TCM Classic Film Festival Guide

TCM Classic Film Festival Sign from 2013

It is almost that time of year when Hollywood Blvd. rolls back the clock for one long weekend of classic film with the TCM Classic Film Festival. This will be my fifth year attending and I hope it will go on forever. If you are planning on attending, all I can say is be prepared for an amazing time. You will see so many living legends your mind will reel. But you want to soak up every second because all too often within a few years of their appearance at the TCM Film Festival they go on to the big casino in the sky.

Mitzi Gaynor at TCM Classic Film Festival 2013

This years schedule is chock full of screenings and events that are impossible to choose between and will have many festival goers running between The Egyptian and The Chinese theatres on Hollywood Blvd. Each year I try to give myself a theme to make my choices easier, though I make the live appearance interviews a priority, for the above mentioned reason. So without further ado here are my picks for the TCM Classic Film Fesival 2014.

Thursday April 10th 

2pm meet TCM

5pm I will make a brief appearance at the TCM Welcome Party at The Roosevelt Hotel.

5:30pm The Chinese Theatre to work the red carpet.

7pm 5th Avenue Girl

9:30pm Bachelor Mother 

*OR 9:45pm The Heiress

Friday April 11th

9am The Thin Man
OR 9:45 On Approval
12pm Grey Garden's with intro by film maker Albert Maysels
*AND OR 12:30pm A Conversation with Carl Davis who has composed a new score for the Why Worry
2pm A conversation with Richard Dreyfus by Illeana Douglas
3:15pm My Sister Eileen
*AND OR 4:00 A Conversation With William Friedkin
**Just found out A Matter Of Life and Death AKA Stairway To Heaven is playing at 3pm That will be my first pick for this time slot!
6pm Double Indemnity
*AND OR 7:15pm Why Worry
9:15pm Employees Entrance

Saturday April 12th

9am Jerry Lewis Hand Print Ceremony
11:45am I Remember Mama
3pm How Green Was My Valley
6:15 Bell Book And Candle
*AND OR 8pm Hat Check Girl
9:30pm The Women
*AND OR 10pm Her sisters Secret

Sunday April 13th

10am Sundays In New York
1pm Live From The TCM Classic Film Festival Interview with Alan Arkin
4:15 Easter Parade
7:30 The Lodger
9pm Closing Night Party

Well there it is. Read it and weep. As you can see it's a fairly wall to wall schedule and I'm not even doing the midnight screenings. To maintain this pace you need to keep water and granola bars on your person. Which I recommend to anyone planning attending at this level. Three years ago a young women fainted in line for the Peter O'Toole interview and while it could have been the excitement of seeing Mr. O'Toole my money is on she hadn't eaten all day. So don't be the fainter keep some snacks you can eat in line.

If you haven't got tickets to The TCM Classic Film Festival I don't believe there are any available. You can try for TCM Film Festival individual screening tickets if there is space available after pass holders have been seated for $20. This sounds like a long shot but with so many great events happening simultaneously there are often seats available.

EARTHQUAKE ADVICE

Finally, if you are visiting from out of town, you may have heard, that we have had quite a bit of earthquake activity here in LA. Well, it is true but it's nothing to worry about, though I would recommend you do just a few things to be prepared, just in case. The first thing is bring a small flash light and keep it by your bed. If there is even a strongish moderate earthquake it can cause blackouts and hotels can be very dark. Also be sure you know where the stairs exit is on your hotel floor. Do not take elevator to get out of the building. Keep a pair of shoes upside down (to keep glass from getting in them) by your bed. After earthquakes hospitals are full of people with cut feet. Even if only a glass of water falls off your bedside table and breaks, if you step on it, your TCM Classic Film Festival could be ruined. My last advise is to keep your devices charged. I know when you're using it all day this sounds impossible, but take every opportunity to charge up. You can also invest in portable charger, that is a device you charge up separately from your phone and then use to charge your phone when you're away from an outlet. In all likelihood you won't need any of these but just in case I think it's a good idea to be cautious.

Earthquake in Turkey: Be Prepared

After seeing all the terrible destruction and loss of life in Turkey from their 7.2 earthquake this weekend, I'm reminded to update my earthquake supplies.
The Los Angeles Fire Department Earthquake Guide is an excellent and comprehensive guide to all the things you should know how to do and have on hand in case of earthquake.

Several years ago I took the C.E.R.T.(Community Emergency Response Team) course and learned a lot of important things. Everything from how to triage the injured to where to keep your earthquake kit. I highly recommend taking the classes.

Here are some less obvious things I learned that really stood out for various reasons:

1. Keep a pair of comfortable shoes, sweater, and flashlight in your car. Not to mention a little food and water. You may have to walk home if streets are impassible after a quake.

2. Keep shoes under your bed. If objects have fallen during a quake and the lights are out you may need to walk across a lot of broken glass in the dark. I remember the teacher saying some huge amount of people after a quake come into the hospital with badly cut feet.

3. Have a 5 gallon bucket with a lid and lots of kitchen plastic trash bags. Should you loose water this will be your toilet.

4. Now this wasn't in the class but I think any good earthquake kit should have at least a little booze, for medicinal reasons of course.

Please leave your best disaster tips in the comments