Seneca Irving - 2021 All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

all time are Eastern USA - check your local listings
It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie Tomorrow, 12:00 AM / FAM-E 52 Kermit the Frog and the Muppets have to scramble to raise money to save the Muppet Theater when the bank owner who holds their mortgage wants to transform the building into a casino, and they receive assistance from an angel.
Christmas Cookie Challenge - Mr. and Mrs. Claus Tomorrow, 12:00 AM / FOODTV 56 Five cookie makers try to imagine what Christmas Eve looks like for Mrs. Claus for the decorating challenge, then for the display challenge, they have to craft fireplace mantels out of cookies, using Brazil nuts, hazelnuts or macadamia nuts.
Christmas at Pemberley Manor Tomorrow, 12:00 AM / HALMRK 68 When an event planner is sent to organize a small town's holiday festival, she meets a grumpy billionaire with the perfect estate to host her event, but when the two start planning the festivities, they suddenly find themselves falling in love.
Once Upon a Christmas Miracle Tomorrow, 12:00 AM / HALLMV 84 After a young woman is told that she has less than a few months to live without a liver transplant, she meets a Marine, who is a perfect match and whose organ donation could save her life, and they soon develop a friendship which leads to romance.
A Christmas Kiss Tomorrow, 12:00 AM / UP 145 Priscilla Hall's socialite boyfriend, Adam Hughes, causes quite the battle between Priscilla and her assistant, Wendy, as the battle for his attention while decorating his home for the holidays.
The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show - This is Your Life?; Robert Edwin Peary Tomorrow, 12:00 AM / SPROUTHD 1109 / HDTV Mr. Peabody and Sherman decide to help Hobson do all of the items on his life bucket list on live television; American explorer Robert Edwin Peary sets off on his trek to the North Pole but stops off at Santa Claus's workshop along the way.
A Christmas Wish Tomorrow, 12:01 AM / LIF-E 38 After some encouragement from her sister, a young woman decides to write down her hearts greatest desire and place it in a wooden wishing box at the park, but she questions which man she is meant to love when her wish is granted.
My Christmas Love Tomorrow, 2:00 AM / HALMRK 68 A woman's return to her small hometown takes a turn for the mysteriously romantic as she begins receiving gifts from an anonymous holiday admirer using the "12 Days of Christmas" as inspiration, giving her hope in finding true love.
The Perfect Christmas Present Tomorrow, 2:00 AM / HALLMV 84 When a businessman's friend asks him to find the perfect Christmas gift for his girlfriend, he ends up gradually falling in love with her, while doing research on her, and feels guilty as his emotions are torn between his love and his friend.
Will & Grace - A Little Christmas Queer Tomorrow, 2:00 AM / LOGO 147 The gang decides to head to Will's mother's house to join his family for a Christmas celebration, where Grace begins to warm up to Will's brother and an old flame; Jack stays busy helping to organize a special Christmas show.
The Magical Christmas Shoes Tomorrow, 2:06 AM / LIF-E 38 A young woman rediscovers the wonders of Christmas and finds herself falling in love after she steps into a pair of magical shoes.
Christmas Cookie Challenge - Center of the Season Tomorrow, 3:00 AM / FOODTV 56 Eddie Jackson presents a decorating challenge to the cookie makers where the design must be baked into the cookie itself as the judges decide which baker succeeded, then the competitors must make centerpieces made of cookies, using herbs and spices.
The Town Christmas Forgot Tomorrow, 4:00 AM / HALLMV 84 Just days before Christmas, a family's car breaks down in a town where the economy is struggling and they have little money, so the town organizes a Christmas Eve Pageant, and enlist the family's help to arrange the event.
Christmas at the Chateau Tomorrow, 5:15 AM / SHOFAM 248 A group of sisters attempt to save a historic mansion and beloved family home in their town from a corrupt bank that plans to foreclose on Christmas, but things get complicated when a sister falls in love with one of the bankers.
My Christmas Dream Tomorrow, 6:00 AM / HALMRK 68 A department store manager who wants to get to run the store's new Paris location promises the owner the store's best holiday display ever and then runs out of ideas, going to a recently-fired employee with artistic talents for inspiration.
Come Dance with Me Tomorrow, 6:00 AM / HALLMV 84 An investment expert enrolls in a waltz class to impress his fiance for Christmas, however he soon falls for his new teacher, and quickly becomes ensnared in a series of untruths when he discovers his business may ruin her dance studio.
Family Matters - Fa La La La Laaugghh! Tomorrow, 6:00 AM / TVONE 146 Despite Carl's disapproval, Steve continues to put up Christmas decoration on the house, but when Carl learns of an upcoming contest, his attitude changes; Laura and Eddie's absence from the family's Christmas activities saddens Harriette.
Annie Tomorrow, 6:03 AM / ENCORFM 378 A spunky girl who lives in an orphanage is chosen to spend the Christmas holidays with a billionaire who grows to love the child, and wants to adopt her, but her true happiness may be jeopardized by the scheming headmistress of her orphanage.
A Golden Christmas Tomorrow, 8:00 AM / LIF-E 38 A recently widowed woman decides to return to her childhood home in hopes of making a new beginning for her and her son, but her plans are impeded when she realizes that the house she grew up in has already been purchased by someone else.
A Christmas Detour Tomorrow, 8:00 AM / HALMRK 68 Two passengers with clashing personalities cross paths again in their airport hotel after their flight is forced to change course and must find a way to work together so that she can reach her destination in time for her wedding.
Christmas Song Tomorrow, 8:00 AM / HALLMV 84 The holiday season increases the already-high tension when two choral groups who were formerly rivals but have now been merged into one school must compete in a televised Christmas song competition with their directors' jobs at stake.
Transformers Rescue Bots - Christmas in July Tomorrow, 8:00 AM / D-KIDS 102 When a scorching summer hits Griffin Rock, a weather machine is built to counteract the heat, but when the contraption goes awry, it causes a colossal storm, so Cody, his family and the Rescue Bots must battle the blizzard.
Christmas at the Chateau Tomorrow, 8:15 AM / SHOFMW 256 A group of sisters attempt to save a historic mansion and beloved family home in their town from a corrupt bank that plans to foreclose on Christmas, but things get complicated when a sister falls in love with one of the bankers.
Annie Tomorrow, 9:03 AM / WAM-W 389 A spunky girl who lives in an orphanage is chosen to spend the Christmas holidays with a billionaire who grows to love the child, and wants to adopt her, but her true happiness may be jeopardized by the scheming headmistress of her orphanage.
Finding Christmas Tomorrow, 10:00 AM / HALLMV 84 After men from New York and North Carolina decide to switch residences during the holiday season, each one encounters a woman from the other's life, and as romance ensues, the time for each person to return home approaches.
Puppy Dog Pals - The Bird Beard; The Royal Egg Hunt Tomorrow, 10:00 AM / DIS-E 40 Santa and Mrs. Claus' summer vacation is threatened by a peculiar problem that the Keia and the pugs are ready to help them overcome; the pugs set off on a mission to retrieve a valuable jeweled egg that belongs to the queen of England.
Prancer Returns Tomorrow, 10:30 AM / FAM-E 52 When an eight-year-old boy finds a baby reindeer, he believes that it is one of Santa Clau's reindeer, named Prancer, and he wants to return him to the North Pole in time for Christmas Eve, thus teaching his family the true meaning of Christmas.
PAW Patrol - Pups Save a Bah Humdinger! Tomorrow, 12:00 PM / NIC-E 36 / New Mayor Humdinger is being very naughty on Christmas Eve and it's up to the Paw Patrol to help Santa and save Christmas.
Christmas Crush Tomorrow, 12:00 PM / LIF-E 38 As the holidays approach, a woman is excited to attend her upcoming high school reunion and hopes to run into her former sweetheart, and while reminiscing her school days, she considers another person she knew that could be "the one that got away."
A Christmas Miracle Tomorrow, 12:00 PM / HALLMV 84 When her boss steals her idea for their magazine's cover story, a magazine assistant goes in search of a Christmas miracle to write about with the help of her son and the staff photographer.
The Incredible Dr. Pol - Santa Paws Tomorrow, 12:00 PM / NGEOWILD 148 During the Christmas season, Dr. Pol has to handle castrations under less-than-ideal conditions, while Dr. Brenda tries to heal a reindeer in time for mating season; Dr. and Mrs. Pol serve as Grand Marshalls and Charles plays Santa for the holidays.
Annie Tomorrow, 12:23 PM / ENCORFM 378 A spunky girl who lives in an orphanage is chosen to spend the Christmas holidays with a billionaire who grows to love the child, and wants to adopt her, but her true happiness may be jeopardized by the scheming headmistress of her orphanage.
Last Christmas Tomorrow, 12:35 PM / HBO 201 A young woman who appears to have an endless amount of bad luck decides to accept a job working as an elf in a year-round Christmas store, but after a man enters her life and her life starts to change, she wonders if it's all too good to be true.
The King of Queens - Net Prophets Tomorrow, 1:00 PM / CMTV 45 Doug receives a sizeable bonus for Christmas, and Carrie refuses to entertain any option besides investment; Arthur gets into a heated competition with the neighbors over which of them can build the biggest yard ornament for the holidays.
My Best Friend's Christmas Tomorrow, 1:30 PM / SHOWOM 244 When a woman returns home for the holidays hoping to reconnect with her high school sweetheart, she meets his new girlfriend, so to escape the embarrassment, she and her best friend fake their own holiday romance, but her fake feelings turn real.
Christmas 9 to 5 Tomorrow, 2:00 PM / LIF-E 38 A crime beat reporter embarks on an undercover mission at a department store, where she pretends to be a sales clerk as she investigates the true meaning of Christmas and finds the love of her life during an unforgettable holiday season.
Welcome to Christmas Tomorrow, 2:00 PM / HALMRK 68 When a resort developer is tasked with finding a location for a new property, she finds herself in a small town, whose mayor sets on a mission to convince her to pick the charming area as the setting for her new ski resort.
Time for You to Come Home for Christmas Tomorrow, 2:00 PM / HALLMV 84 After her husband has passed away, a young woman returns to her hometown, where she meets a veteran who is on his own holiday journey, and as Christmas comes near, they learn of a bond that may be the Christmas miracle that they need.
Malcolm in the Middle - Christmas Trees Tomorrow, 2:00 PM / FUSE 109 Hal and the boys come up with a scheme where they can sell Christmas trees for some extra holiday-spending cash, but encounter a problem when members of the local clergy take offense to what they are doing and pressure them to stop.
The Top Ten Revealed - Rockin' Christmas Songs Tomorrow, 2:00 PM / HDNET 1303 Guests Dee Snider, Don Felder, Alan Parsons and Sebastian Bach reveal some of the best songs about Christmas to get one in the spirit of rocking.
The Family Stone Tomorrow, 2:10 PM / HBO2 202 A successful businessman brings his straight-laced and uptight fiancée home to meet his free-thinking, high-spirited and rebellious family for Christmas, but he runs into problems after he tries to give her the heirloom wedding ring.
Last Christmas Tomorrow, 2:25 PM / HBOL-W 214 Una joven que parece que la mala suerte la sigue a todos lados, decide aceptar un trabajo en una tienda en la época navideña, pero se tiene que disfrazar de elfo, así que cuando conoce a un apuesto joven, su vida cambia para siempre.
Annie Tomorrow, 3:23 PM / WAM-W 389 A spunky girl who lives in an orphanage is chosen to spend the Christmas holidays with a billionaire who grows to love the child, and wants to adopt her, but her true happiness may be jeopardized by the scheming headmistress of her orphanage.
In Living Color - Veracosa: Mistress of Destruction Tomorrow, 3:30 PM / ASPIRE 180 Comedy sketches include: "Vera DeMilo: Veracosa, Mistress of Destruction," "Cephus and Reesie: Christmas Album," and "Homey the Clown: Homey Clause."
Last Christmas Tomorrow, 3:35 PM / HBOWAL 208 A young woman who appears to have an endless amount of bad luck decides to accept a job working as an elf in a year-round Christmas store, but after a man enters her life and her life starts to change, she wonders if it's all too good to be true.
A Christmas in Tennessee Tomorrow, 4:00 PM / LIF-E 38 When a real estate developer comes to White Pines, Tennessee, three bakers and the townspeople must find a way to prevent the man from building a ski resort on top of their town, but an unexpected visitor with a sweet-tooth may have a solution.
Scrooged Tomorrow, 4:00 PM / AMCALL 64 The executive of a major TV network nearly ruins a holiday after he fires a low-level aide, exploits his good-hearted secretary and trashes a holiday show on Christmas Eve, but visitations from various ghosts manage to show him the error of his ways.
On the 12th Date of Christmas Tomorrow, 4:00 PM / HALMRK 68 Two game designers who hardly seem compatible with each other work together to organize a large scavenger hunt with a romantic "12 Days of Christmas" theme.
Meet Me at Christmas Tomorrow, 4:00 PM / HALLMV 84 When her sons wedding planner unexpectedly quits, his mother must coordinate his Christmas Eve wedding with the help of the brides uncle, but as they work alongside each other, they discover that their fates and pasts are intertwined.
My Best Friend's Christmas Tomorrow, 4:30 PM / SHOWMW 252 When a woman returns home for the holidays hoping to reconnect with her high school sweetheart, she meets his new girlfriend, so to escape the embarrassment, she and her best friend fake their own holiday romance, but her fake feelings turn real.
The Family Stone Tomorrow, 5:10 PM / HBO2W 209 A successful businessman brings his straight-laced and uptight fiancée home to meet his free-thinking, high-spirited and rebellious family for Christmas, but he runs into problems after he tries to give her the heirloom wedding ring.
It Happened on Fifth Avenue Tomorrow, 5:25 PM / WTVT-DT2 613 / MOVIES! When a family leaves their luxurious New York City mansion unattended for a vacation during the Christmas holiday season, a small group of homeless people decide to utilize the opportunity to make the residence their home for a few days.
Christmas a La Mode Tomorrow, 6:00 PM / LIF-E 38 A dairy farmer is determined to keep her family's legacy alive in the midst of hard times by hosting an ice cream flavor contest during Christmas, but her sister intends to sell off her shares if she cannot raise enough money in time.
Christmas Town Tomorrow, 6:00 PM / HALMRK 68 A woman decides to leave her old life behind in Boston and to set sail on a new chapter in her career and personal life, but a detour to a different town leads her to make new and unexpected discoveries about the heart and family.
Looks Like Christmas Tomorrow, 6:00 PM / HALLMV 84 Two single parents battle for control of the Christmas holiday at the middle school their children attend and learn a lesson about the true meaning of Christmas, and they also wind up opening themselves to the possibility of a new romance.
Family Matters - Fa La La La Laaugghh! Tomorrow, 6:00 PM / TVONE 146 Despite Carl's disapproval, Steve continues to put up Christmas decoration on the house, but when Carl learns of an upcoming contest, his attitude changes; Laura and Eddie's absence from the family's Christmas activities saddens Harriette.
Annie Tomorrow, 6:27 PM / ENCORFM 378 A spunky girl who lives in an orphanage is chosen to spend the Christmas holidays with a billionaire who grows to love the child, and wants to adopt her, but her true happiness may be jeopardized by the scheming headmistress of her orphanage.
Jingle All the Way Tomorrow, 8:00 PM / TNT 33 A mattress salesman with the habit of putting his work ahead of his family scrambles around the city fighting crowds and other overzealous parents in a desperate search for the prized toy of the year, a Turbo Man, for his attention-starved son.
A Taste of Christmas Tomorrow, 8:00 PM / LIF-E 38 After learning her cousin has to cancel the Christmas Eve launch of her new restaurant, a woman tries to find a way to make the opening happen, but she must convince the restaurant chef they can pull it off with three days until Christmas.
Christmas with the Darlings Tomorrow, 8:00 PM / HALMRK 68 After an assistant gives her final notice, she gets drawn into helping the younger brother of her wealthy boss as he looks after his orphaned nieces and nephew through the Christmas season.
Top Elf - Tis the Season to be Top Elf Tomorrow, 8:30 PM / NIC-E 36 For the second time in history, Santa Claus transports seven extraordinary elf contestants to the North Pole to compete for the title of Top Elf, and social media star Addison Rae joins Santa and Ms. Jingles to judge life-sized advent calendar.
Great Performances - Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn: The Broadway Musical Tomorrow, 9:00 PM / WEDU-DT 3 / PBS / HDTV The Broadway adaptation of the classic 1942 movie musical "Holiday Inn," showcases the score by Irving Berlin, with big dance numbers, comedy and a hit parade of some of the songwriter's famous songs, including the Oscar-winning "White Christmas."
An Old Fashioned Christmas Tomorrow, 9:00 PM / HALLDRMHD 1124 / HDTV When an aspiring writer and her wealthy grandmother travel to Ireland to get her work published, they meet a family who are in desperate need of her fortune and try to make her fall in love, so they can inherit her wealth.
Annie Tomorrow, 9:27 PM / WAM-W 389 A spunky girl who lives in an orphanage is chosen to spend the Christmas holidays with a billionaire who grows to love the child, and wants to adopt her, but her true happiness may be jeopardized by the scheming headmistress of her orphanage.
