TCM Schedule for Saturday, May 28, 2016 -- What's On Tonight: Memorial Day Marathon

[Staph]

The annual Memorial Day Marathon actually began Friday evening, with the last set of films of Star of the Month Robert Ryan. I realize that the vast majority of the war movies made in the last 100+ years have been WWII movies. But, next year, dear TCM, please show us some films about the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the Mexican American War, or the Civil War (after all, Memorial Day began as a commemoration of the war dead of the Civil War). Even Teddy and the Rough Riders would a lovely change of pace from dirty Nazis and evil Japanese! Enjoy!



6:15 AM -- Bombardier (1943)
Military officers compete for the same woman while training pilots for war.
Dir: Richard Wallace
Cast: Pat O'Brien, Randolph Scott, Anne Shirley
BW-99 mins, CC,

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Effects, Special Effects -- Vernon L. Walker (photographic), James G. Stewart (sound) and Roy Granville

The "American" bomb sight mentioned throughout the movie was the Norden bomb sight whose secret was almost as closely guarded as the development of the atomic bomb. It used a mechanical computer and linkage to the plane's autopilot to achieve an accuracy of hitting with 75 feet of the target from an altitude of 12000 feet. All members of the bomber's crew were ordered to destroy the sight at all costs if the plane was going to crash. Many ships carried a hand grenade to place under the sight to assure total destruction. It was used as late as 1967 to drop sensors along the Ho Chi Minh trail in Viet Nam.


8:00 AM -- Behind The Rising Sun (1943)
A Japanese publisher urges his American-educated son to side with the Axis.
Dir: Edward Dmytryk
Cast: Margo, Tom Neal, J. Carroll Naish
BW-88 mins, CC,

Film debut of Benson Fong.


9:30 AM -- Marine Raiders (1944)
Marine buddies training in Australia battle over love.
Dir: Harold Schuster
Cast: Pat O'Brien, Ruth Hussey, Robert Ryan
BW-91 mins, CC,

Based on a story by Martin Rackin (who served in the US Air Force during wartime) and Warren Duff.


11:15 AM -- Flying Leathernecks (1951)
A World War II Marine officer drives his men mercilessly during the battle for Guadalcanal.
Dir: Nicholas Ray
Cast: John Wayne, Robert Ryan, Don Taylor
C-102 mins, CC,

This movie is often considered merely another assignment of Nicholas Ray's at RKO for Howard Hughes to prove his political and professional alliance during the Red Scare. A blatant pro-war movie that Hughes cared about and Ray did not, Ray disagreed with the film's politics and is said, along with Robert Ryan, to intentionally over-act. Ryan and Ray, who were leftist liberals, constantly fought against John Wayne and Jay C. Flippen, who were conservatives and supported the Blacklist.


1:00 PM -- They Were Expendable (1945)
A Navy commander fights to prove the battle-worthiness of the PT boat at the start of World War II.
Dir: John Ford
Cast: Robert Montgomery, John Wayne, Donna Reed
BW-135 mins, CC,

Nominated for Oscars for Best Sound, Recording -- Douglas Shearer (M-G-M SSD), and Best Effects, Special Effects -- A. Arnold Gillespie (photographic), Donald Jahraus (photographic), R.A. MacDonald (photographic) and Michael Steinore (sound)

During production, John Ford had put John Wayne down every chance he got, because Wayne had not enlisted to fight in World War II. Ford commanded a naval photographic unit during the war, rising to the rank of captain and thought Wayne a coward for staying behind. After months of Ford heaping insults on Wayne's head, co-star Robert Montgomery finally approached the director and told him that if he was putting Wayne down for Montgomery's benefit (Montgomery had also served as a naval officer in the war), then he needed to stop immediately. This brought the tough-as-nails director to tears and he stopped abusing Wayne.


3:30 PM -- The Caine Mutiny (1954)
Naval officers begin to suspect their captain of insanity.
Dir: Edward Dmytryk
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Jose Ferrer, Van Johnson
C-125 mins, CC,

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Humphrey Bogart, Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Tom Tully, Best Writing, Screenplay -- Stanley Roberts, Best Sound, Recording -- John P. Livadary (Columbia SSD), Best Film Editing -- William A. Lyon and Henry Batista, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture -- Max Steiner, and Best Picture

The scars on Van Johnson's face in this film are real, not makeup. While filming A Guy Named Joe (1943), Johnson was in an automobile accident and thrown through the car's windshield. The plastic surgery of the day could not totally remove his scars. In all his later films he wore heavy makeup to hide them but felt that, in this film, they added to his character's appearance.


