TCM Schedule for Friday, March 4 -- For Love or Money?

[Staph]

Happy birthday, John Garfield, born on this day in 1913. TCM is celebrating with a day of his movies. And tonight, the films feature heirs and heiresses pretending to be poor, to see if they are loved for themselves and not for their money. Enjoy!



6:00am -- They Made Me A Criminal (1939)
A young boxer flees to farming country when he thinks he's killed an opponent in the ring.
Cast: John Garfield, Claude Rains, Gloria Dickson, May Robson
Dir: Busby Berkeley
BW-92 mins, TV-PG

Claude Rains at first turned down the part, feeling he would be miscast and look ridiculous as a tough New York City cop. Only after being threatened by the studio with suspension did he reluctantly accept it, but he always considered this one of his least favorite pictures.


7:45am -- Tortilla Flat (1942)
Inhabitants of a Southern California fishing village strive for the simple pleasures of life.
Cast: Spencer Tracy, Hedy Lamarr, John Garfield, Frank Morgan
Dir: Victor Fleming
BW-99 mins, TV-PG

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Frank Morgan

Garfield was blacklisted during the McCarthy "Red Scare" era in the early 1950s for his left-wing political beliefs, he adamantly refused to "name names" in testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in April 1951. He was found dead of a heart attack in the apartment of a former showgirl, Iris Whitney on May 21, 1952, the day after Clifford Odets, testifying before HUAC, reaffirmed that Garfield had never been a member of the Communist Party. His funeral in New York was mobbed by thousands of fans.


9:30am -- Destination Tokyo (1943)
A U.S. sub braves enemy waters during World War II.
Cast: Cary Grant, John Garfield, Alan Hale, John Ridgely
Dir: Delmer Daves
BW-135 mins, TV-PG

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Writing, Original Story -- Steve Fisher

The appendectomy operation conducted by the character Pills (William Prince) was inspired by an actual appendix operation performed aboard the submarine "Seadragon" in 1942. The real-life appendectomy was performed by 22-year-old pharmacist's mate Wheeler B. Lipes with the help of an assistant. The two were able to extract the appendix of Seaman Darrell Dean Rector under very trying conditions with limited resources and skills. They used kitchen utensils and equipment including a strainer and bent spoons as retractors; alcohol taken from torpedoes, and sterilized pajamas as surgical gowns. The sub's crew had believed that Lipes was the most qualified person to perform such a life-or-death operation, as he had apparently observed appendectomies before. Lipes was persuaded to do the operation by his fellow crewmen. The operation took place 120 feet below the surface of the South China Sea. Afterwards, Lipes' actions were criticized by US Navy doctors and the US Surgeon General even considered court-martialling him. Over 60 years later, in April 2005, Lipes finally received the US Navy Commendation Medal, two months before his death. According to the 19 April 2005 Los Angeles Times obituary of Lipes, this operation was the first ever performed in a submerged submarine.


12:00pm -- Between Two Worlds (1944)
Passengers on a luxury liner realize they are en route to the afterlife.
Cast: John Garfield, Paul Henreid, Sydney Greenstreet, Eleanor Parker
Dir: Edward A. Blatt
BW-112 mins, TV-G

The play "Outward Bound" opened on Broadway in New York City, New York, USA on 7 January 1924 and closed in May 1924 after 144 performances. The opening night cast included Dudley Digges, Leslie Howard, J.M. Kerrigan, Alfred Lunt and Beryl Mercer. There was one Broadway revival in 1938, directed by Otto Preminger.


2:00pm -- Pride of the Marines (1945)
A blinded Marine tries to adjust to civilian life.
Cast: John Garfield, Eleanor Parker, Dane Clark, John Ridgely
Dir: Delmer Daves
BW-120 mins, TV-G

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay -- Albert Maltz

This film is about the Battle of Guadacanal. Guadalcanal is situated in the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean, north-east of Australia. Its local name is Isatabu and contains the country's capital, Honiara. Guadacanal was named after Pedro de Ortega's home town Guadacanal in Andalusia, Spain. de Ortega worked under Álvaro de Mendaña who charted the island in 1568.


4:15pm -- Nobody Lives Forever (1946)
A con artist falls for the rich widow he's trying to fleece.
Cast: John Garfield, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Walter Brennan, Faye Emerson
Dir: Jean Negulesco
BW-100 mins, TV-G

Humphrey Bogart refused the role of Nick Blake, the role eventually played by John Garfield.


6:00pm -- The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
Illicit lovers plot to kill the woman's older husband.
Cast: Lana Turner, John Garfield, Cecil Kellaway, Hume Cronyn
Dir: Tay Garnett
BW-113 mins, TV-PG

This caused a stir amongst 1940s audiences who were shocked when it seemed clear to them that John Garfield uses his tongue in one of his kissing scenes with Lana Turner.


8:00pm -- Clambake (1967)
A playboy switches places with a water-skiing instructor to find a woman who isn't just after his money.
Cast: Elvis Presley, Shelley Fabares, Will Hutchins, Bill Bixby
Dir: Arthur H. Nadel
C-99 mins, TV-G

One of the children at the playground during the song "Confidence" is Corbin Bernsen. Another, the girl afraid to slide down the chute, is Lisa Slagle, who later became a member of the Joffrey Ballet.


10:00pm -- Latin Lovers (1953)
An heiress searches for true love while vacationing in Brazil.
Cast: Lana Turner, Ricardo Montalban, John Lund, Louis Calhern
Dir: Mervyn LeRoy
C-104 mins, TV-PG

Fernando Lamas was originally cast in the role that Ricardo Montalban played. Lamas and Lana Turner were lovers and when they broke up, she insisted he be replaced.


12:00am -- The Richest Girl in the World (1934)
To put off fortune-hunters, an heiress trades places with her secretary.
Cast: Miriam Hopkins, Joel McCrea, Fay Wray, Henry Stephenson
Dir: William A. Seiter
BW-76 mins, TV-G

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Writing, Original Story -- Norman Krasna

Krasna had lost his hair at an early age, and was somewhat touchy about his baldness. When he met someone with a full head of hair, he often contemptuously referred to "that unsightly growth on your head".


2:00am -- Road Games (1981)
A truck driver's attempt to find a vanished hitchhiker leads police to suspect him of her murder.
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Marion Edward, Stacy Keach Sr., Grant Page
Dir: Richard Franklin
C-101 mins, TV-14

This film has frequently been compared to Hitchcock's Rear Window (1954), which isn't just coincidence. Director Richard Franklin gave writer Everett De Roche a copy of the 'Rear Window' script while working on their previous film Patrick (1978). After reading the script De Roche suggested to Franklin that the open highways of the Australian outback would be an ideal place for a similar suspense story. He then proceeded to write Roadgames. The nickname of Jamie Lee Curtis' character Hitch is a homage to director Alfred Hitchcock.


3:45am -- Wages of Fear (1953)
A team of international outcasts risks their lives driving explosives through the South American mountains.
Cast: Yves Montand, Charles Vanel, Peter Van Eyck, Folco Lulli
Dir: Henri-Georges Clouzot
BW-116 mins, TV-14

Filming began on 27 August 1951 and was scheduled to run for nine weeks. Numerous problems plagued the production, however. The south of France had an unusually rainy season that year, causing vehicles to bog down, cranes to fall over and sets to be ruined. Director Henri-Georges Clouzot broke his ankle. Véra Clouzot fell ill. The production was 50 million francs over budget. By the end of November, only half the film was completed. With the days growing short from winter, production shut down for six months. The second half of the film was finally completed in the summer of 1952.