Christmas at the Plaza Tomorrow, 10:00 PM / HALMRK 68 With the holiday season approaching, an archival historian in a declining relationship gets hired to create an exhibition to honor the history of an event, and she ends up working with a decorator and soon finds herself falling in love.
A Very Charming Christmas Town Tomorrow, 10:05 PM / LIF-E 38 A travel and lifestyle blogger heads to a small Danish town in California to write about their extravagant Christmas celebration, but she clashes with the local community coordinator assigned to give her a tour of the village.
Biggest Little Christmas Showdown Tomorrow, 11:01 PM / HGTV 57 / New A group of miniaturists, people who make and collect miniature objects, competes to create tiny holiday homes and villages that boast a Christmastime theme, and the winning exhibit is to be recreated as a full-size vacation home

Tuesday, September 01, 2020
(1:15 AM) (drama) L'Eclisse (1962/126 m/Michelangelo Antonioni)
(3:30 AM) (western) Lost Command (1966/129 m/Mark Robson)
(6:00 AM) (suspense) The 39 Steps (1935/87 m/Alfred Hitchcock)
(7:45 AM) (suspense) The Lady Vanishes (1938/96 m/Alfred Hitchcock)
(9:30 AM) (suspense) Foreign Correspondent (1940/121 m/Alfred Hitchcock)
(11:45 AM) (suspence) Suspicion (1941/99 m/Alfred Hitchcock)
(1:27 PM) (short) Men In Fright (1938/11 m/George Sidney)
(1:45 PM) (suspense) Stage Fright (1950/110 m/Alfred Hitchcock)
(3:45 PM) (suspense) Dial ‘M’ For Murder (1954/105 m/Alfred Hitchcock)
(5:32 PM) (short) Third Dimensional Murder (1941/7 m/George Sidney)
(5:45 PM) (suspense) The Wrong Man (1956/105 m/Alfred Hitchcock)
(7:34 PM) (short) Wrong Way Butch (1950/10 m/David Barclay)
(8:00 PM) (premiere) Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema (episode 1) (2019/60 m/Mark Cousins)
(10:45 PM) (documentary) Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema (episode 1) (2019/60 m/Mark Cousins)
Wednesday, September 02, 2020
(12:00 AM) (premiere) Olivia (1951/96 m/
(1:45 AM) (premiere) Sleepwalking Land (2008/96 m/Teresa Prata)
(3:30 AM) (premiere) Seven Beauties (1975/117 m/Lina Wertmuller)
(5:30 AM) (premiere) Je tu il Elle (1975/86 m/Chantal Akerman)
(6:57 AM) (short) Over The Counter (1932/18 m/Jack Cummings)
(7:15 AM) (premiere) Madchen In Uniform (1931/89 m/Leontine Sagan)
(9:00 AM) (comedy) La Cienaga (2001/101 m/Lucrecia Martel)
(11:00 AM) (musical) Yolanda and the Thief (1945/108 m/Vincente Minnelli)
(1:00 PM) (musical) Call of the Flesh (1930/100 m/Charles Brabin)
(2:45 PM) (musical) Fiesta (1947/102 m/Richard Thorpe)
(4:30 PM) (musical) Pan-Americana (1945/84 m/John H. Auer)
(6:00 PM) (romance) Latin Lovers (1953/104 m/Mervyn Le Roy)
(8:00 PM) (musical) Sweet Charity (1969/148 m/Bob Fosse)
(10:45) (drama) All That Jazz (1979)
Thursday, September 03, 2020
(1:00 AM) (musical) Cabaret (1972/124 m/Bob Fosse)
(3:15 AM) (premiere) Star ‘80 (1983/103 m/Bob Fosse)
(5:15 AM) (documentary) A Well Spent Life (1971/44 m/Les Blank)
(6:00 AM) (suspense) The Window (1949/73 m/Ted Tetzlaff)
(7:15 AM) (comedy) Having Wonderful Time (1938/70 m/Alfred Santell)
(9:30 AM) (drama) Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975/107 m/Peter Weir)
(10:30 AM) (adventure) Corvette Summer (1978/105 m/Matthew Robbins)
(12:15 PM) (romance) A Stolen Life (1946/107 m/Curtis Bernhardt)
(2:15 PM) (drama) The Southerner (1945/93 m/Jean Renoir)
(4:00 PM) (comedy) The Seven Year Itch (1955/104 m/Billy Wilder)
(5:49 PM) (short) Mackinac Island (1944/9 m/James A. FitzPatrick)
(6:00 PM) (romance) Summer of ‘42 (1971/104 m/Robert Mulligan)
(9:00 PM) (drama) The Story of Louis Pasteur (1936/86 m/William Dieterle)
(9:45 PM) (drama) The Story of Dr. Jenner (1939/10 m/Henry K. Dunn)
(10:00 PM) (drama) Sister Kenny (1946/116 m/Dudley Nichols)
Friday, September 04, 2020
(12:01 AM) (short) See Your Doctor (1939/8 m/Basil Wrangell)
(12:15 AM) (drama) Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet (1940/103 m/William Dieterle)
(2:15 AM) (drama) Arrowsmith (1931/99 m/John Ford)
(4:15 AM) (adventure) Yellow Jack (1938/83 m/George B. Seitz)
(5:47 AM) (short) Her Honor, The Nurse (1956/8 m/Harry W. Smith)
(6:00 AM) (drama) Madame Curie (1943/124 m/Mervyn Le Roy)
(9:15 AM) (documentary) Hollywood: The Dream Factory (1972/51 m/Mark Woods)
(9:30 AM) (comedy) Some Like It Hot (1959/122 m/Billy Wilder)
(11:45 AM) (comedy) The Apartment (1960/125 m/Billy Wilder)
(2:00 PM) (comedy) The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1974/98 m/Melvin Frank)
(4:00 PM) (comedy) The Sunshine Boys (1975/111 m/Herbert Ross)
(6:00 PM) (comedy) The Goodbye Girl (1977/111 m/Herbert Ross)
(8:00 PM) (premiere) The T.A.M.I. Show (1964/113 m/Steve Binder)
(10:15 PM) (documentary) Let The Good Times Roll (1973/99 m/Sidney Levin)
Saturday, September 05, 2020
(12:00 AM) (documentary) Elvis: That’s The Way It Is (1970/95 m/Denis Sanders)
(1:45 AM) (documentary) Divine Madness (1980/94 m/Michael Ritchie)
(3:30 AM) (documentary) ABBA: The Movie (1977/97 m/Lasse Hallstrom)
(5:30 AM) (documentary) MGM Parade Show #4 (1955/26 m/?)
(6:00 AM) (crime) The Biggest Bundle Of Them All (1968/108 m/Ken Annakin)
(9:00 AM) (premiere) MGM CARTOONS: The Chump Champ (1950/7 m/Fred [Tex] Avery)
(9:09 AM) (documentary) Game Warden (1955/8 m/Harry W. Smith)
(9:18 AM) (short) Seattle: Gateway To The Northwest (1940/9 m/?)
(9:28 AM) (drama) Isle Of Fury (1936/60 m/Frank McDonald)
(9:30 AM) (serial) TERRY AND THE PIRATES: The Fatal Mistake (1940/17 m/?)
(10:00 AM) (premiere) POPEYE: Fleets of Stren'th (1942/7 m/Dave Fleischer)
(10:08 AM) (adventure) Elephant Stampede (1951/71 m/Ford Beebe)
(11:30 AM) (short) Frontier Days (1945/17 m/Jack Scholl)
(12:00 PM) (suspense) The Prize (1963/135 m/Mark Robson)
(2:30 PM) (western) Stagecoach (1939/96 m/John Ford)
(4:15 PM) (drama) East Of Eden (1955/118 m/Elia Kazan)
(6:30 PM) (comedy) Bananas (1971/82 m/Woody Allen)
(8:00 PM) (documentary) The Kids Are Alright (1979/109 m/Jeff Stein)
(10:00 PM) (premiere) Shine A Light (2008/122 m/Martin Scorsese)
Sunday, September 06, 2020
(12:15 AM) (documentary) The Decline of Western Civilization (1981/100 m/Penelope Spheeris)
(2:15 AM) (documentary) The Decline of Western Civilization, Part II: The Metal Years (1988/93 m/Penelope Spheeris)
(4:00 AM) (documentary) This Is Elvis (1981/102 m/Malcolm Leo)
(6:00 AM) (musical) On An Island With You (1948/108 m/Richard Thorpe)
(9:00 AM) (musical) Easy To Love (1953/96 m/Charles Walters)
(10:00 AM) (crime) Night Editor (1946/67 m/Henry Levin)
(12:00 PM) (romance) The Enchanted Cottage (1945/92 m/John Cromwell)
(1:45 PM) (drama) The V.I.P.s (1963/119 m/Anthony Asquith)
(4:00 PM) (romance) Crossing Delancey (1988/97 m/Joan Micklin Silver)
(6:00 PM) (romance) To Have and Have Not (1944/100 m/Howard Hawks)
(8:00 PM) (documentary) The Song Remains The Same (1976/138 m/Peter Clifton)
(10:30 PM) (documentary) Jimi Hendrix (1973/102 m/Joe Boyd)
Monday, September 07, 2020
(12:15 AM) (premiere) Jimi Plays Monterey (1986/49 m/D.A. Pennebaker)
(1:15 AM) (premiere) Shake!: Otis At Monterey (1987/19 m/D.A. Pennebaker)
(1:45 AM) (premiere) Fade To Black (2004/110 m/Patrick Paulson)
(5:30 AM) (premiere) Say Amen, Somebody: The Good News Musical (1982/101 m/George T. Nierenberg)
(7:15 AM) (premiere) A Poem Is A Naked Person (1977/90 m/Les Blank)
(9:00 AM) (premiere) Louie Bluie (1985/61 m/Terry Zwigoff)
(12:15 PM) (premiere) Big Time (1988/87 m/Chris Blum)
(2:00 PM) (documentary) Don’t Look Back (1967/96 m/D.A. Pennebaker)
(4:00 PM) (premiere) Neil Young: Heart Of Gold (2006/104 m/Jonathan Demme)
(6:00 PM) (premiere) Festival (1967/98 m/Murray Lerner)
(8:00 PM) (documentary) Monterey Pop (1969/79/D.A. Pennebaker)
(9:30 PM) (documentary) Woodstock: The Director’s Cut (1970/224 m/Michael Wadleigh)
Tuesday, September 08, 2020
(1:30 AM) (musical) A Hard Day’s Night (1964/87 m/Richard Lester)
(3:15 AM) (documentary) Go Go Mania (1965/70 m/Frederic Goode)
(4:45 AM) (documentary) Robert Osborne’s 20th Anniversary Tribute (2015/47 m/?)
(6:00 AM) (crime) Armored Car Robbery (1950/68 m/Richard Fleischer)
(7:30 AM) (crime) The Asphalt Jungle (1950/112 m/John Huston)
(9:30 AM) (crime) High Sierra (1941/100 m/Raoul Walsh)
(11:15 AM) (crime) Rififi (1954/118 m/Jules Dassin)
(1:30 PM) (crime) The League Of Gentlemen (1960/114 m/Basil Dearden)
(3:45 PM) (comedy) Ocean’s 11 (1960/127 m/Lewis Milestone)
(6:00 PM) (suspense) Jack of Diamonds (1967/108 m/Don Taylor)
(8:00 PM) (premiere) Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema (episode 2) (2019/61 m/Mark Cousins)
(9:15 PM) (premiere) El Camino (1963/95 m/Ana Mariscal)
(11:15 PM) (documentary) Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema (episode #2) (2019/61 m/Mark Cousins)
Wednesday, September 09, 2020
(12:30 AM) (premiere) Lovely & Amazing (2001/91 m/Nicole Holofcener)
(2:15 AM) (premiere) Wanda (1970/103 m/Barbara Loden)
(4:15 AM) (premiere) The Watermelon Woman (1995/85 m/Cheryl Dunye)
(6:00 AM) (premiere) In The Empty City (2004/90 m/Maria Jopo Ganga)
(7:45 AM) (silent) The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926/66 m/Lotte Reiniger)
(9:15 AM) (premiere) Entre Nous (1983/111 m/Diane Kurys)
(11:30 AM) (drama) Jeopardy (1953/69 m/John Sturges)
(1:00 PM) (suspense) Cry Terror! (1958/96 m/Andrew L. Stone)
(3:15 PM) (drama) The Devil Makes Three (1952/90 m/Andrew Marton)
(5:00 PM) (suspense) Dial 1119 (1950/75 m/Gerald Mayer)
(6:30 PM) (suspense) Beyond A Reasonable Doubt (1956/80 m/Fritz Lang)
(8:00 PM) (comedy) Mr. Belvedere Goes To College (1949/83 m/Elliott Nugent)
(11:30 PM) (premiere) Blondie Goes To College (1942/77 m/Frank R. Strayer)
Thursday, September 10, 2020
(1:00 AM) (musical) She's Working Her Way Through College (1952/101 m/Bruce Humberstone)
(3:00 AM) Start Cheering (1938/78 m/Albert S. Rogell)
(4:30 AM) Strictly Dynamite (1934/71 m/Elliott Nugent)
(6:00 AM) (drama) Mademoiselle Fifi (1944/69 m/Robert Wise)
(7:15 AM) (suspense) The Curse of the Cat People (1944/70 m/Gunther V. Fritsch and Robert Wise)
(8:30 AM) (horror) The Body Snatcher (1945/78 m/Robert Wise)
(10:00 AM) (suspense) Mystery In Mexico (1948/66 m/Robert Wise)
(11:15 AM) (western) Blood On the Moon (1948/?/Robert Wise)
(1:00 PM) (crime) Born To Kill (1947/92 m/Robert Wise)
(2:45 PM) (drama) The Set-Up (1949/72 m/Robert Wise)
(4:15 PM) (romance) So Big (1953/102 m/Robert Wise)
(6:00 PM) (drama) Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956/113 m/Robert Wise)
(9:00 PM) (war) So Proudly We Hail (1943/126 m/Mark Sandrich)
(10:15 PM) (comedy) MAS*H (1970/116 m/Robert Altman)
Friday, September 11, 2020
(12:30 AM) (war) The Story of Dr. Wassell (1944/136 m/Cecil B. DeMille)
(3:00 AM) (war) Cry ‘Havoc’ (1944/97 m/Richard Thorpe)
(4:45 AM) (war) Battle Circus (1953/90 m/Richard Brooks)
(6:30 AM) (short) Angel Of Mercy (1939/10 m/Edward L. Cahn)
(6:45 AM) (drama) The White Angel (1936/92 m/William Dieterle)
(9:30 AM) (comedy) Bud Abbott and Lou Costello In Hollywood (1945/83 m/S. Sylvan Simon)
(10:00 AM) (comedy) Merton of the Movies (1947/82 m/Robert Alton)
(11:30 AM) (musical) Show Girl in Hollywood (1930/78 m/Mervyn Le Roy)
(1:00 PM) (comedy) Goldie Gets Along (1933/68 m/Malcolm St. Clair)
(2:15 PM) (musical) Talent Scout (1937/62 m/William Clemens)
(3:30 PM) (comedy) Pick A Star (1937/70 m/Edward Sedgwick)
(4:45 PM) (comedy) Boy Meets Girl (1938/86 m/Lloyd Bacon)
(6:15 PM) (comedy) Movie Crazy (1932/96 m/Clyde Bruckman)
(8:00 PM) (adventure) She (1965/106 m/Robert Day)
(10:00 PM) (adventure) Clash of the Titans (1981/118 m/Desmond Davis)
Saturday, September 12, 2020
(12:15 AM) (comedy) Casino Royale (1967/131 m/John Huston, et. al.)
(2:45 AM) (horror) Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959/78 m/Edward D. Wood, Jr.)
(4:15 AM) (drama) Reefer Madness (1936/66 m/Louis Gasnier)
(5:15 AM) (premiere) Sex Madness (1938/52 m/?
(6:15 AM) (comedy) A Slight Case Of Murder (1938/85 m/Lloyd Bacon)
(9:00 AM) (premiere) MGM CARTOONS: Droopy’s Double Trouble (1951/7 m/Fred [Tex] Avery)
(9:09 AM) (short) High Dive Kids (1956/8 m/?)
(9:18 AM) (short) Sitka and Juneau: A Tale of Two Cities (1940/9 m/?)
(9:28 AM) (drama) Daredevil Drivers (1938/60 m/B. Reeves Eason)
(9:30 AM) (serial) TERRY AND THE PIRATES: Pyre of Death (1940/17 m/?)
