If you hear a contented yawn through your screen, it’s probably because I’ve just returned from Hollywood, CA, where I had the pleasure of attending my second Turner Classic Movies festival. Over the span of only four days, I managed to cram in eleven films, two museum visits, three actual meals, one burrito eaten while sprinting down Hollywood Blvd, and two trips to Amoeba Music. My suitcase is heavy with soundtrack albums, and my heart is full of memories made with fellow classic film fans. Here are some of my favorite moments from the festival, along with a bonus Gidget cocktail to put you in that SoCal mood. Cheers!

1. Mel Brooks presenting Spaceballs

As a child, the VHS copy of Spaceballs was in heavy rotation in my house, so you can imagine what a thrill it was to see the film introduced by Yogurt himself, Mel Brooks, looking spry as ever. You know that scene in The Holiday where Eli Wallach bounces up to the stage and Kate Winslet smiles with glee that this national treasure is getting a standing ovation for his unbelievable contributions to cinema? Well, I lived this scene with Mel. As he told a charming story about being the sour cream guy in a buffet line, I almost had to pinch myself that this was really happening. There was magic in that theater, and it had nothing to do with the power of the Schwartz.

2. Westward the Women

If you’ve been reading Cinema Sips for a while, then you know I don’t often post about westerns. I’ve never developed a fondness for them, due to the scripts often lacking much depth or any memorable female characters. However, Westward the Women is the exception to everything I’ve ever thought about the western genre. This fantastic movie, introduced by film historian Jeanine Basinger, is nothing but memorable female characters, and I loved how the script presented these women as fully fleshed out, three-dimensional people. They weren’t accessories or a thing to be protected on the wild frontier; they were the ones doing the protecting! These women were given a level of agency I don’t often see even in today’s films, which makes me ask the question: when is the remake happening????

3. Diane Lane presenting A Little Romance

Diane Lane is someone I’ve admired for a long time, and in person she was every bit as charming, lovely, and self-deprecating as I’d hoped she’d be. Watching her discuss the roller coaster of her career was nothing short of inspiring, and then seeing her in George Roy Hill’s A Little Romance, made when she was only thirteen years old, confirmed my belief that she is and always has been an incredibly gifted, hard-working performer.

4. The Long, Long Trailer (on the big screen!)

I’d seen this Lucille Ball/Desi Arnaz comedy before, but what was a four-star watch on my television at home was a five-star watch on the big screen. That trailer goes through some impressive (and treacherous!!) vistas, and you just don’t get the same level of tension when the mountain they’re scaling looks about as big as your hand. TCMFF offers a rare opportunity to see these films in the way they were meant to be seen, on the big screen, and in the company of people laughing just as hard as you at these comedy icons.

5. Poolside Gidget

This was my first poolside screening at TCMFF, and what a great way to spend an evening! Although I’ve had my issues with the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel (I’m still not over the lost luggage scandal of 2022), I’ve never had a bad experience at their pool. Granted, if I did this again, I’d want to arrive with hat/scarf/gloves because springtime Los Angeles is COLD after the sun goes down, but it was so fun to watch Sandra Dee surf those waves while a waitress brought me pineapple cocktails. I ended up purchasing Gidget so I could watch it again and again at home, preferably with this Pineapple Ranch Water (inspired by the version served at the Roosevelt’s Tropicana Bar). Cheers!

Pineapple Ranch Water

2 oz Blanco Tequila

1 oz Pineapple Juice

1 oz Lime Juice

6 oz Topo Chico sparkling water

Lime or Pineapple slice (garnish)

Build drink over ice, stirring to combine. Garnish with a lime slice.