This will be my eighth year attending the TCM Classic Film Festival (TCMFF), held April 13 to 16, 2022. In addition, I have been going to Comic-Con and other fan conventions for decades, so I know what it’s like to spend four or five days in a strange city living out of a hotel room and running around from the time you get up in the morning until the time you collapse in your room late at night.
This is the seventh version of this guide I've done. I've tried to refine things over the years and have decided to split this post up into three parts:
Part 1 covers the nuts and bolts of how TCMFF works.
Part 2 (this part) covers making the most of your experience.
Part 3 covers preserving your sanity in the craziness of TCMFF
What This Guide Will Not Cover
COVID-19 info will not be addressed in this guide. At the time of this writing, the information on the TCMFF website was as follows:
There are currently no plans to implement mandatory COVID-19 related health and safety protocols at the 2023 TCM Classic Film Festival. However, the health and safety of Festival attendees remains our number one priority and the Festival will continue to monitor the pandemic situation. Attendees will be subject to all applicable federal, state, and local safety precautions in place at the time of the event. In addition, TCM may, at its sole discretion, implement additional mandatory safety precautions to be determined.
In other words, look for the TCMFF website in case it changes:
https://filmfestival.tcm.com/
NOTE: I just thought of this. It probably wouldn't hurt to bring a mask and a COVID test with you, so if you feel sick, you can quickly figure out what's going on.
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Etiquette
This section covers TCMFF etiquette. The most important thing to do is silence your phone and other devices during screenings and do not take them out to post pictures, answer a text, or whatever. You might think it would be cool to take a picture of the screen on your favorite part of the movie.
Don't!!!
There are people sitting next to you and behind you, who it's their favorite part of the movie too. Don't ruin it. Just the light from your phone as you bring it up and try to find an app is insanely distracting in a dark theater. I usually put my phone in both Silent and Airplane modes during screenings. For me, most people who would be trying to contact me know I'm at TCMFF, so if I get a text, I tend to think it's an emergency and worry about it, not that I would be able to doing anything while I'm in Hollywood anyway. Be aware of other phone functions such as Alarms which may still make noises even in Silent or Airplane modes.
It's okay to tweet, post to Facebook, Instagram, whatever while you're waiting in line or sitting in the theater waiting for things to begin. Once somebody starts talking, finish up what you're doing and put your phone away. Taking pictures/video during the intro is fine, but turn off the flash. It's distracting, especially to the people talking, and won't help if you're farther than about 10 feet away.
Be considerate of those around you. It's generally considered rude to leave before the end of a screening, but sometimes it's unavoidable. If you have to duck out early, try to get to the event you are leaving from extra early and get seat on the aisle so you don't have to climb over people. If you know you need to leave at a certain time, wear a watch. A watch screen is way less distracting than your iPhone 14 Pro.
Be aware of the people behind you. If you want to stand a take a selfie, do it before the intro starts. The intro is part of the screening. You might think it's cool to take a selfie with the speakers in the background, but you're messing it up for the people behind you.
I shouldn't have to say this but:
- Don't talk during the movie.
- Don't take any pictures during a screening.
- Don't check your phone for any reason during a screening.
In an emergency, if you absolutely need to use your phone, go into the lobby. You're not going to be able to help anyone from a movie theater anyway.
Planning
If you are a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type of person, I wish you lots of luck. Me, I figure out the entire schedule ahead of time. Then I don't have to worry about it. I usually know any blocks I'm iffy about and will be able to switch gears without dwelling on it in the moment. If you wait until you get out of one movie to decide what you're going to see next, you may be too late by the time you get there.
Once you’ve figured out what you want to see, you should probably try to get to events a half hour ahead of the start time, possibly earlier. If it’s something you’d be crushed if you missed, shoot for an hour early, especially if it's in the smallest theater. This is the theater that is likely to have to turn people away at certain times. They hadn't announced the TCL Chinese 6 theater sizes when I wrote this (only that they were using three screens), so I wasn't sure which theater that would be.
