Baldwin & Lithgow Set to Host TCM's 'Essentials' Series

Turner Classic Movies (TCM), television's foremost authority and showplace for classic film, is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year by sharing a passion for cinema with the network's devoted fans. The centerpiece of the celebration will be an April festival featuring a group of 15 TCM fans presenting their favorite movies. Celebrity fans of TCM will be featured throughout the year. TCM's 2009 lineup will also feature a month-long examination of RACE AND HOLLYWOOD: LATINO IMAGES IN FILM in May.

Original productions in 2009 will include a partially animated reflection on the childhood of legendary animator Chuck Jones; a unique and innovative special from Warren Beatty about the legacy of Dick Tracy; and an all-new documentary special on movie thrillers.

In March, Emmy® winner and longtime TCM fan Alec Baldwin joins TCM host Robert Osborne for a new season of THE ESSENTIALS, while Oscar® nominee and Emmy winner John Lithgow will host the third installment of THE ESSENTIALS, JR., beginning in June. New editions of TCM's GUEST PROGRAMMER showcase will feature such personalities as Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins, comedian Richard Lewis, legendary comedian Bob Newhart, Oscar and Emmy-winning actress Cloris Leachman, comedian and commentator Dennis Miller, director John Landis and actor Tommy "Tiny" Lister. In March, Patti Davis will join Osborne to introduce the films of her father, Ronald Reagan. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin will be on-hand with Osborne July 20 to introduce a collection of movies commemorating the first moon landing.

Other events scheduled include a festival commemorating 1939, Hollywood's Golden Year; a collection of hilarious mockumentaries; a month-long look at the greatest directors of all time; a collection of comedies featuring Hollywood's funniest ladies; festivals celebrating the careers of the Korda brothers, Frank Capra, Morris Engel and composer Bernard Herrmann; and TCM's annual Summer Under the Stars festival in August.

"We are very excited about sharing our 15th anniversary with the fans who have helped make TCM television's ultimate authority on classic film," said Charles Tabesh, senior vice president of programming for TCM. "We also look forward to taking a close look at Latino images in film in our third RACE AND HOLLYWOOD festival and premiering a number of new, original specials covering a range of topics. No other network on television can offer the depth of cinematic programming, commentary and history that TCM provides."

The following are the highlights of TCM's 2009 slate:

TCM Original Programming:
CHUCK JONES: MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD - Premieres Tuesday, March 24
TCM and filmmakers Peggy Stern and John Canemaker, who earned Oscars® for the animated short "The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation," have collected the memories of one of Hollywood's greatest animators in this unique, half-hour film. The project grew out of director Stern's interest in exploring the childhood experiences of artists. In 1997, Canemaker, a longtime mutual friend of Jones and Stern, brought them together for the interviews that became the basis of the film. During the interviews, Jones spontaneously began sketching his boyhood self as he related his memories. These sketches later inspired the documentary's animated sequences, which Canemaker directed. Shortly before his death, Jones had an opportunity to see a test cut of the film, with new animation and archival imagery blended into the interview footage, and pronounced it "delightful." The Jones family subsequently provided additional material from the family archive, resulting in an intimate film full of revealing anecdotes about the events and personalities that influenced his early creative life and long career in cartoons.

DICK TRACY SPECIAL STARRING Warren Beatty - July
Film historian and critic Leonard Maltin sits down with Dick Tracy, as played by Warren Beatty, for this innovative half-hour interview special in which the two men discuss the legacy of Chester Gould's square-jawed detective. The special is peppered with clips from the various Tracy incarnations, including the RKO serials starring Ralph Byrd; the film noir-ish features with Morgan Conway; and Beatty's big-budget, Oscar-winning blockbuster. The special will be presented in conjunction with TCM presentations of Beatty in Dick Tracy (1990); Conway in Dick Tracy, Detective (1945) and Dick Tracy vs. Cueball (1946); and Byrd in Dick Tracy's Dilemma (1947) and Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (1947), the latter featuring Boris Karloff.

TCM PRESENTS: THRILLERS - October
In the first of its new series of original documentary specials looking at specific genres of cinema, TCM focuses on thrillers, including film noir classics and Alfred Hitchcock nail-biters. Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey are executive producers for Dreamworks on the documentary series. Laurent Bouzereau is writer/producer/director.

TCM Showcases:
GUEST PROGRAMMERS
Each month on this movie showcase, TCM invites a celebrity to exchange star status for a role as a devoted fan of classic film by picking a few favorite movies and sharing with viewers what he or she has come to love about each one. Upcoming stars featured on the showcase include Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins, comedian Richard Lewis, legendary comedian Bob Newhart, Oscar and Emmy-winning actress Cloris Leachman, comedian and commentator Dennis Miller, director John Landis and actor Tommy "Tiny" Lister.

