TCM Schedule for Thursday, October 17, 2013 -- Star of the Month - Vincent Price

[Staph]

Appropriately for this month, TCM's Star of the Month is Vincent Price. Enjoy!


6:00 AM -- Indiscretion Of An American Wife (1954)
An American woman tries to break off her relationship with her Italian lover.
Dir: Vittorio De Sica
Cast: Jennifer Jones, Montgomery Clift, Gino Cervi
BW-63 mins, TV-PG, CC,

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Costume Design, Black-and-White -- Christian Dior

According to Judith M. Kass in 'The Films of Montgomery Clift', Jennifer Jones developed a crush on Montgomery Clift, but when she found out that he was not inclined toward women, "she reportedly became so overwrought that she stuffed a mink jacket down the toilet of a portable dressing room."


7:15 AM -- Verboten! (1958)
An American soldier in post-war Germany tries to get his girlfriend's brother out of an underground neo-Nazi group.
Dir: Samuel Fuller
Cast: James Best, Susan Cummings, Tom Pittman
BW-87 mins, TV-14,

This was the last RKO project which began with the original radio-transmitter logo. Later movies from the revived RKO Pictures would start with a modern reproduction of the transmitter.


8:50 AM -- Cash Stashers (1953)
In this short film, we see the humorous (and disastrous) results when people save their money in unsafe places.
Dir: Dave O'Brien
Cast: Sally Payne, Dave O'Brien, Moro and Yaconelli
BW-9 mins,

Viewers of the short were urged to put their money in U.S. Savings Bonds, a much safer investment.


9:00 AM -- Beat The Devil (1953)
A group of con artists stake their claim on a bogus uranium mine.
Dir: John Huston
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Jennifer Jones, Gina Lollobrigida
BW-90 mins, TV-PG, CC,

Humphrey Bogart was involved in a serious automobile accident during production of this film, which knocked out several of his teeth and hindered his ability to speak. John Huston hired a young British actor noted for his mimicry skills to rerecord some of Bogart's spoken lines during post-production looping. Although it is undetectable when viewing the film today, it is Peter Sellers who provides Bogart's voice during some of the scenes in this movie.


10:35 AM -- A Wee Bit Of Scotland (1949)
This travel short focuses on the history, culture, and people of Scotland.
Narrator: James A. FitzPatrick
C-10 mins,

The soundtrack includes, of course, Auld Lang Syne.


10:45 AM -- Bonnie Scotland (1935)
Two Americans in search of a Scottish inheritance wind up serving with the British in India.
Dir: James W. Horne
Cast: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, June Lang
BW-81 mins, TV-G, CC,

Barry Norton was the original juvenile lead, but according to William Janney, who replaced him, Norton's professionalism was his undoing. Norton knew his lines and cues perfectly, but when Stan and Ollie began ad-libbing, Norton fell apart and couldn't keep up. Janney was brought in, and most of the scenes were re-written to keep Janney from falling into the same trap as Norton. Janney and "the boys" ultimately shared very few scenes.


12:16 PM -- On The Trail Of The Iguana (1964)
This short film provides a behind-the-scenes look at the on-location filming of "The Night of the Iguana" (1964).
Dir: Ross Lowell
C-14 mins,

Also known as Huston's Iguana.


12:30 PM -- Harum Scarum (1965)
An American film star is kidnapped in the Middle East.
Dir: Gene Nelson
Cast: Elvis Presley, Mary Ann Mobley, Fran Jeffries
C-85 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format

"Colonel" Tom Parker, Elvis Presley's manager, was so disappointed with the script that he suggested adding a talking camel to the film, so the audience would think it was a comedy.


2:03 PM -- Wild Boar Hunt (1940)
This short film focuses on Howard Hill, the "World's Greatest Archer".
Cast: Buster Wiles,
BW-10 mins,

While performing as the stunt archer for the film The Adventures of Robin Hood (starring Errol Flynn), Hill made the most iconic archery shot in literature: Robin Hood splitting a target-embedded arrow with his own. The MythBusters cast were unable to replicate the end to end splitting of an arrow, and concluded Hill used a shaft made of bamboo, not wood, for the famous shot.


2:15 PM -- Torrid Zone (1940)
A Central American plantation manager and his boss battle over a traveling showgirl.
Dir: William Keighley
Cast: James Cagney, Ann Sheridan, Pat O'Brien
BW-88 mins, TV-PG, CC,

For the plantation scenes, 950 banana trees were planted over 5 backlot acres at Warner Bros. Studios.