5:45 PM -- The Hill (1965)
Prisoners fight to survive the grueling conditions in a North African military stockade.
Dir: Sidney Lumet
Cast: Sean Connery, Harry Andrews, Ian Bannen
BW-123 mins, CC,

Sean Connery took on this film in order to break avoid being typecast as James Bond.



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: MEMORIAL DAY MARATHON



8:00 PM -- The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
The Japanese Army forces World War II POWs to build a strategic bridge in Burma.
Dir: David Lean
Cast: William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins
C-161 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Won Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Alec Guinness (Alec Guinness was not present at the awards ceremony. Jean Simmons accepted the award on his behalf.), Best Director -- David Lean,Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium -- Pierre Boulle, Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson (Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson were blacklisted at the time and received no screen credit. They were posthumously awarded Oscars in 1984. Pierre Boulle was not present at the awards ceremony. Kim Novak accepted the award on his behalf.), Best Cinematography -- Jack Hildyard, Best Film Editing -- Peter Taylor, Best Music, Scoring -- Malcolm Arnold, and Best Picture

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Sessue Hayakawa

Colonel Saito was inspired by Major Risaburo Saito, who unlike the character portrayed in the film was said by some to be one of the most reasonable and humane of all of the Japanese officers, usually willing to negotiate with the POWs in return for their labor. Such was the respect between Saito and Lieutenant-Colonel Toosey (a substitute Nicholson) that Toosey spoke up on Saito's behalf at the war-crimes tribunal after the war, saving him from the gallows. Ten years after Toosey's 1975 death, Saito made a pilgrimage to England to visit his grave.


11:00 PM -- A Bridge Too Far (1977)
Epic re-staging of the Allies' heroic airdrop behind Nazi lines in Holland.
Dir: Richard Attenborough
Cast: Sean Connery, Robert Redford, Laurence Olivier
C-176 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Film critics derided producer Joseph E. Levine for casting a then 36-year-old Ryan O'Neal to play an army general. But in reality, Brig. Gen. James M. Gavin was only 37 years old at the time of the battle. In fact, shortly after this battle, Gavin was promoted to major general and at 37 was the youngest man ever to hold that rank.


2:07 AM -- Ryan's Daughter (Featurette) (1970)
This short film provides a behind-the-scenes look at the making of "Ryan's Daughter" (1970).
C-6 mins,


2:15 AM -- From Here to Eternity (1953)
Enlisted men in Hawaii fight for love and honor on the eve of World War II.
Dir: Fred Zinnemann
Cast: Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr
BW-118 mins, CC,

Won Oscars for Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Frank Sinatra, Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Donna Reed, Best Director -- Fred Zinnemann, Best Writing, Screenplay -- Daniel Taradash, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -- Burnett Guffey, Best Sound, Recording -- John P. Livadary (Columbia SSD), Best Film Editing -- William A. Lyon, and Best Picture

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Montgomery Clift, Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Burt Lancaster, Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Deborah Kerr, Best Costume Design, Black-and-White -- Jean Louis, and Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture -- Morris Stoloff and George Duning

Montgomery Clift threw himself into the character of Prewitt, learning to play the bugle (even though he knew he'd be dubbed) and taking boxing lessons. Fred Zinnemann said, "Clift forced the other actors to be much better than they really were. That's the only way I can put it. He got performances from the other actors, he got reactions from the other actors that were totally genuine."


4:30 AM -- PT 109 (1963)
Future president John Kennedy fights to save his crew when their PT boat sinks in the Pacific.
Dir: Leslie H. Martinson
Cast: Cliff Robertson, Ty Hardin, James Gregory
C-140 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

President John F. Kennedy's personal choice to portray him was Cliff Robertson. Mrs Kennedy's preference to play President John F. Kennedy was Warren Beatty. Peter Fonda, who resembled the young JFK in build and looks, was also considered for the role of PT 109's last skipper as were both Roger Smith and Ed "Kookie" Byrnes from the popular TV series 77 Sunset Strip (1958).

[longship]

1. "Madness! Madness!!!!!"

The Bridge on the River Kwai!

Fantastic film.