It’s here. Today is the day. The 2016 TCMFF officially opens in just a few hours. But if you’re smart, or you’ve been here before, then you’ve already filled your day with a whole bunch of TCM/Classic Film related activities. After all, we are in Hollywood.
Today is the first day of the 2016 Tuner Classic Movies Film Festival (the TCMFF). The opening night gala feature presentation, All the President’s Men begins at 6:30pm. Happy festival attendees will soon be walking down the red carpet toward the massive double doors of the famous Hollywood Chinese Theatre. Other fans will be watching from the sidelines as notable stars walk side by side with the top tier pass holders to the sold-out presentation of an edge-of-your seat, real-life political thriller that will no doubt wow audiences tonight as much as it did when it was first released in 1976. And that’s just the beginning of what is bound to be four days of exceptional filmgoing regardless of your pass level.
This is my seventh year attending the TCMFF, and although the inaugural year will always hold a special place in my heart, every year possesses its own uniqueness. For one thing you have a ton of different movies to see, which tends to lead to a unique combination of special guests and surprise appearances. You just never know who’s going to come down that red carpet or show up at a screening. And I really enjoy that excitement. I am just a blogger for a fan-based website, so I land a spot pretty far down the line. Many stars eat up too much off their on carpet time long before they get to me, so they rush passed me as they hurry to their seats. Others, get pulled away after talking to the heavy hitters (KTLA, LA Times, CNN, etc) for on site interviews with the on-air TCM hosts, Ben
Mankiewicz or Robert Osborne), or shepherded down to the bandstand of fans waiting just beyond the courtyard to all the sets of hands and feet, never to be seen on the red carpet again. Such is the reporting life of an independent blogger.
However, there are those rare moments when the many hours waiting all dressed up in the hot afternoon sun pays off. I’ve spoken to Norman Lloyd, Robert Wagner, Ben Mankiewicz, Ann Rutherford, Ernest Borgnine, Leonard Maltin, Eva Marie Saint, and so many others who were gracious enough to spend a few minutes with me. I hope I’m not sounding too plebeian, but I really am grateful for those who stop. You can tell they are the ones who truly love the fans. They are the ones who had to do this when they were just starting out, and have never forgotten the people who love them. Thank goodness for those memories.
I have to run to check in at the carpet now. But I’ll be back later. And when I am I’ll have a whole bunch of great pictures to share. And maybe a few more stories about gracious stars.