(10:00 AM) (premiere) POPEYE: Pip-Eye, Pup-Eye, Poop-Eye An' Peep-Eye (1942/6 m/Dave Fleischer)
(10:08 AM) (adventure) The Lion Hunters (1951/80 m/Ford Beebe)
(11:30 AM) (short) The Rear Gunner (1943/20 m/Ray Enright)
(12:00 PM) (crime) Double Indemnity (1944/108 m/Billy Wilder)
(2:00 PM) (drama) Birdman of Alcatraz (1962/149 m/John Frankenheimer)
(4:45 PM) (war) The Sand Pebbles (1966/179 m/Robert Wise)
(8:00 PM) (suspense) Out of the Past (1947/97 m/Jacques Tourneur)
(10:00 PM) (drama) Experiment Perilous (1944/91 m/Jacques Tourneur)
Sunday, September 13, 2020
(12:00 AM) (suspense) Danger Signal (1945/78 m/Robert Florey)
(1:30 AM) (drama) The China Syndrome (1979/122 m/James Bridges)
(3:45 AM) (horror) Coma (1978/113 m/Michael Crichton)
(6:00 AM) (comedy) See Here, Private Hargrove (1944/101 m/Wesley Ruggles)
(9:00 AM) (musical) Summer Stock (1950/109 m/Charles Walters)
(10:00 AM) (suspense) Danger Signal (1945/78 m/Robert Florey)
(11:30 AM) (comedy) The Whole Town’s Talking (1935/93 m/John Ford)
(1:15 PM) (drama) The Last Hurrah (1958/121 m/John Ford)
(3:30 PM) (drama) Sweet Bird Of Youth (1962/120 m/Richard Brooks)
(5:45 PM) (adventure) The Black Stallion (1979/117 m/Carroll Ballard)
(8:00 PM) (musical) Carmen Jones (1954/105 m/Otto Preminger)
(10:00 PM) (drama) Bright Road (1953/68 m/Gerald Mayer)
(11:30 PM) (musical) Sun Valley Serenade (1941/86 m/H. Bruce Humberstone)
Monday, September 14, 2020
(1:15 AM) (silent) The Ace of Hearts (1921/74 m/Wallace Worsley)
(6:00 AM) (musical) Playing Around (1930/66 m/Mervyn Le Roy)
(7:15 AM) (drama) Union Depot (1932/67 m/Alfred E. Green)
(9:30 AM) (drama) When In Rome (1952/78 m/Clarence Brown)
(10:00 AM) (drama) The Toast Of New York (1937/109 m/Rowland V. Lee)
(12:00 PM) (musical) Fashions of 1934 (1934/78 m/William Dieterle)
(1:30 PM) (suspense) Kind Lady (1935/76 m/George B. Seitz)
(3:00 PM) (romance) Sylvia Scarlett (1935/95 m/George Cukor)
(4:45 PM) (romance) Nobody Lives Forever (1946/100 m/Jean Negulesco)
(6:30 PM) (suspense) Cast a Dark Shadow (1955/83 m/Lewis Gilbert)
(8:00 PM) (short) Star Night At the Cocoanut Grove (1934/20 m/Louis Lewyn)
(8:00 PM) (short) A Night At The Movies (1937/10 m/Roy Rowland)
(8:00 PM) (comedy) The Pip From Pittsburg (1931/21 m/James Parrott)
(8:00 PM) (short) Movie Pests (1944/10 m/Will Jason)
(8:00 PM) (short) So You Want To Be A Detective (1948/11 m/Richard Bare)
(8:00 PM) (short) Los Angeles “Wonder City of the West” (1935/8 m/?)
(8:00 PM) (short) The Man In The Barn (1937/11 m/Jacques Tourneur)
(8:00 PM) (short) Smash Your Baggage (1932/9 m/Roy Mack)
(10:00 PM) (short) Asleep In The Feet (1933/19 m/Gus Meins)
(10:00 PM) (comedy) Top Flat (1935/19 m/William Terhune)
(10:00 PM) (short) The Bargain of the Century (1933/19 m/Charley Chase)
(11:15 PM) (short) You’re Telling Me (1932/19 m/Lloyd French)
(11:15 PM) (short) Call A Cop! (1931/20 m/George Stevens)
(11:15 PM) (short) Too Many Women (1932/19 m/Lloyd French)
(11:15 PM) (short) Air-Tight (1931/17 m/George Stevens)
Tuesday, September 15, 2020
(12:45 AM) (comedy) Buzzin’ Around (1933/20 m/Alfred J. Goulding)
(12:45 AM) (short) Whispering Whoopee (1930/21 m/James W. Horne)
(2:00 AM) (short) Women In Hiding (1940/22 m/Joseph Newman)
(2:00 AM) (short) Drunk Driving (1939/21 m/David Miller)
(2:00 AM) (short) The Public Pays (1936/18 m/Errol Taggart)
(3:15 AM) (short) His Silent Racket (1933/18 m/Charley Chase
(3:15 AM) (short) Girl Shock (1930/20 m/James W. Horne)
(3:15 AM) (short) Fallen Arches (1933/19 m/Gus Meins)
(3:15 AM) (short) The Chases of Pimple Street (1934/20 m/Charles Parrott)
(3:15 AM) (short) Four Parts (1934/18 m/Eddie Dunn)
(5:00 AM) (short) So You Want To Play The Piano (1956/10 m/Richard Bare)
(5:00 AM) (short) Apples To You! (1934/20 m/Leigh Jason)
(5:00 AM) (short) Zion: Canyon of Colour (1934/8 m/?)
(5:00 AM) (short) How To Sleep (1935/11 m/Nick Grindé)
(5:00 AM) (short) Double Talk (1937/11 m/Lloyd French)
(5:00 AM) (western) Pony Express Days (1940/20 m/B. Reeves Eason)
(5:00 AM) (comedy) Important Business (1944/11 m/Will Jason)
(5:00 AM) (short) The Black Network (1936/21 m/Roy Mack)
(5:00 AM) (short) And She Learned About Dames (1934/?/?)
(5:00 AM) (short) The Fabulous Fraud (1948/11 m/Edward L. Cahn)
(7:15 AM) (suspense) Man Hunt (1933/64 m/Irving Cummings)
(8:30 AM) (suspense) Nick Carter, Master Detective (1939/59 m/Jac ques Tourneur)
(9:45 AM) (suspense) Phantom Raiders (1940/70 m/Jacques Tourneur)
(11:00 AM) (suspense) Sky Murder (1940/72 m/George B. Seitz)
(12:15 PM) (suspense) Star Of Midnight (1935/90 m/Stephen Roberts)
(2:00 PM) (suspense) Miracles For Sale (1939/71 m/Tod Browning)
(3:15 PM) (suspense) Eyes In The Night (1942/80 m/Fred Zinnemann)
(4:45 PM) (suspense) The Hidden Eye (1945/69 m/Richard Whorf)
(6:00 PM) (suspense) Stage Fright (1950/110 m/Alfred Hitchcock)
(9:00 PM) (premiere) Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema (episode 3) (2019/61 m/Mark Cousins)
(9:15 PM) (documentary) Harlan County, U.S.A. (1976/105 m/Barbara Kopple)
(11:15 PM) (documentary) Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema (episode 3) (2019/61 m/Mark Cousins)
Wednesday, September 16, 2020
(12:30 AM) (drama) The Virgin Suicides (1999/97 m/Sofia Coppola)
(2:30 AM) (premiere) Loving Couples (1964/113 m/Mai Zetterling)
(6:30 AM) (premiere) 10 to 11 (2009/110 m/Pelin Esmer)
(9:30 AM) (comedy) Losing Ground (1982/86 m/Kathleen Collins)
(10:00 AM) (premiere) Strangers In Good Company (1990/101 m/Cynthia Scott)
(12:00 PM) (short) Wagon Wheels West (1943/17 m/B. Reeves Eason)
(12:30 PM) (western) Westward The Women (1951/116 m/William A. Wellman)
(2:45 PM) (western) Strange Lady In Town (1955/112 m/Mervyn Le Roy)
(4:45 PM) (western) Rachel and the Stranger (1948/93 m/Norman Foster)
(6:15 PM) (western) Cat Ballou (1965/96 m/Elliot Silverstein)
(8:00 PM) (musical) A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949/107 m/Tay Garnett)
(10:00 PM) (premiere) Peggy Sue Got Married (1986/103 m/Francis Ford Coppola)
Thursday, September 17, 2020
(12:00 AM) (premiere) Repeat Performance (1947/93 m/Alfred Werker)
(1:45 AM) (drama) Turn Back the Clock (1933/79 m/Edgar Selwyn)
(3:15 AM) (adventure) The Boy and the Pirates (1960/84 m/Bert I. Gordon)
(5:00 AM) (romance) Berkeley Square (1933/88 m/Frank Lloyd)
(6:45 AM) (short) MGM Is On The Move! (1964/36 m/?)
(7:45 AM) (crime) Angel Face (1953/91 m/Otto Preminger)
(9:30 AM) (western) River of No Return (1954/91 m/Otto Preminger)
(11:15 AM) (suspense) Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965/107 m/Otto Preminger)
(1:15 PM) (drama) The Man with the Golden Arm (1956/119 m/Otto Preminger)
(3:30 PM) (drama) Anatomy Of A Murder (1959/161 m/Otto Preminger)
(6:15 PM) (suspense) Laura (1944/88 m/Otto Preminger)
(8:00 PM) (comedy) People Will Talk (1951/110 m/Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
(10:00 PM) (drama) Magnificent Obsession (1954/108 m/Douglas Sirk)
Friday, September 18, 2020
(12:00 AM) (drama) A Man to Remember (1938/78 m/Garson Kanin)
(1:30 AM) (drama) The Citadel (1938/113 m/King Vidor)
(3:30 AM) (drama) Red Beard (1965/185 m/Akira Kurosawa)
(6:45 AM) (drama) The Doctor and the Girl (1949/98 m/Curtis Bernhardt)
(9:30 AM) (romance) Dark Victory (1939/104 m/Edmund Goulding)
(10:30 AM) (romance) The Painted Veil (1934/84 m/Richard Boleslawski)
(12:00 PM) (romance) Conquest (1937/112 m/Clarence Brown)
(2:00 PM) (romance) Camille (1937/109 m/George Cukor)
(4:00 PM) (comedy) Ninotchka (1939/110 m/Ernst Lubitsch)
(6:00 PM) Grand Hotel (1932/113 m/Edmund Goulding)
(8:00 PM) (drama) The Rain People (1969/101 m/Francis Ford Coppola)
(10:00 PM) (drama) Harry and Tonto (1974/115 m/Paul Mazursky)
Saturday, September 19, 2020
(12:00 AM) (comedy) Lost In America (1985/91 m/Albert Brooks)
(2:00 AM) (premiere) Wild At Heart (1990/124 m/David Lynch)
(4:15 AM) (premiere) Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992/135 m/David Lynch)
(6:30 AM) (suspense) Blackmail (1939/81 m/H.C. Potter)
(9:00 AM) (premiere) MGM CARTOONS: The Flea Circus (1954/7 m/Fred [Tex] Avery)
(9:09 AM) (short) Holland Sailing (1956/8 m/?)
(9:18 AM) (short) Alluring Alaska (1941/9 m/?)
(9:27 AM) (western) Guns Of Hate (1948/62 m/Lesley Selander)
(9:30 AM) (serial) TERRY AND THE PIRATES: The Secret of the Temple (1940/17 m/?)
(10:00 AM) (premiere) POPEYE: Olive Oyl and Water Don't Mix (1933/7 m/Dave Fleischer)
(10:08 AM) (adventure) African Treasure (1952/70 m/Ford Beebe)
(11:30 AM) (short) Roaring Guns (1944/19 m/Jean Negulesco)
(12:00 PM) (drama) Going Home (1971/97 m/Herbert B. Leonard)
(1:45 PM) (western) 3:10 To Yuma (1957/92 m/Delmer Daves)
(3:30 PM) (drama) Fail-Safe (1964/112 m/Sidney Lumet)
(5:30 PM) (war) Sergeant York (1941/134 m/Howard Hawks)
(8:00 PM) (musical) Guys and Dolls (1955/149 m/Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
(10:45 PM) (crime) Midnight Alibi (1934/58 m/Alan Crosland)
Sunday, September 20, 2020
(12:00 AM) (suspense) Gilda (1946/110 m/Charles Vidor)
(2:15 AM) (sci-fi) Rollerball (1975/125 m/Norman Jewison)
(4:30 AM) (sci-fi) Countdown (1968/101 m/Robert Altman)
(6:15 AM) (drama) All The King’s Men (1949/110 m/Robert Rossen)
(9:15 AM) (comedy) It Happened One Night (1934/105 m/Frank Capra)
(10:00 AM) (suspense) Gilda (1946/110 m/Charles Vidor)
(12:15 PM) (musical) Going My Way (1944/127 m/Leo McCarey)
(2:30 PM) (musical) Royal Wedding (1951/93 m/Stanley Donen)
(4:15 PM) (musical) Dangerous When Wet (1953/95 m/Charles Walters)
(6:00 PM) (comedy) Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner? (1967/108 m/Stanley Kramer)
(8:00 PM) (premiere) Tamango (1959/100 m/John Berry)
(10:00 PM) (adventure) Tarzan’s Peril (1951/79 m/Byron Haskin)
(11:30 PM) (drama) The Harlem Globetrotters (1951/77 m/Phil Brown)
Monday, September 21, 2020
(1:00 AM) (premiere) Where Now Are The Dreams Of Youth? (1932/86 m/Yasujiro Ozu)
(2:45 AM) (premiere) LONE WOLF AND CUB: Baby Cart in the Land of Demons (1973/90 m/Kenji Misumi)
(4:30 AM) (premiere) LONE WOLF AND CUB: White Heaven In Hell (1974/84 m/Yoshiyuki Kuroda)
(6:00 AM) (silent) Flesh and the Devil (1926/112 m/Clarence Brown)
(9:15 AM) (romance) To Have and Have Not (1944/100 m/Howard Hawks)
(10:15 AM) (crime) The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946/113 m/Tay Garnett)
(12:30 PM) (romance) Possessed (1931/76 m/Clarence Brown)
(2:00 PM) (comedy) Woman of the Year (1942/114 m/George Stevens)
(4:15 PM) (romance) Swing Shift (1984/100 m/Jonathan Demme)
(6:00 PM) (drama) Stromboli (1950/106 m/Roberto Rossellini)
(8:00 PM) (drama) A Cry In The Dark (1988/121 m/Fred Schepisi)
(10:15 PM) (romance) The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1981/124 m/Karel Reisz)
Tuesday, September 22, 2020
(2:30 AM) (drama) Kramer vs. Kramer (1979/105 m/Robert Benton)
(4:30 AM) (drama) Wednesday’s Child (1934/68 m/John Robertson)
(6:00 AM) (documentary) MGM Parade Show #4 (1955/26 m/?)
(6:30 AM) (epic) Around The World In 80 Days (1956/182 m/Michael Anderson)
(9:45 AM) (musical) Bitter Sweet (1940/93 m/W.S. Van Dyke II)
(11:30 AM) (war) In Which We Serve (1942/115 m/Noel Coward)
(1:30 PM) (comedy) Private Lives (1931/84 m/Sidney Franklin)
(3:00 PM) (romance) We Were Dancing (1942/95 m/Robert Z. Leonard)
(4:45 PM) (comedy) Blithe Spirit (1945/96 m/David Lean)
(6:30 PM) (romance) Brief Encounter (1945/87 m/David Lean)
(9:00 PM) (premiere) Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema (episode 4) (2019/61 m/Mark Cousins)
(9:15 PM) (premiere) The Cave of the Yellow Dog (2005/89 m/Byambasuren Davaa)
(11:00 PM) (documentary) Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema (episode 4) (2019/61 m/Mark Cousins)
Wednesday, September 23, 2020
(12:15 AM) (crime) Salaam Bombay! (1988/114 m/Mira Nair)
(2:30 AM) (drama) Daughters of the Dust (1991/112 m/Julie Dash)
(4:30 AM) (premiere) Krane’s Confectionary (1951/103 m/Astrid Henning-Jensen)
(6:30 AM) (premiere) Mikey and Nicky (1976/107 m/Elaine May)
(9:45 AM) (premiere) The Juniper Tree (1990/79 m/Nietzchka Keene)
(10:15 AM) (premiere) Women Who Loved Cinema (Part 1 & 2) (2002/114 m/Marianne Khoury)
(12:15 PM) (comedy) Life Begins For Andy Hardy (1941/101 m/George B. Seitz)
2:00 PM) (musical) Girl Crazy (1943/Norman Taurog)
(4:00 PM) (adventure) The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939/91 m/Richard Thorpe)
(6:00 PM) (comedy) Ah, Wilderness! (1935/98 m/Clarence Brown)\
(8:00 PM) (drama) Boys Town (1938/93 m/Norman Taurog)
(9:45 PM) (drama) The Human Comedy (1943/117 m/Clarence Brown)
Thursday, September 24, 2020
(12:00 AM) (adventure) The Black Stallion (1979/117 m/Carroll Ballard)
(2:15 AM) (musical) Strike Up The Band (1940/120 m/Busby Berkeley)
(4:30 AM) (crime) Killer McCoy (1947/104 m/Roy Rowland)
(6:15 AM) (romance) Wuthering Heights (1939/104 m/William Wyler)
(9:15 AM) (romance) Kitty Foyle (1940/108 m/Sam Wood)
(10:15 AM) (drama) Cass Timberlane (1947/119 m/George Sidney)
(12:15 PM) (drama) The Bad and the Beautiful (1952/118 m/Vincente Minnelli)
(2:30 PM) (drama) Magnificent Obsession (1954/108 m/Douglas Sirk)
(4:30 PM) (drama) All That Heaven Allows (1955/89 m/Douglas Sirk)
(6:15 PM) Written On The Wind (1957/99 m/Douglas Sirk)
(8:00 PM) (drama) Young Dr. Kildare (1938/82 m/Harold S. Bucquet)
(9:30 PM) (drama) The Young Doctors (1961/103 m/Phil Karlson)
(11:30 PM) (comedy) The Hospital (1971/102 m/Arthur Hiller)
Friday, September 25, 2020
(1:30 AM) (drama) No Way Out (1950/107 m/Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
(3:30 AM) (drama) The Girl In White (1952/93 m/John Sturges)
(5:04 AM) (short) Her Honor, The Nurse (1956/8 m/Harry W. Smith)
(5:30 AM) (drama) Emergency Hospital (1956/63 m/Lee Sholem)
(6:45 AM) (horror) War of the Planets (1965/97 m/Antonio Margheriti)
(9:30 AM) (horror) The Cosmic Monster (1958/72 m/Gilbert Gunn)
(10:00 AM) (horror) Satellite In The Sky (1956/84 m/Paul Dickson)
(11:30 AM) (horror) The Green Slime (1969/90 m/Kinji Fukasaku)
(1:15 PM) (horror) Queen of Outer Space (1958/80 m/Edward Bernds)
(2:45 PM) (horror) The Wild, Wild Planet (1965/94 m/Anthony Dawson)
(4:30 PM) (horror) Village of the Damned (1960/77 m/Wolf Rilla)
(6:00 PM) (horror) Children of the Damned (1964/90 m/Anton M. Leader)
(9:00 PM) (western) The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976/136 m/Clint Eastwood)
(10:30 PM) (western) Alvarez Kelly (1966/110 m/Edward Dmytryk)
Saturday, September 26, 2020
(12:45 AM) (western) Springfield Rifle (1952/93 m/Andre de Toth)
(6:00 AM) (comedy) Larceny, Inc. (1942/95 m/Lloyd Bacon)
(9:00 AM) (premiere) MGM CARTOONS: The First Bad Man (1955/7 m/Fred [Tex] Avery)
(9:09 AM) (short) Salar, The Leaper (1957/8 m/Douglas Sinclair)
(9:18 AM) (documentary) Land of Alaska Nellie (1940/9 m/?)
