Why can't they get someone more appealing than Ben Mankiewicz to host Turner Classic Movies?

Well, BM does come from Hollywood royalty.

The 'royalty' clearly skipped a generation with Ben Mankiewicz. He completely devoid of class. Utter garbage. At best, he could succeed at hosting beer-chugging BBQ cookouts. Whoever signed him on was clearly in the midst of a brain hemorrhage. Not only are his voice, looks and massive ego cringe-worthy, his preferences are, as well... Faking respect for legitimate gems while lighting up over trash flicks and mindless action. The type of viewer that he might appeal to would likely never watch TCM in the first place.

Robert Osborne is the heart and soul of TCM, and it's rapidly going downhill as his presence fades. If they have any sense they'll pry their heads out of their asses, kick Ben's smug ass to the curb and find someone better... And, yes, that would be ANYONE!

He was in the original cast of The Young Turks, a bunch of Libertarians posing as progressives. One of them was an ex-Republican, I think Ben, and I remember him saying he wasn't going to apologize for it either. Total douchebag.

Seems OK to me.

He's such a little cunt. Can't stand him. And he looks exactly like a frenemy of mine.

Ben Mankiewicz is Robin Williams

Hopefully, R6.

Williams had more appeal in one of his nosehairs.

I've heard BM has make snarky remarks about gays over the years. I thought to myself, "We certainly wouldn't want your fugly ass. "

There was that other Ben...the young one...he wouldn't be worse than Mankiewicz, right?

What about Ignatiy Vishnevetsky? They could have a contest: if you pronounce his name correctly, you win one free month of cable.

I would be happy if they didn't have anyone as host. If they must, it would be great to just introduce the movie and leave out any lengthy chatter. I could also do without those guests like Sally Field, it's so ass sucking and I have to mute the volume until the movie starts.

Sheridan Whiteside, Waldo Lydecker or Addison De Witt would be ideal.

I like the trivia but they should put the guests at the end or not at all.

What did BM say about gays, R9?

He is a little bitch. I remember him discussing "Citizen Kane" and he said how his grandfather Ben "wrote" the screenplay. Not one mention of Orson Welles, who co-wrote the screenplay.

We should set up a Crowdfund and bribe TCM for a new host. If common sense doesn't work for them, a big pile of money might.

R3,

They are liberals.

You are a shill for the New Republicans (which, in the 1990s, was called New Democrats).

Please catch up the 2010s — or die off literally.

r14 One interview went like this:

Cenk Uygur: “This is non-partisan, so when I say that Republicans suck cock, I just mean that literally.”

Ben Mankiewicz (laughing): “Name a Republican who’s not gay. Can that be done?”

r14 Another interview in which he was asked to discuss the TLC series. "My Husband's Not Gay" in which Mormon wives felt their gay husbands could change to heterosexuals. BM chimed in:

Pointing to stigmas that exist around homosexuality and masculinity, Mankiewicz added, “I believe it is sincere, and I believe they think they can do it.”

I like Ben and I enjoy the insights and trivia they write for him to read.

And the fact that he's a Mankiewicz adds a little veritas and credibility to the proceedings.

They should film his little into commentaries in front of a rowdy live audience to mimic the at-home experience. "You suck, stop talking!"

I'm available!

He is to film history as Guy Fieri is to cooking.

I recently watched a couple "premieres" on TCM: Those Lips, Those Eyes, and The Competition. Ther were part of a series and hosted by some nun because they each contained sex scenes with partial nudity and were condemned by some organization of the Catholic Church that I had never heard of when released. The nun obviously had no previous camera experience and read her copy from cue cards. She mentioned each scene of question from each movie, then offered her own personal, judgmental commentary on the movies. An idea that could have actually been funny and interesting if better executed, or funny- bad if done far more amateurishly with the nun not being in on the "joke". But as it was, it was just stupid, boring, and totally unnecessary.

Oh - and it made me ask the question to myself "what imbecile is currently running this network?"

Robert Osborne has a wonderful way of building enthusiasm for movies, in his knowledgeable, charmingly low-key way. His intros and outros kept TCM special, not just another TV channel. He will be irreplaceable, I know, but Ben Mankiewicz sure as hell isn't and I do wish they'd at least try.

Mankiewicz recently hosted the premiere of Steel Magnolias. But rather than give insight and trivial fun facts about that movie, he spoke more about Julia Roberts and Pretty Woman. Ending it with "and now here's Steel Magnolias". So why didn't they just show Pretty Woman instead?

