Anatomy of a TCM Intro

Join Turner Classic Movies host Alicia Malone and writer Hannah Jack for a behind-the-scenes look at how the intros to the films that air on TCM are created, from start to finish. Learn how the movies are programmed, how writers research and develop the scripted introductions, how the hosts bring the intros to life in front of the cameras, and what it takes to get a TCM intro on television.

Alicia Malone is a host on Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and the host of TCM Imports, showcasing cinematic treasures from around the world each Sunday. Malone is an authority on classic, independent, and foreign films, and is passionate about supporting women in film. As an author, Malone has written four books. Her first three, Backwards and in Heels, The Female Gaze and Girls on Film: Lessons From a Life of Watching Women in Movies explored the accomplishments and obstacles women have faced throughout cinema’s history. Her most recent book, TCM Imports: Timeless Favorites and Hidden Gems of World Cinema take readers for a cinematic trip around the globe.

Malone recently created the TCM gift set, Film Fashion Icons, and serves as the host of the Emmy Award-winning Reel Destinations for Focus Features. In 2019, Malone was named one of LA Weekly’s People of the Year, and she has given two TEDx talks on the history of women in cinema. She is also on the board of directors of the Strand Theatre, a historic movie house in Rockland, Maine.

Previously, Malone was the host of FilmStruck, TCM’s streaming service for movie lovers, hosted several episodes of Criterion’s Adventures in Moviegoing series, and was the host and creator of Fandango’s series Indie Movie Guide.

Malone began her television career twenty-five years ago in her native Australia, working behind the scenes as a writer, producer, and editor for movie-centric television shows. Her expertise in film saw her transition to host, interviewer, and film critic for television, radio, print, and online. In 2011, Malone moved to Los Angeles, and since then has appeared as a film expert on a variety of television channels and programs, including CNN’s ‘The Movies’ documentary series, MSNBC, Today, Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight and ABC’s 2019 ‘Live from the Red Carpet’ Oscar pre-show. In high school, Malone was voted “Most Likely to See Her Name Up in Lights.” She campaigned hard for that title because she thought it would look good in her future biography.

Hannah Jack is a writer for Turner Classic Movies, scripting the introductions to movies that air on the network, delivered by TCM hosts Ben Mankiewicz, Dave Karger, and Jacqueline Stewart. Hannah has also written hosted introductions for films on HBO Max, FilmStruck, and classic movies screened in theaters around the country as part of the TCM Fathom Events Big Screen Classics Series. In 2014, Hannah appeared on the network to introduce a film of her choice with TCM’s original host, Robert Osborne. Hannah is also an author of young adult fiction and a tenured NYC public school teacher. In 2013, she served as the founding English teacher of a new vocational high school in Manhattan and chaired the English department in the school’s first four years.