(9:28 AM) (western) Gun Law (1938/60 m/David Howard)
(9:30 AM) (serial) WILD WEST DAYS: Death Rides The Range (1937/?/?)
(10:00 AM) (premiere) POPEYE: Many Tanks (1933/7 m/Dave Fleischer)
(10:09 AM) (adventure) Bomba and the Jungle Girls (1952/70 m/Ford Beebe)
(11:30 AM) (short) Heavenly Music (1943/22 m/Josef Berne)
(12:00 PM) (drama) The Long Voyage Home (1940/106 m/John Ford)
(2:00 PM) (epic) Quo Vadis (1951/174 m/Mervyn LeRoy)
(5:15 PM) (war) Where Eagles Dare (1968/155 m/Brian G. Hutton)
(8:00 PM) (romance) The Red Shoes (1948/134 m/Michael Powell)
(10:30 PM) (war) Night Ambush (1958/105 m/Michael Powell)
Sunday, September 27, 2020
(12:15 AM) (drama) They Won’t Believe Me (1947/90 m/Irving Pichel)
(2:00 AM) (horror) Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954/79 m/Jack Arnold)
(3:30 AM) (horror) UFO (1956/88 m/Winston Jones)
(5:15 AM) (documentary) MGM Parade Show #4 (1955/26 m/?)
(6:00 AM) (romance) Mata Hari (1931/89 m/George Fitzmaurice)
(7:45 AM) (comedy) The Talk Of The Town (1942/117 m/George Stevens)
(10:00 AM) (drama) They Won't Believe Me (1947/90 m/Irving Pichel)
(11:45 AM) (comedy) Don't Make Waves (1967/97 m/Alexander Mackendrick)
(1:30 PM) (drama) Honeysuckle Rose (1980/119 m/Jerry Schatzberg)
(3:45 PM) (romance) Now, Voyager (1942/117 m/Irving Rapper)
(6:00 PM) (drama) Executive Suite (1954/104 m/Robert Wise)
(10:15 PM) (drama) The Decks Ran Red (1958/84 m/Andrew L. Stone)
(12:00 AM) (comedy) Our Modern Maidens (1929/75 m/Jack Conway)
(2:00 AM) (musical) Black Orpheus (1959/108 m/Marcel Camus)
(4:00 AM) (romance) Orpheus (1950/96 m/Jean Cocteau)
Monday, September 28, 2020
(6:00 AM) (comedy) Not So Dumb (1930/76 m/King Vidor)
(7:30 AM) (drama) Street Scene (1931/79 m/King Vidor)
(9:00 AM) (adventure) Bird of Paradise (1932/82 m/King Vidor)
(10:30 AM) (drama) Our Daily Bread (1934/74 m/King Vidor)
(11:45 AM) (western) Northwest Passage (1940/127 m/King Vidor)
(2:00 PM) (drama) H.M. Pulham, Esq. (1941/120 m/King Vidor)
(4:15 PM) (drama) The Fountainhead (1949/113 m/King Vidor)
(6:15 PM) (crime) Lightning Strikes Twice (1951/90 m/King Vidor)
(9:00 PM) (comedy) You Can't Take It With You (1938/126 m/Frank Capra)
(10:30 PM) (drama) Ship of Fools (1965/149 m/Stanley Kramer)
(1:15 AM) (premiere) Titicut Follies (1967/84 m/Frederick Wiseman)
(3:00 AM) (drama) The Sign of the Ram (1948/84 m/John Sturges)
(5:00 AM) (documentary) Private Screenings: Liza Minnelli (2010/45 m/Sean Cameron)
Tuesday, September 29, 2020
(6:00 AM) (drama) Blossoms in the Dust (1941/99 m/Mervyn LeRoy)
(9:00 AM) (romance) Mrs. Parkington (1944/124 m/Tay Garnett)
(10:30 AM) (drama) Madame Curie (1943/124 m/Mervyn Le Roy)
(1:00 PM) (romance) The Valley of Decision (1945/118 m/Tay Garnett)
(3:15 PM) (romance) Pride and Prejudice (1940/118 m/Robert Z. Leonard)
(5:30 PM) (war) Mrs. Miniver (1942/134 m/William Wyler)
(8:00 PM) (premiere) Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema (episode 5) (2019/61 m/Mark Cousins)
(9:15 PM) (drama) Middle of Nowhere (2012/101 m/Ava Duvernay)
(11:15 PM) (documentary) Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema (episode 5) (2019/61 m/Mark Cousins)
Wednesday, September 30, 2020
(12:30 AM) (drama) Beau Travail (1999/89 m/Claire Denis)
(6:00 AM) (premiere) Wasp (2003/26 m/Andrea Arnold)
(10:00 AM) (drama) Antonia's Line (1995/103 m/Marleen Gorris)
(12:00 PM) (premiere) The Green-Eyed Blonde (1957/72 m/Bernard Girard)
(1:15 PM) (crime) Ring of Fire (1961/91/Andrew L. Stone)
(2:45 PM) (drama) Untamed Youth (1957/80 m/Howard W. Koch)
(4:15 PM) (musical) Jailhouse Rock (1957/97 m/Richard Thorpe)
(6:00 PM) (drama) Rebel Without A Cause (1955/111 m/Nicholas Ray)
(8:00 PM) (drama) Stand and Deliver (1988/103 m/Ramon Menendez)
(10:00 PM) (drama) The Blackboard Jungle (1955/101 m/Richard Brooks)

Meeting McCarthy
by Garry Wallace
Southern Quarterly, 1992, 30(4), 134-139
In March of 1989, while traveling to El Paso with Betty Carey, I was afforded the opportunity of meeting Cormac McCarthy. Betty Carey, of Las Vegas World Series of Poker fame, was writing a book about her adventures as a professional gambler. She had arranged to meet with McCarthy to discuss her current writing, as well as to rendezvous with their common friend, Frank Morton, another gambler. What follows is my best recollection of the several conversations that took place over three days of our visit. I made no tape recording or notes during these informal, quite friendly talks, but wrote what I remembered in a journal after returning from El Paso. This account is recreated from chapters in my unpublished novel based on my year-long writing partnership with Betty Carey, and is as accurate as memory allows. Where I felt reasonable confident about actual words, I have used direct quotations. Elsewhere, I have paraphrased.
​On a bright spring Sunday morning, Betty and I awaited McCarthy in a quaint family restaurant on Mesa Avenue in El Paso, where Cormac suggested we meet to have brunch. Betty clutched a handkerchief to absorb the perspiration from her hands. She was nervous, as was I. Each time the entrance door opened, we glanced in anticipation. Finally a man, nondescript—medium build, short hair, a dull plaid shirt—walked down the short flight of stairs, his eyes searching the lower tier where we seated. It was Cormac McCarthy.
​Betty smiled and we got up to greet her friend. McCarthy asked about Betty’s book. He had been privy to her very first draft, written three years before. Her stories were about life as a gambler. For thirteen years she had won and lost fortunes, sitting at poker tables across the country with men like Jack Strauss and Amarillo Slim, risking life to hijackers, still able to spirit away tidy sums unknown to anyone but herself. Betty told McCarthy that so much had happened since that first draft that she was in the process of rewriting the whole story. Betty had allegedly been cheated in a Las Vegas casino scam. There were allegations of Gaming Commission and FBI coverups. Her case was then on appeal before the Nevada Supreme Court, ultimately to be thrown out because of the statute of limitations.
​She asked McCarthy if it was common for writers to do so much rewriting. He said he knew a few writers who would compose a hundred pages of a novel and then have to start over, but that he usually knew where his own novels were going from the start.
​Betty told McCarthy that she and I had written the screenplay of her story, and that ICM of Los Angeles had said it possessed some of the same appeal as Silkwood. She failed to mention that the agent had turned it down for being “awkwardly written,” because we’d portrayed Betty as an “arrogant and unsympathetic character,” and because “the authors seem inexperienced in mapping out dramatic framework.” She said, “I’m writing my book in a suspense format. I want it to be a best seller.”
​“I don’t read best sellers,” McCarthy said. Feeling responsible for the latest direction the book had taken, I explained, “What she means by ‘best seller’ is that she wants the facts of the casino scam to reach as many people as possible.” With a curt nod McCarthy indicated that he had understood that to be Betty’s meaning. He acted friendly yet cool toward me, a stranger.
​McCarthy asked if there was a particular author that Betty was patterning her novel after. I mentioned Ken Follett. McCarthy nodded and said that Follet (sic) was good. He mentioned also that Stephen King was a good writer. From his earlier comment on best sellers, I wasn’t sure if McCarthy had read these authors or if he was speaking from hearsay.
​“What do you read?” I asked. McCarthy said he read mostly nonfiction, although he did enjoy Hemingway. Betty and I had a conversation the day before with Irving Brown and his wife, proprietors of a used and rare book store on Mesa Avenue. An acquaintance of McCarthy as well as a professor of philosophy at the University of Texas, El Paso, Brown told us that McCarthy—an unpretentious man who often did his laundry right next door—considered Melville the greatest author, and that he read books about astronomy and physics. Brown especially liked the part in Suttree where Cornelius sees his reflection in the glass door and thinks, “Suttree and anti-Suttree.” Brown said that in his opinion McCarthy had over-read Plato.
​Betty mentioned how hard it was to find the time to write. When I said, “You have to be selfish,” McCarthy agreed, but substituted the word “ruthless.” Betty listed a few of the interruptions she had to put up with, eliciting McCarthy’s remark that he could write in a train station if he had to, but not if somebody kept asking for directions. McCarthy said that he wrote in the morning, every morning. “Why not write every day?” he asked rhetorically. “In the afternoon I visit friends. You can’t write all day long.”
​When Betty said she wished she could just run away from her obligations and be free to write, McCarthy recalled that once he had spent an entire year doing little more than playing pool with his friends.
​Betty and McCarthy talked about their lives, the consequences of their successes. Betty said that no more would she consent to interviews because so often they changed the story, often sensationalizing her life beyond reality. McCarthy agreed, saying that he would not do interviews.1 He told Betty that J. D. Salinger had given only one interview throughout his career as a novelist, to elementary children.
​“Do you teach?” I asked.
​Looking at me sternly, McCarthy said that he did not, and he seemed not to want to discuss it further. He mentioned an author, Robert Fulghum, who had published a somewhat humorous book about learning all you need to know by the time you graduate from kindergarten. McCarthy gave a few examples: “To tell the truth. Not to hit each other. To be fair.”
​Betty laughed. “I like that,” she said. From the things McCarthy said about academia, I understood him to believe that many of human beings’ problems arose from pursuits in education. In a later conversation about spiritual experiences, McCarthy said that education often got in the way of understanding. He added that in certain Eskimo cultures, art, of both high and low quality, was seen as good. Art was a personal expression. Nobody went around telling children how to do theirs differently.
​Betty said she felt different from most people in our society, that she was very much a loner and that her friends would not be considered mainstream. McCarthy referred to himself and Betty as “outlaws.” He gazed at her and said, “Look who we are. We’re desperate people.” They had both lived such uncommon lives that their spirits were easily kindred. I felt that my own life had been too sheltered.
​Again I asked McCarthy if he could recommend any good books or authors that a beginning writer should read. He said, “All great writers read all other great writers.” Upon further prodding, he mentioned several of John McFee’s books and The Song Lines by Bruce Chatwin. McCarthy said that he knew Larry McMurtry; because McCarthy loved the television movie “Lonesome Dove” so much, he said that he would never read the book.
​Betty mentioned her love of traveling and said that some people had suggested she write a book about her travels, or a how-to-on poker, and forget the nonsense about exposing the alleged casino scam that had cheated her out of many thousands of dollars. Betty asked about what she could and could not write about other people. McCarthy said that writers had great latitude in their writing and, on a question about other people’s ideas, said, “If you like it, use it.” I believe this came under the axiom that everything had already been written and that most ideas were neither unique in themselves nor original.
​Brunch ended and the coffee pot went dry. I picked up the bill. Betty and I drove the camper back to the motel with McCarthy following in his old beater. The exterior of his car had been sandblasted to the metal and touched up with primer paint. It looked prepped for the body shop. Even with my untrained ear, I could tell the engine ran well.
​At the motel Betty dug into her briefcase for her most recently drafted chapter, which she handed to McCarthy, apologizing for its not being typed. McCarthy said, “That’s all right. We’re friends. We do things like this for each other.”
​The next day, Betty and I met McCarthy at an out-of-the-way health food store that served frozen yogurt and sandwiches. We ordered at the counter and took seats at a small table next to the front window. After we were served, the conversation turned to writing. Betty asked which person it would be best to write her story in, and McCarthy said that was always a hard question to answer. He asked which person she felt most comfortable writing in, and Betty said that both the first and third had their benefits, but that she just couldn’t decide. She wanted McCarthy to tell her which to use, and he could not do that. He offered suggestions quite sparingly. To a question about how descriptive to make Betty’s book, McCarthy said that the point of most novels could be told in a paragraph. The reason they’re longer is so the author can tell a story. And he said, “Don’t ever treat your audience as if they’re stupid. Your reader is smart.”
​“Have you read Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying?” McCarthy asked. She had not. He explained that each chapter of the novel had been written in the first person from the perspective of each of the different characters. When he suggested that Betty might try something like that, I could see hopelessness on Betty’s face. She had been working on her book for over three years.
​McCarthy mentioned that Faulkner had written the novel during his spare moments while working on a manual labor job at night. He said that Faulkner had even used a wheelbarrow on which to compose the story. McCarthy said that Faulkner never expected the novel to become great, and that the novel had a certain amateurish quality that gave the book its great appeal. He said that Betty should not be overly concerned if her writing was not professional, and that she should try to retain the natural quality that her writing had, as that was often the mark of literature. Because Betty was having trouble getting the most recent draft of the novel started, McCarthy suggested that she could try writing the ending of her story first, then the beginning. He told her to get a tape recorder and tell her stories into a microphone and then play them back.
​Betty talked about the most recent developments of her story, but even with McCarthy she was hesitant to reveal many of the specifics. McCarthy became curious when Betty described the four levels by which she categorized poker players. She explained that the top two levels involved the reading of “tells” (short for “telegraphing”), and the ability to send out misleading “false tells.” She mentioned how she tested people by asking “set up” questions and viewing their responses. She would often ask questions to which she was sure a person would lie, and then remember what behaviors accompanied those responses.
​“Fascinating,” McCarthy said. “Do I have any tells?”
​Betty laughed and studied him more closely. “I haven’t noticed any yet.”
