TCM Schedule for Thursday, February 25, 2015 -- What's On Tonight: 31 Days of Oscar: Day 25

[Staph]

It's day twenty-five of 31 Days of Oscar. Enjoy!



The link to the next film -- Julie Christie


6:37 AM -- The Man Without A Country (1937)
This short film focuses on a disgraced U.S. army officer. Vitaphone Release 8369-8370.
Dir: Crane Wilbur
Cast: Emmett Vogan, Lottie Williams, John Litel
C-21 mins,

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Short Subject, Color

Based on the short story by Edward Everett Hale.


7:00 AM -- Far From The Madding Crowd (1967)
A romantic English lass can't choose among three very different suitors.
Dir: John Schlesinger
Cast: Julie Christie, Terence Stamp, Peter Finch
C-170 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Music, Original Music Score -- Richard Rodney Bennett

George Cukor seriously considered adapting the novel for the screen during the 1940s with Vivien Leigh or Olivia DeHavilland.

The link to the next film -- Alison Leggatt


10:00 AM -- Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969)
In this musical remake, a conservative boys' school teacher falls in love with an actress.
Dir: Herbert Ross
Cast: Peter O'Toole, Petula Clark, Michael Redgrave
C-155 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Peter O'Toole, and Best Music, Score of a Musical Picture (Original or Adaptation) -- Leslie Bricusse and John Williams

Originally cast in the lead roles were Rex Harrison and Samantha Eggar, who were replaced by Richard Burton and Lee Remick. When MGM opted to replace Remick with Petula Clark, based on her reviews and Golden Globe nomination for Finian's Rainbow (1968), Burton balked at playing opposite a "singer" rather than an "actress", so Peter O'Toole was cast instead.

The link to the next film -- Peter O'Toole


12:36 PM -- Beyond The Line Of Duty (1942)
This short film focuses on the training and missions of Army Air Corps Captain Hewett T. Wheless. Vitaphone Release 1064-1065A
Dir: Lewis Seiler
Cast: Glenn Strange, William Hopper,
BW-22 mins,

Won an Oscar for Best Short Subject, Two-reel


1:00 PM -- My Favorite Year (1982)
A flamboyant star throws a TV comedy show into chaos.
Dir: Richard Benjamin
Cast: Peter O'Toole, Mark Linn-Baker, Jessica Harper
C-92 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Peter O'Toole

In order to show footage from swashbuckling matinée idol Alan Swann (Peter O'Toole)'s film career, the production utilized clips from O'Toole's earlier movies Lord Jim (1965) and Great Catherine (1968) which doubled as those of his character's films. Moreover, new specific footage was also shot to create other scenes of Alan Swann's adventure movie back-catalog.

The link to the next film -- Cameron Mitchell


2:45 PM -- What Next, Corporal Hargrove? (1945)
A bumbling soldier and his scheming friend take France by storm.
Dir: Richard Thorpe
Cast: Robert Walker, Keenan Wynn, Jean Porter
BW-95 mins, CC,

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Writing, Original Screenplay -- Harry Kurnitz

Film debut of Cameron Mitchell.

The link to the next film -- Chill Wills


4:30 PM -- Giant (1956)
A Texas ranching family fights to survive changing times.
Dir: George Stevens
Cast: Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean
BW-201 mins, CC,

Won an Oscar for Best Director -- George Stevens

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- James Dean (This was James Dean's second consecutive posthumous nomination.), Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Rock Hudson, Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Mercedes McCambridge, Best Writing, Best Screenplay - Adapted -- Fred Guiol and Ivan Moffat, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color -- Boris Leven and Ralph S. Hurst, Best Costume Design, Color -- Moss Mabry and Marjorie Best, Best Film Editing -- William Hornbeck, Philip W. Anderson and Fred Bohanan, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture -- Dimitri Tiomkin, and Best Picture

Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor went for get-to-know-you drinks one night at the very start of the production. They both got exceedingly drunk, finishing the evening at 3:00 am. Their call-time was 5:30 am. Fortunately the scene being shot that morning was a wedding scene with no dialog, so instead of talking, all they had to do was look lovingly at each other. The two actors were concentrating so hard on not being sick that they were quite surprised when some of the people on-set started to cry, so convinced were they of their supposed looks of adoration at each other.

The link to the next film -- Sal Mineo



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: 31 DAYS OF OSCAR: DAY 25



8:00 PM -- The Longest Day (1962)
The Allied forces launch the D-Day invasion of German-occupied France.
Dir: Andrew Marton
Cast: John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, Henry Fonda
BW-178 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Won Oscars for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -- Jean Bourgoin and Walter Wottitz, and Best Effects, Special Effects -- R.A. MacDonald (visual) and Jacques Maumont (audible)

Nominated for Oscars for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White -- Ted Haworth, Léon Barsacq, Vincent Korda and Gabriel Béchir, Best Film Editing -- Samuel E. Beetley, and Best Picture

While clearing a section of the Normandy beach near Ponte du Hoc, the film's crew unearthed a tank that had been buried in the sand since the original invasion. Mechanics cleaned it off, fixed it up and it was used in the film as part of the British tank regiment.

The link to the next film -- John Wayne


11:15 PM -- Red River (1948)
A young cowhand rebels against his rancher stepfather during a perilous cattle drive.
Dir: Howard Hawks
Cast: John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, Joanne Dru
BW-133 mins, CC,

Nominated for Oscars for Best Writing, Motion Picture Story -- Borden Chase, and Best Film Editing -- Christian Nyby

After seeing John Wayne's performance in Red River (1948), directed by rival director Howard Hawks, John Ford is quoted as saying, "I never knew the big son of a bitch could act."

The link to the next film -- John Ireland


1:33 AM -- More About Nostradamus (1940)
This short film provides a short biography of Nostradamus, highlighting some of his prophecies.
Dir: David Miller
Cast: Hans Conried, John Burton, John George
BW-11 mins,

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


1:45 AM -- 55 Days at Peking (1963)
An American major leads the defense against Chinese revolutionaries in 1900 Peking.
Dir: Nicholas Ray
Cast: Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, David Niven
C-154 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Nominated for Oscars for Best Music, Original Song -- Dimitri Tiomkin (music) and Paul Francis Webster (lyrics) for the song "So Little Time", and Best Music, Score - Substantially Original -- Dimitri Tiomkin

In China at the time working as a professional mining engineer, future President of the United States, Herbert Hoover and his wife were civilians under siege at the foreign legations' compound. The future first Lady, Louise "Lou" Henry Hoover, collected shrapnel from Boxer artillery that is on display at the Presidential Library in West Branch, IA. The Hoovers picked up Mandarin Chinese while in China and used it at the White House when they didn't want to be overheard.

The link to the next film -- Ava Gardner


4:30 AM -- The Night of the Iguana (1964)
A defrocked priest surrenders to the sins of the flesh in a Mexican hotel.
Dir: John Huston
Cast: Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, Deborah Kerr
BW-118 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Won an Oscar for Best Costume Design, Black-and-White -- Dorothy Jeakins

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Grayson Hall, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -- Gabriel Figueroa, and Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White -- Stephen B. Grimes

In order to defuse the tension prior to shooting (due mainly to the isolated location the stars would be working in together), John Huston made each lead actor a gold-encrusted pistol with bullets--one with each actor's name on it. This way, when the actors wanted to kill one another, they would use the designated bullet. This proved to be successful. No problems among the cast arose.

The link to the next film -- Deborah Kerr