TCM Archives - THE FALLS CITY JOURNAL

“Hello, I’m Ben Mankiewicz. Welcome to TCM”

Nikki McKim — Thu, 30 Nov 2023 15:11:52 +0000

Story and photos by Nikki McKim

Last month, the Journal had the incredible opportunity to visit the Atlanta-based headquarters of Turner Classic Movies in Atlanta, Georgia.

Turner Classic Movies launched in 1994, the baby of CNN and TBS founder Ted Turner. The network boasts commercial-free classic films, a promise they’ve kept for nearly 30 years. They bring on a variety of filmmakers, actors and other industry professionals to discuss movies, actors and studios that made old Hollywood fascinating.

TCM/Warner Media Digital Marketing Manager Diana would be my tour guide for the day, giving me the history and the behind-the-scenes look at what goes on while on set.

As you entered the studio, you could sense the same undeniable energy you feel in the Falls City Journal office on a Monday while trying to put the paper to bed. It’s the energy you have when you’re on a mission with a small staff full of passion, a mound of work and a looming deadline. Every person there poured their heart and soul into their work, ensuring that what viewers see on TCM is nothing short of perfection.

Many people worldwide, both young and old, share a love for classic cinema and a passionate dedication to TCM, the network’s knowledge, and the film library presented 24 hours a day with careful curation.

A quick Google search turns up hundreds of personal testimonies of those affected by the recent staff changes and cuts at the network. The network has legions of fans who turn to the channel and even the staff for comfort when they struggle in their own lives. During the pandemic, the hosts and films were a great source of comfort for many who stayed home for months, many alone with no family, but who spent days online talking to other film fans about what the channel was showing.

When David Zaslav, head of Warner Bros. Discovery, started laying off senior management this summer, people got nervous. Whenever a CEO starts tinkering with a beloved brand it’s time to worry. But when people worry about a brand or institution, it’s easy to forget there are real people and families affected by the layoffs and others working around the clock to produce and protect that institution many hold so near and dear.

When you get to go “behind the scenes,” a certain amount of fear comes with it. There’s a saying, “Don’t meet your heroes,” and so many have put these people on a pedestal for so long.

The Director, Make-Up, Wardrobe, and PA were all welcoming and warm as they prepared for a day of shooting with few breaks.

Ben Mankiewicz, the long-time host of TCM, was in town for the week to shoot his introductions and outros for several films.

Writer-producer Mankiewicz was only the second person to serve as TCM host when he joined the channel in 2003. He’s now the primary primetime host, although he shares duties with Alicia Malone, Dave Karger and Jaqueline Stewart.

Mankiewicz is the grandson of Herman Mankiewicz, co-writer of “Citizen Kane,” “Dinner at Eight,” “Pride of the Yankees” and “The Wizard of Oz,” to name a few films. His great-uncle, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, directed “All About Eve,” and “Guys and Dolls”, and his brother Josh Mankiewicz has been reporting for “Dateline” since the mid-90s. Entertainment and film are in his blood. When he started his hosting duties with TCM, he admitted that for much of his life, “[he] didn’t even love classic movies.”

“I grew to tolerate them in high school and college when I got so tired of complaining about contemporary movies where everything blows up and the scripts were horrible. I kept asking, ‘Why doesn’t anybody care?’ Mankiewicz told James Sanford of Newhouse News Service in a 2003 interview. “Well, then I realized there’s a million movies out there where the script isn’t terrible.”

He credited Alfred Hitchcock’s “North by Northwest” for his awakening.

“That was the first movie that got me interested in classic movies, he stated. “My mom made me watch it when I was 16 or 17, and I remember thinking, ‘That Cary Grant guy is cool.’”

Nearly twenty years to the day Mankiewicz started with TCM, I had the privilege of watching his film introductions for that “Cary Grant guy’s films.

Seeing Mankiewicz’s meticulous attention to detail and dedication to each segment was interesting. When the time came for breaks in filming, he would walk off-set and settle behind the camera to rehearse his dialogue. When the time came to go back on camera, he often got his introductions in one take. What makes his introductions personal is the input Mankiewicz has on his scripts that are put together by a team of writers and researchers. It’s a collaborative effort. Much like a newspaper, the entire team strives for accuracy when telling the stories of the films and the people who bring them to life.

It can be a surreal experience to see something you watch on your TV countless times come to life right before your eyes.

“Hello, I’m Ben Mankiewicz. Welcome to TCM,” a phrase many have found so comforting, were the first lines on the prompter and echoed through the TCM set as Mankiewicz delivered his introduction with the ease of a professional.

Ben and company did introductions and outros for 15 films before they broke for lunch, including classics like “Soylent Green,” “Cheaper by the Dozen,” “I Was a Male War Bride,” “Money Business” and “The Philadelphia Story.”

It’s difficult not to be captivated by his words, just as many were by original patriarch Robert Osborne’s. The men bring passion and knowledge only so few can. Mankiewicz delivered insightful and entertaining commentary for over an hour, bringing the films to life for worldwide viewers.

What an extraordinary opportunity to see this gifted and small group of talent do the work many classic film fans only dream of being a part of. All while maintaining a genuine sense of camaraderie and teamwork among the staff. Despite their challenges as a smaller team, their love for classic films and commitment to delivering exceptional content shone through in every interaction.

It was the teamwork of getting the set decorations right when they had to break to decorate for the holidays. It was how they worked together to ensure Ben hit every mark and had every hair in place and how they laughed together when Mankiewicz adlibbed some good-faith ribbing at his fellow TCM Noir Alley host, Eddie Mueller. They are a well-oiled machine that works together seamlessly in a way only years of experience can provide.

The set TCM fans know and love was much smaller in person than many could imagine. When you’re at home watching Mankiewicz or Alicia Malone talk about these films, you forget they’re in a studio which is a talent so few hosts can perfect.

This day was notable in the TCM offices. Everyone celebrated Ben Mankiewicz’s 20th anniversary at the network during the lunch break with a special lunch. The staff gathered to honor his dedication and contributions to the world of classic film. Ben was met in the commissary with balloons, dessert, a photo of himself from his first day that had been signed with congratulatory messages and a specially catered meal.

After lunch, the TCM staff was so kind and welcoming as the stations Social Media Manager, Caroline, sat and discussed past festivals and some of her work. She’s overseen getting some of the red-carpet talent for past festivals, no small feat.

Then came a face many film fans would recognize immediately. Genevieve McGillicuddy, whom many have come to admire so much for all the work she’s done at the network and with the festival for the past 15 years. McGillicuddy is the Executive Director of the TCM Film Festival and she graciously took time to sit down and talk before a meeting she had that afternoon. She shared stories of working with the late Robert Osborne, Hollywood, and the Film Festival, where she’s worked with some incredible talent while organizing the event including Peter O’Toole and Tony Curtis.

Leaving the Turner Classic Movies headquarters, it was easy to feel a renewed admiration and appreciation for this small team’s incredible work. It was a reminder that sometimes, it’s not about the team size but rather the amount of heart and passion they bring to their craft. Witnessing the passion of such a small staff at Turner Classic Movies was incredibly moving. Despite their size, their love for classic films radiated throughout the experience. You could feel their dedication and genuine enthusiasm for preserving the magic of cinema. Seeing a team come together and create something unique with their shared passion is truly inspiring.

The small-town newspaper and the big-city cable network are similar. We don’t do it for the praise or the money; we do what we do because we’re passionate about what we’re doing and sometimes that’s better than anything else.

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Opening night of the TCM Classic Film Festival

Nikki McKim — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 16:19:16 +0000

During the 2023 Turner Classic Film Festival, I attended my first film, Airport (1970), at the Hollywood Legion Theater on Thursday night.

