Coming Up on TCM

Discussion of programming on TCM.
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Ollie
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Post by Ollie »

The earlier discussion of PENNIES FROM HEAVEN makes me wonder...

Has TCM got a history of running Remake Parties all together? Putting the original and one or two of its remakes on during a day/evening?

I think they've run some in the same week - I vaguely recall Osborne talking about "Yesterday, we saw ___" but I can't remember the films themselves.
jdb1

Post by jdb1 »

The April TCM schedule is open for business. There appears to be a lot of good cinema viewing in the offing, and I'm sure there will be something for everyone. Here are a few that interest me:

April 4 - It's Tony Perkins' birthday, and TCM is saluting him during the day with such films as The Actress (1953), Tin Star (1957), Green Mansions (1959), Psycho (1960), Goodbye, Again (1961) and Five Miles to Midnight (1963).

April 5 - And then it's Bette Davis' birthday, and TCM gives her a tribute, too. I believe April 5 is also Spencer Tracy's birthday; so where are his movies? The Bride Came COD (1941) is part of the lineup, and is worth seeing if you've never seen BD trying to be Jean Arthur and/or Rosalind Russell.

April 7 - At 7:30 (AM, I think) you can see The Bigamist , with Edmund O'Brien and Ida Lupino, directed by Lupino. A nice, but sad, little movie.

April 10 - At 6:15 PM there is something called The Fastest Guitar Alive (1967), starring Roy Orbison. Haven't seen it yet; maybe I'll take a look.

April 13 - After midnight, you can see two silents starring the French comic actor Max Linder, who was very popular in Europe. There is Troubles of a Grasswidower (1912) and Max Takes a Picture (1913).

April 15 - It's a Rock 'n' Roll morning and afternoon on TCM. Among the 1950s and early 60s movies to be shown is something called Bop Girl (1959) at 3:15 PM. Never heard of it, but I love the title. I may take it as my street name.

April 16 - A day and afternoon of Charles Chaplin, including Limelight (1952) at 11:45 AM, and A King in New York (1957), which features lots of little Chaplin children, at 2:00 PM.

April 17 - A day of William Holden. Not my cup of tea, but I've heard that some do like him.

Continued on next posting.
jdb1

Post by jdb1 »

More on the TCM April schedule.

April 18 - At 8:45 AM is something called The Fall Guy (1930), with my new favorite actress, Mae Clarke. At 10 AM is one called Lilly Turner, starring Ruth Chatterton as the wife of a bigamist. Don't know this movie, but I was so impressed with Chatterton in Dodsworth, weren't you?

April 19 - At 6:15 PM you can see The Defiant Ones (1958), which should dispel any doubts you might have had about the acting ability of Tony Curtis. In fact, he and Sidney Poitier give us some fabulous screen acting in this one, and they look so good together.

April 20 - At 2 PM, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947). Yes, I know, not everyone can take too much Danny Kaye at one sitting, but I like this one; it's a very lovely production, and has some excellent supporting players, like Fay Bainter, Ann Rutherford and Boris Karloff, plus the beauteous former Goldwyn Girl, Virginia Mayo.

Now, at midnight on the 20th, we are being shown a silent called Michael (1924). The description says "A famed artist fights his passion for a male model, until the young man falls for a woman." The film stars Walter Slezak, and was directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer. Sounds promising.

April 22 - Laurel and Hardy at 6 AM (why 6 AM???!!??) in Saps at Sea (1940). No need to describe the plot, they are all the same - it's what they did with that same plot that makes these movies great.

At 9:45 PM the wonderful Midnight (1939) with Claudette Colbert, Don Ameche and John Barrymore, among others. A champagne cocktail of a movie.

April 23 - At 3 PM, Middle of the Night, a very affecting drama of a May-December romance between Kim Novak and Frederic March. I'm not a March fan, but I do like him in this one. Novak is very good as well.

April 25 - What? A mid-period Joan Crawford movie I haven't seen yet? It's Torch Song (1953) at 6:15 PM, which is also part of the recently released new Crawford DVD set. She's a "star of the musical stage." I've read that her big number (in blackface?) is excruciating. Can't wait.