​That night, in a freak blizzard, Betty and I drove to a motel across town where Frank Morton was spending the night on his way home from Los Angeles. Frank was the classic itinerant gambler, as well as a somewhat unorthodox evangelist. He was the liaison who had initially brought McCarthy and Betty together.
​A tall man with graying hair, Frank spoke with a voice that was garbled with years of cigarette smoking, and his breathing was labored. I found him friendly and rather opinionated, but he would listen to your ideas if you could break into the stream of his talk.
​After McCarthy arrived, we all climbed into Frank’s car. The snow and sleet moved on, leaving a violent sand storm in its wake. Frank followed McCarthy’s directions to a Mexican restaurant, and by the time we got there, the wind had died. Frank talked on about the hate among the races in L.A., about people’s lack of trust and the general downfall of the human condition. Each of us added opinions now and then, but it was Frank who monopolized the conversation and filled the air with smoke. We were his congregation. McCarthy sat and listened, offering few observations of his own.
​Back at his motel room, Frank related a number of personal religious experiences that he had had over the years, pointing out the flaws in other people’s lack of faith. I challenged him, saying that one day science would understand these unexplained phenomena for what they really were.
​McCarthy commented that some cultures used drugs to enhance the spiritual experience, and that he had tried LSD before the drug was made illegal. He said that it had helped to open his eyes to these kinds of experiences. Betty recounted having seen the image of Christ on a bus while in Costa Rica. This had been at a time following the casino scam when Betty had been on the run. She said that her experience was as real as our sitting together in the motel room. It had not been a dream or hallucination.
​Always the skeptic, I said, “But how does that prove Christianity? Why not Buddha or Allah? You saw Jesus because you were raised in Jesus-land.” I looked to Frank and McCarthy. Their expressions were sympathetic.
​McCarthy was slumped into one of the chairs with his left leg slung over the arm rest. He appeared a very patient listener. He said that he felt sorry for me because I was unable to grasp this concept of spiritual experience. He said that people all over the world, in every religion, were familiar with this experience. He asked if I’d ever read William James’s The Varieties of Religious Experience. I had not. His attitude seemed to indicate that in this book were the answers to many of the questions posed during our evening discussion. I was nonplussed. ​ ​“Truth,” McCarthy said about what writers must accomplish in their writing.
​“But what exactly is truth?” I asked.
​“Truth,” he repeated, his implications tacit.
​The next morning, Betty and I were at the motel when McCarthy arrived to go over his response to Betty’s chapter. He had written his critique on separate, smaller pieces of paper. Point by point, he went over his comments, offering occasional praise while not sparing the rod. Afterwards, I listed the three qualities I believed necessary for a person to become a successful writher: “To read a lot. To write a lot. To experience a lot.” McCarthy said that we all had experience enough from which to write.
​Months after our visit, I wrote McCarthy, completing a few thoughts I’d been unable to that night we discussed spiritual experiences. Some time later, I received his reply.
​He said that the religious experience is always described through the symbols of a particular culture and thus is somewhat misrepresented by them. He indicated that even the religious person is often uncomfortable with such experiences and accounts of them, and that those who have not had a religious experience cannot comprehend it through second-hand accounts, even good ones like James’s Varieties of Religious Experience. He went on to say that he thinks the mystical experience is a direct apprehension of reality, unmediated by symbol, and he ended with the thought that our inability to see spiritual truth is the greater mystery.
NOTES
1 He has recently made an exception to this rule, granting an interview to the Richard B. Woodward of the New York Times Magazine on the occasion of the publication of All the Pretty Horses. My account of our visit with McCarthy, neither intended nor conducted as an interview, is published here with his knowledge.

Deftones 2020 Tour Dates: 03/15 – Auckland, NZ @ Trusts Arena 03/18 – Brisbane, AU @ Fortitude Music Hall 03/20 – Melbourne, AU @ Download Festival 03/21 – Parramatta, AU @ Download Festival 03/23 – Adelaide, AU @ Thebarton Theatre 05/03 – Charlotte, NC @ Epicenter Festival 05/08 – Daytona Beach, FL @ Welcome to Rockville 05/17 – Columbus, OH @ Sonic Temple Festival 05/22 – Porto, PT @ North Music Festival 06/02 – Budapest, HU @ Budapest Park 06/04 – Katowice, PL @ Metal Hammer Festival 06/05-07 – Nurburg, DE @ Rock am Ring Festival 06/05-07 – Nuremberg, DE @ Rock im Park Festival 06/10 – Zurich, CH @ X-Tra 06/12 – Donington, UK @ Download Festival 06/14 – Naas, IE @ Sunstroke Festival 06/19 – Clisson, FR @ Hellfest 06/20 – Landgraaf, NL @ Pinkpop 06/21 – Dessel, BE @ Graspop Metal Meeting 06/22-26 – Zagreb, CR @ InMusic Festival 06/23 – Grugliasco, IT @ Gruvillage Festival 06/27 – Seinajoki, FI @ Provinssi Festival 06/28 – Helsinki, FI @ Tuska Open Air Metal Festival 07/01 – Roskilde, DK @ Roskilde Festival 07/03 – Hamburg, DE @ Grosse Freiheit 36 07/04 – Berlin, DE @ Columbiahalle 07/09 – Madrid, ES @ Mad Cool Festival 07/12 – Moscow, RU @ Park Live Festival 07/27 – Portland, OR @ Theatre of the Clouds at Moda Center ^ 07/28 – Seattle, WA @ WaMu Theater ^ 07/30 – San Francisco, CA @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium ^ 08/01 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino Resort ^ 08/02 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Greek Theatre ^ 08/04 – Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Federal Theatre ^ 08/05 – Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater ^ 08/07 – Bonner Springs, KS @ Providence Medical Center Amphitheater ^ 08/08 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Eagles Ballroom ^ 08/09 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Armory ^ 08/11 – Chicago, IL @ Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island ^ 08/12 – Sterling Heights, MI @ Michigan Lottery Amphitheater at Freedom Hill ^ 08/14 – Boston, MA @ Agganis Arena ^ 08/15 – Montreal, QC @ Place Bell ^ 08/17 – Toronto, ON @ RBC Echo Beach ^ 08/19 – New York, NY @ The Rooftop at Pier 17 ^ 08/20 – Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony Summer Stage ^ 08/22 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia ^ 08/23 – Washington, DC @ The Anthem ^ 08/24 – Bridgeport, CT @ Harbor Yard Amphitheater ^ 08/26 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Petersen Events Center ^ 08/27 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Amphitheatre at White River State Park ^ 08/29 – Atlanta, GA @ Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park ^ 08/30 – Nashville, TN @ Nashville Municipal Auditorium ^ 09/01 – San Antonio, TX @ AT&T Center ^ 09/02 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall ^ 09/03 – Irving, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory ^ 09/05 – Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center ^

Since there was a lot of positive response to my comment on the KD thread about The Garden, I floated the idea of a thread, and you all asked for it, so here it is! Here at reddit, there can be a lot of LOL this (Knicks) and LOL that (Knicks again), and while MSG certainly has its own shortcomings to say the least, there is a true story to be told about the buildings and how it came to be where it is today.
Known as ‘The Worlds Most Famous Arena’, MSG played a direct roll in making sports in America what it is today, and while many people criticize the current incarnation of the building, most people don’t know the full story - or that the current one is actually the 4th version (and 3rd location) of the building. The college basketball history at MSG, which I won’t give away yet, is one of if not THE main reason we have our beloved NBA and professional basketball in general today. This is going to be a very long read, like, very very long. But I’m going to try and throw all the really juicy facts in there that I picked up along my years of research from working in the tour department. I thought of splitting it up, but I wanted this post to be a comprehensive history of The World’s Most Famous Arena!
If you’re only concerned with the history of the joint once basketball enters into the picture, skip to MSG III.
If you want the juicy details on the controversy of tearing down old Penn Station then skip to MSG IIII.
If you have any questions on anything or want me to elaborate on anything that I only mention briefly, please feel free to ask! MSG’s history is full of not only amazing moments, but vengeful murders, and a whole lot of sketchy stuff. This is the story of how a small train station on the north east corner of Madison Square Park eventually led to the demolition of an iconic NYC train station some 100 years later. It’s not on Madison Avenue, it’s not square, and it’s not a garden, but there is a good reason for all of this - or at least a good explanation - I promise!
MADISON SQUARE GARDEN I
Ironically, just how this story’s climax involves tearing an iconic train station down to build the current arena, the beginning starts in much the same way. Just with a significantly less iconic train station. In the mid 1800’s there was a small railroad depot on the north east corner of Madison Square Park, occupied by New York and Harlem Railroad on East 26th street and Madison Ave and owned by Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt. For those of you not familiar with the city (yes, we call it ‘the city’) that location is pretty central and throughout time has had a lot of important events happen there, which is a thread for another time. The park was named for president James Madison, just like the street, which was very common at the time. People loved that guy.
The railroad opened up another location you may have heard of, by the name of ‘Grand Central Station’ in 1871, therefor leaving the smaller rail depot on 26th street abandoned. After a few vacant years, the building was leased to PT Barnum, who converted it into what he called the ‘Great Roman Hippodrome’. This place was a big open air oval ‘arena’ where he did exactly what you’d expect. Circuses etc. What happens next is where things start getting interesting.
Then the building was leased to a band leader named Patrick Gilmore. Some historians in that field feel like Gilmore is a forgotten guy compared to the likes of John Phillips Sousa, who is really the only person we common modern folk recognize in terms of old timey band leaders. But Gilmore was a very important figure of his day. Gilmore purchased the building and…wait for it…called it Gilmore’s Concert GARDEN. ‘Garden’ was a semi-popular add on to entertainment centers in NY during that era, starting with what I can tell from my research when Castle Clinton (aka, the old fort turned venue turned place you buy your tickets to go out to the Statue of Liberty now) was converted into a venue called Castle garden in the 1820s.
The other notable contributions Gilmore made to The Garden are holding the first Westminster Kennel Club dog show, the longest running garden event obviously still held there today, and even doing the first boxing matches there. I always found this bit fascinating, because boxing matches were technically illegal at the time. He called them ‘illustrated lectures’ and as any good New Yorker trying to make a buck does, found a way around the rules and got away with it. This is a common theme within the history of The Garden as you will see.
The arena changed hands a few more times, first to an administrator with the dog show, who also started to do more sporty things like tennis and installing one of the first ‘indoor’ ice rinks in the US.
The building went back into Vanderbilt control when Commodore died, by his grandson William Vanderbilt. He was the one who decided, the ‘garden’ part was cool, but since it wasn’t leased by Gilmore anymore, he would rename it after the park which it shared a border. Hence the name, Madison Square Garden. He expanded the range of events that were held there including adding bicycle racing. This would be by far the most widely beloved event held at the Garden, including a long running race called ‘Six Days of New York’ where an insane SIX day bike race would be held. These were basically just endurance contests, with a single bicyclist doing as many laps as possible, they could sleep whenever and join back in whenever. This was all the rage, but also dangerous for not only the participants but the spectators. People who wanted to soak up all the action were easy targets for crooks who were also in attendance. These events were so popular nationwide however, that there is even a bicycle discipline called ‘Madison’ named after the OG garden.
The building however ran its course, because of its lack of roof and decaying infrastructure.
What I mean by decaying can probably best be summed up by the disaster which many people now a days don’t know of, when part of the building collapsed falling outward into the street and some of the roof also caving in with 800 people inside. Apparently it was chaos, and 20 something people were killed or injured. It’s pretty brutal, and if you want to know more about that incident you can read the newspaper article from the time here.
Vanderbilt sold the spot to who's who collection of rich white men. JP Morgan, Carnegie, Astor etc. So they decided to tear it down and build a new extremely extravagant arena on the same spot. They got renowned architect Stanford White (more on him later) and they demolished the building in 1889. After spending more than half a million dollars, MSG II was built.
Madison Square Garden II
By this point, MSG was still not the household name it would become in the future. This building was supposed to change that narrative, which is why these rich guys went all in on it. You’ll see, that they were maybe in over their heads. However, this might be the most fascinating of all the MSGs for several reasons.
Firstly, the building was extremely extravagant. That can not be overstated. I would encourage you all to just google pictures of the building, it was massive and you’ll see all the features I’m describing here. It featured a huge 32 story tall bell tower, which was good for the 2nd tallest building in the city at the time. The bellower was topped by a sculpture of the goddess Diana the huntress, which was sculpted by famous artist Augustus Saint-Gaudens, and was gilt in copper. They moved the statue not soon after, and you can see it today at the Philly Museum of art! It spun around in the wind, and their original brilliant idea was to have an actual cloth scarf draped on it, but since wind exists, it got blown away not too long after its installation.
Its main hall was the largest in the world. It had not only the main hall which sat 8,000 but just like today’s garden, had a small theater which sat 1200, and even another concert hall which sat 1500. Of course they also had the largest restaurant in the city, because why not. And because it is ‘The Garden’ they decided there should be a roof garden cabaret. They thought this would be a landmark the likes of central park, and it was certainly grandiose enough. They had the same kind of events that the first garden did, including sports, concerts, and all the random stuff they found fun before the invention of TV (not to mention radio, or at least the widespread broadcast of radio). But the problem was, the building was so damn extra, that they had a hard time making enough money to upkeep the place.
Now let’s talk about the architect. Stanford White is probably best remembered for designing the Triumphal arch in Washington square, but then closely followed by being murdered in his own building, MSG II, in a lovers quarrel. This was huge news at the time, and so was the trial that ensued, they called it ‘The Trial of The Century’. The building, being as ridiculous as it was, of course housed an apartment for White, and millionaire Harry Kendall Thaw was not too happy with White who apparently had an affair with his actress wife when she was 16. So he came through, and shot him dead in his own building. It’s all incredibly sketchy and simultaneously intriguing, involving major names of the day, which is probably why the trial was so juicy and gripping in the eyes of the general public.
Anyways, the building was ultimately a failure, and didn’t last very long in retrospect. Everyone knew what Madison Square Garden was, and it was a landmark from 1890-1926, but the building failed to live up to expectations, much less make money. A 36 year run is really nothing to write home about, especially with the illusions (or better yet delusions) of grandeur its rich owners had in mind. There were some important sporting events that happened there, but what would happen in the next building would be the reason The Garden is now known as, The Worlds most Famous Arena. Interestingly the building there today, the New York Life Insurance Company, was built on that plot directly after MSG II was demolished. They owned the mortgage on the building, so they just built their headquarters there. It’s an iconic building in its own right, and if you’re on the NE corner of the park, there’s a plaque on the building which notes that it was the location of the first 2 Gardens.
The only thing MSG still had was, well, the name. And in walked Tex Rickard, to seize an opportunity that proved to be golden.
Madison Square Garden III
If you’ve never heard of Tex Rickard, think PT Barnum, Don King, etc. He was the leading boxing (and more) promoter of the day, and was a very successful businessman, operating saloons, hotels, casinos, and the like. He was a country boy, born in Missouri and raised in Texas, but had a knack for business and promotion. Tex saw the opportunity to buy the name, and incorporated the ‘New Madison Square Garden Corporation’ in 1923. It was smart, although MSG II didn't make money, it was still a household name in NYC. The purpose was to build a less extravagant arena, but a place that would be iconic in its own right and host major sporting events, including NHL games. This is where MSG started to make a name for itself as a major player in venues, and eventually THE most famous arena in the world. So Tex bought a big block of land quite a bit of a ways away from the original site of The Garden, on 8th avenue between 49th and 50th street. He basically built a big box, designed by theater architect Thomas Lamb, at the cost of almost 5 million dollars and in a remarkable 249 days. I think it’s sufficient to say that ol’ Tex knew how to get things done. He had a bunch of rich backers, plenty of clout, and he threw his arena up in sharp contrast to the old garden. It did however have a very iconic marquee, and if you talk to anyone who was around at the time they will note that the marquee was the distinguishing feature of the building. The main draw originally was boxing, as that was Tex’s bag. They had major fights, and drew much larger crowds than the older gardens, mostly because they could cram almost 20,000 people in there. The site lines were apparently terrible, but by all accounts the energy that still haunts the current garden, was the main draw.
Then, hockey happened. This was the idea from the start, as fellow sports promoter Thomas Duggan had options on three expansion teams for the NHL, to be established in the US. One became the Bruins, and then one was arranged to be given to NYC’s most-celebrated prohibition bootlegger Bill Dwyer, who arranged with Tex to have the team play at MSG III. Tex had an agreement with the first team they started, The New York Americans, aka The Amerks (ever heard of them?), that they would be the only hockey team to ever play at The Garden. Although there was a clause in the contract that Tex claimed he would never exercise, that claimed if Tex and MSG ever made a bid for a team, the Amerks would support it. Tex kept his word for approximately one year, when due to the American’s success, he went out and got himself a hockey team. The tabloids dubbed this team Tex’s Rangers, an obvious play on words, and you can guess what that team that became today. The Rangers soon eclipsed the Amerks in success, and The Garden’s lore began to grow as the place to be in NYC.