This 90-year-old theater which received a six million dollar makeover in 2019, is an integral part of the American Legion Post 43. Post 43 was chartered in 1919 by World War I veterans in the motion picture business. Members have included Gene Autry, Ronald Regan, Mickey Rooney and Stan Lee, to name a few. Icons like Bogart and Gable shot pool and drank in the bar downstairs.

There have been rumors that Charlie Chaplin haunts the Hollywood Legion Theater, but there’s no evidence to support the claim, but I like to think it’s true. The TV series “Ghost Adventures” did a segment on it, saying some people have reported seeing a ghostly figure that resembles Chaplin in the theater’s projection booth, while others have claimed to hear unexplained noises and footsteps in the building. The entire theater is genuinely something to behold and one of the most comfortable theaters to see a film in.

It was a wet and chilly night in Hollywood as I sprinted to the theater to catch the 1970 disaster drama I had looked forward to seeing for the first time. I found my highly comfortable seat in the middle of the massive theater just in time for the intro given by TCM’s own Eddie Mueller.

Mueller said he asked to do the introduction to Airport. He said this film was a “landmark traditional film in many ways and a landmark transitional film between old and new Hollywood.”

“This is essentially Hotel with wings,” said Mueller referring to the 1967 film also based on a novel by Arthur Hailey.

This 1970 film starring Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, Helen Hayes, and Jean Seberg tells the story of an airport and the various employees and passengers involved in a potential bombing plot.

While Airport was a popular and successful film, it didn’t receive the most outstanding reviews. It was nominated for ten Oscars and received a win for Helen Hayes in her supporting and memorable role.

“This film was just this transition because 1969 you had Easy Rider, Medium Cool, The Wild Bunch, Hollywood was greatly changing, and Airport was saying ‘hold on’ there’s still a lot of people out there who want to see an old traditional movie, a movie-movie, a popcorn movie,” said Mueller during his intro. “Burt Lancaster called it a piece of junk. I don’t actually agree with him; I think Airport exists to show us that it may not be taught in film schools and things, but it is a movie-movie.”

Airport on 70mm in this large theater with an excited crowd ready to dive into the TCM Classic Film Festival was the perfect way to kick things off. As Eddie Mueller put it, “Get ready to rock and roll.”

Airport was a remarkable 70mm presentation thanks to FotoKem, to whom Mueller gave special kudos.

(Featured Image – Eddie Muller speaks onstage at the screening of “Airport” during the 2023 TCM Classic Film Festival on April 13, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images for TCM 4/13/2023 )

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Dear David Zaslav

Nikki McKim — Wed, 21 Jun 2023 20:06:08 +0000

I am but one lowly reporter working in a field that men like you are going to eventually destroy, so you’ll never read this, you’ll never see this, but I feel that after years of promoting Turner Classic Movies in my paper and on my website, I owe it to myself and my readers to address what’s happening right now.
The “layoff” of Genevieve McGillicuddy, Charles Tabesh, and Pola Changnon, among others, is one of the most vile things I’ve witnessed in my years of reporting-and I had to report from a rally where I was harassed and called “fake news” repeatedly.
I sat in the second row during this year’s Turner Classic Film Festival for the screening of The Big Chill. I’m sure you don’t know this since you left after walking the red carpet the first night, but this film was the big closing movie. The cherry on top of the sundae, if you will.
During that screening, Ben Mankiewicz told a story about a woman who shared with him how much the network helped her after the Boston Marathon bombing.
“We’re just a TV channel, and the world has a lot of problems. But I want you to know from the top down. From our boss, who some of you met Thursday night, he was here, David Zaslav, all the way down to all five of the hosts and every executive of the channel, every producer, production assistant, and director we have that we take this job seriously because we know it matters to you,” said Mankiewicz.
Ben thanked those who helped get the festival together, like Genevieve McGillicuddy, who was there in person, and Pola Changnon and Anne Wilson, who also contributed so much.
“See you all next year at our 2024 Classic Film Festival, our 15th or even sooner on our TCM Classic Film Cruise in November.”
Many of us felt it was lip service, not by Ben, but by you to Ben, however, we still hoped another festival meant another few good years of TCM on our television screens.
We couldn’t imagine we’d be here only a few months later.
Nothing I can do or anyone can do will sway your mind from destroying something that so many hold so near and dear.
But let me tell you a few things about TCM.
I can remember the first film I watched on TCM, can you?
I can remember where I was, what the room looked like and how I felt, do you?
I remember seeing Wuthering Heights my first time on TCM. I was sitting in my living room as a young mom. It was sunny, the windows were open, and it smelled like fresh-cut grass as my baby sat in his bouncer watching the movement on the screen.
I remember the night I watched He Who Gets Slapped for the first time on Silent Sunday Nights. I was in bed, my TV was on my dresser, I was facing south and my bedroom smelled like apples.
Those films had such a massive impact on my life that I remember everything about the first time I saw so many of them.
TCM is more than just a movie network for a great many people.
It’s a lifeline.
It’s a connection.
It’s a community.
I can say for myself that TCM has been there when I’ve been sick, when I gave birth, when I’ve been depressed and couldn’t get out of bed, when I was worried I might die from Covid, when I sat and watched my grandmother die, and most importantly when I needed to strengthen the relationship with my father.
Because of TCM, we discovered we have a shared love of classic film. We can sit together and spend hours discussing what Ben said in an intro to a specific movie, what I will do at the next festival, or what I got to do at the last festival.
The fans who attended the festival and cruise are not the only fans of the network.
I write a little column in a little newspaper in a little town, but the feedback I get from so many people across the country about how much they love the network is staggering. These people of all ages look forward to certain times of the year. Each winter they look forward to the Christmas movies they only get to see on TCM. In August, they get Summer Under the Stars, when they’ll discover new favorite actors because of a day dedicated to that actor/actress. And in February and March, 31 days of Oscar, when they’ll see the greatest films of all time for one perfect month.
Ted Turner, Robert Osborne, and all the staff at TCM have built a personal relationship with millions of viewers, and in the blink of an eye, it will be destroyed.
I know this is all about money-isn’t it always? But you have no idea the magnitude of this decision and how it hurts so many people, old and young.
I know you won’t be affected by this in any way. It won’t bother you. It’s another business decision, a horrible one at that. That little channel you hilariously said was always on in your office, that channel gives some of us hope and an escape from the hell of today’s world. The greed in people like you, nastiness, and death we see daily in the news. We get that escape through TCM, and now, just like we feared, you are taking it away and hiding behind “business decisions.”
Regular people like my readers and I are the people you should be catering to; we are losing a friend who’s been there for us through all the bad times and some of the best times of our lives spent sitting by the Hollywood Roosevelt pool with people we love watching the films we need. Those have been some of our best days because we can’t fly off to whatever island we want whenever we want. We save all year to gather together for our shared love, classic film and TCM. Do you know how that feels?

I’d like you to understand how important TCM is to us and how it has been a constant source of comfort and joy. It’s essential to have something to rely on during good and bad times; TCM has been that for us. I hope that TCM continues to provide that for us and that we continue to enjoy fantastic films with the people we love.
It’s important to acknowledge that our investment in TCM is significant in terms of money and time. We expect that our investment will be respected and that your decisions will reflect a deep understanding of the value of curation and movie history. We hope you act on this understanding and show that you genuinely care about preserving film history and our bond with fellow fans, the films and the employees of the network.
I’m passionate about my work as a reporter and the impact of Turner Classic Movies on my readers and community. I’m hopeful that the quality of the channel, the staff and the festival will continue to thrive and that the network will continue to produce quality content that matters to people.
I wish you felt the same way.

