Turner Classics Massacre
American Spectator,
by
Lou Aguilar
Original Article
Posted By: mc squared,
6/26/2023 11:21:04 AM
For the past decade, my television viewing had alternated almost exclusively between Fox News and Turner Classic Movies, with the occasional PBS British mystery. In the two months since Fox fired Tucker Carlson, it has been only TCM. The vintage film channel is a unique window on the richness of 20th century America through its defining art form — cinema. /snip/ Now the marvelous vintage film network is in mortal danger, once again due to the stupidity and ineptitude of corporate executives, in this case those at the parent company, Warner Bros.
Reply 1 - Posted by:
Jethro bo 6/26/2023 11:40:59 AM (No. 1499927)
A Century in the making, mere minutes for Woke morons to destroy it. How fragile success can be even after a Century of hard work ro build success.
39 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
marbles 6/26/2023 11:53:59 AM (No. 1499942)
TCM has gone woke since Robert Osborne died. Movies with a lecture ....." Gone With the Wind ". Pride month celebrated with gay icons and documentaries, Junteenth celebrated. And there's Ben Mankiewicz ,a jerk who's in on a pass. He related to truly great Hollywood people, Joe and Herman Mankiewicz. Ben ? Snarky and dumb. He pronounced " Berkeley Square ", Burkly not Barkly , the movie is set in London , Barkly is the correct way. He called Michael Cimino ,. Simino not Chimino. None of this is live , why no retakes? Of all the other hosts only Eddie Mueller is a good fit. He does Noir Alley and he does it well.
26 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
mc squared 6/26/2023 11:59:16 AM (No. 1499946)
Mueller is a superior host and movie historian. Check out his books on crime/noir movies
21 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
Heil Liberals 6/26/2023 12:09:37 PM (No. 1499956)
The Hollywood heavyweights (many worth over $1 billion or hundreds of millions) would do well to step up and buy TCM. Put their money where their mouth is. My guess is that the next request will be for the government to support TCM or buy it outright under the PBS brand.
18 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
Ida Lou Pino 6/26/2023 1:28:08 PM (No. 1500007)
The talent on display in the big studio movies - - made between 1930 and 1960 - - is truly astounding. And not just the great actors and actresses - - but the writing, directing, art directing, set designing, lighting, sound, makeup, wardrobe.
There is nothing remotely like them - - zero - - in the so-called films made today - - which is why I haven't visited a movie theater in this century.
26 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
Timber Queen 6/26/2023 1:38:13 PM (No. 1500011)
OP - The snarky Brit gal was the reason I finally dropped Dish a year ago. I, too, was only hanging on to "cable" TV for the joy of TCM. I turned on the TV one day and, as always, checked out TCM first. I could catch the last 45 minutes of "My Fair Lady". The movie ended. I'm happy and smiling. Then that Brit "woman" comes on with, "I know what you're thinking, That terrible misogynistic ending, 'Eliza, get my slippers!', after that beautiful scene of Eliza's self-actualization when she threw the bumping bus out of the house!" I was so mad, I turned off the TV. That night I talked to TK about how we could set up the big TV in the living room to show live streaming. The bonus to the process was the fun I had with the Dish disconnect rep, trained so expertly to get customers to stay. It was the perfect opportunity to give conservative commentary about entertainment content. When I tired of playing with the mouse, I delivered the kill line, "Face it, you're in a dieing industry. What cable and satellite did to broadcast TV, live streaming is doing to you."
I knew the day would come when TCM would have to go away. It was a living library of America in her all her glory in the 20th century. It was becoming too stark of a comparison to the dystopian reality the Marxist Democrats have created in its place. I agree with #4, the Hollywood heavyweights should by TCM, and run the channel themselves like other live streaming subscription services.
15 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
Daisymay 6/26/2023 1:52:40 PM (No. 1500021)
It's hard to find something decent to watch no matter who your Provider is. I went on NETFLIX last night, all set to watch a Movie, and couldn't find anything worth watching. After 30 minutes of searching, I finally settled on watching Friday Night Lights for the second time!! Loved that Series! Not interested in the Smut and F-Word laced Crap offered, once in a while a good Documentary will be offered, but they are sometimes in a foreign language. So, I will be happy for a week or so of watching Friday Night Lights again!
8 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
Ashley Brenton 6/26/2023 2:04:10 PM (No. 1500029)
How much money can it possibly take to run TCM anyway? I imagine it is comparable to your nearest public television station.
11 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
DVC 6/26/2023 2:04:42 PM (No. 1500031)
TCM makes up a good bit of our TV viewing these days, perhaps 30% and much of the rest is old TV westerns. A lot of the old, obscure NON-famous movies are actually quite good stories, with lots of good acting and writing. FAR surpassing the hideous drivel which is most of Hollyweird today. INSP is another great staple at our house, and they are now creating new content, pretty well done, so far.
We have marched through ALL the Gunsmoke episodes, many multiple times, all of Cheyenne, and ar currently working through both Wagon Train and Rawhide. Young Clint Eastwood is great fun, doing a fine job as Rowdy Yates. Interestingly, I have a grand nephew named Rowdy, and bought my last new John Deere tractor from a salesman named...Rowdy. He was about 26 or so, and knew where it came from, but had never seen the TV show.
Avoiding all of "modern network TV" is our firm commitment. Only one show has survived the debasement of long running TV series, and we will still watch it --- Blue Bloods. All the rest have gone, one by one, too many obnoxious affirmative action actors replacing long running white characters and too many homosexuals pushed into the scripts. That got many shows clicked permanently off, one by one.
19 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
moebellini3 6/26/2023 2:57:14 PM (No. 1500066)
For at least the last few months TCM has been playing pure garbage. Especially this past week. I view the lineup every day and I'm watching the station les and less. Pathetic.
8 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
ramona 6/26/2023 3:17:18 PM (No. 1500074)
There are many YouTube channels on which people post movies from just about any era, genre, featuring specific actors and actresses and producers etc. I wish we had a chat room to share some of these. I grew up without movies so I am having a ball finding all kinds of worthwhile films. And I agree that in another era the costuming, acting, story lines - all so much more substantial and aesthetically pleasing than most new films. A few weeks ago I watched "Jeannie" (1941), starring Michael Redgrave. One more, "Christopher Bean" (1955), starring Thelma Ritter. Oh, and "Mudlark"(1950) with Irene Dunn, and Alec Guinness. When I discover an actor I like, I search for more of their films. I like quite a few Hal Roach flicks too.
Only cost is the microwave popcorn.
Ramona (the Pest)
17 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
formerNYer 6/26/2023 4:51:00 PM (No. 1500139)
We like TCm and watch it all the time. #3 is right Eddie Mueller is terrific with the film noir every Saturday night late or early sunday morning (same film). Today they are celebrating Eleanor Parkers birthday, some good old films. Shoot the Indians dead early today, good stuff from my childhood. Just showing films from the earlier era's is politically incorrect by today's standards. Too bad get over it. Ben Mankiewicz is a knowledgable host too.
5 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
earlybird 6/26/2023 5:43:08 PM (No. 1500168)
We recdord almost everything we watch so that we can do our own editing. Bye, bye, annoying anything… We watch TCM for the movies, so the hosts end up on our own cutting room floor.
5 people like this.
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It was the same in this household. TCM, Carlson, and occasional Brit TV. If TCM falters, why keep the cable?