What happened to TCM?

[LocktownDog]

I come home from work tonight and make bangers and potatoes, pop open a cider, turn on TCM .... and there's Rush Hour 2. Huh? I frantically flip through the channels thinking the cable company made a horrible and inexcusable error. Nope. They apparently meant to play that "film" ... probably just to alienate me. [huh]

 

[Lincsong]

It's really going the way of A&E right before our very eyes.

 

[Rittmeister]

Tonight is a special case. It is the final night of a month long series on images of Asians in cinema. Earlier this month they had some rarely seen Anna May Wong, Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto films. That said, I have noticed that over the last few months they have been showing more late 50s and 60s films. But last month featured Sinatra and next month features big bands in film. So all is not lost yet. Until then I am recording as many films as I can.

 

[LocktownDog]

Sure. I stayed up and watched most of those Charlie Chan films a couple weeks ago. They were great. But tonight we've got Mr. Baseball and the Joy Luck Club. :eusa_doh:

 

[Rittmeister]

Not really TCM fare, I agree.

 

[BigSleep]

Remember when AMC played great classic movies with no commercials?
I havn't watched a movie on that channel since it changed.
They ruined it.
Bummer.

 

[Amy Jeanne]

I've been noticing gradual changes on TCM, too. There's definitely been a lot more 50s-60s-70s movies than ever before and a lot less 30s. I remember when I would record 3 to 5 movies in one day Now I'm recording once every few weeks. They just don't don't show as many 1930s films as they used to, and the ones they do show I already have recorded.

Maybe I've just come to the end of the line [huh]

 

[freebird]

I've noticed it as well. If I wanted to see Mr Baseball or Rush Hour I'd watch Fox Movie Channel. However, TCM has been running quite a few westerns, so I'm okay.

 

[Nathan Dodge]

This is unfortunate. I dumped digital cable (along with TCM) last September and hearing this news makes mne glad I did, as I was just beginning to miss TCM.

On a brighter note, Rosalind Russell is TCM's "Star of the Month" for July. Don't miss Fast & Loose (1939), a Thin Man-like mystery with Robert Montgomery and Roz as husband-and-wife-booksellers/crimesolvers Joel and Garda Sloane. 3am on July 22nd!

 

[Quigley Brown]

What defines a 'classic' movie? Nothing made after 1950 or something? [huh]

 

[BeBopBaby]

I've noticed that TCM plays a lot less variety in their movies as well. They used to play more movies that were "off the beaten path." Now it seems they have their standard classics and stick to playing them over and over again. I can only watch Singin' In the Rain so many times!

 

[LocktownDog]

What defines a 'classic' movie? Nothing made after 1950 or something? [huh]

Not that at all. But I think TCM has a well-defined niche market by by playing only the older films. And by "older" or "classic", I would gladly say that anything through the 1960s but no later. If I want to watch the more modern classic films, of which there are many, than there are plenty of places playing them. But how many of those other stations are playing Rat Pack movies? Or Cary Grant? Or Greta Garbo? etc etc.

 

[Spitfire]

I've noticed that TCM plays a lot less variety in their movies as well. They used to play more movies that were "off the beaten path." Now it seems they have their standard classics and stick to playing them over and over again. I can only watch Singin' In the Rain so many times!

That's how I feel about Casablanca.
I welcome the "classic" movies from the 60's and 70's.

 

[LocktownDog]

That's how I feel about Casablanca.
I welcome the "classic" movies from the 60's and 70's.

You're only saying that, because they've been showing quite a few Sophia Loren films this week. lol I know, because I've been watching too.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

What defines a 'classic' movie? Nothing made after 1950 or something? [huh]

Ah, there's the rub!

Personally, I cut it off at The Godfather, but that's just me. I once made an argument with cutting it off at "Lawrence of Arabia."

 

[ImmortalChaos]

I think that TCM should only play films before 1959. Eveything after 1960 she should go on ACM. the 60 had a different style/intent and feel because of the french new wave. to me the fnw sought to destroy films from the studio system.

 

[Paisley]

TCM showed "The Seven Samurai" the other night. That's a little off the beaten path.

 

[Feraud]

TCM showed "The Seven Samurai" the other night. That's a little off the beaten path.

TCM should tread that path more often.

 

[sixsexsix]

how are you guys taping these? on vhs?? i don't have a vhs player anymore so i haven't taped anything from tcm. we do have a recordable dvd player, but i have yet to attempt to use that feature.

 

[TheDutchess]

I seem to only catch Classic movies from TCM early in the morning, especially so on Saturday morning and thats about it. It's ashame they are going in a different route.