#robert anderson clift

[claireneto]

"That's been my family's attitude for a generation. Monty [sic] sexuality got framed as a destructive force in his life instead of a mere fact of it. And as far as anybody could tell, that happened on my father's watch, he had worked with Patty Bosworth and urged everyone else to do the same". 

Robert Clift on his uncle, Montgomery Clift's sexuality in Making Montgomery Clift (2018)

Just a reminder that it's Bisexual Visibility Day 💖💜💙 and I hope all my bi mutuals are having a great day!!! I wanted to touch on how media uses biphobia and bi-erasure for monetary gain. I'll briefly mention some BIPOC examples as well, but since I'm very white I won't go into detail since it's not my place to. If you're BIPOC reblog or comment so I can boost your stories about bisexual BIPOC experiences. Now onto this shortish essay, I promise!!!

So, the quote above is taken from the documentary Making Montgomery Clift (2018) by Robert Clift and Hillary Demmon (Robert's Wife). Robert is Monty's nephew through his older brother Brooks. This documentary is a great lens to look at how Hollywood and various other media portray sexuality or gender identity as an illness or the "root" of the problem.

The quote starts at minute 43:00 in the documentary, Robert is explaining how his father Brooks on a phone call with Patty Bosworth, Monty Clift's biographer and family friend, went wrong. Brooks tried to clear his brother's name of how his substance abuse addictions were not caused by his sexuality, but by the infamous car accident or the painful surgeries he went through as a child and young adult.

Brooks was trying to make Patty understand that Monty's bisexuality wasn't the "root" of his problem. As Robert says in the quote Brooks "urged" family members to get the record right since biographers just like Robert LaGuardia, who ignored editorial notes or the advice from the Clift family.

Patty Bosworth would end up doing the same thing with Monty's "tormented" sexuality and that was the "cause" of his problems. Despite Brooks trying to help re-edit some of Patty's word choices, i.e., when Monty was got having sex with a young man. Patty said it was a young "boy", which enraged Brooks, who knew his brother wasn't a p*dophile because of his bisexuality.

Because Patty ignored Brook's advice, Monty's reputation was tarnished after his death (Bosworth made her book years after Monty died). Brooks even noted to his family that despite the car accident that Monty was in, Monty on record believed his best performances were post-car accident despite the ongoing substance abuse. It had nothing to do with his sexuality.

When Monty died it was discovered that he had an underactive thyroid, which meant he could appear sluggish or drugged even though he was sober at the moment. This illness could've made people believe Monty was not mentally there on set that day when he was actually mentally there. Montgomery Clift's story is a reminder to treat people with respect flaws and all when comes to their bisexuality or gender identity. Monty was also comfortable in his sexuality which was such a rare exception for Hollywood at the time (see Lavender Scare) and he paved the way for more queer actors to have prominence in the entertainment industry.

Despite Monty's story, he is not the only one that has had a reputation tarnished or has an important detail in their life misconstrued. The list of previous people, who's lives has been littered with bi-erasure/biphobia include Anna May Wong, Billy Holiday, Sammy Davis Jr., Cary Grant, and David Bowie.

Since the new century, other people have been erased from the bisexual umbrella or had biphobic remarks made toward them. Some of these people are Lady Gaga, Megan Thee Stallion, Evan Rachel Wood, Alia Shawkat, Frank Ocean, Leslie Cheung, etc. This gross habit made by the media and Hollywood has caused these people to deal with these false narratives about them and have their lives tarnished.

In conclusion, we need to stop people from exploiting one's bisexuality or sexuality/gender expression for monetary gain. Listen to bisexual people about their personal experiences especially if they're a person of color. Bisexuality just like homosexuality is not a disease. Be proud of yourself and how far you've come. Similar to what Magneto said in X-Men 2: United, be yourself and "never let anyone tell you different".

(Note: if there are any errors that you notice feel free to correct me. You can also watch the documentary Making Montgomery Clift on Tubi for free.)

[1day1movie]

Making Montgomery Clift (2018) Robert Anderson Clift, Hillary Demmon.

[countesspetofi]

I'd like to start Pride Month out with a recommendation for a documentary I saw recently. Montgomery Clift was a top movie star in the Golden Age of Hollywood, known for his sensitivity and vulnerability in an age when leading men were expected to be macho and stoic, and his off-the-charts chemistry with leading ladies like IRL best friend Elizabeth Taylor.

Since his untimely death at the age of 45, Clift has attained the status of queer icon. Biographers and the popular press have painted a picture of him as a tragic, St. Sebastian-like figure: stunted by an unconventional upbringing and an obsessive mother, tormented by life in the Hollywood closet, and broken by substance abuse and the 1956 car accident that scarred and partially paralyzed his famously beautiful face.

Monty's nephew, filmmaker Robert Clift, turns that image on its ear in his 2018 documentary Making Montgomery Clift. Robert's father, Brooks Clift, kept extensive journals, meticulously saved his correspondence, and even recorded and saved his phone calls. Robert dug into his father's archives and learned how Monty's official biographers had intentionally ignored Brooks's input and overlooked key information in service of the sad narrative they wished to create.