#SaveTCM

By Nikki McKim

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Turner Classic Movies (TCM) welcomes you to a world of cinematic magic and nostalgia during the TCMFF

Nikki McKim — Tue, 23 May 2023 16:31:37 +0000

Photos and story by Nikki McKim

For four unforgettable days in Hollywood, I was transported to a world of cinematic magic and nostalgia at my favorite event of the year – the Turner Classic Film Festival.
It’s been a month since I returned from the highly anticipated event that promises one-of-a-kind programming “set within the theme ‘You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet: Celebrating Film Legacies.'”
At this annual event, film enthusiasts from across the globe gathered to connect with other movie lovers and industry insiders, engaging in lively Q&A sessions and thought-provoking panel discussions with actors, directors, and other film professionals.
The historic Blossom Room inside the iconic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel provided a stunning backdrop for the Welcome Media Reception held on Wednesday afternoon. Pola Changnon, the General Manager of Turner Classic Movies, kicked off the event by introducing the five hosts of TCM – Ben Mankiewicz, Eddie Mueller, Alicia Malone, Jacqueline Stewart, and Dave Karger – who would be leading the Festival’s exciting programming over the next four days. As the event began, guests mingled and enjoyed refreshments while taking in the glamorous surroundings of one of Hollywood’s most legendary venues. Changnon commented how getting the five hosts together is a rare treat that happens maybe once a year at the Festival.
During the event, each host shared what they looked forward to the most. Eddie Mueller expressed his excitement about interacting with movie enthusiasts. ‘It’s the absolute best thing about the festival,’ said Mueller. “I know the fans love something about the Roosevelt Hotel is that it has the slowest elevators in the world. So then when you’re in the elevator, it’s like, you’re getting to spend quality time with the hosts., But seriously, I’m looking forward to seeing the fans. The movies are all great, but the fans are a total experience.'”
Jacqueline Stewart also expressed her excitement for the fans but added that seeing Donald Bogle win the Robert Osborne Award was amazing. ‘You know, his work has been directly influential on my research.’ said Stewart. ‘His book Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks, which is 50 years old, It’s the foundation for black film study, so he’s the perfect person to honor, and I’m excited.
Dave Karger shared that he was looking forward to an event he was hosting. ‘The first movie I ever saw when I was five was Grease. I was Didi Conn looking at Frankie Avalon as the Teen Angel singing Beauty School Dropout. So the fact that I get to introduce Beach Party starring him and Annette Funicello at the poolside… I’m going to hold it together. I’m really looking forward to that,’ said Karger.
Alicia Malone was excited about an event she would attend as a spectator. ‘I’m really looking forward to seeing Ben’s conversation tomorrow night with the legendary Angie Dickinson. And also hearing from Steven Spielberg and Paul Thomas Anderson, two of the best filmmakers working today who have already directed classic films,’ said Malone. ‘I think it really speaks to our “Where Then Meets Now” tagline because you have Angie talking about Rio Bravo, and then you have Spielberg and PTA talking about the “now” and the future of the movie with film preservation. And this guy [Mankiewicz] is always fun and funny to watch.'”
Mankiewicz said he agreed with Stewart, but he came to Bogle differently. ‘I think I’ve interviewed Donald on the air more than any other person, and his passion for these movies comes across. Every conversation I have with him reminds me of something we talked about the last time. So I was touched that we decided to give him the Robert Osborne Award, and I’m thrilled to be a part of that ceremony. I’m definitely looking forward to it,’ said Mankiewicz.”
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and was initially launched in 1994 as a joint venture between Turner Broadcasting System and MGM.
The network has also adapted to changes in the media landscape by offering streaming options and other digital content, which has helped to keep it relevant and accessible to viewers. TCM has built a loyal and dedicated fanbase online through Twitter and Facebook, with groups of fans who gather to watch films together under the hashtag #TCMParty. Overall, TCM should continue to be a significant player in the world of classic cinema for many years to come.
This year’s TCM Film Festival celebrated Warner Bros. turning 100 years old in 2023.
Founded on April 4, 1923, by brothers Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack Warner, the company has become of the largest and most successful film studios in the world, producing many iconic movies and TV shows, including Gone with the Wind, The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca. Warner Bros. has a rich history in the film industry. The studio was the first to develop new technology and released the first talkie, The Jazz Singer, in 1927.
In May 2021, Warner Bros. announced that it would merge with Discovery Inc. to create a new media company that would be among the largest in the world. The new company, which is expected to be called Warner Bros. Discovery, will bring together some of the most iconic brands in entertainment, including Warner Bros., HBO (now Max), CNN, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, and TLC, among others.
As the CEO of Discovery Inc., David Zaslav has expressed a strong commitment to the power of storytelling and the importance of preserving and celebrating the rich history of the media industry. TCM is widely regarded as one of the most critical and influential brands in film and television. Zaslav has expressed his admiration for TCM and its role in preserving classic films and has said that he is committed to continuing TCM’s legacy. I expect classic film fans, especially TCM fans, to hold Zaslav to that commitment.

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Meeting Disney animator, Floyd Norman at the 2022 TCM Classic Film Festival

Nikki McKim — Wed, 18 May 2022 16:31:35 +0000

I was back in Hollywood for the TCM Film Festival when I spotted someone I had been extremely excited to see as a guest and more excited to see walking around the lobby of the Roosevelt Hotel.

When the 2022 schedule was announced, Floyd Norman was announced to have a special hour-long “Conversation with Floyd Norman.” It was an event I wasn’t going to risk missing. I had seen Mr. Norman with his friend Jane Baer do an introduction to Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. Norman was an animator along with Baer for the film and it’s my favorite Disney film. I sat and cried and cried through that film. I was so happy and he was so delightful.

Now years later, he was here across the room, just hanging out. I ran to him and all I could tell him was, “I love you. I just love you; I love you. You’re the best; I love you.” He smiled and again was such a gentleman. He let me take a photo with him. My favorite photo from the festival isn’t that photo, but the one my friend Jackie took of me when I returned to the table and Norman is in the background and you can practically hear me squealing through the photo.

The final film of the night for a few of us was poolside film. We entered the pool area where everything was set up to find huge green Soylent Green cookies to go with the film of the night. It was my first showing of this utterly wild sci-fi film. After I yelled, “Soylent Green is people,” I found out that it was also my sister’s first showing and she didn’t know that quote; she also didn’t know that it was people. I felt terrible. She had gone her entire life avoiding that spoiler and 20 minutes before the movie, I ruined the ending. What a horrible sister and film buddy I am. So I did what any good sister would do; I asked our friend to get us more Soylent Green cookies to try to get her to forget that I had just ruined the movie by giving her sugar.

The next day I got up bright and early to catch one of my absolute favorite films on the big screen.

This was also another non-negotiable, can’t miss movie. I knew as tired as I would be that morning, there would be no way I’d sleep through The Third Man.

The Third Man (1949) stars Joseph Cotton and Orson Wells. Set in postwar Vienna, Austria, tells of author Holly Martins who arrives penniless to see his friend Harry Lime. Martins quickly learns that Lime is dead and develops a conspiracy theory after learning of a “third man” present at the time of Harry’s death. While investigating, he falls for Harry’s girlfriend. I can’t go into detail because I would recommend seeing this one and I don’t want to ruin anything. The cinematography is beautiful and the “cuckoo clock speech” is an entirely different level of dialogue. All of this is brought together by a soundtrack by Anton Karas on the Zither. Something I love so much its been my ringtone since we all carried Blackberry’s.

When I saw Floyd Norman walk in and sit down to watch The Third Man, I nearly passed out. I watched one of my favorite movies with a Disney/Pixar genius.

After the film, my friend and I had to rush to the theater next door where Cori and our other friends were supposed to be saving us seats.

