4/14/09

If I were a TCM guest (fan) programmer...

Jealous. That's how I feel every time I see a TCM guest programmer introducing his or her favorite movies. And while it's bad enough that TCM has guest programmers that aren't me, now they have fan programmers that aren't me either. How fun would that be, chatting about some lovely film with movie know-it-all (in a good way) Robert Osborne?

Stacia at She Blogged by Night has an interview with one of the chosen fan programmers explaining what the experience was like. She was asked to pick 10 films that meant something to her for TCM to narrow down.

What would my picks be?

The Maltese Falcon - A favorite. I especially love watching Sam's little laughs at Brigid's lies and his interactions with the fat man.

The Third Man - Another favorite. Besides the classic ferris wheel scene, there's also the great buildup to the reveal of Orson Welles' character. And you just have to sympathize with Holly Martins and his situation: "That sounds like a cheap novelette." "Well, I write cheap novelettes."

The Philadelphia Story - For the dialogue and characters.

The Muppet Movie - Because Kermit was too modest to mention it when he was a TCM guest programmer. This is also a movie I remember fondly from my childhood, when I used to watch it on our RCA SelectaVision VideoDisc Player (I can still hum the opening music it had before every movie, and I often remember from the movies we owned the scene when we had to flip to the other side of the disc). I also love seeing all the guest stars, particularly Mel Brooks, Steve Martin, and Edgar Bergen with Charlie McCarthy. How can you not love a movie about friendship and dreams? "Life's like a movie, write your own ending, keep believing, keep pretending..."

Father of the Bride - Spencer Tracy reminds me of my dad, who got me into classic movies in the first place. When I got married, he quoted some lines from this movie that made me cry.

The Hustler - Incredible performances. (And I could also talk semi-intelligently about the novel.)

The Long Hot Summer - More Newman, which is always nice, and a great look at all different kinds of relationships. Particularly interesting is the pressure on Clara to find a husband to satisfy both her heart and head.

Holiday - One of my Overlooked Oldies, which fits right in with the idea of TCM introducing people to classics they should know.

It's Always Fair Weather - I grew up on musicals, and this is a unique one that I think deserves some more attention.

The Major and the Minor - If I could only pick one film to talk about on TCM, it might very well be this one. It's the first movie I brought up in my Overlooked Oldies for a reason. Not only do I find the whole thing charming, but I also think it's significant as Billy Wilder's debut as a Hollywood director. Imagine if it hadn't gone well, what other movies we might be missing out on -- The Apartment, Some Like it Hot, Sunset Blvd. I find it incredible that he was able to write so well in what was not his first language. He manages to satirize and make fun of people while still getting you to sympathize and care for them. Pretty amazing.

What film(s) would you pick if you had the chance to go on TCM? An all-time favorite, even if it was well-known? A lesser-known movie with a lot of personal meaning? A really obscure gem to show off your film knowledge and try and one-up Mr. O? Share your thoughts, maybe TCM is listening for next time...

(And by the way, happy 15th anniversary, TCM.)

8 comments:

Unknown said...

I am so relieved to see someone else is jealous of the fan programmers! I felt so stupid when I got Now Playing last month and starting some intense green-eyed glaring at the group of fan programmers on the back cover! Why not me??

I'm actually not sure which TEN I'd pick, but I know which ONE I'd pick-- Sullivans Travels.

Wendymoon said...

Oh, you're definitely not alone!

What makes you pick Sullivan's Travels? The first time I saw it I was not liking Joel McCrea. But he grew on me. :-)

Nicole Newcomb said...

Narrowing it down just to ten, geez that would be hard but I'll try. I would definitely pick four daughters, the lady eve, midnight, the Manchurian candidate, notorious, the lady vanishes, holiday, Singin in the Rain, for me and my gal, and the enchanted cottage. I know that there would be others that I would choose but those pretty much sum up the ones I could watch over and over again.

Wendymoon said...

Nicole, I would definitely watch your guest programmer evening.

I just realized I left out An American in Paris! Oops!

Caitlin said...

I'm sure I'll hit send and immediately think of ten other movies I shouldn't have left out, but off the top of my head my list would include All About Eve, Penny Serenade, Nosferatu, Bringing Up Baby, The Petrified Forest, Notorious, Top Hat, It Happened One Night, 42nd Street, and 12 Angry Men.

Unknown said...

Nice touch with 'The Major and the Minor!

If I were guesting, I think one of my rules would be "isn't on DVD right now." Where I go from there, dunno!

Mykal Banta said...

Girl: I have just become aware of your blog through Kate at Silents and Talkies. Very nice. If you have the time, check out my blog. Trade links? -- Mykal

ps: the security word verification come up and, believe it or not, my letters to enter is the word "sucks". This might not be my day.

simoncolumb said...

I just watched 'The Philadelphia Story' for the first time and loved it. As a bit of a Hitchcock fan, the whole idea of James Stewart and Cary Grant together was something that seemed so impressive - to the point that at the start, i always thought the secenes the two shared must have been spliced together. Shows my [young] age ("thats not possible, it must be CGI"). I only just wrote a review of it myself and would love to hear what you think! I'm new to this blogging thing (thus, I cannot apply to be a LAMB just yet... three months at least ...) and, from reading one of your posts, I think i shall try to find a film-quote to start each review.

AddThis Feed Button