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TCM Schedule for Friday, July 20, 2018 -- What's On Tonight: Leonard Bernstein Centennial
In the daylight hours, TCM is dealing with a bunch of shady doctors.In prime time, TCM begins a three-night celebration of the 100 year anniversary of the birth of composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein. Tell us more about it, Roger!
TCM celebrates the 100th anniversary of a musical legend with three nights of programming devoted to some of Leonard Bernstein's most significant work as composer, conductor and pianist. Each evening provides insight into the extensive accomplishments of the man described by The New York Times as "Music's Monarch." Our tribute begins with a night of films showcasing Bernstein's scores, and succeeding nights are devoted to his televised appearances with the New York Philharmonic's Young People's Concerts and the series Omnibus.
Bernstein (1918-1990) was born in Lawrence, MA and educated at Harvard (graduated cum laude) and Philadelphia's Curtis Institute of Music. He made his major conducting debut in 1943 with the New York Philharmonic, where he would enjoy a long tenure as that orchestra's music director. He was also conductor of the New York Symphony (1945-48) and taught at various music centers and universities, serving as Professor of Music at Brandeis University (1951-56). He appeared numerous times as guest conductor with orchestras in the U.S. and abroad, and he became the first conductor to give a series of television lectures on classical music. Skilled at the piano, he frequently conducted from the keyboard.
Bernstein is revered in the Broadway community for his contributions to such stage musicals as West Side Story, Peter Pan, Candide, Wonderful Town and On the Town. His other compositions include three symphonies and many chamber and solo works. Below are the components of our tribute, beginning with an evening of movies and continuing with two nights of television concerts.
West Side Story (1961) is the film version of the 1957 Broadway musical scored by Bernstein, with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Arthur Laurents. The movie won 10 Academy Awards, including best director for Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins and Best Supporting Actress for Puerto Rican actress Rita Moreno. The film also stars Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer.
On the Town (1949) is MGM's screen adaptation of the 1944 Broadway show with music by Bernstein and book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. The film's cast is headed by Gene Kelly (who also co-directed with Stanley Donen) and Frank Sinatra. To Bernstein's displeasure, several of his original songs were replaced with new numbers created by Roger Edens.
On the Waterfront (1954), directed by Elia Kazan with Marlon Brando in the leading role, features an original film score by Bernstein, who was Oscar-nominated for his contribution. The film won Oscars in eight categories including Best Picture.
Young People's Concerts, a tradition of the New York Philharmonic since 1924, were the longest-running series of family concerts of classical music in the world. Bernstein arranged for the concerts to be televised on CBS-TV upon his arrival as the Philharmonic's music director in 1958. The shows were syndicated in more than 40 countries. Bernstein continued the concerts even after he left as the orchestra's conductor in 1969; they ran through March 1972. These are the Young People's Concerts screening on TCM: What Does Music Mean? (1958), Humor in Music (1959), What Is a Mode? (1966) and A Toast to Vienna in 3/4 Time (1967).
The award-winning series Omnibus was created in 1952 by the Ford Foundation in an effort to "raise the level of American taste." It ran at various times on CBS, ABC and NBC-TV through 1961 and had a brief revival in 1981. The show offered programming devoted to the arts, science and the humanities, with interviews and performances of notable performers and artists from various fields.
Bernstein gave his first televised music lectures on the show, including his well-remembered analysis of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony (1954), in which he employs some of the composer's discarded sketches to show what the music might have been like if they were left in. The other Omnibus programs in our series include The World of Jazz (1955), The Art of Conducting (1955), The American Musical Comedy (1956), Introduction to Modern Music (1957), The Music of Johann Sebastian Bach (1957) and What Makes Opera Grand? (1958).
That final selection was another favorite of viewers of the series, illustrating the powerful effect of an opera's music. Among the demonstrations is one in which actor Hans Conried delivers dramatic readings in English as Marcello in La Boheme, followed by a singer who performs the same lines in the original Italian complete with musical scoring.
by Roger Fristoe
Bernstein (1918-1990) was born in Lawrence, MA and educated at Harvard (graduated cum laude) and Philadelphia's Curtis Institute of Music. He made his major conducting debut in 1943 with the New York Philharmonic, where he would enjoy a long tenure as that orchestra's music director. He was also conductor of the New York Symphony (1945-48) and taught at various music centers and universities, serving as Professor of Music at Brandeis University (1951-56). He appeared numerous times as guest conductor with orchestras in the U.S. and abroad, and he became the first conductor to give a series of television lectures on classical music. Skilled at the piano, he frequently conducted from the keyboard.
Bernstein is revered in the Broadway community for his contributions to such stage musicals as West Side Story, Peter Pan, Candide, Wonderful Town and On the Town. His other compositions include three symphonies and many chamber and solo works. Below are the components of our tribute, beginning with an evening of movies and continuing with two nights of television concerts.
West Side Story (1961) is the film version of the 1957 Broadway musical scored by Bernstein, with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Arthur Laurents. The movie won 10 Academy Awards, including best director for Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins and Best Supporting Actress for Puerto Rican actress Rita Moreno. The film also stars Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer.
