TCM Schedule for Saturday, November 29, 2014 -- The Essentials - Not Disney

[Staph]

Tonight's Essentials are an interesting selection of Disney titles . . . that were not filmed at the Disney studios. Enjoy!



7:00 AM -- Beauty for the Asking (1939)
A jilted woman makes her fortune in cosmetics.
Dir: Glenn Tryon
Cast: Lucille Ball, Patric Knowles, Donald Woods
BW-68 mins,

Loosely based on the career of cosmetics giant Helena Rubenstein.


8:15 AM -- Gentleman's Agreement (1947)
A reporter pretends to be Jewish in order to cover a story on anti-Semitism.
Dir: Elia Kazan
Cast: Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, John Garfield
BW-118 mins, CC,

Won Oscars for Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Celeste Holm, Best Director -- Elia Kazan, and Best Picture

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Gregory Peck, Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Dorothy McGuire, Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Anne Revere, Best Writing, Screenplay -- Moss Hart, and Best Film Editing -- Harmon Jones

Laura Z. Hobson wrote her novel after Senator John Rankin's anti-Semitic comments were applauded in Congress. It was then serialized in Cosmopolitan from November 1946 to February 1947, immediately causing quite a stir. This prompted Darryl F. Zanuck (who was one of the few studio heads who was not Jewish) to snap up the novel's rights. When other studio chiefs, who were mostly Jewish, heard about the making of this film, they asked Zanuck not to make it. They feared its theme of anti-Semitism would simply stir up a hornet's nest and preferred to deal with the problem quietly. Not only did production continue, but a scene was subsequently included that mirrored that confrontation.


10:15 AM -- Carson on TCM: Gregory Peck (7/8/76) (2013)
TCM presents an interview from The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson, with Gregory Peck from 7/8/76.
C-10 mins, CC,


10:30 AM -- Between Two Women (1944)
Dr. Gillespie's young assistant finds himself pursued by two beautiful women.
Dir: Willis Goldbeck
Cast: Van Johnson, Lionel Barrymore, Gloria DeHaven
BW-81 mins,

The last of Van Johnson's four appearances in the Dr. Kildare/Dr. Gillespie film series.


12:00 PM -- Now Playing December (2014)
BW-18 mins, CC,


12:30 PM -- Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
Young love and childish fears highlight a year in the life of a turn-of-the-century family.
Dir: Vincente Minnelli
Cast: Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brien, Mary Astor
C-113 mins, CC,

Won a Juvenile Oscar Award for Margaret O'Brien for outstanding child actress of 1944

Nominated for Oscars for Best Writing, Screenplay -- Irving Brecher and Fred F. Finklehoffe, Best Cinematography, Color -- George J. Folsey, Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture -- George Stoll, and Best Music, Original Song -- Ralph Blane and
Hugh Martin for the song "The Trolley Song"

Margaret O'Brien's mother wanted more money for her to play "Tootie" in the film. The studio then cast the young daughter of a lighting man working on the film, going so far as to even fit her with costumes. They then changed their minds and decided to go ahead and cast Margaret O'Brien. O'Brien was playing a scene when that lighting man intentionally dropped a heavy spotlight to the sound stage, narrowly missing the young actress. He was taken away and actually admitted to a mental institution for a time for his deed.


2:30 PM -- The Lemon Drop Kid (1951)
A bookie has the Christmas holidays to raise the money he owes a gangster.
Dir: Sidney Lanfield
Cast: Bob Hope, Marilyn Maxwell, Lloyd Nolan
BW-92 mins, CC,

Introduced the hit Christmas song "Silver Bells". The movie was filmed in 1950, but not released in theaters until March, 1951. When a recording of "Silver Bells" by Bing Crosby became a hit in December, 1950, the studio called Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell back to re-shoot a more elaborate musical version of the song for the film's release. In later years, Bob Hope made "Silver Bells" his own Christmas theme. He performed the song every year on his annual Christmas TV special, usually singing it as a duet with the lead female guest (such as Olivia Newton-John, Shirley Jones, Barbara Mandrell, or his own wife, Dolores Hope).


4:15 PM -- The Thing From Another World (1951)
The crew of a remote Arctic base fights off a murderous monster from outer space.
Dir: Christian Nyby
Cast: Margaret Sheridan, Kenneth Tobey, Robert Cornthwaite
BW-87 mins, CC,

This film was based on the short story "Who Goes There?" by Don A. Stuart. The credits on this film list the author by his real name, the science fiction editor/writer John W. Campbell Jr.


