DAY ONE, PART FOUR

Here is the TCM Promo for the Restoration of A Star is Born. It's a most informative film highlighting the importance of film preservation and how A Star is Born has been transformed for its new DVD Release. (And yes, I ordered one. It's supposed to be on the way.) But there is another reason I enjoy this promo so much, besides its being timely, informative, and historical. I'm in it! Toward the very end of the promo, you can see a tall woman in a formal Chinese dress with a Mandarin collar carrying her turquoise coat as she walks into the actual theater at Grauman's. That's me!

http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/index/?o_cid=mediaroomlink&cid=333749


Day One, Part 4

So I donned more lip gloss, squared my shoulders, marched in the the elevator, and descended into the arena! Everyone who had a pass couldn't wait for CLUB TCM to open. It was across the hall from the lobby and the Festival Store was located right in front of CLUB TCM. When it opened, there were actually 2-3 maitre'd's who would check passes and say nice things like "You look very lovely" etc.

That was a nice touch.

When you walked into CLUB TCM, there was a dance floor with tables and chairs, and all around the room were photos of Hollywood Stars and a screen with film clips running on the wall behind the stage. There were plenty of comfy couches and chairs and folks met their friends there for snacks and drinks before and after the film showings.

It was so much fun in there! You could see all kinds of people who had come from all over the world to be a part of the TCM Film Festival. There were even some kids who flew in from Poland to be a part of it! Everybody wanted to know where someone was from, what your favorite movies were, and what you were planning to attend on the schedule.

I visited with so many people, and I know I couldn't remember all their names. The enjoyment of the moment was what everyone was interested in. I must have met a hundred new people that night, but none of them were rude, officious, or just plain old "stuck-up." If they were there, I didn't see them or meet them.

For snacks they had little beef empanadas, mahi mahi munchies, tabouli salad, bruscietta, oriental egg rolls, and much more...

The waiters were very friendly, and the bartenders were busy, but kind and accomodating.

Passholders would visit about the movies they were going to see and movies they looked forward to.
Several members of TCM City were there and it was wonderful to meet the "faces" behind the names.

But then it was time to go to the Premiere of A Star Is Born, which is one of my favorite films because of the songs Judy Garland sings.



Since it was the first night premiere, all goodies at the concession stand were FREE!!!
I ordered my filmgoing usual, a large diet coke, a small popcorn, and chocolate-covered peanuts.

And as I walk in, I am seated off to the left of the screen, and strike up a conversation with Bruce from D.C., and we talk about the film, and how much fun we are already having at this festival. Discussing aspects of the restoration before the introduction was also helpful and a young couple joined in the conversation.

Robert Osborne introduced the film and practially got a standing ovation. Everyone was so thrilled to see him looking his usually dapper self.

But when the curtain went up, the star was really the beautiful restoration. The colors were so vibrant and the sound was so crisp.

Never in my memory can I remember the sound in a theater being so fresh. No scratchy recordings, no bleeps or blips, just clear tones of voices, songs, and all so accessible. This was the first classic film I had seen on a large screen in many years, and after I had been so nerve-wracked all day, it was a wonderful moment of peace to realize that I was going to see one of my favorite scenes and hear one of my favorite songs and see one of my favorite film stars in one of her most brilliant moments on screen. Ever.

From where I had been sitting, I could hear several Ooohs and Aaaahs when there were closeups. And I loved how people clapped for the film. It was a joy.

Next: Esther and Betty, the Aqualilies, and more...

DAY ONE, PART THREE

Day one-Part 3

All the gals from the lunch bunch had an hour and a half to spruce up our looks and make final style decisions for the "Meet and Greet" when Club TCM finally opens its doors to the swankienda.
Fekkai, the style salon, had generously offered free hairstyles to anyone holding passes to the TCM Film Festival.

How gracious! But unfortunately, I didn't have time to take advantage of the generosity of Fekkai.
However, some of the ladies from the lunch bunch had earlier visited the salon to the stars of TCM at Fekkai and sported new "do's." (They all looked great, BTW.)

And as I had expressed my frazzled fears about how to arrange my locks, one of my friends who had already graced the Fekkai salon offered to help me.

Since I was planning to attend the Grauman's premiere of A Star is Born, I had chosen to wear my full-length Chinese formal with the mandarin collar. Decisions yet to be made included selecting the appropriate jewelry, shoes, and hairstyle.

I was still, however, suffering from periodic bouts of adrenalin rushes, silly spurts of inappropriate laughter, and indecision over which films to attend on the official TCM Film Fest Schedule as aftershocks of my earlier fan perspective interview in the a.m.

