Save TCM -- June 24, 2023

Warner Media is gutting @TCM, firing much of the upper management and the creative people and spreading the survivors among various subsidiaries. What can we do? Turner Classic Movies is a vital resource for film fans and scholars alike. I have seen many movies on TCM that I have never seen and sometimes never heard of anywhere else. 

#SaveTCM

Warner Brothers Pictures -- April 20, 2023

Motion Picture News, 28-April-1923

April 2023 marks the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of Warner Bros. Pictures. The Warners had been in show business for nearly 20 years, but the company regards this year as its centennial. This trade ad promised a series of "Classics of the Screen," based on books including F Scott Fitzgerald's The Beautiful and Damned and Sinclair Lewis' Main Street. TCM is showing a solid month of Warner movies.

Scrooge -- December 23, 2017

www.listal.com

TCM recently showed Scrooge, the 1935 adaption of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol."  Seymour Hicks first played Ebenezer Scrooge on stage in 1901.  He appeared in a short film as Scrooge in 1913.  I enjoy this version because it uses a minimum of special effects.  Many of the ghostly scenes are done with shadows and sounds.  Hicks is horrible before and jolly after, but he had a lot of practice.

Robert Osborne, RIP -- March 7, 2017

www.listal.com

Robert Osborne, journalist, film historian and Turner Classic Movies host, has died.  I had seen his book about the Academy Awards in the library, but I didn't know his work until we got digital cable and were able to watch TCM.  He was a good host and an enjoyable interviewer.  We're going to miss him.

TCM issue a statement: “All of us at Turner Classic Movies are deeply saddened by the death of Robert Osborne. Robert was a beloved member of the Turner family for more than 23 years. He joined us as an expert on classic film and grew to be our cherished colleague and esteemed ambassador for TCM. Robert was embraced by devoted fans who saw him as a trusted expert and friend. His calming presence, gentlemanly style, encyclopedic knowledge of film history, fervent support for film preservation and highly personal interviewing style all combined to make him a truly world-class host. Robert’s contributions were fundamental in shaping TCM into what it is today and we owe him a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this time.”