One more note on Tex, and maybe the most important in my biased Knicks ‘no other arena is THE GARDEN’ mind. he started 7 other Madison Square Garden’s around the country. Including ‘Boston Madison Square Garden’ which as you may guess, became known as Boston Garden. Thats right Celtics fans, your building was named after ours. Thanks Tex, for unknowingly providing another iconic building, that the future inhabitants of your NYC building would lose in over and over again! Anyways…now is where basketball becomes the star - so you can all start paying attention!
At the time, nobody thought professional basketball was a viable way of making money. Rickard passed away in 1929, and during the great depression things stayed somewhat status quo, but also there were now a lot of days where the giant arena wasn’t being used at all. Then, in walked Ned Irish, a successful sports journalist who quit his job covering basketball games for the World-Telegram, to start promoting basketball games at MSG III. The Garden let him promote and hold games there, as long as he would just cover the rent, that’s how bad things were economically. To everyone’s pleasant surprise, the college games became a lot more financially successful than anyone had anticipated. Along with making money, these college games were probably the number one factor in growing the game nationwide in general. College ball became the marquee (pun intended) event at MSG III, especially the double headers. This was a time, before the infamous point shaving scandals, that NYC college basketball was a force in the college game. It’s hard to believe now, but teams like NYU and CCNY were the equivalent of today’s Duke and UNC. By 1946, they were selling out the arena, and the city (and country) had fallen in love with the game of basketball. The NIT was started during this time, and even the first televised basketball game happened there in the form of a Fordham-Pitt / Georgetown-NYU doubleheader. The previously mentioned point shaving scandal involving the NYC schools hamstrung Irish’s ability to put on marquee matchups at MSG III, as a lot of the major teams were banned from playing there, and the NCAA reduced its use of the arena as a result.
Ned, being the promoter genius that he was, saw the success of the college game, knew his limitations with that now, and thought…Why can’t we do this with professional athletes and start a league? There had technically been professional basketball being played at MSG III since its inception, but it was traveling teams like the original Celtics, which weren’t associated with a league. People just didn’t think there was enough money in it, or a means and arenas to have such a league. So with other owners of hockey arenas around the US (and Canada!) They started the NBA in 1946. It wasn’t instantly as popular as the college game as you may suspect, with the Knicks even having to play at the 69th (nice) regiment armory when a college game was on that took priority over the NBA. Ironically, the armory was a few blocks away from the original location of MSG I and II, on Lexington between 25th and 26th, it’s still there for those NYers who happen to walk by and notice the building.
There were other major nationally news worth events that happened at MSG III, including a host of politically themed ventures including both a packed Nazi rally (really, and people were NOT happy about it as you may imagine) and an anti-nazi rally. There are some very famous photos and press about the pro Nazi rally, which happened in 1939 and was organized by the ‘German American Bund’. As Nazi's were wont to do, they recorded the thing, and for what it's worth, its some of the best and most crisp footage of the old garden although the Nazi's really spoil it - Here are the receipts. If only they put their efforts into making beautiful videos of basketball games instead of hate. Too bad the guy who charged the stage didn't do any damage, and I hate to think of what they did to him. Anyways before I get too riled up, a few years later this group would be banned, but MSG certainly took some heat for allowing this to go down, and deservedly so. The tradition of MSG doing anything for a buck holds strong!
Probably the most noteworthy event ever held in that venue was also somewhat a political event. The most famous version of ‘Happy Birthday’ ever sung took place at JFK’s birthday party, sung of course by Marilyn Monroe, at MSG III. Most people probably had no idea where this took place, and it may be realistically the most famous moment from any of the incarnations of MSG.
Another one of my favorite stories from that time is when they had first built MSG III there was a boxer, who’s name escapes me but this is the NBA sub so you all don’t care, that didn’t realize there was a new venue, so he showed up at the site of MSG II only to see that it had been demolished. He scooted uptown as quickly as he could, and won his fight. There is a whole host of boxing history that went down there, but I won’t bore you all with the details, just go look it up if you’re interested! The boxing events most of you have heard of, such as The Fight of the Century, would happen at the building that stands today, MSG IIII.
Now, on to the controversy.
Madison Square Garden IIII (current arena)
This is all just fact, and I won’t get into my biased opinion on why or why not this was the right thing to do. I’m going to lay out the full controversy before I get into some fun facts about the current arena…So here goes…
Yes, there was an above ground Penn Station. It was thought of as one of the most iconic and beautiful landmarks in NYC. Look up some pictures, it’s very cool.
In 1959, Graham-Paige bought a 40% stake in MSG for $4 million. Then, in 1960, Graham-Paige president Irving Felt (old NYers will recognize the name, the Felt Forum, which was the original name for the theater under the arena floor) bought the right to Penn Station. The idea was always that he would tear the old station down, and build the sports complex. The Pennsylvania Railroad company sold the air rights to the property because passenger traffic was on the decline after WW2, and they weren’t making enough money to upkeep the station. I’m sure the Penn Railroad company wasn’t too keen on tearing the building down, but Felt made them an offer they couldn’t refuse. In exchange for the rights of a building they couldn’t support anymore, the Penn Railroad company got a brand new, smaller station completely below the street at no cost, and also a 25% stake in the new MSG complex. That probably worked out ok for them. People tried to save the old station, as it was a beautiful and a lot of people were outraged that the city would let this happen. At the end of the day, the city voted to demolish the building in 1963. A lot went into this, it was simply too much for the railroad company to upkeep, and like I said, they got a pretty great offer. Also, they had at first optioned the air rights to William Zeckendorf in 1954, and he had some plans which would reconfigure the train station into several different things including a ‘world trade center’ and a ‘Palace of Progress’. These things didn’t come to pass, again, this was a MASSIVE building. Now it should be noted, if NYC wanted to save the building, they could have saved the building. It would not have been cheap, but they could have done it. However the city thought that since it was originally intended to be a ‘cost-effective and functional piece of the city’s infrastructure’ it was now mostly just a ‘monument to the past’. Pretty cold, but the city had a history of destroying historic buildings to build even more historic ones. A lot of the criticism from people after MSG4 was built, was that this was not the case in this instance, as opposed to say - tearing down the original Waldorf-Astoria to put up the Empire State Building. That one in retrospect, doesn’t have as much contention. The city thought they were being ‘progressive’ and from what I can gather, people didn’t believe they were actually going to tear the building down until they actually started doing it. When they actually started tearing it down, it sparked international outrage. As another user pointed out on the other thread, this led to the establishment of the NYC landmarks preservation commission, which did in fact save Grand Central from demolition in 1968. So that’s a silver lining to all of this. NYC didn’t step up to save the old Penn Station, but its demolition was not in vain. The outrage that it caused has surely saved plenty of other historic buildings from their demise. Like I said, I’m not trying to say it was right or wrong, this post is simply to state the facts on what happened and why it all happened.
(((I realize that I may have been typing hastily and drunk when I responded with why the old landmark Penn Station building was torn down for the new MSG. Admittedly, my timeline was slightly off, as the ‘no property tax’ thing happened afterwards to keep the Knicks / Rangers / MSG in the city. I went back into my research and wanted to make sure I explained what happened 100% accurately. Even though nobody disputed this in the thread, my post may have been confusing and the timeline in my head was a bit skewed, as I said the threat of moving to NJ was a factor in them originally tearing the train station down. This was the reason for the property tax cut, but not the original demo of the train station, as you've just read. I wanted to make sure the accurate story was told. So this should clear up the timeline, and why and when things happened the way they did.)))
The next big controversy is what I had a little mixed up in my original post, as I clumped it together with the original controversy, and that is the threat of the teams moving to New Jersey. This did happen and this is where it gets very, very, VERY sketchy.
In 1982, when Gulf and Western owned MSG, they threatened to move the teams to NJ, as the Giants and Jets had done, and also the Devils although they didn’t come from Manhattan. NJ had proven a more than viable option for professional sports teams, as it was just a short train ride away to the new Meadowlands Sports Complex. The Garden was in need of renovation, so they made then mayor Ed Koch an ultimatum - give us a tax break to help us renovate the arena and add the new fangled luxury boxes that all the newer arenas had. That led to a full property tax exemption for the next 10 years.
Koch ‘didn’t realize’ that no one put in a sunset date for the tax exemption. Some think he confused the clause that stated the teams would be locked in for at least 10 more years, for a clause that said the tax exemption would only last for 10 more years. The first part of that is true, so interestingly enough the Knicks and Rangers are not allowed to play home games anywhere else but MSG, or they would break the agreement, so things like the NHL winter classic that the Rangers play in, even if in NY they have to be the away team. Knicks in London? Away team. Not that those teams would give up a home games worth of revenue, but still they technically have to be the away team. So the garden has saved somewhere around half a billion dollars, yes BILLION dollars in property tax payments. It’s around $50 Million now, and although there have been bills, most notably in 2014 to try and get this changed, so far it’s fallen on deaf ears.
The argument against this is pretty plain to see, the Knicks and the Rangers are the most profitable teams in their respective sports, and that they don’t need this tax break. Let’s make one thing clear, Jim Dolan definitely does NOT need the tax break. Everyone has to pay property taxes. Except, Dolan and MSG. It’s a hard pill to swallow, even as the most diehard Knicks fan. The City Council almost unanimously voted to take it to state legislature in 2014, which has authority over the cities tax rules. There is sketchy stuff all through this, like state assembly leader at the time Sheldon Silver having his daughter and one of his former top aides on MSG payroll. Oh yeah, Sheldon Silver was convicted of federal fraud and extortion charges sometime after that focused on large payments that Silver received for years from Goldberg & Iryami, a law firm that specialized in seeking reductions of New York City real estate taxes for real estate developers. Silver was alleged to have persuaded developers who had business with the state to use the firm, which in turn generated $700,000 in referral fees to Silver. Totally not sketchy at all.
Here’s where it stands today, as controversy will be back to a fever pitch in a few years.
In 2013, the NYC council voted unanimously to give MSG a ten year permit, as opposed to their current agreement which gave them operating rights in perpetuity. This means that MSG’s operating permit is up in 2023. Penn Station is in dire need of renovation. Like, more-so than the Knicks are in need of talent. Dolan also spent a couple billion on renovating the arena into the state of the art facility it is today. He’s not planning on moving it. If the city wants Dolan to move the garden so they can renovate the station, it would be massively complicated, and the city would be forced to offer huge subsidies to get MSG out of the way. So chances are, everything goes on, status quo. Now I will say, from my time receiving internal emails at MSG, Dolan does not want a fight with the city. They realize that there can potentially be a compromise here. Also, he has a ton of money, and politicians tend to respond to that.
One thing that is a step in the right direction, is the massive building across 8th avenue, the iconic post office, which just like the old Penn Station has gone largely unused but BECAUSE of Penn Stations demolition has been protected itself from demolition. It has already begun to be repurposed for the train station, and by 2021 they are supposed to finish the construction on the inside to a huge, new, modern train hub. This will do a lot honestly in reducing the congestion in the old underground station.
The other internal rumblings, were that Dolan was going to let them build into the theater. Cuomo actually announced this plan, which would leave the arena intact. I will explain the layout of the current building later, but underneath the arena floor up on the 5th floor, sits the 2nd largest theater in all of NYC. In my time there it was being used less and less, mostly because the garden also owns Radio City and The Beacon theater, which are much nicer venues. There have been iconic events down in the theater also, including many NBA drafts, and some epic Eddie Murphy stand up specials, but it is in need of renovation. It is the only area that they didn’t touch during the renovation, because the thought process is that they’d just be competing with themselves in Radio and The Beacon. So The idea is that Dolan will throw the city a bone, and let them build up into the theater, in exchange for keeping the status quo, which would give Penn a much larger footprint. Admittedly, I’m not sure what progress has gone into this plan, and if the Amtrak plan for the post office has changed any of that. Basically, we’re just going to have to wait until 2023 to see what the future really holds for MSG, but knowing a bit about NYC politics, I wouldn’t count on anything changing.
Ok, now that that’s all out of the way, lets talk about the fun side of MSG4, if it hasn’t already left too sour of a taste in your collective mouths.
The new building is actually a pretty fascinating piece of architecture in its own right. Some people think the facade is ugly, and that’s fair, but the inner workings are pretty cool. Charles Luckman was the architect, and he also designed the Forum out in LA, owned now by MSG as well. In my opinion, the most fascinating part of the structure is the cable system which supports it. 48 cables connect from the outer circumference of the building, meeting at the middle in a center tension ring. This allows the arena to not have visual support beams, like the arenas before it all boasted. No visual beams means better sight lines, and less obstructions. This is a cool article from the time about it if you care to know more about the actual construction. If you’re ever at The Garden, look for little circular plaques on the wall, numbered 1-48. These mark where the cables line up in the arena, and security can actually use these to dictate where they are in the building. You’ll probably never notice them, unless you’re looking for them.
The other cool thing about the roof, is that if you look closely you’ll see that the actual ceiling which sits between the cables, you’ll see that it has tiny holes all through it. Thats because the ceiling is designed to absorb sound, its filled with sound absorption material so when the sound passes through the holes it helps deaden the room. Usually arenas are the worst place to see a concert, and the general rule of thumb is - the bigger the room, the louder and boomier it will be. It’s certainly not as good sounding as a smaller concert venue but it is better than any arena you’ll find. As opposed to oracle arena, which has a concrete ceiling meant to amplify sound for sporting events etc. Which makes it even more impressive how loud it gets in there, despite the ceilings best efforts.
When the building was built there was a 48 lane bowling alley, an art gallery, a hall of fame, and a 501 seat cinema. Thats right, a 48 lane bowling alley. It closed in the 80s, but had a lot of bowling events including some sort of bowling TV show apparently. I haven’t been able to confirm this, but this was what I was told by a reliable source! Someone older than myself can probably speak to that.
Unlike most arenas, the arena floor of MSG is actually 5 floors above street level, which allows for the theater underneath the arena floor.
Although the Felt Forum Theater at Madison Square Garden doesn’t have as many events as it used to, they still have events and even at the same time that there are events going on up in the main arena. When I was working there, we had plenty of instances where there were crazy concerts or games going on upstairs, and other events going on in the theater. You would have never known the other was going on, and there is no sound transmitted from one venue to the other. Also if you’re familiar with the theater, the rumor is the lights (probably its defining characteristic) that pattern the theater ceiling, equates exactly to the number of seats in the theater. I never was bored enough to count, so that’ll just have to be a rumor for now!
The floor of the arena itself is pretty cool, and if you’re not familiar with how these multi-sport arenas work, the ice lives underneath the court all through hockey and basketball season. It’s pretty remarkable to watch the ice crew make the ice, and pretty sad when it gets melted. The fun fact here is, not only can they switch over in under 3 hours from one sport to the other, but they WILL do it and have to do it several times a year to do a Knicks and Rangers home game on the same day. All four sides of the arena have expandable seating, think high school gym, which allows for almost 2 thousand more seats during Knicks games as opposed to rangers games. They cover the ice with a fiberglass/plastic compound material, and then the floor fits together like a giant puzzle over top of the material. This current material has been used since the renovation, and the ridiculous thing is before the new material, supposedly they had to melt the ice once during the season - to accommodate for the longest running event in MSG history, the dog show. Apparently the dogs could sense the ice! I wasn’t there at that time, but that was what I was told was the scenario.
Another ridiculous thing is seeing them set up for professional bull riding. It’s insane, they bring in literally 20 something dump trucks of dirt and they do a ‘running of the bulls’ where all the bulls run up the ramp that goes to the street, and into their pens. It’s probably the wildest thing you’ll see being set up there, and also leaves the arena smelling like, well, you know, for several weeks. Not as bad as it smells after Phish comes through for NYE, and no I’m not talking about reefer. That would be one thing, but it just smells…grimy.
As much as we all collectively have some disdain for James Dolan, it hasn’t been all bad. He has hosted 3 of the biggest benifit concerts of all time, for 9/11, Katrina, and Sandy. All the proceeds from these shows went towards victim relief. But what people don’t realize is that the first ever benefit concert happened at MSG, in George Harrison’s ‘The Concert For Bangladesh’.
As for the new renovation, they really did a nice job in a lot of ways. It took 3 years, from 2011-13. First of all, if you’ve never sat on the bridge for a game, do it. It’s truly a one of a kind view. If you’re not familiar with the bridge, they are 2 suspended walkways that were added during the renovation, with several rows of seating that stretch across the arena. One side is the ‘Media bridge’ where there are TV’s with full cable, all kinds of plugs for laptops and internet and all that. They will sell tickets to this side when it’s a game that the media isn’t hogging the whole thing. I like hanging up there during games because there are advanced stats on some of the channels, anything you would need to be covering the game from a journalistic perspective, so it’s pretty cool. Also that’s where the radio, and the hockey TV broadcast booths are, since the vantage point is better up there for hockey than on the glass.
Pro tip - sometimes on stub hub or wherever, those seats can be cheaper than the ones further back not on the bridge. This is because they’re the ‘300’ level, where as the seats all the way up on the sides are the 200 level. However there really isn’t a bad seat in the house. And there are bars INSIDE the seating area, so if you’re up in the top of the 200’s, you can hit the bar without ever leaving the arena bowl and missing a single second of that can’t miss Knicks basketball. The 400 level is cool too, that’s the blue seats, which were the original color of all the 400 level seats.