THE ESSENTIALS - Hosted by Alec Baldwin and Robert Osborne-Saturday nights
Fresh off his Emmy® for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Alec Baldwin (30 Rock) has signed to co-host TCM's signature movie showcase, THE ESSENTIALS. Beginning in March, Baldwin, who possesses a deep love and understanding of classic films, will join TCM host Robert Osborne in introducing "must see" movies each week, with an eye toward helping viewers better understand why these films are important and the impact they had on audiences and the culture at large.

THE ESSENTIALS JR. - Hosted by John Lithgow - June-August
Oscar nominee and Emmy winner John Lithgow joins TCM for the network's third installment of THE ESSENTIALS JR. This summertime showcase presents classic "must see" classic movies for the entire family. It's a perfect opportunity for parents and grandparents to introduce their children to the movies they loved when they were young.

TCM Spotlights:
TCM SPOTLIGHT: KORDA - March
TCM will pay tribute to the legendary Korda brothers: director and producer Alexander Korda, director Zoltán Korda and art director Vincent Korda. Working together and separately, the trio helped create some of the most sumptuous motion pictures ever, including The Four Feathers (1939), The Thief of Bagdad (1940), Jungle Book (1942) and Sahara (1943).

Ronald Reagan - Wednesdays in March
TCM will pay tribute to one of the most popular actors of the 1940s and ‘50s and one of the most beloved politicians of the modern era: Ronald Reagan. Daughter Patti Davis will join host Robert Osborne for the month-long festival. She will provide personal insights and memories of Reagan during introductions to the tribute's 31 films. TCM's STAR OF THE MONTH: Ronald Reagan festival will air Wednesdays in March, beginning each night at 8 p.m. (ET). Among the films set to be featured in the collection are such enduring classics as Knute Rockne, All American (1940 - March 18 at 8 p.m.) and King's Row (1942 - March 18 at 10 p.m.); memorable Westerns like The Santa Fe Trail (1940 - March 25 at 8 p.m.); exciting war movies like Hellcats of the Navy (1957 - March 25 at 11:15 p.m.); passionate romances like Dark Victory (1939 - March 19 at 6 a.m.); and four entries in his series of Lt. "Brass" Bancroft movies from 1939 and 1940.

BRITISH INVASION - Friday, April 3, beginning at 8 p.m. (ET)
Music wasn't the only form of entertainment invading America from across the pond in the 1960s. British New Wave cinema landed on these shores as well. TCM will celebrate the era with such films as John Schlesinger's Billy Liar (1969), starring Tom Courtenay and Julie Christie; Karel Reisz's Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1961), with Albert Finney; and Lindsay Anderson's This Sporting Life (1963), starring Richard Harris and Rachel Roberts.

FAKE REALITY: TCM CELEBRATES MOCKUMENTARIES - Saturday, April 4, beginning at 8 p.m. (ET)
TCM celebrates the delicate art of fake documentaries with this sterling collection of comedies. The evening will feature Woody Allen's Take the Money and Run (1969), Albert Brooks' Real Life (1979), Christopher Guest's Best in Show (2000) and Rob Reiner's This is Spinal Tap (1984).

TCM SALUTES MORRIS ENGEL - Wednesday, April 8, beginning at 7:30 p.m. (ET)
Acclaimed still photographer Morris Engel delved into filmmaking in the 1950s, creating three remarkable independent features that are rarely shown today. TCM will premiere all three films - The Little Fugitive (1953), Lovers and Lollipops (1955) and Weddings and Babies (1958) - in this special tribute.

TCM'S 15th ANNIVERSARY - FAN PROGRAMMERS - Monday, April 13, through Friday, April 17
To celebrate the network's 15th Anniversary (April 14), TCM has selected some of its biggest fans from around the country to serve as Guest Programmers. Each fan will join TCM host Robert Osborne to introduce a movie chosen from TCM's unparalleled vault of films, with titles including such popular fare as Gone with the Wind (1939), Singin' in the Rain (1952), The Maltese Falcon (1941) and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), as well as lesser-known gems like So Long at the Fair (1950) and Those Lips, Those Eyes (1980). The fans include people of all ages, from a 14-year-old who loves classic films and a 27-year-old working for the Austin Film Society to a 51-year-old who works in historical preservation in Las Vegas and a 69-year-old who was chosen because of his frequent contributions to TCM's online message boards. The special event will mark the first time TCM has invited a group of everyday viewers to appear on-air with Osborne.

FUNNY LADIES: THE MOVIES' FEMALE CLOWNS - Monday, April 20, through Friday, April 24, beginning at 8 p.m. (ET)
TCM pays a week-long tribute to the women who have made moviegoers bust a gut laughing through the years, from the 1920s through the 1980s. The week will feature a who's who of comedic women, including Patsy Kelly (Kelly the Second), Zasu Pitts (The Ruggles of Red Gap), Margaret Dumont (A Night at the Opera), Marie Dressler (Dinner at Eight), Rosalind Russell (The Women), Mae West (My Little Chickadee), Billie Burke (Topper), Eve Arden (Stage Door), Gracie Allen (Mr. and Mrs. North), Fanny Brice (Everybody Sing), Marjorie Main (Feudin' Fussin and A-Fightin'), Betty Hutton (The Miracle of Morgan's Creek), Martha Raye (Monsieur Verdoux), Judy Holiday (Born Yesterday), Carol Burnett (Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed?), Lucille Ball (The Long, Long Trailer), Nancy Walker (World's Greatest Athlete), Goldie Hawn (Seems Like Old Times) and Lily Tomlin (All of Me).

