TCM sked Saturday 9-23-23: Paul Newman, Jack Nicholson, James Dean, Charles Dickens

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Last edited Sat Sep 23, 2023, 08:22 PM - Edit history (1)

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SATURDAY 9/23/23 at a glance

TCM SPOTLIGHT: COMING OF AGE
- THE END OF ADOLESCENCE
Last Picture Show, The (1971)
- BASED ON DICKENS
David Copperfield (1935)
Oliver Twist (1948)
Saturday, September 23
- TCM DAYTIME
TCM SPOTLIGHT: COMING OF AGE (cont.)
Great Expectations (1946) (6:30 am ET)
WEEKEND FEATURES
Don't Bet on Blondes (1935)
Batman and Robin Ch. 10: Batman's Last Chance
(1949)
Popeye: Can You Take It (1934)
Spook Busters (1946)
Artistic Temper (1932) (short)
You Were Never Lovelier (1942) (Musical Matinee)
Giant (1956)
Hill, The (1965)
- TCM PRIMETIME
THE FOUNDING OF ISRAEL
Exodus (1960)
- NOIR ALLEY
Two O'Clock Courage (1945)
- TCM LATE NIGHT: DEADLY AFFAIRS
(P) Postman Always Rings Twice, The (1981)
Blood Simple (1984)

12:00 AM The Last Picture Show (1971)

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In a bleak and sleepy 50s Texas town, two high-school seniors, stars on a losing football team, ponder their futures, carry on love affairs with the town sweetheart and an older, married woman respectively, and look for fatherly advice from the ex-cowboy owner of the town's pool hall/cafe and moviehouse. But when the moviehouse ...
Dir: Peter Bogdanovich Cast: Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd
Runtime: 118 mins Genre: Drama Rating: TV-MA CC: Y

Oscar nominations:
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE -- Jeff Bridges {"Duane Jackson"}
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE -- Ben Johnson {"Sam the Lion"} (WINNER)
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE -- Ellen Burstyn {"Lois Farrow"}
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE -- Cloris Leachman {"Ruth Popper"} (WINNER)
CINEMATOGRAPHY -- Robert Surtees
DIRECTING -- Peter Bogdanovich
BEST PICTURE -- Stephen J. Friedman, Producer
WRITING (Screenplay--based on material from another medium) -- Larry McMurtry, Peter Bogdanovich

Trivia: Cloris Leachman's last scene in the movie was printed on the first take without any previous rehearsals. She wanted to rehearse the scene, but director Peter Bogdanovich thought it would ruin the scene if it was rehearsed. After she completed the take, she said to him, "I can do better." He replied, "No, you can't; you just won the Oscar." Ultimately his sense of direction paid off, as Leachman won the Academy Award for her performance.

Trivia: Cybill Shepherd was cast with the option of backing out of her nude scenes if she so desired. She only agreed to do them after asking the opinions of three female costars - Cloris Leachman, Ellen Burstyn, and Eileen Brennan, who all thought she should do them.

Trivia: At 9 minutes and 54 seconds, Ben Johnson's performance in this movie is the shortest to ever win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.


2:15 AM David Copperfield (1935)

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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
Runtime: 133 mins Genre: Drama Rating: TV-G CC: Y

Oscar nominations:
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR -- Joseph Newman [came in 3rd]
FILM EDITING -- Robert J. Kern
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION -- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Trivia: According to film historians, W.C. Fields performed in only one film exactly according to script and as directed and that one was MGM's "David Copperfield" in which he co-starred with Freddie Bartholomew, who was only 10 years old. Fields, a Charles Dickens scholar in real life, admired the 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.

Trivia: In response to the widespread criticism of his having played Micawber with a strong American accent W.C. Fields responded, "My father was an Englishman and I inherited this accent from him! Are you trying to go against nature?!".


