Ask Chris’s Picks For The TCM Classic Film Festival

Starting on Thursday, Hollywood Boulevard will be overrun with vintage movie lovers from around the world for the TCM Classic Film Festival. The cable network has more than 75 screenings packed into four days at movie palaces including the Chinese, El Capitan, Egyptian and Cinerama Dome. Robert Osborne and other hosts from the channel introduce each screening, and the settings are always spectacular. The poolside screenings at the Roosevelt Hotel are particularly magical. The glowing blue water, tropical plants, and midcentury ambience are absolutely perfect for an opening night screening of South Pacific with stars Mitzi Gaynor and France Nuyen. More than fifty years after this movie was released, Gaynor is still a ball of fire and the promise of her saucy stories at the water’s edge is reason enough to rank this fest among the best movie experiences Los Angeles has ever offered. Cinerama! 3D! Wide screen! I look forward to it all year. Single tickets are available at the box office, but a festival pass offers an all-you-can-eat ticket to classic movie nirvana. Take a look at my picks and then click here for the schedule.  

Thursday, April 25

South Pacific

Mitzi Gaynor and France Nuyen in person

Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

Friday, April 26

The Swimmer

Alison Anders and Marge Champion in person

Chinese 6

On The Waterfront

Eva Marie Saint in person

Chinese

The Twelve Chairs

Mel Brooks in person

Chinese 6

Plan 9 From Outer Space

Dana Gould in person

Chinese 6

Saturday, April 27

Handprint ceremony

Jane Fonda in person

Chinese

Deliverance

Burt Reynolds and Jon Voight in person

Chinese 6

Club TCM conversations

Tippi Hedren and Max Von Sydow in person

Roosevelt Hotel

Mildred Pierce

Ann Blyth in person

Egyptian

What’s the Score?

Alex Trebek in person

Roosevelt Hotel

Airplane!

Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker, and Robert Hays in person

Chinese

On Golden Pond

Jane Fonda in person

Egyptian

Sunday, April 28

Cinerama Holiday

Beatrice Troller and Betty (Marsh) York in person

Cinerama Dome

It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World

50^th anniversary screening

Mickey Rooney, Carl Reiner, Marvin Kaplan, and Barrie Chase in person

Cinerama Dome

Dial M For Murder

In 3-D with Norman Lloyd in person

Chinese 6

Photograph Courtesy Turner Classic Movies