was a really nice conversation with Alicia Malone (and I’ll admit that I teared up a little at one point), and I’m so glad I didn’t miss out on seeing it as it ended up being one of my very favorite screenings of this year’s festival.
For the penultimate block of TCMFF, I initially set my sights on Blue Velvet, as it was originally going to have star Kyle MacLachlan in attendance. Sadly, he wasn’t able to make it, but that worked out better in the end for me, as it allowed me to see the aforementioned Splendor in the Grass without the stress of getting in the queue in time for a good seat to see one of my favorite celebrities (who I’ve been fortunate to see a few times anyway). I could’ve still gone to see it despite the change, but I decided to take a break during this block and leisurely eat some food before heading to my final screening. After my late lunch, I queued up about three hours early for the 30th anniversary screening of Heat at the Chinese Theatre, practically right after they were done letting in attendees who were seeing Sunset Blvd. I did feel sort of weird about being there so early, so I exited the queue and went over to the Roosevelt lobby to answer the last prompt on the TCMFF installation.
Photo op with all five TCM hosts: Jacqueline Stewart, Eddie Muller, Ben Mankiewicz, Alicia Malone, and Dave Karger
About half an hour had passed by then, so I went back in line for Heat, where a few people had already started lining up. While I’m glad I made it back over to the TCMFF installation again, I do kind of wish I had stayed in line, only because the people in front of me let in a couple of other people close to when queue cards were being handed out, so that wasn’t really fair for the rest of us who had been waiting a longer time. My queue number was still in the single digits, but I annoyingly just missed getting 007 because it went to the woman in front of me who had just shown up minutes before to join her friend in line. Anyway, that all didn’t matter too much in the end, as I got a good seat for Heat, which featured an entertaining conversation between director Michael Mann and star Al Pacino with Ben Mankiewicz before the film.
And just like that, the movies were done at the festival. But there were still a couple of hours left until the clock struck midnight, so I went to the closing night party at the Roosevelt, which was contained to Club TCM and the hotel lobby this year. About half an hour after I arrived at the party, all five TCM hosts came to the stage at Club TCM to toast the end of another fantastic festival. After that, they all went out to the lobby and posed together for pictures with TCMFF attendees, including yours truly! With how long the line was to meet them, there was barely any time to chat with them, but to my amusing surprise in the few moments we had before our picture was taken, Dave Karger asked me where one of my sisters was, who has only been to the festival once and that was back in 2019. It just amused me that he mentioned that, of all things, since I have seen him a couple of times since then, he just has a remarkable memory! And that was basically how my experience at TCMFF this year concluded!
To my surprise, I managed to see even more movies at TCMFF this year, with 16 total compared to last year’s 15. Which was extra fitting considering this was the 16th edition of the festival! Another great thing about my experience this time around was that I truly enjoyed everything I saw, as there are usually a couple of movies that I see at the festival that aren’t personal favorites. Of course, much of that was due to only seeing one film that was new to me and the rest being re-watches, but some of the movies I revisited, I liked more this time around. And it certainly helps to see them all on the big screen, the way they were meant to be seen. All in all, I think TCM did a really spectacular job with the programming this year, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store at next year’s festival.