As a huge fan of Montgomery Clift, it made me so happy to learn that his life was not the all-consuming tragedy it's often made out to have been. While he did have his share of real problems, his life was more than that. He had loving relationships. He stayed connected with friends and family. He found fulfillment in his work, and he had hopes for the future. Hearing a recording of Monty's voice enthusing to his brother over his latest film project gave me such a warm feeling.

I highly recommend Making Montgomery Clift. It's currently streaming for free on several services, including Tubi, PLEX, and Crackle.

[thestageyshelf]

SOLD 🎭 Mamma Mia @ Novello  Theatre 2013 (#98)

Title: Mamma Mia

Venue: Novello  Theatre

Year: 2013

with programme slip for Jennifer Caldwell, Steph Parry and Richard Taylor Woods

Condition: Good condition

Author: Music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, and some songs with Stig Anderson. Book by Catherine Johnson

Director: Phyllida Lloyd

Choreographer: Anthony Van Laast

Cast: Emma Crossley, Jessica Daley, Stephanie Clift, Kim Ismay, Jane Milligan, Dianne Pilkington, Oliver Tilney, Dickie Wood, Dan Krikler, Neil Roberts, James Gaddas, Richard Trinder, Matthew Cutts, Claire Poyzer, Ben Astle, Dawn Buckland, Jennifer Caldwell, Adam Clayton-Smith, Emily Dunn, Ewan Gillies, Dominic James, Lizzie Jay-Hughes, Stephen McGlynn, Nikkie Mae, Billy Mitchell, Katy Osborne, Steph Parry, Heather Scott-Martin, Helen Siveter, Dominic Smith, Joshua Steel, Kayleigh Stephenson, Richard Taylor Woods

FIND ON EBAY HERE

[astrognossienne]

the star analyses...so far

the actors

ira aldridge

eddie “rochester” anderson

fatty arbuckle

humphrey bogart

marlon brando

charlie chaplin

montgomery clift

gary cooper  

sammy davis, jr.

james dean

errol flynn  

clark gable

cary grant

william haines 

juano hernández

rock hudson

rex ingram

canada lee

harold lloyd

robert mitchum  

tom neal

ramón novarro

laurence olivier

gregory peck

lincoln perry

sidney poitier

anthony quinn 

paul robeson

frank sinatra 

rudolph valentino

john wayne

orson welles

the actresses

lauren bacall

josephine baker

theda bara

brigitte bardot

ingrid bergman  

clara bow

louise brooks

diahann carroll

joan crawford

dorothy dandridge

bette davis

doris day

dolores del río

marlene dietrich

peg entwistle

maría félix

greta garbo

ava gardner

lillian gish 

gloria grahame

jean harlow

susan hayward  

rita hayworth

audrey hepburn 

lena horne

grace kelly

eartha kitt

veronica lake

hedy lamarr

carole landis

vivien leigh

carole lombard

jayne mansfield

hattie mcdaniel

marilyn monroe

mabel normand

merle oberon

barbara payton  

gail russell

norma shearer

barbara stanwyck

olive thomas  

gene tierney

lupe vélez

fredi washington

natalie wood 

loretta young     

the couples

annabella + tyrone power

bogie + bacall

frank + ava

frida kahlo + diego rivera  

gable + lombard 

john + yoko

oj + nicole brown simpson

viv + larry

the rivalries

bette davis vs. joan crawford

inspirations + muses

joyce bryant

gia carangi

coco chanel  

beloved public figures

jacqueline kennedy onassis

john f. kennedy  

princess diana

the notable + infamous

david bacon

susan cabot

shauna grant

dorothy hale

hugh hefner

athalia pondsell lindsley

donyale luna

anjette lyles

marquis de sade

niccolo machiavelli

evelyn mchale

evelyn nesbit

adam clayton powell, jr.

philippa schuyler   

literary figures

jack kerouac

musicians + artists

louis armstrong

syd barrett

maria callas

katherine dunham

duke ellington

ella fitzgerald

marvin gaye

jimi hendrix

billie holiday

whitney houston

frida kahlo

john lennon

keith moon

edith piaf  

hazel scott

selena

tupac shakur

tammi terrell 

yoko ono 

special analyses

cancer men and suicide

[classicmollywood]

100 Years of Montgomery Clift - Part One

Think of the name Montgomery Clift. I bet what pops into your head is probably something scandalous. Scandal sells right? Which is why the tabloids and biographers of Clift have painted him as quite a few different shocking descriptors. Let’s go over the most common ones, shall we? We have: tragic gay man, Elizabeth Taylor’s sometime lover and possible baby daddy (yup I have heard this one), suicidal, too close to his mother (which apparently made him gay), suicidal, self loathing, miserable man, self destructive due to accident that ‘took away his beauty’, a beautiful loser, troubled, and those are just some of the ways Clift has been described. And I won’t lie, I used to believe some of those descriptors because I didn’t know better. However, I did want to believe otherwise because on screen Clift radiated coolness, confidence, joy, sadness, sympathy, disdain (he did play some questionable characters), and sexiness. I always felt like the man you saw on the screen wasn’t 100% the man that the tabloids reported on, and I was right. 