4:30 AM Oliver Twist (1948)

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The famed orphan gets caught up in Fagin's criminal band while searching for familial love.
Dir: David Lean Cast: John Howard Davies, Robert Newton, Alec Guinness
Runtime: 116 mins Genre: Drama Rating: TV-G CC: Y

Trivia: This movie's release in the U.S. was delayed until 1951 because of protests from Zionist pressure groups, who judged Sir Alec Guinness' portrayal of Fagin to be anti-Semitic.

6:30 AM Great Expectations (1946)

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A mysterious benefactor finances a young boy's education.
Dir: David Lean Cast: John Mills, Valerie Hobson, Finlay Currie
Runtime: 118 mins Genre: Drama Rating: TV-G CC: Y

Oscar nominations:
ART DIRECTION (Black-and-White) -- Art Direction: John Bryan; Set Decoration: Wilfred Shingleton (WINNER)
CINEMATOGRAPHY (Black-and-White) -- Guy Green (WINNER)
DIRECTING -- David Lean
BEST MOTION PICTURE -- J. Arthur Rank-Cineguild
WRITING (Screenplay) -- David Lean, Anthony Havelock-Allan, Ronald Neame


8:30 AM Don't Bet on Blondes (1935)
An actress's manager tries to keep her from leaving the stage for marriage.
Dir: Robert Florey Cast: Warren William, Claire Dodd, Guy Kibbee
Runtime: 60 mins Genre: Comedy Rating: TV-G CC: Y


9:30 AM Serial: Batman and Robin: Chapter 10: Batman's Last Chance (1949)
The Wizard thinks Batman and Robin are dead after he sends their vehicle plummeting over a cliff.
Dir: Spencer Gordon Bennet Cast: Robert Lowery, Johnny Duncan, Jane Adams
Runtime: 17 mins Genre: Adventure Rating: TV-G CC: N


10:00 AM Cartoon: Can You Take It (1934)
Olive is a nurse in a hospital division of the Bruiser Boys Club where newcomers are dared to join. Popeye does, and tough-looking members proceed to initiate him. Popeye endures all kinds of tests, including being shot by a cannon. He then learns he is still not eligible; he must challenge every member of the club! Out ...
Dir: Dave Fleischer, Myron Waldman Cast: William Costello, William Pennell, Mae Questel
Runtime: 6 mins Genre: Short Rating: TV-PG CC: N


10:08 AM Spook Busters (1946)



When they set themselves up as ghost hunters, the Bowery Boys tangle with a mad scientist.
Dir: William Beaudine Cast: Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Douglass Dumbrille
Runtime: 68 mins Genre: Comedy Rating: TV-G CC: Y

Trivia: According to IMDB, the working title for this film was "Ghost Busters."


11:30 AM Short: Artistic Temper (1932)
A woman sets out to pursue a successful singing career despite her husband's wishes.
Dir: Roy Mack Cast: Ruth Etting, Wilfred Lytell, Lucille Sears
Runtime: 17 mins Genre: Short Rating: TV-G CC: Y


12:00 PM You Were Never Lovelier (1942)

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An Argentine heiress thinks a penniless American dancer is her secret admirer.
Dir: William A. Seiter Cast: Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth, Adolphe Menjou, Desi Arnaz.
Runtime: 97 mins Genre: Musical Rating: TV-G CC:

Oscar nominations:
MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture) -- Leigh Harline
MUSIC (Song) -- "Dearly Beloved," Music by Jerome Kern; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer
SOUND RECORDING -- Columbia Studio Sound Department, John Livadary, Sound Director

Trivia: Free space at the studio was limited during production, and so Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth rehearsed most of their routines in a nearby funeral parlor next to a cemetery. They had to stop rehearsing to the upbeat music whenever a funeral procession arrived.

