Robert Osborne Introductions Back to celebrate the anniversary
From left: Arthur Heller, Arlene Dahl, Jane Powell, Celeste Holm, Robert Osborne, and Van Johnson helped launch TCM at a Times Square event on April 14, 1994.
TCM Events/PR
To celebrate its 30th anniversary, TCM on April 14 will present a 24-hour marathon of movies with historical introductions from Robert Osborne and featured programming throughout the month with other employees who started with the channel, it was announced Thursday.
For more than 22 years until his death in March 2017, the revered Osbourne served as TCM’s prime-time host, bringing millions of viewers into the world of classic cinema he knew as an actor under Lucille Ball, as an Oscar historian and as a veteran. Hollywood Reporter Reviewer and columnist.
“How many other TV channels celebrate their anniversaries? How many other TV channels fans know where they were on the day the network launched? I’m not sure either of those things would be true without Robert Osborne,” Ben Mankiewicz, who took over for Osborne, said in a statement.
“It’s TCM’s Walter Cronkite. It’s TCM’s Johnny Carson. It’s Alex Trebek. With these introductions to Robert, we celebrate his influence and continuing influence. Additionally, as we do with the films we show, we’ll put Robert in context.”
When TCM debuted as a competitor to cable channel American Movie Classics on April 14, 1994, Osborne was there to introduce Gone with the Wind. This introduction and screening of the classic 1939 film will be the centerpiece of the celebration.
The host will also be seen making films with the likes of Sally Field, Drew Barrymore and Kermit the Frog while TCM hosts Mankiewicz, Dave Karger, Jacqueline Stewart, Eddie Mueller and Alicia Malone will host.
Every Thursday in April, Karger, Malone and Mankiewicz will also welcome TCM “Traditional” staff as guest programmers as part of “The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship: 30 Years of Traditional Chinese Medicine.” They range from the channel’s first president (Brad Siegel) to the teleprompter operator (Sandy Winslow).
A new short original featuring interviews with 15 veterans who had a role in the early development and launch of TCM will also be broadcast in April. It will include clips from past promotions, intros, marketing campaigns and hosted segments.
