TCM Schedule for Saturday, November 26, 2016 -- What's On Tonight - Dustin Hoffman

[Staph]

Tonight's not-really-the-Essentials films are a trio of Dustin Hoffman's best, Tootsie (1982), Rain Man (1988), and The Graduate (1967). Oh, and by the way, he won an Oscar for Rain Man and was Oscar-nominated for the other two. Not shabby. Enjoy!


6:15 AM -- PENELOPE (1966)
A neglected wife turns to bank robbery to get her husband's attention.
Dir: Arthur Hiller
Cast: Natalie Wood, Ian Bannen, Dick Shawn
C-98 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

After "Penelope", Natalie Woods bought herself out of her Warner Bros. contract for $175,000, and fired her staff of agents, managers and lawyers. She didn't make another film for 3 years.


8:00 AM -- GREEN DOLPHIN STREET (1947)
In 19th-century New Zealand, two sisters compete for the same man against a backdrop of political unrest and natural disaster.
Dir: Victor Saville
Cast: Lana Turner, Van Heflin, Donna Reed
BW-141 mins, CC,

Won an Oscar for Best Effects, Special Effects -- A. Arnold Gillespie (visual), Warren Newcombe (visual), Douglas Shearer (audible) and Michael Steinore (audible)

Nominated for Oscars for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -- George J. Folsey, Best Sound, Recording -- Douglas Shearer (M-G-M SSD), and Best Film Editing -- George White

The film's main music theme by Bronislau Kaper was published as a song, "Green Dolphin Street" (also known as "On Green Dolphin Street&quot with lyrics by Ned Washington. It was soon adopted by jazz musicians, with recordings by Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Bill Evans and others.


10:30 AM -- JAIL BUSTERS (1955)
The Bowery Boys help a reporter who was beaten up during an undercover investigation at a local prison.
Dir: William Beaudine
Cast: Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Bernard Gorcey
BW-61 mins, CC,

In this, the 39th of 48 Bowery Boys movies, there were only four Bowery Boys.


11:48 AM -- ROWAN & MARTIN AT THE MOVIES (1969)
This public service short has two comedians, Dan Rowan and Dick Martin, host a show utilizing stock clips of famous celebrities.
Dir: Jack Arnold
C-11 mins,


12:00 PM -- SOUNDER (1972)
Black sharecroppers during the Depression fight to get their children a decent education.
Dir: Martin Ritt
Cast: Cicely Tyson, Paul Winfield, Kevin Hooks
C-105 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Paul Winfield, Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Cicely Tyson, Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium -- Lonne Elder III, and Best Picture

Cicely Tyson commented in a TCM interview that director Martin Ritt's cinematographer (principal cameraman), while shooting the famous "homecoming sequence" with Tyson and co-star Paul Winfield, was so moved by their performances that he was certain he missed framing the action properly in the shots and respectfully asked them to do the difficult scene again. They obliged, but a later examination of daily rushes revealed that they got shot and acting perfect the first time, and take 1 was a print.


2:00 PM -- COURAGE OF LASSIE (1946)
A young girl tries to rehabilitate the famous collie after his return from combat service in World War II.
Dir: Fred M. Wilcox
Cast: Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Morgan, Tom Drake
C-93 mins, CC,

Although the title of the film suggests it, there is no mention of the character Lassie anywhere in the movie. Pal, the male dog that played the female dog Lassie in five films and a television series (and the patriarch for almost all of the subsequent Lassies) plays a dog named Bill (and Duke) in this film.


3:45 PM -- NATIONAL VELVET (1944)
A British farm girl fights to train a difficult horse for the Grand National Steeplechase.
Dir: Clarence Brown
Cast: Mickey Rooney, Donald Crisp, Elizabeth Taylor
C-124 mins, CC,

Won Oscars for Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Anne Revere, and Best Film Editing -- Robert Kern

Nominated for Oscars for Best Director -- Clarence Brown, Best Cinematography, Color -- Leonard Smith, and Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Color -- Cedric Gibbons, Urie McCleary, Edwin B. Willis and Mildred Griffiths

12-year-old Elizabeth Taylor underwent drastic measures to prove that she was right for the role. Velvet brown was supposed to be a girl in her late teens, going through the natural changes into womanhood. Taylor was told by the director that she couldn't be velvet, as she was rather "boyish". This only provoked Elizabeth more; she ate steak everyday, doubled her portion of meals, and rode her horse constantly to train. In three months, Elizabeth grew three inches, and began to gain the natural curves of a woman. For her efforts alone, she won the role.