April 26 - At 6 AM we can all see Montgomery Clift in The Search (1948), where Monty is the friendly boy-next-door GI in post-WWII occupied Europe. Angst-ridden Method Acting aside, this is the film that made Monty a star.

April 28 - It's Juvenile Delinquent afternoon at TCM. At 1:30 PM I might watch Blackboard Jungle (1955), but only to see Jamie Farr (or Jameel Farrah, as he was then).

In the evening on the 28th we get Bob's Picks, all of which are dance movies. At 10 PM he is showing us the British musical Evergreen (1934) with the vivacious Jessie Matthews.

April 29 - Member of the Wedding is being shown at 11:15 AM. Hey, teenage girls had angst, too, even way back in the day.

April 30 - At 4:45 AM, we get something called Charley's Big-Hearted Aunt (1940). Well, the title sounds like Charley's Aunt, and the plot description seems to be Charley's Aunt, but . . . . . . ? The movie stars English comedian Arthur Askey, with Phyllis Calvert and Felix Aylmer. And so ends April.
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ChiO
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Post by ChiO »

Thanks for the tips.
Now, at midnight on the 20th, we are being shown a silent called Michael (1924). The description says "A famed artist fights his passion for a male model, until the young man falls for a woman." The film stars Walter Slezak, and was directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer. Sounds promising.


And especially this tip. MICHAEL is a fascinating movie. Even though it is in the bottom half of the eight Dreyer films I've seen, that still puts in -- oh, what? -- the 90-95th percentile of all movies I've seen. Don't miss it.
Everyday people...that's what's wrong with the world. -- Morgan Morgan
I love movies. But don't get me wrong. I hate Hollywood. -- Orson Welles
Movies can only go forward in spite of the motion picture industry. -- Orson Welles
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movieman1957
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Post by movieman1957 »

April 22 at 8:00pm should be "Easy Living."

One of my favorites that has Jean Arthur mistaken for Edward Arnold's mistress and she doesn't know it and everyone else thinks they do. Co- stars Ray Milland. Written by Preston Sturges.
Chris

"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
melwalton
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movies for April

Post by melwalton »

Hi, Judith.
Nice of you to remind us of forthcoming movies. I'm especially grateful for 'Evergreen'. Lots of typing, I keep forgeting to ask about your finger, hope it's better. Can I add a few to your list?
'Col. Blimp'. Slow moving, possibly overlong but not tedious. Th 2/10 8:45 AM.
'Enter Laughing' Best comedy I've ever seen. Great cast. Sat 12th 12:15 AM
'3 Men on a Horse' has some laughs. Fri, 18 1:45 Pm
'Stepford Wives'. Different. Interesting, horror film. Fri 18th 10 PM.
'the Trouble with Harry'. I'd vote for this as Hitchcock's all time best.
Th 24th 6:00 AM.
I agree, wholeheartedly with 'Member of the Wedding'; two of my favorite actresses.
That British one does sound like 'Charlie's Aunt'. I hope to see it because of Calvert. She was so very beautiful. I first saw her during the war in a 'trade' show. a costumer with Margaret Lockwood and James Mason. I couldn't take my eyes off Calvert.
Thanks, again, Judith. Very good of you .... mel
jdb1

Post by jdb1 »

My poor index finger is better, Mel; thanks for asking. I do have a very interesting scar at the base of the finger which looks like a big question mark. I like it.

