Turner Classic Movies Welcomes Fans To Hollywood For 2011 Edition Of The TCM Classic Film Festival

The TCM Classic Film Festival is back for its second year, with more than 70 screenings, as well as special introductions, guest appearances, panel discussions and more. The four-day festival kicks off Thursday April 28th and runs through May 1, 2011, in Hollywood. Peter O’Toole, Kirk Douglas, Warren Beatty, Leslie Caron, George Chakiris, Roger Corman, Mariel Hemingway, Angela Lansbury, Jerry Mathers, Hayley Mills, Jane Powell, Debbie Reynolds, Mickey Rooney, Richard Roundtree, Barbara Rush, Alec Baldwin, Illeana Douglas, Chris Isaak, Rose McGowan, Mary Ann Mobley, Ron Perlman, Nancy & Tina Sinatra and Robert Townsend are just a few of the notables slated to appear. TCM host and film historian Robert Osborne serves as official host of the festival. The official Twitter of the 2011 TCM Classic Film Festival: @tcmfilmfest

A central theme in this year’s festival is Music and the Movies, with several screenings and events celebrating composers, great songwriters and the unique role music plays in the art of filmmaking. As part of the Music and the Movies programming, the festival will honor songwriters George and Ira Gershwin with several screenings, including the opening night gala presentation of the 60th anniversary world premiere restoration of An American in Paris (1951), with star Leslie Caron helping introduce the film.

Also under the Music and the Movies banner, TCM is collaborating with D23, The Official Disney Fan Club, to celebrate Walt Disney’s musical legacy. The programming will include screenings of Fantasia (1940), Disney’s Silly Symphonies and Laugh-O-Gram shorts and the live-action musical Summer Magic (1961). TCM will also pay tribute to two film music legends – composer Bernard Herrmann and “King of the Singing Cowboys” Roy Rogers – on the 100th anniversary of their births.

In addition to the festival’s celebration of music, TCM will pay tribute to legendary actor Peter O’Toole, who will be on hand for an in-depth conversation with TCM host Robert Osborne and a special screening of O’Toole’s Oscar®-nominated performance in Becket (1964). As part of the festival activities, O’Toole will place his hand and footprints in cement in front of the world-famous Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on Saturday morning at 10am, April 30.

Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas will be a special guest at the festival. The three-time Oscar nominee and honorary Academy Award® winner will join TCM host Robert Osborne for an interview on stage, leading into a screening of Stanley Kubrick’s epic film Spartacus (1960), which Douglas also produced. The evening’s festivities will include clips from Douglas’ biographical one-man show, Before I Forget (2009).

Throughout the festival, fans will have the opportunity to enjoy a wide range of films celebrating key anniversaries, many of which have been painstakingly restored. The roster of anniversary presentations includes Reds (1981), Pennies from Heaven(1981), Network (1976), Taxi Driver (1976), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), Shaft (1971), Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), West Side Story (1961), The Parent Trap (1961), A Place in the Sun (1951), A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), Royal Wedding (1951), Citizen Kane(1941) and Dodsworth (1936), to name a few. In addition, the festival will be packed with numerous rare gems, rediscoveries and fan favorites. And a special poolside screening of the Elvis Presley musical Girl Happy (1965) will take place at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on the opening night of the TCM Classic Film Festival.

The TCM Classic Film Festival is produced by TCM. Vanity Fair will serve as a festival partner and produce the exclusive, opening-night after-party that will follow the red-carpet gala screening of An American in Paris. Time Warner Cable is also an official festival partner. Delta is the official airline partner.

The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, which has a longstanding role in movie history and was the site of the first Academy Awards ceremony, will once again serve as the official hotel for the festival. The hotel will also feature Club TCM, the central gathering spot for the festival. At Club TCM, passholders can mingle with the festival’s special guests, enjoy fascinating presentations and panel discussions, browse through a variety of exhibits, or simply relax and meet new friends. Located in the Blossom Room, Club TCM will be open throughout the festival. Debbie Reynolds, Leslie Caron, Marni Nixon, Marge Champion, Debbie Allen, Peter Guber, Brett Ratner and graphic artist Michael Schwab are among the guests slated to appear.

Screenings and events will be held at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, the Chinese 6 Multiplex and the Egyptian Theatre. The latest venue added to the TCM Classic Film Festival is the historic Music Box Theatre, which celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2011. Information and a complete festival schedule are available at http://www.tcm.com/festival/index.html#/home/index. “Like” TCM on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tcmtv