TCM Schedule for Saturday, January 7, 2023 - Wendy Hiller Tribute

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Last edited Mon Jan 2, 2023, 03:54 PM - Edit history (1)

On tonight's Noir Alley:



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(Friday) 11:45 PM Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (1939)
A teen-aged sleuth helps two old ladies deal with the "haunting" of their mansion.
Dir: William Clemens Cast: Bonita Granville, Frankie Thomas, John Litel
Runtime: 60 mins Genre: Suspense/Mystery Rating: TV-G CC: Y

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Trivia: To promote this film, Warner Bros. created a Nancy Drew fan club for teenage girls.

Trivia: Fourth and last film in the "Nancy Drew" series, which was released by Warner Bros. from 1938 to 1939. Also, it was the final film star Bonita Granville did at Warner Bros. before she signed with MGM. In her adult life, she was married to oil millionaire Jack Wrather, who produced a few of her later young adult films, including The Guilty (1947), Strike It Rich (1948), Guilty of Treason (1950) and The Lone Ranger (1956). They also went on to produce the "Lassie" (1954) TV series.

1:00 AM Before Dawn (1933)
Detectives compete to solve the murders at a mysterious mansion.
Dir: Irving Pichel Cast: Stuart Erwin, Dorothy Wilson, Warner Oland
Runtime: 60 mins Genre: Suspense/Mystery Rating: TV-G CC: Y

2:15 AM Hackers (1995)
Zero Cool (real name Dade Murphy) is a legend among his peers. In 1988, he single-handedly crashed 1,507 computers on Wall Street, creating worldwide financial chaos. Eleven years old, Dade Murphy had a record with the F.B.I.--forbidden to finger the keys of so much as a touchtone phone until his 18
Dir: Iain Softley Cast: Kristin Moreu, Richard Purro, Ethan Browne
Runtime: 105 mins Genre: Sci-Fi Rating: TV-MA CC: N

Trivia: The "Hacker Manifesto" read by Agent Bob was actually written by a well-known hacker from the 1980s named Loyd Blankenship, who went by the name of The Mentor. It was published in PHRACK magazine, issue 07, file 03 in 1986.

Trivia: The film's writer, director, and some cast members attended the New York City 2600 meeting, a monthly hangout of the local hacker community, to observe and talk with real-life hackers.



4:15 AM S.F.W. (1994)
For thirty-six days, three teenagers are held hostage in their local convenience store. Four terrorists, armed with a video camera, force the TV networks to air their powerful and disturbing footage under threat of death to the hostages. After their eventual release following a terrifying showdown,
Dir: Jefery Levy Cast: Natasha Gregson Wagner, Amber Benson, Lisa Dinkins
Runtime: 92 mins Genre: Adaptation Rating: TV-MA CC: N

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Trivia: The song that Stephen Dorff and Reese Witherspoon sing in duet is the theme song to the television program "Growing Pains" (1985).

Trivia: Director Jefery Levy wanted to include material from Nirvana, particularly the song "All Apologies," on the soundtrack. Though the music was never obtained, Levy said an early cut of this movie was screened for singer Kurt Cobain, who "responded" to the film. Later, following Cobain's death, Levy said that he found the parallels between this movie and Cobain's life to be quite eerie.

6:00 AM The Glass Bottom Boat (1966)
A PR worker in a space laboratory is suspected of being a spy because she calls her dog on the phone and calls him "Vladimir."
Dir: Frank Tashlin Cast: Doris Day, Rod Taylor, Arthur Godfrey
Runtime: 110 mins Genre: Comedy Rating: TV-G CC: Y

Trivia: Final film of Alice Pearce, who played Gladys Kravitz on "Bewitched" in 27 episodes from 1964-66. She passed away from ovarian cancer on March 3, 1966 at the age of 48 three months before this film had its premiere.

Trivia: Robert Vaughn briefly appears in his trademark role of Napoleon Solo from the TV show "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." (1964) at the party and there's a snatch of that show's theme music on the soundtrack. The same music is heard when Homer Cripps goes undercover in drag.

Trivia: The song "Soft As The Starlight" was co-written by Curly Howard of The Three Stooges fame along with Joe Lubin.

Trivia: This was one of Dom DeLuise's first major roles. His best known credit prior to this film was for "The Munsters: Just Another Pretty Face" (1966).



