TCM Schedule for Thursday, June 16, 2016 -- What's On Tonight - TCM Spotlight: Stage to Screen

[Staph]

In the daylight hours, TCM is showing the Mexican Spitfire films, starring Lupe Velez. Such a sad life -- she was married for five years to Johnny Weissmuller, and had a series of failed romances. When her career waned, she got pregnant by an actor, Harald Maresch, who refused to marry her. She didn't want to give birth to an illegitimate child, so she killed herself with an overdose of Seconal. And in prime time on Wednesdays and Thursdays this month, TCM is showing films that began on the stage. Tonight's selection includes a selection of musicals from the 1960s. Enjoy!



7:27 AM -- Believe It Or Not #14 (1931)
In this short film, Robert L. Ripley gets arrested and brought to court to testify that what he says is actually true. Vitaphone Release 1038.
BW-9 mins,


7:45 AM -- The Philadelphia Story (1940)
Tabloid reporters crash a society marriage.
Dir: George Cukor
Cast: Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, James Stewart
BW-112 mins, CC,

Won Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- James Stewart, and Best Writing, Screenplay -- Donald Ogden Stewart

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Katharine Hepburn, Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Ruth Hussey, Best Director -- George Cukor, and Best Picture

Playwright Philip Barry based the character of Tracy on Helen Hope Montgomery Scott, a Main Line Philadelphia socialite famous for throwing lavish parties at her family's 800-acre estate in Radnor, PA. The studio reportedly intended to shoot the film at Ardrossan (the name of the family's estate), but decided against it after seeing the size and scale of the main house and the expansiveness of the estate. The producers reportedly thought that no one would believe that anyone could actually live like that, particularly in America in the 1940s.


9:45 AM -- The Girl From Mexico (1939)
An ad man tours Mexico trying to cast a new radio show.
Dir: Leslie Goodwins
Cast: Lupe Velez, Donald Woods, Leon Errol
BW-71 mins,

RKO wasn't planning a series while this film was being made, but the series developed after it was such a big hit.


11:00 AM -- Mexican Spitfire (1940)
A businessman's aunt enlists his ex-wife to break up his marriage to a temperamental Latina.
Dir: Leslie Goodwins
Cast: Lupe Velez, Leon Errol, Donald Woods
BW-68 mins, CC,

Donald Woods plays Dennis Lindsay, the Spitfire's husband, in the first three films in the series. In the next three, Lindsay is played by Charles 'Buddy' Rogers.


12:15 PM -- Mexican Spitfire Out West (1940)
To punish her inattentive husband Latin bombshell pretends to want a divorce
Dir: Leslie Goodwins
Cast: Lupe Velez, Leon Errol, Donald Woods
BW-76 mins,

The only other continuing character that is always played by the same actor (aside from Lupe Velez as the Spitfire herself) is Leon Errol as Uncle Matt Lindsay, the Spitfire's uncle by marriage.


1:45 PM -- Mexican Spitfire's Baby (1941)
An advertising executive and his temperamental life adopt a war orphan who turns out to be a beautiful woman.
Dir: Leslie Goodwins
Cast: Lupe Velez, Leon Errol, Charles "Buddy" Rogers
BW-70 mins,

A 'blue plate special' is a colloquialism referring the practice of diners and restaurants offering a low-priced meal as a daily special, usually presented on a divided plate (usually blue in colour). The meal was usually some sort of meat and three vegetables.


3:00 PM -- Mexican Spitfire at Sea (1942)
An advertising executive and his temperamental wife sail to Hawaii in search of business.
Dir: Leslie Goodwins
Cast: Lupe Velez, Leon Errol, Charles "Buddy" Rogers
BW-73 mins,

According to various sources, Velez's divorce proceedings with Weissmuller were unpleasant. She claimed Weissmuller treated her with cruelty, physical violence, and mental cruelty. Their divorce netted Velez $200/week for 156 weeks, except when she was employed. She also got their Beverly Hills home (Weissmuller got the schooner and speedboat). (from The RKO Girls, by Robert Parish)


4:15 PM -- Mexican Spitfire Sees a Ghost (1942)
An advertising executive and his temperamental wife investigate a haunted house.
Dir: Leslie Goodwins
Cast: Lupe Velez, Leon Errol, Charles "Buddy" Rogers
BW-70 mins,

Notorious as the main feature on the double bill which also featured the original release of the Orson Welles classic The Magnificent Ambersons (1942). "Ambersons" was therefore relegated to "second feature" status, something usually reserved for B pictures.


5:30 PM -- Mexican Spitfire's Elephant (1942)
A temperamental Latina and her family get caught in the search for a rare art treasure.
Dir: Leslie Goodwins
Cast: Lupe Velez, Leon Errol, Walter Reed
BW-64 mins,

In this and the final film, the character of Dennis Lindsay is played by Walter Reed. No, not that Walter Reed. This one was born Walter Reed Smith.


