And the best Black and White movie ever is:

[NogbadTheBad]

It would nice if someone like Amazon Fire Stick or Roku would just pick up TCM. It is a niche audience that watches TCM's programming but it is a very fervent and loyal audience. Turner needs to cut some deals.

I watch it on hulu

[ronmac]

"The Big Sleep" is on TCM tonight at 8:00 PM

[nycsteve]

I vaguely remembered you commenting on losing TCM but I didn't remember the details. Obviously, you can disregard what I said about not streaming in FL.

So, now I have to ask: are you a snowbird?

I have Cablevision in NY with TCM so I can stream in FLA. Not a snowbird yet. I bought a small place in the Keys a few years ago and inherited a renter who takes the 6 month winter. He's a good guy and can keep coming back as long as he likes. He has 3 years with me and 8 or 9 total at the place. Comcast is actually cheaper than Cablevision. In Fl I get internet and cable , Starz / Encore , whoever has the Western channel for 65 a month. It costs me 70-80 just for internet in NY and its slower. All was well till the leeches screwed me out of TCM. Oh , by the way , f**k them!!

[ronmac]

Tonight on TCM at 8:00.

[Hal...]

"The Big Sleep" is on TCM tonight at 8:00 PM

The first time I saw it I read up on it in Maltin's movie guide first. From the review (I love this):

So convoluted even Chandler didn't know who committed one murder, but so incredibly entertaining that no one has ever cared.

I had recorded it so I watched it again, writing down who killed who and who couldn't have killed who. There aren't enough clues to figure out who the killer is for that one particular murder.

I bought a small place in the Keys a few years ago...

And you will be extending invitations to some of the participants of this thread, correct? <cough>me<cough>

Oh , by the way , f**k them!!

[nycsteve]

Hal ; "
And you will be extending invitations to some of the participants of this thread, correct? <cough>me<cough>"

What type of streaming services can you bring with you?

[Lopez]

From Xfinity's FAQ page:

Why did you move Turner Classic Movies?
Every month, Comcast pays programmers like networks, local TV station owners and others, for the ability to bring their programming to you. We regularly review our programming and sometimes make changes to ensure we're offering a wide variety of programming at the best value. We look at a variety of factors, including customer viewership and programming costs when making these decisions. Viewership of TCM is low, as over 90% of our customers watch less than two movies per month. Given this, we decided to move TCM to the Sports Entertainment Package, which will help us manage programming costs that are passed on to our customers while continuing to make the channel available to those who want to watch it.

Yeah, except you gotta pay extra.

Just going by pure economics, why does it make sense to Comcast if they have a channel that's not getting a lot of viewership they decide to make it more expensive? Seems to me they'll get even fewer viewers.

[Jerjo]

A month ago I tried the password for my brother's streaming because he was getting the MLB network and my cable package didn't (insert here rant about baseball running a playoff game on a channel most of the country doesn't get). Somehow those fuckers at Xfinity blocked me even though I had all the info to sign in. Now maybe this was just MLB they were blocking but who knows.

[Hal...]

What type of streaming services can you bring with you?

Only Netflix & Amazon Prime. I also have recipes for piña coladas and a couple of drinks I invented called Caribbean Sunset and Mintini.

Just going by pure economics, why does it make sense to Comcast if they have a channel that's not getting a lot of viewership they decide to make it more expensive? Seems to me they'll get even fewer viewers.

My brother suggested the reason is that the majority of people watching TCM are older people - especially the 70+ crowd - who have more disposable income. He makes a good point. They love the Hallmark channel and TCM and channels like that.

One of the things I thought of when I saw Xfinity's comment re:TCM on their FAQ page was that there will probably come a time in the not too distant future when TCM no longer has an audience. There has got to be a lot fewer people interested in those older movies than there were 20 or even 10 years ago. The generation that grew up with those movies when they were newish is mostly gone. I lost both of my parents in the past 3 years and I'm sure some of you guys have lost some. How many people are left that were born before 1940? And let's face it, most Boomers aren't interested in old movies. And as for Gen Xers, Millenials, and Zeds? I saw a video of a 30something year old person who didn't even know who John Wayne was!

[Jerjo]

TCM is also big among musical theater geeks because it is the only channel that runs the old musicals. Again, that's a small audience but it is another rabid one.

[Staun]

It's true. If TCM isn't part of your package, it's hard as heck to get. And I don't believe it has a small viewership. Jerjo is right, they need to cut some deals. That list that Hal put up of channels, was that ever sick. Everything I don't want.

[Staun]

Tonight on TCM at 8:00.

Ron, did we decide that it was a porn ring at the center of this? Our old friend, Elisha Cook Jr., appears here to. I thought Dorothy Malone was most attractive in the film. Just a small role.

[ronmac]

TCM doesn't just show old movies. They have been increasingly showing newer ones.

[ronmac]

Ron, did we decide that it was a porn ring at the center of this? Our old friend, Elisha Cook Jr., appears here to. I thought Dorothy Malone was most attractive in the film. Just a small role.

