Great Friday lineup!

[Mr. Arkadin]

While parades and black-eyed peas might hold sway today, the new year begins in earnest tomorrow with some great films, including two silents from black pioneering director Oscar Micheaux.

Within Our Gates (1920), which was a reaction to Griffith's Birth of a Nation (1915), created almost as much controversy with a realistic lynching scene that made both races uneasy. Micheaux pushed the envelope even further in his next work, The Symbol of the Unconquered (1921), which deals with “passing” (or pretending to belong to another race) on both sides of the color spectrum. This film will be a TCM premier, and WOG has not shown since early 2K, so set those recorders!

From serious social issues, we jump to comedy with a pair of Bogart films, Swing Your Lady (1938) and It All Came True (1940). It All Came True is another new film for TCM featuring Bogart, Ann Sheridan and a great cast. First championed by Kimpunkrock on the TCM Fanatic promo, this comedy about a gangster hiding out in a boarding house full of loons is a nice little gem that deserves a closer look by fans who simply see Bogart as a dramatist.

Primetime goes west with Randolph Scott riding through four classics:

The Tall T (1957)
Ride Lonesome (1959)
The Cariboo Trail (1950)
Western Union (1941)

All are worth recording, but Ride Lonesome is a personal favorite of mine and brand new to TCM. Fritz Lang fans will definitely enjoy Western Union as well.

Finally, another late night at the Underground, brings another new film. I’ve never seen Sonny Boy (1990), but who wouldn’t be intrigued by this teaser:

A small-town crook and his cross-dressing "wife" abuse their adopted son to make him the perfect criminal accomplice.

With David Carradine in the lead and a twisted subject like this, it sounds mighty promising! Have fun tomorrow and enjoy '09 !