TCM to Screen \'Forbidden Planet\' on Land and on the Space Station

September 25, 2012, 1:43 pm

By STUART ELLIOTT

The Turner Classic Movies cable channel is joining with NASA to give an out-of-this-world opening to a series of film screenings.

“Forbidden Planet,” the 1956 science fiction film that introduced Robby the Robot, will be the first movie in the next Road to Hollywood screening series sponsored by TCM, part of the Turner Broadcasting System unit of Time Warner.

The film is scheduled to be shown Oct. 13 at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, and also transmitted to the International Space Station for viewing by the astronauts on board; movies are part of what NASA calls psych support, or psychological support, for astronauts aboard the space station.

One of those astronaut s, the American Sunita Williams, is to introduce “Forbidden Planet” from space to the attendees at the Kennedy Space Center screening. (Free tickets to the “Forbidden Planet” screening may be obtained on a section of tcm.com.)

Bert Ulrich, the multimedia liaison for film and television collaboration at NASA in Washington, said, “We were approached by TCM to see whether we'd be interested in showing a classic movie on the International Space Station.”

“We said, sure,” he added, because the agency is always looking for methods “to engage people with space exploration.”

The movies that are part of the psych support program are intended as “a way to keep our astronauts happy,” Mr. Ulrich said.

Other films that have been provided to the space station include “Star Trek” and “The Avengers,” Mr. Ulrich said, adding that there is no requirement the films be about space or superheroes.

The TCM screenings - there will be 10 altogether, two this year and eight early next year - are meant to serve as a curtain-raiser for the fourth annual TCM Classic Film Festival, to be held in Hollywood, April 25 to 28, 2013.

The reason that “Forbidden Planet” is being screened in Florida and in space is that its subject matter fits with the theme that TCM has chosen for the screenings and the film festival, which is “Cinematic Journeys: Travel in the Movies.”

“We consider space to be TCM's ‘final frontier,'” said Jeff Gregor, general manager at TCM as well as chief marketing officer at two sister cable channels, TBS and TNT. (Yes, he was quoting the famed “Star Trek” phrase.)

Movies on TCM are uncut and uninterrupted by commercials, which has daunted some marketers that eagerly sign sponsorship deals with cable channels that run spots before, after or even during films. There have, however, been agreements between TCM and brands, including Arch itectural Digest magazine and Bloomingdale's.

Another reason Turner Classic Movies may not attract sponsors is a perception that its viewers are older than those who watch other movie or entertainment channels. “TCM is for all ages,” Mr. Gregor said, citing “extensive research” conducted in the last 18 months “to understand our fans.”

The research shows that the channel appeals to viewers ages 18 to 49 who are “cultural engagers” and “relevancy seekers,” he added, meaning they are interested in classic films because those films influence the movies that are made today.

“We don't have to work too hard to make TCM contemporary,” Mr. Gregor said, adding that there are plans to update the channel that include “refreshing our graphics.”

TCM said last week that it would increase the hosting duties on the channel for Ben Mankiewicz, who is 45, as Robert Osborne, 80, devotes more time to events like the film festival and the screen ings.

Stuart Elliott has been the advertising columnist at The New York Times since 1991. Follow @stuartenyt on Twitter and sign up for In Advertising, his weekly e-mail newsletter.