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A flurry of excited emails arrived in my inbox yesterday, announcing that for the first time since 2019, the Egyptian Theatre will screen movies for the TCM Classic Film Festival. This is welcome news for classic film fans, who have worried about the fate of the theatre since Netflix acquired the p read more

Since 2012, the Santa Monica Conservancy of Santa Monica, CA, has thrown a large Marion Davies birthday party. It is held at the Annenberg Community Beach House, affectionately known as “the Beach House,” of which the Conservancy is the proud steward. The celebration is an opportunity f read more

I would like to preface this post with the assurance that we are all safe and unharmed. This evening, TCM Classic Film Festival attendees received an alert on their apps that a shelter-in-place order had been issued for our area of Hollywood Blvd. I was waiting in the ticket line for Ball of Fire, read more

The 2023 TCM Classic Film Festival kicked off this afternoon, and it already feels like the big family reunion that the festival always is. For four days in April, Hollywood Blvd. turns into its own self-contained world. When I arrived this afternoon, I found it swarming with TCM fans, identifiabl read more

For lovers of classic Hollywood, next week is among the most anticipated of the year. The TCM Classic Film Festival, held every April since 2010, has become an annual pilgrimage for classic film fans all over the globe. For three packed days, attendees enter a veritable wonderland of screenings, pa read more

Readers, it’s been a long time since I’ve posted on Backlots! I’ve been very busy with activities related to Captain of Her Soul, which is now out as of September 27. I wanted to share a few things I’ve been up to, and some upcoming events, so you might have some context as read more

Day 3 of the festival was predominantly a pre-Code day for me. Pre-Codes are famously popular at the TCM Festival, but they’re almost always screened in the smallest theaters. The question of why is a point of contention among attendees–some think the organizers simply haven’t lea read more

Day 2 of the TCM Classic Film Festival was one filled with laughter. From the first moment the schedule came out, I knew it would be–with The Sunshine Boys and Tootsie on the agenda, there is no other possible outcome. I started the day with The Sunshine Boys, a wonderful screening introduced read more

“This California dew is a little heavier than usual tonight,” as Debbie Reynolds said in Singin’ in the Rain, and she might have been talking about this evening in Hollywood, where an unexpected downpour punctuates a full first festival day. The fun kicked off this afternoon with read more

This where the classic movie faithful converge. The greatest part of the weekend, for me, is reuniting with like-minded people, who speak the same classic movie “language.” Today I realized that this is my tenth festival, and each year I envy the people experiencing it for the first tim read more

Next month, for the first time since 2019, Hollywood Boulevard will once again be filled with classic film fans attending the TCM Classic Film Festival. The event is now less than a month away, and announcements from festival organizers are coming fast. My friend Aurora at Once Upon a Screen predic read more

The TCM Classic Film Festival is less than 3 months away, and per the annual ritual, fans have been speculating about the opening night film. Opening night is a fancy affair, complete with a red carpet for passholders and VIP guests, followed by a film and a gala party. Reserved for the highest lev read more

Passes for the TCM Classic Film Festival go on sale to the general public today, and I have been happy to see that so many of my friends will be returning to Hollywood this year. After two of virtual festivals, the excitement of seeing our festival friends in April is palpable. Since its inception read more

In the spirit of carpe diem, I have just returned from a trip to Paris to attend the three-day opening of the Olivia de Havilland Theater. It was a trip that I hoped would happen since I learned about the event earlier this year, and by the time it came around, the circumstances were such––COVID-wi read more

Classic film fans on social media were abuzz this morning as news emerged that the TCM Classic Film Festival will return in person in 2022. After two years of virtual programming, this announcement was met with palpable joy among long-time festival attendees. Since this morning, I have seen friends read more

When I first saw The Devil and Miss Jones several years ago, I found myself wondering how I could have missed such a funny, smart, compelling film for so long. Though seeming to have all the hallmarks of an instant classic, The Devil and Miss Jones is one of those films that too often, undeservedly read more

If you are a longtime reader of Backlots, you have read of my connection to Olivia de Havilland. From the evening I spent with her at the American Library in Paris, to Backlots’ coverage of her court case against FX, Olivia de Havilland has been close to my heart for many years. Her career an read more

Contrary to what activity on Backlots might tell you, I am, indeed, alive. Since September, I have been deep in the zone of Marion Davies work, and have a website for the project, which can be found here. I remain extremely busy, but wanted to update you on the progress of my work, and what to expe read more

In November of 2013, I took a trip to the Margaret Herrick Library for the first time, in search of material on Marion Davies for a prospective book. The form the book would take, if any at all, was unknown. But I was determined to start the process, and despite the fact none of the names encounter read more

Olivia de Havilland and her pug, Oscar. Olivia de Havilland died peacefully in Paris on Saturday. She went the way we all strive to go–in her sleep, having recently celebrated her 104th birthday. Her daughter Gisèle had just been over for a visit. She was loved and adored not only by a wide c read more