TCM Schedule for Friday, January 16, 2015 -- Friday Night Spotlight - Neil Simon

[Staph]

In daylight, TCM is featuring the work of director Nathan Juran, director, writer, producer and Academy Award winning art director (for How Green Was My Valley (1941)). In prime time, TCM continues its month of Fridays spotlighting the wit and wisdom of Neil Simon. Tonight we get three of the five films that star Simon's second wife Marsha Mason. Enjoy!



6:00 AM -- MGM PARADE SHOW #34 (1955)
Walter Pidgeon introduces Part Three of "The Pirate" and a clip from "The Swan." These clips feature Judy Garland and Gene Kelly.
BW-26 mins,


6:30 AM -- HELLCATS OF THE NAVY (1957)
A submarine commander inadvertently causes the death of a romantic rival under his command.
Dir: Nathan Juran
Cast: Ronald Reagan, Nancy Davis, Arthur Franz
BW-81 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

This movie has a great introduction by Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz who directly addresses the audience in this movie's prologue. Not often seen speaking in public, Navy buffs will enjoy seeing the Admiral introduce this film. He talks for about two minutes, explaining how he approved the orders for this real life event in World War II. As Commander of the American Fleet in the Pacific region, Nimitz authorized the plan to break the supply chain between the Asian mainland and Japan. The Hellcat submarines were critical to the US Navy achieving this strategy. Nimitz said of this mission: "This is the story of one of the most daring operations in the history of Navy warfare!" According to the Hollywood Reporter of December 1956, the Chester W. Nimitz footage for this movie was filmed in Berkeley, California in late December 1956 and early January 1957. In an uncredited part, Selmer Jackson portrays Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz in the rest of this movie outside of the introduction.


8:05 AM -- KINGDOM OF THE SAGUENAY (1963)
This short film takes the viewer down the Saguenay River, located in Quebec.
Dir: Douglas Sinclair
C-9 mins,


8:15 AM -- SIEGE OF THE SAXONS (1963)
A knight must prove himself worthy of marrying King Arthur's daughter.
Dir: Nathan Juran
Cast: Ronald Lewis, Janette Scott, Ronald Howard
C-87 mins, Letterbox Format

Much of the battle at the end comes from stock footage from The Black Knight (1954), starring Alan Ladd and Patricia Medina.


9:50 AM -- CAVE EXPLORERS (1957)
In this short film, a group of Austrian speleologists explore a newly-discovered cave.
Dir: Heinz Scheiderbauer
BW-8 mins,


10:00 AM -- THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD (1958)
Sinbad hunts for a roc's egg to save his love from an evil sorcerer.
Dir: Nathan Juran
Cast: Kerwin Mathews, Kathryn Grant, Richard Eyer
C-88 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

This was the first feature using stop-motion animation effects to be completely shot in color.


11:45 AM -- FLIGHT OF THE LOST BALLOON (1961)
An adventurous professor fights to keep his hot air balloon safe on a rescue mission.
Dir: Nathan Juran
Cast: Mala Powers, Marshall Thompson, James Lanphier
C-91 mins,

An advertising gimmick used for this film was the giveaway of "motion sickness pills" to ticket buyers. The critics had a field day with it.


1:30 PM -- JACK THE GIANT KILLER (1962)
A farm boy rises to noble heights to protect a princess from an evil wizard.
Dir: Nathan Juran
Cast: Kerwin Mathews, Judi Meredith, Torin Thatcher
C-94 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

This was producer Edward Small's attempt to cash in on the huge success of The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958). He even hired the same director (Nathan Juran), hero (Kerwin Mathews) and villain (Torin Thatcher).


3:15 PM -- ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN (1958)
A space visitor's touch turns an unhappy heiress into a vengeful giant.
Dir: Nathan Hertz
Cast: Allison Hayes, William Hudson, Yvette Vickers
BW-66 mins, CC,

Director Nathan Juran insisted on being billed as "Nathan Hertz" (Hertz was Juran's middle name), apparently because he was embarrassed by this film's low budget and poor quality.


4:30 PM -- FIRST MEN IN THE MOON (1964)
A scientist's experimental space craft puts him in the path of an intergalactic invasion.
Dir: Nathan Juran
Cast: Edward Judd, Lionel Jeffries, Martha Hyer
C-103 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

In H. G. Wells' book, the large monster which the Selenites hunt is called a Mooncalf. This is an old English term for idiot, since it was believed that being out under a full moon could cause madness (think also "lunatic&quot , but is also a clever pun on Wells' part, as the Selenites also hunt this beast like cattle, the young of which is called a calf.