Madamoiselle, my kindly volunteer personal stylist, was scrupulously perusing my down do and we had mutually decided to upsweep.

Mlle: I need your comb.
Me: Comb. o.k. haha (inappropriate laughter)
Mlle: The hairpins
Me: Oh, yes, hahahahah (more inappropriate laughter due to delayed adrenalin)
Mlle: Your head is shaking..
Me: I'm still nervous from this morning...ahahahahaha
Mlle: Why?
Me: If my son sees my fan perspective and doesn't like it, it will be something else he will add to his arsenal of verbal volleyballs dating back to the time I accidentally left him in the produce aisle at the grocery store...
Mlle: (LOL) Relax. He's mostly away at college now, isn't he? Give me another hairpin..
Me: Yes. But don't forget about cellphones...
Mlle. So what shoes are you going to wear?
Me: I can't decide between the mid-level heel or to go all the way with the complete high heel. And I'm not talking about my ex-husbands...
Mlle. HAHhahahahhah...but why are you so confused?
Me: Well, I am already about nine feet tall...
Mlle. When I can't make up my mind like that, I usually choose something that makes me feel good.
Me: Then I'll go all the way. So my official premiere look will be the "Chinese tower of power" stance..
Mlle: hahahahaha...

So, thanks to the Madamoiselle I had a lovely upswept "do" with little oriental flowers tucked and anchored with Goody hairpins, and she steered me toward the approprate earrings-- a pair of rhinestone-studded inverted fleur de lis bobs and my black beaded bag with the swag... done. Finally.

And one of my friends here at TCM City emailed me last week and told me that viewers of TCM can see the final creation in the Chinese dress with the Mandarin collar and simple rhinestone earrings and black beaded purse walking into the premiere of A Star is Born on the TCM promo for the restoration of A Star is Born.

I'm in the last few seconds of the promo. I'm walking into the theater from the lobby!

Next: CLUB TCM OPENS, A STAR IS BORN PREMIERE, the tall man with the BUICK, and BETTY AND ESTHER BY THE POOL!

DAY ONE, PART TWO

After regrouping and sprucing up our looks, Lynn and I donned our badges again and bounded out to the elevator to meet with our friends from TCM City downstairs in the spacious lobby area across from Club TCM, which hadn't officially opened yet.

Several regular posters at TCM CITY walked a few blocks from the Historic Hollywood Roosevelt to have the classic burgers, fries, and traditionally delicious chocolate shakes at the In and Out Burger, and they are great! We don't have that franchise in Texas, but we should. Service was quick and we all settled in for lunch in the booths directly across from the cashier to chow down and to chat up.

I almost dribbled catsup from my fries on my blouse because I was laughing, and talking so much,
and asking questions. ( I was still pumping adrenalin from the filming of the fan perspectives in the a.m.)
Then somebody spilled their coke.

Everybody was chatting about the schedule, and we were discussing the films we have chosen to see, and how much fun we knew we were going to have. Some remembered snippets:

Would Robert Osborne and Ben Mankiewicz present a film together?
How about Robert Osborne and Alec Baldwin?
Would Louise Rainer be able to come because of the airport being shut down in the UK due to the
volcanic ash?
What about Jean Paul Belmondo?
Is anybody going to see Pandora and the Flying Dutchman ?
We all have to go to Singin' in the Rain.
Did you see that guy with the bad toupee who kept talking to himself?
What kind of souvenirs do you think they will have?
I'm going to get another chocolate shake.
Fragments, for sure.
North by Northwest ? Of, course.
Imitation of LIfe ? No, too many costume changes!
Well, I'm going.
Sunnyside Up on Thursday night. I'm not missing the inflating bananas.
The Story of Temple Drake on Saturday.
What are you wearing to the premiere tonight?
I want to see Joan Crawford's home movies at Club TCM.
Are you going to Casablanca tonight?
Yes, round up the usual suspects...
Hahahaha..
We had our compliementary coifs today.
I didn't have time to go to the salon.
Isn't it great? It was free.
Well, I'll come by before we leave for the meet and greet and help you with the upsweep.
Big hair is important to me.
I don't know which earrings to wear.
We're wearing our vintage.
The sparkly jacket or the Chinese dress?
Then there's Playtime with Tati on Saturday.
Is that an event at Club TCM?
No. Haven't you ever heard of the French Buster Keaton?
Sorry. I'm more of a professional tourist than a professional film historian.
I just think you are a professional....
Hahahah.....
I can't miss Wild River. One of Lee Remick's favorite performances.
Supposed to be one of Clift's best.
How am I going to go to the premiere of A Star is Born and see Neptune's Daughter, too?
Well, I'm not missing Norman Lloyd.
Oh, the Aqualilies are going to perform. I don't want to miss that.
Me, neither.
Camp and damp. No. Definitely not me.
Hahahahaha.....
Esther and Betty will be there. It's going to be so much fun!
Don't miss The Stuntman on Saturday.
See you tonight at Grauman's.