How do you get to the screening a half hour or more ahead of time? You should be able to figure out the end times by looking at the schedule. Anytime you have a longer break between events is a good opportunity to get some food that doesn’t come in a bucket with fake butter and salt. Do keep in mind that the smallest theater is going fill up fast, a half hour ahead of time might not be enough. Try to get there earlier if possible. This also counts for Club TCM events. In Club TCM, there are booths on the side and rows of chairs on floor near the fairly low stage. Toward the back of the room is a bar for standing, but once the room gets full you're may not be able to see well standing in the back.
One last thing, if you’re planning to change clothes between the daytime and nighttime screenings, figure out which break you’re going to use to go back to the hotel and change.
Ovation Hollywood Mall
The TCL Chinese 6 and the TCL Chinese IMAX are located in the Ovation Hollywood mall. You'll be spending a lot of time there. The mall is sort of a tourist mall. Most malls are fairly easy to get around in. This mall, not so much. It was designed so that you can explore, with an eye toward wandering around and getting lost. This means that you may not always be able to tell what level you're on or how to get up or down one level, or most importantly if you're on the correct level for the TCL Chinese 6. If you have a spare hour before the festival starts, go over and find the TCL Chinese 6 and figure out how to get from there to the Chinese IMAX and how to get in and out of the mall itself. It should be easy. It’s not. Note any stairs and escalators you run across. The time you get lost is bound to be the time you have the least time to spare. If you see any interesting fast food, see if they have a To Go menu. It might be the only hot meal you get some day. Note that there may be construction going on at the Ovation Hollywood mall, and this might affect some of this info. Fortunately, things like stairways and escalators are very expensive. You don't just rip them out or move them willy nilly, but you never know. They might be resurfacing or changing the hand rails. Last year, the entrance/exit to the mall that would have been the most direct way to and from the mall and the Legion Theatre was closed for construction. Hopefully, that won't be a problem this year, but you never know.
If you cannot do stairs or escalators, I strongly suggest you go to the mall ahead of time and find the elevators. I've never taken them, but they have to have some.
Hollywood Blvd
Hollywood Blvd is a nightmare. Okay, let me clarify. Hollywood Blvd is a tourist trap, and that makes it a nightmare. The worst part of it is the stretch between N Orange Dr, where the Roosevelt is, and N Highland Ave. Yes, Hollywood Blvd does have its charm. Okay, charm is putting it a bit strong. The first time I was in Hollywood was in the early 1990s, and the bloom was gone off the rose even back then. I do get that there is some appeal to Hollywood Blvd like the history and the Sidewalk Stars, but during TCMFF, you're better off avoiding it as much as possible.
I avoid it simply because there's too many people in the way, people taking selfies, Party City Spiderman and others of his ilk trying to get you make a donation to take your picture with them, people trying to sell tours you don't have time for, panhandlers, you name it, all in your way when you're trying to get somewhere. It's almost always better to find another way unless you're going to someplace right on Hollywood Blvd.
Right in the middle of that stretch of Hollywood Blvd is the El Capitan Theatre. The El Capitan is Disney's flagship theater. Last year, the El Capitan was used for one screening (The Jungle Book, 1967). I would be great if they did something like that again like that this year. Still, the El Capitan could be a problem. If there is a premiere or some event has nothing what-so-ever to do with TCMFF as has happened in years past, the sidewalk might be closed or they might have you cross the street when you don't want to, another reason to avoid Hollywood Blvd if you can.
To be honest, west of Orange Dr and in particular east of Highland, Hollywood Blvd gets better and is worth exploring, just you won't have much time during the Festival. Me, I've never felt unsafe on Hollywood Blvd, but admittedly, my tolerance for that might be significantly higher than yours. I do keep my eyes open, and I suggest you do too.
