If you live in the LA area and you’re a fan of TCM, and classic films in general, then you need to check out the TCM Classic Movie Fan Club on Meet Up. Thanks to these guys you’ll never have to sit alone in a darkened theater again.
Meet Up is an increasingly popular social network that provides people of similar interests a forum for “meeting up” and experiencing activities based on those interests. Recently my brother-in-law tipped me off to the existence of a group on the site called the TCM Classic Movie Fan Club. I was very impressed with the amount of activities the organizer (Jono "WineBear") has managed to ferret out in the general LA area and just had to spread the word. Basically, if you’re looking to find a classic film event in So. Cal., use the image above as a link to join the group and look no further. There are so many classic film related activities listed here in one handy location, with the added bonus of meeting others with the same passion for classic cinema, I can’t imagine you’ll need to look anywhere else for a season full of movie-going pleasures.
Here’s a taste of what you can expect from the TCM Classic Movie Fan Club (note - the group wants it to be known that they are not associated with the actual cable network). Just last week they had a meet up at the opening night of NOIR CITY, the14th Annual Film Noir Festival at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. And just on Saturday, the 28th, those interested gathered at the the Alex Theater in Glendale for a screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds with the movie's star, Tippi Hedren alive and in person.
I joined a little too late to take advantage of these events, but I am very excited about the up coming opportunities to meet other people like me who enjoy seeing the classic films of yesteryear on the big screen (the way they were meant to be seen). Such as a rare 35mm presentation of Universal's 1944 Cobra Woman starring Maria Montez at the Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum in Westwood. And another event on the group’s schedule, the presentation of a Humphrey Bogart double feature, Knock on Any Door and In a Lonely Place at the historic Million Dollar Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. Then there’s the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre 85th Anniversary Historical Tour, and the screening of Paper Moon to be introduced by director, Peter Bogdanovich.
I guess it’s the movie geek in me, but I just get so excited knowing there are others out there who are as passionate about classic cinema as I am. And now I know an easy, convenient, low pressure way of meeting them. Bless you TCM Classic Movie Fan Club! I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.