The Classic Film Festival is at its mid-point now, with lots more top films on Turner Classic Movies.
That starts Saturday morning (May 8), with some cartoons for grown-ups. It continues through Sunday night, with “Goodbye Girl” (shown here), “Fame” and more.
Or you could go to the TCM hub of HBO Max, where lots more classics are waiting. A separate story offers an overview of the festival; meanwhile, here’s the schedule, trimmed down to the final two days:
SATURDAY (May 8)
– “Tex Avery: King of Cartoons” (1988), 6 a.m., and a collection of Avery films at 7. All of them are clever and imaginative, although some are surprisingly cruel. Still, Avery had other styles of humor; one gets big laughs simply by visualizing figures of speech.
– “I Love Trouble” (1947) and “Ride the High Country” (1967), 8 and 10 a.m.
– A collection of four Mike Nichols/Elaine May radio sketches, illustrated with animation, at 11:45 a.m. That’s followed at 1 p.m. by Nichols’ masterful directing debut, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” (the searing Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor film from 1966) at 1. Both will include talks with Mark Harris, Nichols’ biographer.
– “On the Waterfront” (1959), 3:30 p.m.; Marlon Brando at his best.
– “Bullitt” (1968), 5:45; also, a chat with Jacqueline Bisset.
– “They Won’t Believe Me” (1947), 8 p.m.; restored print, returning the 15 minutes that had been removed during a re-release.
– “Lady Sings the Blues” (1972), 10 p.m.; Diana Ross is Billie Holiday.
– “Diner” (1982)), 12:45 a.m.; also, a chat with director Barry Levinson.
SUNDAY
– “Strangers on a Train” (1951), 6:15 a.m.; and “Her Man” (1930, restored print), 8:45 a.m.
– “The China Syndrome” (1979), 10:15 am.; Jane Fonda and a nuclear meltdown.
– “Princess Tam Tam” (1935), 12:45 p.m.; restored print.
– “Places in the Heart” (1984), 2:15 p.m.; Sally Field’s Oscar-winner.
– “I Remember Mama” (1949), 4:30 p.m.
– “Hollywood Home Movies,” 7 p.m. This is an amiable edition of the annual series, ranging from Alfred Hitchcock eating a banana to Humphrey Bogart sailing. This includes chats with Tony NicholaS (son and nephew of the Nicholas Brothers dancers) and Shirley Jones.
– “So This Is Paris” (1926), 8 p.m.; restored print.
– “The Goodbye Girl” (1977), 9:30 p.m.; plus a chat with Richard Dreyfuss.
– “Fame” (1980), 11:45; plus a chat with Debbie Allen.
– “Breathless” (1960), 2:15 a.m.; a French-language classic.
EITHER DAY (and beyond) via streaming on HBO Max
– A few films also on TCM, including “West Side Story” (which aired Thursday), “Bullitt” and “So This is Paris.”
– Tributes to three actors, each including two films. Danny Glover has “The Color Purple” (1985) and “Grand Canyon” (1991) … Ali MacGraw has “Love Story” (1970) and “The Getaway” (1972) … Martin Short has “Innerspace” (1987) and “Clifford” (1994).
– Five directors, introducing their films. It’s Rob Reiner with “Misery” (1996) … Barry Levinson, “Good Morning, Vietnam” (1987) … Mira Nair, “The Namesake” (2006) … Barbara Kopple, the “Harlan County U.S.A.” documentary (1976) … and Steve McQueen with his directing debut, “Hunger” (2008).
– Other popular films: “The Thin Man” (1934), “Top Hat” (1935), “The Maltese Falcon” (1941), “The Best Years of Our Lives” (1946), “A Star is Born” (1954), “The Searchers” (1956), “North by Northwest” (1959), “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (1975) and “All the President’s Men” (1976).
– Less-known films listed as “discoveries”: “So This is Paris” (1926), “T-Men” (1947), “The Mortal Storm” (1950), “Chain Lightning” (1950), “Victim” (1961), “Cleo From 5 to 7” (1962), “Scarecrow” (1973)M “The Decline of Western Civilization” (1981), “Dogfight” (1991).
– Two more-recent “discoveries,” including chats with people involved. “Antwone Fisher” (2002) is a Denzel Washington film; Fisher, whose life is portrayed, will be there. “Once” (2007) is a micro-budget film; Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, whose “Falling Slowly” beat some Disney epics to win the best-song Oscar, will be there.
– And several documentaries about filmmaking. They deal with with MGM musicals, Howard Hawks comedies, Georges Melies experimental shorts, movies about immigrants and the varied films of Michael Powell and Everic Pressburger. There are also views from both coasts – movies shot on the streets of New York and the upstart directors who formed “The L.A. Rebellion.”