8:00 AM Short: Ventriloquist Cat (1950)
A sneaky alley cat uses a ventriloquist device to trick an angry bulldog into believing he is in many different places.
Dir: Tex Avery (fred) Cast: Red Coffey, William H. Thompson
Runtime: 0 mins Genre: Short Rating: TV-Y7 CC: Y


8:08 AM Short: How to Vote (1936)
An assistant is called upon to give a speech on his candidate's behalf much to the chagrin of the audience.
Dir: Felix E. Feist Cast: Robert Benchley, Frank Sheridan, Jules Cowles
Runtime: 0 mins Genre: Short Rating: TV-G CC: N


8:19 AM Short: Rocky Mountain Grandeur (1937)
The magnificent scenery of the Rocky Mountains is the star of this.
Dir: James H Smith Cast: James A. Fitzpatrick, James A. Fitzpatrick, Winton Hoch
Runtime: 0 mins Genre: Short Rating: TV-G CC: N


8:28 AM The Star Packer (1934)
Loner U.S. Marshal John Travers foils the hold-up of a stagecoach, rescuing young woman Anita Matlock from the clutches of the crooks and helping her back to town. But there, the sheriff is gunned down by bandits, so Travers starts investigating and connects the murder to a gang, led by an unidentified bandit known as the ...
Dir: R. N. Bradbury Cast: John Wayne, Verna Hillie, George Hayes
Runtime: 60 mins Genre: Western Rating: TV-G CC: N


9:30 AM Short: Batman (serial): Chapter 3, The Mark of the Zombies (1943)
Batman races to stop enemy agents from destroying a supply train.
Dir: Lambert Hillyer. Cast: null
Runtime: 17 mins Genre: Suspense/Mystery Rating: TV-G CC: N


10:00 AM Cartoon: Gift of Gag (1955) (TCM Premiere)
Popeye has a hectic time when his rambunctious nephews decide to give their uncle a birthday gift.
Dir: null Cast: Jack Mercer
Runtime: 0 mins Genre: Animation Rating: TV-PG CC:



10:08 AM The Falcon's Brother (1942)
A gentlemanly detective calls on his brother to help him stop the Nazis from assassinating a key diplomat.
Dir: Stanley Logan Cast: George Sanders, Tom Conway, Jane Randolph
Runtime: 63 mins Genre: Suspense/Mystery Rating: TV-G CC: Y


11:30 AM Short: A Thrill for Thelma (1935)
A young girl wanting a life of luxury takes the easy way and winds up in jail.
Dir: Edward L. Cahn Cast: Robert Livingston, Robert Warwick, Poppy Wilde
Runtime: 18 mins Genre: Short Rating: TV-G CC: N



12:00 PM There's No Business Like Show Business (1954)
A blonde beauty upsets a show business family.
Dir: Walter Lang Cast: Ethel Merman, Donald O'Connor, Marilyn Monroe
Runtime: 117 mins Genre: Musical Rating: TV-G CC: N

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Trivia: Top-billed Ethel Merman was concerned that audiences might focus on Marilyn Monroe's stunning figure rather than Merman's vocals in the film's finale. She specifically requested that costume designer Travilla design a gown that would allow Ethel to compete with Marilyn. The result was a white satin dress with "wings" atop its bodice, that gave the illusion that Merman was at least as "busty" as Monroe.

Trivia: Marilyn Monroe was promised the lead role in The Seven Year Itch (1955) if she appeared in this film to boost its box-office potential. The role of Vicky was written especially for this purpose, and songs such as "Heat Wave," originally intended for Ethel Merman, were reassigned to her.

Trivia: On the Decca soundtrack album, Marilyn Monroe's voice was replaced by singer Dolores Gray because Monroe was under contract to RCA Victor, which would not release the rights for use on the album. Monroe's four vocals, including the outtake "You'd Be Surprised," were released by RCA on a 45rpm Extended Play issue.

2:15 PM The Westerner (1940)
A drifter accused of horse stealing faces off against the notorious Judge Roy Bean.
Dir: William Wyler Cast: Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, Fred Stone
Runtime: 100 mins Genre: Western Rating: TV-PG CC: Y


4:15 PM Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951)
The famed 19th century hero defeats enemy fleets and courts an admiral's widow.
Dir: Raoul Walsh Cast: Gregory Peck, Virginia Mayo, Robert Beatty
Runtime: 117 mins Genre: Adventure Rating: TV-G CC: Y



Trivia: The rights to the novel were originally acquired by Warner Brothers with Errol Flynn in mind, but after the financial failure of Adventures of Don Juan (1948), and growing difficulties with the actor, he was not cast. Warner Brothers was already building up Burt Lancaster as its new swashbuckler, but the role of a British sea captain seemed out of his range, so Gregory Peck was ultimately cast. This was despite the fact Lancaster was of English descent, whereas Peck was of Irish ancestry.

