Cohen Film Classics Returns to KCET

For most of my life I didn’t have cable and Turner Classic Movies was a distant dream. So what was I, a classic film fan, to do? Luckily, there was KCET which regularly showed some of the gems of film history. It’s a pattern they continue to this day with such series as Cohen Film Classics which returns for its second season this Friday, August 4th. Hosted by Charles Cohen, a film producer and distributor, it presents an eclectic lineup of films including 3 pre-code comedies, 2 documentaries and The Liberator, a biopic of Simón Bolívar, which opens the series.

The films I’m most excited for are the three pre-codes. After viewing countless classics I must admit I’m partial to pre-code comedies with their fun, risque themes and I haven’t seen any of the three presented!

The three films, Perfect Understanding, St. Martin’s Lane and Storm in a Teacup, are all British comedies featuring a host of the Golden Age’s biggest stars including Gloria Swanson, Laurence Olivier, Charles Laughton and Vivien Leigh.

Following the pre-codes are two documentaries – Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles and Deli Man. Welles was one of the greatest Renaissance men of the 20th century and I’m sure a documentary on him would be endlessly fascinating. Deli Man, about the American delicatessen, has long been on my list of films to watch so I’m excited I finally get a chance to catch it!

This season of Cohen Film Classics looks to be a real winner. The films will run every Friday from 8/4 -10/6 at 10pm, just after KCET Must See Movies. It should be the perfect time to catch a classic double feature!