This Robert Osborne love fest is a treat for TCM devotees who've seen Osborne on their TV screens night after night, year after year, and would like to know more about the man behind the movie trivia. Robert Osborne has interviewed a couple of dozen classic Hollywood personalities over the years as part of TCM's "Private Screenings" series, but here, in honor of his twentieth anniversary as the face of the network, Turner Classic Movies turns the tables and the interviewer becomes the interviewee.
Alec Baldwin, who'd co-hosted three seasons of TCM's "The Essentials" series with Osborne, steps in as the guest host for this special "Private Screenings" entry. And that's not all. Several of Osborne's showbiz friends pay him tribute in heartfelt "talking head" testimonials. Liza Minnelli, Eva Marie Saint, Robert Wagner, Joel Grey, and others all have such wonderful things to say to and about him. It gets pretty mushy at times, but is about as loving a tribute as you'll ever see to a man who's still alive.
Robert Osborne's story is fascinating. From small-town beginnings in the Pacific Northwest, he made his way to Hollywood as an aspiring actor. Lucille Ball put him under contract and became a sort of mentor to him. She encouraged him to give up acting and put his enthusiasm for movies to good use as a writer. As a Hollywood journalist, Osborne would hang around the stars he'd watched growing up. He was living his dream. After years as an entertainment journalist and television personality, Osborne was in the right place at the right time to join Turner Classic Movies for its launch in 1994. He's been the on-air host and ambassador for the channel ever since.
Robert Osborne was a big-time movie buff from a young age, and what's interesting is that he loved the movies and movie stars of classic Hollywood at a time when there wasn't much of a "film appreciation" movement and a lot of the stars of yesteryear had been largely forgotten. (Osborne recalls Lucille Ball being impressed that the young Osborne knew character actors like Edward Everett Horton.) He spent his free time in college poring over old issues of The New York Times, doing independent movie research. He was a film historian when there were no careers for film historians. There was no TCM in the 1960s or '70s, but Robert Osborne carved out a niche for himself as a classic Hollywood guru and Academy Award expert.
I'd known that Robert Osborne had an acting background, and the real treat of this "Private Screenings" special is the treasure trove of rare footage of Robert Osborne as a young actor. There are clips of his TV work (a 1960s soap opera, the pilot episode of "The Beverly Hillbillies") as well as a handful of vintage commercials. Later clips show Osborne's appearances on talk shows as a movie expert.
Osborne seems to have endeared himself to just about everyone he's met. His likability has made him many friends in Hollywood and helped shape his career path. Jane Darwell took a liking to him in Washington and helped him get situated in Hollywood. There, Lucille Ball took him under her wing. Natalie Wood helped him out as an inexperienced journalist, Olivia de Havilland became a lifelong friend, and all of his showbiz connections led him to his place at TCM.
To a lot of people the name Robert Osborne is synonymous with Turner Classic Movies and it's great to finally shine the light on the man who's spent decades shining the light on others. Osborne's interview is as interesting and entertaining as any movie star's. The man is a legend himself. A must-watch for TCM fans.
Alec Baldwin, who'd co-hosted three seasons of TCM's "The Essentials" series with Osborne, steps in as the guest host for this special "Private Screenings" entry. And that's not all. Several of Osborne's showbiz friends pay him tribute in heartfelt "talking head" testimonials. Liza Minnelli, Eva Marie Saint, Robert Wagner, Joel Grey, and others all have such wonderful things to say to and about him. It gets pretty mushy at times, but is about as loving a tribute as you'll ever see to a man who's still alive.
Robert Osborne's story is fascinating. From small-town beginnings in the Pacific Northwest, he made his way to Hollywood as an aspiring actor. Lucille Ball put him under contract and became a sort of mentor to him. She encouraged him to give up acting and put his enthusiasm for movies to good use as a writer. As a Hollywood journalist, Osborne would hang around the stars he'd watched growing up. He was living his dream. After years as an entertainment journalist and television personality, Osborne was in the right place at the right time to join Turner Classic Movies for its launch in 1994. He's been the on-air host and ambassador for the channel ever since.
Robert Osborne was a big-time movie buff from a young age, and what's interesting is that he loved the movies and movie stars of classic Hollywood at a time when there wasn't much of a "film appreciation" movement and a lot of the stars of yesteryear had been largely forgotten. (Osborne recalls Lucille Ball being impressed that the young Osborne knew character actors like Edward Everett Horton.) He spent his free time in college poring over old issues of The New York Times, doing independent movie research. He was a film historian when there were no careers for film historians. There was no TCM in the 1960s or '70s, but Robert Osborne carved out a niche for himself as a classic Hollywood guru and Academy Award expert.
I'd known that Robert Osborne had an acting background, and the real treat of this "Private Screenings" special is the treasure trove of rare footage of Robert Osborne as a young actor. There are clips of his TV work (a 1960s soap opera, the pilot episode of "The Beverly Hillbillies") as well as a handful of vintage commercials. Later clips show Osborne's appearances on talk shows as a movie expert.
Osborne seems to have endeared himself to just about everyone he's met. His likability has made him many friends in Hollywood and helped shape his career path. Jane Darwell took a liking to him in Washington and helped him get situated in Hollywood. There, Lucille Ball took him under her wing. Natalie Wood helped him out as an inexperienced journalist, Olivia de Havilland became a lifelong friend, and all of his showbiz connections led him to his place at TCM.
To a lot of people the name Robert Osborne is synonymous with Turner Classic Movies and it's great to finally shine the light on the man who's spent decades shining the light on others. Osborne's interview is as interesting and entertaining as any movie star's. The man is a legend himself. A must-watch for TCM fans.