STARRING Denzel Washington - Thursday, April 30, beginning at 8 p.m. (ET)
TCM salutes one of the most popular and acclaimed actors working today with this collection of outstanding films. The evening will begin with the film that won him his first Oscar®, Glory (1989). Next up is the gripping legal drama Philadelphia (1993), followed by A Soldier's Story (1984) and The Mighty Quinn (1989).

RACE AND HOLLYWOOD: LATINO IMAGES IN FILM - May
As it has done in the past with African-American, Asian and gay images in film, TCM is going to spend the month of May examining LATINO IMAGES IN FILM. This extensive festival will feature movies from Hollywood, from the past to the present, showing the progression of how Latino characters and culture are depicted in cinema. Joining Robert Osborne in hosting the festival will be Chon Noriega, professor of critical studies and associate director of the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center.

THE DIRECTOR'S CHAIR - June
Each August, TCM pays tribute to the greatest movie stars of all time with Summer Under the Stars. Expanding on that theme, the network will devote each night in June to celebrating a great film director. Among the filmmakers featured will be Steven Spielberg (Saving Private Ryan), Martin Scorsese (GoodFellas), John Ford (Stagecoach, The Quiet Man); Frank Capra (It Happened One Night, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington); Woody Allen (Hannah and Her Sisters, Interiors); Francois Truffaut (Jules & Jim, The 400 Blows); Orson Welles (Citizen Kane, The Lady from Shanghai); Alfred Hitchcock (Notorious, Rear Window); Billy Wilder (Sunset Blvd., Double Indemnity); George Stevens (Shane, A Place in the Sun); Norman Jewison (In the Heat of the Night, Fiddler on the Roof); and George Cukor (Born Yesterday, My Fair Lady).

TCM GOES TO THE MOON WITH Buzz Aldrin - Monday, July 20, beginning at 8 p.m. (ET)
Legendary astronaut Buzz Aldrin will join Robert Osborne to introduce an evening of movies commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Aldrin will introduce such lunar classics as A Trip to the Moon (1914), For All Mankind (1989), The Right Stuff (1983), Marooned (1969) and Capricorn One (1978).

1939 - July
It is called Hollywood's Golden Year, when the artistic visions of directors and producers and the money interests of the studios came together in a way that has never been duplicated since. It is little wonder that in such a year, 10 films earned Oscar nominations for Best Picture, including winner Gone with the Wind and fellow nominees The Wizard of Oz, Wuthering Heights, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Ninotchka, Stagecoach, Dark Victory, Of Mice and Men, Love Affair and Goodbye, Mr. Chips. It was also a year that saw such amazing productions as Gunga Din, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex. TCM celebrates the Golden Year with a month-long festival in July.

SUMMER UNDER THE STARS - August
TCM struts its stuff each August with this annual celebration, with each day dedicated to one of Hollywood's most enduring personalities. Assembled from the network's library of more than 5,000 films, this one-of-a-kind festival is an opportunity for viewers to enjoy a varied selection from each star's body of work, uncut and commercial free.

BERNARD HERRMANN - September
From the suspense of Alfred Hitchcock to the marvels of Ray Harryhausen, Bernard Herrmann spent years as one of Hollywood's most sought-after film composers. His lush and sometimes experimental scores have made movie fans scream with delight over the shower scene in Psycho (1960), sit on the edge of their seats while Sinbad fights a sword-wielding skeleton in The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (1958), relish in the cinematic artistry of Citizen Kane (1941) or dance to the demonic jig in The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941).

Frank Capra - December
The creator of one of the holiday season's most memorable films - It's a Wonderful Life (1947) - gets a special December tribute with this month-long festival. Capra is known for his Americana vision, a combination of folksiness, down-home values and the everyman winning against powerful forces. TCM will feature such Capra classics as Best Picture Oscar winner It Happened One Night (1934), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), Meet John Doe (1941), State of the Union (1959) and his final film, Pocketful of Miracles (1961). The network will also feature a collection of Capra's wartime documentaries.

Turner Classic Movies, currently seen in more than 80 million homes, presents great films uncut and commercial-free, from the largest film library in the world. TCM, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2009, features the insights of veteran primetime host Robert Osborne and weekend host Ben Mankiewicz, plus interviews with a wide range of special guests. As the foremost authority in classic films, TCM offers critically acclaimed original documentaries and specials, along with regular programming events that include The Essentials, 31 Days of Oscar and Summer Under the Stars. TCM also produces a wide range of media about classic film, including books and DVDs, along with hosting a wealth of materials at its Web site, www.tcm.com. TCM is part of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

 

 

Photo Credit: Sarah DeBoer/Retna Ltd.

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