TCM Classic Film Festival – Day One

The TCM Classic Film Festival started with a bang from the minute I arrived in Hollywood. Being a Social Producer this year yielded additional responsibilities on top of just enjoying the festival. Read below for my start as a social producer, various TCM panels, and videos of the stars on the red carpet celebration of The Sound of Music.

On top of attending the festival as a member of the media I was fortunate to be chosen as a TCM Social Producer which gave me the opportunity to spend time with a talented group of writers and social media people, as well as furthering my interaction with TCMFF attendees. We had a delicious lunch before the first panel, Meet TCM started. Considering my attendance at the press conference the day before, my first activity was the So You Think You Know the Movies trivia contest. Hosted by Bruce Goldstein of Film Forum, this was a very challenging series of sixteen rapid-fire questions. My team didn’t win, but we certainly tried our hardest!

From there we hoofed it to the red carpet at The Sound of Music where I had prime placement between KTLA and KABC. Below you’ll find my brief interviews with Leonard Maltin, Keith Carradine, Shirley Jones, Debbie Turner (Marta from Sound of Music) and…Julie Andrews! That’s right, I met Julie Andrews for a minute! It’s easily one of the craziest, and best, moments of my life.

We were also fortunate enough to be on-hand for interviews with Peter Fonda, Broadway vet Christine Ebersole, and an additional Julie Andrews interview. Thanks go out to ABC 7 for letting us listen in on their more polished interviews. Gives me something to aspire to!

After that chaos we head over to the poolside screening of Grease (1978). I’m a huge fan of the poolside screenings. There’s something about the atmosphere – fireflies, palm trees, the Roosevelt Hotel pool – that just keeps everything very zen. Grease isn’t a great movie, and there’s been a lot of pushback regarding its inclusion in this year’s festival, but it was the best movie to watch poolside. Keeping things light were the Rydel High School cheerleaders doing intricate stunt routines and cheers to keep the crowd energized. Introducing the film was Jamie Donnelly, Barry Pearl, Michael Tucci, and Kelly Ward (Jan and our T-Bird trio respectively), who had great stories about the movie’s conversion from Broadway show, being involved in the production, etc. They were a great bunch and proof that you don’t always need the A-list talent to keep things exciting.

As much as I wanted to go and enjoy My Man Godfrey (1936), day two is when things get really packed and sleep becomes a precious commodity. Farewell to Day 1!