My awakening on WHO Montgomery Clift really was happened a couple of days ago when I watched Making Montgomery Clift (2018, Dirs. Robert Anderson Clift and Hillary Demmon). I had always liked the movies Clift was in and always thought he was such an underrated actor, but this documentary sealed my belief that Clift is WAY more than his portrayal by the media. He was (get ready to gasp) human! He had more emotions than despair and sadness. He apparently was the biggest goofball there ever was and when he loved people, he truly loved them with his all. He didn’t hide his sexuality, but accepted himself. More importantly, he was highly professionally and truly cared about his craft. 

As the last scene flashed on the screen, we see Clift’s nephew, Robert Anderson Clift, visiting his grave which sits next to his brother’s (and Robert’s father) Brooks Clift, I made a realization. Clift was born October 17th, 1920 - which meant he would be turning 100 years old this year. I know he only lived to be 45, but I wonder how incredible he would feel knowing how much people care about him even 100 years after he was born? And this wondering gave me an idea - to spotlight Clift on what would have been his 100th year of life and to celebrate him and his films. 

Clift wasn’t a perfect man. He drank a lot and was hooked on pills. He was a workaholic who would tear into his scripts and change lines and sometimes try to direct more than his directors (which isn’t fully a flaw). He had imperfections because he was a person. A person who was way more than his supposed miseries. I want to highlight Clift this year because I want his work to be recognized again. He was a four time Oscar nominee who I feel is more remembered for the scandals surrounding his name than his work and I want to change that. 

This year I will take you all on a journey of his films and perhaps even glimpses into his life that prove he was more than just a “beautiful loser”. 

Welcome to the year of Montgomery Clift! 

[thefilmstage]

Celebrating its 30th edition, NewFest is NYC's premier LGBT film festival. Each year, NewFest presents some of the buzziest titles from all over the world, but it also plays home to brand-new fiction films and documentaries that you can’t see anywhere else.International titles with strong acclaim are some of the best films in this year’s slate, many making their NYC debuts: the Kenyan lesbian love story Rafiki, which premiered at Cannes, is the festival’s International Centerpiece; Mario from the Locarno Film Festival; and Hard Paint from the Berlin Film Festival. Yen Tan's critically acclaimed AIDS drama 1985 starring Cory Michael Smith will open the festival, followed by Joel Edgerton’s Boy Erased as the U.S. Centerpiece. NewFest closes out with Making Montgomery Clift, directed by the actor’s nephew Robert Anderson Clift and Hillary Demmon.

We look at 10 highlights from this year’s lineup.

[thecomedybureau]

The end of this generation’s Marvel Cinematic Universe saga is coming soon as the release of Avengers: Endgame is set for the end of this month. It should stand to reason that a massive movie franchise bookend deserves a massive themed-improv comedy show to accompany it, no?

Well, that’s what’s going to happen come next Friday as they will have 77 major Marvel characters that would be featured in Endgame all in one show, doing an improvised monoscene. They did this last year with Infinity War and 76 of the Marvel characters (Captain Marvel had not be introduced yet) and it should be a rollicking, mad, hysterical midnight good time (probably even if you don’t know or care about Marvel).

So go get your tickets here before they sell out.

By the way, this is their line-up right now: Hosted by Walt Disney (Joey Clift) and Kevin Feige (Mark David Christenson) Featuring: Joan Ford Haley Mancini Leroy Patterson Lesley Tsina Daniel Weiss Ryan Hitchcock Annabel Seymour Joey Clift Marian Yesufu Samantha Jane Eileen Mary O'Connell Miles Roberts Trevor Reece Katelyn Hempstead Eve Esquire Eric Chad Ho Gabe Fabricant Rob Gentile Royce Shockley Katy Dolle Casey Lawrence Max Singer Lawrence Marshalian July Diaz Bobby Ramos Matt Harbert Matt Mazany Frankie Griffen Mark David Christenson Erik Wargo Sara Clarke-Chan Ezra Parter Robert Vestal Sheldon Price Patrick Fisackerly Tyler Davidson Leigh Lahav J. Elijah Cho Satya Vanii Coop Foster Mike Hughes Seth Finkelstein Adam Winney Rachael Doverspike Tim McGorry Sonny Dominguez Jessica Rogers Emily Champlin Benny Wayne Sully Barton A. Lewis Ryan Cohen Jesse Arlen Klein Raina Deerwater Elizabeth Mcirvin Robin Lynn Scott Anderson Erin Smith Alex Blomme Eric Laney Benjamin Crutcher Maggie Clancy Zach Olsen Ben Kaplan Ali Kinkade Jeanne Lau Jennifer Dezell Ian Zandi Brian Rubinow Catherine Durickas Blake Wilding Matt Manser Elisa N. Ellis Charlie Fay Winston Carter Alexa Wise Keith Saltojanes Joseph Porter Ashleigh Shapiro Travis Reaves Sean Smith Joseph Sette Nick Gligor Lauren Scharf Rosa Pasquarella Jules Forde Brian Palatucci Danny Amaral Nicholas Coluzzi

[tsgmemphistennessee]

Be Inspired By Our Scouted Artists

Written by Haley Clift, Photos As Seen In Volume 6 of The Scout Guide Memphis & Oxford 

A fresh piece of art can revive, transform, and captivate any space. Whether the piece you choose is big or small, we’ve rounded up 6 Scouted artists who will ensure your home will be a place for inspiration and enjoyment. 