Getting Around at TCMFF
The following map that is mostly to scale. The size of the buildings in relation to the streets could be off by bit. The map makes it look simple. It isn't. The TCL Chinese IMAX is on the street level. The main level of the mall is up one level from street and the TCL Chinese 6 is up one level from the main level, I think. From different parts of the mall you may need go up more than one level to get to the same place. It's weird, but that's just the way it works. Note that the numbers in blue circles are entrances/exits to the mall. These are my numbers, just so the map would make sense. If you go up to someone in the mall and ask where entrance 5 is, they won't have a clue what you're talking about. There may be other entrances/exits, but I think I have all of them now. These are the ones I know about or could see from a Google Maps. I'm pretty sure there is an entrance to the mall from the Loews Hotel; if staying there, I would find that and figure out how to get to the TCL Chinese 6 and IMAX that way before everything starts. On the map, entrance 2 is a tunnel that goes from the mall to where Orchid ends. If you turn right after leaving the mall at entrance 2, you'll go past some entrances to parking garages and come out about where entrance 3 lets out.
Going to TCL Chinese 6
From the Roosevelt, if you cross N Orange Dr and Hollywood Blvd, you'll be standing in front of Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. If you follow the sidewalk to the left of the wax museum (north on Orange Dr.), you'll come to a traffic circle where tour buses line up. Coming from Franklin Ave., take Orange Drive south to the same spot. Follow the traffic circle around to the back, and there's an entrance to the mall up some stairs (entrance 1 on the map). If you go in this way, where you come into mall, there will two sets of stairs going up on the left. One goes to the mall business office. The other goes to the same level as the TCL Chinese 6, about 30 feet from the door. Find this stairway. It will save you a lot time.
From Orchid Ave, there is a tunnel (entrance 2) that enters the mall right where Orchid Ave ends that will put you into the mall on the main level.
From the Loews Hotel, if staying at the Loews Hotel, there is an entrance to the mall directly from the hotel. I've never stayed there, so I don't know how it works. Thus, it's not on the map, but if you're staying there it's worth the trouble of finding.
From East of N Highland Ave (closer to Hollywood Blvd), go in through either Entrance 4 or 5. Entrance 6 will work as well, but it's longer, and you'll spend more time dodging people on Hollywood Blvd.
From East of N Highland Ave (closer to Franklin), simple, entrance 3. You should be able to see this entrance as you're coming south on Highland Ave.
Going to Chinese IMAX
The thing you need to think about with the Chinese IMAX is the way they run the lines. The Spotlight VIP line is in the Courtyard, and probably most of it, if not all, is contained there. The other passholder line starts in the courtyard, but only accommodates the first 40 or 50 people. After that, it restarts at the top of the escalator from the Chinese IMAX and winds through the mall and out entrance 1, down the traffic circle and back toward Madame Tussaud's. At least, that's the way they ran it previous years. Don't worry if it goes back that far. It's a huge theater. You'll probably still get in.
If have a Spotlight pass or if you're getting there an hour early, just go to the front of the theater on Hollywood Blvd, though if you're coming from Highland, you might still be better off going through the mall.
If you're coming from the Roosevelt/Orange Dr and you don't have a Spotlight pass and you're not getting there an hour early, come in through entrance 1. You'll probably hit the end of the line about the time you're coming into the mall.
If you're coming from Highland Ave, you're probably still better off coming through the mall (just to avoid Hollywood Blvd) and head toward the Chinese IMAX. You'll probably hit the line before you get there, and if you have a Spotlight pass, you can take the escalator down, show your badge, and get through that way.
Going to Hollywood Legion Theater
See map below. I didn't include most of the streets north of Franklin. They veer to the west and wouldn't help you anyway. It is a bit of a trek, and you are going up a bit of a hill on the way there. Google maps says it's 0.6 miles (Roosevelt Hotel to Legion Theater) compared to 0.3 miles (Roosevelt Hotel to Egyptian Theater, not being used this year). Google calls it a 14 minute walk. I do think you could shave a minute or two and maybe a tenth of a mile by taking Johnny Grant Way or cutting through the mall as indicated below. The TCMFF web site calls it a 15 to 20 minute walk. Last year, they did have a shuttle. No word on that yet for this year. Toward the end of the Festival last year, they announced the shuttle a lot, making me think it was probably underused. Possibly, this would affect whether they do the shuttle again this year.