6:00 PM -- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
Two free-spirited bank robbers flee railroad detectives and head for Bolivia.
Dir: George Roy Hill
Cast: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katharine Ross
C-110 mins, CC,

Won Oscars for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay Based on Material Not Previously Published or Produced -- William Goldman (William Goldman was not present at the awards ceremony. Katharine Ross accepted the award on his behalf.), Best Cinematography -- Conrad L. Hall, Best Music, Original Song -- Burt Bacharach (music) and Hal David (lyrics) for the song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head", and Best Original Score for a Motion Picture (not a Musical) -- Burt Bacharach

Nominated for Oscars for Best Director -- George Roy Hill, Best Sound -- Bill Edmondson and David Dockendorf, and Best Picture

According to screenwriter William Goldman, his screenplay originally was entitled "The Sundance Kid and Butch Cassidy." Both Steve McQueen and Paul Newman read the script at approximately the same time, and agreed to do it, with McQueen playing the Sundance Kid. When McQueen dropped out, the names reversed in the title, as Newman was a superstar.



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: THE ESSENTIALS: NOT DISNEY



8:00 PM -- Beauty And The Beast (1946)
A mysterious monster forces a young innocent to share his life in an enchanted castle.
Dir: Jean Cocteau
Cast: Jean Marais, Josette Day, Marcel Andre
BW-94 mins,

The effect of the candles lighting themselves as the merchant passes them was achieved by blowing them out and then running the film in reverse as he walked backward past them. The entire sequence was done in one long take and reversed - a quick glimpse of the fireplace shows the flames appearing to move downward.


9:48 PM -- Smart As A Fox (1946)
In this short film, a fox cub experiences life in the forest. Vitaphone Release 1444A.
BW-10 mins,


10:00 PM -- The Jungle Book (1942)
A boy raised by wolves adjusts to life among humans.
Dir: Zoltan Korda
Cast: Sabu, Joseph Calleia, John Qualen
C-106 mins, CC,

Nominated for Oscars for Best Cinematography, Color -- W. Howard Greene, Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Color -- Vincent Korda and Julia Heron, Best Effects, Special Effects -- Lawrence W. Butler (photographic) and William A. Wilmarth (sound), and Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture -- Miklós Rózsa

The Jungle Book (1942) was the first film for which original soundtrack recordings were issued. Previously, when record companies released music from a film, they had insisted on re-recording the music in their own studios with their own equipment. The "Jungle Book" records were taken from the same recordings used for the film's soundtrack, and their commercial success paved the way for more original-soundtrack albums.


12:00 AM -- The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)
A deformed bell ringer rescues a gypsy girl falsely accused of witchcraft and murder.
Dir: William Dieterle
Cast: Charles Laughton, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Thomas Mitchell
BW-117 mins, CC,

Nominated for Oscars for Best Sound, Recording -- John Aalberg (RKO Radio SSD), and Best Music, Scoring -- Alfred Newman

RKO specifically wanted to outdo the 1923 silent version of the story, so a vigorous campaign that spared no expense was undertaken. Much attention was given to advance publicity; no pictures of Charles Laughton in full Quasimodo makeup and costume were allowed to be seen so that a first-time viewing would be a guaranteed shock. Also, the studio hired (at Laughton's request) leading makeup artist Perc Westmore to supervise makeup. Unfortunately, Westmore and Laughton had heated quarrels before a final image for Quasimodo was agreed upon.


2:00 AM -- Deathdream (1972)
A woman wishes her son, killed in Vietnam, back to life with disastrous results.
Dir: Bob Clark
Cast: John Marley, Lynn Carlin, Richard Backus
C-88 mins,

This film and its themes can in many ways be seen as an early reflection of the popular awareness of the effect of combat trauma on soldiers that the Vietnam War helped bring to light. Much of Andy's disposition and symptoms, e.g. sudden violent behaviour due to the re-living of traumatic experiences, would later be associated with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, defined by the American Psychiatric Association in the Third Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (1980).


3:29 AM -- Operation Dirty Dozen (1967)
This promotional short film provides a behind-the-scenes look at the making of "The Dirty Dozen" (1987).
C-9 mins,


3:45 AM -- The Fearmakers (1958)
A Korean War veteran discovers his Washington-based PR firm has been taken over by Communist infiltrators.
Dir: Jacques Tourneur
Cast: Dana Andrews, Dick Foran, Marilee Earle
BW-85 mins,

Based on a novel by Darwin Teilhet.


5:19 AM -- 100 Years At The Movies (1994)
This short documentary celebrates the centennial of American filmmaking through a montage of clips of influential motion pictures.
Dir: Chuck Workman
C-9 mins,


5:30 AM -- Tear Gas In Law Enforcement (1962)
Vintage training short film used by police to show tear gas techniques.
C-27 mins,