TCM Schedule for Saturday, September 26, 2015 -- The Essentials - Happy 40th Anniversary

[Staph]

Tonight's Essentials features films from forty years ago -- 1975. The trio that will be shown tonight are all Oscar winners and Oscar nominees. Enjoy!



6:30 AM -- Naughty But Nice (1939)
A college professor turns songwriter and falls for his lyricist.
Dir: Ray Enright Cast: Ann Sheridan, Dick Powell, Gale Page
BW-89 mins,

Also known as The Professor Steps Out.


8:01 AM -- Colorful Curacao (1939)
This short film focuses on the sights and sounds of the island of Curacao.
C-9 mins,


8:15 AM -- The Cocoanuts (1929)
While running a hotel in Florida, three clowns get caught up in the search for stolen jewels.
Dir: Joseph Santley
Cast: Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx
BW-93 mins,

All paper used as props is soaking wet. This was done to prevent overloading the early sound equipment with paper-crinkling noise. And because sound films were still so new that soundproofing was not installed, so the film had to be shot in the early hours of the morning to reduce the outside traffic noise of New York City.


10:00 AM -- Batman and Robin: Robin Meets the Wizard (1949)
A criminal mastermind demands a large ransom to relinquish his control over the nation's railroads.
BW-16 mins,


10:30 AM -- Bulldog Drummond's Revenge (1937)
Captain Drummond travels to Switzerland in order to marry his girlfriend but the disappearance of a dangerous cargo of explosives makes him delay his plans.
Dir: Louis King
Cast: John Barrymore, John Howard, Louise Campbell
BW-55 mins,

This is one of 8 Bulldog Drummond adventures produced by Paramount in the late 1930s, and sold to Congress Films in mid-1954 for re-release; Congress redesigned the opening and closing credits, in order to eliminate all evidence of Paramount's ownership, going so far as to even alter the copyright claimant statements on the title cards; Congress, in turn, sold the films to Governor Films for television syndication. Along the way, Paramount, having disowned the films, never bothered to renew the copyrights, and they fell into public domain, with the result that inferior VHS and DVD copies have been in distribution for many years, from a variety of sub-distributors who specialize in public domain material.


11:45 AM -- Requiem For A Heavyweight (1962)
A washed-up prizefighter tries to free himself from his ruthless promoters to build a new life.
Dir: Ralph Nelson
Cast: Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason, Mickey Rooney
BW-85 mins, CC,

Anthony Quinn did this film when Lawrence of Arabia (1962) went on a two month hiatus between October and December of 1961. The film was released before "Lawrence" came out.


1:19 PM -- 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, Moro and Yaconelli, Dave O'Brien
BW-9 mins,


1:30 PM -- The Quiet Man (1952)
An Irish ex-boxer retires to Ireland and searches for the proper wife.
Dir: John Ford
Cast: John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Barry Fitzgerald
C-129 mins, CC,

Won Oscars for Best Director -- John Ford, and Best Cinematography, Color -- Winton C. Hoch and Archie Stout

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Victor McLaglen, Best Writing, Screenplay -- Frank S. Nugent, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color -- Frank Hotaling, John McCarthy Jr. and Charles S. Thompson, Best Sound, Recording -- Daniel J. Bloomberg (Republic Sound Department), and Best Picture

When John Ford screened his final cut for the studio's top brass they liked it, but it was 129 minutes. They reminded him they would not release a film over 120 minutes, citing the audiences could not/would not sit in a theater for over two hours. Ford staunchly objected claiming he already cut out 'all the fat' and there was nothing left to cut. They stood their ground & sent him back to cut nine minutes. Ford did his level best to contain his ire as he collected his film and fume out the door. As the story goes, a few days later he called the brass and informed them 'the final print' was ready for the screening. When the last man took his seat Ford signaled the projectionist to dim the lights and run it. Then, at exactly 120 minutes, right in the middle of the climactic fight, the screen goes white and the house lights came up. There followed by a deafening silence. Ford said something like, 'As you can plainly see there is nothing left to cut out. So, I give you 'The Quiet Man' at exactly 120 minutes! Now, you're begging me for the last nine minutes! Do you honestly think the audience will be any different?' Naturally, the studio relented and the rest, as they say, is history.