Note: The intersection of Hollywood and Franklin is a very busy intersection. Most streets have three lanes of traffic going each direction. It didn't bother me, but I do keep my eyes open and make sure that the cars that look like they're stopping really are. If you're uncomfortable, crossing Franklin at Highland, you can do whatever you need to take Orchid Ave north and cross Franklin there. It is marginally longer.
From Hollywood Roosevelt, you have three options:
- Go north up Orange across the Traffic Circle (really just a parking lot, you can walk straight across). The red line is Johnny Grant Way a service/access road/alley that connects Orange Dr to Orchid Ave. It doesn't have any sidewalks so you'd need to keep an eye out for traffic especially at night. Then take Orchid north, right on Franklin, then left on Highland.
- Go north up Orange to the Traffic Circle and into the mall at entrance 1 and out the mall at entrance 3. From there, you're almost on Highland and just go north to the theater.
- Go north up Orange across the Traffic Circle to Franklin, turn right on Franklin, then left at Highland. Definitely longer but you don't have to deal with the mall or an access road.
I would not go Hollywood Blvd to Highland, unless you're trying to pick up food or something on the way.
From the TCL Chinese 6 and IMAX, go through the mall and exit from entrance 3. Then north up Highland to the theater. Entrance 3 was closed off for construction last year. It should be open now.
From east of Highland, just go north on Highland to the theater. Franklin jogs at Highland about a block north. Where it starts again is the last crosswalk if you're on the wrong side of the street. Highland's a pretty busy street. I don't think I'd want to j-walk it.
A few Legion Theater tips that I might or might not follow, well, I'll follow the last one definitely:
- Someone suggested, because of the distance, just going to all of the screenings at that venue to avoid having to go back and forth. I can't see going that route unless the schedule was very very cooperative. I might let it sway me if I was on the fence about a block and was already going to be up there.
- There's not much in the way of food up that way, a Subway just north of where Franklin jogs on the east side of the street, and handful of restaurants, most of which are only open for dinner. Last year, there was a food truck (spicy chicken) semi-permanently parked near the sidewalk at the Holiday Inn Express, but it doesn't seem to be there anymore. At least, it's not shown on Google maps now. I'm bummed. It was really good. I did hear good things about the food at the Legion Theater itself, and I do vaguely, remember that the sandwiches at the snack bar looked good.
- Someone suggested that if going to the Legion theater at night, walk in packs. Me, I'd be more worried about just crossing Franklin at night. Still, I think if you were heading there close to the time a screening was getting ready to start, there's bound to a dozen or more people heading there at the same time, so it's quite likely you would be in a pack already anyway.
- The Legion Theater has a great vintage bar in the basement. Be sure to check it out even if you don't drink.
Research
Take the time to read everything you can find on the website, http://filmfestival.tcm.com/. Search for blog posts like this one. A good source of info is Twitter, follow @tcm and search on the #TCMFF hashtag. There will be lots of good tips there. Also you might want to join the Going to TCM Classic Film Festival! Facebook group (link at the end of this post). I'm sure other social media sites have similar. Google the people being listed as guests and follow them on social media if you find them, you never know, you might be standing next to one of them at Starbucks, and it will give you something to talk about. If they are showing one of your all-time favorites, read the Wikipedia and IMDB pages about the film. You’re sure to pick up some interesting tidbits that most people don’t know. You can look smart to other people in line.
Smartphone App
TCMFF Guide Book
Each year, TCM publishes a guide book listing all of the films and other events, guest bios, and other valuable info. Everything you need to know about the festival will be in there. In the past, it has been printed in a small format, but I wouldn't call it pocket size, well, not unless you have very large pockets. Now, I know what you're thinking. If everything is in the guide book, why do you need the app? Well, S*** Happens. Guests might get sick and have to cancel at the last minute. Maybe there's a new book coming out, and they don't know whether or not copies will be available for a signing at the time they go to press. And again the TBA screenings, I swear, I will get to that in this post.