2:00 PM Giant (1956)

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A Texas ranching family fights to survive changing times.
Dir: George Stevens Cast: Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean
Runtime: 201 mins Genre: Drama Rating: TV-PG CC: Y

Oscar nominations: ACTOR -- James Dean {"Jett Rink"}
ACTOR -- Rock Hudson {"Bick Benedict"}
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE -- Mercedes McCambridge {"Luz Benedict"}
ART DIRECTION (Color) -- Art Direction: Boris Leven; Set Decoration: Ralph S. Hurst
COSTUME DESIGN (Color) -- Moss Mabry, Marjorie Best
DIRECTING -- George Stevens (WINNER)
FILM EDITING -- William Hornbeck, Philip W. Anderson, Fred Bohanan
MUSIC (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture) -- Dimitri Tiomkin
BEST MOTION PICTURE -- George Stevens and Henry Ginsberg, Producers
WRITING (Screenplay--Adapted) -- Fred Guiol, Ivan Moffat

5:45 PM The Hill (1965)

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An officer given the co-command of a military prison in North Africa takes a stand against the brutal mistreatment of prisoners and is met with angry resistance.
Dir: Sidney Lumet Cast: Sean Connery, Harry Andrews, Ian Bannen
Runtime: 122 mins Genre: Drama Rating: TV-14 CC: Y

Trivia: Sidney Lumet used three wide-angle lenses: a 24mm, a 21mm, and an 18mm. He deliberately wanted distortion in the faces, even the close-ups.

8:00 PM Exodus (1960)

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A young Israeli activist fights to set up a homeland for his people.
Dir: Otto Preminger Cast: Paul Newman, Eva Marie Saint, Ralph Richardson
Runtime: 220 mins Genre: Epic Rating: TV-PG CC: Y

Oscar nominations:
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE -- Sal Mineo {"Dov Landau"}
CINEMATOGRAPHY (Color) -- Sam Leavitt
MUSIC (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture) -- Ernest Gold (WINNER)

Trivia: At the premiere, as the movie neared its third hour with the end not yet in sight, comedian Mort Sahl stood up from his seat in the packed theater and shouted, "Otto Preminger, let my people go!" The incident quickly became a popular piece of Hollywood lore.

Trivia: Paul Newman and producer and director Otto Preminger did not get along while making this movie. Preminger was not interested in hearing Newman's ideas. Newman later said he regretted making this movie.

Trivia: Producer and director Otto Preminger helped to end the stigma of the Hollywood blacklist by hiring Dalton Trumbo to adapt the screenplay for this movie, before Trumbo was hired for Spartacus (1960).

NOIR ALLEY: 12:00 AM Two O'Clock Courage (1945)

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An amnesiac discovers he's wanted for murder.
Dir: Anthony Mann Cast: Tom Conway, Ann Rutherford, Richard Lane
Runtime: 66 mins Genre: Suspense/Mystery Rating: TV-PG CC: Y


2:00 AM The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)

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Frank Chambers, a depression-era drifter ends up at a diner owned by Nick Papadakis, who offers Frank a job. Frank accepts the offer, and begins an affair with Nick's wife Cora. The adulterous lovers soon plot to kill Nick and share in the insurance money.
Dir: Bob Rafelson Cast: Jack Nicholson, Jessica Lange, John Colicos
Runtime: 123 mins Genre: Adaptation Rating: TV-MA CC: Y

Trivia: When auditions for this movie were taking place, director Bob Rafelson wrote the name of the actress he thought should be cast as Cora Papadakis and put it inside a sealed envelope. Several months later, Rafelson gave the letter to Jessica Lange, whose name was inside.

4:15 AM Blood Simple (1984)

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An owner of a seedy small-town Texas bar discovers one of his employees is having an affair with his wife. A chaotic chain of misunderstandings, lies and mischief ensues after he devises a plot to have them murdered.
Dir: Joel Coen Cast: John Getz, Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya
Runtime: 95 mins Genre: Suspense/Mystery Rating: TV-MA CC: Y

Trivia: The original video version of Blood Simple couldn't get the rights to use The Four Tops song "It's the Same Old Song," which essentially became the theme for the film. It was instead replaced with the Neil Diamond cover song of "I'm a Believer." Later DVD and Blu-ray releases restore the Four Tops song.