TCM Schedule for Friday, April 13, 2018 -- What's On Tonight: Randolph Scott

[Staph]

In the daylight hours, TCM's theme is Minorities on Screen. I'm not sure that is an appropriate title, as all of the films portray black lives, and black and white relationships. No Asians. No Native Americans. (Personal opinion - not necessarily the opinion of TCM and their minions!) Then in prime time, TCM is featuring some of the films of cowboy star Randolph Scott. Whatever happened to Randolph Scott, riding the range alone? Whatever happened to Gene and Tex, and Roy and Rex, the Durango Kid? (Sorry, I was traumatized by the Statler Brothers as a child!) Enjoy!



8:00 AM -- CABIN IN THE SKY (1943)
God and Satan battle for the soul of a wounded gambler.
Dir: Vincente Minnelli
Cast: Ethel Waters, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Lena Horne
BW-99 mins, CC,

Nominee for an Oscar for Best Music, Original Song -- Harold Arlen (music) and E.Y. Harburg (lyrics) for the song "Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe"

During filming, the movie's black stars were told by the studio manager that they were not allowed to eat at the MGM commissary. When studio head Louis B. Mayer heard about this, he invited the black performers to join him instead in his private dining room. All the performers were allowed to eat in the commissary the following day.


9:45 AM -- BRIGHT ROAD (1953)
Teachers at an all-black school fight to save a problem child.
Dir: Gerald Mayer
Cast: Dorothy Dandridge, Philip Hepburn, Harry Belafonte
BW-68 mins, CC,

Film debut of Harry Belafonte.


11:00 AM -- SWING! (1938)
A seamstress tries to stop her husband from gambling and philandering.
Dir: Oscar Micheaux
Cast: Cora Green, Larry Seymour, Hazel Diaz
BW-69 mins,

Elvera Sanchez Davis, the mother of entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr., had a small role in Swing! as a tap dancer.


12:15 PM -- BLACKBOARD JUNGLE (1955)
An idealistic teacher confronts the realities of juvenile delinquency.
Dir: Richard Brooks
Cast: Glenn Ford, Anne Francis, Louis Calhern
BW-101 mins, CC,

Nominee for Oscars for Best Writing, Screenplay -- Richard Brooks, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -- Russell Harlan, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White -- Cedric Gibbons, Randall Duell, Edwin B. Willis and Henry Grace, and Best Film Editing -- Ferris Webster

The original novel was based on author Evan Hunter's own experiences as a teacher in New York City's tough South Bronx area. Hunter, who found fame as crime writer Ed McBain said, "I thought I was going to give these kids who want to be motor mechanics Shakespeare and they were going to appreciate it and they weren't buying it. I went home in tears night after night".


2:15 PM -- SOMETHING OF VALUE (1957)
Childhood friends end up on opposite sides of a bloody African uprising.
Dir: Richard Brooks
Cast: Rock Hudson, Dana Wynter, Wendy Hiller
BW-113 mins, CC,

Rock Hudson himself drove the film crew round the Nairobi National Park, with the stand-in for his co-star next to him. The crew and game warden were in the back of the semi-open Land Rover. Although all the animals in the park were wild they were used to vehicles. Many shots of various animals were taken, including baboons. For the latter Hudson threw peanuts onto the front of the vehicle. One half-grown male, seeing the actual source of this food, jumped through the half-door onto Hudson's lap, stole some extra peanuts and even snatched a lipstick from the hand of the stand-in. Hudson grabbed the baboon by the scruff of the neck, calmly took back the lipstick and threw the animal out.


4:15 PM -- EDGE OF THE CITY (1957)
An army deserter and a black dock worker join forces against a corrupt union official.
Dir: Martin Ritt
Cast: John Cassavetes, Sidney Poitier, Jack Warden
BW-85 mins, CC,

Written specifically for Sidney Poitier.


5:45 PM -- BAND OF ANGELS (1957)
A southern belle fights to survive slavery after learning her mother was black.
Dir: Raoul Walsh
Cast: Clark Gable, Yvonne De Carlo, Sidney Poitier
C-127 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

The film proved to be a complete failure on release, both critically and commercially. Clark Gable was annoyed by the comparisons with Gone with the Wind (1939) and instructed his agent, "If it doesn't suit an old geezer with false teeth, forget about it." He also decided to part company with Raoul Walsh, previously one of his favorite directors.



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: RANDOLPH SCOTT



8:00 PM -- THE TALL T (1957)
An out-of-luck cowhand falls for a married woman being held hostage.
Dir: Budd Boetticher
Cast: Randolph Scott, Richard Boone, Maureen O'Sullivan
C-78 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

During filming it was called "The Captives" (Elmore Leonard's original story title) and/or "The Tall Rider". Just prior to release, the title was changed to "The Tall T," the name of the Tenvoorde ranch in the early scenes.


9:30 PM -- RIDE LONESOME (1959)
A bounty hunter tries to bring a murderer to justice through perilous territory.
Dir: Budd Boetticher
Cast: Randolph Scott, Karen Steele, Pernell Roberts
C-73 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Film debut of James Coburn.


11:00 PM -- DECISION AT SUNDOWN (1957)
A gunman seeks revenge on the man he believes stole his wife.
Dir: Budd Boetticher
Cast: Randolph Scott, John Carroll, Karen Steele
C-77 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

At the beginning when you first see Tate Kimbrough (John Carroll), you can see the fingernail on his left index finger is black, indicating he bruised it at some point around filming.


12:30 AM -- COLT .45 (1950)
A gun salesman tracks down the outlaws who stole his sample case.
Dir: Edwin L. Marin
Cast: Randolph Scott, Ruth Roman, Zachary Scott
C-74 mins, CC,

To avoid confusing it with its TV series of the same name--Colt .45 (1957)--Warner Bros. changed the film's title to "Chief Thundercloud." It has subsequently reverted back to its original title.


2:00 AM -- THE BROOD (1979)
Ex-spouses are locked in a brutal custody battle over their daughter when one turns to therapy that encourages her to give into her inner rage.
Dir: David Cronenberg
Cast: Oliver Reed, Samantha Eggar, Art Hindle
C-92 mins, CC,

Oliver Reed was arrested by the Canadian police during the production of this film after he made a bet with someone that he could walk from one bar to another without wearing clothes in freezing cold weather.


3:45 AM -- REPULSION (1965)
Strange dreams haunt a beautiful young woman left alone in her apartment.
Dir: Roman Polanski
Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Ian Hendry, John Fraser
BW-105 mins, CC,

This film, along with Rosemary's Baby (1968) and The Tenant (1976), forms a loose trilogy by Roman Polanski about the horrors of apartment/city dwelling.


5:30 AM -- TIME OUT FOR TROUBLE (1961)
The spirit of an evil mantle clock examines various household accidents in this short film.
Dir: David S. Glidden
Cast: Bonnie Hammett, John Nesom, Marie Keeling
BW-19 mins,

Produced by the Oklahoma State Department of Health and the University of Oklahoma.


5:30 AM -- MATCH YOUR MOOD (1968)
Westinghouse shows women how to improve their lives by decorating their refrigerators in this short film.
C-6 mins,