Saturday, July 2, 2011



Growing up my mom and I have always had a tradition of watching old movies at the end of the day. Classic films have always been a part of my life but I still enjoyed the newer movies as well, but for the last number of years I feel like 99% of the current movies are total crap. It seems that if I decide to go to the theaters, I can guarantee it will be a movie with at best mediocre acting and a bad plot. I don't know if my preferences have changed or if it is the quality of movies that come out anymore.
Anyway, because of this, for the last year I have been watching old films nonstop. Even more often than our nightly tradition. Now that is summer I have been watching movies until the AM every night. My favorite movies are usually from the 1940s, 1930s, and 1920s. I do love many films from 1950s and 1960s as well, but not quite as much.

This reason I made this post is because this month on TCM is a great time to check out some of the best classic films. Two weeks I had watched a silent film with Rudolph Valentino called The Sheik on YouTube and coincidently this month on TCM is Race and Hollywood: Arab Images on Film in which they will be showing The Sheik and The Son of the Sheik. TCM will also air a number of other silent and "talkie" films and arguably the best movie ever made: Lawrence of Arabia, which stars my husband Peter O'Toole (I have adored Peter O'Toole since I can remember. Back off! He is mine!!!!!). I am also looking forward to seeing the first The Thief of Baghdad with Douglass Fairbanks, the first "King of Hollywood" before Clark Gable. You can learn more at http://www.tcm.com/aiof/index.html .

Point being, if you are already an avid classic films lover or if you would like to delve into the world of old films, this month on TCM has a particularly good lineup. And bonus for me, Conan will be a guest programmer on July 4th! Also, if you are a fan of SNL's Bill Heder, he has begun Essentials Jr which I am curious to see what he has lined up.