TCM Classic Film Festival (2012) Picture Tour

Introduction

The film program began Thursday evening and ran from 9am to nearly midnight on Friday and Saturday, and to 9:30pm Sunday. Film venues included Grauman's Chinese Theater and Grauman's Egyptian Theater.

Start times slightly staggered, but generally five movies were showing simultaneously. The hour interval between the end of one movie and the start of the next set allowed for a quick bathroom break and fast-food meal, followed by lining up for the next show!

All the films at the festival fit into one of ten diverse programming themes, such as The Noir Style, Universal's Legacy of Horror, Films of Stanley Donen, and Legendary Costumes of Travis Banton. In addition, most of the films had a special guest in attendance. Guests included actors Kirk Douglas, Peggy Cummins and Rhonda Fleming, and directors Stanley Donen and John Carpenter.

A list of the films we saw at the festival is at the bottom of the page.

Hollywood Boulevard

The film festival is centered on Hollywood Boulevard in the historic heart of the film industry. Pedestrians and traffic are plentiful.

Hollywood Boulevard features the Walk of Fame. Each star celebrates an outstanding contributor to an area of entertainment. The symbol on the star indicates the field including film, music, television, and radio.

Historic sites along Hollywood Blvd associated with entertainment include the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Grauman's Chinese and Egyptian Theaters, Avalon Hollywood, and the Cinerama Dome.

Hollywood Walk of Fame, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.

The Hollywood Roosevelt

The Hollywood Roosevelt, which opened in 1927 at the corner of Hollywood and Orange Blvds, was the official host hotel and center of festival events.

The handsome Spanish Colonial Revival Style lobby hosted an information desk, a boutique, and Club TCM, which offered exhibits, presentations, and a place for festival pass holders to relax between films.

Grauman's Chinese Theatre

Grauman's Chinese Theatre (pictured top of page), opened 1927, enlivens the street scene. Its unusual form was modeled on the structure of a Chinese palace.

The concrete forecourt contains the pressed hand and footprints of many famous actors. Photographs of the ceremonies are featured in the waiting-line area of the Chinese Multiplex.

The handprint ceremony of the 2012 TCM festival honored Kim Novak.

Grauman's Egyptian Theatre

Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, opened 1922, charms the movie patron with exotic and colorful decorations. A long forecourt lined with palm trees leads to the entrance.

Forms and figures associated with ancient Egypt decorate the theater inside and out. Several small restaurants and shops open onto the forecourt from its east side.

Babylon Court

The Hollywood and Highland Center, adjacent to Grauman's Chinese Theatre, is a modern addition to Hollywood Boulevard. Unlike most traditional malls, many of the shops of The Center open to the street.

Film history is recalled with the Babylon Court, a recreation of the fabulous and fantastic walls of Babylon which had been constructed at the east end of Hollywood Boulevard for D.W. Griffith's monumental film, Intolerance (1916).