3:50 PM -- Victory Quiz (1942)
This short film asks viewers questions about the United States and its involvement in World War II.
Dir: Will Jason
Cast: Dave O'Brien,
BW-9 mins,

In an uncredited bit, watch for Alan Hale Jr. (the Skipper from Gilligan's Island) as the K.P. soldier.


4:00 PM -- You Were Never Lovelier (1942)
An Argentine heiress thinks a penniless American dancer is her secret admirer.
Dir: William A. Seiter
Cast: Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth, Adolphe Menjou
BW-97 mins, TV-G, CC,

Nominated for Oscars for Best Sound, Recording -- John P. Livadary (Columbia SSD), Best Music, Original Song -- Jerome Kern (music) and Johnny Mercer (lyrics) for the song "Dearly Beloved", and Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture -- Leigh Harline

Apparently features a 15-year-old Fidel Castro as an extra.


5:45 PM -- The Royal Rodeo (1939)
In this short film, a young monarch invites a traveling rodeo show to perform at his palace.
Dir: George Amy
Cast: John Howard Payne, Boyd Irwin, Cliff Edwards
C-15 mins,

From an original story by Nate Gatzert.


6:00 PM -- A Damsel In Distress (1937)
An American dancer on vacation in England falls for a sheltered noblewoman.
Dir: George Stevens
Cast: Fred Astaire, George Burns, Gracie Allen
BW-101 mins, TV-G, CC,

Won an Oscar for Best Dance Direction -- Hermes Pan for "Fun House"

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Art Direction -- Carroll Clark

When Fred Astaire learned that Gracie Allen was nervous about dancing with him onstage, he reportedly made a point of tripping and falling in front of her the first day on the set to put her at her ease.


7:42 PM -- So You Want To Be In Pictures (1947)
Joe McDoakes learns what a bumpy road it can be to become an Hollywood star in this comedic short.
Dir: Richard Bare
Cast: George O'Hanlon, Jane Harker, Clyde Cook
BW-11 mins,

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Short Subject, One-reel -- Gordon Hollingshead

Actor and future President Ronald Reagan is referred to by the narrator as "Ronnie" Reagan as he walks through the studio streets.



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: STAR OF THE MONTH: VINCENT PRICE



8:00 PM -- While The City Sleeps (1956)
Reporters compete to catch a serial killer.
Dir: Fritz Lang
Cast: Dana Andrews, Rhonda Fleming, George Sanders
BW-100 mins, TV-PG, CC,

Although Howard Duff and Ida Lupino were married in real life, they have no scenes together.


9:45 PM -- The Story Of Mankind (1957)
Satan and the spirit of mankind contend for the future of humanity.
Dir: Irwin Allen
Cast: Ronald Colman, Hedy Lamarr, Groucho Marx
C-100 mins, TV-PG, CC,

The final films of Ronald Colman, Hedy Lamarr, and the Marx Brothers (as a group).


11:30 PM -- The Big Circus (1959)
A ringleader tries to keep his circus on the road despite the efforts of a saboteur.
Dir: Joseph M. Newman
Cast: Victor Mature, Red Buttons, Rhonda Fleming
C-109 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format

Based on a story by Irwin Allen.


1:30 AM -- Master Of The World (1961)
A mad genius tries to bomb the world into peace.
Dir: William Witney
Cast: Vincent Price, Charles Bronson, Henry Hull
C-99 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format

Richard Matheson combined two stories by Jules Verne for this screenplay: "Clipper of the Clouds" (1886) and its sequel "Master of the World" (1904).


3:15 AM -- Convicts 4 (1962)
A convicted killer discovers a talent for art while behind bars.
Dir: Millard Kaufman
Cast: Ben Gazzara, Stuart Whitman, Ray Walston
BW-106 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format

After filming was completed, Sammy Davis Jr. asked for and received permission to put on a show for the inmates. The warden set two conditions: no racial jokes (which could start a riot) and no sex jokes (for obvious reasons). Four thousand inmates attended the show, Davis told no racial or sex jokes, and the show went off with no trouble.


5:07 AM -- The 'She' Story (1965)
This short doc provides a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the epic "She" (1965).
BW-7 mins,

The film is based on the 1887 novel She, A History of Adventure by H. Rider Haggard.


5:15 AM -- The Trouble With Girls (1969)
A traveling show's star gets involved in a small-town murder case.
Dir: Peter Tewksbury
Cast: Elvis Presley, Marlyn Mason, Nicole Jaffe
C-99 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format

Elvis Presley and Vincent Price never met.