TCM Underground

Last updated • 17 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

TCM Underground
Network Turner Classic Movies
LaunchedOctober 13, 2006;18 years ago (2006-10-13)
ClosedFebruary 24, 2023;21 months ago (2023-02-24)
Country of originUnited States
Owner Warner Bros. Discovery
Key people
  • Rob Zombie (former host)
  • Eric Weber (programmer, 2006–2007)
  • Millie De Chirico (programmer, 2007–2023)
Headquarters Atlanta, Georgia
Format Cult film
Running timeAround 4 hours

TCM Underground was an American weekly late-night cult film showcase airing on Turner Classic Movies. [1] Developed by former TCM marketing director Eric Weber, it was originally hosted by industrial rock/heavy metal musician and independent filmmaker Rob Zombie. The films were programmed by Eric Weber until 2007, when TCM programmer Millie De Chirico took over the role. The block ended on February 24, 2023, following layoffs in December that included De Chirico. [2] [3]

Contents

The series was launched in an attempt to attract more young viewers to Turner's older-skewing audience. [4] TCM began airing a new program titled Friday Night Spotlight and, in effect, TCM Underground was moved from its Friday time slot to Saturdays beginning April 6, 2013 (a TCM broadcast day runs from 6 am – 5:59 am EST the following day, making Underground, in fact, airing on Sunday); however, on March 10, 2018, the series returned to its original Friday night time slot. Promotional bumper material and opening credit sequences were created by Raygun. The series was periodically preempted by special month-long or seasonal scheduling themes, such as February's "31 Days of Oscar" film series and the month-long "Summer Under the Stars". [5] When it did not conflict with a special theme, TCM Underground aired in its usual slot early on Saturday morning.

The cult films featured in TCM Underground belonged to a number of genres, including but not limited to blaxploitation films ( Coffy , Darktown Strutters , The Mack ), horror, slasher, and giallo films ( Let's Scare Jessica to Death , Black Christmas , Hatchet for the Honeymoon ), and counterculture films ( An American Hippie in Israel , Ciao! Manhattan , Blue Sunshine ). On October 13, 2006, Plan 9 from Outer Space was the block's first film broadcast, paired with Bride of the Monster; it was also the block's final film when it closed on February 24, 2023, paired with various drug education short films.

List of feature films in the TCM Underground block

List of short films (under 45 minutes) in the TCM Underground block

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madan Puri</span> Indian character actor

Madan Puri was an Indian actor of Hindi and Punjabi films. His brothers were actors Chaman Puri and Amrish Puri. As a character actor mainly in negative roles (villain), he acted in about 430 films in a career spanning above fifty years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K. P. Ummer</span> Indian Malayalam actor

Kachinamthoduka Puthiyapurayil Ummer known as K. P. Ummer was an Indian actor from Thekkepuram quarter of Kozhikode, Kerala, India. He was active in the Malayalam cinema from the early sixties until the late nineties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K. S. Ashwath</span> Indian Kannada actor ( 1925 - 2010)

Karaganahalli Subbaraya Ashwathanarayana was an Indian veteran actor who appeared in Kannada films. He appeared in over 370 films during his five-decade-long career. His only memorial in the whole of Karnataka, India is in the Kengeri satellite town, Bengaluru. Memorial name - "K. S. Ashwath Memorial Children's Park".

Manavalan Joseph was a Malayalam film actor. He is an actor who worked in many movies during the 1950s and 1960s. He died in 1986

Victor Payumo Silayan, commonly known as Vic Silayan, was a Filipino actor who is best known for his roles in Kisapmata (1981) and Karnal (1983).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohan Choti</span> Indian actor

Mohan Choti was an Indian actor who worked as a comedian in Hindi films. The name Mohan Choti came from a fictional character of the same name from the 1957 film Musafir, in which he plays a tea shop delivery boy who sports a "choti" or traditional lock of hair on the top of his head.

K. Narayanan is an Indian film director, editor, and art director who has worked predominantly in Malayalam cinema. Since his debut in 1953, he has edited more than 200 films across Malayalam and Tamil.

References

  1. ↑ "New 'TCM Underground' book recommends rare cinema gems and must-see cult classics". WABE-TV . December 19, 2022. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022.
  2. ↑ De Chirico, Millie [@milliedechirico] (December 22, 2022). "Well, it's been a great 18 1/2 years, but my job was cut in a company restructure recently which means tomorrow is my last day at TCM. Very grateful to anyone who supported my programming work over the years, including @TCMUnderground. Means a lot!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2023– via Twitter.
  3. ↑ @TCMUnderground (February 22, 2023). "On February 24, TCM Underground will be airing its final film" (Tweet). Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2023– via Twitter.
  4. ↑ Dempsey, John (October 23, 2005). "TCM digs deep for database". Variety . Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2006.
  5. ↑ "TCM Announces Upcoming Programming Slate, Specials on Marlon Brando, Steven Spielberg, and Jane Fonda & a New Pilot". TCM Movie News (Press release). December 1, 2006. Archived from the original on November 10, 2006. Retrieved December 9, 2006.
  6. ↑ "Turner Classic Movies Lists Airing of Belladonna of Sadness Film on March 5". Anime News Network . February 7, 2024.
  7. 1 2 "TCM Underground Schedule". i.cdn.turner.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Guru, The Mad Monk". American Genre Film Archive.
  9. ↑ "The Pyramid". American Genre Film Archive.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.