6:30 PM Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)
A one-armed veteran uncovers small-town secrets when he tries to visit an Asian-American war hero's family.
Dir: John Sturges Cast: Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Anne Francis
Runtime: 81 mins Genre: Suspense/Mystery Rating: TV-PG CC: Y

Trivia: Just before shooting began, an indecisive Spencer Tracy tried to back out of the picture, weighed down by his growing alcoholism, and didn't want to commit to doing the film. In order to close the deal, an MGM executive contacted Tracy shortly before filming was to begin and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Tracy, a copy of the script has been sent to Alan Ladd and he has agreed to do the picture." The next day, Tracy committed to the film. Ladd, however, apparently never even saw the script.

Trivia: The projectionist's records have revealed that over the years this has become one of the most frequently shown films in The White House's screening room.

8:00 PM Pygmalion (1938)
A linguistics professor bets he can turn a flower girl into a lady by teaching her to speak properly.
Dir: Anthony Asquith Cast: Leslie Howard, Wendy Hiller, Wilfrid Lawson
Runtime: 94 mins Genre: Comedy Rating: TV-G CC: Y



Trivia: The scene in which Eliza accidentally swallows a marble while having an elocution lesson does not appear in the original play. During rehearsals for this scene, a pained expression came over Wendy Hiller's face. When she spat out the marbles she had in her mouth, she said, "Leslie, I've swallowed one!" to which Leslie Howard replied, "Never mind, there are plenty more." This caused such amusement among the watching crew that it was added to the movie and to its musical version, My Fair Lady (1964).

Trivia: In British prints, Leslie Howard utters the word "damn." In American prints, he says either "hang" or "confounded." This was a year before David O. Selznick famously tussled with the Hays Office over permission for Clark Gable to say "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" at the end of Gone with the Wind (1939). This was also the first British movie to use the word "bloody" in its dialogue. At the time, that expletive was considered extremely vulgar.

10:00 PM I Know Where I'm Going (1945)
A determined young Englishwoman sets out to accomplish her goals even at the risk of her heart.
Dir: Michael Powell Cast: Wendy Hiller, Roger Livesey, George Carney
Runtime: 92 mins Genre: Romance Rating: TV-G CC: Y

12:00 AM NOIR ALLEY: Don't Bother to Knock (1952)



A man with anger issues finds himself drawn to an unstable young beauty.
Dir: Roy Baker Cast: Richard Widmark, Marilyn Monroe, Anne Bancroft
Runtime: 76 mins Genre: Drama Rating: TV-14 CC: N

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RELATED: "Don't Bother to Knock" review by Richard Harland Smith (on TCM site): https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/73402/dont-bother-to-knock#articles-reviews?articleId=413026

2:00 AM Midnight Cowboy (1969)
A slightly dim-witted young Texan journeys to New York City to offer his services as a stud-for-hire, but spends a hard winter helping a tubercular con man.
Dir: John Schlesinger Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Sylvia Miles
Runtime: 113 mins Genre: Drama Rating: TV-MA CC: Y

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Trivia: The film was rated "X" (no one under 17 admitted) upon its original release in 1969, but the unrestricted use of that rating by pornographic filmmakers caused the rating to quickly become associated with hardcore sex films. Because of the stigma that developed around the "X" rating in the ratings system's early years, many theaters refused to run X-rated films, and many newspapers would not run ads for them. The film was then given the new R-rating (children under 17 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian) rating in 1971, without having anything changed or removed. It remains the only X-rated film to win the Oscar for Best Picture, be shown on network television (although the "R" reclassification had taken place by then), or be screened by a sitting U.S. President, Richard Nixon.

Trivia: Before Dustin Hoffman auditioned for this film, he knew that the all-American image that he carried after The Graduate could easily cost him the job. To prove that he could play Rizzo, he asked the auditioning film executive to meet him on a street corner in Manhattan, and in the meantime, dressed himself in filthy rags. The executive arrived at the appointed corner and waited, barely noticing the "beggar" less than ten feet away who was accosting people for spare change. At last, the beggar walked up to him and revealed his true identity.

4:00 AM Straight Time (1978)
An ex-con struggles to go straight despite his malevolent parole officer.
Dir: Ulu Grosbard Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Theresa Russell, Gary Busey
Runtime: 114 mins Genre: Crime Rating: TV-MA CC: Y

Trivia: Dustin Hoffman visited Edward Bunker, the author of the film's source novel, in prison to express interest in making the novel into a film. Hoffman's enthusiasm, as well as excellent reviews, helped prompt the authorities into releasing Bunker early.