6:45 PM -- Mexican Spitfire's Blessed Event (1943)
A husband mistakenly believes his hot Latin wife is pregnant.
Dir: Leslie Goodwins
Cast: Lupe Velez, Leon Errol, Walter Reed
BW-63 mins,

The last of the Mexican Spitfire films, and Lupe Velez' last American film. She made one more film, Naná (1944), in Mexicao, before her suicide.



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: TCM SPOTLIGHT: STAGE TO SCREEN



8:00 PM -- Gypsy (1962)
A domineering mother pushes her two daughters to burlesque stardom.
Dir: Mervyn LeRoy
Cast: Rosalind Russell, Natalie Wood, Karl Malden
C-143 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Nominated for Oscars for Best Cinematography, Color -- Harry Stradling Sr., Best Costume Design, Color -- Orry-Kelly, and Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment -- Frank Perkins

Before the decision was made to dub most of her vocals, Rosalind Russell attempted to do her own singing. The highly unsatisfactory results can be heard as an extra feature on the soundtrack CD. After Ethel Merman's death, a tape of the Russell recordings was found in a box in Merman's closet. Merman, who was infuriated that she had not been cast in the film, evidently had retained this copy of the Russell vocals as a strange and somewhat vengeful consolation prize.


10:30 PM -- Funny Girl (1968)
Comedienne Fanny Brice fights to prove that she can be the greatest star and find romance even though she isn't pretty.
Dir: William Wyler
Cast: Barbra Streisand, Omar Sharif, Kay Medford
C-155 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Barbra Streisand (Tied with Katharine Hepburn for The Lion in Winter (1968).)

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Kay Medford, Best Cinematography -- Harry Stradling Sr., Best Sound, Best Film Editing -- Robert Swink, Maury Winetrobe and William Sands, Best Music, Original Song -- Jule Styne (music) and Bob Merrill (lyrics) for the song "Funny Girl", Best Music, Score of a Musical Picture (Original or Adaptation) -- Walter Scharf, and Best Picture

A publicity photo of Omar Sharif and Barbra Streisand kissing was released to the newspapers. With the emotions of the Six Day War still running high, the Egyptian press began a campaign to get Sharif's citizenship revoked over the kiss. The Egyptian headline read: "Omar Kisses Barbra, Egypt Angry." When asked to respond to the controversy, Streisand tried to make light of it. "Egypt angry!" she said. "You should hear what my Aunt Sarah said!"


1:15 AM -- A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (1966)
Madcap musical set in ancient Rome, where a clever slave connives to win his freedom.
Dir: Richard Lester Cast: Zero Mostel, Phil Silvers, Buster Keaton
C-97 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Won an Oscar for Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment -- Ken Thorne (Don Black accepting the award. )

Zero Mostel and Jack Gilford reprised their roles from the original Broadway production. Phil Silvers had been offered the role of Pseudolus on Broadway, but turned it down because he couldn't wear his glasses, and feared an onstage accident. Silvers went on to play Pseudolus in a 1972 revival.


3:00 AM -- Camelot (1967)
The romance between Guinevere and Lancelot destroys King Arthur's dream kingdom.
Dir: Joshua Logan
Cast: Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave, Franco Nero
C-180 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Won Oscars for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration -- John Truscott, Edward Carrere and John Brown, Best Costume Design -- John Truscott, and Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment -- Alfred Newman and Ken Darby

Nominated for Oscars for Best Cinematography -- Richard H. Kline, and Best Sound

Julie Andrews was asked to reprise her stage role of Guenevere, but had become such a popular film star by this time that she was unable to accept the role. Ironically, Jack L. Warner, who produced the movie version of Camelot (1967), was the same man who produced the film version of My Fair Lady (1964), and who had given the role of Eliza Dolittle to Audrey Hepburn because he thought that Julie Andrews would not be a big enough box-office name. Warner apologized to Andrews on his troubles about the My Fair Lady casting and the two became in good standing with each other from that moment forward. Andrews, ultimately, did not get to reprise her role, because the film's director Joshua Logan wanted Vanessa Redgrave for the role, instead.

[longship]

1. I love "A Funny Thing..."

The horse sweat scene is hilarious.

Camelot is utter rubbish. Watch Excalibur instead. It has both Patrick Stewart and Helen Mirren.

[Staph]

2. I absolutely agree!

I can't believe that Camelot won more Oscars than the three movies shown earlier this evening. And for Costume Design!?!

And Excalibur also has Liam Neeson and Gabriel Byrne in small roles.

[longship]

3. You and the land are one!

It is a great flick. And yes, Nicol Williamson thoroughly chews the scenery.

Nevertheless, Excalibur is a great flick.