TCM Schedule for Thursday, July 7, 2016 -- What's On Tonight - TCM Spotlight: America in the 70s

[Staph]

In the morning, TCM has a trio of films starring Yul Brynner, and in the afternoon, a celebration of director George Cukor (he was born on July 7, 1899, in New York City). In prime time, TCM is shining the spotlight on America in the 1970s for the month, with five intelligent films made in that turbulent decade. Enjoy!



6:30 AM -- THE JOURNEY (1959)
A Communist officer falls hard for a married woman trying to escape from Hungary.
Dir: Anatole Litvak
Cast: Deborah Kerr, Yul Brynner, Jason Robards Jr.
C-126 mins, CC,

During filming, Yul Brynner's hand was cut by a former crazed lover who traveled across Europe to find him. There are scenes where Brynner's bandaged hand is not shown on screen and there scenes where he is holding a prop to camouflage the hand.


8:45 AM -- THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV (1958)
In this adaptation of the Dostoevsky classic, four brothers fight to adjust to the death of their domineering father.
Dir: Richard Brooks
Cast: Yul Brynner, Maria Schell, Claire Bloom
C-146 mins, CC,

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Lee J. Cobb

Debuts of William Shatner and Albert Salmi.


11:15 AM -- TRIPLE CROSS (1966)
A safecracker turns double agent during WWII.
Dir: Terence Young
Cast: Christopher Plummer, Romy Schneider, Trevor Howard
C-126 mins, CC,

During the fake interrogation of Eddie Chapman in London, he is asked what film he saw in the movie theater. He answers; "Warsaw Concerto" with Anton Walbrook and Sally Gray." This could be an inside joke and reference to the film Suicide Squadron (1941) with participation of the mentioned actors and written by this film's director Terence Young.


1:30 PM -- DAVID COPPERFIELD (1935)
Charles Dickens' classic tale of an orphaned boy's fight for happiness and the colorful characters who help and hinder him.
Dir: George Cukor
Cast: W. C. Fields, Lionel Barrymore, Maureen O'Sullivan
BW-130 mins, CC,

Nominated for Oscars for Best Film Editing -- Robert Kern, Best Assistant Director -- Joseph M. Newman, and Best Picture

According to film historians, W.C. Fields performed in only one film exactly according to script and as directed. That one was MGM's David Copperfield (1935) in which he co-starred with Freddie Bartholomew, who was only ten years old. Fields admired the Charles Dickens book and wanted desperately to play Mr. Micawber in the movie, so he agreed to forgo his usual ad-libs and put aside his distaste at working with child actors.


3:45 PM -- THE WOMEN (1939)
A happily married woman lets her catty friends talk her into divorce when her husband strays.
Dir: George Cukor
Cast: Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell
BW-133 mins, CC,

George Cukor told Rosalind Russell to play the part of Sylvia very broad. "Because in this picture Sylvia's breaking up a family, and there's a child involved, and if you're a heavy," Cukor told her, "audiences will hate you. Don't play it like a heavy, just be ridiculous." Of this advice Russell said, "He was a hundred-percent right. I was frightened to death, but from then on, I did what he said, and everything that came to me from 'The Women'--namely, my reputation as a comedienne--I owe to George . . . He was marvelous to work for, he could think of a hundred bits of business for every moment."


6:00 PM -- PAT AND MIKE (1952)
Romance blooms between a female athlete and her manager.
Dir: George Cukor
Cast: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Aldo Ray
BW-95 mins, CC,

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay -- Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin

The writers, Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon, were close friends of Hepburn and Tracy, and wrote the film to showcase Hepburn's athletic abilities.


