Classic Couple Exclusive: Fireside Favorites with Dave Karger
On the first Saturday night of 2022, January 1, Dave Karger takes over programming the prime time slot on TCM for Fireside Favorites with the Hosts. Classic Couple asked Dave about his two film selections, portraying complicated relationships in two different eras. Curious what the entertainment expert considers a must-see film portraying the darker side of life, we asked Dave for a movie pick. Dave’s selection and his Fireside Favorites follow.
Classic Couple: Penny Serenade (1941) follows a relationship through joyous highs and devastating lows. What makes this film a must-see melodrama for you?
Dave Karger: I’m a sucker for a great melodrama and Penny Serenade is the gold standard. And as someone who spent hours sitting by my record player when I was kid, I just love that all the chapters of the story are introduced by specific records. Plus it’s one of Cary Grant’s two Oscar-nominated performances, which makes it well worth watching.
Classic Couple: Children of a Lesser God (1986) explores individualism and how the demands romantic partners make of one another can impact a relationship. What about the film’s performances make it a modern classic worthy of revisiting?
Dave Karger: Each and every performance in Children of a Lesser God is just so priceless, from established stars like William Hurt, Piper Laurie, and Philip Bosco to the breathtaking newcomer Marlee Matlin to all the young deaf actors who play the students at the school. The movie is filled with idiosyncratic acting and it all feels so authentic to me.
Classic Couple: What’s your go-to film when you want to view the darker side of life?
Dave Karger: I love darker love stories, movies where characters have to go to extremes to try to get what they want. A perfect example of that is A Place in the Sun. The lead performance by Montgomery Clift is so strong and so affecting that we as the audience feel like we are going through the crisis that he is experiencing. It’s so powerful and heartbreaking at the same time.