You can pick up your guide book when you arrive and get your pass/badge. Per the web site, passes will be available for Will Call pick up at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel beginning Wednesday, April 20th. 2023 festival passes will not be shipped. I'm sure this is due to COVID. Currently, there is no plan for testing/vaccine verification, but if a new variant arises, that may change. No hours for pass pickup were posted when I wrote this. We'll find out later, via e-mail/web site.
You should be able to get a guide book at the Information Desk (ground floor) in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Information Desk hours from 2022 were I think: Thursday, 10 am-8 pm; Friday/Saturday, 8 am-8 pm; and Sunday, 8 am-6 pm. Presumably, they will be comparable this year. If you lose or forget your guide book at the hotel, the Information Desk should be able to get you a new one.
Travel
Earlier I said, read everything you can. Well, I know how you can get busy and time can get away from you, especially when preparing for a trip/vacation. Most people are going to have a good 5 or 6 hours travel time getting to TCMFF. Make some printouts or save copies to your tablet or whatever to read in the airport and on the plane.
Are you the type who likes to buy souvenirs? If so, are they going to fit in your suitcase? You might want to consider bringing a Priority Mail Flat-Rate box. If you’re worried about items getting lost or damaged in the mail, you can always mail home your dirty clothes.
Post offices:
1615 Wilcox Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028 (hours, 9 am to 6 pm, Mon to Fri; 9 am to 3 pm, Sat; closed Sun), about 6 blocks east of Highland and half a block south of Hollywood Blvd.
1425 N Cherokee Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028 (hours, 9 am to 5 pm, Mon to Fri; 8:30 am to 3:30 pm, Sat; closed Sun), about three blocks east of Highland Ave. and a block south of Sunset.
Other shipping options:
Mail and More on Hollywood, 7095 Hollywood Blvd. (hours, 10 am to 5 pm, Mon to Fri; 10 am to 3 pm, Sat; closed Sun), much closer, about two blocks west of the Roosevelt. It is a private shipping place, so you may pay more. Then again, it's much closer to the Festival than either of the Post Offices.
FedEx Office Print & Ship Center, 1755 N Highland Ave, Hollywood, CA 90028 (hours, 9 am to 5 pm, Mon to Fri; closed Sat/Sun), about a block north of Hollywood and Highland. You'll probably pass it multiple times on the way to and from the Legion Theater during the Festival.
It might even be worth calling your hotel and see if they can mail for you.
Pick Up the Phone
- Say your hotel's web page says free internet, but you want to make sure it's in the room, not just in the lobby, call them.
- You're traveling partner has food allergies, and you want make sure the restaurant you're planning to go to the night you arrive can accommodate, call them.
- You know you're taking an extra bag, but the shuttle service from the airport's doesn't say anything about extra-baggage, call them.
Use Social Media to Your Advantage
Me, I only do Facebook and Twitter, so I can only speak to those with any authority. On Facebook, I suggest joining the Going to TCM Classic Film Festival! group. It's a great place to meet people, make plans, and ask questions (link below). TCM has a very active presence on Twitter. Even if you have never been on Twitter, it might be worth the trouble of creating an account just for TCMFF. Make sure that you follow @tcm and monitor the #TCMFF hashtag. There is also a #TCMParty hashtag that a lot of people use to talk about classic movies and live-tweet to whatever is playing on the network. The immediacy of Twitter make it a good platform for interacting with others in close to real-time. I'm sure if you are on Instagram, Tumblr, or other social media, you can find similar by searching for TCMFF. If you do meet people on social media and click with them and think it might be fun to have lunch or something, make plans early. People's schedules fill up quick. Hmm, note to self: There probably needs to be a TCMFFr app, so you can swipe right for film festival hookups. I've been making this joke for years, but I swear one of these years I'm going to do it.
