Robert Osborne's 20th Anniversary Tribute

At the TCM 2014 Classic Film Festival, TCM host and film historian Robert Osborne thought he was onstage to allow the audience to ask him some questions about himself. But then his mic went dead and out came Alex Trebek to notify Robert that this was a special tribute to him. It is amazing that the TCM crew managed to keep this a secret from Robert since he was always in the middle of the preparations for these festivals.

Robert was quite touched as old friends Eva Marie Saint, Robert Wagner and wife Jill St. John, and Diane Baker came by to pay tribute to him. That is what made Robert special - not only was he a charming host and full of knowledge about old Hollywood, he actually knew all of these folks too!

Essentials co-host Alec Baldwin showed up to introduce a blooper reel to the audience that was quite revealing. It showed Robert could be quite the cut up when he wanted to be.

This recently re-ran for the combo of TCM's 25th anniversary and Robert Osborne's birthday, and although I miss his wit and wisdom, seeing him again in this rather informal setting made me realize just how much. Robert died on March 6, 2017, exactly one week after my 90 year old aunt died, and it always bothered me that I mourned the guy more than my aunt, whom I didn't know that well. Rewatching this tribute made me mourn him all over again.

TCM has not been the same without him, and I doubt that the world will ever see such a combination of humanity, film knowledge, and charm again. TCM and the audience were lucky to have him on the air for almost 22 years before he left the channel in early 2016 for health reasons. And this 2014 TCM Film Festival was the last he got to attend, so it was TCM's last chance to honor him at the festival. I'm glad that they did.

What a nice gesture by many of Robert Osborne's closest friends and actors who he has interviewed over the years. The insightful stories that actress Eva Marie Saint and actor Alex Baldwin provided speak to the kindness that all TCM fans already knew was the embodiment of Robert Osborne.

Robert was surrounded by family and friends who truly loved this great historian of the film classics and they all speak to how he touched them all personally. I am a big movie buff and it was so nice to hear the many praises extolled onto the deserving Robert Osborne in a heart warming but witty way.

What I noticed most about the surprise attack by host Alex Trebek and guests such as the other TCM host Ben Mankiewicz, Eva Marie Saint, Diane Baker, Alec Baldwin, Jill St. John and Robert Wagner as well as others that Mr. Osborne seemed uncomfortable with being the center of so much attention which is a tribute to his constant humility, graciousness and his willingness to put others in the spotlight to shine above himself.

This was truly a lovely gesture by many of the Hollywood A-Lister's who came out to say thank you to Robert, as well as by his family and friends as well.

Robert your star will always shine bright above our heads looking down on us. Rest in peace Bob. I give this documentary a 9 out of 10 rating

Robert Osborne's 20th Anniversary Tribute (2015)

*** (out of 4)

This nice tribute to Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne was filmed at the 2014 TCM festival and featured his family and friends including Alec Baldwin, Eva Marie Saint, Diane Baker, Robert Wagner, Jill St. John, Ben Mankiewicz and Alex Trebek playing host. This 45-minute special starts off with Osborne thinking he's just doing a Q&A but soon the guests start coming out and sharing their fondest memories of the host. If you're a fan of Turner Classic Movies then you're certainly going to enjoy these tributes, although I must say that I was a little disappointed that none of the Q&A session was included. He gets asked some great questions but we then never get to hear the answers. That there is just a minor complaint but overall this is a nice little tribute and we even get some funny bloopers.