TCM Schedule for Thursday, January 21, 2015 -- TCM Spotlight: William Cameron Menzies

[Staph]

In the daylight hours, after more of the films of Star of the Month Fred MacMurray, TCM is celebrating the birth of Joseph Patrick Carrol Naish, better known as character actor J. Carrol Naish, born on January 21, 1896, in New York City. As Wikipedia says, "Of Irish descent, he rarely played an Irishman, explaining, "When the part of an Irishman comes along, nobody ever thinks of me." He portrayed numerous other ethnicities including Southern European, Eastern European, Latin American, Native American, Middle Eastern, South Asian, East Asian, Southeast Asian, Pacific Islander—even African American, which earned him the moniker "Hollywood's one-man U.N.". In prime time, it's more of the celebration of the films of art director / production designer / director William Cameron Menzies. Enjoy!


6:30 AM -- Never a Dull Moment (1950)
A female music critic marries a rancher and has to adjust to life out West.
Dir: George Marshall
Cast: Irene Dunne, Fred MacMurray, William Demarest
BW-89 mins, CC,

Co-stars Fred MacMurray and William Demarest would be reunited a decade later on the long-running TV series "My Three Sons" (1960).


8:06 AM -- Seeing Ceylon (1953)
This short film explores the culture, customs and natural beauty of the British colony of Ceylon, today known as Sri Lanka.
C-8 mins,


8:15 AM -- Pushover (1954)
A police detective falls for the bank robber's girlfriend he is supposed to be tailing.
Dir: Richard Quine
Cast: Fred MacMurray, Phil Carey, Kim Novak
BW-88 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

The movie showing at the theater at the beginning of the movie is The Nebraskan which Philip Carey starred in the year before.


9:45 AM -- Borderline (1950)
A policewoman goes undercover to infiltrate a drug smuggling ring.
Dir: William A. Seiter
Cast: Fred MacMurray, Claire Trevor, Raymond Burr
BW-88 mins, CC,

First production of Borderline Pictures, Inc., formed by producer Milton Bren, director-producer William Seiter and actor Fred MacMurray. MacMurray, Bren, Claire Trevor and Seiter deferred their salaries to produce the film.


11:15 AM -- Crooner (1932)
A saxophone player rises to fame as a singing star.
Dir: Lloyd Bacon
Cast: David Manners, Ann Dvorak, Ken Murray
BW-67 mins,

Story by Rian James, who also wrote the screenplay for 42nd Street the same year.


12:30 PM -- The Famous Ferguson Case (1932)
Two reporters interested in different stories write about a murder.
Dir: Lloyd Bacon
Cast: Joan Blondell, Grant Mitchell, Vivienne Osborne
BW-74 mins,

Based on a story by Courtney Terrett.


1:48 PM -- Goofy Movies Number Eight (1934)
In this short film, Pete Smith provides comedic narration over several silent films.
BW-9 mins,


2:00 PM -- Little Big Shot (1935)
Small-time hoods turn nursemaid when a gangster's daughter is orphaned.
Dir: Michael Curtiz
Cast: Sybil Jason, Glenda Farrell, Robert Armstrong
BW-72 mins,

Sybil Jason stated in her autobiography that director Michael Curtiz filmed some scenes at a real Hollywood orphanage, and (in the interest of realism) cast real orphans as extras. Among them, Jason remembered, was a young Marilyn Monroe, long before her first "recognized" role. This has not yet been confirmed by film historians and Monroe biographers.


3:15 PM -- Special Agent (1935)
A government agent poses as a newspaperman to get the goods on a mobster.
Dir: William Keighley
Cast: Bette Davis, George Brent, Ricardo Cortez
BW-76 mins,

The Hays office objected to a bit of dialogue by character Nick Carston so rather than reshoot the scene, the sound was eliminated.


4:45 PM -- Exclusive Story (1936)
A newspaper's attorney tries to get the goods on the numbers racket.
Dir: George B. Seitz
Cast: Franchot Tone, Madge Evans, Stuart Erwin
BW-74 mins, CC,

Some of the ocean liner scenes may be stock footage from the Morro Castle disaster.


6:06 PM -- Quaint Quebec (1936)
This short film explores the history, culture, and customs of Quebec.
Dir: Benjamin D. Sharpe
C-8 mins,


6:15 PM -- We Who Are About to Die (1936)
A San Quentin inmate's death row conviction is reversed.
Dir: Christy Cabanne
Cast: Preston Foster, Ann Dvorak, John Beal
BW-81 mins, CC,

Working title -- Condemned Row.


