TCM Classic Film Festival Starts 22 April 2010

Opening Night Event: A Star is Born (1954) – World premiere of new restoration, introduced by Robert Osborne and Alec Baldwin

· Thursday, April 22, at 6 p.m. at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre

The premiere of George Cukor’s A Star is Born will serve as the opening night event for the TCM Classic Film Festival. This is the first major restoration of A Star is Born since 1983. TCM will screen a version that was digitally restored by scanning original negatives. The result is much better picture quality of all elements of the 1983 restoration, with deeper and richer color than ever before. A Star is Born, which earned Oscar nominations for Judy Garland and James Mason, is part of the festival’s overall theme as a celebration of Hollywood history.



Neptune’s Daughter (1949) – Poolside screening introduced by stars Esther Williams and Betty Garrett; event includes a live performance by the Aqualillies (http://www.aqualillies.com)

· Thursday, April 22, at 8 p.m. at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

This bubbly musical features Esther Williams as a bathing suit designer who falls for a South American polo star, played by Ricardo Montalban. Meanwhile, Betty Garrett is her ditzy younger sister who mistakes a masseuse, played by Red Skelton, for the same polo star. Keenan Wynn and Mel Blanc co-star. Musical numbers abound, including a climactic aquatic sequence with Williams. The song “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” won an Oscar.



No Orchids for Miss Blandish (1948) – Rare screening of cult classic introduced by actor Tim Roth and the Film Forum’s Bruce Goldstein

· Friday, April 23, at 9:45 p.m. at Mann’s Chinese 6, House 3

This unique gangster film from England has garnered a cult following over the years. It stars Jack La Rue as a gangster who kills a man and kidnaps his rich girlfriend, played by Linden Travers. Scandalous at the time for its frank depiction of sex and violence, the film features an entirely British cast as New Yorkers. Tim Roth will introduce the movie with Film Forum’s Bruce Goldstein, the latter providing a short presentation on the initial reaction to the film by the British press.



Damn Yankees (1958) – Featuring a pre-screening interview with Tab Hunter

· Sunday, April 25, at Mann’s Chinese 6, House 1 (time tbd)

George Abbott and Stanley Donen brought this Broadway smash to the screen with several of the Broadway cast members reprising their roles, including Ray Walston as the devilish Mr. Applegate and Gwen Verdon as the delicious Lola. Tab Hunter plays the Washington Senators’ hot new hitter, a die-hard fan who sold his soul to give his favorite team a winning season. The hit parade of songs includes “(You Gotta Have) Heart” and “Whatever Lola Wants,” not to mention a mambo featuring Verdon and choreographer (and future husband) Bob Fosse.



Sunnyside Up (1929) – World premiere of The Museum of Modern Art restoration, preserved with support from The Film Foundation and the Franco American Cultural Fund – Introduced by film scholar and author Cari Beauchamp

· Thursday, April 22, at 10 p.m. and Sunday, April 25, at noon at Mann’s Chinese 6, House 3

This pre-Code musical stars one of the most popular screen teams of early Hollywood – Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell – in their first sound film together. The result is a wildly entertaining, completely charming film, with some of the most spectacular musical numbers ever filmed. Hot off of becoming the first-ever Best Actress Oscar winner, Gaynor plays a young tenement girl who falls in love with the rich Farrell. The songs include the title tune, “If I Had a Talking Picture of You,” “I’m a Dreamer, Aren’t We All?” and “Turn on the Heat,” the latter featuring a truly eye-popping production number.



A Woman’s Face (1941) – Introduced by Casey LaLonde, Joan Crawford’s grandson; Illeana Douglas, Melvyn Douglas’ granddaughter; and film scholar and author Cari Beauchamp

· Saturday, April 24, at 3:30 p.m. at Mann’s Chinese 6, House 3

Joan Crawford and Melvyn Douglas star in this gripping drama, which rarely receives a theatrical screening. Crawford plays a scarred woman whose life is changed when she undergoes plastic surgery. Douglas stars as the doctor who helps her. Conrad Veidt is the schemer who uses her for his own selfish aims. George Cukor directed this exciting remake of a 1938 Swedish film that starred Ingrid Bergman.



