Big TV Week for Annette Bening

It was a joy to watch Annette Bening on two television shows last week. She appeared on TCM to talk about her new movie, Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool, and was also interviewed by Jimmy Kimmel on his show. In her latest film, Bening plays film noir actress Gloria Grahame, so she gave TCM viewers important insights into Grahame’s career before introducing In a Lonely Place, a film co-starring Humphrey Bogart. From Bening’s articulate presentation, it became clear why she was chosen to play Gloria Grahame.

On the Kimmel show, Bening discussed her own acting career and seemed to have a great time bantering with this popular talk show host. She was very calm when Kimmel asked for her reactions to husband Warren Beatty’s handling of the “envelope glitch” at last year’s Oscar ceremony. She answered, “He handled it very well” –  of course.

      

But, to me, the icing on the cake of that discussion came when Bening mentioned attending San Diego’s Mesa College. I was fortunate to be Dean of Humanities at this community college for a few years after she graduated.  Because she was achieving such acting success, I asked Bening to return and conduct an acting workshop for our current drama students. Her enthusiasm for acting delighted everyone. “My goal is to become a very old woman playing all sorts of character parts,” she told the students. She also expressed a desire to play Hamlet, reminding the group about Dame Judith Anderson’s success in that leading role.

Bening had just completed filming Bugsy with Warren Beatty and appeared very careful when answering questions about him. Those two must be up to something, I thought to myself. So when they married each other within the next few months, it failed to surprise me. 

I feel certain that Bening’s fans and friends at Mesa College are still proud of her splendid contributions to the cinema.  

GWTW Anniversary Party!

I can hardly wait for our Movie Addict Headquarters Gone with the Wind 75th Anniversary Party. The date? Tuesday, September 23. The place? BlogTalkRadio. Film historian James Colt Harrison and Classic Film Guide founder Diana Saenger plan to join in the festivities. Plus, Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne has been invited to call in. We will also play a clip from Cammie King Conlon’s interview about portraying Rhett and Scarlett’s lovely but doomed daughter, Bonnie Blue Butler.

Gone with the Wind, released in 1939, won 10 Oscars. It has been screened millions of times throughout the world. Fans of this beloved epic – who are called “Windies” -- continue to celebrate the movie with various GWTW conventions. In recognition of this important anniversary, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) has teamed up with Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Fathom Events and The Harry Ransom Center for a multi-tiered celebration that includes a new Blu-ray release, screenings at over 600 movie theaters, an exhibit and new book on the making of the film, and a special screening of the movie on Turner Classic Movies. These activities are scheduled for the last part of September and early October.

The late Cammie King Conlon is the author of BONNIE BLUE BUTLER: A ‘GONE WITH THE WIND’ MEMOIR. She visited Movie Addict Headquarters a few years ago to discuss her delightful memoir, which is filled with fascinating inside information concerning what happened on and off the set, including what it was like to work with Clark Gable and director Victor Fleming. Movie fans should enjoy hearing Cammie talk about these experiences in the clip from her terrific interview.    

“Gone with the Wind Anniversary Party!” airs on BlogTalkRadio at 4 p.m. Eastern Time ( 1 p.m. Pacific Time) on Tuesday, September 23, 2014. During the live show, listeners are invited to call in and to participate in a chat. An archived segment will also be available.

CALL-IN NUMBER: 646-478-5668
HOST: Betty Jo Tucker
PRODUCER: Nikki Starr
LINK: 
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/movieaddictheadquarters/2014/09/23/gone-with-the-wind-75th-anniversary-party  

Easter Parade on TCM Today

One of my favorite movie musicals will be shown on Turner Classic Movies today, and I can hardly wait to see Easter Parade again for the umpeenth time. Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, Ann Miller and Peter Lawford were never better! Great Irving Berlin tunes and an amusing show biz story add to the fun.

Highlights include:

Judy and Fred dressed as tramps performing "A Couple of Swells"

Ann Miller singing and dancing to "Shaking the Blues Away"

Peter Lawford warbling "A Fella with an Umbrella"

Put all this together and you have an oldie-but-goodie musical treat, for sure!

Here's a link for more information:

http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/2332/Easter-Parade/videos.html