The Last of Sheila was a film I was excited to see and one I thought would be pretty empty. We were shocked to see a packed theater when we arrived a few minutes after everyone was seated. Our seats couldn’t be saved, but our friends were pointing out that Maxwell Caulfield, aka Rex Manning, aka Michael “Cool Rider” from Grease 2 and his wife Juliet Mills were in attendance a few rows in front of them to watch the film.

We found our way to the front row because we didn’t want to miss this movie.

I’m so glad we stayed. It was my first viewing and I loved it.

The film stars James Coburn as Sheila’s husband, who, a year after Sheila is killed, invites a group of friends to spend the weekend on his yacht to play a scavenger hunt game. He hopes to use the game to find Sheila’s killer, but in the process, the game turns deadly. It also stars Dyan Cannon and James Mason.

After the film, Richard Benjamin showed up to discuss the film, which was a treat for us in the front row, who had an excellent seat for his discussion. We lucked out in that sense.

After that, it was time for a conversation with Floyd Norman. I went and saved seats for over an hour. I wanted to make sure Cori and I had great seats for this one. He is such a talent and has lived such an amazing life.

Floyd Norman is 86, almost 87, with the memory and energy of a 25-year-old. He was one of the first, if not the first black animator at Disney. He was in high school when he decided to try to get a job at Disney Studios, he didn’t get a job but went to school to learn to draw. A few years later, he joined Disney as it was expanding.

He worked as an animator on Sleeping Beauty, The Sword in the Stone and The Jungle Book, and other various animated short projects at Disney in the 1950s and early 60s. After Walt Disney’s death, Norman left to co-found AfroKids animation studio with Leo Sullivan. They worked on various projects, including the original Hey! Hey! Hey! It’s Fat Albert television special, which aired in 1969 on NBC.

He returned to Disney to work on Robin Hood, Jabberjaw and more. He has more recently worked for Pixar on Toy Story 2 and Monsters, Inc. for Pixar and The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Mulan for Disney, among others. He has continued to work for The Walt Disney Company as a consultant on various projects.

In 2016 the documentary Floyd Norman: An Animated Life was released and it was absolutely worth a watch.

His discussion was fascinating. After I tried to approach him, but he was whisked away. Cori found Marla Hooch from A League of Their Own (Megan Cavanagh) and struck up a conversation. It turns out Megan’s friend was also the director of Norman’s documentary. He pulled Mr. Norman aside so we could get a proper picture of us together. We were able to have an actual conversation. I got to tell him that I was at the screening of Sleeping Beauty and how much it meant to me. It was a moment I had dreamt of since the day I sat in the Egyptian theater listening to him speak about a film that means so much to me.

(Nikki McKim attended the 2022 TCMFF as a fan and not as a member of the press. Photo of Floyd Norman by Nikki McKim)

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A conversation with Floyd Norman – 2022 TCM Classic Film Festival

Nikki McKim — Fri, 13 May 2022 22:08:25 +0000

I was back in Hollywood for the TCM Film Festival when I spotted someone I had been extremely excited to see as a guest and more excited to see walking around the lobby of the Roosevelt Hotel.

When the 2022 schedule was announced, Floyd Norman was announced to have a special hour-long “Conversation with Floyd Norman.” It was an event I wasn’t going to risk missing. I had seen Mr. Norman and his friend Jane Baer do an introduction to Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. Norman was an animator along with Baer for the film, and it’s my favorite Disney film. I sat and cried and cried through that film. I was so happy, and he was so delightful.

Now, years later, he was here across the room, just hanging out. I ran to him, and all I could tell him was, “I love you. I just love you; I love you. You’re the best; I love you.” He smiled and again was such a gentleman. He let me take a photo with him. My favorite photo from the festival isn’t that photo, but the one my friend Jackie took of me when I returned to the table. Norman is in the background, and you can practically hear me squealing through the photo.

The final film of the night for a few of us was poolside. The poolside movies are my favorite; it takes a monumental event for me to miss a poolside cinema. We entered the pool area where everything was set up and found Soylent Green cookies to go with our movie of the night. It was my first showing of this utterly wild sci-fi film. After I yelled, “Soylent Green is people,” I found out that it was also my sister’s first showing, and she didn’t know that quote; she also didn’t know that it was people. I felt terrible. She had gone her entire life avoiding that spoiler, and 20 minutes before the movie, I ruined the ending. What a horrible sister and film buddy I am. So I did what any good sister would do; I asked our friend to get us more Soylent Green cookies to try to get her to forget that I had just ruined the movie by giving her sugar.

The next day, I got up bright and early to catch one of my absolute favorite films on the big screen.

This was also another non-negotiable, can’t miss movie. I knew that as tired as I would be that morning, there would be no way I’d sleep through The Third Man.

The Third Man (1949) stars Joseph Cotton and Orson Wells. Set in postwar Vienna, Austria, it tells of author Holly Martins, who arrives penniless to see his friend Harry Lime. Martins quickly learns that Lime is dead and develops a conspiracy theory after learning of a “third man” present at the time of Harry’s death. While investigating, he falls for Harry’s girlfriend. I can’t go into detail because I would recommend seeing this one, and I don’t want to ruin anything. The cinematography is beautiful, and the “cuckoo clock speech” is an entirely different level of dialogue. All of this is brought together by a soundtrack by Anton Karas on the Zither—something I love so much; it’s been my ringtone since we all carried Blackberrys.

When I saw Floyd Norman walk in and sit down to watch The Third Man, I nearly passed out. I watched one of my favorite movies with a Disney/Pixar genius.

After the film, my friend and I had to rush to the theater next door where Cori and our other friends were supposed to save us seats.

The Last of Sheila was a film I was excited to see and one I thought would be pretty empty. We were shocked to see a packed theater when we arrived minutes after everyone was seated. Our seats couldn’t be saved, but our friends pointed out that Maxwell Caulfield, aka Rex Manning, aka Michael “Cool Rider” from Grease 2 and his wife Juliet Mills were in attendance a few rows in front of them to watch the film.

We found our way to the front row because we didn’t want to miss this movie.

I’m so glad we stayed. It was my first viewing, and I loved it.

The film stars James Coburn as Sheila’s husband, who, a year after Sheila is killed, invites a group of friends to spend the weekend on his yacht to play a scavenger hunt game. He hopes to use the game to find Sheila’s killer, but the game turns deadly. It also stars Dyan Cannon and James Mason.

There are movies I see “blind” while at the festival occasionally. I go with no information at all. I’ll know that a particular film will have a great guest and some stars I love, but I’ll know nothing else. “Sheila” was one of those films for me, and when I tell you that I fell in love with this movie, that would be an understatement. This shot to the top of my list of all-time favorite movies. Run, don’t walk to see this movie if you haven’t.

I have found so many new favorites by seeing them on the big screen with a crowd at the festival for the first time. It’s such a luxury and fun thing to do.

After the film, Richard Benjamin showed up to discuss the film, which was a treat for us in the front row, who had an excellent seat for his discussion. We lucked out in that sense.

After that, it was time for a conversation with Floyd Norman. I went and saved seats for over an hour. I wanted to ensure Cori and I had great seats for this one. He is such a talent and has lived such a fantastic life. Have I mentioned that I am wildly in love with him?

Floyd Norman is 86, almost 87, with the memory and energy of a 25-year-old. He was one of Disney’s first, if not the first, black animators. He was in high school when he decided to try to get a job at Disney Studios; he didn’t get a job but went to school to learn to draw. A few years later, he joined Disney as it was expanding.

He worked as an animator on Sleeping Beauty, The Sword in the Stone and The Jungle Book, and other animated short projects at Disney in the 1950s and early 60s. After Walt Disney’s death, Norman left to co-found AfroKids animation studio with Leo Sullivan. They worked on various projects, including the original Hey! Hey! Hey! It’s Fat Albert television special, which aired in 1969 on NBC.