[quote]So why didn't they just show Pretty Woman instead?

Because she lives at the end.

Osborne still looks pretty good and there's no reason he shouldn't be around at least for a few more years. The in-and-out intros for each movie can't possibly take longer than 30 minutes to shoot. Just double him up while they still have him and get rid of Mankiewicz until they find someone more fitting and competent to share the honors and eventually take over.

Mankiewicz must have his meathooks/$$$ dug into TCM somehow. His "name" itself certainly doesn't justify his crass presence on the station.

BM is fine though Osborne is better.

Ben Mankiewicz has such fitting initials.

Bless his heart, I don't think that Robert Osborne is in very good health. He may look OK but there's something about his eyes that's uncomfortable, now. (I'd of course still rather see him than the bespectacled buffoon, though.) It will feel like the end of an era when he goes, for me.

Since they show the same movies over and over, can't they just keep using the pre-recorded Osborne material after he's gone?

He has spectacular feet. Size 12s, I believe.

I'd say someone like Jon Hamm for that classic movie star look, but he might seem too stiff or serious or above-it-all.

What about that little Irish guy? The film maker who put together that history of cinema series featured on TCM?

I liked his enthusiasm for film-making.

They need somebody with warmth ....a genteel demeanor. Ben is okay for maybe 25% of what he does, but the other 75% is dreck.

I don't know how he keeps his job!

I'm with R29 and R34. Please, Mr. Osborne, record every thought you have about these old movies. I have learned so much from you, and looked at these movies differently after your commentaries. I would thankfully watch years of pre-recorded intros. Your contributions have been hugely appreciated.

[R38] Same here. Osborne is a priceless individual.

Great idea r38. Even just audio played over screen shots of the actors in question would work for me

Get an old time movie star to do it. Some one who knew the people.

I do like the Spanish Revival, old time Hollywood set Mankiewicz uses though. That was a good idea.

They should get crazy old Pippa who used to hostess the Morning Movie on KGO Channel 7 in San Francisco in the early 70s. Midway through the film, during a commercial break, she would model her outfit du jour. And over the closing credits, she would do wacky hand movements - kind of waving good bye, but kind of bad puppetry. I miss her.

Jews being tribal, as usual.

Whatever happened to that Clooney host?

Someone should tweet this thread to BM. I'd like that pompous asshole to know what the viewing public really thinks of him.

R36, do you mean the Odyssey, Story of Film host? He has the worst voice ever. He ends every sentence with a question mark and as though he has no idea what the last word of the sentence... might be? Thorough knowledge of history, though, and I loved the series despite his grating voice.

I don't know about you but I could use a good BM right now.

r45 Great idea, but that pompous ass wouldn't give a shit. He thinks he's Hollywood royalty. He's worse than Joan Crawford.

First of all, Robert Osborne is the greatest host I have ever seen on television. He is a class act from start to finish and a kind gentleman in every way. We should all aspire to be him. As for Ben I like him. There is something less classy about him, and he doesn't bring the same depth of knowledge that Robert Osborne has. Ben is told about the movies. Robert knows about them. I wish they would decide what clothes he is suppose to wear- the jacket -tie- jeans look is so lazy. Why not have him wear flip-flops. The best host would- believe it or not- Cher. When she has been a guest host she has been great. She loves movies and she knows a great deal about them. And what an excellent new career she would have. And her fame would bring in more viewers.

Mankiewicz doesn't give a shit about "real"/good classic movies, he just wants his smugly mug on TV.

R45 Screw him, his ego is way beyond deflation. It's the TCM bigwigs who should see this thread.

[quote]What about Ignatiy Vishnevetsky?

Hey, thanks for stopping by, Ignatiy.

I agree with R46 about that guy (Mark Cousins was his name) who irritatingly ended every sentence with a question in that Story of Film series.

As long as he's not by himself, Mankiewicz will never be the smartest person in the room. But he wasn't bad looking when he was younger.

Mark Cousins is cute but his voice is not suited for hosting, as someone else already said upthread.

I'm sure I'm the only person here who likes Mankiewicz, especially when he's hosting something from the 1950s or earlier. A lot of the hate he gets is because he's replacing Osborne, who is irreplaceable, really.

