Turner Classic Movies (TCM) continues to add screen legends and beloved titles to its most star-studded festival lineup yet. The festival will pay tribute to Academy Award®-winning actress Shirley MacLaine with a pair of screenings and an in-depth interview during the 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival, set to take place March 26-29 in Hollywood. The roster is also expanding to include a salute to actor Henry Fonda by his son and two-time Oscar® nominee Peter Fonda; appearances by Emmy® and Tony Award® winner Robert Morse and Golden Globe® nominee George Lazenby; and a panel discussion with three people whose real lives and experiences have been depicted on film, including Tony Mendez (Argo – 2012), Aron Ralston (127 Hours – 2010) and Mark Schultz (Foxcatcher – 2014).
TCM will welcome Shirley MacLaine for an extensive celebration of her 60th anniversary as a film actress. The legendary star will be on hand for screenings of two acclaimed and groundbreaking films: Billy Wilder’s The Apartment (1960), which earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress, and William Wyler’s The Children’s Hour (1961), for which she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama. MacLaine will also participate in an in-depth conversation about her storied career in Club TCM, the central gathering point for festival passholders at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.
Actor and filmmaker Peter Fonda will mark the 100th anniversary of Henry Fonda’s birth with a special three-part tribute, He will join bestselling author and critic Scott Eyman (John Wayne: The Life and Legend, Print the Legend: The Life and Times of John Ford) in Club TCM to discuss the senior Fonda’s character, style, career and very unexpected antic humor from the standpoint of a loving son who himself became a symbol for a generation. Fonda will also introduce screenings of two John Ford classics starring Henry Fonda: Young Mr. Lincoln (1939) and My Darling Clementine (1946).
Stage, television and film actor Robert Morse will be at the festival to present a screening of Tony Richardson’s The Loved One (1965), the outrageously hilarious satire based of Evelyn Waugh’s novel about Hollywood and the funeral business.
Australian actor George Lazenby will introduce a screening of the action-packed thriller On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), in which he plays one of the most popular and enduring roles in movie history, James Bond.
One of the more remarkable events set to take place at Club TCM this year will be “A Surreal Existence: My Life as Portrayed in Film,“ a panel discussion featuring three extraordinary people whose real-life stories have been depicted in recent high-profile movies. The panel will include special guests:
- Tony Mendez, whose daring mission to save a group of Americans trapped in Iran served as the basis for the Oscar-winning Best Picture Argo (2012)
- Aron Ralston, whose harrowing ordeal of being trapped in a desert canyon was brought to the screen in Danny Boyle’s127 Hours (2010)
- Mark Schultz, the Olympic wrestler whose entanglements with multimillionaire John du Pont were dramatized in Bennett Miller’s Foxcatcher (2014)
Mendez, Ralston and Schultz will give firsthand accounts of their “Hollywood” experience working with filmmakers, from the excitement of casting to the surprises of creative license. They will also cover what’s fact and what’s fiction, and how their lives have been impacted by their on-screen portrayals.
Previously announced events and appearances for the 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival include the 50th Anniversary opening night gala presentation of The Sound of Music (1965) with Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer in attendance, as well as extended conversations with legendary stars Sophia Loren, who will be interviewed by Robert Osborne and participate in a screening of Marriage Italian Style (1964), and Dustin Hoffman, who will sit down with Alec Baldwin after a screening of Lenny (1974). Also featured, Spike Lee will present a screening of Malcolm X (1992); Captain James Lovell will be on hand for the 20th Anniversary world premiere restoration of Apollo 13 (1995); and legendary entertainer Ann-Margret will appear at a screening of The Cincinnati Kid (1973).
Complete bios for each of the artists appearing at the 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival can be found at the festival’s website: filmfestival.tcm.com
2015 TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL – NEWLY ADDED FILMS
The Apartment (1960) – Featuring an appearance by Shirley MacLaine
Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine star in writer-director Billy Wilder’s story about an aspiring executive who lets his superiors use his apartment for assignations, only to find his climb up the corporate ladder won’t be as easy as he thought after he falls for his boss’ mistress.
The Children’s Hour (1961) – Featuring an appearance by Shirley MacLaine
Based on the Lillian Hellman play and directed by William Wyler, this gripping drama stars Shirley MacLaine and Audrey Hepburn as the owners of a private boarding school who stand to lose everything after a conniving student accuses them of being in a romantic relationship.
Young Mr. Lincoln (1939) – Featuring an appearance by Peter Fonda
John Ford directs Henry Fonda in this fictionalized courtroom drama about the future president as a young, novice lawyer who must defend a man accused of murder.
My Darling Clementine (1946) – Featuring an appearance by Peter Fonda
Henry Fonda stars in director John Ford’s Western about how Wyatt Earp and his brothers arrived in Tombstone, Arizona, and set the stage for the infamous shootout at the O.K. Corral.
The Loved One (1965) – Featuring an appearance by Robert Morse
Robert Morse, Rod Steiger, Anjanette Comer and Jonathan Winters lead a sparkling cast in director Tony Richardson’s hilarious satire based on Evelyn Waugh’s novel about Hollywood and the funeral business.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) – Featuring an appearance by George Lazenby
Peter R. Hunt directs and George Lazenby stars as 007 in the sixth installment of author Ian Fleming’s blockbuster James Bond franchise. This time, Bond must thwart the maniacal plans of the evil Blofeld (Telly Savalas) while romancing a beautiful Contessa (Diana Rigg).
ABOUT THE 2015 TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL
For the sixth consecutive year, thousands of movie lovers from around the globe will descend upon Hollywood for the TCM Classic Film Festival. The 2015 festival is set to take place Thursday, March 26 – Sunday, March 29, 2015. Over four packed days and nights, attendees will be treated to an extensive lineup of great movies, appearances by legendary stars and filmmakers, fascinating presentations and panel discussions, special events and more.
The theme for the 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival will be History According to Hollywood:
The Old West. Medieval England. Ancient Rome. Hollywood has found endless inspiration in re-creating historical moments and bringing to life the heroes and villains of the past, creating a form of time travel for audiences through the ages and around the world. These films, however, are not always true to the historical record. Filmmakers have often created works about the past that are a reflection of the period in which they were made, or change facts to suit a particular storyline. The 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival will explore how cinema has shaped how we view – and remember – history.
TCM host and film historian Robert Osborne will once again serve as official host of the TCM Classic Film Festival, with TCM’s Ben Mankiewicz introducing various events. The festival’s official hotel and central gathering point for the sixth consecutive year will be The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, which has a longstanding role in movie history and was the site of the first Academy Awards® ceremony. The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel will also offer special rates for festival attendees. Screenings and events during the festival will be held at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX, the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres and the Egyptian Theatre, as well as other Hollywood venues.