On the Town (1949) is MGM's screen adaptation of the 1944 Broadway show with music by Bernstein and book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. The film's cast is headed by Gene Kelly (who also co-directed with Stanley Donen) and Frank Sinatra. To Bernstein's displeasure, several of his original songs were replaced with new numbers created by Roger Edens.
On the Waterfront (1954), directed by Elia Kazan with Marlon Brando in the leading role, features an original film score by Bernstein, who was Oscar-nominated for his contribution. The film won Oscars in eight categories including Best Picture.
Young People's Concerts, a tradition of the New York Philharmonic since 1924, were the longest-running series of family concerts of classical music in the world. Bernstein arranged for the concerts to be televised on CBS-TV upon his arrival as the Philharmonic's music director in 1958. The shows were syndicated in more than 40 countries. Bernstein continued the concerts even after he left as the orchestra's conductor in 1969; they ran through March 1972. These are the Young People's Concerts screening on TCM: What Does Music Mean? (1958), Humor in Music (1959), What Is a Mode? (1966) and A Toast to Vienna in 3/4 Time (1967).
The award-winning series Omnibus was created in 1952 by the Ford Foundation in an effort to "raise the level of American taste." It ran at various times on CBS, ABC and NBC-TV through 1961 and had a brief revival in 1981. The show offered programming devoted to the arts, science and the humanities, with interviews and performances of notable performers and artists from various fields.
Bernstein gave his first televised music lectures on the show, including his well-remembered analysis of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony (1954), in which he employs some of the composer's discarded sketches to show what the music might have been like if they were left in. The other Omnibus programs in our series include The World of Jazz (1955), The Art of Conducting (1955), The American Musical Comedy (1956), Introduction to Modern Music (1957), The Music of Johann Sebastian Bach (1957) and What Makes Opera Grand? (1958).
That final selection was another favorite of viewers of the series, illustrating the powerful effect of an opera's music. Among the demonstrations is one in which actor Hans Conried delivers dramatic readings in English as Marcello in La Boheme, followed by a singer who performs the same lines in the original Italian complete with musical scoring.
by Roger Fristoe
Enjoy!
6:00 AM -- ALIAS THE DOCTOR (1932)
Brothers with different work ethics clash while attending medical school.
Dir: Michael Curtiz
Cast: Richard Barthelmess, Marian Marsh, Norman Foster
BW-61 mins,
Based on a play by Emric Foeldes.
7:15 AM -- BEDSIDE (1934)
A fake doctor sets up a lucrative high-society practice.
Dir: Robert Florey
Cast: Warren William, Jean Muir, Allen Jenkins
BW-66 mins, CC,
Based on a story by Manuel Seff and Harvey Thew.
8:30 AM -- THE GORILLA MAN (1942)
A wounded soldier discovers his hospital is secretly run by the Nazis.
Dir: D. Ross Lederman
Cast: John Loder, Ruth Ford, Marian Hall
BW-64 mins,
The photograph of Nurse Kruger's husband is that of Glen Cavender.
9:45 AM -- OBSESSION (1949)
A jealous husband plots to dispose of his wife's lover in an acid bath.
Dir: Edward Dmytryk
Cast: Robert Newton, Naunton Wayne, Phil Brown
BW-98 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
Phil Brown (Bill) is best known to Star Wars fans as Luke Skywalker's Uncle Owen.
11:30 AM -- THE BODY SNATCHER (1945)
To continue his medical experiments, a doctor must buy corpses from a grave robber.
Dir: Robert Wise
Cast: Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Henry Daniell
BW-78 mins, CC,
Robert Wise on Henry Daniell: "Henry was as far from a complainer as any I've ever known. He'd walk onto the set, do his work like the pro he was, do it damn good, and then quietly leave without being a burden to anybody. Period." The quote was a subtle dig at Boris Karloff, who notoriously used his clout and SAG creator status and membership to complain about long hours and other miscellaneous details during production.
1:00 PM -- SIGNPOST TO MURDER (1965)
A convicted murderer, who escaped from a mental institution, hides out in the home of a woman whose husband is missing.
Dir: George Englund
Cast: Joanne Woodward, Stuart Whitman, Edward Mulhare
BW-78 mins, CC,
The Indian theatre and film community loved the film so much that they adapted it several times. It was adapted as a stage play "Dhummas", meaning fog, and was first made in Gujarati, then Marathi and finally in Hindi. Veteran theatre actress Sarita Joshi played the lead in all three versions. Then, it was made into the hit Hindi film "Ittefaq" (1969) with Nanda and Rajesh Khanna, followed by a remake, also titled "Ittefaq" (2017).
2:30 PM -- DOCTOR X (1932)
A reporter investigates a series of cannibalistic murders at a medical college.
Dir: Michael Curtiz
Cast: Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Lee Tracy
C-76 mins, CC,
This is the film for which Michael Curtiz is quoted as saying, "This will make your blood curl!"
4:00 PM -- THE RETURN OF DOCTOR X (1939)
A murderer returns from the grave with a thirst for blood.