In 2016, the documentary Floyd Norman: An Animated Life was released, and it’s fantastic.

His discussion was fascinating. After I tried to approach him, he was whisked away. Cori found Marla Hooch from A League of Their Own (Megan Cavanagh) and began conversing. It turns out Megan’s friend was also the director of Norman’s documentary. He pulled Mr. Norman aside so we could get a proper picture of us together. We were able to have an actual conversation. I got to tell him that I was at the screening of Sleeping Beauty and how much it meant to me. It was a moment I had dreamt of since that day years ago when I sat in the Egyptian theater, listening to him speak about a film that meant so much to me as a child. I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

To be continued..

Nikki McKim attended the TCM Classic Film Festival as a paid pass holder not as a media pass holder.

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100 movies to watch during COVID lockdown

Nikki McKim — Sun, 29 Mar 2020 01:17:22 +0000

I promise this won’t be a movies-only column, but movies and television have been getting me through these past few weeks. We went through our movie collection a while back and pulled about 30 movies to watch while social distancing. It’s a hearty mix of new and old. Once we get home from work, we want to lose ourselves in something fun and funny. I decided to make a right now while being stuck inside.

This is by no means a list of the all-time greatest movies, but they’re great movies to get lost in when the world is scary and intense. Many can be seen on TCM, Amazon Prime, the Criterion Channel or for rent at the library.

I would love to hear what you’re watching during the pandemic-extra points for anyone who has also found comfort in TCM and would like to talk classic films with me. Give me a call at the office!

1) Dear Heart (1964), Evie Jackson arrives in NYC for the annual Postmasters’ convention. Staying in the same hotel is salesman Harry Mork. When their paths cross, Evie is convinced Harry is the man for her. (Glenn Ford)

2) The Three Stooges/any and all pre-Curly Joe episodes. Nothing takes me back to being a kid like the Stooges. I can’t imagine the day I stop laughing at them.

3) Safety Last (1923) A boy leaves his small town to head to the big city for a job leading to many adventures. (Harold Lloyd)

4) The Gold Rush (1925): A prospector goes to the Klondike in search of gold but finds friends and love. (Charlie Chaplin)

5) Harvey (1950) A man is believed to be insane because his best friend is an invisible six-foot-tall rabbit. (Jimmy Stewart)

6) About Schmidt (2002): A recently retired man crosses Nebraska to attend his estranged daughter’s wedding. He discovers a lot about himself along the way. (Jack Nicholson)

7) African Queen (1951) In WWI Africa, an alcoholic riverboat captain is persuaded by a strait-laced missionary to attack an enemy warship. (Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn)

8) The Awful Truth (1937) Un-founded suspicions lead a married couple to start to divorce, all while undermining each other attempts to find new love. (Cary Grant and Irene Dunne)

9) Apollo 13 (1995) NASA must help Apollo 13 get back to Earth safely after massive damage to the spacecraft. (Tom Hanks and Bill Paxton)

10) Barefoot in the Park (1967), A conservative Lawyer marries a wild woman. (Robert Redford and Jane Fonda)

11) Beetlejuice (1988): The spirits of a deceased couple are harassed by the new family who moves into their home. They hire a malicious ghost to drive them out. (Michael Keaton)

12) An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991) A family of immigrant mice move west. (Jimmy Stewart, voice)

13) Sleeping Beauty (1959): A curse is placed on a princess that only a prince and three fairies can break. (Mary Costa)

14) The Big House (1930): After being convicted of manslaughter, a drunk driver is inducted into the rigors of prison life. (Chester Morris and Robert Montgomery)

15) Book Club (2018) Four friends have their lives changed by reading 50 Shades of Grey. (Diane Keaton, Mary Steenbur-gen)

16) Bridesmaids (2011) A wedding is nearly ruined by a competition between the maid of honor and bridesmaid. (Kris-ten Wiig)

17) Cold Turkey (1971): A tobacco company offers a small Iowa town $25 million to stop smoking for 30 days. (Dick Van Dyke and Bob Newhart)

18) D2 The Mighty Ducks (1994) A ragtag hockey team from around the country competes in the Junior Goodwill Games. (Joshua Jackson)

19) Dan in Real Life (2007): A widower finds love in the worst place. (Steve Carell)

20) Drop Dead Fred (1991): A young woman finds her life rocked by her childhood imaginary friend. (Phoebe Cates)

21) Election (1999) A high school teacher’s life is nearly ruined by working with an obsessive overachiever. (Matthew Broderick and Reese Wither-spoon)

22) Fever Pitch (2005) A man obsessed with the Boston Red Sox falls in love and must choose between the two. (Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore)

23) French Kiss (1995): A woman flies to France to confront her cheating fiance and meets a charming crook. (Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline)

24) Ghostbusters (1984): Four men provide ghost removal for NYC. (Harold Ramis and Bill Murray)

25) Ghostbusters 2 (1989) They revive their ghost removal business. (Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hud-son, and Bill Murray)

26) Holiday Affair (1949): A widower meets a sales clerk and falls in love. (Janet Leigh and Robert Mitchum)

27) It Takes Two (1995) Identical strangers meet, and its never explained why they’re identical, but they get their father and guardian to fall in love. Not one person indeed questions why they are identical. If you can get past that, it’s a fun movie. (Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen)

28) Bachelor Mother (1939): A woman discovers an abandoned baby and takes it in to keep her job. (Ginger Rogers)

29) License to Drive (1988): A boy fails his driver’s test but decides to go out for a night on the town anyway. (Corey Haim)

30) Roadhouse (1989): Some bad guys try to cross Dalton while he tries to tame a seedy bar. (Patrick Swayze)

31) Mr. Skeffington (1944) Fanny is forced to marry a man she doesn’t love to help her brother. (Bette Davis and Claude Rains)

32) Now Voyager (1942) A spinster undergoes therapy to become an independent woman. (Bette Davis and Paul Henreid)

33) Office Space (1999) Three employees rebel against their boss. (Ron Livings-ton)

34) Remember the Night (1940) A lawyer takes a crook home for Christmas (Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray)

35) Rushmore (1998) A kid on academic probation acts out. (Jason Schwartzman)

36) Serial Mom (1994): A seemingly sweet mother turns out to be a murderer. (Kathleen Turner)

37) Show People (1928): A lady goes to Hollywood to become a star (Marion Davies)

38) Some Like it Hot (1959) Two male musicians flee to Florida dressed as women to hide from the mob. (Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon)

39) Speedy (1928) A New Yorker saves the city’s last horse-drawn carriage from extinction. (Harold Lloyd)

40) Sunday in New York (1962): A woman leaves her small town to visit her brother and has a chance encounter with a man on a bus. (Rod Taylor)

41) Super Troopers (2001) Five Vermont state troopers play pranks and lose their jobs. (Steve Lemme)

42) Super Troopers 2 (2018) When a border dispute arises, the Super Troopers establish a High-way Patrol. (Paul Soter)

43) The Artist (2011): A silent film star tries to acclimate to the talkies. (Jean Dujardin)

44) Beerfest (2006): A group of Americans compete against the German’s in underground beer games. (Kevin Heffernan)

45) The Graduate (1967) A college graduate finds himself in an unexpected situation when Mrs. Robinson seduces him, but his fun turns complicated when Benjamin falls for the one woman Mrs. Robinson demands he stay away from, her daughter, Elaine.