There aren't a lot of people like Robert Osborne, who have charisma and an immense amount of knowledge about film and Hollywood (and a little bit of acting experience, to boot). I'm a film critic, I know a lot of fellow critics, and I can't think of a single film critic or historian I'd want to see on screen every day. There's very few I want to listen to even once a week. Have you HEARD some of the podcasts? "Grating" is the description of many of their personalities. They'd be a disaster on screen.

I take that back: Christy Lemire is pretty good. Leonard Maltin is nice and soothing but he's probably about to retire.

[quote]Mark Cousins is cute

I think he's anything but cute. If anything, he looks like a convicted felon.

At least it's not A.A. Dowd.

Nick Clooney was on AMC, r44.

Illeana Douglas hosted TCM's "Women In Film" spotlight a few months ago to rave reviews from fans. I believe she's being groomed to be the channel's second host when Osborne retires. She's also "Hollywood royalty"(or at least nobility) , and has deep knowledge and respect for classic film. She regularly tweets TCM/ classic film news as if she's already a part of the channel. I'll need to check again, but I believe she's filling in for Osborne at the TCM Film Festival.

I love Illeana Douglas! That's awesome news, R57.

I adore Illeana Douglas. She would be terrific, yes.

Mankiewicz is sex on a stick. What I call a man.

Who was the woman who used to host The Essentials with Robert Osborne? I think she may have been a film historian/writer.

r60 You mean he needs a stick up his ass.

I love her passion for classic films, but Illeana doesn't strike me as particularly insightful, which I appreciate in a film discussion. Her hosting the recent profile of female directors + their obscure films was fantastic, so I really do appreciate Illeana's more offbeat perspective.

I enjoyed the young guest programmer who won TCM's Super Fan, or some such thing, they had on a few months ago. She was easygoing, and clearly was a fan of old films. I also like the suggestion of Cher. She is a great personality for TCM.

Ben Mankewiecz - too greasy and mumbly to take over. And, yes, that jeans and jacket combination doesn't do him any favors.

It is Impossible to replace Robert Osborne, but at least get someone who conveys depth. Ben strikes me as really only appreciating the films of his era, or the ones his family was involved with. Nothing more or less.

Why not get Leonard Maltin to do it? He already contributes to the semi-regular Disney movie block.

r64 He's as annoying and ugly as BM.

Where is Gene Shallit when you need him?

The searched everywhere, and Mankiewicz was the best. They searched every single synagogue everywhere in Los Angeles.

W&W for R67.

I was impressed when Drew Barrymore did a few essentials with Osborne. She's Hollywood royalty after all. Admittedly, she can be a bit too cutesy, but I was pleasantly surprised by some of her knowledge and insight. And to me at least, she doesn't have an ounce of pretentiousness of Mankiewicz' standard entitlement.

Drew is officially out of the Tribe

I totally forgot about her, R69. I thought Barrymore was wonderful as a guest on The Essentials. No pretension and she came off very knowledgeable and had trivia tidbits of her own to add at times.

If you want to see Mankiewicz with his shirt off, search youtube for a review of a Liam Hemsworth film from a few years back (Paranoia? the one w Harrison Ford)

It cannot be unseen.

He looks like he's packing in a pair of jeans.

R54 "A lot of the hate he gets is because he's replacing Osborne, who is irreplaceable, really."

Ridiculous. Mankiewicz is an offensive and inexplicably unsuitable TCM host. He couldn't be more grating if he were contact lenses dipped in sand. Zero caring, zero professionalism, zero respect for true Classics and the people who made them so. The anger comes from being forced to "settle" with him while innumerable better options exist.

Perfectly stated, R74.

Like everyone else, I adore Robert Osborne, but Ben Mankiewicz is the worst--so annoying and smug, with no feel for classic Hollywood films whatsoever. A couple of weeks ago TCM showed Mitchell Leisen's wonderful film Kitty. Mankiewicz introduced it and told a really off-putting story about Paulette Godard's acting ability. He framed it as a compliment but it was definitely a shady, left-handed compliment. And the irony is that she was terrific in that film!

They need someone who is genuinely knowledgeable and enthusiastic about classic films, and respectful of the craft and the talent on display within them. There are a number of good film bloggers who know a lot about classic Hollywood and have the right kind of sensibility. I don't know how they'd come across on-camera, but they at least deserve a shot. After all, Robert Osborne was a print journalist before he came to TCM.

