TCM Schedule for Saturday, October 10, 2020 -- The Essentials

[Staph]

In the daylight hours, TCM has the usual Saturday matinee lineup of films and shorts. Then in primetime, TCM finally returns to the Essentials. Tonight, Ben Mankiewicz and special co-host Brad Bird are showing a pair of literary classics, Gunga Din, the 1890 poem by Rudyard Kipling, and The Three Musketeers, the 1844 adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas. Enjoy!


6:00 AM -- The Opposite Sex (1956)
1h 57m | Comedy | TV-PG
In this musical remake of The Women, a happily married singer lets her catty friends convince her to file for divorce.
Dir: David Miller
Cast: June Allyson, Joan Collins, Dolores Gray

Remake of the non-musical movie The Women (1939) starring Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, and Rosalind Russell. Crawford actually commented on this remake by saying, "It's ridiculous. Norma and I might not ever have been bosom buddies, but we towered compared to those pygmies in the remake."


8:00 AM -- Red Hot Riding Hood (1943)
7m | Comedy | TV-G
Instead of the forest, Grandma lives in the city in this altered version of the classic tale.
Dir: Tex Avery (fred)
Cast: Frank Graham, Sara Berner

Director Tex Avery was famous for his off the wall cartoons, which were aimed more toward adult audiences than children. Here, however, he pushed the limits of what was considered acceptable, and in several places the film was toned down in order to satisfy the U. S. censors. Original copies were kept and stored away. Shortly afterwards, the army visited MGM studio to view a propaganda movie. Upon seeing this cartoon, they requested (and received) special uncut 16mm prints to send to the soldiers overseas.


8:09 AM -- Fortune Seekers (1956)
8m | Documentary | TV-G
This highlights the seemingly small inventions that have become part of daily life.
Dir: Larry O'reilly
Cast: Bob Hite, Burton Benjamin, Frances Dinsmoor

The man selects and reads the November 1949 edition of Mechanix Illustrated.


8:18 AM -- Historic Maryland (1941)
8m | Documentary | TV-G
This short film highlights various destinations in Maryland.
Cast: James A. Fitzpatrick, Nathaniel Finston


8:27 AM -- Men of the North (1930)
1h 1m | Drama | TV-G
Mounties track gold mine robbers.
Dir: Hal Roach
Cast: Gilbert Roland, Barbara Leonard, Arnold Korff

In the early days of sound films, before dubbing was perfected, foreign-language versions were made of many talkies. The Spanish-English version of this movie had Gilbert Roland in the role of "Louis LeBey," while the character was played by (future director) John Reinhardt for the German version, André Luguet in the French one and Franco Corsaro in the Italian one.


9:30 AM -- The Brink of Doom (1937)
Action | TV-G
No Description available
Dir: No Dir: Available
Cast: No Cast: Information Available.


10:00 AM -- Alona the Sarong Seas (1942)
Comedy | TV-PG
Popeye and Bluto are on a battleship anchored off a tropic isle. The big-muscled gob is dreaming about Princess Alona who is really Olive Oyl in a sarong.
Dir: Izzy Sparber, Dave Fleischer, and Dave Tendlar
Cast: Margie Hines, Jack Mercer

Theatrically released in the USA with Holiday Inn (1942).


10:08 AM -- Bomba In The Golden Idol (1954)
1h 10m | Adventure | TV-14
The jungle boy takes on an evil Arab who has stolen a tribe's golden idol.
Dir: Ford Beebe
Cast: Johnny Sheffield, Anne Kimbell, Paul Guilfoyle

Episode ten of twelve.


11:30 AM -- King of the Islands (1935)
17m | Comedy | TV-G
A shipwrecked sailor is washed up on the shores of a tropical island and falls in love with a queen.
Dir: Ralph Staub
Cast: George Beranger, Warren Hymer, Edward Mcwade


12:00 PM -- Tarzan, the Ape Man (1932)
1h 39m | Adventure | TV-G
A British lord raised by apes kidnaps a beautiful noblewoman exploring Africa with her father.
Dir: W. S. Van Dyke
Cast: Johnny Weissmuller, Neil Hamilton, C. Aubrey Smith

Tarzan's distinctive call was either created by sound recordist Douglas Shearer from various sounds, or it was indeed Johnny Weissmuller doing the yell himself. Co-star Maureen O'Sullivan insisted throughout her life that it was Weissmuller doing the yell without any technical assistance. Johnny Weissmuller explained on the Mike Douglas show that he was the one that did the yell, which he did on the show.


2:00 PM -- Lili (1953)
1h 21m | Romance | TV-G
A French orphan gets a job with a carnival puppet show.
Dir: Charles Walters
Cast: Leslie Caron, Mel Ferrer, Jean Pierre Aumont

Winner of an Oscar for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture -- Bronislau Kaper

Nominee for Oscars for Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Leslie Caron, Best Director -- Charles Walters, Best Writing, Screenplay -- Helen Deutsch, Best Cinematography, Color -- Robert H. Planck, and Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color -- Cedric Gibbons, Paul Groesse, Edwin B. Willis and Arthur Krams

The earliest known appearance of the "smiley" emoticon, : - ), was in an ad for this film in the New York Herald Tribune on 10 March 1953, page 20, columns 4-6. The film opened nationwide, and this ad possibly ran in many newspapers. It read: Today You'll laugh : - ) You'll cry : - ( You'll love < 3 'Lili'" This should not be confused with the graphical yellow "smiley face", which was first drawn by Harvey Ball some 10 years later.


