THERESA BROWN TIPS FOR SURVIVING THE FESTIVAL:
Forgive me for bragging about my city…but I think the main tip for surviving and thriving the TCM Film Festival is being a New Yorker. I live in a “city that never sleeps.” And I also walk everywhere if I don’t jump on the subway. It makes me well~suited for the rigor and marathon nature of this film festival. I’m used to not sleeping. The only thing I can say for folks is bring a sweater for these air~conditioned icebox movie theaters.
TO EAT OR NOT TO EAT DURING THE FESTIVAL:
- I don’t generally take food breaks at the festival, and listen… I’m not a power bar person in real life. Why should I start here in Hollywood?
- I’m basically a junk food eater which’ll do me fine at the festival, but this year I see a coupla gaps where I can get some sustenance.
- I like Musso and Franks and Miceli’s…and also Mel’s Diner. Oh, and don’t forget the Roosevelt’s resident diner: 25 Degrees.
- Inside the movie theatre, I have my little stash of candy that should stand me in good stead.
TOP 3 “CAN’T MISS” EVENTS OF THIS YEAR’S FESTIVAL:
- Black Narcissus~ It’s a good movie. Powell and Pressburger are a class act. The color is already spectacular but the big thing…it’s a NITRATE presentation. Everyone says Nitrate is an orgasm for the eyes. And who doesn’t want, well…you know.
- The Awful Truth ~ It’s a gateway film for classic films. The comic timing and attractiveness of Cary Grant & Irene Dunne you just can’t beat. If a person sees this film and doesn’t laugh…I don’t even want to know them.
- Bye Bye Birdie ~ I saw it in its original release and it was the first film I saw without any grown~up/parental supervision. It’s a fun, fun movie and…hey, Ann~Margret. I mean…ANN~MARGRET!!
FAVORITE FESTIVAL MEMORY:
“My favorite memory from TCMCFF was having met and been photographed with Kim Novak after her hand and foot print ceremony at Grauman’s Chinese Theater. That was a thrill of a lifetime.”
“What I’ve noticed of the festival’s evolution is how large its grown and perhaps how less intimate it is. I enjoyed having the Festival Boutique right there in the Roosevelt Hotel Lobby and it’s now been ex~communicated ( or is that banished ) to the Hollywood & Highland mall complex. The festival feels a tad more corporate to me and skewing slightly more to appeal to Millennials. But I’ve made a cadre of friends that have made this festival still fun for me.”
WHEN DID YOU DISCOVER YOUR LOVE OF FILM?
“I first discovered film so long ago I don’t remember. I had to be 10 or so, watching NYC’s Million Dollar Movie and the Late Late Show. I used to talk to my Aunt Hattie after school about the movies she liked when SHE was a teenager. I love films from the 1930’s and 1940’s…but my heart belongs to the 40’s. Dramas…film noir.”
ADVICE TO A FESTIVAL FIRST TIMER:
“Hey, I don’t know if I should give away any secrets ~ it may shut ME out of a screening. L0L! This film festival is a dog~eat~dog world. ( Oooh, that might be the New Yorker in me coming out. ) But a helluva lotta fun.”
THE RETRO SET WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU! WE’LL BE ROAMING THE FESTIVAL, LOOKING FOR FOLKS JUST LIKE YOU TO TELL US ABOUT YOUR PAST AND CURRENT FESTIVAL EXPERIENCES! FIND US @the_retro_set on Twitter! And remember: #StayClassic and #LetsMovie
Thersa, You do realize that not everybody can live in NYC. The Awful Truth is real high on my list, but I may bail on it, because Jasmine refuses to miss The Great Dictator. You had an Aunt Hattie? That is so cool. I had an Aunt Billie, which I think is the white equivalent to Hattie. See you soon.