[quote]A couple of weeks ago TCM showed Mitchell Leisen's wonderful film Kitty. Mankiewicz introduced it and told a really off-putting story about Paulette Godard's acting ability. He framed it as a compliment but it was definitely a shady, left-handed compliment. And the irony is that she was terrific in that film!

I wasn't even gay until I read this.

I'm tweeting this entire thread to TCM. The tweet will be from @shitcarrotssay

Ben used to look ok but looks like shit now.

Author Jeanine Basinger would be the perfect Osborne replacement. She really knows Hollywood Golden Age history and has fascinating opinions about the stars and studio system of that era.

Well, I bet she's great, but she's 80. Robert's 83. Maybe somebody who will last a long time as host?

How about Michael Strahan? They seem to think he can do EVERYTHING these days.

R78 Nice thought, but if anything they'll just buff Mankiewicz up a bit and try to make him shine... (Even though he couldn't charm his way out a wet paper bag.)

Well, I just got an image of him trying to suck up to viewers and threw up in my mouth a little. There's no way that we could buy it, even if he did care enough to try. He's the wrong person for TCM, plain and simple.

[quote]They need someone who is genuinely knowledgeable and enthusiastic about classic films

Maybe, but they have others write the intros and outros, even for Bob. Bob hasn't written his for years. And I can tell you that half those intros are full of errors and the other half full of gossip.

It didn't used to be like that. Rob Zombie hosted Underground briefly but had a falling-out because the TCM writers couldn't get him to stop interjecting his own fake facts and lies in his intros and outros. Somewhere around here I still have his bits for Faster Pussycat! and he flat-out plagiarized a well-known article written by Ebert, IIRC. It was a disaster and he was quietly removed from programming.

But as Osborne started to slow down and TCM started to cut corners for budgetary reasons, the professionalism you all are going on and on about went by the wayside. I watched that channel religiously for decades and I'd say six years ago or so, I was seeing Osborne either be completely wrong or contradict his previous intros and his own books. He didn't even notice. No judgment on him, given his age and health status, but the people at TCM who should have known better didn't.

For what TCM is now -- the TCM that tells viewers they can spend $87 a year to join Backlot, where they get to "influence programming" and "have a chance to host their own film" -- Mankiewicz is not only capable, but very good.

What you want is the TCM of old and honey, it is gone.

Someone actually did tweet this thread to TCM last night and also tagged Ben in the tweet. Then Josh Mankiewicz responded to it saying it was "loathsome" and that we were all a bunch of "cowards."

Now the tweet seems to have disappeared.

The person upthread who said they would tweet it claimed they were @shitcarrotssay on Twitter. That person is always trying to troll celebs we talk about here. Finally someone responded to his trolly ass and he was too scared to keep the tweet up. Hilarious.

r86 Cowards? I would love to say it to BM's face, but how would that ever happen?

TCM introduced me to Robert Benchley, and sadly, he's a major irritant. I wish they'd show someone more appealing than him. I instantly switch the channel when his shorts are shown between movies. Twice I have missed the start of films just because I avoided him.

I liked the guys who hosted on AMC years ago before it took commercials and started showing mostly modern movies. One was George Clooney's dad. He was genial, but I liked the other guy better.

R86 ...And Mankiewicz being force-fed to TCM viewers despite a majority of fully warranted objections is what's really "loathsome".

You've got to be kidding about Drew Barrymore, R69 & R71. She wasn't knowledgeable in the least and it was painful watching Robert Osborne trying to walk her through any type of coherent conversation. She never added anything insightful and she didn't even know half of the stuff Osborne told her about her own legendary family. Her constant "umm"s and "you know"s sprinkled with an occasional "rrrreally?" were grating.

Illeana Douglas has done several rounds of guest hosting over the last few years and she knows her stuff. Her recent book was very funny, too. She would be a perfect addition as a permanent host.

Having no movie introductions at all just wouldn't work, especially considering when they have themed programming (German Expressionism, movie censorship) that demand some sort of historical context & discussion.

Billy Bush is moving to NY so he says he is available for more work

What Osborne did impeccably were caring, in-depth interviews with old time movie stars, who he could coax into all sorts of revelatory confessions. His interviews with Mickey Rooney, Betty Hutton, Kim Novak and Esther Williams, among others, were amazing.

There is no one alive who could replace him in that function....but then, how many old time movie stars are left to be interviewed?