Back in the day, when there were paper tickets, the seats in the different levels were different colors, and the tickets for those seats would be the same color as your seats!
The suite situation is very insane now a days. There are the event level suites, which are 20 suites located literally on the arena floor, underneath the seating. They have no view of the game, but they come with 8 seats each right in the first few rows. It’s the best of both worlds, so you’ll see the first few rows CLEAR OUT during half time to go into their little luxury caves. There are also suites all through the mid level of the arena, and then a 3rd level of suites up on the 9th floor, facing the stage.
There are also luxury clubs, including the Delta Club, which if you’ve never had a ticket with access to it, and can afford it - I highly recommend it. Everything (minus alcohol of course!) is free, and the food is honestly ridiculous. Further down the hall and down the stairs is the JP Morgan club (throwback!) where an even more elite club (closest 100 or so seats) can hang out. And even more so, there is a place called ‘suite 200’. I never knew about this until I worked there. You can only go there if you’re invited, which means you’re very famous. For some reason, my keycard had access to this, and I explored it a few times. It’s ridiculous. Original trophies, huge original paintings, etc.
Speaking of trophies - everyone used to ask me where the Knicks championship trophies are - and the truth is, back when the Knicks won it was so long ago, that the NBA trophy was like the Stanley cup and changed hands every year. So…no Knicks championship trophies. However if you go to MSG you’ll notice the defining moments collection, the top moments in MSG history that line the walls of the 2 main concourses. There is one dedicated to the 1970 championship, and it has the eastern conference trophy in it. Now this I can confirm is true - if you examine the trophy you’ll notice that the little basketball player on top is a different hue than the rest of the trophy. That’s because apparently when they were compiling these displays a few years ago, they found the trophy in storage with the basketball man broken off the top of it, so they had to replace it. That’s why you can visibly tell that there is a difference between him and the rest of the trophy, if you really examine it.
Obviously there have been so many huge events at The Garden, I don’t really need to get into that here.
Also if you ever get the chance, visit the 9th floor where the signature suites are located. The coolest memorabilia in the building is up there, including one of those signed 50 greatest lithographs, Patrick Ewing and Wayne Gretzky’s locker, and even the statue of Joe Gans, a legendary African American boxer. This statue has the patina pretty much gone from his outstretched left arm is it was tradition for boxers to tap gloves with Joe for good luck before they took the ring. Now it sits up there, right next to the scale that was in use during the time of the fight of the century featuring Frazier and Ali. They also have an old school ice resurfacer up there, which is pretty cool.
Well, I’m sure there’s a ton that I left out - If you made it this far, you’re a champ.
TL;DR - Boston Garden was originally called Boston Madison Square Garden and was named after the arena in NY. There is only one 'The Garden' and it's super duper important. ;)
Edit - I should have mentioned wrestling. It’s intimately tied to MSG, but really deserves its own thread and I have no more characters!

FT. BBYMUTHA, NA-KEL SMITH, LIV.E, MIKE & BLACK NOI$E
Presale: Thursday, January 30th, 2019 at 10 AM Local
Onsale: Friday, February 1st, 2019 at 10 AM Local
Venues and Dates listed below:
03/23 New Orleans, LA - BUKU Music + Art Project
03/25 Charlotte, NC - The Underground at the Fillmore Charlotte
03/26 Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore Silver Spring
03/28 Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage
03/29 Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts
03/30 New York, NY - Irving Plaza
03/31 Providence, RI - Fête Music Hall
04/02 Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
04/04 Montreal, Quebec - Corona Theatre
04/05 Toronto, Ontario - The Phoenix Concert Theatre
04/07 Detroit, MI - Saint Andrews Hall
04/09 Minneapolis, MN - Cabooze
04/10 Lawrence, KS - The Granada
04/11 Denver, CO - Cervantes Masterpiece
04/14 Seattle, WA - The Showbox
04/15 Vancouver, British Columbia - The Commodore Ballroom
04/16 Portland OR - Crystal Ballroom
04/18 Sacramento, CA - Ace of Spades
04/19 San Francisco, CA - Regency Ballroom
04/20 Santa Cruz, CA - The Catalyst
04/21 San Luis Obispo, CA - Fremont Theater
04/23 Pomona, CA - The Glass House
04/24 Los Angeles, CA - The Novo
04/26 Las Vegas, NV - Vinyl - Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas
04/27 San Diego, CA - SOMA
04/28 Phoenix, AZ - Club Red
05/01 Austin, TX - Emo’s
05/02 Dallas, TX - Canton Hall
05/04 Houston, TX - Warehouse Live
05/05 Birmingham, AL - Saturn
05/06 Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
06/07 London, England - Meridian Water (Field Day Festival 2019)

Last updated - 12/31/2019 5:31 CST
Companion post for seasons 1-3
This post is intended to be a cumulative effort! Please comment on the creative works we see in season 4 of Mr. Robot. Who knows, it may help with understanding, theorizing, and our enjoyment of an already enjoyable show.
Art- Painting
Two Party System - Doug Minkler
The Green Gown - Frederick Childe Hassam_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg)
Untitled Abstract Painting - Gilberto Hernandez Ortega
Sylvette - Pablo Picasso
Books - Literature
No Exit - Jean Paul Sartre
The Man Who Would Be King - Rudyard Kipling (see also Movies)
Resurrection - Leo Tolstoy)
Parmenides - Plato)
The Winter of Our Discontent - John Steinbeck
Breakfast of Champions - Kurt Vonnegut
Resurrection - Leo Tolstoy)
Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov (see also Movies)
Books - Fiction
Beach Towel - Irving
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler - E. L. Konigsburg
The Dilbert Principle - Scott Adams
Hearts in Atlantis - Stephen King
Robot (series) - Isaac Asimov
Dune - Frank Herbert)
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep - Philip K. Dick
Ubik - Philip K. Dick
Out of the Silent Planet - C.S. Lewis
The Firm - John Grisham) (see also Movies)
The Brothers Karamazov - Fyodor Dostoevsky
A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess) (see also Movies)
Tiny Little Thing - Beatriz Williams
Educating Peter - Tom Cox
Twice in a Blue Moon - Christina Lauren
Whistle in the Dark - Emma Healey
Books - Nonfiction
Dare to Lead - Brene Brown
7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen R. Covey
The Conquest of Bread - Peter Kropotkin
Ubuntu Made Easy - Rickford Grant and Phil Bull
Programming: Principles and Practice Using C++ - Bjarne Stroustrup
Rainbow Series AKA Rainbow Books, Crayola Books
International UNIX Environments
Programmer's Guide to the IBM PC - Peter Norton
The Design and Implementation of the 4.3BSD Unix Operating System - Leffler, McKusick, Karels, and Quarterman
Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools - Aho, Lam, Sethi, and Ullman.pdf)
Our Parents' Lives: Jewish Assimilation and Everyday Life
- Cowan and Cowan
Happens Every Day: An All True Story - Isabel Gillies
Misc. (People, maps, studies, etc.)
Hugh Everett - physicist
Brian Greene - physicist
Erwin Schrödinger - physicist
IBM
Samoan language
Thomas Earnshaw - watchmaker
Casio F-91W
Sylvette David
Oscar Wilde - Playwright
Hulder (also Huldra in Norwegian folklore)
Banshee
Adam Weishaupt - Philosopher
Layer Cake Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
Max Headroom
Portal (video game))
Alexa - Amazon
Clemens Wenzeslaus Brentano - AuthoPoet
Max Planck - Physicist
Jorge Luis Borges - Link
Gabriel Garcia Marquez - Author
Marlon Brando - Actor
Berthold Brecht - Playwright
Aleister Crowley - Poet
(Johann Christoph) Friedrich von Schiller - All around Renaissance Man
Alexander Schmorell - Political Activist
1939 World’s Fair - NYC
Elektro (Robot)
Movies
Citizen Kane - Orson Welles
The Shining - Stanley Kubrick
Back to the Future - Robert Zemeckis
Brazil - Terry Gilliam
Soylent Green - Richard Fleischer
The Fifth Element - Luc Besson
Betty Blue - Jean Jac Beinbeix
Pump Up the Volume - Allan Moyle
Jurassic Park - Steven Spielberg)
Robocop - Paul Verhoeven
Die Hard - John McTiernan
Three Days of the Condor - Sydney Pollack
Kafka - Steven Soderbergh
The Conversation - Francis Ford Coppola
Batman - Tim Burton
Batman Returns - Tim Burton
Wall-E - Pixar
Casino - Martin Scorsese
A Clockwork Orange - Stanley Kubrick (see also Books - Fiction)
Eyes Wide Shut - Stanley Kubrick
The Firm - Sydney Pollack (see also Books - Fiction)
The Man Who Would Be King - John Huston (see also Books - Fiction)
Full Metal Jacket - Stanley Kubrick
Paths of Glory - Stanley Kubrick
A Touch of Evil - Orson Welles
Rope - Alfred Hitchcock
Primer - Shane Carruth)
Lolita - Stanley Kubrik (see also Books - Literature)
2001: A Space Odyssey - Stanley Kubrick)
Hackers - Ian Softley
Music
Time (Clock of the Heart) - Culture Club
Flesh without Blood - Grimes
Don’t Worry, Be Happy - Bobby McFerrin
First Mark - Lil Silva
Cloudscape - Phillip Glass
Sick of Myself - Matthew Sweet
Kelly - Van She
Lover’s Tears - Feng Feifei
Jul jul strålande jul
Outro- M83
Ave Maria - Josh Groban
Ne me quitte pas - Jacques Brel
Mr. Robot - Styx
Queen - Perfume Genius
Music - Christmas Songs
Little Drummer Boy
O Come All Ye Faithful
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - performed by Mac Quayle
Christmas Rappin - Kurtis Blow
It’s Christmas (All Over the World) - New Edition
Christmas Rappin’ - Kurtis Blow
Television Shows
MTV
LOST - Abrams, Lieber, Lindelof
The Sopranos
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Joss Whedon (this could also be the entire Buffy Universe)
Questionable Additions
Elf on a Shelf
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contributors
u/keyfob
u/fksociety
u/JamMastaJ3
u/edgeplayer
u/darlenee (discord)
u/andmyradio
u/B-cipher
u/orangesforever - Tumblr account here (lots of creative references!)
u/calembo
u/DarkHollowDulcimers

May 28, Louisville, Iroquois Amphitheater
May 29, Columbus, Ohio, Express Live! Outdoor Amphitheatre
May 31, Atlanta, Coca-Cola Roxy
June 01, Simpsonville, South Carolina, CCNB Amphitheatre at Heritage Park Simpsonville
June 02, Baltimore, MECU Pavilion
June 04, Asbury Park, New Jersey, Stone Pony Summer Stage
June 06, Boston, Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion
June 07, New York, Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island Boardwalk
June 08, Camden, New Jersey, BB&T Pavilion
June 10, Pittsburgh, Stage AE – Outdoors
June 11, Detroit, Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill
June 13, Council Bluffs, Iowa, Harrah's Council Bluffs - Stir Cove
June 14, Chicago, Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
June 15, Minneapolis, The Armory
June 18, Kansas City, Missouri, Starlight Theatre
June 19, Denver, Fillmore Auditorium
June 20, Salt Lake City, The Great Saltair
June 22, Seattle, Marymoor
June 23, Portland, Theater of the Clouds at Moda Center
June 25, San Francisco, The Masonic
June 26, San Diego, Petco Park - Park at the Park
June 28, Las Vegas, The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas
June 29, Los Angeles, Greek Theatre
June 30, Phoenix, Nevada, Comerica Theatre
July 02, Austin, Austin360 Amphitheater
July 03, Irving, The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
source: http://dallas.culturemap.com/news/entertainment/02-12-19-coheed-cambria-mastodon-toyota-music-factory-irving/

If you haven't had time to listen to seven hours of podcast interviews, or you didn't retain everything you heard, here are some key points. I didn't think to do this until just now, so I'll be posting it as a work in progress and updating it throughout the afternoon. That way more people will have a chance to read up before the premiere.
Karishma Patel, 37, Personal Injury Trial Lawyer, Houston, TX -First generation Indian-American Her mom was as a legal assistant, and got her a filing job at her law firm when she was 14. "I didn't have other options. I was basically told I was going to be a lawyer and I didn't disagree."She has watched every season and regularly listens to RHAP. She sits close to the TV to study the inflections on people's faces when something is said to them, so that she can think about what that means. But, her parents and husband don't share her enthusiasm for the show. Asked if it's her dark pleasure she says, "It is completely bright. It is a beautiful pleasure of mine, but it is mine and mine only. I haven't been able to find people to share it with." -Doing the show has caused her conflict. "Not only is it not expected, it's not allowed. It's kind of like being a disobedient Indian girl. You're not supposed to be doing this. What you're supposed to be doing is having babies. But I don't care. I'm a risk taker. I'm here to prove to myself that I don't need to listen to anybody else. I don't need permission from anybody else. This is my journey and I'm going to take it. I hope that people watching out there can see that an Indian woman's value does not come from doing what she's told." -She doesn't currently have children, and she says she has some decisions to make as she enters a crossroads and the next stage of her life. -Her law firm told her they'll replace her if they're able to find someone, and she can have her job back if they don't. "I didn't flinch." -Her strategy is to be non-threatening and play a social game. She doesn't look 37, and she wants to use that youthfulness to be disarming. She wants to build relationships other people believe in. She defines success by other people vouching for her loyalty when they go off and have private conversations with one another. "That means I got 'em, because it's actually the other way around." Asked if she wants to find someone she can trust, "I'm not going to be capable of it. I'm too skeptical for that. I overthink things, so I'm not going to be able to trust somebody the way I want to be trusted... If I do, that's the end of my game."
My take: Oh my God. Poor Karishma. Her story hurts my heart. She reminds me so much of myself in her isolation, her defiance and her deep feelings. I worry that her fear of trusting people could get in the way of her forming genuine bonds. But, there's nothing she can do. Society has made her the way she is. I hope she gets a lot of screen time so she can be a star of her favorite show.
Missy Byrd, 24, Military Veteran/App Developer, Tacoma, Washington -Originally from Georgia. Her family was 'decently poor.' She played basketball for the Air Force Academy because she thought it was her ticket out. -She had a brain tumor. She stopped menstruating for a year and two quarters. "I'm not dating anyone but I have breast milk. I'm a literal cow... I would look down and my shirt would be wet, and I thought, 'Dang you're clumsy. I knew you were clumsy, but you're clumsier today than you were yesterday. But it was - it was - uhh - milk." She had crying fits. She developed a stutter and couldn't look at people. Doctors told her she was just stressed. When her dad died she couldn't process emotions normally. She was about to go to the French version of the Air Force Academy, École de l'air, after graduation but because of her mental instability she was removed from school. The military shipped her to the same Air Force base as Sandra (Fort Lewis.) "I don't want to be there. Super sad. Check into the post office - fuck this. Check into the dorms - hate that." The doctor there found the tumor. She got an MRI and all weekend she believed she might have cancer. Over the next year and a half she eliminated the tumor and the symptoms using vitamins. She enlisted and worked logistics. -She made a list of the things she wanted to do now that she was going to live. "The first thing was go see Beyonce. Beyonce costs way too much money for a normal person to go see, but if you've just almost had a near death experience you go see Beyonce, bro!" She was feet away. She drove across the country. She tried weed. -She had an idea for an app, but didn't even have the computer literacy to use social media. She found a veteran's association and asked if she could intern. "They said, 'No, you should build this out yourself. We want to work for you.' I said, 'No, the fuck you don't. Okay, lemme call my grandma.'" She wrote a grant proposal and won a $1,500 office space in the center of Seattle. "Just to do whatever I want. It was like a laboratory for a child. I had Play-Dough up there. I had a white board... Just mind blowing shit when I could have been dead." -She'd seen every episode of Survivor at least three times. She started watching because her Air Force Academy basketball team was getting decimated, and she related to Foa Foa getting decimated in Survivor: Samoa. She added the show to her list. Josh suggests, "The bugs are eating you because they want some of that magic." -She isn't going to tell people her story until she's in the Final 3. "That's that Final 3 magic." She doesn't want to overly rely on strategy. She doesn't want to win individual challenges. She to build a social game and find ways to relate to everyone.
My take: She's so full of exuberance. There's not a negative bone in her body right now. She's too young and her life experience is too necessarily limited to talk around three years of her life. If she shares her story, the beauty of her perspective will cause everyone to fall in love with her and want her to do well. If she doesn't, people will sense that she's hiding a lot. I think she'll figure that out and course correct within the first day. Since she was at the same Air Force base as Sandra and she was a massive fan, does that suggest she knows her?