1. Bradley Gordon 

Bradley, originally from Clarksdale, MS, is a true Delta Mississippi man. He began his painting career in 2010 and gains inspiration from the land that makes his home so unique. With his work, he tends to lean toward bright colors and animals of the South, but his latest series features late Mississippi Bluesmen. Be sure to check out and follow his latest work on Instagram HERE. 

2. Erika Roberts

Lawyer-turned-artist, Erika Roberts, is a beautiful painter who loves the more abstract pastels, floral pieces, and tends to show off the South frequently her work. She doesn’t only stop with her beautiful paintings, however. Erika also creates and sells small gifts which are perfect for any occasion! Learn more on her Instagram HERE.

3. Megan Hurdle

Local Memphian Megan Hurdle fell in love with art at an early age, and she has been creating ever since. With each work, Megan incorporates beautiful colors, textures, and designs which are unique and absolutely make a statement. To follow along with Megan’s latest pieces and series, check out her website HERE. 

4. Lee Anderson

Lee Anderson is a fun, radiant artist who has a creative eye and knows how to work with color. With a feminine aspect that matches any home, the art she creates has soul. Undoubtedly, the bright and bold designs will liven the walls of your space. Though she is now residing in D.C., reach out to her via Instagram HERE! 

5. Hayden G. Hall

Born and raised in Clarksdale, Mississippi, Hayden G. Hall follows his passion as a full-time artist, though he originally began in a career as a trained chef and restaurateur. Hayden incorporates aspects of the Mississippi Delta into his works from his childhood memories. Hayden’s studio is right outside of Clarksdale in the Mississippi Delta, and his pieces can be found in homes throughout Memphis, the Delta, and beyond. Inquire about custom commission work on Hayden’s website HERE.

6. Katie Toombs

Katie Toombs is a versatile artist who creates fabulous paintings, prints, and notecards which she sells from her very own website and out of several stores in Memphis, Birmingham, and Nashville. Katie’s artwork consists of delicate hues and pastels, and many pieces feature beautiful landscape scenes. If you are interested in learning more about Katie Toombs’s work, or if you would like to sign up for one of her workshops, visit her website HERE!  

Whether you’re looking to revitalize a space, or you simply want to incorporate more art into your home, these fabulous Scouted artists can manifest your vision, all while embracing the truest sense of #livelovelocal. 

Artist Recap & Websites Linked (all additional artist information is posted above on the As Seen Ins):

1. Bradley Gordon 

2. Erika Roberts 

3. Megan Hurdle

4. Lee Anderson

5. Hayden G. Hall

6. Katie Toombs 

...Don’t forget to tell them The Scout Guide sent you!

[filmsnobreviews]

Review: Making Montgomery Clift (Los Angeles Film Festival)

Review: Making Montgomery Clift (Los Angeles Film Festival)

Title: Making Montgomery Clift Rating: NR Director: Robert Anderson Clift, Hillary Demmon Starring: Robert Anderson Clift, Patricia Bosworth, Brooks Clift Runtime: 1hr 28min

(more…)

[earlorguk]

Sketches of Prominent Tennesseans – only 1 Cent – Just pay $8 P&H – USA Sales

Family Roots Publishing still has several cases of these books in stock, and want to blow them out. We’re making them just 1 cent thru Christmas, December 25, 2017 – or while supplies last, whichever comes first. USA buyers need just pay the $8 p&h.

Following is a review:

In his History of New Hampshire, historian Everett Schermerhorn Stackpole attempts to answer the question, “What makes a man prominent?” In his words:

“Whoever has helped notably in the great march of human progress deserves credit therefor in the popular estimation. Abilities, character and achievement make men prominent. Learning and money may be helpful, but they are not enough; without character they may the sooner sink one into oblivion.”

This seems to me as good as any definition. By whatever scale of prominence men have chosen to use, historians has provided us with tales, biographies, and accounts of men deemed important in their own right. Histories are written of events from those that changed the world to the deeds of men known only in their own communities. Either way, research can help uncover these men and their deeds. Family historians should take note that many of these histories contain vital genealogical data about not only individuals of prominence, but also their families, their acquaintances, and those with whom they interact, fixing these individual in time and place.

Sketches of Prominent Tennesseans, by William S. Speer, is a prime example of a selective history of men in Tennessee. By whatever right the Honorable William Speer though these men important, he has immortalized their names through the written word. First published in 1888, Speer selected 259 men from 19th century Tennessee for his historical record. “It is this kind of unique first-hand biographical information that makes Sketches of Prominent Tennesseans unequaled in the canon of Tennessee genealogical literature. Not only did compiler William S. Speer have the unparalleled opportunity to interview a number of the featured Tennesseans himself, he also was able to garner–and include in this book–thousands and thousands of names of their family members, friends, and colleagues.” Republished in 2008, this type of book is a treasure to both those interested in Tennessean history as well as to genealogists.

As would be hoped, these sketches include many details about the lives of these men and their families. Speer offers, often extraordinary, insight into the personal, professional, and sometimes even physical characteristics that made each of these men a success. A complete list of names, or even surnames, would be too lengthy to list here. However, below is a list of surnames of those men highlighted in this book.

