Guest Programmer

Every month, Turner Classic Movies invites a Guest Programmer (usually an actor or actress, or other qualifying "celebrity"), to choose four movies from the TCM catalog to share.  The guest will then talk about these four movies with Robert Osborne.  Recently, I have been thinking about what four movies I would choose, if I were ever asked to share four movies with an audience.  There are hundreds of movies that I absolutely love and warrant inclusion.  I decided to limit it to movies released in the 1970s.  Even after this first "whittling down", dozens of movies kept coming to mind that I would want to include.  After much deliberation, here are the four movies I would choose, and why:

My first pick is a no brainer (for me).  Whenever I am asked to name my favorite movie of all time, I always say "American Graffiti" (1973).  I believe I first saw this movie in Emporia, Kansas, when I tagged along as my parents took my older brother to Emporia State University (and I was also checking out the music department and auditioning for a possible music scholarship).  This movie came into my life at a time when I was completely identifying with the characters on screen.  I wanted to turn the clock back 11 years and live the way they were living in 1962.  When I got back home, I saw the movie again and again, taking with me (one at a time), anyone who was willing to go.  The last time I saw it in the theatre was during my Freshman year in college.  I believe that was the 11th time I had seen it.  In the late 70s, when movies started being released on video, and cable TV became all the rage, I had the opportunity to view it over and over again.  Six years later, I was first in line to see "More American Graffiti".  I remember sensing that nobody else in the theatre felt the kinship with these characters that I did. These characters had become part of my family, my dear friends.  This movie came out at a time in my life that I needed to feel a part of something.  My family unit was separating, I was preparing for my last year of high school and feeling pressure to make a decision about college, and my self esteem was not as positive as it should have been.

My second film is "Kotch" (1971).  This was the first time I had seen Walter Matthau, and I actually thought he was as old as the character he played.  My main reason for choosing "Kotch" is that I have yet to meet anyone born after 1970 who has even heard of this movie, and it is actually more relevant today, when the Baby Boomer generation are becoming senior citizens, than it was, when it was first released.  It's also the only movie to be directed by Jack Lemmon.  It's labeled as a comedy, but, while it IS funny, it is also quite heartbreaking, at times.  When a movie becomes a favorite of mine, it becomes part of my family, and I immediately want to introduce the rest of my family and all my friends to it.  If I were to ever be given the opportunity to pick four of these family members to share with others, I would be tickled pink.  I cannot express in words how giddy I get at the thought of sharing a movie with someone who has never seen it before.  I am not able to personally share "Kotch" with pretty much anyone reading this blog post, but I think everyone reading this blog post should watch it and tell me here how you felt after watching it.  Next to sharing films with those who have not seen them, I love discussing films with those who have just watched them.

 Pick three ... "The Three Musketeers" (1973).  One of my friends, who was insanely in love with Michael York, asked me to go see this movie with her, because I didn't know who Michael York was.  (For you youngsters, he played Basil Exposition in the Austin Powers movies.)  While I did agree with my friend that Michael York was, indeed, quite handsome, I came away from the first viewing in love with Oliver Reed.  So, my main reason for choosing "The Three Musketeers" is to introduce everyone to Oliver Reed.  Because of his performance, Athos became my favorite musketeer, I read the book, which became my favorite book of all time, Alexandre Dumas became my favorite author of all time, and I began reading his other books.  Oliver Reed's portrayal of Athos remains my favorite, to this day.  "The Four Musketeers" (1974) was actually filmed at the same time as "The Three Musketeers", and it is said that the actors thought they were making just one movie, and they were supposedly surprised, when it was split into two films, released a year apart.  In addition to Oliver Reed and Michael York, this film also featured Richard Chamberlain and Charlton Heston, two actors I was already quite fond of, and Faye Dunaway, whom I believe I was seeing on screen for the first time, and who quickly became my favorite actress in the world.  Finally, all three musketeers movies (there was a third movie, "The Return of the Musketeers", released in 1989), were directed by Richard Lester, who directed "A Hard Day's Night" and "Help!".  If I had a second opportunity to share four films, I would most likely choose these three "musketeers" movies, and then add "Oliver!", in which Oliver Reed plays Bill Sikes.

My final pick is "The Turning Point" (1977).  I first went to see this movie because it was nominated for Best Picture by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.  I believe 1977 was the first year I thought I'd enjoy watching the Oscars more, if I at least saw the five pictures nominated for Best Picture.  I was living in Phoenix, Arizona, at the time, and I later discovered that one of the girls in my dorm knew Leslie Browne, who was the ballerina in the film.  I don't remember, now, how she knew her, but it made the movie seem more familiar.  For the awards, it was up against "Annie Hall", "The Goodbye Girl", "Julia", and "Star Wars" ("Annie Hall" won), but it was my favorite, that year.  After seeing it for the first time, I wanted to see it again, and images from the film stayed with me for days.  The ballet scenes were gorgeous (as was Mikhail Baryshnekov), and Anne Bancroft and Shirley MacLaine were so believable as two formerly competitive ballerinas that took different paths in life.  I have been in that place where I had a huge blowout with my best friend and didn't speak to her for years, then, when I saw her again, years later, we behaved as if nothing horrible had happened.  The relationships between all the characters in this film are fascinating.  A few days ago, I watched a performance of Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet".  I had never seen the ballet before, nor, to my knowledge, had I ever listened to the music.  However, during the Pas de deux, the music was hauntingly familiar.  Later, I looked up the piece and discovered that this was the music playing during a love scene in "The Turning Point".

So, those are my four picks.  I'd love to know yours!

Teah