TCM Schedule for Thursday, December 17, 2015 -- What's On Tonight: Treasures from the Disney Vault

[Staph]

It's a morning of Ol' Blue Eyes, an afternoon of films directed by birthday boy David Butler (born December 17, 1894, in San Francisco), and an evening of Uncle Walt. Enjoy!


7:00 AM -- Step Lively (1944)
Fly-by-night producers dodge bill collectors while trying for one big hit.
Dir: Tim Whelan
Cast: Frank Sinatra, George Murphy, Adolph Menjou
BW-88 mins, CC,

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Black-and-White -- Albert S. D'Agostino, Carroll Clark, Darrell Silvera and Claude E. Carpenter

Based on the same play as the Marx Brothers' film Room Service (1938).


8:30 AM -- Higher and Higher (1943)
Servants pass off one of their own as an heiress in hopes of winning her a wealthy husband.
Dir: Tim Whelan
Cast: Michèle Morgan, Jack Haley, Frank Sinatra
BW-90 mins, CC,

Nominated for Oscars for Best Music, Original Song -- Jimmy McHugh (music) and Harold Adamson (lyrics) for the song "I Couldn't Sleep a Wink Last Night", and Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture -- C. Bakaleinikoff

Mel Tormé's film debut.


10:15 AM -- Reveille With Beverly (1943)
A tap-dancing lady disc jockey finds herself torn between a wealthy man and his former chauffeur.
Dir: Charles Barton
Cast: Bob Crosby, Freddie Slack, Ella Mae Morse
BW-78 mins, CC,

Irene Ryan of "Beverly" Hillbillies fame is Elsie the receptionist/secretary. If you don't recognize her by her looks, you will recognize her by her voice.


11:45 AM -- The Battle of Gettysburg (1956)
This short film relates the story of the pivotal Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War.
Dir: Herman Hoffman
C-30 mins, Letterbox Format


12:23 PM -- Operation Teahouse (1956)
This short promotional film provides a behind-the-scenes look at "The Teahouse of the August Moon" (1956).
C-5 mins,


12:30 PM -- The Command (1954)
A high-minded doctor suddenly finds himself leading a Cavalry troop through hostile territory.
Dir: David Butler
Cast: Guy Madison, Joan Weldon, James Whitmore
C-94 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

This movie is loosely based upon the career of Dr. Leonard Wood. Wood participated in the last campaign against Geronimo in 1886. He took over an infantry detachment after the officers were killed and was awarded the Medal of Honor of that and for carrying dispatches 100 miles through hostile territory. Wood formed the Rough Riders with Theodore Roosevelt and was eventually Chief of Staff of the Army.


2:15 PM -- Jump Into Hell (1955)
This film reenacts the battle of Dien Bien Phu, focusing on the struggles of the French troops stationed in Vietnam.
Dir: David Butler
Cast: Jack Sernas, Kurt Kaszner, Arnold Moss
BW-93 mins, CC,

Film debut of Patricia Blair.


4:00 PM -- The Girl He Left Behind (1956)
A college dropout has no choice but to go into the Army.
Dir: David Butler
Cast: Tab Hunter, Natalie Wood, Jesse Royce Landis
BW-103 mins, CC,

Filmed in part at Fort Ord, California.


5:45 PM -- Glory (1956)
A young woman's devotion to her racehorse creates romantic problems.
Dir: David Butler
Cast: Margaret O'Brien, Walter Brennan, Charlotte Greenwood
C-100 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

The Kentucky Derby footage was the actual 1955 race, won by Swaps (Willie Shoemaker up) over over Nashua (Eddie Arcaro up).


7:30 PM -- Screen Directors Playhouse: Prima Donna (1956)
A teenager with outstanding vocal talent would rather play baseball than develop his singing skills.
BW-25 mins, CC,



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: TREASURES FROM THE DISNEY VAULT



8:00 PM -- So Dear to My Heart (1948)
A farm boy adopts a black lamb and tries to keep it out of trouble.
Dir: Hamilton Luske
Cast: Burl Ives, Beulah Bondi, Bobby Driscoll
C-82 mins, CC,

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Music, Original Song -- Eliot Daniel (music) and Larry Morey (lyrics) for the song "Lavender Blue"

The first Disney film with live actors ever to be shown on television, in 1954.