I'm actually kind of enjoying @shitcarrotssay now that I'm looking at their feed, R87. One of the tweets wishes Lisa Vanderpump a happy 80th birthday!

[quote]And Mankiewicz being force-fed to TCM viewers despite a majority of fully warranted objections

I doubt it's a majority. Fans on TCM boards and on Twitter seem to like him well enough.

And you're not being force fed. Just fast forward through his spots or stop watching TCM. It's optional.

Thanks, Josh Mankiewicz at R96.

For an occasional event, what if they got impersonators for the old Hollywood stars, and played them off rotating hosts. Make it legit, like it's the actual stars talking about their films and throwing in some gossip and bon mots where applicable. No drag queens, nothing OTT, just play it as the stars they were, from their best eras. I'd tune in for that.

Doesn't his brother do Dateline? They both have a lazy way of speaking but he is worse than Ben. I once read online that Ben likes to visit gloryholes.

r99 God, I'd hate to be on the other side of that gloryhole.

I like him. He makes me happy.

R96 Please. It's only the dishonest/delusionally "positive" Mankiewicz comments that the masses are allowed to see. As with shitcarrotssay's attempt, the rest are quickly swept under the rug.

...And yes, we should just stop watching TCM. Why support a channel that couldn't tell a decent Classic movie host from a hicksville gas station attendant?

R101 Drunk, much?

So THAT's why they came up with that wine of the month drivel! Get everyone so blasted even BM seems good!

Ben is like AJ Benza's twin. They should have them co-host. They could smoke cigars, make cheesy comments while drinking that rot gut wine and givie away the endings of movies before they begin.

id love a pompous fat elder gay host who eats chocolates and licks his fingers while telling scandalous stories about Old Hollywood.

R106 Well he's not that pompous and doesn't eat chocolate...

My favorite The Essentials guest host was Alec Baldwin. Drew Barrymore was insufferable! Rose McGowan was also horrible.

I also remember Alec Baldwin being a pleasant host.

The sister of an ex was diagnosed with schizophrenia in her late teens. She had been tiny before, slim and pretty. Her psych medications made her gain over 100 pounds in less than a year. She was unrecognizable, it was tragic.

Is she Ben Mankiewicz?

The other AMC host was actor John Burke, R90. Probably just read what was put in front of him, but he has a great voice.

Is Jiminy Glick available?

R108 I'm not a big fan of Baldwin in films but, yes, his hosting presence was surprisingly pleasant... And I'd have to agree about Drew; she tried hard to adopt the "role" of TCM host but is WAY too much of a ditz to ever be taken seriously.

Ben probably wet himself with excitement when they aired 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' recently. (Yep, it's a Classic film, I tells ya! Cuz it's kinda old, and stuff.) TCM has officially gone down the crapper.

R83 Looks like it's happening already... He's now wearing full suits, doing this weird 'downplay' thing with his voice, and they've got him listing movie facts like a pro (*snort*). R15 He didn't even mention his Grandpa once during tonight's 'Citizen Kane' intro, just Welles. It was all so forced and utterly hilarious.

No, there won't ever be a new/good host, just an amusingly dressed-up Doberman.

Ben has absolutely no charisma whatsoever despite an ok appearance.

Amazing that nobody at TCM notices this.

Imagine signing up for the latest festival when Osborne was announced and ending up stuck with just boring Ben.

When was Osborne last on?

He unfortunately must be very ill. His last appearances had him not looking well at all.

" He didn't even mention his Grandpa once during tonight's 'Citizen Kane' "

Yes he did, R116. He mentioned that he wrote the screenplay.

R116 He must done so while I was busy chuckling to myself, then. It was quite a performance.

Osborne unfortunately is irreplaceable like a favorite relative who is warm and delightful company.

I like Ben, he's funny.

Funny-looking, yes.

TCM keeps holding onto B. M. like he's something special. It's completely baffling.

Canadian classic movie fans will remember Elwy Yost, whose Saturday Night at the Movies TV show was legendary. When he retired, the show went into the shitter. The younger hosts couldn't carry it.

I suspect that will be true when Robert Osborne retires/dies.

r120 excellent point

R116, his brother Josh could have told him about this thread. We know that Josh, at a minimum, checked it out because of that tweet.

R126 I actually think that TCM, itself, took note of the tweet/this thread and are behind Ben's recent "changes". He wouldn't give a rat's ass unless someone lit a fire under him and/or he thought that his job was on the line.

He looks worse than me