  Pick up a copy of Sketches of Prominent Tennesseans from Family Roots Publishing; Regular Price: $45. Just 1 penny November 22 and 23 – Just pay the $8 P&H.

  Surnames featured in the book:

Anderson

Arrington

Atkins

Atlee

Baptist

Barrett

Bartlett

Bate

Baxter

Bearden

Bibb

Black

Blankenship

Boynton

Bradford

Briggs

Brockway

Brown

Buchanan

Buist

Burney

Burns

Burrus

Butler

Callender

Campbell

Chester

Childress

Clapp

Clift

Coldwell

Cole

Conner

Cooper

Cowan

Craft

Cullom

Dake

Dashiell

Deaderick

DeWitt

Dibrell

Dickens

Dodd

East

Elder

Elliott

Erskine

Estes

Evans

Eve

Ewing

Fain

Fentress

Ferriss

Fleming

Folsom

Foote

Foster

Frayser

Freeman

Frierson

Frizzell

Fulkerson

Gantt

Gaines

Gallaway

Gardenhire

Gaut

Gibson

Glass

Godwin

Golliday

Goodbar

Grant

Graves

Green

Greer

Hadden

Hall

Haller

Harding

Hardwick

Harrell

Harris

Harrison

Haynes

Heiskell

Henderson

Henning

Hill

Holman

Holmes

Houk

House

Howell

Hughes

Humes

Ingersoll

Jackson

Jones

Jordan

Keating

Kennedy

Key

Killebrew

King

Kyle

Larkin

Latta

Lea

Ledgerwood

Lidsley

Lipscomb

Livingston

Looney

Long

McAdoo

McBride

McConnell

McDowell

McFarland

McFerrin

McGuire

McMurray

McNeal

McTyeire

McWhirter

Maddin

Marchbanks

Marks

Martin

Mathes

Maruy

Meek

Menees

Mitchell

Morgan

Moore

Mumford

Muse

Neal

Neely

Neilson

Nelson

Netherland

Nichol

Nichols

Nicholson

Overton

Paine

Palmer

Patterson

Pettibone

Phillips

Pitman

Plunket

Porter

Quarles

Rambaut

Randolph

Reid

Richardson

Roberts

Robison

Rodgers

Rose

Safford

Sanford

Saunders

Scobey

Sears

Senter

Shearer

Sheppard

Shields

Simonton

Smith

Smitheal

Smithson

Staley

Stark

Stephens

Stewart

Stockell

Stokes

Tarver

Taylor

Temple

Thompson

Thomas

Thornburgh

Thornton

Thurman

Tinnon

Trewhitt

Trousdale

Turley

Turney

Ussery

Vance

Van Deman

Van Dyke

Vertrees

Wade

Ward

Warder

Watson

White

Whitthorne

Wilder

Williamson

Wilson

Wood

Woods

Wright

Young

via earlorguk http://ift.tt/2g5H1RX

[cinephiled-com]

New Post has been published on Cinephiled

New Post has been published on http://www.cinephiled.com/seven-surprising-discoveries-2017-tcm-classic-film-festival/

Seven (Surprising) Discoveries at the 2017 TCM Classic Film Festival

My eyes are still recovering from watching back-to-back movies from 9 am to midnight for days on end at the eighth annual TCM Classic Film Festival last week in Hollywood. But, eye strain aside, it is an exciting, joyous event for the thousands of classic movie lovers who come to town from all over the world for the festivities. I can’t even tell you how much I look forward to this four-day festival. Taking place in two historic 1920s movie palaces, Sid Grauman’s stunning Chinese and Egyptian theaters on Hollywood Boulevard, as well as the neighboring TCL Chinese Multiplex and a few presentations at the nearby Cinerama Dome, there are up to five concurrent presentations taking place in every time slot (totaling more than 100 films) over the course of the festival. Choosing what to see when there are so many great options is part of the agonizing fun.

I’ve attended every TCM Festival since it began in 2010 and this year’s was especially poignant following the death last month of the beloved TCM host and father figure Robert Osborne at the age of 84. Getting a chance to meet Osborne at the festival and hear him introduce films and interview the actors and filmmakers he knew so well was every bit as exciting as meeting our favorite stars. This year, the entire festival was dedicated to Robert Osborne and there were many tears at various remembrances. Also many laughs, as this year’s overall theme was comedy in the movies. Sadly, many of the people who attended the festival in years past are no longer with us. I have so many wonderful memories of hearing stars such as Debbie Reynolds, Tony Curtis, Maureen O’Hara, Luise Rainer, Mickey Rooney, Betty Garrett, Esther Williams, and so many others talk to us about their work. This year’s special guests included incredibly talented folks such as Carl and Rob Reiner (who became the first father and son to get their footprints immortalized in cement in the famous Grauman’s Chinese forecourt), Sidney Poitier, Genevieve Bujold, Michael Douglas, Peter Bognonavich, Lee Grant, Buck Henry, Keir Dullea, Richard Dreyfuss, Dick Cavett, Ruta Lee, and Mel Brooks. Taking up hosting duties in Robert Osborne’s absence were movie experts and TCM family members Ben Mankiewicz, Illeana Douglas, Cari Beauchamp, and Leonard Maltin, among others.

