Private Screenings

In celebration of the twentieth anniversary of Turner Classic Movies and its on-air host Robert Osborne, guest host Alec Baldwin sits down with Osborne to discuss his life and career. Osborne recounts his lifelong passion for movies, from his childhood in Colfax, Washington, to his brief acting career in Hollywood and his later work as an entertainment journalist and television personality, before joining TCM when it launched in 1994. He tells of his friendships with stars like Lucille Ball (with whom he was under contract) and Olivia de Havilland. A mix of luck and destiny steered his career path, Osborne says, leading him to a job perfectly suited to his talents but which hadn't even existed when he started out as an amateur film historian. Clips are shown of Osborne's early acting roles on TV and in commercials, as well as highlights from his appearances on Dinah Shore's 1970s talk show and a segment from a 1980s interview he did with Lana Turner. A montage of Osborne's TCM intros covers his tenure at the cable network, along with select highlights from his "Private Screenings" interviews and his "Essentials" discussions with co-host Alec Baldwin. Throughout the program, friends pay tribute to Robert Osborne with kind words and heartfelt messages of appreciation.