Choose You Own Path
Be Flexible
Despite all of your planning, leave yourself a little wiggle room. Each year, they leave four or five TBA slots open on Sunday to repeat films that turned people away earlier in the Festival. The TBAs will be announced fairly late on Saturday. This could be your chance to see something that you had to skip or got locked out on earlier. On the TBAs, bear in mind that certain things probably will not be repeated. A silent film with a live orchestra may not be repeated just because the musicians would have to be available on short notice. Also, I don't see them repeating a film that overflowed the 900-seat Chinese IMAX. Showing it again in a 200-seat theater probably wouldn't make enough difference to be worth the trouble.
in 2018, we were about 20 people back from getting into a rare screwball comedy, but it didn't look like we going to make it into the theater. The TCM Festival staff announced that another screening of a French-language film noir still had plenty of seats. We switched gears and that turned out to be one of our favorite films that year. It’s perfectly okay to switch things around. You might be late getting to a screening and get shut out. Check the schedule, you might be able to get into something else. Maybe, you figured that you’d be too tired for any of the midnight movies, but you get out of that last screening and feel really pumped and want to keep going. Go for it.
Maybe, there is a block that you’re not particular enthused about. This is the perfect chance to get a real meal or even sneak back to the hotel for a nap. Last year, my wife and I weren't psyched on anything in the late Friday evening block and decided to get a late Italian dinner at Micelli's. We ended up running into Ruth Mundsack from the Facebook group along with a three people from Chicago (Ruth knows everybody). We joined them for dinner. We had just come from a screening of The Letter that Alicia Malone had introduced and interviewed a woman who had been Bette Davis' personal assistant toward the end of her life and written a book about it. Alicia Malone was good, but the interview was terrible. This woman didn't want to talk about Bette Davis. She wanted to talk about her own life as it pertained to Bette Davis. No matter what Alicia did to try to get her back on track, this woman was having none of it. It turns out Alicia was having dinner at Micelli's as well. She had seen Ruth in the audience and came up to our table to ask if she had done anything wrong or could have done anything different. We were all supportive. She did fine. No, that woman wanted to talk about herself and not Bette Davis. The end result was my wife and I had a great meal, good company, and got to get a picture with Alicia Malone, all because we took a break.
Try Something New
To a certain degree, this is going to vary from person to person to person. Maybe, you've never been to one of the midnight or poolside screenings, try to find a way to make that happen. Maybe, you've never seen a silent film with live accompaniment. Maybe, you're the type of person who puts a premium on seeing films you've never seen before over old standards that you've seen a bunch of times. Know that seeing something like Casablanca in the TCL Chinese IMAX in a packed theater with an audience who knows the film by heart is a way better experience than seeing it on the big screen at the multiplex at a Fathom Events screening with 30 people.
My second year at TCMFF, they did a special presentation on the history of Technicolor. I thought it sounded really cool, but I decided on something else instead. Afterwards, everybody was raving about how cool the Technicolor thing was. The next year I decided to not make the same mistake twice and went to the Vitaphone presentation. Vitaphone was the first technology to make talking motion pictures viable on a large scale, and the presentation was awesome.
Just try to step outside of your comfort zone at some point during the Festival. Maybe, it works out. Maybe, it doesn't work out so well. Just know that it's actually kind of hard to make a bad decision at TCMFF.
Try to See Something Besides Inside of a Theater
Even if you only have a couple of hours to spare, take advantage. Maybe you can squeeze in one of the tours. If you keep going east on Hollywood Blvd, things start to get less cheesy and you'll find things like vintage clothing stores and cool bars and restaurants. Also it seems like more of the sidewalk stars that direction are Golden Age Hollywood people. Me, I want to try to have a meal at Musso and Frank's again and maybe a trip to Amoeba Records. Amoeba Records has moved to a smaller location (6200 Hollywood Blvd), but trust me, it's still a very good record store and quite likely has a better selection than similar places where you live. They also have a great selection of DVDs. It is close to a Trader Joe's (1600 Vine St) if you need supplies and a minor classic film landmark (Chateau Alto Nido Apartments, 1851 Ivar Ave, William Holden's apartment in Sunset Blvd), all very close to Hollywood Vine Metro station if you want to save the 1 mile walk.
