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PEOPLE & ARTS Wednesday 10 april 2019
25 years later, TCM still abides, so movie lovers pray

By JAKE COYLE celebrate its 25th anniver-
NEW YORK (AP) — There is sary, 25 fans will get to in-
always an asteroid, real or troduce a film with Mankie-
imagined, bearing down wicz. Turner Classic will also
on Turner Classic Movies . pay further homage to Os-
Fears that something might bourne, who for most of its
befall the commercial- history was its friendly, wel-
less bastion of classic Hol- coming face. He died in
lywood films aren't always 2017 after 62,851 appear-
justified. But there's an ances on the network.
instinctual understand- New hosts have joined, in-
ing that keeping anything cluding Eddie Muller, Dave
good and pure alive in this Karger and Alicia Malone,
dark, dark world is against a film writer and podcaster
the odds. By now, the hosts who grew up in Australia
and executives of TCM are dreaming of being Mari-
quite accustomed to fret- lyn Monroe. She has been
ful, agitated fans coming proud to remind viewers
to them for reassurance of women's place in film
that, yes, Turner Classic is history on TCM, which, she
OK, and, no, commercials notes, is programmed by
aren't coming. people, not algorithms.
"I've had the good fortune "I felt like I found my tribe,"
to get to know Paul Thomas Malone says of coming to
Anderson a little bit and the network last year. "This
let me just put it this way: is part of preserving film his-
He never asks how I'M do- tory. What TCM does best is
ing," says Ben Mankiewicz, This image released by Turner Classic Movies shows Clark Gable, left, and Vivien Leigh in a scene tell these stories."
who in 2003 became only from "Gone with the Wind." Yet asteroid or not, there's
the second TCM host after Associated Press an unmistakable whiff of
Robert Osborne. that "c'' word in the air.
Almost everything in ca- service." WarnerMedia is to prised if they changed it." a devotee. Even Donald "Obviously, we feel a sea
ble television and film has launch a larger streaming Change can be a dirty Trump once stopped by to change coming," says
changed since Ted Turner platform later this year. word around TCM. "Low- talk about, among other Mankiewicz. WarnerMedia
launched the network in The demise of FilmStruck er case 'c,' please," says titles, "Citizen Kane." ''Al- declined to comment for
1994. But through endless prompted an outcry from Mankiewicz. "Evolve" is though I'm not sure he'd this article, but Dorian said
technological upheavals, the likes of Steven Spiel- more preferable. TCM is, af- actually watched the mov- the message from above
four U.S. presidents and berg, Martin Scorsese and ter all, a place where time ies he talked about, to be so far is only supportive.
three Spider-men, Turner Christopher Nolan who pe- nearly stops. In the 25 years honest," says Tabesh. "The large stroke is they
Classic humbly, persistent- titioned WarnerMedia for since its founding, its focus Contemporary films have want us to keep doing what
ly, improbably abides. On its preservation. Some of remains overwhelmingly made only hesitant, much- we're doing," says Dorian.
Sunday, TCM will turn 25, the biggest names in Hol- the golden age of Holly- considered inroads. (The As far as TCM's place in the
celebrating a quarter of a lywood had TCM's back. wood. Movies from the '30s, newest films to air on TCM rapidly changing stream-
century as a lighthouse of One privately told Mankie- '40s and '50s, Tabesh says, are "Hugo" and "The Artist," ing world, Dorian says that's
classic cinema; a never- wicz: "If you think we're make up approximately both from 2011.) More inter- "TBD." ''There's a world of
stopping, flickering beacon mad about FilmStruck, wait 70 percent of its program- national films have slowly, opportunity in front of us
of Buster Keaton and Do- 'til you see what we do if ming. cautiously been added, with streaming. I do not
ris Day, Barbara Stanwyck anyone messes with the "That's our bread and but- too. Over the years, TCM know the right approach
and Ernst Lubitsch. network." ter," says Mankiewicz. "Who has expanded well beyond for TCM at this moment,"
"We view ourselves as the Yet the shuttering of Film- doesn't like bread and but- the Turner library (some she says. "At our company,
keeper of the flame," says Struck (its streaming part- ter?" 4,700 films from MGM, RKO we're developing our new
Jennifer Dorian, general ner, Criterion Collection To mark its 25th anniversary, and pre-1950 Warner Bros.) plan right now."
manager of TCM. "We're , relaunched as a stand- TCM will on Sunday again via deals with virtually ev- But predicting the future
stronger than ever." alone service on Monday) air "Gone With the Wind," ery studio. isn't TCM's nature. For a net-
That will be good news reinforced concerns that the film that it first transmit- Dorian views coming under work that has always fixed
to the TCM fans whose amid all the juggling and ted on April 14, 1994. Since Warner control as a home- its eyes firmly on the past,
heart rates quickened af- bundling of merging con- then, the 1939 epic has coming. the present moment is one
ter AT&T's takeover of glomerates, TCM might slip aired more than 60 times "We're moving closer to the to savor.
Time Warner, which had through the digital cracks. on the network. The 10th library. We're going to a "It feels momentous. It
bought Turner Broadcast- "The fact that there are re- annual TCM Classic Film part of the company that's feels like we really accom-
ing back in 1996. That led to ally passionate, vocal peo- Festival also kicks off Thurs- steeped in film history and plished something. It's a
restructuring, announced ple out there helps us sort day in Los Angeles with values the cultural heritage quarter of a century," says
last month, that placed of stay the course. I think "When Harry Met Sally..." of film," says Dorian. "We Mankiewicz. "If you asked
TCM in WarnerMedia's our corporate bosses don't Fans of Turner Classic are absolutely intend to still be me what I'd like to be doing
"global kids and young want to upset those peo- as varied as Martha Stew- multi-studio." in another 25 years, I hope
adults" subdivision, along ple," says Charlie Tabesh, art, Evander Holyfield, Alex By rigorously staying true to to be introducing movies
with Cartoon Network and TCM's programming chief Trebek and Kermit the Frog itself, the cult of TCM has on TCM, having debates
Adult Swim. WarnerMedia and a 21-year veteran at — all of whom have been grown over the years. The about whether you should
also shut down TCM's na- the network. "While you guest programmers. Scors- network's sixth cruise is to remake the 'The Thin Man'
scent streaming service, can never promise any- ese famously keeps it play- set sail in October. There is and listening to those who
FilmStruck , last November thing, I've been through ing in his editing suite. Keith also a TCM Wine Club and say, 'You're showing too
after deeming it a "niche it enough that I'd be sur- Richards is rumored to be a fan club, TCM Backlot. To many modern movies!'"q