7:49 PM -- Bar-Rac's Night Out (1937)
In this short film, a raccoon spends the night looking for food for his family.
Dir: Earl Frank
BW-10 mins,



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: TCM SPOTLIGHT: WILLIAM CAMERON MENZIES



8:00 PM -- Foreign Correspondent (1940)
An American reporter covering the war in Europe gets mixed up in the assassination of a Dutch diplomat.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Cast: Joel McCrea, Laraine Day, Herbert Marshall
BW-120 mins, CC,

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Albert Bassermann, Best Writing, Original Screenplay -- Charles Bennett and Joan Harrison, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -- Rudolph Maté, Best Art Direction, Black-and-White -- Alexander Golitzen, Best Effects, Special Effects -- Paul Eagler (photographic) and Thomas T. Moulton (sound), and Best Picture

Shooting was completed on May 29, 1940, after which Alfred Hitchcock made a visit to England. He returned on July 3 with the word that the Germans were expected to start bombing at any time. Ben Hecht was hurriedly called in and wrote the tacked-on final scene set at a London radio station. It was filmed on July 5, and the real-life bombing started on July 10, 1940.


10:15 PM -- The Pride Of The Yankees (1942)
Baseball legend Lou Gehrig faces a crippling disease at the height of his success.
Dir: Sam Wood
Cast: Gary Cooper, Teresa Wright, Babe Ruth
BW-129 mins, CC,

Won an Oscar for Best Film Editing -- Daniel Mandell

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Gary Cooper, Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Teresa Wright, Best Writing, Original Story -- Paul Gallico, Best Writing, Screenplay -- Herman J. Mankiewicz and Jo Swerling, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -- Rudolph Maté, Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Black-and-White -- Perry Ferguson and Howard Bristol, Best Sound, Recording -- Thomas T. Moulton (Samuel Goldwyn SSD), Best Effects, Special Effects -- Jack Cosgrove (photographic), Ray Binger (photographic) and Thomas T. Moulton (sound), Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture -- Leigh Harline, and Best Picture

While filming the movie, Teresa Wright - who played Gehrig's wife Eleanor Gehrig - wore the actual bracelet that Lou gave to Eleanor on their fourth anniversary. Eleanor brought the bracelet to the set to be used in the movie. The bracelet is made up of 17 metal medallions that celebrate the seven World Championships and six All-Star game appearances that Gehrig made. The bracelet is now displayed in the Baseball Hall of Fame.


12:30 AM -- For Whom The Bell Tolls (1943)
A U.S. mercenary and an army of peasants fight for Spain.
Dir: Sam Wood
Cast: Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman, Akim Tamiroff
BW-156 mins, CC,

Won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Katina Paxinou

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Gary Cooper, Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Ingrid Bergman, Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Akim Tamiroff, Best Cinematography, Color -- Ray Rennahan, Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Color -- Hans Dreier, Haldane Douglas and Bertram C. Granger, Best Film Editing -- Sherman Todd and John F. Link Sr., Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture -- Victor Young, and Best Picture

This film saved the famous love song "As Time Goes By" from being removed from Casablanca (1942). Ingrid Bergman began filming this movie immediately after completing "Casablanca". For this role, her hair was cut short. Meanwhile, for "Casablanca", Warner Brothers wanted to substitute another song for "As Time Goes By" and re-shoot some scenes with Bergman. However, since her hair had been cut, there would be a problem with continuity (even if Bergman wore a wig), so the idea was dropped.


3:15 AM -- Address Unknown (1944)
A German-born art dealer finds himself falling for Nazi propaganda.
Dir: William Cameron Menzies
Cast: Paul Lukas, Carl Esmond, Peter Van Eyck
BW-72 mins,

Nominated for Oscars for Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Black-and-White -- Lionel Banks, Walter Holscher and Joseph Kish, annd Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture -- Morris Stoloff and Ernst Toch

This movie was made from a tiny, now classic 1938 book by Kressmann Taylor (her full name was Kathrine Kressmann Taylor) that was written in the form of letters only between the two lead characters.


4:45 AM -- Kings Row (1941)
Small town scandals inspire an idealistic young man to take up psychiatry.
Dir: Sam Wood
Cast: Ann Sheridan, Robert Cummings, Ronald Reagan
BW-127 mins, CC,

Nominated for Oscars for Best Director -- Sam Wood, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -- James Wong Howe, and Best Picture

Ronald Reagan was unable to capitalize on the success the film brought him as he was immediately called into service in the US Army. He initially rejected active duty claiming weak eyes. He was transferred to the Air Corps and put in charge of making training films at the former Hal Roach Studio (AKA Fort Wacky).