6:00 PM -- THE INCREDIBLE MR. LIMPET (1964)
A World War II 4-F saves the U.S. Navy when he's transformed into a dolphin.
Dir: Arthur Lubin
Cast: Don Knotts, Carole Cook, Jack Weston
C-99 mins, CC,

Stephen Hillenburg studied the film's backgrounds for Spongebob Squarepants.



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: DUSTIN HOFFMAN



8:00 PM -- TOOTSIE (1982)
An unemployed actor masquerades as a woman to win a soap-opera role.
Dir: Sydney Pollack
Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Dabney Coleman
C-116 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Jessica Lange

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Dustin Hoffman, Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Teri Garr, Best Director -- Sydney Pollack, Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen -- Larry Gelbart (screenplay/story), Murray Schisgal (screenplay) and Don McGuire (story), Best Cinematography -- Owen Roizman, Best Sound -- Arthur Piantadosi, Les Fresholtz, Rick Alexander (as Dick Alexander) and Les Lazarowitz, Best Film Editing -- Fredric Steinkamp and William Steinkamp, Best Music, Original Song -- Dave Grusin (music), Alan Bergman (lyrics) and Marilyn Bergman (lyrics) for the song "It Might Be You", and Best Picture

Dustin Hoffman allegedly tried out his role as Dorothy by passing himself off as his daughter's Aunt Dorothy at her parent's evening at school. His performance was so strong he actually convinced the teachers present. They never suspected.


10:15 PM -- RAIN MAN (1988)
A con artist discovers he has a wealthy, autistic brother.
Dir: Barry Levinson
Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise, Valeria Golino
C-133 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Won Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Dustin Hoffman, Best Director -- Barry Levinson, Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen -- Ronald Bass (screenplay) and Barry Morrow (screenplay/story), and Best Picture

Nominated for Oscars for Best Cinematography -- John Seale, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration -- Ida Random and Linda DeScenna, Best Film Editing -- Stu Linder, and Best Music, Original Score -- Hans Zimmer

On "Oprah", Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman said the "farting in the phone booth" bit was improvised when Hoffman actually passed gas while the scene was being filmed. Hoffman said it was his favorite scene ever.


12:45 AM -- THE GRADUATE (1967)
A recent college graduate has an affair with his neighbor's wife, then falls for their daughter.
Dir: Mike Nichols
Cast: Anne Bancroft, Dustin Hoffman, Katharine Ross
C-106 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Won an Oscar for Best Director -- Mike Nichols

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Dustin Hoffman, Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Anne Bancroft, Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Katharine Ross, Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium -- Calder Willingham and Buck Henry, Best Cinematography -- Robert Surtees, and Best Picture

In Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft's first encounter in the hotel room, Bancroft did not know that Hoffman was going to grab her breast. Hoffman decided offscreen to do it, because it reminded him of schoolboys trying to nonchalantly grab girls' breasts in the hall by pretending to put their jackets on. When Hoffman did it onscreen, director Mike Nichols began laughing loudly offscreen. Hoffman began to laugh as well, so rather than stop the scene, he turned away from the camera and walked to the wall. Hoffman banged his head on the wall, trying to stop laughing, and Nichols thought it was so funny, he left it in.


2:45 AM -- PUNK VACATION (1990)
Punk rockers invade a small town.
Dir: Stanley Lewis
Cast: Sandra Bogan, Stephen Falchi, Roxanne Rogers
C-94 mins, Letterbox Format

The barn used in this film was an active barn. Because of this, two bulls who lived in said barn had to be shooed away so scenes could be shot in the barn.


4:30 AM -- KILLER PARTY (1986)
A deranged killer stalks a sorority hazing party.
Dir: William Fruet
Cast: Martin Hewitt, Ralph Seymour, Elaine Wilkes
C-92 mins, CC,

When released in 1986 the title was changed from "The April Fools" to "Killer Party" because the distributors feared that it would be confused with the film April Fool's Day (1986) which was also released around that time.