7:51 PM -- THE CAPITAL CITY WASHINGTON, D.C. (1940)
This short film focuses on Washington, D.C.'s famous buildings and monuments.
C-9 mins,



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: TCM SPECIAL THEME: AMERICA IN THE 70'S



8:00 PM -- ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN (1976)
Two Washington Post reporters investigate the Watergate break-in that ended Nixon's presidency.
Dir: Alan J. Pakula
Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, Jason Robards Jr.
C-138 mins, CC,

Won Oscars for Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Jason Robards, Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium -- William Goldman, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration -- George Jenkins and George Gaines, and Best Sound -- Arthur Piantadosi, Les Fresholtz, Rick Alexander (as Dick Alexander) and James E. Webb

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Jane Alexander, Best Director -- Alan J. Pakula, Best Film Editing -- Robert L. Wolfe, and Best Picture

Robert Redford felt that by casting him as Bob Woodward he was unnecessarily unbalancing the film. The obvious answer was to cast a star of equal weight. For that reason, he approached Dustin Hoffman at a Knicks game and offered him the role of Carl Bernstein.


10:30 PM -- THE CANDIDATE (1972)
A senate candidate's ideals weaken as his position in the polls gets stronger.
Dir: Michael Ritchie
Cast: Robert Redford, Peter Boyle, Melvyn Douglas
C-110 mins, CC,

Won an Oscar for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay Based on Factual Material or Material Not Previously Published or Produced -- Jeremy Larner

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Sound -- Richard Portman and Gene S. Cantamessa

The Candidate was released a month prior to the 1972 California Presidential primary. Promotional sheets were put up in southern California resembling political posters. They had simply a photo of Robert Redford, with the slogan, "McKay: The Better Way!" - "McKay" got write-in votes in the June election.


12:30 AM -- NETWORK (1976)
Television programmers turn a deranged news anchor into 'the mad prophet of the airwaves.'
Dir: Sidney Lumet
Cast: Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Peter Finch
BW-121 mins, CC,

Won Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Peter Finch (Nomination and award were posthumous. Finch became the first posthumous winner in an acting category. His widow Eletha Finch and screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky accepted the award on his behalf.), Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Faye Dunaway, Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Beatrice Straight, and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen -- Paddy Chayefsky

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- William Holden, Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Ned Beatty, Best Director -- Sidney Lumet, Best Cinematography -- Owen Roizman, Best Film Editing -- Alan Heim, and Best Picture ('Network' becomes the second film to win three awards for acting, following A Streetcar Named Desire (1951).)

In 2005, in preparation for what would eventually be a scrapped project for a live television adaptation of this film, George Clooney screened the film for a group of teens and young adults in order to determine their reactions to it. He found, much to his surprise, that none of the young people recognized the film as satire. "I couldn't understand it," Clooney told the Associated Press. Then he "realized that everything Paddy Chayefsky wrote about had happened."


2:45 AM -- THE CONVERSATION (1974)
A surveillance expert uncovers a murder plot within a corrupt corporation.
Dir: Francis Ford Coppola
Cast: Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield
C-114 mins, CC,

Nominated for Oscars for Best Writing, Original Screenplay -- Francis Ford Coppola, Best Sound -- Walter Murch, and Art Rochester, and Best Picture

Harrison Ford's part was initially intended to be a small cameo, written as little more than an office assistant. Feeling that the character was one-dimensional, Ford decided to play him as gay, a risky choice in 1974, and personally purchased the loud green silk suit for $900 ($4,284.99 in 2015 dollars). Coppola was at first shocked by the outfit at rehearsals but, after discussing it with Ford, was so impressed with this interpretation that he expanded the role into a supporting character, gave the character a name (Martin Stett) and had production designer Dean Tavoularis create an office that reflected the character's orientation.


4:45 AM -- KLUTE (1971)
A small-town detective searches for a missing man linked to a high-priced prostitute.
Dir: Alan J. Pakula
Cast: Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, Charles Cioffi
C-114 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Jane Fonda

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay Based on Factual Material or Material Not Previously Published or Produced -- Andy Lewis and David E. Lewis

According to her autobiography, Jane Fonda hung out with call girls and pimps for a week before beginning this film in order to prepare for her role. When none of the pimps offered to "represent" her, she became convinced she wasn't desirable enough to play a prostitute and urged the director to replace her with friend Faye Dunaway.

[longship]

1. Wow! Five great films in the evening.