Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will kick off the 10th annual TCM Classic Film Festival on Thursday, April 11th with a 30th anniversary screening of the seminal romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally… Beloved stars Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan and acclaimed director/producer Rob Reiner will be in attendance for the launch of the yearly, which this year is appropriately themed, "Love at the movies". The 2019 TCM Classic Film Festival, held in the heart of Hollywood April 11th-14th, marks the 10th annual celebration of classic films on the big screens of the TLC Chinese Theater. Another anniversary, held on closing night, will be for the TCM network's 25th anniversary. I can't wait! In this iconic Romantic Comediy, director Rob Reiner (This Is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride) ask the simple question: "can men and women really be friends?" Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan play the title characters who eventually answer the question after twelve years of chance encounters. The critically acclaimed film was an instant hit, earning screenwriter, Nora Ephron’s original screenplay an Oscar® nomination and garnered Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, and director, Rob Reiner Golden Globe® nominations.
“There are romantic comedies - and then there’s When Harry Met Sally…” said Ben Mankiewicz, TCM primetime anchor and official host of the TCM Classic Film Festival. He went on to say, “The chemistry between Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan makes them part of a legacy that includes the greats of classic movies: Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn; Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell; and Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine. And Rob Reiner, utilizing Nora Ephron’s word-perfect screenplay, follows in the rarefied air of the filmmaking giants who made those earlier pictures."
I for one, will be anxiously awaiting this fabulous reunion. I'm unlikely to make the list of those who will be in attendance at the opening night, April 11th. But I'll sure be vying for a good spot along Hollywood Boulevard outside the famous theater. I usually get close enough to practically touch the luminaries walking the red carpet. Of course, I don't actually touch them, but the nearness to the glamor is quite intoxicating. And while watching film the next three days, I'll be floating on that feeling all weekend long.