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Ronnie Bardah, 35, Professional Poker Player, Henderson, Nevada-Born and raised in Brockton, Massachusetts, 20 minutes south of Boston. They were the only Israeli family in town. 50% of the people in Brockton were from Cape Verde, and he considers himself an "honorary Cape Verdian." A couple of his friends were shot and killed at a young age. -He was a good kid and had a good heart, but he was always hustling. In Junior High he was flipping Oatmeal Cakes and Fudge Rounds for a profit. Slinging baseball cards. Both his parents gambled. They were always at the dog tracks or Mohegan Sun. He had his friend make him a fake ID and got stuck with the name Alaja Jones. He went by Al and started playing the casinos. Quit his job at Sears Automotive to play poker full time.-He played Atlantic City, Vegas, then internationally. He had his first big score in 2010 when he took 24th place in the main event for $320,000. Got to keep $150,000 after taxes. "Poker's a hard way to make an easy living. Lots of people try. We risk every day. You have to get to a point when you can manage your bankroll and I've never gone broke in the 16 years I've played." -In one of the most viewed poker hands of all time, he was bluffed out of a million dollar pot by a supermodel on a poker TV show filmed in Monaco. "She made a sick play. She had no idea what she was doing but all the stars were aligned."-He watched Borneo when it aired and got back into it when fellow poker player Anna Khait was on. He calls Jean-Robert, "kinda a lazy guy...He's really good at befriending multi-millionaires." "Anna Khait... is probably the least poker player out of all of us. She played for a couple years." "And then Garrett - He's a very, very smart, smart kid... Self-made millionaire. One of the very, very few." -He only drank water for 7.5 days and lost 25 pounds for his health and to get an idea of the conditions of the show. He thinks he'll thrive in the survival situation. "People like being around me. I like to fucking bust balls and joke." He thinks old school alliances are a good plan, but you have to adapt. He says that like in poker, Survivor players can have every advantage, but they have to really smell it. -He wants Vince out. "There's an Asian Zeke in there. What value does he bring besides ruining people and getting in people's heads? He's a liability in challenges. He looks like a little corn puff. We gotta get him outta here. Sorry to sound so mean but it's the truth."
My take: Ruuuuude. He has no way of knowing how other people on the cast are talking in their interviews, and may assume the trash talk is standard. If he were playing on some seasons it would be. But, in this particular season it sets him apart in an unflattering way, and it seems a part of the tough persona he's built up to escape a scary situation growing up and enter a fantasy career. We'll see whether his tribe thinks he's a straight talking character or a jerk.
​
Tom Laidlaw, Former NHL Player, Brampton, Ontario, Canada -He was with the New York Rangers for 7 years and the LA Kings for 4. Now he has his own podcast, True Grit Life (truegritlife.com). Does it with a friend, Kevin Allen, who writes for USA Today. Does motivational speaking. -Growing up on a dairy farm outside Toronto there was a pond to water the cows. It froze over in the winters and he'd play hockey because there wasn't much else to do. Went to Northern Michigan University - four year hockey captain, ranked #1 team in the country. Drafted as a 20 year old. "My buddy had a horse farm. We were cleaning horse shit out of the stalls. There were no cell phones back then. This is 1978. My father got a call at our farm house from the New York Rangers at the draft. Back then nobody went to the draft - it was just teams. They said I'd been drafted in the sixth round. He calls the farm house where I'm working. They bring me up. He says, 'Son, you've been drafted by the Rangers.' I said, 'Great. What do I do now?' He says, 'Finish cleaning the shit out of the stalls.'" -When he played intimidation and fighting was strategy. There were guys tougher than him, but he could fight and he could also play. Problem was, he fought a guy once, and from then on the guy wanted to fight him over and over. -Jerry Bruckheimer, big hockey fan, called the NHL and wanted to get some players on the Amazing Race. Tom had kept himself in shape, he had his passport. They ended up asking him about Survivor. He'd watched it before but not for a while. He wasn't so sure he wanted to play a game where you hurt other people, but friends helped him get his head around it. He was very impressed by Christian's toughness in the endurance challenge. To prepare for the show he studied how he reacted to different situations, how to control his heart heart, etc. He wants the mental challenge.
My take: Tom really ticked me off when he spoiled a couple of outcomes of this season. That's a betrayal of the producers, his cast and the viewers. But, if that hadn't happened I would like him. He's an easy-going, charming guy. His life experiences are a bit different than anyone else who's been on the show, which is what you want.
Vince Moua, 27, Admissions Counselor, Merced, CA -His family is Hmong. His parents lived in Vietnam in the destruction left by the war - dead bodies, guns, people who wanted to kill them. They went to refugee camps in Thailand. Then his dad became a Montana farm hand. He met Vince's mom in the US, but she came from the same place. -Vince is from small town Merced, California - the 209. Few people he knew went anywhere but the UC system and community college. He went to Stanford, one of only 7-10 Hmong. He realized the significance someone can bring to people from the same community. He tried to be pre-med but realized "no, not today." The issues of access he cared about came well before people got to the hospital. He ended up going with education. His mom was a teacher, "But when I was growing up she said, 'Yo, if you become a teacher Imma disown yo ass.' To all of us. But, that's always kinda been my jam." -He lived in South Korea for five years. He taught English in a town. Then in Seoul ahed worked with low and middle income students who wanted to study outside of Korea. -He's a Survivor superfan, who even mentions on his Tinder account that he plans to be on Survivor. His parents were worried about him doing TV because he's not out as gay to his extended family. He comes from a clan where his dad is the "top dog" and Vince is "the next top dog." In the Asian American/Pacific Islander community when you come out, it's your family who faces - in a sense - dishonor. For a long time he distanced himself from his family, hoping they'd all be less hurt if they found out and disowned him. He always tried to find friends who would be there for him should his parents not be. A year ago his mom asked him rhetorically if he was gay. "I was try'n to go around it. I was like, 'Gurl, you don't wanna know! Yo ass keeps asking!' But she kept asking, asking. So finally I told her 'Yeah, I am!' and she was crying. My dad was like, 'Oh, my son!'" But, Vince is fine with who he is and wants to show kids like him that "let's hope that it gets better." Now his parents just want him to win. -He'd like to play an old school strategy but "I'm not afraid to cut a bitch." With the tribe he's going to be Homeboy Vince from the 209, but when he talks to the camera he's going to tell people "Don't underestimate your narratives." This past year with Crazy Rich Asians, he wants people to know that there are some Crazy Hood Ass Asians.
My take: What a character. Vince has a clear point of view - Hmong, blue collar, gay - which is unique to him in Survivor lore. Even though double minorities have sometimes had trouble fitting in socially on Survivor I think somehow he's going to pull it off. As unlikely as this sounds I could even see him being a Cochran-esque winner.
Aaron Meredith, 36, Personal Trainer, Warwick, Rhode Island -He's very keyed up at Ponderosa. Rambling so fast it sounds like you're listening to 1.5x. He's read four books so far - Relentless by Tim Grover, Can't Hurt Me by Dave Goggins, Iron Cowboy by James Lawrence, Harry Potter. -He was an engineer at a building insulation plant. He was miserable, too antsy sitting at a desk. Couldn't focus. So, he drove up and down the East Coast popping kettle corn - from Maine to Florida - traveling with carnies. Bartended for a while. He'd played college football and baseball, lifted since high school, and he and his friends wanted to get "huge and jacked and ripped." The owner of the gym suggested he become a personal trainer. He ended up working mostly with middle aged women and it taught him empathy. Now he owns two women's-only fitness studios. He puts supportive women around one another and offers them the positivity to seek self-growth. -He's also a party boat emcee. Lights, DJ, bar, drinks. He's an extremely social person. -He'd first applied at 23 - 6 or 7 times over the years. He was in the mix for Cook Islands and David vs. Goliath. -He's been married 7 years and has a 5 year old son. His son is a huge fan of Survivor. Libby Vincek is his favorite player. Kara Kay was his next favorite. Aaron is already sure Molly will be his son's favorite. "He has a type. He He likes the attractive blondes. He says, 'I like them because they have a nice face.' I like mommy because she has a nice face too." The boy was very concerned about his dad going on the show. He said, "Dad, I don't want anyone to laugh at you and make fun of you." Aaron said he wanted to win. His son said, "But you might not win." When they watch the show he'll always ask, "Do they like him? Do they like her?" If Aaron is portrayed in a negative light he'll have to sit down with his son and talk. He doesn't want to play a deceitful game, but he will, because he doesn't care how he's portrayed.
My take: His story about his son is one of my favorites from all these interviews. I hope he gets to work with Molly. His adrenaline is too high. I hope he calms down a lot when the game starts. But, someone so social and sweet hearted who can win challenges and take themselves to the end has got to be a contender to win.
Chelsea Walker, 27, Digital Content Editor, Los Angeles, CA -Chelsea just took the cast photo and they put her in the third spot from the bottom, a good omen because a weird number of winners have been in that position. "Your girl's number three. I got this!" -She's a Jersey girl. She went to the University of Maryland. "I didn't do Survivor: Maryland or anything." She studied Broadcast Journalism. She knew the generic emails for NBC Universal and emailed random people until someone replied. Now she's been in LA a year. She did coverage of award shows. Now she works at IMDB, where she helps Kevin Smith with his show. She just interviewed people at SXSW. -She's been watching Survivor since she was 8. She's cried in every interview because this means so much to her. She's trying to explain that at the point she starts crying again. "It's been such a dream of mine and To be told no year after year after year - these past six years have been a total mindfuck. I've basically been called every single year. I've been to finals three times. Survivor is my one true love, but the one year they didn't call me I got really pissed off so I tried out for Big Brother. I ended up becoming the alternate and got my key being filmed and all of that crap. But I don't like that show anyway." -In September 2017 she was at a WeHo bar for her friend's birthday when, "Oh shit that's Jeff Probst." Her girlfriends all know she's obsessed, so she pulled the waiter over and asked what that guy was drinking. So, Chelsea sent another one over. "I told my friends, 'Take my credit card. Split the bill, because I can't come back after I do this. As soon as the waiter drops off the drink I'm like, 'Jeff, this one's on me. You can buy me the next one at finals.' And I just walked out of the restaurant... That was a big move!" They didn't call her again that year, but Jeff still remembered when they talked this year. -She's been working out at four different gyms - weights, pilates, yoga. Push ups. Memorized puzzles. Reading How to Win Friends and Influence People, which she keeps in.a Bible sleeve so people will think she's religious. She also carries Harry Potter because she would trust someone who read HP. She wants to keep it cool. Make one on one connections. Eventually find idols - and not tell anyone she has one - and make calculated moves. "I don't want to be a Jacob. No offense."
My take: Hearing this girl cry from joy because she's so happy to be on the show makes me emotional. She's a real go getter. I wish I were that damn fearless. Truly, I wish I were more like her. I hope her pure zest for life comes across on TV and she doesn't get stuck with a purple edit just because of her age and gender. I also hope no one decides to get threatened by her as a competitive girl and vote her off premerge. I think she'll go far. Hope so.
Dean Kowalski, 28, Account Executive, New York, New York -Referring to himself in the third person, "Dean is 28 years old. As we mentioned, he lives in New York and he prides himself on being a well rounded person when it comes to interests, abilities, personalities... If I'm listening to Drake and Lil Wayne, I gotta go home and cry to This Is Us.. I can play basketball but also think about our place in the universe." He likes to tag basketball courts with a peace symbol with a ball on it which he makes using a stencil. -He structures most of his interview with Josh around an Outwit, Outplay, Outlast format, explaining why he excels at each. -He grew up in an affluent suburb. His dream was to play in the NBA. He was 5"9 3/4, so he set his eyes on college basketball as a realistic alternative. In order to get looks from colleges he went to a school 30 minutes away - top five in the country, Nike would fly them around for games and give them free Jordan sneakers. He was one of only 4 white guys in the whole school and the only one on the team. He played with Kyrie Irving, the #1 overall draft pick. "My friend said you look like the Make a Wish Kid who just wants to be on the team for a day." He played at Colombia University, where he was co-captain his senior year despite averaging two minutes a game. He became a teacher, then did sales for a tech startup in New York. He now sells ads for Google. -He's a fan, but far from a superfan. He started watching Brenda's season. (He thinks it was Nicaragua, but it was actually Carmoan.) He works with a superfan who freaked out when they had a meeting at H&R Block with Carolyn Rivera and they went out to Bourbon Street with her. He kept watching for five years and thought he could do well. He hates when people are all talk, so he sent in a tape. For the video he interviewed random strangers on the street, who had never met him or seen the show, and asked them, "Why am I going to win it?" A barber, a construction worker. He's going to tell people he's in marketing, not sales - people have sales.
My take: I'm just not that into him.
Elaine Stott, 41, Factory Worker, Rockholds, NY -When Josh asks her not to touch the table she asks him, "You seen that Bart Simpson commercial, right? Don't touch my Butterfinger? I'm already hungry thinking about it." -"I had a pretty rough way to go growing up." Her single dad raised her and her three brothers. She was the youngest. "I was raised like one of the boys. Know what I mean? Daddy didn't know how to raise no little girl." He worked 16-17 hour days. The kids raised themselves. "When little children make their own decisions, they make poor ones." She was a hellion. -She's originally from Woodbine, Kentucky, Nick Wilson's hometown. Her god sister went to school with him and she knows him through the grapevine. "We rode on different sides of the track. 20 years ago he coulda been my lawyer, because I was on the other side of the law. I'm not bad. I've just done some things." Public intoxication several times. "I come from a dry county. It's like Footloose. We cross the state line to get a beer and when you come back you're in trouble." She stole a newspaper stand once and had to do community service. "I was a little bit mean." -She went to live with her grandpa and cleaned her act up, by which she means that she started smoking a little weed and playing sports - basketball, softball, track. She played softball and judo in college. "I couldn't do nothing real technical. We had Brazilians on the team who could do flying arm bars. But if I got these claws on you and got ya on the ground I'd waller you to death." In casting she put this guy Will in an armbar. She was gonna choke him but didn't know if she should. -When she graduated, her girlfriend was a college Freshman so she went to all the same parties and ballgames for four years. Then she realized she needed a job. Now she drives a Ford truck for a factory. She's been there 15 years. She works 12 hours, 7 days a week. -Growing up her mom "was always in my life in some sense. She'd never miss a birthday. She'd be homeless, but she'd still call." Elaine and her brothers bought her cars, and places to live, and got her jobs. "In a sense I've been mourning the loss of my mom my whole life." Once Elaine was homeless herself and there was snow on the ground. It was cold, and her teacher took her in. Gave her Christmas presents. Made her go to prom. Survivor was a thing they shared, and the teacher was gonna be Elaine's loved one. But within a one year period the woman lost her daughter, her husband, her dog and then had a stroke. Now "she walks like Frankenstein" and can't go. Elaine got Probst to talk to her, and she can't wait to watch. In October Elaine's biological mom went into a coma. She was on life support, but Elaine wouldn't unplug her. Her mom came out of it and seemed to be doing a lot better only to die very suddenly of a heart attack. -Her girlfriend and her girlfriend's two sons are gonna be watching. The 18 year old doesn't know because he can't keep a secret. The 13 year old helped her lose 20 pounds doing crossfit to come out here. She wants the money, but she really wants "some of that soul searching, that life adventure, that life changing - some of that. You know what I mean? Gimme some of that soup! Lemme eat some of that up! I want this show to build me up, because I feel like it can. I sure hope to hell it don't tear me down."
My take: About 12 sobbing emojis in a row. She's my favorite. If she gets voted out premerge I'm going to go into mourning. And how can you not sort of expect that? I am going to be so upset if they just dismiss her because she's older and looks out of shape and sounds country. If that happens, I want another Second Chance season next year.
Elizabeth Biesel, 26, Olympic swimmer, South Kingstown, Rhode Island -Josh says that Elizabeth was outright identified by one of the other contestants because they'd been watching YouTube videos about how to be a better swimmer. Others guessed she was an Olympian based on her rings tattoo. -She's from the Ocean State. They lived a block away from the beach, so they wanted her to take swimming lessons. She was a rambunctious child and swimming was the only way they could calm her energy. She started breaking records when she was 7 or 8. When she was 13 she made her first national team. At 15 she went to the Olympics. She got good early. Women peak around 22-23, and she ended her career at 24. You couldn't make much money doing it. She swam one of the longer, more grueling races, and her body said "no more." She listened to her body and retired. Some athletes lose their love for swimming because they're embittered by losing by 1/100th of a second, or they leave injured. She left on a good note. Still, if she could swim competitively for the rest of her life, she would. Now she doesn't know who she is or what she's going to do with the rest of her life. Every hour of the day used to have a purpose. Now her days are wide open. She can't keep eating 5,000 calories a day. "It's sort of like I'm mourning the death of Elizabeth Biesel the swimmer." -She was a Survivor fan as a kid because Richard Hatch was from Rhode Island. In her area "Every single household that had a television set was watching Survivor." When they asked her if she'd do the show, she felt pure joy. She said absolutely right away. She's excited about the competition of Survivor. No heated Olympic pools. You're stripped down to your core. She's amazed by the scope of the production apparatus. She's not a schemer. She wants to be a challenge beast - not the best woman but the best overall. She'd love to have a Wendell and Dom relationship with another woman. But, she wants to avoid the drama as long as she can.
My take: Could Chelsea be Wendell to her Dom? She's so wholesome. She's just so "Olympics." I love her and everything she represents. I'd love to see her rocket through the swimming competitions, lapping everyone else. Go Elizabeth.