3:45 PM -- Rio Lobo (1970)
A Civil War veteran searches for the traitor behind a friend's death.
Dir: Howard Hawks
Cast: John Wayne, Jorge Rivero, Jennifer O'Neill
C-114 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

During a break in filming John Wayne collected his Best Actor Oscar for True Grit (1969) from Barbra Streisand at The 42nd Annual Academy Awards (1970). When he returned, every member of the cast was wearing an eye patch - including his horse.


5:45 PM -- 4 For Texas (1963)
Double-crossing outlaws go straight and become rival saloon owners.
Dir: Robert Aldrich
Cast: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Anita Ekberg
C-115 mins, CC,

Anita Ekberg and Ursula Andress both did nude screen tests, Hollywood's first. However the censors removed all nudity from the finished film.


7:49 PM -- Kingdom Of The Saguenay (1963)
This short film takes the viewer down the Saguenay River, located in Quebec.
Dir: Douglas Sinclair
C-9 mins,



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: THE ESSENTIALS: HAPPY 40TH ANNIVERSARY



8:00 PM -- The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
Two con artists set out to take over a remote Asian land with a priceless golden treasure.
Dir: John Huston
Cast: Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Christopher Plummer
C-129 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Nominated for Oscars for Best Writing, Screenplay Adapted From Other Material -- John Huston and Gladys Hill, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration -- Alexandre Trauner, Tony Inglis and Peter James, Best Costume Design -- Edith Head, and Best Film Editing -- Russell Lloyd

Karroom Ben Bouih (High Priest Kafu Selim) was the night watchman of an olive orchard near the filming location. He was hired after John Huston accidentally met him, and told to come to the set the following day. After he fell asleep a few times during filming, it was discovered that he had still kept his night watchman job. Huston had to explain to him that he didn't need that job any more - the film company would pay him enough that he could sleep at night. He was 103 years old when he made his first and only film appearance. When he saw some of the footage he declared that now he would live on forever.


10:15 PM -- One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
A small-time criminal fakes insanity in hopes of doing easy time in a mental hospital.
Dir: Milos Forman
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, William Redfield
C-134 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Won Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Jack Nicholson, Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Louise Fletcher, Best Director -- Milos Forman, Best Writing, Screenplay Adapted From Other Material -- Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman, and Best Picture

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Brad Dourif, Best Cinematography -- Haskell Wexler and Bill Butler, Best Film Editing -- Richard Chew, Lynzee Klingman and Sheldon Kahn, and Best Music, Original Dramatic Score -- Jack Nitzsche

Second of only three films to win every major Academy Award, including Best Picture. The first was It Happened One Night (1934), and the third was The Silence of the Lambs (1991).


12:45 AM -- Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
A man robs a bank to pay for his lover's operation.
Dir: Sidney Lumet
Cast: Al Pacino, John Cazale, Carol Kane
C-125 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Won an Oscar for Best Writing, Original Screenplay -- Frank Pierson (Frank Pierson was not present at the awards ceremony. Presenter Gore Vidal accepted the award on his behalf.)

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Al Pacino, Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Chris Sarandon, Best Director -- Sidney Lumet, Best Film Editing -- Dede Allen, and Best Picture

In the 1972 "Life" magazine article that inspired the film, P.F. Kluge and Thomas Moore describe robber John Wojtowicz as "a dark, thin fellow with the broken-faced good looks of an Al Pacino or a Dustin Hoffman". Al Pacino, of course, played the role based on Wojtowicz, and when he nearly quit the film early on, the role was offered to Dustin Hoffman.


3:00 AM -- Hausu (1977)
A schoolgirl spends her summer vacation in a haunted house.
Dir: Nobuhiko Obayashi
Cast: Kimiko Ikegami, Miki Jinbo, Kumiko Ohba
C-88 mins,

House (the English language - 1977) represents Nobuhiko Ôbayashi's feature-length film debut. Before directing House (1977), Ôbayashi directed commercials for Japanese television.


4:30 AM -- The House of Seven Corpses (1974)
A director courts disaster by filming his horror movie in a real haunted house.
Dir: Paul Harrison
Cast: John Ireland, Faith Domergue, John Carradine
C-88 mins,

Some of the soundtrack is taken from the TV series The Outer Limits (1963), such as the scene where John Carradine approaches the cemetery, just before his death scene.