46) The Jerk (1979): A simple-minded man leaves his home to live in the big city. (Steve Martin)

47) The Patsy (1928): A girl falls in love with her older sister’s boyfriend and tries to get him to notice her. (Marion Davies)

48) The Talk of the Town (1942) A wrongly accused convict hides out in a professor’s house, hoping he will help him. (Cary Grant and Jean Arthur)

49) The Women (1939): A woman gets cheated on and confides in her friends. (Norma Shearer and Joan Crawford).

50) Orange County (2002) An over-achieving high schooler doesn’t get into the college of his choice. (Colin Hanks)

51) Key Largo (1948): A man visits his buddy’s family hotel and is held hostage during a hurricane. (Humphrey Bogart)

52) Tootsie (1982): An unsuccessful actor disguises himself as a woman to land a gig. (Dustin Hoffman)

53) Under the Tuscan Sun (2003), A newly divorced writer buys a Tuscan villa. (Diane Lane)

54) Vegas Vacation (1997) The Griswold family travels to Las Vegas. (Chevy Chase)

55) Walk Don’t Run (1966) During a housing shortage in Tokyo, two men and a woman share an apartment. (Cary Grant)

56) When Harry Met Sally (1989), A man and a woman who are friends avoid a romance so it won’t ruin their friendship. (Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan)

57) You Can’t Take it With You (1938): A wealthy man gets engaged to a woman from an eccentric family. (Jimmy Stewart and Jean Arthur)

58) Yours, Mine and Ours (1968) Two widowers with a brood of children find love. (Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda)

59) High Anxiety (1977), a psychiatrist with a fear of heights investigates the secrets of a murder at the new institution where he works. (Mel Brooks)

60) Divorce of Lady X (1938): A divorce lawyer falls for a woman he thinks is the wife of his new client. (Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon)

62) Lover Come Back (1961): A series of misunderstandings leaves an ad exec with a bogus campaign as he romances his competition. (Doris Day)

62) Pillow Talk (1959) A man and a woman who share a party line cannot stand each other, but he tricks her with his voice disguised. (Rock Hudson)

63) Roar (1981) Noel Marshall gets a visit from his family in East Africa, where he lives with several wild lions. (Tippy Hedren)

64) Tickle Me (1965): A singing rodeo rider finds himself working at a fitness spa. He falls in love with an employee threatened by a gang who wants

her late grandfather’s gold hidden in a ghost town. (Elvis)

65) The Miracle of Morgans Creek (1943) An all-night send-off for the troops leaves a small-town girl ‘in trouble.’ (Betty Hutton)

66) What’s Up Doc? (1972) An accident mix-up of bags leads to wacky situations. (Barbra Streisand and Ryan O’Neal)

67) The Goodbye Girl (1977): An unemployed dancer and her daughter are forced to live with a struggling off-Broadway actor. (Marsha Mason)

68) Dick (1999) Two high school girls bring down the Nixon presidency. (Dan Hedaya, Michelle Williams and Kirsten Dunst)

69) That Thing You Do (1996) A small-town band scores a one-hit wonder. (Tom Everett Scott)

70) The Electric Horseman (1979): A rodeo star steals a horse and rides into the desert with a reporter accompanying him. (Robert Redford)

71) His Girl Friday (1940) Ex-husband and wife reporters reunite to get a story about a man on death row. (Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant)

72) It Should Happen to You (1954) A woman rents a billboard to get famous. (Judy Holliday)

73) The Philadelphia Story (1940): A woman’s ex-husband and reporters turn up before her wedding and turns her life upside down. (Katharine Hepburn)

74) The Apartment (1960) A man tries to rise in his company by offering his apartment to executives for their trysts but falls in love with one of their interests. (Jack Lemmon)

75) Cool Hand Luke (19 67) A man sentenced to two years in a rural prison refuses to conform. (Paul Newman)

76) The Man Who Should Liberty Valance (1962) A senator returns to honor an old friend and tell their story. (Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne)

77) Singin’ In The Rain (1952) A silent film company transitions to sound. (Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds)

78) The Gauntlet (1977): A rugged but mediocre cop is assigned to escort a prostitute into custody from Las Vegas to Phoenix so that she can testify in a mob trial. (Clint Eastwood)

79) It Happened One Night (1934): A spoiled heiress runs away from her father and is helped by a reporter who falls In love with her. (Clark Gable)

80) The Thin Man (1934) Detective Nick Charles and his wife investigate a murder case for the fun of it. (William Powell and Myrna Loy)

81) My Man Godfrey (1936): A scatterbrained socialite hires a vagrant as the family butler and falls in love. (William Powell and Carole Lombard)

82) Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933): A wealthy composter rescues unemployed Broadway performers with a new play. (Dick Powell and Aline MacMahon)

83) The Naked Gun (1988) Detective Frank Drebin tries to foil an attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II.

84) Wet Hot American Summer (2001): follows a group of counselors who are each trying to complete their unfinished business before the day ends. The entire summer of pent-up sexual frustrations, unresolved post-traumatic stress, pending separations and of course, the talent show, all weigh heavily on the minds and groins of counselors and campers alike.

85) Baseketball (1998) Two friends invent a sport called BASEketball and deal with a greedy business person. (Trey Parker and Matt Stone)

86) Caddyshack (1980) A country club has to deal with a brash new member and inept staff. (Chevy Chase)

87) Take the Money and Run (1969): The life and times of Virgil Starkwell, inept bank robber. (Woody Allen)

88) You’ve Got Mail (1998) Two business rivals who hate each other fall in love online. (Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan)

89) Young Frankenstein (1974), the Grandson of the famed scientist, tries to prove his grandfather wasn’t as insane as people believe. (Gene Wilder)

90) Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950): A detective tries to stay on the right side of the law but can’t. (Dana Andrews)

91) Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941): A couple married for years learns their marriage isn’t valid. (Carole Lombard)

92) Slammin Salmon (2009) A restaurant owner institutes a contest to earn money to get him out of debt. (Kevin Heffernan)

93) Desk Set (1957) Two strong and smart personalities clash over the computerization of a TV network’s research department. (Spencer Tracy)

94) The Impractical Jokers Movie (2020) Four friends since high school play pranks on each other as they travel to a Paula Abdul concert.

95) The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) Armed men hijack a subway car in NYC and demand ransom for passengers. (Walter Matthau)

96) Grumpy Old Men (1993): A feud between friends since childhood boils over when a gorgeous woman moves next door. (Lemmon and Matthau)

97) Smokey and the Bandit (1977) The Bandit is hired to run a semi full of beer over state lines in hot pursuit by a pesky sheriff. (Burt Reynolds)

98) White Christmas (1954) Two singers join a sister act to help save their General’s business. (Bing Crosby)

99) There Was A Crooked Man (1970) A charming but ruthless criminal is sent to prison and cons his cellmates into helping him escape. (Kirk Douglas)

100) Stripes (1981) Two friends dissatisfied with their jobs join the army for fun. (Bill Murray and Harold Ramis)

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Celebrities galore at TCMFF – 2017