And then it was time to leave to perk up our looks, our outfits, and our outlooks, not to mention tweak our schedules.

Club TCM opens at 4:00...

DAY ONE, TCM FESTIVAL

It usually takes me at least two cups of coffee before I can conjugate verbs in English, and I began rushing to get ready in the morning so that I can be "on the set" for my fan perspective interview with Tim at 9:00, which was to take place in the penthouse suite of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, where once upon a time, Gable and Lombard took up residence.

Lynn,my LA pal and roomie, tells me to "get moving." It was my turn to rule the powder room.

I hear the mambo music playing from my Razorphone. It was the TCM crew in charge of my interview. Would it be all right if they changed me from 9:00 a.m. to Noon? Of course not. I was so nervous, I didn't care if it took place at all. I was shaking, but I had just talked to someone in charge of something at TCM!

I can't decide what to wear. I didn't want to be to spangly-bangly, or flashy-trashy, so I went with my black Misook outfit with the long pants, shell, and jacket with stripes across the shoulders and the little blue-flowered buttons.

But before I could don the outfit, I had to delve into make-up. My hands were shaking so much by the time my foundation had been set with translucent beige powder, that I couldn't draw a straight line with my liner pencil. Then I sneezed, and my eyeliner drooped below the lid. I repaired that line, and then I tried applying mascara, and curled the lashes a little, and sneezed again. Little black marks that looked like bird tracks appeared beneath my lower lids.

Mambo music on the Razorphone again. My son calls from Texas to say he's done well this semester at college. Yay!

I start over. I take makeup remover and remove the tracks, reapply the translucent powder, and begin again all over with the mascara. Curl the lashes. Make some more. I feel another sneeze coming on so I pull by eyelids all the way open so that the little tracks don't make their appearance again. I survived the sneeze with no black birdy tracks, so I proceed to do some more curling.

I'm shaking. I tell Lynn, "I'm shaking so much I can't do my make up!"
Her calm voice reminds me that all will be well. Just hurry up and get ready.

I apply the powder blush, cinnamon peach. I put too much on one cheek. It made me look like one side of me was taller than the other, so I grab a kleenex and smudge some off, and dab a little more translucent powder on it.

I puffled and fluffed my hair a little, and clipped it back with a tortouise-shell- colored clamp. Then I put on my suit, and started to refluff the coif. It was just then that I noticed that one of my nails had chipped, so I reached for the Sally Hansen #230, Hot Cocoa, for a quick repair.

And then we hopped into the car, and Lynn navigated while I tried not to run over any pedestrians. I also was voted by the California Welcome Centers as the tourist driver most likely to be honked at.

Mambo music emanates from my cell. It was Kelli calling to organize the fan perspectives. Can she move me back to 11:00? By this time, I wanted to chicken out all together.

We arrived at the Penthouse Suite and were greeted by the lovely Kelli, a sweet young lady who helped to prep me for my interview. And there were several other folks there who were very nice, but I was so nervous, I forgot their names. I was offered a Diet Coke before my interview, but wished it had been a triple margarita on the rocks with salt on the rim and stability in the stem. No such luck.

I was shaking again.

Lynn spoke some words of encouragement, and I was able to keep my knees from knocking together.

I was introduced to Tim, the fan perspectives director, and we all walked upstairs. O.K. They walked upstairs, and I leaned against the mirrored walls while putting one foot on a step and then another foot on the step above that one.....until I feel like I had crawled up to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan, but instead ...the entire crew for the shoot was atop the roof of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

Lynn was able to stay and watch my interview, and luckily I was able to see her and her "thumbs up" signs of encouragement. Tim, the director, gave me hints about questions I might like to answer. All I could think of was "the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true" and then a crew member wanted to put a mike on me, and I asked him if he had a medical degree to be able to do that.

When he slipped the cord up the back of my jacket, I said " Oooh, that feels pretty good." The crew guys laughed, but I was still shaking inside.

A man walked up to me and told me where my mark was, and I was supposed to stand there without moving or shaking. Uh-huh. They let me sit my Diet Coke down on the rooftop close to my mark. I was already drying up. Then I was so nervous, I did my impression of Katherine Hepburn or Doris Day or somebody singing "Que Sera, Sera."