In addition to seeing great movies the way that should be seen and meeting some of the people who made them, one of the best parts of the festival is getting a chance to hang out with fellow movie lovers of all ages and from all walks of life. I have made many friendships at the festival which continue online throughout the year as we share notes and gab about our hopes for the next year’s offerings. The night before the festival, the online TCM group I am a part of gets together at the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel (site of the very first Academy Awards and the festival headquarters) and we often bring in a special guest. This year I interviewed the glamorous and talented Barbara Rush who regaled us for over an hour with stories of her amazing films and co-stars including Frank Sinatra, Rock Hudson, Paul Newman, Marlon Brando, James Mason, Montgomery Clift, Richard Burton, Kirk Douglas, and many others. Barbara, who turned 90 in January, was so full of energy she was still going strong hours later across the street at Musso & Frank’s, holding court with an adoring crowd over dinner and sharing poignant stories of her close longtime friendship with Robert Osborne. I also got the chance to spend some time at our gathering with Cora Sue Collins, renowned child star of the 1930s who was handpicked by Greta Garbo to play Garbo as a child in Queen Christina (1933) and also appeared with the great Swedish star in Anna Karenina (1935). As a young girl, Cora Sue acted in many other well-known films such as Treasure Island (1934) with Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper and  Evelyn Prentice (1934) in which she played the daughter of Myrna Loy and William Powell. She so enjoyed visiting with us two years ago that she came back to see us this year and had a mini-reunion with Barbara Rush (Cora Sue had appeared in the 1935 version of Magnificent Obsession with Irene Dunne and Robert Taylor while Barbara was in the 1954 Douglas Sirk version of the story with Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson).

Sitting in movies from early morning until midnight for several days in a row is a thrilling treat that requires stamina and an understanding family, but I wish I could do it all over again just to see some of the films I missed at this year’s festival. Films such as Jezebel (1938), Born Yesterday (1950), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1967), Broadcast News (1987), Laura (1944), Twentieth Century (1934), The China Syndrome (1979), The Last Picture Show (1971), David and Lisa (1962), The Great Dictator (1940), Bye Bye Birdie (1963), Theodora Goes Wild (1936), King of Hearts (1966), Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Postcards from the Edge (1990), Casablanca (1942), and so many others. Oh, the pain! And yet I don’t regret ANY of my choices, from the films I’ve seen dozens of time to the new discoveries. Despite being a classic movie fanatic, there are some surprising holes in my movie repertoire — I can’t tell you how many times I heard my TCM friends exclaim, “You’ve NEVER seen The Awful Truth or The Palm Beach Story? What the hell is wrong with you?!” I can’t explain why I’ve missed some of the classics, especially when I’ve seen so many other films such as The Philadelphia Story, Meet Me in St. Louis, and All About Eve at least 50 times each. Here’s a rundown of seven films I saw at the festival this year for very first time (in alphabetical order so I don’t play favorites):

1. The Awful Truth (Columbia, 1937). Such utter joy with Cary Grant, Irene Dunne, and Ralph Bellamy at their screwball best. Leo McCarey won his first of three Oscars for this film (although he personally felt that he deserved it more for his drama that came out earlier that year, Make Way for Tomorrow, that screened at the 2014 festival). I have no idea how I missed The Awful Truth all these years but seeing it with a big audience on a huge screen was a great introduction and we all laughed ourselves silly at the story of Jerry and Lucy Warriner — a loving couple that splits up early in the film and then keep sabotaging each other’s relationships before their final divorce kicks in. Grant was reportedly very unhappy with McCarey’s directing style during this film, which included a fair amount of improvisation (rare for the 1930s), and tried to get off the film. Thank goodness he didn’t succeed since his performance set the stage for many of his best comedies to come including three more films (The Philadelphia Story, His Girl Friday, and My Favorite Wife) that featured divorced couples who rediscover each other and fall back in love. The best screwball comedies always include a bunch of perfectly played smaller roles and here I’d like to call out Egyptian actor Alexander D’Arcy as Irene Dunne’s questionable companion, Armand Duvalle, and Joyce Compton as Cary Grant’s showgirl squeeze, Dixie Belle Lee. My favorite part of The Awful Truth may be when Irene Dunne crashes a party at the home of Grant’s new fiancée, heiress Barbara Vance, and poses as his gum-chewing sister, performing one of Dixie Lee’s risqué nightclub numbers we saw earlier. The film also features Nick and Nora Charles’ dog Asta in the key role of the Warriners’ pooch, Mr. Smith. Grant and Dunne would go on to co-star in two more great movies, My Favorite Wife (1940), and Penny Serenade (1941).