I should have mentioned Enter Laughing in my list. It's the memoirs of one of my very favorite funny people, Carl Reiner. His character is played by Latino actor Reni Santoni, a very interesting actor/comedian who never made it big. He's in a lot of Reiner's movies. I remember Santoni as a guest on talk shows in the 70s, where he pretended to be a revolutionary soldier from a small Latin American country (I forget the made-up name), and always talked about the gorilla fighters. Not "guerillas," mind you -- real gorillas. [Later: Ah, yes, I remember the name of the country now, "Isla Flaca" (Skinny Island)]

Well, I like to be the straight man, feeding setups to the funny one, and Reiner is one of the greatest. It's an art form in itself. And how is your brother, Gracie? And don't forget, as Carl always says: dress British, and think Yiddish.
melwalton
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t c m movies

Post by melwalton »

Coming up on T C M:
Thursday 2 / 28 / 08 7:45 - 9:15 A. M. 'the Member of the Wedding' highly recommended.
Friday 2 / 29 /08 2:00 - 4:00 A. M. 'Seance on a Wet Afternoon' This one is a 'Must See'.
8:00 - 10:00 P. M. 'the Day of the Jackal' very well done 'action' movie
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Jezebel38
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31 day's of Oscar is almost over!

Post by Jezebel38 »

jdb1 wrote:I'm not too excited about February's offerings, but TCM is presenting us with some really good cinema in the month of March. There are probably at least a few of everyone's favorites. Below are some I'd like to point out to you:
TCM's 31 day's of Oscar is almost at and end (whoopieee!) and I have 34 titles circled in my Now Playing guide to view and/or record in March and I've just perused over Judith's list of about 27 titles she plans to watch and guess what? We have only one single title in common, The Mikado on 3/24 on our lists! What I can deduce from this is that, whatever type of film buff you are, TCM has something for us all!

Some of my highlights:
3/5 Rex Harrison in The Rakes Progress & The Long Dark Hall
3/6 High Pressure w/ William Powell, Evelyn Brent
3/8 Nightfall W/ Aldo Ray & Anne Bancroft
3/15 Berlin Express w/ Robert Ryan
3/20 Strange Justice with my fav Reginald Denny
3/23 Spring Fever w/ William Haines
3/24 Adam and Evelyne w/ Deborah Kerr
3/24 The Mikado
3/16 The Wet Parade w/ Walter Huston
3/26 Transatlantic Tunnel w/ Richard Dix
klondike

Post by klondike »

jdb1 wrote: Ah, yes, I remember the name of the country now, "Isla Flaca" (Skinny Island)]
Say, Judith, maybe Isla Flaca was somewhere off the coast of Punta Gorda!
:lol:
Ollie
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Post by Ollie »

I don't look too far ahead - I've seen favorites disappear and stopped hoping for films more than a week in advance.

LIFE & DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP gets a 'highest' recommendation, but I'll include the caveat of "be patient - this is a richly crafted movie that takes time and patience for it to be constructed".

Hopefully, everyone's seen DAY OF THE JACKAL before now. Otherwise, I suspect its new fans will be saying, "Where has this been all my life?!! Why have I wasted all these years NOT seeing this?" I guess it fits into Spy Thriller/Action Adventure/Etc. genres, but whatever label someone tries to restrict it by, it's a great ride.
jdb1

Post by jdb1 »

TCM has posted its not particularly Merry Month of May schedule. There's a lot of same old, same old (at least, old to us fans). Frank Sinatra is the SOTM, and there are tributes to Jack Lemmon, Steven Spielberg and Faye Dunaway. None of the preceeding interests me much, but I'm sure some of you will like it. My picks are mine alone, so please add to the list as you see fit.

May 6 - It's Valentino all morning and afternoon. Should be fun.
At 8 PM you can see Tarzan the Ape Man, the first of the Weissmuller series. It's an enjoyable movie, and there are two really gorgeous people in the leads.

May 9 Paul Newman from 6 AM to 8 PM. Included are Sweet Bird of Youth (1962), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) and my fave, Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956). Later that night, you can see three drug movies: the venerable Reefer Madness (1936); Marihuana (1936) and The Cocaine Fiend (1938).

May 10 At 6 PM, Trapeze (1956), a bit of fun with Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis and Gina Lollobrigida, all in tights. In the evening, a tribute to composer Max Steiner, including Now, Voyager (1942), Since You Went Away (1944), Johnny Belinda (1949) and Sgt. York (1941). No a bad one in the lot.

