Last summer (I think — it could have been two summers ago) Turner Classic Movies ran a Sunday-night series intended to showcase classic movies that could be enjoyed by the whole family. It was called “Funday Night at the Movies,” and it was hosted by Tom Kenny (the voice of Spongebob) with a group of kids in a sort of classic kiddie-TV-show mode.

This year, they have the same kind of family-film showcase, again on Sunday night, but with a very different presentation: “Essentials Jr.,” hosted by Chris O’Donnell and Abigail Breslin (apparently chosen to promote the “Kit Kittridge” movie, in which they both appear). They introduce the movie in much the same way that Robert Osborne and Rose McGowan introduce “The Essentials” on Saturday night. (If I had time, I’d figure out which couple has the greater age difference — Osborne & McGowan or O’Donnell & Breslin.) I haven’t seen any of the intros yet, but I have to say I hate the title — as if any child is going to have even heard of “The Essentials,” much less say “Gee! I wish there were a version of ‘The Essentials’ just for me!”

Well, regardless of the packaging, next Sunday night I will definitely have to tune in to TCM, and I suspect my West Coast brother will do likewise (or at least fire up his TiVo). The next “Essentials Jr.” movie is “Harvey,” with Jimmy Stewart.

Well, I’ve wrestled with reality for 35 years, Doctor, and I’m happy to state I finally won out over it.

My brother once played the lead role of Elwood Dowd in a stage production in Texas.

Title	Content
Movie:	Harvey
Director:	Henry Koster
Release Date:	13 October 1950 (USA) / Other Countries
Genre:	Comedy | Drama | Family | Fantasy
Tagline:	The Wonderful Pulitzer Prize Play... becomes one of the Great Motion Pictures of our Time!
User Rating:	16,070 votes, average 8.2 out of 10
Runtime:	104 min
Awards:	Won Oscar. Another 1 win&4 nominations
Cast:	...
Others:	Additional Details Close Move Title Content MPAA: County: USA Language: English Color: Black and White Aspect Ratio: 1.37 : 1 Sound: Mono (Western Electric Recording) Company: Universal International Pictures (UI) Certification: South Korea:All (2003) | Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Australia:G | Canada:G (Ontario) | Finland:S | Sweden:15 | UK:U | USA:Approved (certificate #14694) | Germany:12 IMDBTag: Powered by IMDBTag & imdb.com Sound Mix, Aspect Ratio ...
Photos:	N/A
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One of my all-time favorite movies, “A Face In The Crowd,” will air Saturday night on TCM as part of “The Essentials,” hosted by Robert Osborne & Rose McGowan.

I’ve blogged about it countless times before, but if you haven’t seen it, you need to see it. It’s probably more relevant today than when it came out in 1957. It’s about the corrosive power of fame, especially as it relates to the immediacy of television, as an Arkansas vagrant is turned into a superstar and then begins to believe he can tell his fans what to buy — and, ultimately, whom to elect. Andy Griffith plays the vagrant, Larry “Lonesome” Rhodes, with Patricia Neal as Marcia Jeffries, the Doctor Frankenstein who discovers and promotes him, only to realize too late what a monster she has created. Walter Matthau plays Mel, the voice of conscience, who also carries a torch for Marcia in the same way she carries one for Lonesome Rhodes.

If you somehow haven’t seen it, set your VCR or TiVo now. It’s worthy of being called “Essential.”

Title	Content
Movie:	A Face in the Crowd
Director:	Elia Kazan
Release Date:	17 October 1957 (Sweden) / Other Countries
Genre:	Drama
User Rating:	2,991 votes, average 8.1 out of 10
Runtime:	125 min
Awards:	1 nomination
Cast:	...
Others:	Additional Details Close Move Title Content MPAA: County: USA Language: English Color: Black and White Aspect Ratio: 1.85 : 1 Sound: Mono (RCA Sound System) Company: Newtown Productions Certification: USA:Approved (certificate #18502) | Finland:K-8 | Sweden:15 IMDBTag: Powered by IMDBTag & imdb.com Sound Mix, Aspect Ratio ...
Photos:	N/A
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