About 4 blocks east of Highland on Hollywood Blvd. is Larry Edmunds Bookstore, great bookstore, specializing in movies and theater, and they will ship if you don't want to make your suitcase heavy with a bunch of books. They also often have book signings to coincide with TCMFF. Keep an eye out for announcements as we get closer.
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is now open and well worth the trip. Last year, I posted a note on the Going to the TCM Film Festival Facebook group, and ended up sharing an Uber and starting with breakfast with Sharleen, Sharon, and Shelley at Dupar's Restaurant and Bakery, about a 10 block walk from the museum. Also, the Museum does have a cafe, and I heard good things about it from just about everyone who went there.
This year, I am doing the walking tour of the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. This one has been on my TCMFF bucket list for some time.
If there is somewhere you want to go, it might be worth it to call and see that they are still there, or that their hours haven't changed, especially post-COVID. Several years ago, I did a series of posts on my favorite TCMFF Sidetrips, and half of them are no longer there. See links at the bottom of this post for the ones that are still relevant.
Talk to People
You probably wouldn’t know but I’m kind of an introvert. Oh, I’m fine talking to people if I feel have a reason to or if I think I have something in common with them, but in some social situations, I clam up or spend the whole time talking to the people I already know. Know that pretty much anybody wearing a TCMFF badge is someone you have something in common with, probably way more than most of your friends back home. This is your tribe. Revel in it. By Saturday, almost anyone you talk to has seen at least one of the same movies you have over the course of the Festival. At any given time, there are about five or six things going on at once. If you’re standing in line, everyone else in that line has just passed up four or five other things that under normal circumstances they would love to see. If that’s not something in common, I don’t know what is. If you’re shy, try the following conversation starters:
- What have you seen so far? A lot of the time it’s things you saw too or something you really wanted to see, but had to skip for something you wanted to see more. If it’s one of those rare titles, you can find out whether it was worth it. This may help you decide on those TBAs on Sunday.
- What’s your favorite thing so far? You might get some great stories: Eddie Muller was very funny. Or I was standing in line for coffee with Ben Mankiewicz.
- And don’t forget the standard ones: Where are you from? How was your trip?
Festival Boutique
No word at this time, but I'm sure there's going to be a place to buy Festival t-shirts etc. In years past, they have taken over part of a shop in the mall. Last year, there was a stand in the courtyard of the Chinese Theater. I'm sure there will be similar this year. Check the website for details as the become available.
Swag
I like to think of TCMFF as Comic-Con for classic film fans. At Comic-Con, you can't walk 20 feet without having someone give you swag. For those not in the know, swag is cool free stuff, or sometimes just free stuff. There is not a lot of swag at TCMFF, but it does exist. TCM does hold events for things like the TCM Wine Club. Will there be swag there? I honestly don't know, but there might be. Of course, maybe you'll have to join the Wine Club to get it, but if you were planning to anyway, it might be cooler than what you would get otherwise.
Most years, Beth Accomando and Miquel Rodriguez of Film Geeks San Diego, do some sort of swag and/or cookies for the midnight movies, but you have to go to the midnight movies to get them. My favorite were the Sean Connery, banana hammock gingerbread cookies for Zardoz back in 2017:
Roughly 98% of the swag at TCMFF is buttons. Before TCMFF about four years ago, I made rather flippant remark on Facebook about buttons. I said, if you didn't get any buttons, it's because you didn't try. Of course, several people responded, I didn't get any buttons. How do you get buttons? Well, here you go.
A lot of people make buttons to give out at TCMFF. Maybe they are promoting their classic film blog or podcast. Maybe they're doing it because they like Burt Lancaster or think Mary Wickes is the greatest. Anyway, if you want buttons, find someone who has some buttons, tell them you like them, and ask where they got them. Maybe they ordered them online before the Festival. Maybe they got them the year before. Maybe they got them the day before from a guy wearing a Buster Keaton hat. Then again, maybe they got one from the woman over there in the green dress, and she still has some. You go up and ask her, and she gives you one. Yea!