2. The Court Jester (Paramount, 1955). Danny Kaye seems to be an acquired taste, I’ve spoken to many classic movie fans who are lukewarm on Kaye and his films. As a young kid I loved Kaye’s TV variety show, and I remember enjoying him in perennial broadcasts of White Christmas and Hans Christian Anderson. But I approached this film with a fair amount of trepidation myself, I really didn’t know what to expect, and have to admit I was flabbergasted by how much I loved it. Seeing a glorious Technicolor restoration on the huge Grauman’s Chinese screen didn’t hurt, nor did the fascinating discussion of the film and Danny Kaye’s work between Illeana Douglas and actor Fred Willard (a huge Danny Kaye fan) before the screening. Kaye is just brilliant in the triple role (sorta) of Hubert Hawkins and his masquerade as Giacomo the Jester in order to gain entry into the royal palace so that he and his friends can reinstall the rightful heir to the throne, a baby with a telling birthmark on his butt, the “purple pimpernel.” Confused? Don’t worry, it’ll all make sense when you watch the crazy fun, including Kaye’s “third” role as a much more menacing Giacomo after he’s hypnotized by Griselda (Mildred Natwick). With beautiful Glynis Johns as Kaye’s fellow rebel and eventual love interest, Maid Jean, and a young and gorgeous Angela Lansbury as the recalcitrant Princess Gwendolyn who falls in love with the hypnotized Kaye, the film provides lots of color, music, and howls from beginning to end, especially with great actors such as Basil Rathbone, Cecil Parker, and John Carradine playing it completely straight during the nonsense. Danny Kaye’s particular style of wordplay is at its peak here: “The pellet with the poison’s in the vessel with the pestle; the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true!”

3. Lady in the Dark (Paramount, 1944). Introduced by actress Rose McGowan, the final film I saw at the festival on Sunday night was a rare screening of the nitrate Technicolor print of Mitchell Leisen’s Lady in the Dark starring Ginger Rogers, Ray Milland, Warner Baxter, and Jon Hall. To say that this is one CRAZY-ASS film is an understatement. Loosely based on the successful Moss Hart-directed Broadway musical of the same name with songs by Ira Gershwin and Kurt Weill, the film stars Ginger Rogers as the no-nonsense editor-in-chief of Allure, a successful fashion magazine. The repressed Ginger is dating her older publisher (Baxter) despite the fact that his wife won’t give him a divorce and she is constantly battling with one of her top editors (Milland) in such an irritated way that you KNOW they will ultimately end up together. But poor overworked Ginger is plagued by strange nightmares (which we see in all their bizarre Technicolor glory) and is finally persuaded to visit a shrink (Barry Sullivan) who convinces her that something traumatic from her past is responsible for her decision to eschew all glamour and femininity (a ridiculous assertion given Ginger’s beauty and her allegedly “plain” clothes that any woman I know would kill for). Enter visiting hunky movie star Randy Curtis (Hall) who everyone in the magazine’s office (except for Ginger, of course) goes GAGA for, including the openly gay photographer (Mischa Auer in the part that made Danny Kaye a star on Broadway) and the male assistants at the magazine (I guess in 1944 it was okay to show male-to-male attraction in the context of employees at a fashion magazine). But Curtis only has eyes for Ginger, and her dreams take an even odder turn. The costumes in this film (by Edith Head, Raoul Pene du Bois, and Barbara Karinska) are miles over-the-top, including a bejeweled mink-lined number (now in the Smithsonian) that was so heavy Ginger needed a second, lighter version of it made for the dance sequence. What this movie says about psychotherapy, femininity, and relationships is so outrageous and politically incorrect that one friend of mine at the screening immediately pronounced the film “monstrous.” But it is fascinating time capsule of another time and place, and definitely worth seeing even though it’s so weird I now feel like I may need a visit with Rogers’ psychiatrist.

4. Love Crazy (MGM, 1941). This was the first film I saw at this year’s festival, introduced by the wonderful actress Dana Delany who is a classic movie lover and has appeared with Robert Osborne on TCM. And what’s a comedy-themed film festival without William Powell and Myrna Loy? This was the tenth of fourteen films the two made together (including the six Thin Man films) and one of the few I’d never seen. In true screwball style, Powell and Loy play the married Steve and Susan Ireland, a deliriously happy couple celebrating their fourth wedding anniversary until Susan’s overbearing mother (Florence Bates) arrives to mess up everything. Next thing we know, Powell runs into his old girlfriend (the beautiful and snide Gail Patrick, a favorite of mine in Stage Door and My Man Godfrey) who has just moved into their swanky apartment building. Alas, a series of zany misunderstandings involving Patrick, her husband, and a random neighbor who is a world champion archer (Jack Carson) lead to Powell and Loy’s impending divorce. After a few additional escapades, the hapless Steve ends up being committed to a sanitarium by the City Lunacy Commission who mistakenly believe he is a homicidal maniac. We even get to see Powell in drag when, hiding from the police, he disguises himself as his own sister (which forced the actor to temporarily shave off his signature mustache). I know I don’t need to tell you that Powell and Loy eventually come to their senses and continue on in wedded bliss. The film, directed by underrated MGM director Jack Conway, includes some funny inside jokes such as a drunken William Powell singing “It’s Delightful to Be Married” at the beginning of the film,  a song sung by his on-screen wife Luise Rainer several years earlier in The Great Ziegfeld.

