The "TCM Movie Locations Tour" is coming back to Los Angeles. As a result of the tour's overwhelming success during the 2014 TCM Classic Film Festival, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is going to take fans on the ultimate ride through movie history year-round, beginning Thursday, June 26. TCM is partnering with Starline Tours, the leader in Hollywood sightseeing tours, to produce the three-hour "TCM Movie Locations Tour." The oldest tour organization in Los Angeles, Starline Tours is synonymous with celebrity homes and lifestyles, having pioneered the original tours of movie stars’ homes in 1935.
Originally created for TCM's 20th Anniversary celebration, the tour is a fun and engaging excursion that brings movie history alive by pairing modern and classic film clips with visits to the locations where they were filmed. The tour begins at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX® in Hollywood and carries passengers throughout Hollywood, downtown Los Angeles and surrounding areas, a route that tells the history of the region through the story of the movies. This summer, the "TCM Movie Locations Tour" is scheduled to run Mondays and Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. and Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
"After enjoying such tremendous success with our 'TCM Classic Film Tour' in New York and the limited run of the Los Angeles tour during the TCM Classic Film Festival, there's no better way for us to thank our loyal TCM fans for their devotion than by running the tour on both coasts year-round," said Dennis Adamovich, senior vice president of digital, affiliate, lifestyle and enterprise commerce, TCM, TBS and TNT. "The 'TCM Movie Locations Tour' is a great chance to celebrate classic film in the very heart of the motion picture industry."
The "TCM Movie Locations Tour" features such sites as Echo Park (Chinatown), the 2nd Street Tunnel (Blade Runner, The Terminator), Ambassador Hotel (The Graduate), The Biltmore Hotel (Independence Day, Ghostbusters) and the Gilmore Gas Station (L.A. Story), to name a few. It will also include the Roosevelt Hotel, home of the very first Academy Awards and host hotel for the TCM Classic Film Festival, and Hollywood High School, which turned out such stars as Lana Turner and Judy Garland. In addition, the tour makes stops at two exciting and historic filming locations: the Bradbury Building (Blade Runner, The Artist) and Union Station (Bugsy, Catch Me If You Can).
A veteran Hollywood Starline tour guide provides the kind of expert commentary and behind-the-scenes insights that TCM is known for, with numerous film clips and photos to help visitors envision historic downtown, the original locations of the first movie studios and other film sites of interest. Multiple video segments featuring TCM host Ben Mankiewicz, whose family has a long and illustrious connection to the movie industry, provide additional insights and a true insider's view.
The "TCM Movie Locations Tour" takes place on a brand-new, state-of-the-art bus with stadium-style seating and a 65-inch HDTV. The bus also features skylight windows and retractable side windows to allow better viewing of the Los Angeles cityscape and movie locations. This marks TCM's second sightseeing bus tour. In August 2013, the network launched the "TCM Classic Film Tour" in New York, which continues to delight fans with its three-hour tour of some of New York's greatest filming locations.
Fans can book reservations for the "TCM Movie Locations Tour" online at http://tcm.com/tours.