You may need to ask five people, ten people, twenty people, thirty people. Maybe you will get some buttons. Maybe, you won't, but what if you don't. Is it bad that you talk to 20 or 30 people you wouldn't have talked to otherwise? If you see someone with a lot of buttons, ask them. Often the reason people have a lot of buttons is that they are giving them out and got them in return. They probably have some on them and would be happy to give you one.
Another way to get buttons is look on social media. A lot of the people who order buttons to give out at the Festival will post pictures of them on Twitter, Facebook, or whatever ahead of time. "Hi everybody, my Lana Turner buttons came in today." When you see things like this, like them. Post comments about how cool they. Follow or friend them. Send them a direct message. When it gets closer to the Festival, figure out which events they are going to and find them and ask for a button. See what I did there? I just recommended that you cyberstalk someone to get a Lana Turner button. Don't worry. In the realm of cyberstalking, this is about as benign as it gets.
Finally, if you really want buttons, go out and get some. Find an image you like, ignore the fact that you don't own the copyright. Yes, I know this is wrong, and illegal, but you're probably not going to get caught, though to be safe, I might steer clear of Disney. Then order some buttons. If you're not real tech savvy, find someone to help you. You probably have a nephew who can help. If that is too much trouble, just do one with text. Most button making sites will allow you to type in the text you want to put on the button. Say you like, Casablanca, do buttons that say, "Kiss me as if it were the last time."
The reason everyone does buttons is that they're cheap and easy to do. The first place I looked at just now was charging $46 for 100 buttons counting shipping. You might be able to do better if you look around. Figure on about 50 cents each for 100 buttons, which is plenty. If you get a button-making kit, you might be able to do better by printing them at work, though it seems to me that the cost of the button making kits has gone up dramatically since COVID. At this point it might be better to just order them. Probably allow for about 2 weeks for deliver for the best prices.
If you give out a hundred buttons, you're probably going to get some in return. Are you going to get 75? Maybe not. You might only get five, but likely you'll get quite a few. You're definitely going to get one, because you're going to keep one for yourself. And it's going to be one you like, because you picked out what to put on it. You got a button that you love, and it only cost you a 50 cents (or 50 dollars), depending how you look at it. Score (or not).
Anyway, nowhere is the old adage it's better to give than receive more true than with buttons and TCMFF. The point is not getting buttons. The point is giving them. Where else can you make people happy for 50 cents. If you give a homeless guy 50 cents, he's going to look at you like you just took a dump in his sleeping bag. If you like buttons, order some. You'll get one, and you'll make 99 other people happy. It's the best 50 bucks you'll ever spend in your life. By the way, if you do make some buttons, it's probably better not to put the TCM logo on it. TCM is in the business selling stuff with their logo on it. They probably wouldn't confiscate them or anything, but it is their pool we're playing in. We should respect that.
If you decide to do swag, now, would be the time to figure it out. You need to allow time to get them ordered and delivered. You wouldn't want to have them arrive the day after you leave for Hollywood. I am probably doing some sort of swag this year, but I'm not sure what. I did these last year to give out at The Sting.
Several years ago, I did these. I got a really great smirk from Ben Mankiewicz when I handed him one.
If they ever show A Place in the Sun, I'll do them again.
Swag You Really Don't Want
One last word of warning. As you wander Hollywood Blvd, people are going to try give you stuff. Don't take it. Once a young man came up to me and said, "Here, have a free CD." In a moment weakness and exhaustion, I accepted. He then proceeded to ask me for money for the free CD he had just given me. And then didn't want to take it back when I said no. Trust me, you don't need that kind of headache.
Shameless Plug
Last year, I broke down and ordered some enamel pins (to sell). They came out really nice, and if I sell 10 or 15 more, I'll actually break even.
You can order them at: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1177079470/asta-dog-enamel-lapel-from-classic-film.
Also, I will be selling them in-person at TCMFF, $10 cash.
Related links
If you're on Facebook, consider joining the Going to TCM Classic Film Festival! Group. It's a good place to meet people and ask questions.
My TCMFF Sidetrip posts from several years ago:
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