The 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival: Day One

The 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival took place from April 18th through 21st, 2024.

As plans gear up for the upcoming April 2025 festival, over the next few days I'll be providing a detailed photographic look back at the most recent festival, supplementing the overview I published last April.

For many of us, as usual, the festivities began the day before the festival's official opening, in this case on April 17th. I checked into my regular festival hotel ahead of a full day's activities up and down Hollywood Boulevard.

That day I briefly popped into Larry Edmunds Bookshop, where revered film historian Jeanine Basinger and Sam Wasson, her co-author on HOLLYWOOD: THE ORAL HISTORY, were giving a talk.

As has become our habit, my husband and I had lunch at 25 Degrees at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. In this case, we had the added pleasure of a nice chat with Eddie Muller and his wife Kathleen, who were sitting at the next table.

I always make it a point to visit the festival boutique prior to the festival starting, as items sell out quickly. This year I picked up some cute TCM coasters.

I picked up my festival credential...

...and also received this fantastic media gift, a gorgeous coffee table book on Lena Horne by festival guest Donald Bogle.

We were welcomed to the media reception in "Club TCM" at the Hollywood Roosevelt by TCM's Ben Mankiewicz...

...along with Eddie Muller, Jacqueline Stewart, Dave Karger, and Alicia Malone.

Ben also introduced that year's TCM podcast THE PLOT THICKENS: DECODING JOHN FORD.

We had the chance to peruse this year's archival displays in Club TCM...

...starting with a dress worn by Ella Fitzgerald (above) in PETE KELLY'S BLUES (1955).

I was especially thrilled to see a gown worn by Olivia de Havilland in one of my all-time favorite films, THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938). It was displayed alongside an Errol Flynn costume from ADVENTURES OF DON JUAN (1948).

Above, a look at the gown as worn by de Havilland in a publicity still. Also on display, seen below, was the original Erich Wolfgang Korngold score for ROBIN HOOD. Seeing it was quite exciting, given that it's my all-time favorite film music.

It was also amazing to see John Wayne's buckskin jacket from HONDO (1953) and his hat from RIO BRAVO (1959):

A display of props used to create favorite animated TCM intros:

That evening we went to the Hollywood Heritage Museum...

...for a sold-out presentation by Kimberly Truhler on the fashions seen in several films screening at the festival.

As always, Kim's talk was fascinating and educational, and it helped ramp up the anticipation for the screenings which would begin the next evening.

It's my hope that the additional festival photos and comments I'll be posting over the next few days will be a fun look back for those who were present -- and that they also might encourage anyone "on the fence" about going this year to make plans to attend!

Related post at Classic Movie Hub: Westerns at the TCM Classic Film Festival.

Coming soon: Day Two, including the first two of the 15 films seen at this year's festival.

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