This week, I’ve been posting a recap of last weekend’s TCM Classic Film Festival here in Hollywood, California.  We’ve gone through Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3.  Today, I’ll recap Sunday, the 4th and final day at the festival.

Josh took his wife Becca to see Damn Yankees! (1958) on Sunday morning while I watched my nephew. Leonard Maltin introduced the film.  Afterwards, TCM on-air host, Ben Mankiewicz interviewed Tab Hunter, the star of the film.  I can’t say anything about Damn Yankees! – I’ve never seen it.  You can hear the audio:

Leonard Maltin introduces Damn Yankees!

Ben Mankiewiz and Tab Hunter discuss Damn Yankees!

That afternoon, I went over to Grauman’s Chinese and saw Martin Scorsese’s The King of Comedy (1983.) Jerry Lewis, Robert Deniro, and Sandra Bernhard star in this dark comedy.  I really enjoyed the film, but I can see why it wasn’t as popular as some of Scorsese’s other films.  I was chatting with a fellow festival attendee and he put it best: The King of Comedy didn’t do well in the box office because audiences were expecting more comedy and got more Sandra Bernhard.  And boy, do you get to see a lot of her.  Way more than I ever wanted to.

Here is the synopsis from TCM.com:

A would-be comic kidnaps a talk-show host to win a guest shot on his show.

If you are a fan of Deniro and Scorsese or if you want to see Jerry Lewis in the best dramatic performance of his career, rent The King of Comedy.  You can hear audio of Ben Mankiewicz introducing the film here:

Ben Mankiewicz introduces The King of Comedy.

The closing film of the festival was Fritz Lang’s, Metropolis (1927.) Josh and I arrived an hour and a half early to ensure we got a seat.  And it was a good thing we did.  Just about every festival attendee was trying to get in to Grauman’s Chinese to see the movie.  The stand-by line stretched way down Hollywood Blvd.  I’m positive none of those people got in.  It was the place to be in Hollywood that night.

While waiting for the screening to start, we noticed Jeff Goldsmith from Creative Screenwriting Magazine and Podcast was standing a few rows in front of us.  Josh reached out to him on Twitter (we are true introverts) and he told us to come say hi.  So we did and he was incredibly nice.  I LOVE his podcast.  He conducts screenings and then records Q&As with the writer or writers of the films he shows.  Check it out on iTunes.

Robert Osborne was there to introduce the film and he again received a standing ovation.  People LOVE him.  He made a special announcement – the festival will occur again this time next year in Hollywood.  The crowd was ecstatic. Check out the audio here:

Robert Osborne introduces Metropolis.

Metropolis was accompanied by the Alloy Orchestra.  They were great but it was a little deceiving.  We assumed that meant a full orchestra but the Alloy Orchestra is a 3 piece techno-style band.  At first I was disappointed but after the film started, I realized Metropolis shouldn’t have a sweeping John Williams-esque score anyway.  The Alloy Orchestra did a great job.  They must have been exhausted after playing for over 2 hours straight.

This was the North American premiere of the most complete cut of Metropolis.  This version had new footage that was recently found in a 16mm version of the film in Argentina.  There is still a few minutes of Metropolis still missing.  Maybe one day, we’ll get to see every last frame of the movie.  Until then, this cut is the best we have.  If you get a chance, check it out.  I’m sure it will be on DVD in the coming months.

That’s it for our experiences at the TCM Classic Film Festival.  In all, I saw 11 films over 4 days.  A great big THANK YOU goes out to TCM for allowing us to attend.  We had a blast.  Every element of the festival appeared to run smoothly and in order.  I always felt like the staff and volunteers were well informed and in control.  The number of filmmakers and actors at each of the screenings was astounding.  I recommend everyone start saving for next year’s event.  It is well worth it to any fan of classic cinema.

Also, check out Leonard Maltin’s very eloquent recap of the festival.  It’s a treat. And don’t forget that you can enjoy classic movies every day of the year thanks to Turner Classic Movies. Tune in!