5. The Palm Beach Story (Paramount, 1942). Of all of my discoveries at this year’s festival, it’s especially hard to believe that I had never seen this film, given my love of Preston Sturges and every single member of the glittering cast. I’m happy to say that the movie surpassed my high expectations and immediately leapfrogged to my list of all-time favorites. Preceded by a discussion between film scholar Cari Beauchamp and Wyatt McCrea, star Joel McCrea’s oldest grandchild, we were also introduced to several of Mary Astor’s great-grandchildren who were present at the screening, including Andrew Yang who wrote the foreword to the fascinating book I just finished reading, The Purple Diaries: Mary Astor and the Most Sensational Hollywood Scandal of the 1930s by Joseph Egan. In the brilliant comedy, McCrea and Claudette Colbert play Tom and Gerry Jeffers, a married couple in New York that is down on their luck financially — way down. I don’t even want to explain the rest of the plot because if you’ve never seen the film it will be fun to come to it fresh as I did, but let’s just call out a few of the crazy folks that McCrea and Colbert come into contact with during their adventures, from the Wienie King (Robert Dudley) to clueless zillionaire John D. Hackensacker III (Rudy Vallee) who wants to shower Colbert with riches, to Hackensacker’s eccentric sister, The Princess Centimillia (Mary Astor) who wants to do the same to McCrea. Carole Lombard was originally slated for this film before her tragic death in a plane crash that year, but Colbert does a brilliant job in the role. Astor was apparently insecure about her comedy chops and terrified that she wasn’t giving Sturges what he wanted, but as far as I’m concerned, she’s one of the best things in the film. The Palm Beach Story is a delightful antidote to Palm Beach’s current place in our consciousness as the home of Mar-a-Lago.

6. Rafter Romance (RKO, 1933). It’s always great fun to see pre-code films at the festival, those films that were made in the early 1930s before the Motion Picture Production Code put an end to many of the risqué plot lines that were once commonplace in the movies. The rarely seen Rafter Romance starring a young Ginger Rogers (just before she was first teamed with Fred Astaire in Flying Down to Rio) was a wonderful example of all that pre-codes have to offer. Caught up in a copyright battle for decades, our host Leonard Maltin explained that this was one of the first public screenings of the film since its release in 1933. Ginger plays a young woman who moves to New York to find a job but is having a terrible time making ends meet. Her landlord, Max Eckbaum (George Sidney, a Jewish immigrant from Hungary who was the uncle of the younger George Sidney, a director of many musicals including another of this year’s festival offerings, Bye Bye Birdie), suggests a solution. Ginger can share an apartment with another tenant in his building, a man she doesn’t know who is an artist but works as a night watchman so they will never be around at the same time. But that doesn’t keep the two from endlessly fighting via sharply worded notes left around the apartment. Of course confusion and hijinks ensue when the two meet, unaware that they are each other’s hated co-tenant. Added to the mix are Robert Benchley as Ginger’s lecherous boss and Laura Hope Crews (years before she appeared in Gone With the Wind as Scarlett’s Aunt Pittypat) as Foster’s sex-starved art patron. One interesting thing that Maltin pointed out to us was how, in addition to changes in language and depictions of sex, the dreaded Production Code also curtailed the existence of ethnic characters in mainstream movies to a large extent, such as the character of Ginger’s Jewish landlord and his Yiddish-speaking wife (played by Ferike Boros who nevertheless appeared in small parts in several subsequent Ginger Rogers films including Bachelor Mother, Fifth Avenue Girl, and Once Upon a Honeymoon).

7. Red-Headed Woman (MGM, 1932). Historian and author Cari Beauchamp introduced us to another delicious pre-code that I’d never seen, the fabulous Jean Harlow vehicle, Red-Headed Woman, directed by Love Crazy’s Jack Conway. This one is so out there and provocative it makes Rafter Romance look like Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. With a sizzling screenplay by Anita Loos (Gentleman Prefer Blondes), Jean Harlow plays “Lil” Andrews, a woman who will do anything to get ahead — and I mean anything. She seduces her married boss (Chester Morris), causing him to divorce his devoted wife (Leila Hymans) who he really loves only to eventually throw him over for one of her new husband’s even richer clients (Henry Stephenson). The beloved character actress Una Merkel (whose opening credit elicited as much applause as Harlow’s in our classic movie-obsessed crowd) stands by Jean throughout the film, even during Lil’s dangerous affair with her poor but sexy French chauffeur (a young and almost unrecognizable Charles Boyer). Only someone with the incredible warmth, charm, beauty, and screen presence of 21-year-old Jean Harlow could make us root for a character that, when you think about it, is completely devoid of any human decency. Once the Production Code took full effect, someone who caused such destruction to so many lives would never be allowed to get away with it. But in 1932, she does, and I found myself cheering the surprising happy ending for the unrepentant but hugely charismatic Harlow. So tragic that the actress would die just five years later at the age of 26. Considering she’s been gone for a whopping 80 years, her impact on audiences, even today, is pretty remarkable.

Lots more great films this year, I could go on indefinitely. Is it too soon to start obsessing about next year’s festival? Being the total movie geek that I am, one of my proudest moments this year was realizing the close family connection between actors in two wildly different films that were made decades apart. Remember the Jewish landlords in 1933’s Rafter Romance? Their son, Julius Eckbaum, was played by young actor Sidney Miller. Sidney is the father of actor Barry Miller who I saw as Bobby C. in the screening of 1977’s Saturday Night Fever (with director John Badham and actress Donna Pescow in attendance). Can you believe the close resemblance between father and son? See you next year at the movies!