TCM Schedule for Sunday, February 22 --- ACTING 101

[lavenderdiva]

22 Sunday



6:45 AM The Country Girl (1954)
While trying to help her husband make a comeback, an alcoholic singer's wife fights her love for another man. Cast: Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, William Holden. Dir: George Seaton. BW-104 mins, TV-PG, CC

8:45 AM The Band Wagon (1953)
A Broadway artiste turns a faded film star's comeback vehicle into an artsy flop. Cast: Fred Astaire, Jack Buchanan, Cyd Charisse. Dir: Vincente Minnelli. C-112 mins, TV-G, CC

10:45 AM The Producers (1968)
A Broadway producer decides to get rich by creating the biggest flop of his career. Cast: Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder, Kenneth Mars. Dir: Mel Brooks. C-90 mins, TV-14, CC, Letterbox Format

12:15 PM The Pumpkin Eater (1964)
A woman drifts through multiple marriages in search of stability. Cast: Anne Bancroft, Peter Finch, James Mason. Dir: Jack Clayton. BW-110 mins, TV-PG

2:15 PM Susan Slept Here (1954)
A Hollywood screenwriter takes in a runaway girl who's more woman than he can handle. Cast: Dick Powell, Debbie Reynolds, Anne Francis. Dir: Frank Tashlin. C-98 mins, TV-PG, CC

4:00 PM Sunset Boulevard (1950)
A failed screenwriter falls into a mercenary romance with a faded silent-film star. Cast: Gloria Swanson, William Holden, Erich von Stroheim. Dir: Billy Wilder. BW-110 mins, TV-PG, CC

6:00 PM The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)
An unscrupulous movie producer uses everyone around him in his climb to the top. Cast: Kirk Douglas, Lana Turner, Dick Powell. Dir: Vincente Minnelli. BW-118 mins, TV-PG, CC, DVS

What's On Tonight: 31 DAYS OF OSCAR: ACTING 101

8:00 PM Stage Door (1937)
Women at a theatrical boarding house try to make their big break happen. Cast: Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, Adolphe Menjou. Dir: Gregory La Cava. BW-92 mins, TV-G, CC, DVS

9:45 PM The Dresser (1983)
A theatrical dresser tries to get an aging star through one more performance of King Lear. Cast: Albert Finney, Tom Courtenay, Edward Fox. Dir: Peter Yates. C-118 mins, TV-14, CC, Letterbox Format

11:45 PM A Star Is Born (1937)
A fading matinee idol marries the young beginner he's shepherded to stardom. Cast: Janet Gaynor, Fredric March, Adolphe Menjou. Dir: William A. Wellman. C-111 mins, TV-G, CC

1:45 AM Mephisto (1982)
A stage actor in wartime Germany sells his soul to the Nazis. Cast: Klaus Maria Brandauer, Krystyna Janda, Ildiko Bansagi. Dir: Istvan Szabo. C-138 mins, TV-MA, Letterbox Format

4:08 AM Short Film: Luckiest Guy In The World (1946)
BW-21 mins,

4:30 AM The Yearling (1946)
A Florida boy's pet deer threatens the family farm. Cast: Gregory Peck, Jane Wyman, Claude Jarman, Jr. Dir: Clarence Brown. C-128 mins, TV-G, CC, DVS

[Matilda]

1. Oh, what a night!

What a brilliant lineup for one evening! I only saw "The Dresser" once
when it was released, but it was just wonderful. I love Albert Finney in
just about anything, but in spite of his truly wonderful performance, it
was Tom Courtenay who walked away with the film, IMHO. Such a fine
actor, and wonderful at playing slightly off-centre characters. It's one
time when a stage play translated superbly to the screen, and was
totally satisfying. I don't recall it being shown on television here
ever, and when I saw it listed I checked Quickflix - it's on the list,
and I've added it to my queue.

Then you have "Mephisto", the story of a German actor who sells his soul
to the Devil, in the guise of National Socialism, in return for fame
and fortune. Klaus Maria Brandauer is excellent in the lead role, but
it's the film overall that is totally compelling. I love this film,
although I have to be in the right frame of mind to watch it - sometimes
it's just too depressing.

And while "Stage Door" isn't in the same league as the other two, it's
always great to watch - the first two-thirds of the film are so full of
wisecracks, beautifully delivered by all the cast, that the death scene
is a complete shock to the system. In spite of all the brilliant
comedy actresses, it's Katharine Hepburn's film in the end, and she
manages to tread a fine line between drama and melodrama without falling
over.

I can only sigh with envy.