The Silver Screen Oasis

With the return to TCM's regular programming, there are a couple of less frequently screened movies during the first week of March that might fly under the radar (all times are CST):

Wednesday, March 5

4:15am – JOHNNY COOL (William Asher 1963) – Executive Producer: Peter Lawford. One part Claude, the robotically efficient killer in MURDER BY CONTRACT (Irving Lerner 1958), and one part Frankie Bono, the nihilistic hit man of BLAST OF SILENCE (Allen Baron 1961), Johnny Cool is both a one man army and...he's a fool (as Sammy Davis, Jr. sings over faux-Saul Bass credits). To think that Asher directed this between, and in the same year as, BEACH PARTY and MUSCLE BEACH PARTY (and, yes, he directed the rest of the BEACH PARTY franchise). All that is missing here is Annette, Harvey Lembeck and Timothy Carey. Cool, cold, and ultra-violent, JOHNNY COOL deserves wider recognition as a bridge between late-classic noir and the '70s noir of THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE and THE KILLING OF A CHINESE BOOKIE. And ‘70s TV cop shows. Don’t miss this hip and cool trailer. With Henry Silva, Elizabeth Montgomery (yes, Bewitched’s Samantha & Robert Montgomery’s daughter & Asher’s wife), Richard Anderson, Jim Backus, Joey Bishop, Brad Dexter, Marc Lawrence, John McGiver, Mort Sahl, Telly Savalas, Sammy Davis, Jr. & Elisha Cook, Jr.

If I weren't philosophically opposed to the concept, one might nominate it for a high place in the "Bad Movies We Love" pantheon.

Friday, March 7

11:30am – THE CROOKED WAY (Robert Florey 1949) – A seldom-screened minor, but enjoyable, film noir coming at the end of Florey’s film career (though a lot of TV followed). It hits all the key noir notes: WWII veteran; amnesia; crooked (and forgotten) past; murder; and, cinematography by JOHN ALTON! (The latter being, of course, reason enough for any fan of film noir to cherish the movie.) Some scenes are here. With John Payne, Ellen Drew, Sonny Tufts, Rhys Williams, Percy Helton & John Doucette. For those without TCM, the entire movie is here.

ChiO wrote:If I weren't philosophically opposed to the concept, one might nominate it for a high place in the "Bad Movies We Love" pantheon.

Could it be...???

!

For those interested in seeing something other than the estimable Johnny Cool (1963), below is a link to the entire schedule for March. Ahhhh...feels so good to get back to movies that aren't Oscar bait, doesn't it?

http://www.tcm.com/schedule/monthly.htm ... =2014-3-01

Hey Everybody ...

I just gone through the entire month of March 2014 Schedule-Wise - and I have one rant about it - is that TCM is remembering Johnny Carson and the Tonight Show. It's seems like every 5-7 days that we have to go through 2 hours of this programming and those two hours about 5-7 movies are lost in the shuffle on a monthly basis. I love Johnny Carson - but this is way too much for me to take and I just find it not as enjoyable in the past - like a year ago when they did not have Johnny Carson at all.

Do you like this kind of programming - with Johnny Carson every 5-7 days on the menu?

This is my only rant on TCM.

The presence of Carson in the schedule is largely confined to Tuesday nights in March and may be due in part to the end of broadcast rights for TCM to certain shows that are looming up in the near future.

Here's some of the interesting things in the schedule this coming month in just the first week:

Mary Astor as SoTM on Wednesdays!!

March 4 Tuesday

John Garfield Day:

DUST BE MY DESTINY (1939)
FOUR WIVES (1939)
THEY MADE ME A CRIMINAL (1939)
EAST OF THE RIVER (1940)
FLOWING GOLD (1940)
OUT OF THE FOG (1941)
THE SEA WOLF (1941)
DANGEROUSLY THEY LIVE (1942)
BREAKING POINT, THE (1950)

Interesting performances from Eartha Kitt, Sammy Davis, Jr. and the whole cast are featured in this adaptation on Mar. 4th@ 11:30 PM (ET):

ANNA LUCASTA (1958)
A reformed streetwalker falls in love with the man her family wants her to fleece.
Dir: Arnold Laven Cast: Eartha Kitt , Frederick O'Neal , Henry Scott .
BW-97 mins, Letterbox Format


March 5 Wednesday

A Day of Radio-Themed Films:


STRICTLY DYNAMITE (1934)
ARE YOU LISTENING? (1932)
CAMPUS RHYTHM (1943)
MR. DODD TAKES THE AIR (1937)
RADIO STARS ON PARADE (1945)
HULLABALOO (1940)
LOOK WHO'S LAUGHING (1941)
G IN BROOKLYN (1943)
PROFESSIONAL SWEETHEART (1933)

ChiO,

One of my best memories of my time in the Bay Area is seeing *Johnny Cool* with you and Marco at one of Elliot's Roxy retrospectives.

The movie really has to be seen to be appreciated. And all the familiar character actor faces!

What's not to love!

The Cossacks, starring John Gilbert and Renee Adoree, which was scheduled for March 9th but was bumped because of the Shirley Temple tribute, has already been rescheduled for sometime in June, according to TCM Programmer.

MARY ASTOR FILM DODSWORTH
MARCH 5TH PRIME TIME

5PM PACIFIC, 8PM EASTERN

Dodsworth a 1936 Film ... D: William Wyler. Walter Huston, Ruth Chatterton, Paul Lukas, Mary Astor, David Niven, Gregory Gaye, Maria Ouspenskaya, Spring Byington, Harlan Briggs. Superb adaptation of Sinclair Lewis novel about middle-aged American industrialist who retires, goes to Europe, where he and his wife find differing sets of values and new relationships. Intelligently written (by Sidney Howard), beautifully filmed, extremely well acted, with Huston recreating his Broadway role. John Payne (billed as John Howard Payne) makes screen debut in small role. Won Oscar for Interior Decoration (Richard Day). Unusually mature Hollywood film, not to be missed.


I haven't seen this film in ages ... and planning on watching that night!

[u][color=#800000]Masha[/color][/u] wrote:...I like: The Murder of Dr. Harrigan (1936) far more than reason allows. I find it a very nice, cozy and comfortable murder mystery. It is odd to see Mary Astor in a minor role. Ricardo Cortez is Ricardo Cortez and I believe I need say nothing more than that.

Two words for Ricardo Cortez, bad and sexy. ( Maybe not in this photograph but, you know... )

The mere mention of Ricardo Cortez makes me mark my schedule to see this one, Masha.

Have you seen I Am a Thief? It also stars Astor and Cortez. It's very pleasing. It's a film I enjoy more than I should, just for the presence of the stars and an offbeat storyline.