THURSDAY 4/30

6pm: Auntie Mame (1958) or Barefoot in the Park (1967)

If Barefoot in the Park ends up being an option for me, that’s my pick. I’ve never seen it (also never been to an opening night film in the Chinese Theater!) and Jane Fonda will be there. If that’s a no, I just need to make sure I can get into the 9:15pm pre-Code in Theater 4. Of the other first block selections, my instinct is Auntie Mame, because the guest, Jan Handzlik, worked with both Rosalind Russell and Greer Garson, my favorite; I don’t think I can pass up the chance to hear from a guest who was in the film and performed alongside icons. Also, Auntie Mame would simply be a ball to watch with an audience. However, it’s only a 30-minute turnaround time between the end of that movie and start of the next one which is… usually not advisable. Will I need to leave Auntie Mame early? Probably. Sigh.  

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9:15pm: Blonde Venus (1932)

Any movie that starts after 9pm is going to be a little tough for me, but if anything can keep me awake, it’s a pre-Code! And a Josef von Sternberg-Marlene Dietrich collaboration co-starring Cary Grant will have my attention, even though I’ve seen it before.

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FRIDAY 5/1

9:15am: The Mouthpiece (1932)

The pre-Code party continues through Friday afternoon (hopefully), starting in the Egyptian with The Mouthpiece! I always applaud the fest programmers for putting pre-Codes in the spacious, 500+ seat Egyptian Theater. Movie-wise, anytime I have the chance to see pre-Code Warren William on the big screen, I will take it. Plus, the terrific Aline MacMahon is also in this film, so it was on my list from the get-go. HOWEVER, my most anticipated pick of the fest is in the same theater right after this, and I know people will be lining up super early. So, there is a world where I would have to either skip The Mouthpiece (sad, but I can watch elsewhere) or leave early to make it to…

12pm: Letty Lynton (1932)

When I saw this listed on the schedule I could not believe my eyes, because Letty Lynton has been entangled in rights issues literally for 90 years. 9-0! The fact that those issues are resolved—and it’s been restored!—is a pre-Code miracle. That makes this Joan Crawford-Robert Montgomery blackmail drama one of my most anticipated TCM Classic Film Festival titles ever. Of all time. I know many fans feel the same, and while TCM is screening this in the Egyptian Theater, the second largest fest venue, I guarantee this film is going to sell out. (The one silver lining if I don’t make it in is that I can run over to Club TCM to try to catch a glimpse of the legendary Carol Burnett, who will be in conversation at that time.)

2:45pm: The Patsy (1928) vs. 3:15pm: Money From Home (1953)

I’ve never seen The Patsy, Marion Davies is pure joy to watch (especially in comedies), and the movie will be screened with live musical accompaniment. That’s more than enough for me! However, when I spotted Money From Home and the special presentation tag, I had to take a look, because I did not recognize the title. Well, it’s a Martin and Lewis feature originally filmed in 3D but rarely presented that way. Not only will it be shown in 3D, it’s also the west coast premiere of a new 3D restoration, which took two full years. I always try to seek out movies that were not on my radar before the fest, and this qualifies as one. The only issue is—of course—timing. This movie is scheduled to get out a mere 30 minutes before my next anticipated screening… which is another discovery… in the tiny Theater 4.

5:45pm: Next Time We Love (1936)

This film and the next one check off all my must-see boxes. Haven’t heard of it: Check. Listed as a fest discovery: Check. Screened on 35mm: Check. In both cases, the movies are celebrating their 90th anniversary, and getting to see a movie in a theater 90 years after it debuted, well, that’s a special occasion! This James Stewart-Margaret Sullavan romance was based on a story by Ursula Parrott, who wrote Ex-Wife, which was adapted into The Divorcee (1930). Lots of great things going for this one.

8:45pm: The Princess Comes Across (1936)

Aside from the aforementioned must-see boxes this ticks, The Princess Comes Across finds Carole Lombard pretending to be a Swedish princess to get on a cruise ship, where she falls for band leader Fred MacMurray… and then they get entangled in a murder mystery?!? Comedy + mystery + chaos is literally everything I love, so I am very excited for this new-to-me flick.

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SATURDAY 5/2

9am: The Farmer’s Daughter (1947)

I’ve never seen Loretta Young’s Oscar-winning turn in this film, and really, that’s cause enough to check it out. But the real reason this caught my eye was because it’s screening on nitrate—the only nitrate screening of the festival. I always try to see nitrate programs when the opportunity arises, so that's where I'll be Saturday morning! 

12pm: Cobra Woman (1944)

Robert Siodmak, well-known for his noir films, directed this movie, which piqued my interest. But what sealed the deal was this summary from IMDb: “A beautiful woman is abducted from her peaceful South Seas home and taken to Cobra Island, where her grandmother Queen wants her to displace her evil twin sister and vengeance against her priest and corrupt advisor.” I love an unruly, campy B-movie, and the runtime (71 minutes) is pure perfection.

1:45pm: The Bamboo Blonde (1946)

Luckily, Cobra Woman is short, but it’s not that short. This film is in Theater 4, the tiniest of the fest, and scheduled to start a mere 15 minutes after Cobra Woman gets out. That means there’s a 7% chance I make it to this screening, but I’m putting out the good vibes now, as I always trust my pal Jeremy Arnold’s B-movie picks at the fest—this one a musical directed by Anthony Mann, known for his Westerns and noirs.

4pm: There’s Always Tomorrow (1956)

Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray made four films together, all different genres: 1940’s Remember the Night (comedy), 1944’s Double Indemnity (noir), 1953’s The Moonlighter (Western), and 1956’s There’s Always Tomorrow (romance). I adore this Douglas Sirk melodrama, and though I’ve seen it before, I’ve never watched it in a theater, which is why it makes the cut.