Then Tim presented ideas about my interests in classic film, and I tried to speak something that made sense. I was not ready for my closeup, Mr. DeMille.

All of a sudden we were finished, and they all thanked me, and they all had been laughing. Lynn said everything went well. So one day interested viewers might see the finished product on Turner Classic Movies fan perspectives.

Then we went to the festival studio headquarters, and I saw HIM. Robert Osborne! Tah-Dah!

He was so nice to everyone.

Lynn was there to help introduce "The Magnificent Ambesons" with Robert Osborne, and she was so calm, cool, and collected. They both had a nice on-camera conversation about the film and I think, the festival.

I was still so nervous, so Lynn can probably fill in the gaps in my saga if she has a mind to. That is where I met two ladies from where I live in Texas, and none of us could believe we were all there together at the festival.

I also developed a crush on one of the crew members and struck up a very casual conversation, and informed him, by the way, that every hotel room comes with its own "Do Not Disturb" sign. Lynn, then pulled me away, and we went to Room 828 in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel to unpack. I wanted to collapse from all the nervous energy and adrenalin. And I did.

Our next move was lunch at the In and Out Burger with friends from TCM City and the Silver Screen Oasis. More later, O.K.?

San Jacinto Day

I found this lovely photo on the Houston Chronicle Website:

April 21, 2010, 1:00AM

Smiley N. Pool Chronicle

The San Jacinto Monument is seen through a porthole aboard the tugboat Wesley A on the Houston Ship Channel. 

Well, this is the first San Jacinto Day I have not spent in Texas in two decades. Even though I dont usually go to every reenactment day, I still have a deep affinity for one of the monuments to Texas courage and bravery. My uncle, Boyd Elmore, was a carpenter who helped to build the monument back in the 1930's. According to family history, he actually helped to work on the platform, the base for the star atop the huge obelisk, and other aspects of construction. So every time I cross the San Jacinto River Bridge on Interstate 10, I look at that monument and think about what a wonderful man he was and how he loved his wife, my Aunt Dee Dee, and my family.

Some of the carpenters who worked the massive construction project banded together to create a loose consortium of guild members from the carpenter's union and helped each other build homes on 1/2 acre lots in Cloverleaf, near the Cloverleaf Baptist Church, on the east side of Houston, and many of these well-constructed homes are still standing and in relatively good shape due to the hard-work and dedication of these men.

So now I am driving to Los Angeles today from a friend's home in Victorville, California, to pick up my friend Lynn at the airport so that we both can attend the first Turner Classic Movies Fan Convention at the Historic Hollywood Hotel. I can't wait.

I'm making my coffee, and dreaming about all the fun!

Christy'sTurner Classic Movie Festival Travel Blog

This native Houstonian and oil-field brat has decided to attend the first Turner Classic Movies Fan Convention in Los Angeles, California, at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Yes, I am a Baby Boomer.

Baby Boomer IQ Test:How can you be sure if someone is a Baby Boomer?

They must know at least seven dubious monikers that Endora,(on the television series Bewitched starring Elizabeth Montgomery) bestowed upon Darrin right before she turned him into a frog, or put a spell on him that made him tell the absolute truth.

Get Ready...YaggazzoozieYaggazzoozieYaggazzooziezam...1..2...3...Derwood, David, Delbert, Donald, Dustbin, Darwin, and my all-time fave--Dobbin! Tinkletinkletink!

You can also spot a traveling Baby Boomer because we often read a hard copy of something called a "folding map," the precursor of the British lady that talks to you when you are lost and driving around in your car. We BB's were given secrets to the sacred directions of North, South, East, and West at birth, or shortly thereafter when we were able to read at the ages of 3 and 4.

So why did I develop a fondness for classic film? I was a very shy child, and my mother enrolled me in a progressive kindergarten to teach me to socialize (i.e., "Quit being so quiet!") where I was put on a television show in Houston called Romper Room. There I became the biggest canned ham in red cowgirl boots, and was often enlisted to help with the commercials. I was a good "Do-Bee." I also met Dan Rather there before his Hurricane Carla broadcast from the Flagship hotel sent him packing to bigger and better broadcast television opportunities. He was nice. He smiled at us.

My mother then made a huge fuss about this, and baked a chocolate pie.
So it had to be cool, right?

When my Dad often had to work shift work late at night, sometimes I was allowed to stay up late and watch t.v. with my Mom. The first film I can remember seeing on television with her was Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison with Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr. I felt so icky when I had to think about what I would do if I only had raw fish to eat in a cave. EEyuck. But those people were pretty neat.

But my Mom saw how upset I was and baked a coconut pie.
So it had to be cool, right?