Nikki McKim — Tue, 30 May 2017 01:03:59 +0000

Friday, April 7, 2017. Our third day in Los Angeles was packed full of events. Brian and I got up bright and early to attend the Ginger Rogers ﬁlm, Rafter Romance. The ﬁlm was at the Egyptian Theater, the furthest from our hotel. We opted for breakfast at the hotel because nothing beats a free hotel wafﬂe, in my opinion. We chatted about our day, checked our schedule, and decided to attend the Hand and Footprint Ceremony. Rob and Carl Reiner were honored this year before the historic Graumin’s Chinese Theater. Once we started thinking about who could attend, we decided to get in the long line for the event.
We stood for a couple of hours before we were herded like cattle into our standing-room-only section. We stood, hoping to glimpse someone we knew and loved. Rob Reiner walked by and greeted us, and that was pretty great. Rob, 70, helmed a few ﬁlms you may have seen. Stand by Me, A Few Good Men, This is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride and one of my all-time favorite ﬁlms, When Harry Met Sally. His father, Carl, soon joined him near the stage. Carl, 95, created The Dick Van-Dyke Show and directed The Jerk, All of Me and collaborated with one of my favorite men on earth, Mel Brooks. Former Saturday Night Live comedian Kevin Nealon appeared from the back chomping on a banana; Carey Elwes from The Princess Bride attended (and later attended the screening of ‘Bride’); All in the Family creator Norman Lear walked by, but then the crowd parted, and everyone got quiet when Billy Crystal walked in. I love Billy Crystal in When Harry Met Sally and Mike Wazowski in Monsters Inc. This star sighting was enough to assure me that we had made the right decision in attending this historic event. There were several more big names, but I watched Crystal the entire time. I was mesmerized by seeing Harry Burns (Crystal’s character from When Harry Met Sally) right before me. It was beyond incredible. We listened to several close and famous friends praise the Reiner men before they gave a short joint speech to the crowd.
Once the ceremony ﬁnished, we raced to the Theater to get into the Judy Holiday classic, Born Yesterday. If you haven’t seen a Judy Holiday ﬁlm, please take my advice and do so as soon as possible. She was beautiful, talented and hilarious. She is often forgotten due to her passing sooner than she should have. Sadly, we were too late and turned away at the door. We had enough time to kill waiting for the next ﬁlm to start, so we walked around a bit and had lunch at California Pizza Kitchen.
Our timing was perfect as we were number four and ﬁve for the ﬁlm I was most excited about, Barefoot in the Park. Barefoot stars my very favorite man, Robert Redford and Jane Fonda. Brian hadn’t seen it, so I was giddy to share it on the big screen with him.
While in line, Brian decided to meet and fall in love with another woman. Miss Zillah was roughly 80 years old and a ball of ﬁre. Somehow, she and Brian struck up quite a friendship that is still going strong today, as I got a message from Zillah asking me to tell my husband hi for her just last night. They discussed ﬁlms, sports, where they were from and how much they hated standing in line because of body aches. I was too busy looking around and taking it all in because Brian had his back turned before I knew it and was in Zillah’s world. This spitﬁre made such a big impression on everyone she met that when I posted a photo of Brian and his new girlfriend-several people commented and said they loved ‘Z’ and had spent a lot of time with her at past festivals. (Sidenote: The New Yorker ran a cartoon several weeks ago about the TCM Classic Film Festival and the cartoonists’ experience at the event. She told her story through illustrations -Zillah is featured and plays a prominent role in her story, as she now does for many of us.)
There was nothing like seeing Barefoot with a crowd. Redford plays Paul, a conservative lawyer who has just married Corrie (Fonda), who is vivacious and everything I want to be in life. The couple navigate their way through the ﬁrst few weeks of marriage and adjusting to life with each other. The ﬁlm is hilarious, and both Redford and Fonda are stunning.
We had a few hours to kill because we hit our only block during the festival that didn’t have one ﬁlm we wanted to see. Brian suggested we return to Micelli’s Italian Restaurant, so we did. It was just as amazing the second time as it was the first. We sat, listened to music, and enjoyed a drink before we made our way down Hollywood Boulevard and back to The Roosevelt Hotel for another event that I had been looking forward to.
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?-poolside. Baby Jane is another favorite due to the sheer insanity of it all, as well as the fantastic acting by Bette Davis. I have the song ‘I’ve Written a Letter to Daddy’ on my phone and play it often. I knew it would be so much fun to see with a group outside by the pool at the Roos. I really wanted Brian to see a ﬁlm poolside, and though he isn’t a fan of either actress, he was a good sport and got into it. TCM staffers were handing out ‘Team Joan’ or ‘Team Bette’ ribbons to wear during the ﬁlm. It was an excellent promo for the FX Feud series that started the week before the festival. If you have a chance to see Feud, please see it. The series is now over but look for it on demand. It’s entertaining and wild acting by Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange. (I have a whole other column planned about Feud; it was that fun!)
We stayed, laughed, and cheered with the rambunctious crowd until it was time to get in line for my number one must-see celebrity at the Festival, Mel Brooks. I wasn’t going to risk not seeing Brooks, so we left Baby Jane early to get in line for High Anxiety, and I am glad we did.

To be continued…

Nikki McKim attended the TCMFF as a paid pass holder not as a media pass member.

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Walk, Don’t Run – Thanks, Ted.

Nikki McKim — Sat, 25 Feb 2017 17:57:47 +0000

I need to thank Ted Turner for shaping who I am. Yes, that Ted Turner, and no, I’m not related to the man in any way, never met him, never will.
A couple of days ago, I was thinking about who I am. I’m normal, yet strange. I feel like I am a fair mix of both of my parents, with a dash of all four of my grandparents and a hit of a few quirks of my own.
If I sat down and described myself to you, I would do so with a list of my favorite things. Here is a short list of my all-time favorite things (not including my family and friends and all the dogs in the world), classic movies, baseball, the Three Stooges, chocolate chip cookies and Saved by the Bell. There is so much more to me, but this is the list I would give to start. This list of random things says a lot about who I am. As a classic ﬁlm lover, I would say that I’m an ‘old soul.’ I think baseball says I’m romantic and low-maintenance. My love of all things Larry, Curly and Moe says I have a sense of humor- maybe not sophisticated, but I love to laugh. Finally, my love of Saved by the Bell tells you I am corny and open-minded. I’m sure there are a thousand different ways of looking at how each of these random insigniﬁcant things shape me as a person, but they did.
When I think of who I am now and compare it to how I grew up, there is one significant connection: a 78-year-old man from Ohio.
Ted Turner, ‘Terrible Ted,’ ‘The Mouth of the South,’ or that guy who started CNN has influenced my life more than I could have imagined. Until recently, I knew very little about the man. I remember him being married to Jane Fonda, and I knew he was the all-mighty Turner in Turner Classic Movies, but other than that, I knew very little. During a CNN series about the 1980’s, I learned more about Turner and everything he dabbles in.
In 1976, Turner Broadcasting Systems (TBS) became the nation’s ﬁrst ‘superstation’ using satellite technology to go nationwide. In the early 90s, TBS, or channel ﬁve to us in Dawson, Nebraska during the ’90s, played babysitter to two little girls.
At 3:30 p.m. every weekday, TBS played two hours of Saved by the Bell. The corny yet lovable show of my youth could almost always be found. Zach Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) was my ﬁrst colossal crush. Until the day I got married, I was sure I would someday marry Zack Morris. I learned several life lessons from the thousands of hours of watching this show. I learned not to drink and drive, not to try to hire an actor to trick my school principal, and, most importantly, I learned not to give up on someone I love. All such cheesy life lessons that I laugh about today, but it was intense back then. Saved by the Bell was my religion, and for years, nothing else mattered except when that evil Ted Turner would interrupt my religion with baseball.
The Atlanta Braves are the first baseball team I can remember watching. My intense hate slowly turned to love, as I couldn’t look away from Braves outﬁelder David Justice. Let’s face it: the man isn’t Bo Jackson or Derek Jeter, but he was good enough to hold my attention. I understood baseball and what he was doing. I loved Dan Marino and Troy Aikman, but I didn’t and still don’t understand their sport. My wild love affair with baseball began and stuck thanks to that evil Ted Turner interrupting my show.
My favorite thing about TBS was the 24-hour marathons they would often have. Saved by the Bell and The Three Stooges were usually the subject of those marathons. My sister and I would try to stay up all night to watch our shows as the VCR tapped our shows to watch again day after day. We didn’t have the Three Stooges collection, just our treasured TBS marathon tapes. My grandpa Alexander usually hosted these events and would join us for as many Three Stooges as possible. My love for Larry, Curly and Moe runs as deep as my love for classic movies. It reminds me of my sister, Grandpa, and I curled up on the couch, laughing until we cried.
In 1980, Turner launched CNN, the ﬁrst 24-hour news network. It isn’t listed in my favorite things, but I love the news, especially during an election year. CNN and I go back to the 2000 election when my beloved Al Gore ran against President George Bush. I spent hours, days and weeks attached to CNN. That was during a rough period of my adolescence, so it was a good distraction for me. Again, Turner pulls through for this girl.
In 1985, Ted Turner acquired MGM-UA Entertainment, including its library of thousands of classic ﬁlms. Nearly ten years later, Turner Classic Movies was launched. What can I say about my most immense love? The people I’ve met because of the ﬁlms shown on this network have improved my life. When I ﬁrst started getting deeper into black and white ﬁlms, I would search the internet about my favorite ﬁlms or stars. That led me to groups devoted to classic ﬁlms, which led me to the people. I have had so much fun with these people. They have encouraged me to come out of my shell a bit. I have been invited to write for magazines, blogs and other publications and do radio interviews about specific topics and panel discussions. I have also met several people in our area who share my love and visit me to discuss it. I would say that people who devote so much of their time to old movies are a bit guarded and quiet. I know I am, but we bloom when we get around each other. I’m again preparing for another trip to Hollywood for the TCM Film Festival. It’s something that I look forward to. It’s not the just ﬁlms, but the people, my people. I wouldn’t trade the time I’ve spent watching and learning about old movies for anything. It’s a love, a passion that runs deep-it’s a big part of who I am.
The chocolate chip cookies? I just live for food, nothing to do with Ted; I just really like them.
Who would have thought that so much of what I love has been made so easily accessible thanks to a billionaire philanthropist? Thanks for everything: my biggest loves, favorite pastime, and closest friends.

