The typical lament of an attendee at the TCM Classic Film Festival, now in its seventh glorious year of cinematic heaven in the heart of Hollywood, is the absolute infeasibility of catching every film of one’s desire.

The definition of a “classic film” seems to be somewhat elastic, fitting for the subjective nature of attaching that moniker to a celluloid product, when it could be something as grand as “The King and I” or an obscure film noir that fell out of circulation long ago.

The classic encounter might be totally unexpected on many fronts. Have you heard of “Smell-O-Vision?” Neither had I until the allure of the Michael Todd, Jr. olfactory experience of “Scent of Mystery” was revived to the extent possible more than a half-century later.

The Todd film was lost for 50 years, until elements were discovered that allowed a reconstruction from the original negatives to produce what is now titled “Holiday in Spain,” starring Denholm Elliott as a mystery buff with a trusty sidekick in Peter Lorre’s chauffeur.

The screening of “Holiday in Spain,” complete with overtures and intermission, was an interactive viewing requiring audience participation to spray various scents during the movie, ranging from cheap perfume and talcum powder to pipe tobacco and yellow roses.

Hence, the audience recreated “Smell-O-Vision,” an indeed unique and rare occurrence, and came away with a souvenir program and a Chinese collapsible fan.

The film itself proved to be a delightful mystery involving a plot to kill a young American heiress (Beverly Bentley, who made an appearance to introduce the film).

It should go without saying that the great fun of the TCM Festival is to discover films you’ve never knew existed or may not have been seen since their original release. One such great joy was the discovery of “Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back” from 1934.

Ronald Colman’s amateur sleuth Captain Hugh “Bulldog” Drummond has returned to England for his friend Algy’s wedding when he stumbles across a damsel in distress (Loretta Young) and a body that keeps going missing.

The film is light-hearted, poking fun at itself with self-aware dialogue and absurd plot twists. Drummond exhausts the patience of Scotland Yard’s Captain Nielsen (C. Aubrey Smith) with false starts and runs afoul of some nasty sorts working for a crooked prince.

Film archivist Michael Schlesinger introduced the film by noting that it is “the greatest movie you’ve never seen.” I think he has a valid point. He also stated that the Hayes Office had strongly discouraged any suggestion that actor Charles Butterworth was a Casanova.

Now comes the funny part, because Butterworth’s Algy is so far removed from being any kind of sex symbol that his pretty bride (Una Merkel) becomes exasperated that their wedding night is constantly interrupted by Drummond’s urgent requests for help.

Another lost treasure of independent filmmaking was the 1960 film noir “Private Property,” a gritty tale of lust, seduction and murder that involves a beautiful blonde (Kate Manx) and a pair of criminals drifting through Los Angeles.

TV character actor Warren Oates made his film debut as the criminal drifter Boots, while Corey Allen, who played Boots’ partner in crime, went on to have a long career devoted mostly to television, primarily directing TV episodes.

“Private Property” is filled with tension as the two young thugs hungry with desire force a passing motorist to pursue a Corvette driven by the blonde, who turns out to be the lustful wife of an insurance executive who has some desires of her own not being met by her husband.

Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida, still beautiful and glamorous, appeared to introduce her 1968 comedy “Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell,” a story of deception involving three American soldiers from World War II, all of them thinking they are the father of her daughter.

During a 20 year post-war reunion at the Italian village, the wartime lovers (Peter Lawford, Phil Silvers and Telly Savalas) return with wives and family, each hoping to see the daughter they think is theirs.

Lollobrigida, also accomplished as a photographer and sculptor, revealed that she didn’t have a desire to be an actress and thought by asking for one million Lira she wouldn’t get the part in a film. The rest, as they say, is history.

TCM has a great nighttime tradition of having poolside screenings at the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. The first night offered a great way to see one of Harold Lloyd’s most popular silent comedies, “The Freshman” from 1925, accompanied by a contemporary musical score.

Starring in the title role, Lloyd mined football for laughs as he proved to be so eager to be popular on the college team that he was unaware that he was being made a fool of by everyone except his landlady’s daughter.

The second night at poolside allowed for stars Adam West and Lee Meriwether to recount stories of “Batman: The Movie,” the film spinoff of the high camp style of the 1960s television series.

The “Batman” film budget allowed for four great villains, the Joker, the Penguin and the Riddler, in addition to Meriwether’s Catwoman. Hilariously, the budget didn’t take special effects into account to see that the shark attacking Batman was not obviously made of rubber.

To close out my TCM Classic Film Festival experience I could not resist seeing the Four Marx Brothers in the madcap hilarity of “Horse Feathers.” TCM Festival will return next year, and I urge film lovers to make plans.
 
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.