I got so distracted from this movie by an untimely phone call that I missed a lot and have no clue.

[Staun]

I got so distracted from this movie by an untimely phone call that I missed a lot and have no clue.

Well, I've always had this idea because of Carmen sitting in the chair in a drunken state and the photos going around. She was going to be a model. Maybe Hal has an idea on this. I know there has been confusion about this film.

[Staun]

TCM doesn't just show old movies. They have been increasingly showing newer ones.

Trying to bring in a bigger audience. I known they have been doing this but as long as these are at least "good" movies, I see no harm.

[Jerjo]

Every 70s/early 80s movie I've seen listed on TMC has been a major film. We're good.

[Hal...]

Well, I've always had this idea because of Carmen sitting in the chair in a drunken state and the photos going around. She was going to be a model. Maybe Hal has an idea on this. I know there has been confusion about this film.

I've always thought it was either some sort of porn ring or an extortion scheme. Bacall's younger sister was photographed in a compromising situation and was being extorted for it. Am I remembering that correctly? Or was it just that the photos were to be sold and whoever paid the most got them? It's been a while since I've seen it. Sorry.

I ended up watching Duck Soup last night. At least until I fell asleep. It's been a long time since I've seen a Marx Bros movie and I really had no expectation of anything actually making me laugh. So glad I was wrong. I forgot how much I love the bit where Harpo makes people hold his leg. And then the person's reaction of angrily pushing his leg away.

To me, Harpo's right up there with Stan Laurel and Buster Keaton.

My roommate/fwib, who's from Ethiopia, kept saying things like, "that makes no sense" or "that's just silly", and then asking me why something was funny. I told her it must be a cultural thing because I couldn't explain it.

[BobM]

Saw a new B&W movie on limited runs in theaters this season, starring William Defoe. it's called Lighthouse. A must see art film with stellar cinematography and acting. Highly recommended, done in the old style.

[GuitarGeek]

Every 70s/early 80s movie I've seen listed on TMC has been a major film. We're good.

Wait, how are we defining "major film" here? I'm not sure I'd call flicks like Ghoulies, Tentacles, Night Of Dark Shadows, or some of the other pictures they show during late night hours to be "major films".

[Hal...]

TCM doesn't just show old movies. They have been increasingly showing newer ones.

Trying to bring in a bigger audience. I know they have been doing this but as long as these are at least "good" movies, I see no harm.

Something to consider: in the mid to late '90s, they were showing movies originally released in the '60s, roughly 30 years later. It's 2019. 30 years ago, it was 1989. And TCM's library not only consists of old movies, but movies made by MGM up to the mid '80s.¹

Of course, it depends on what your definition of "classic" is. One is "exhibiting timeless quality." Another, euphemistic definition is "traditional; original." So, many of their movies are just oldies.

And let's face it. Even many of those oldies they show aren't very good. Going with Maltin's 4 star rating system, I've seen movies listed in the schedule that got 2 and even 1½ stars in Maltin's movie guide. Can't recall if they've ever shown a "bomb". So, it follows that if they were showing '60s movies in the '90s and not every movie is a "classic" in the sense it's timeless, then today we should expect duds from the '80s.

Personally, I don't mind.

[ronmac]

TCM just spent an entire month showing crappy movies every Friday night. None of those Godzilla flicks were more than two stars. They show terrible movies all year. If they only focused on three stars and above, they'd be repeating more than they do. I don't mind watching a weak one every once in a while. Hell, some of my favorites are only two stars.

[Lopez]

TCM just spent an entire month showing crappy movies every Friday night. None of those Godzilla flicks were more than two stars. They show terrible movies all year. If they only focused on three stars and above, they'd be repeating more than they do. I don't mind watching a weak one every once in a while. Hell, some of my favorites are only two stars.

I don't mind a cheesy movie every once in a while, too. Two I thoroughly enjoyed that TCM showed recently are Caged Heat and Chamber of Horrors (both in color).

[Hal...]

If they only focused on three stars and above, they'd be repeating more than they do.

Exactly. Plus, the way I look at it, it frees me up to watching something else. I only have so many hours a day I can watch TV.

Two I thoroughly enjoyed that TCM showed recently are Caged Heat and Chamber of Horrors (both in color).

I noticed that. I think I saw Caged Heat at the drive-in. I like that movie. Cheesy? Yes. But it's women in prison with nudity. What's not to like?

BTW, that was Jonathan Demme's first movie.

And now that I think about it, it might have been part of a double-feature with Chained Heat, the prison movie with Linda Blair who had a "memorable" shower scene.

[GuitarGeek]

And now that I think about it, it might have been part of a double-feature with Chained Heat, the prison movie with Linda Blair who had a "memorable" shower scene.

I thought the Linda Blair prison movie that had "the memorable shower scene" was Born Innocent:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Born_I...the_rape_scene