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Seeing one of my favorite films at my first TCMFF – 2016

Nikki McKim — Tue, 24 May 2016 22:46:50 +0000

I was finally at the TCM Classic Film festival when ﬁre alarms had just gone off as we waited to see ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?’ And I was stuck outside on the second story of the theater complex in a crowd of people waiting it out.
For a good 20 minutes, I watched people and took in the sights, sounds and smells of Hollywood; most could have been better.
Once we were given the all-clear (somebody set off a ﬁre extinguisher in a theater), we retrieved the drinks we had yet to touch. The bartender made us new drinks and didn’t charge us, but we were due in our seats in a few minutes. I took a couple of sips, then trashed mine when I saw Ken Jenkins by the entrance door. We were being herded into our line, but nobody noticed that it was Ken Jenkins! He was there alone, and nobody was asking him for an autograph. I had to run past him to get my spot, but I smiled and waved at the man who was married to Katharine Houghton, who also happened to play Dr. Bob Kelso on Scrubs and who happened to play Courtney Cox’s dad on Cougar Town. Several people asked me who I was so excited to see and kept yelling at. I realized many classic ﬁlm fans did not watch any new television shows. Not one person in our long line knew who he was. I was tickled that I had him smile and wave at me, but disappointed I didn’t get a photo with him.
Once we entered the theater, we sat in primo seats, and tears ﬁlled my eyes. This was the moment I had dreamed of for so long. It was my ﬁrst classic ﬁlm at the festival. Katharine Houghton came out and discussed how difﬁcult it was to work on the movie with her aunt Katharine Hepburn due to the health of Spencer Tracy. Everyone knew Spence was ill, and tensions ran high. Another issue was race; Houghton said she was young and naïve and didn’t understand the fuss. She also did a few impressions of Hepburn that had the crowd roaring. After ten minutes or so, she presented the ﬁlm, got up and left. The ﬁlm started, and the crowd cheered with each name that clashed on the screen. We were all so excited, and the air was electric. That feeling soon faded for me. At this point, I had been up for over 20 hours and only slept for two hours the night before. My head started to drop, and my eyes grew heavy. I didn’t want to fall asleep during my ﬁrst ﬁlm! I was so mad that I would squeeze my thigh to stay awake and almost drew blood several times. Spencer Tracy stood up to give his speech that made me cry like a baby, then the next thing I knew, the lights went up, and the crowd was clapping. I had fallen asleep sitting up, even though it was only for a few minutes.
Our group of four met up and began our walk home. We discussed our favorite part of the night and our plans for the next day. I didn’t have time to think about what a whirlwind day I had just had because I was out cold as soon as I hit the pillow.
Friday, April 29, 2016 – I woke up with an awful headache and swollen eyes. I had plans to see ‘The More The Merrier,’ a favorite in our home, but with my horrendous headache, I decided to go to the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and have breakfast. I have never shied away from eating in a restaurant alone. I sat at the counter and enjoyed a wafﬂe and sausage and mimosa. It was too early for the next ﬁlm block, so I wandered over to the Francis Ford Coppola Hand and Footprint Ceremony. I didn’t try to get too close and opted to be in a spot that would be easy to get out of for the next ﬁlm. I watched in awe with Jack Lemon’s son standing next to me as Francis Ford Coppola, director of the ‘Godfather’ trilogy and ‘Apocalypse Now,’ stood in a suit and pressed his hands and feet into cement. It was indeed something you don’t see every day. I watched for a while until I realized I needed to meet with Angie for my ﬁrst ﬁlm of the day, ‘The Way We Were.’
Robert Redford is easily one of my favorite actors, and that ﬁlm is always such a treat for me. The story drives me insane, but I’m a sucker for it every time it’s on and it’s one of my fall time favorite films. I bawl like a baby every time I sit and watch it. I truly felt in my element as I sat and cried with the theater full of people. We clapped, and all tried to pretend we weren’t crying, but the red, glossy eyes were evident to everyone.
The next ﬁlm I ventured to was ‘When You’re In Love,’ starring Cary Grant. His daughter Jennifer introduced the once lost ﬁlm to a packed house. Jennifer spoke of how she thought she had seen every ﬁlm her father had made until TCM contacted her a few months before the festival about this ﬁlm. She had never seen it and was so excited to both see it for the first time and introduce it at the festival. Ms. Grant shared stories of watching her father’s ﬁlms with him, which wasn’t often and how she will present a jewelry line in his memory soon. Naturally, that excited a room full of classic ﬁlm fans, but I was disappointed; I would assume a suit line in Cary Grant’s honor would make more sense, but what do I know? Finally, it was time for the ﬁlm, and everyone was on the edge of their seat to see this long-lost gem. At the end of the ﬁlm, everyone applauded, cheered, and went on and on about how wonderful it was. I, on the other hand, was incredibly disappointed. I knew nothing of the ﬁlm except that Cary Grant was in it. It’s about Grant falling in love with an Opera singer. I’m not a fan of musicals, and while I’m glad I was there for the premier of the ﬁlm, It isn’t one that I will seek out for my collection.
There was a good lull in ﬁlms, so I ventured to Larry Edmunds Bookshop in search of a gift for a lady in Falls City. She had called me before I left and asked if I could search for anything involving silent ﬁlm star Leatrice Joy. She told me a story about her connection to the ﬁlm star, and I couldn’t resist ﬁnding her something, and I did (more on that later.) Then, I was off to Mel’s Diner, a ‘must visit’ restaurant everyone praised. I had a BLT. with some of the best mac and cheese I’ve ever had, and I love that they put avocado on nearly everything. After a quick caffeine boost, it was off to our next ﬁlm ‘Batman: The Movie,” with Adam West. The following six hours were the most fun I had during the festival.

To be continued..

Nikki McKim attended the 2016 TCMFF as a paid pass holder not as a media pass holder.

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