9:30 PM -- Corn Chips (1951)
Chip 'n' Dale get revenge on Donald Duck after he tricks them into shoveling his walk.
Dir: Jack Hannah
C-7 mins, CC,


9:30 PM -- Rescue Dog (1947)
A playful seal keeps stealing Pluto's cask of grog.
Dir: Charles A. Nichols
C-7 mins, CC,


9:30 PM -- The Grasshopper and the Ants (1934)
A grasshopper and a colony of ants have different techniques for preparing for the coming winter.
Dir: Wilfred Jackson
C-8 mins, CC,

The Grasshopper is voiced by Pinto Colvig, better known as the voice of Goofy. The song "The World Owes Me a Living" was later used as a theme song of sorts for Goofy.


10:00 PM -- Babes in Toyland (1961)
The town miser plots to force Mary Quite Contrary to marry him.
Dir: Jack Donohue
Cast: Ray Bolger, Tommy Sands, Annette
C-106 mins, CC,

Nominated for Oscars for Best Costume Design, Color -- Bill Thomas, and Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture -- George Bruns

This was the first live-action musical that Disney Studios produced. It was as heavily promoted as the studio's other big films, but was a failure at the box office. It was one of the few Disney films never given a second run in the neighborhood theaters, or even re-released, as so many other Disney films were (it first appeared on television - in two one-hour segments telecast a week apart - only eight years after its original release. Eight years was usually the amount of time the Disney studios used to wait to re-release their films theatrically). Disney did not make another musical on this elaborate a scale until Mary Poppins (1964), which became its most successful film during Walt Disney's lifetime.


12:00 AM -- Never Cry Wolf (1983)
A government researcher fights to survive when he's marooned in the Canadian wilderness.
Dir: Carroll Ballard
Cast: Charles Martin Smith, Brian Dennehy, Zachary Ittimangnaq
C-105 mins, CC,

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Sound -- Alan Splet (as Alan R. Splet), Todd Boekelheide, Randy Thom and David Parker

Although all the wolves used in the movie were tamed, the cameraman had to hold a chicken above his head to draw their attention to him. When needed, he gave the poultry a good jolt, causing the chicken to shake its wings violently and making the wolves stare, puzzled.


2:00 AM -- White Wilderness (1958)
Walt Disney's photographers capture the wildlife of the Arctic.
Dir: James Algar
Cast: Winston Hibler,
C-72 mins, CC,

Won an Oscar for Best Documentary, Features -- Ben Sharpsteen (Director James Algar accepted this award.)

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture -- Oliver Wallace

This picture was filmed in Alberta, Canada, which is not a native habitat for lemmings. They were imported from Manitoba for use in the film, and were purchased from Inuit children by the filmmakers. The Arctic rodents were placed on a snow-covered turntable and filmed from various angles to produce a "migration" sequence; afterwords, the helpless creatures were transported to a cliff overlooking a river and herded into the water. The entire sequence was faked using a handful of lemmings deceptively photographed to create the illusion of a large herd of migrating creatures. It was this film that perpetuated the myth in popular culture of lemming suicide, something that's never been reported to have occurred in real life.


3:30 AM -- Polar Trappers (1938)
Donald and Goofy are trappers in Antarctica with different approaches.
Dir: Ben Sharpsteen
C-8 mins, CC,


3:45 AM -- The Island at the Top of the World (1974)
An explorer discovers a tribe of Vikings forgotten by time.
Dir: Robert Stevenson
Cast: David Hartman, Donald Sinden, Mako
C-94 mins, CC,

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration -- Peter Ellenshaw, John B. Mansbridge, Walter H. Tyler, Al Roelofs and Hal Gausman

The picture's source James Vance Marshall 1961 novel "The Lost Ones" was set in 1960 whereas this motion picture adaptation was instead set fifty-three years earlier in 1907.


5:30 AM -- MGM Parade Show #17 (1955)
Cyd Charisse and Ann Miller perform in a clip from "The Kissing Bandit"; George Murphy introduces a clip from "Diane." Hosted by George Murphy.
BW-26 mins,