So I had to come to the TCM Fan Fest. I flew to CA last week, and I have been in the high desert for a few days visiting friends and enjoying nonstop sunshine and no refinery pollution.

While planning my wardrobe , checking and rechecking travel details,and squirreling away Diet Cokes and healthy snacks to keep me at a peak energy level for all the fun, I thought I might chronicle my experiences, especially if I go to Grauman's and steal John Wayne's footprints.

Do I wear my Vera Wang Dangly Earrings with my Chinese silk dress with the Mandarin collar to the Red Carpet Festivities or should I wear the pink pearl studs? Shall I don my new cowgirl boots and Wranglers for the screening of The Big Trail? Will I need my water wings and flip-flops at the Neptune's Daughter poolside bash with Esther Williams and Betty Garrett? Deep down, like Ava Gardner once said, I guess I'm pretty shallow.

I have definitely made a big fashion decision. I will carry a pink balloon so that everyone from here recognizes me from my avatar.

It's exciting. I will actually be able to view classic films in theaters where they were meant to be shown. No letterbox. No scrunched down credits at the end of a film where an ad for Viagra or a reminder to watch reruns of The Ghost Whisperer make it impossible to see who played the second lead.

According the the TCM website and schedule of events for the festival, which begins on Thursday, April 22, and runs through the evening pf April 25, Anjelica and Danny Huston will discuss the Huston dynasty as they introduce The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, John Huston's classic film starring Humphrey Bogart, Tim Holt, and Walter Huston. Popular TCM hosts Robert Osborne and Ben Mankiewicz will be on hand for the festivities, as well as The Essentials co-host, that laid back "wizard of cool," Alec Baldwin.

Tony Curtis will have some of his art for sale, as well as a book signing, and a couple of introductions to do. Remember him? Bernie Schwartz? "Come wit me to the castle of my fadduh?" Some Like It Hot will be one of the films he will introduce, and it is one of my favorites. He will also introduce Sweet Smell of Success.

Jerry Lewis was scheduled to attend and introduce The King of Comedy but he has canceled his appearance completely due to personal (health?) issues.

Luise Rainer, who is 100 years old, will attend a screening of Pearl Buck's masterpiece, The Good Earth. Rainer has won two oscars, one for The Good Earth, and another for The Great Ziegfeld. Rainer played Anna Held in The Great Ziegfeld and displayed her talents for singing, acting, and dancing in that film. A triple threat, just like Ginger Rogers. She was wonderful in both films.

What am I doing right this very minute? Being verrrrrry nervous. I can't wait to see some of my favorite classic films in a movie theater. Also, I especially want to attend a screening of Imitation of Life because Juanita Moore, a fantastic actress who began her film career in 1949 and has had a career spanning more than fifty years, will be at the festival, as well as Susan Kohner, who also had spectacular celluloid moments until she decided to relinquish her career so that she might be more devoted to her family. Both played moving roles in Imitation of Life, with Lana Turner.

Whom do I hope to meet? Robert Osborne, the host of Turner Classic Movies, and the main reason it's called "Classic" because he truly is. Good taste, informed comments, and the scuttlebutt is that is really is a nice guy!

More later!
Sincerely,
Christy
Christy's TCM Travel Blog

Some information from the festival website:
Special guests of the Festival

* Actor Jean-Paul Belmondo
* Editor and author Peter Biskind
* Film director and historian Peter Bogdanovich
* Film historian and author Donald Bogle
* Academy Award-winning actor Ernest Borgnine
* Actor, producer, director and writer Mel Brooks
* Producer and director Frank Capra III
* Noted filmmaker John Carpenter
* Author Cheryl Crane
* Actor Tony Curtis
* Producer and Director Stanley Donen
* Emmy-nominated actress Illeana Douglas
* Photographer, writer and editor Curtis Hanson
* Screenwriter and actor Buck Henry
* Actor, writer, director and producer Darryl Hickman
* Award-winning actress and director Anjelica Huston
* Award-winning actor Danny Huston
* Writer and editor David Kamp
* Editor and writer Sam Kashner
* Actor Martin Landau
* Actor, director and producer, Jerry Lewis
Due to unforeseen circumstances, we regretfully announce Jerry Lewis has cancelled his appearance.
* Actor, producer and director Norman Lloyd
* Film historian and author Leonard Maltin
* Actress Nancy Olson
* Actress Luise Rainer
* Director, producer and writer Richard Rush
* Academy Award-winning actress Eva Marie Saint
* Academy-Award winning visual effects artist Douglas Trumbull
* Academy Award-winning actor Jon Voight
* Actor Eli Wallach