A Tribute to Taylor

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Today is Elizabeth Taylor Day at Turner Classic Movies.

This is the kind of thing that TCM does when a really prominent actor or actress dies — and, of course, Taylor died last month. When that happened, TCM rearranged its schedule and announced a 24–hour tribute to Taylor would be aired today.

Earlier this morning, the salute began with "Lassie, Come Home" and "National Velvet." In a few minutes, "Conspirator," from 1948, will begin, then TCM will show 1950's "Father of the Bride" with Spencer Tracy (and — no offense intended to Steve Martin or Diane Keaton or anyone else who was part of the 1991 remake — the one with Tracy and Taylor was way better) at 10:30 (Central).

As befits a tribute like this, all of those movies are good — and so, too, are the others that are scheduled to air between now and daybreak tomorrow. But everyone is so busy these days. Practically no one could watch them all, not even with a fleet of VCRs and DVRs.

If you have enough time to watch just one, I could recommend several, any one of which would be a satisfying experience. (Actually, the only ones I can't recommend are the ones I haven't seen. "Father's Little Dividend," the sequel to "Father of the Bride," is in that category. But, according to what I've heard, that really is no great loss.)

Personally, my favorite Taylor film is "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" but that might be a little heavy–handed for some folks.

And Taylor was just plain heavy in it. She was in her 30s and was considered one of the most beautiful women in the world, but she gained some 30 pounds (deliberately) to play the part of the middle–aged Martha. Her performance brought her an Oscar — and deservedly so.

You can see that one at 9 p.m. if you wish.

I could also recommend Taylor's first Oscar–winning performance — in 1960's "Butterfield 8." It will be shown at 7 (Central).

But I will recommend, instead, that — if you can only watch one Taylor film today — you watch "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" from 1958. It is based on Tennessee Williams' Pulitzer Prize–winning play, and it shows Taylor, who was in her mid–20s at the time, at her best.

It's the way I suspect she would like to be remembered. She isn't the pretty girl from "National Velvet" or the teenager from "Father of the Bride." She is a mature, alluring woman — and her performance as the sultry, sexy Maggie the Cat was pretty damn good, too. She was nominated for an Oscar for it, but she lost to Susan Hayward.

It wasn't a kewpie doll role, either. Maggie was a character in a Tennessee Williams play — as such, she was a complex component of a very cerebral story.

It will be shown at 5 p.m.

Truth is, you just can't go wrong with any of the films TCM will be showing today. Watch as many as you can.

Tribute

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I don't watch the Academy Awards as much as I did earlier in my life.

One thing I always enjoyed watching on the Oscars broadcast was the annual video tribute to the people in the entertainment industry who have died in the previous year — but I was extremely disappointed last spring when the Oscars left Farrah Fawcett off the segment honoring those who died in 2009.

I don't know why she was omitted. I have my suspicions. And, as a result, I don't think I will watch the Oscars next spring — or in the foreseeable future.

However, I will continue to watch the annual video tributes that are put together by Turner Classic Movies. They are typically brief, understated and complete.

I've only seen the latest tribute (attached to the top of this post) online, but I look forward to seeing it on a bigger screen.

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It certainly seems a worthy successor to other TCM tributes, like the one that aired at the end of 2008.

The song, in case you're interested, is called "God Only Knows." The performer is Joe Henry.

That's a trademark, I guess, of TCM's annual tributes. The music that is used tends to be from someone who hasn't received a lot of attention from the mainstream listeners.

Sometimes, I suppose, that exposure provides a bit of a boost to their careers.

The 2010 tribute is done to the song "Headlight" by Sophie Hunger, a Swiss–born folk singer who is slated to release an album for the North American market in April.

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The 2007 version was set to the song "Promise" by Badly Drawn Boy.

In fact, you can see a certain continuity in the musical style, even though the performers change from year to year.

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I don't know who did the music for the 2006 video.

But it was effective, don't you think?

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Nor do I know who did the music for the 2005 video. But I think it also was effective.

There is a suitably melancholy strain that runs through the TCM videos.

And almost no one gets left out.

Watch for the latest if you are watching TCM this holiday season.

Taking a Day Off

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Many people were shocked — and rightfully so — when John Hughes died last summer.

Although this has been a year that has been filled with the deaths of prominent persons, any recap of the deceased of 2009 would be incomplete without a mention of his name. Hughes wrote, directed and/or produced some of the most popular movies of the 1980s and 1990s.

Every December, as the new year approaches, Turner Classic Movies always runs a three– or four–minute tribute to those in the film industry who have died in the year coming to a close. While I haven't seen it yet, I'm sure Hughes' name will be included in TCM's roll of honor. But TCM has more than that in mind.

Tomorrow night, TCM will show four movies that feature the work of someone who has died in 2009. They're all worth watching if you can spare the time — "On the Waterfront" at 7 p.m. (Central), "Battleground" at 11 p.m. (Central) and "Ice Station Zebra" at 1:15 a.m. (Central).

But if you can only watch one, I suggest that you tune in at 9 p.m. (Central) for "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."

You could get into a lot of arguments over which movie was Hughes' best, and you could make a good case for your choice, whether it was "National Lampoon's Animal House," "The Breakfast Club," "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," "Sixteen Candles," "Pretty in Pink" or "Home Alone."

And I'm not saying that "Ferris Bueller" is Hughes' best. To cover that objective, you'd need to devote an entire broadcasting day, not just a couple of hours, to his work.

But "Ferris Bueller" is what is being shown — and it isn't a bad way to remember Hughes' contribution to film before the year is over.

It's the kind of adventure just about every teen–ager dreams of at one time or another. Ferris calls in sick, then borrows a Ferrari and hits the streets. Technically, it is a comedy, but Hughes managed to pull off a rare trifecta in filmmaking — a movie that had a generous helping of slapstick but was disarmingly lovable and sagacious at the same time.

I guess every generation has its storyteller, and Hughes told the stories of the generation that came of age in the late 20th century.

But, though the stories were crafted to fit a certain time, they were universal in their appeal — as any truly good film about teen angst is apt to be.