May 12 A birthday tribute to the Great Kate, including Spitfire (1934), A Woman Rebels (1936), Keeper of the Flame (1942), Adam's Rib (1949), The Rainmaker (1956) and The African Queen (1951). If you haven't yet seen Spitfire, I recommend a look - Kate as an Appalachian witchy woman; a very muscular Appalachian witchy woman. [Or is it the Ozarks?]
Later that evening, at 11:15 PM, we can see Edward G. Robinson in A Slight Case of Murder (1938)

May 13 At 7:34 AM, an early version of Enchanted April (1935) with Ann Harding.

May 14 At 2:15 AM, Pride & Passion (1957). This is the film at which, behind the scenes, Cary Grant and Sophia Loren had an affair, she threw him over for Carlo Ponti, and he was very, very sad. I frankly think the movie is pretty awful. Better you should read the excellent novella on which it is based, C.S. Forrester's "The Gun." (He also wrote "The African Queen.")

May 19 Someone in TCM programming was getting silly. Here's the morning/afternoon lineup:

The Gang's All Here; Here Comes the Navy; Here Comes the Band; Here Comes Carter; Here Comes Happiness; Here Comes Trouble; There Goes My Girl; There Goes My Heart; There Goes the Groom

[continued. . . . . ]
Last edited by jdb1 on March 6th, 2008, 10:11 am, edited 2 times in total.
jdb1

Post by jdb1 »

The rest of my highlights of the May schedule:

May 21 Robert Montgomery all morning and afternoon. At 7 AM is Their Own Desire (1929!); and at 6:30 No More Ladies (1930-something). I think this is the one with a rather heavy-handed Joan Crawford as the wacky blonde, but it does have Edna May Oliver in an uncharacteristic role as a wise-cracking, rather classy and stylish aunt.

May 23 At 2:30 you can see a musical version of My Sister Eileen (1955), with Betty Garrett and Janet Leigh. This is NOT the Bernstein/Comden/Green musical. The studio wouldn't give Lenny the money he wanted.

May 24 The evening selections are called "Anti-War Classics." At 9:45 PM the excellent and underrated Red Badge of Courage (1951), directed by John Huston and starring a very good Audie Murphy. Watch for Royal Dano as a shell-shocked, more than slightly mad, soldier.

May 26 A salute to Cliff Robertson most of the day. The Interns (1962) and Autumn Leaves (1956) are included. The former has Ina Balin, the latter has Joan Crawford.

May 28 At 6 AM TCM is running a docu called Hidden Values: Movies of the 50s (2001). I'm curious - how about you?

May 29 At 9 AM we can see Danny Kaye as The Court Jester (1956). Remember: the vessel with the pestle has the brew that is true!

May 31 The theme is something about knives or cutting or something else icky. There's one on at 10 PM called Screaming Mimi (1958), which is described as "Serial killer stalks exotic dancer in New Orleans." It features Anita Ekberg and Gypsy Rose Lee. They don't make 'em like that any more.
At 4 AM, Lady in the Lake (1947). Many people find this point-of-view technique unsucessful in this film, but I like it - it's different. I also very much like the performances of Jayne Meadows and Lloyd Nolan. One thing I really don't like, however, is the all-vocal soundtrack. The film musicians were on strike then, so Robert Montgomery improvised with singers instead. Clever idea, but it creeps me out.

And that's all I have to say for May.
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mrsl
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Post by mrsl »

Why is it that in February, in order to change the lineup a little and show different movies, TCM was able to come up with little known movies that won unusual awards, instead of the usual director, actor, or supporting actor? Why can't they show more of those unsung rarities during normal programming? I know about all the issues with leasing and all of that stuff, but if they manage to get little known movies in February, why is it so hard to do during the rest of the year?


Anne
Anne


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Ollie
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Post by Ollie »

mrsl wrote:...why is it so hard to do during the rest of the year?Anne
ding ding ding...now THAT is a winner!

Honestly, some of their programmers (assuming there is more than one) must be either so well-memoried OR so incredibly lucky to find so many jewels. I really appreciate the Unknown Films more than the Known Populars. Whether I like 'em or not is unmeaningful to me - some of these (like those Guy Kibbee films) may have been making their American TV debut.
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