Above: Shot of TCM host Robert Osborne. 05-07-2009 TBS, Inc.
Beloved Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne died Monday, March 6, 2017, in Manhattan. Mr. Osborne was 84.
You’ll find links to several obituaries covering the life and career of Robert Osborne at the bottom of this post. I just wanted to chime in with my own memories.
I never met or had any personal contact with Robert Osborne, though he was such a regular presence in my home that you can count me among those who considered him a friend. He didn’t make his way to my television until 2006, when my cable company (finally!) began offering TCM in their basic package. Overwhelmed by access to all of these new movies, he was a comforting guide through many evenings over the next decade.
I considered Robert Osborne an arbiter of taste, his high opinion of certain films helping to boost my own confidence as a budding classic film blogger when I’d rave about The Razor’s Edge (1946) or Dodsworth (1936), two titles that ranked among his personal favorites. His on-air introductions were responsible for my paying extra attention to titles I didn’t know yet—like H.M. Pulham, Esq. (1941) or Roughly Speaking (1945)—but would come to love. And the occasional night of “Bob’s Picks” featuring movies like Evergreen (1934), My Name Is Julia Ross (1945), or the aforementioned H.M. Pulham, Esq., often touched upon fond old favorites or opened my eyes to unknown gems that I was seeing for the first time.
I know there are other factors involved, yet I don’t think it’s a total coincidence that my hours spent watching TCM have dwindled in recent years as Mr. Osborne’s on-air presence lessened.
What I would love—and what I believe would be fitting tribute to Robert Osborne’s massive contribution to Turner Classic Movies—would be a weekly or monthly feature recycling the extensive archive of Robert Osborne intros and outros to the movies he has hosted on TCM. Maybe I’m being greedy in hoping to keep Mr. Osborne alive on my TV, but it’s also very easy to imagine his friendly warmth and presence continuing to attract new fans to classic film.
Rest in Peace, Robert Osborne.
Turner Classic Movies has set up a dedicated Robert Osborne tribute mini-site.
From the major news and entertainment outlets come obituaries from the Los Angeles Times and New York Times, Variety, and Hollywood Reporter, where Osborne penned his “Rambling Reporter” column from 1983-2009.
Fellow film bloggers who have already posted about Mr. Osborne’s passing include Terry at A Shroud of Thoughts, Kristen at Journeys in Classic Film, Laura (with even more links) at Laura’s Miscellaneous Musings, Jessica at Comet Over Hollywood, plus a unique perspective from recently retired New York Post film critic Lou Lumenick at his recently launched blog The Bad and the Beautiful.
The fond memories and tributes will no doubt continue for some time to come.
2006 was when TCM entered my orbit as well. It was December and my channel surfing landed on the short Star in the Night and I knew something wonderful had happened to our TV. As I got acquainted with the silver-haired host he became a welcome friend to spend an evening with, sharing our love for older films. My memory relates him to a spate of B mysteries including often-seen Universal Holmes pictures and “new to me” charmers like Dangerous Blondes. From that time on Robert Osborne was my movie pal. Ah, the one-sided conversations we’d have. I’ll miss them.
@caftan Yes, those one-sided conversations! Every so often I’d have to scold him for spoiling a little too much up front, but those occasions were rare. I still can’t believe it took so long for TCM to come to some cable companies, but in the end, I’m so glad I had several solid years of Robert Osborne before his schedule began tapering off. Thanks, as always, for reading and sharing your comments!
TO CLIFF, still anxiously awaiting another newsletter pal! & as for Mr TCM himself;f Robert 0sborne, he wrote the book on the *Academy Awards in his “85yrs of Oscar” It’s my A #1 movie book of the approx. 135 I own!!! But, when it came to predicting the winners, it wasn’t his forte
I just saw him on a youtube video for Lee Grant the other night last week after switching from a lousy episode of Mike Connors’ MANNIX on METIV Friday night March 3rd ’17 of: ” The Odds Against Donald Jordan” that reminded me of the “Here Comes Mr. Jordan” movie* see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rry-l-Uu7qI instead. While searching for that* 1941 movie [ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_Comes_Mr._Jordan ] this side video was found for: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Edward_Bromberg = ” In September 1950, the anti-communist magazine Red Channels accused Bromberg of being a member of the American Communist Party. Subpoenaed to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in June 1951, Bromberg refused to answer any questions in accordance with his Fifth Amendment rights. As a result, he was blacklisted from Hollywood. He suffered enormous stress from the ordeal; friends noted that he aged considerably in a very short time. In 1951 Bromberg sought work in England, but died within the year of a heart attack while working in the London play The Biggest Thief in Town. He was just a few weeks short of his forty-eighth birthday. ” See Lee Grant at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YLf3Ga4ZBM for this 4:06-minute video with: 302 views.who was his friend she said as interviewed by Mr. Osborn. Lee said something like it is her “essence”(?) that of she will not stand for injustice! Neither do I. She sent me a signed photo years ago that I treasure as from one of the best actresses ever! “No Brag, Just Fact” that she might say like you know who, right? ____ (;-) I don’t have TCM but did watch Bob Dorian http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0233646/ ” Trivia: Dorian was the original host of “Matinee Classics” on the cable channel “American Movie Classics” (1984-2000).” that I used to watch at my friend’s house while helping his 90+ year old mother back in 1995+ of helping get the food from the store for her to cook (;-) and with co-host Nick Clooney http://www.who2.com/bio/nick-clooney/ ” Nick Clooney became familiar nationwide in 1994, when he began introducing films on the American Movie Classics (AMC) cable TV channel.” To check out those links later. Thank you Cliff “very” much! Here in New England we had and still have Frank Avruch http://www.bostonman.com/aboutfr1.html and Dana Hersey http://old-school-boston.blogspot.com/2016/06/dana-hersey-and-movie-loft-on-channel.html who used to introcude the movies. Thanks again, – – Joe
Joe,
Until my cable company began airing TCM in 2006, Bob Dorian had been my Robert Osborne, and I missed him! I remember Nick Clooney too, but Dorian on AMC introduced me to a lot of classics and oldies I’d never before seen during my high school years and a little beyond.
I hadn’t looked into Bromberg’s biography before, so I didn’t know that. Thanks!
Cliff
I agree ABSOLUTELY that TCM should recycle his tapes! What a wonderful thing this would be. And put them on TCM DVDs and even Criterion DVDs. I would definitely spend the big buck on that.
Hi, Marilyn,
He does pop up on a few DVD intros, but I’d love to see the clips continue to play on the channel – even if they didn’t do a dedicated night every so often, I can’t imagine there’s any reason they couldn’t place Mr. Osborne at the beginning and end of movies playing during their daytime schedule (during movies that currently are not hosted by anyone).
By the way, TCM has just announced a 48-hour tribute of (mostly) his interviews and other specials playing throughout the weekend of March 18-19 – http://www.tcm.com/this-month/movie-news.html?id=1299833&name=TCM-Remembers-Robert-Osborne-with-48-Hour-Tribute
Thanks for writing!
Cliff
Cool, thanks. Yeah, I would really get into the daytime stuff, which is what I watch more these days than the evening newer color stuff.
I know what you mean: my 6 AM is typically their 8 pm these days—that’s when all the good stuff plays!
Hi- just got through the Robert Osborne Weekend, and it was great. I hope they will continue to show his interviews as well as maybe adding some historic intros to the daytime lineup. It was a treat watching his acting in commercials and the Beverly Hillbillies! Must look up more on YouTube…