The Big Trail (1930) – Screening of the restoration by The Museum of Modern Art, preserved with support from the Bartos Preservation Fund and The Film Foundation – Introduced by author Marilyn Ann Moss

· Friday, April 23, at 12:30 p.m. at Mann’s Chinese 6, House 3

Celebrating its 80th anniversary this year, this Raoul Walsh western about early pioneers stars John Wayne in his first lead role. The film was shot in Grandeur, a very early widescreen process. In addition to the sweeping vistas captured by Lucien Andriot and Arthur Edeson’s stunning cinematography, the film broke ground in the use of natural sound.



The Hustons: A Hollywood Dynasty

Actress-director-producer Anjelica Huston and actor-director Danny Huston will take part in this special tribute to the Huston clan. In addition to The Proposition (2005), the program will include previously announced screenings of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) and Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989).



· The Proposition (2005) – Introduced by Danny Huston

o Saturday, April 24, at 6:30 p.m. – Mann’s Chinese 6, House 3

This harrowing drama from Down Under stars Ray Winstone as a British officer determined to bring down three notorious outlaws. Danny Huston turns in an outstanding performance as the eldest of a trio of outlaw brothers targeted by a British officer. Guy Pearce, Ray Winstone, Emily Watson, John Hurt and David Wenham co-star. John Hillcoat directed the film from a script by Nick Cave.



King Kong (1933) – World premiere of new restoration completed this month by Warner Bros. and MPI

· Friday, April 23, at 10 a.m. – Grauman’s Chinese Theatre

Merian C. Cooper and Ernest Schoedsack’s rousing adventure stars Fay Wray as an actress who finds herself traveling across the ocean to a mysterious island with a filmmaking crew. But the real star is her leading man, a giant gorilla with a taste for blondes. This beauty-and-the-beast tale features Willis O’Brien’s groundbreaking visual effects, incorporating stop-motion animation techniques later perfected by his protégé, Ray Harryhausen. The film also features a highly influential score by Max Steiner. Robert Armstrong and Bruce Cabot co-star. The original camera negative for King Kong disappeared long ago, probably damaged from wear and tear during the countless times it was used to strike new prints. The surviving nitrate elements were duplicated from a used 35mm RKO studio print sometime in the 1940s. This restoration, completed this month by Warner Bros. and MPI, was scanned directly from surviving nitrate film sources. The result was preserved on a 35mm negative, keeping the elements safe for the next 300 years. The project required piecing the film together from multiple nitrate film elements to restore footage that had been removed by censors or damaged beyond repair. The painstaking King Kong restoration also consisted heavily of correcting print errors built into the nitrate elements, painting out layers of dirt and scratches and correcting for the nitrate decomposition that occurred over the years, making this the most complete and pristine version of the film ever assembled.



Murder, He Says (1945) – World premiere of new restoration

· Friday, April 23, at 10 a.m. – Mann’s Chinese 6, House 3

Fred MacMurray stars in this hilarious comedy as a pollster who runs into problems with a murderous clan and its matriarch, played by Marjorie Main. Helen Walker co-stars under the direction of George Marshall and with a clever script by Lou Breslow. After making this film, Main and MacMurray appeared again two years later in The Egg & I (1947), which began the long-running Ma and Pa Kettle series of films.



Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951) – Recent restoration by George Eastman House in cooperation with The Douris Corporation

· Saturday, April 24, at 10 p.m. – Mann’s Chinese 6, House 3

Albert Lewin’s lush, TechnicolorÒ melodrama stars Ava Gardner as a woman unable to love and James Mason as the mysterious man cursed to sail the seas unless he can find a woman to love him. Jack Cardiff’s cinematography captures the Spanish locations beautifully and provides Gardner fans with some of the most stunning shots ever taken of the actress. This film was restored by George Eastman House in cooperation with The Douris Corporation. Funding was provided by The Film Foundation, the Rome Film Festival and the Franco-American Cultural Fund, a partnership of the Directors Guild of America; Société des Auteurs, Compositeurs et Editeurs de Musique; the Motion Picture Association of America; and the Writers Guild of America, West.



Monkey Business (1952)

· Thursday, April 22, at 7 p.m. – Mann’s Chinese 6, House 1

This hilarious comedy from director Howard Hawks stars Cary Grant as a man who discovers a rejuvenating serum that affects the people in his life. The star-studded cast features Ginger Rogers as Grant’s wife, Charles Coburn as his boss and Marilyn Monroe as his secretary. Ben Hecht, Charles Lederer and I.A.L. Diamond wrote the script. Hawks’ voice can be heard during the opening credits.



Casablanca (1942) – Archival print from the Warner Bros. vault introduced by Monika Henreid, daughter of actor Paul Henreid

· Thursday, April 22, at 10 p.m. at Mann’s Chinese 6, House 1, and Friday, April 23, at 7 p.m. at the Egyptian Theatre

Regarded by many as one of the screen’s greatest romances of all time, this wartime drama stars Humphrey Bogart as a nightclub owner who gets involved in smuggling refugees out of Vichy-controlled Casablanca. Ingrid Bergman is the woman he once lost and who is now seeking to escape the Nazis with her husband, played by Paul Henreid. Claude Rains, Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre provide outstanding support in this Best Picture Oscar winner.

Panels

A Remake to Remember: Hollywood’s Love Affair with Updating Movie Classics – Panel moderated by Pete Hammond

· Sunday, April 25, at 3 p.m. at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

Sometimes it seems Hollywood’s mantra is, “Everything old is new again.” That would certainly explain the town’s fascination with remaking classic films. Sometimes, remakes work, but many times they fail to live up to the original. Noted author and critic Pete Hammond of Box Office magazine will moderate this panel, which includes popular filmmaker John Carpenter, whose films include Halloween (1978) and Escape from New York (1981), and USC School of Cinematic Arts professor Rick Jewell, author of The Golden Age of Cinema: Hollywood, 1929-1945.



Casting Secrets: The Knack of Finding the Right Actor – Panel moderated by Cari Beauchamp

· Saturday, April 24, at 10:30 a.m. at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

A great movie can quickly turn sour if an actor is mismatched with the role he/she is playing. Casting directors work closely with producers and directors to make sure the fit is perfect. This panel is slated to include casting director-turned-producer Fred Roos (Lost in Translation) and casting director Ellen Chenoweth (Diner, Grand Torino).



Film Continuity: When Details Count – Panel moderated by Leonard Maltin

· Sunday, April 25, at 11 a.m. at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

Several great script supervisors and continuity experts will discuss their work making sure all of the details are in the right place before the cameras start rolling. Included on the panel will be script supervisors Angela Allen (The African Queen) and Ana Maria Quintano (Saving Private Ryan).

About the TCM Classic Film Festival
The first-ever TCM Classic Film Festival will take place April 22-25, 2010, in the heart of Hollywood. The network is inviting fans from around the country to join this new festival and share their passion for great movies. This landmark celebration of the history of Hollywood and its movies will be presented in a way that only TCM can, with more than 50 screenings, major events, celebrity appearances, panel discussions and more. The four-day festival will also provide movie fans a rare opportunity to experience some of cinema’s greatest works as they were meant to be seen – on the big screen

The festival will involve several venues in a central area of Hollywood, including screenings at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and the Egyptian Theatre. The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, which has a longstanding role in movie history and was the site of the first Oscar ceremony, will be the official hotel for the festival, as well as a key venue for festival passholders.

A full schedule can be accessed at http://tcm.com/festival/