6:20 PM -- SPEED WEEK (1957)
This short film chronicles the automobile races staged as part of Speed Week, held annually in Nassau, Bahamas.
Dir: Howard Winner
BW-8 mins,


6:30 PM -- 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH (1957)
A crashed spaceship unleashes a rapidly growing monster from Venus.
Dir: Nathan Juran
Cast: William Hopper, Joan Taylor, Frank Puglia
BW-83 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

One of the reasons the film takes place in Italy is that Ray Harryhausen always wanted to vacation there but could never afford to go on his own.



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: FRIDAY NIGHT SPOTLIGHT: NEIL SIMON



8:00 PM -- THE GOODBYE GIRL (1977)
A dancer discovers her runaway boyfriend has sublet her apartment to an aspiring actor.
Dir: Herbert Ross
Cast: Richard Dreyfuss, Marsha Mason, Quinn Cummings
C-110 mins, CC,

Won an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Richard Dreyfuss

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Marsha Mason, Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Quinn Cummings, Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen -- Neil Simon, and Best Picture

Originally entitled "Bogart Slept Here" with Robert De Niro as the leading man and Mike Nichols as director. The story was supposedly based on Dustin Hoffman's life as a struggling actor, reportedly, it was the story of what happened to Hoffman after he became a star. Hoffman wanted the lead role in the film but was turned down. Artistic differences ultimately forced De Niro and Nichols out, two weeks into the shoot, after several table readings. Other actors who were also candidates for the role were Jack Nicholson, James Caan and Tony Lo Bianco. Dreyfuss was brought in to test opposite Marsha Mason. At the end of the read-through, writer Neil Simon ruled, "It doesn't work, but they do." From this, the two leads for the picture were finalized.


10:00 PM -- CHAPTER TWO (1979)
A widower risks his heart when he's drawn to a young actress.
Dir: Robert Moore
Cast: James Caan, Marsha Mason, Joseph Bologna
C-127 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Marsha Mason

Neil Simon once said of his play "Chapter Two" in "The Play Goes On" (1999): "Before I could write the play Chapter Two...I felt I had to go to Marsha to get her consent...If this was too personal to go public with, despite the fact that I would try to give the characters their own personalities separate from ours, I would still have to adhere to her wishes. When I finally asked her, she said, 'It's fine with me because what you'd be telling is your story, not mine. You'd write about what was going on in your head and could only presume what was happening to me. If I want to tell my story, maybe I'll put it in my own book one day.' I was enormously grateful for her consent and encouragement, and although I knew I'd made no promises to her, I would have to treat the story as truthfully as I could."


12:15 AM -- ONLY WHEN I LAUGH (1981)
An alcoholic actress fights to come back while trying to raise her teen daughter.
Dir: Glenn Jordan
Cast: Marsha Mason, Kristy Mcnichol, James Coco
C-120 mins, Letterbox Format

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Marsha Mason, Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- James Coco, and Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Joan Hackett

The character name of Georgia Haines (played by Marsha Mason) was changed by writer Neil Simon from his original source play "The Gingerbread Lady" where she was known as Evy Meara. On Broadway, Evy was played by Maureen Stapleton, after her successful performance on stage in Simon's "Plaza Suite". Stapleton won a Best Actress Tony Award for her part in "The Gingerbread Lady". The Evy Meara character was inspired by Judy Garland.


2:30 AM -- I'LL CRY TOMORROW (1955)
True story of singer Lillian Roth's battle against alcoholism.
Dir: Daniel Mann
Cast: Susan Hayward, Richard Conte, Eddie Albert
BW-119 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Won an Oscar for Best Costume Design, Black-and-White -- Helen Rose

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Susan Hayward, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -- Arthur E. Arling, and Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White -- Cedric Gibbons, Malcolm Brown, Edwin B. Willis and Hugh Hunt

Pryor to filming, Susan Hayward took the opportunity to study Lillian Roth's vocal style, tone and delivery when Miss Roth performed in Las Vegas. Moreover, the two women became friends during the production.


4:30 AM -- ON OUR MERRY WAY (1948)
An aspiring reporter interviews people about the child that changed their lives.
Dir: King Vidor
Cast: Paulette Goddard, Burgess Meredith, James Stewart
BW-98 mins,

As already stated, "A Miracle Can Happen" was the original title of this film. It consisted of three short stories (about 20-25 minutes each) linked by the Burgess Meredith character. He played a reporter looking for a good scoop and in the second sequence Charles Laughton played a bible-reading minister. However, the powers-that-be decided to drop this 'religious' story altogether and it was replaced by a more comic one featuring Dorothy Lamour. The film in this new version was then re-titled "On Our Merry Way." However, prints of the original film had already been sent abroad for dubbing. In Spain, "A Miracle Can Happen" became "Una Encuesta Llamada Milagro", complete with the original Laughton sequence intact (but of course without the alternative Dorothy Lamour story). As it has been released on DVD there, and retains the English-language soundtrack, the movie can now been seen as it was originally intended.