3:30 PM -- Casino Royale (1967)
2h 11m | Comedy | TV-14
A retired James Bond goes back into action to infiltrate a nest of enemy spies.
Dir: John Huston
Cast: David Niven, Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress

Nominee for an Oscar for Best Music, Original Song -- Burt Bacharach (music) and Hal David (lyrics) for the song "The Look of Love"

Back in 1962, Ian Fleming had already decided on David Niven for the role of James Bond in Dr. No (1962). He was cross when Sean Connery was chosen, but was apparently so impressed with the way Connery portrayed Bond that he gave the character Scottish ancestry.


6:00 PM -- Top Hat (1935)
1h 45m | Comedy | TV-G
A woman believes that an enamored dancer is her best friend's husband.
Dir: Mark Sandrich
Cast: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Edward Everett Horton

Nominee for Oscars for Best Art Direction -- Carroll Clark and Van Nest Polglase, Best Dance Direction -- Hermes Pan for "Piccolino" and "Top Hat", Best Music, Original Song -- Irving Berlin for the song "Cheek to Cheek", and Best Picture

For the "Cheek to Cheek" number, Ginger Rogers wanted to wear an elaborate blue dress heavily decked out with ostrich feathers. When director Mark Sandrich and Fred Astaire saw the dress, they knew it would be impractical for the dance. Sandrich suggested that Rogers wear the white gown she had worn performing "Night and Day" in The Gay Divorcee (1934). Rogers walked off the set, finally returning when Sandrich agreed to let her wear the offending blue dress. As there was no time for rehearsals, Ginger Rogers wore the blue feathered dress for the first time during filming, and as Astaire and Sandrich had feared, feathers started coming off the dress. Astaire later claimed it was like "a chicken being attacked by a coyote". In the final film, some stray feathers can be seen drifting off it. To patch up the rift between them, Astaire presented Rogers with a locket of a gold feather. This was the origin of Rogers' nickname "Feathers". The shedding feathers episode was recreated to hilarious results in a scene from Easter Parade (1948) in which Fred Astaire danced with a clumsy, comical dancer played by Judy Garland.



WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: THE ESSENTIALS



8:00 PM -- Gunga Din (1939)
1h 57m | Adventure | TV-PG
Three British soldiers seek treasure during an uprising in India.
Dir: George Stevens
Cast: Cary Grant, Victor Mclaglen, Douglas Fairbanks

Nominee for an Oscar for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -- Joseph H. August

In March 1939 the Kipling family objected to a reporter being called Rudyard Kipling, prompting RKO to eliminate that scene from the film when it was re-released. However, it is in the prints available today. The scheduled release date of December 1938 was postponed for retakes. John Sturges, an uncredited editor on this film, directed the remake, Sergeants 3 (1962).


10:15 PM -- The Three Musketeers (1948)
2h 5m | Drama | TV-G
Athletic adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' classic adventure about the king's musketeers and their mission to protect France.
Dir: George Sidney
Cast: Lana Turner, Gene Kelly, June Allyson

Nominee for an Oscar for Best Cinematography, Color -- Robert H. Planck

This was the first Hollywood movie to adapt the whole storyline of Alexandre Dumas' novel. The previous, and many of the later, movie adaptations only adapted the first half of the novel (The Queens Diamonds).


12:30 AM -- The Racket (1951)
1h 28m | Crime | TV-PG
A tough cop has to fight his superiors in order to battle the mob.
Dir: John Cromwell
Cast: Robert Mitchum, Lizabeth Scott, Robert Ryan

Remake of a 1928 silent movie with the same name. Both movies were produced by Howard Hughes.


2:30 AM -- Bananas (1971)
1h 21m | Comedy | TV-14
A New York nebbish gets mixed up in a South American revolution to impress the woman he loves.
Dir: Woody Allen
Cast: Woody Allen, Louise Lasser, Carlos Montalban

During the trial J. Edgar Hoover testifies, disguised as a black woman. While it was meant here as a joke, it would be revealed to the world after he died that Hoover liked to wear women's clothes, something that no one at the time of the movie would have ever believed.


4:00 AM -- Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
1h 46m | Comedy | TV-14
Three sisters deal with their tangled relationships amidst the wonders of New York City.
Dir: Woody Allen
Cast: Woody Allen, Michael Caine, Moses Farrow

Winner of Oscars for Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Michael Caine (Co-presenter Sigourney Weaver accepted the award on Caine's behalf, as he could not attend the ceremony due to production on Jaws: The Revenge (1987). Caine later said of the poorly-received third sequel to Jaws (1975), "I have never seen it, but by all accounts it is terrible. However, I have seen the house that it built, and it is terrific." ), Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Dianne Wiest, and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen -- Woody Allen (Woody Allen was not present at the awards ceremony. Presenter Shirley MacLaine accepted the award on his behalf.)

Nominee for Oscars for Best Director -- Woody Allen, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration -- Stuart Wurtzel and Carol Joffe, Best Film Editing -- Susan E. Morse, and Best Picture

Part of this movie's structure and background was borrowed from Ingmar Bergman's Fanny and Alexander (1982). In both movies, a large theatrical family gathers for three successive years' celebrations (Thanksgiving in this movie, Christmas in Bergman's). The first of each gathering is in a time of contentment, the second in a time of trouble, and the third showing what happens after the resolution of the troubles. The sudden appearance of Mickey's reflection behind Holly's in the closing scene also parallels the apparition behind Alexander of the Bishop's ghost. Additional parallels can be found with Rocco and His Brothers (1960), which, besides the connection to its name, also uses the structural device of dividing sections of the movie for the different siblings' story arcs.