Commentary
The Turner Classic Movies (TCM) Classic Film Festival has attracted a large number of impressive guest stars since it started twelve years ago. When I attended the film festival in April 2022, it was no different. However, between the first festival in 2010 and the latest edition of the popular old movie fest in Hollywood, most of the remaining celebrities from the Golden Era of Hollywood have died, sadly. I prioritized seeing the events with the few stars from my favorite era of entertainment (1930s to 50s) in attendance.
One of these was Piper Laurie, an actress who made her screen debut in 1950. The now 90-year-old actress made a series of unsubstantial movies at Universal Pictures in the early 1950s before breaking her contract and moving to New York to pursue more serious acting jobs. One of the movies she made during her early years in Hollywood was “Has Anybody Seen My Gal” from 1952, which also starred Rock Hudson and Charles Coburn. This movie, as well as Laurie’s better-known film “The Hustler” (1961), was screened at TCM’s film festival in 2022. I attended the screening of the 1952 film on the festival’s fourth and final day….