Dir: Vincent Sherman
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Rosemary Lane, Wayne Morris
BW-62 mins, CC,
Humphrey Bogart said of this film: "This is one of the pictures that made me march in to (Warner Bros. studio chief Jack L.) Warner and ask for more money again. You can't believe what this one was like. I had a part that somebody like Bela Lugosi or Boris Karloff should have played. I was this doctor, brought back to life, and the only thing that nourished this poor bastard was blood. If it had been Jack Warner's blood or Harry Warner's or Sam Warner's maybe I wouldn't have minded as much. The trouble was, they were drinking mine and I was making this stinking movie."
5:15 PM -- EXPERIMENT ALCATRAZ (1951)
A doctor testing drugs on convicts gets mixed up in a murder investigation.
Dir: Edward L. Cahn
Cast: John Howard, Joan Dixon, Walter Kingsford
BW-59 mins, CC,
Based on a story by George W. George and George F. Slavin.
6:30 PM -- GREEN LIGHT (1937)
An idealistic doctor sacrifices his career to protect an elderly surgeon.
Dir: Frank Borzage
Cast: Errol Flynn, Anita Louise, Margaret Lindsay
BW-85 mins, CC,
After his first two starring films, "Captain Blood" and "The Charge of the Light Brigade," Errol Flynn asked Warners to find him a non-swashbuckling role. "Green Light" was the result. However, he was back with sword in hand for his next, "The Prince and the Pauper."
TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: LEONARD BERNSTEIN CENTENNIAL
8:00 PM -- WEST SIDE STORY (1961)
A young couple from dueling street gangs falls in love.
Dir: Robert Wise
Cast: Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn
C-154 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
Winner of Oscars for Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- George Chakiris, Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Rita Moreno, Best Director -- Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins (For the first time a directing award is being shared.), Best Cinematography, Color -- Daniel L. Fapp, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color -- Boris Leven and Victor A. Gangelin, Best Costume Design, Color -- Irene Sharaff, Best Sound -- Fred Hynes (Todd-AO SSD) and Gordon Sawyer (Samuel Goldwyn SSD), Best Film Editing -- Thomas Stanford, Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture -- Saul Chaplin, Johnny Green, Sid Ramin and Irwin Kostal, and Best Picture
Nominee for an Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium -- Ernest Lehman
Even though dubbing Natalie Wood was Marni Nixon's chief assignment, Nixon also did one number for Rita Moreno, which required a relatively high vocal register. Having dubbed Wood as well as Moreno, Nixon felt she deserved a cut of the movie-album royalties. Neither the movie or the record producers would bow to her demands. Leonard Bernstein broke the stalemate by volunteering a percentage of his income, a gesture of loyalty-royalty since Nixon had been a performer-colleague of his at New York Philharmonic concerts. He ceded one-quarter of one percent of his royalties to her (a generous amount).
10:45 PM -- ON THE TOWN (1949)
Three sailors wreak havoc as they search for love during a whirlwind 24-hour leave in New York City.
Dir: Gene Kelly
Cast: Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Betty Garrett
C-98 mins, CC,
Winner of an Oscar for Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture -- Roger Edens and Lennie Hayton
Before purchasing the film rights to the musical, M-G-M had assigned George Abbott, the director of the stage show, to direct the film version. However, Louis B. Mayer and other studio executives disliked the stage show when they saw it and regretted their involvement in the property. By November 1945, the studio had assigned Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen to direct the film, and contracted Betty Comden and Adolph Green to rewrite the book with much of Leonard Bernstein's original score discarded. The film features only four songs from the original musical, those composed by Leonard Bernstein, and six that were created especially for the screen.
12:30 AM -- ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)
A young stevedore takes on the mobster who rules the docks.
Dir: Elia Kazan
Cast: Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb
BW-108 mins, CC,
Winner of Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Marlon Brando, Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Eva Marie Saint, Best Director -- Elia Kazan, Best Writing, Story and Screenplay -- Budd Schulberg, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -- Boris Kaufman, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White -- Richard Day, Best Film Editing -- Gene Milford, and Best Picture
Nominee for Oscars for Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Lee J. Cobb, Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Karl Malden, Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Rod Steiger, and Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture -- Leonard Bernstein
The only film that wasn't a musical for which Leonard Bernstein wrote the incidental music.
2:30 AM -- DREAMSCAPE (1984)
A psychic tries to thwart a plot to control the U.S. president through his dreams.
Dir: Joseph Ruben
Cast: Dennis Quaid, Max von Sydow, Christopher Plummer
C-99 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
Originally the producers wanted Maurice Jarre to write the music for the film orchestrally, but Jarre insisted on scoring the film electronically because he felt that it was the right approach for the material and also sets the tone of the film.
4:15 AM -- THE NIGHT VISITOR (1971)
A man named Salem escapes from an insane asylum where he was confined for an axe-murder he didn't commit.
Dir: Laslo Benedek
Cast: Max von Sydow, Trevor Howard, Liv Ullmann
BW-102 mins, CC,
This was originally planned as an American-set film to star Steve McQueen and was announced as such by Twentieth Century Fox in 1963.
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