TCM Schedule for Friday, June 2, 2017 -- What's on Tonight: Treasures from the Disney Vault

[Staph]

Tonight TCM is featuring a selection of Disney films and shorts, including a couple full-length films starring one of Uncle Walt's favorite stars, Hayley Mills, and a bunch of horse-related films. Enjoy!


6:30 AM -- Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)
In this silent film, a rebellious Israelite prince out for vengeance crosses paths with the Messiah.
Dir: Fred Niblo
Cast: Ramon Novarro, Francis X. Bushman, May McAvoy
BW-143 mins

Ramon Novarro's weekly salary of $10,000 was 80 times more than what he earned while filming The Prisoner of Zenda (1922) - $125 per week - just three years previously.


9:00 AM -- Storm at Daybreak (1933)
Fictionalized account of the events leading up to Archduke Ferdinand's assassination and the start of World War I.
Dir: Richard Boleslavsky
Cast: Kay Francis, Nils Asther, Walter Huston
BW-79 mins

Based on the play by Sándor Hunyady.


10:30 AM -- Hitler's Madman (1943)
The Nazis take revenge on a Czech village after one of their most sadistic commanders is assassinated there.
Dir: Douglas Sirk
Cast: Patricia Morison, John Carradine, Alan Curtis
BW-84 mins, CC

Although this film was originally filmed by poverty-row studio Producers Releasing Corp. (PRC), the word got out in Hollywood that the picture was far and away the best thing PRC had ever done; eventually MGM executives got a look at it, were suitably impressed, bought it from PRC and it was released as an MGM picture.


12:00 PM -- Rasputin: The Mad Monk (1966)
A Russian monk claiming healing powers insinuates himself into Russia's royal family.
Dir: Dan Sharp
Cast: Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley, Richard Pasco
C-92 mins, CC

As a young boy, Christopher Lee actually met the assassins of Rasputin (Prince Yusupoff and Dmitri Pavlovich) before playing Rasputin in the film. He also met Rasputin's daughter, Maria in 1976. She told the actor that Lee had her father's "expression."


1:45 PM -- Berlin Express (1948)
Allied agents fight an underground Nazi group in post-war Europe.
Dir: Jacques Tourneur
Cast: Merle Oberon, Robert Ryan, Charles Korvin
BW-87 mins, CC

The first Hollywood production in Germany after World War II.


3:30 PM -- The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)
A British family gets mixed up with spies and an assassination plot while vacationing in Switzerland.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Cast: Leslie Banks, Edna Best, Nova Pilbeam
BW-76 mins, CC

When Peter Lorre arrived in Great Britain, his first meeting with a British director was with Alfred Hitchcock. By smiling and laughing as Hitchcock talked, the director was unaware that Lorre, a Hungarian, had a limited command of the English language. Hitchcock subsequently decided to cast Lorre in this film, and the young actor learned much of his part phonetically. This was obviously Lorre's first English language film.


5:00 PM -- The King's Thief (1955)
A highwayman uncovers a plot to assassinate King Charles II.
Dir: Robert Z. Leonard
Cast: Ann Blyth, Edmund Purdom, David Niven
C-79 mins, Letterbox, CC

Features two actors who later played James Bond: David Niven and Roger Moore. Also featured two actors who shared the role of The Saint (Simon Templar): George Sanders (film), Sir Roger Moore (television).


6:30 PM -- The Tall Target (1951)
A detective tries to prevent the assassination of President Lincoln during a train ride.
Dir: Anthony Mann
Cast: Dick Powell, Paula Raymond, Adolphe Menjou
BW-78 mins, CC

The names of all the stations mentioned in the film on the line as the train travels south out of New York would be familiar to a traveler on the modern Northeast Corridor as they are still used by Amtrak, except for Darby Junction which is a now a station on the Southeast Pennsylvania Transportation Authority's Wilmington/Newark regional rail line. Their placement in the film is geographically accurate - Darby Junction would have been the first place the train could have stopped south of Philadelphia.



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: TREASURES FROM THE DISNEY VAULT



8:00 PM -- Summer Magic (1963)
A small-town postman helps a Boston widow and her family adjust to country life.
Dir: James Neilson
Cast: Hayley Mills, Burl Ives, Dorothy McGuire
C-109 mins, CC

Originally planned as a vehicle for Annette Funicello.


10:00 PM -- Pollyanna (1960)
An orphan's relentless optimism changes lives in a sleepy small town.
Dir: David Swift
Cast: Hayley Mills, Jane Wyman, Richard Egan
C-134 mins

According to director David Swift, after looking at 362 girls for the part of Pollyanna, they still did not have anyone to play the part. One day, Walt Disney's wife Lilly went shopping with Disney studio head Bill Anderson's wife while they were in London on business. The two ladies saw Hayley Mills in Tiger Bay (1959) and thought she was perfect for the role of Pollyanna. The two men didn't listen to them, but they were so persistent that the men finally agreed to watch the movie and immediately decided to cast Hayley.


12:30 AM -- Mickey's Polo Team (1936)
Mickey Mouse and his friends battle Hollywood stars in a polo match.
Dir: David Hand (uncredited)
Cast: Walt Disney, Clarence Nash, Ned Norton
C-9 mins

Originally, Will Rogers was to be one of the polo players, but died in a plane accident before principal photography began.


12:45 AM -- The Horse with the Flying Tail (1960)
A palomino goes through various owners before competing at the Pan American games.
Dir: Larry Lansburgh
Cast: Nautical, George Fenneman, Dorian Williams
C-89 m

Won an Oscar for Best Documentary, Features -- Larry Lansburgh


1:45 AM -- The Tattooed Police Horse (1964)
A horse trained for trotting races, insists on galloping.
Cast: Sandy Sanders, Charles Seel, George Swinebroad
C-47 mins

This featurette was released with Emil and the Detectives (1964).


2:45 AM -- Hacksaw (1971)
A young girl sets out to tame a wild horse.
Dir: Larry Lansburgh
Cast: Tab Hunter, Victor Millan, Ray Teal
C-89 mins


4:30 AM -- The Horse Without a Head (1963)
Thieves hide stolen loot in a children's toy.
Dir: Don Chaffey
Cast: Jean-Pierre Aumont, Herbert Lom, Leo McKern
C-47 mins

Based on a novel by Paul Berna.