TCM Schedule for Friday, May 3, 2019 -- What's On Tonight: Robert Osborne's Picks

[Staph]

In primetime, TCM is celebrating Robert Osborne's 87th birthday with a trio of his "picks". These are films that he specifically chose to highlight some years ago. TCM will show the introductions to each of this choices. Osborne was such a great fan of film, and I'm glad that they are bringing back his stories about the movies he loved. Enjoy!


7:30 AM -- MGM PARADE SHOW #22 (1955)
Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald perform in a clip from "Maytime"; Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz introduce a clip from "Forever Darling." Hosted by George Murphy.
BW-29 mins,


8:00 AM -- TWO ARABIAN KNIGHTS (1927)
In this silent film, two American soldiers fight to escape the Germans while squabbling over a beautiful harem girl during World War I.
Dir: Lewis Milestone
Cast: William Boyd, Mary Astor, Louis Wolheim
BW-92 mins,

Winner of an Oscar for Best Director, Comedy Picture -- Lewis Milestone

This film was once believed to have been lost. A copy was found in the vaults of producer Howard Hughes, following his death, along with copies of two other "lost" films produced by Hughes, The Racket (1928) and The Mating Call (1928).


9:34 AM -- I LOVE MY WIFE BUT! (1946)
A short film about the various types of wives that one can have and how to deal with them.
Dir: David Barclay
Cast: Anne O'Neal, Dave O'Brien, Marie Windsor
BW-9 mins,


9:45 AM -- TURNABOUT (1940)
Battling spouses accidentally switch bodies.
Dir: Hal Roach
Cast: Adolphe Menjou, Carole Landis, John Hubbard
BW-84 mins, CC,

Polly Ann Young, who plays Miss Twill is the older sister of film star Loretta Young.


11:15 AM -- DODSWORTH (1936)
A husband whose wife left him looks for new love in Europe.
Dir: William Wyler
Cast: Walter Huston, Ruth Chatterton, Paul Lukas
BW-101 mins, CC,

Winner of an Oscar for Best Art Direction -- Richard Day

Nominee for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Walter Huston, Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Maria Ouspenskaya, Best Director -- William Wyler, Best Writing, Screenplay -- Sidney Howard, Best Sound, Recording -- Oscar Lagerstrom (United Artists SSD), and Best Picture

William Wyler thought the characterization of Mrs. Dodsworth was too black and white and insisted on some subtleties to the performance. Ruth Chatterton vigorously disagreed with this interpretation and the two would often argue fiercely on the subject. At one point Chatterton slapped Wyler across the face and retreated to her dressing room. In her memoirs, Mary Astor observed that Chatterton's character "was that of a woman trying to hang onto her youth--which was exactly what Ruth herself was doing. It touched a nerve."


1:00 PM -- THE SOUTHERNER (1945)
A sharecropper fights the elements to start his own farm.
Dir: Jean Renoir
Cast: Zachary Scott, Betty Field, J. Carrol Naish
BW-93 mins, CC,

Nominee for Oscars for Best Director -- Jean Renoir, Best Sound, Recording -- Jack Whitney (Sound Services Inc.), and Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture -- Werner Janssen

Originally intended for Joel McCrea, but when the studio couldn't get him they gave it to Zachary Scott.


2:45 PM -- THE BARON OF ARIZONA (1950)
A swindler forges documents to make himself the owner of an entire state.
Dir: Samuel Fuller
Cast: Vincent Price, Ellen Drew, Vladimir Sokoloff
BW-97 mins, CC,

James Addison Reavis (1843-1914) was a real person who, as depicted in the movie, was found guilty of attempting to steal most of Arizona by forging land grant documents. He paid a fine of $5,000 and served two years in jail.


4:30 PM -- THE BLACK BOOK (1949)
Opponents plot to bring down Robespierre during the French Revolution.
Dir: Anthony Mann
Cast: Robert Cummings, Richard Basehart, Richard Hart
BW-89 mins, CC,

Originally released as Reign of Terror.


6:15 PM -- OUR TOWN (1940)
Small town lovers search for happiness.
Dir: Sam Wood
Cast: Frank Craven, William Holden, Martha Scott
BW-89 mins, CC,

Nominee for Oscars for Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Martha Scott, Best Art Direction, Black-and-White -- Lewis J. Rachmil, Best Sound, Recording -- Thomas T. Moulton (Samuel Goldwyn SSD), Best Music, Score -- Aaron Copland, Best Music, Original Score -- Aaron Copland, and Best Picture

Film debut of Martha Scott. She was not considered for the role of "Emily" at first because of her poor screen test for the role of "Melanie" in Gone with the Wind (1939), but she was chosen after much auditioning of other actresses.


7:46 PM -- MY OLD TOWN (1948)
Narrator John Nesbitt reminisces about his home town and childhood in this short film.
Cast: Anne O'Neal, Jackie "Butch" Jenkins,
BW-9 mins,

Ironically, this tribute to what looks like small town America was written by John Nesbitt, who was actually from Shirley, British Columbia (west of Victoria, on Vancouver Island), as seen on the stone marker at the beginning and end. Many of the intervening scenes are stock footage from MGM movies (including an 1890s scene set in the "Glen City Tonsorial Parlor&quot .



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: ROBERT OSBORNE'S PICKS



8:00 PM -- THE TIME, THE PLACE AND THE GIRL (1946)
Two producers and their girls look for a backer for their big show.
Dir: David Butler
Cast: Dennis Morgan, Jack Carson, Janis Paige
C-105 mins, CC,

Nominee for an Oscar for Best Music, Original Song -- Arthur Schwartz (music) and Leo Robin (lyrics) for the song "A Gal in Calico"

Martha Vickers was dubbed by two different singers: one for the pop songs, and another for the operatic songs.


10:00 PM -- LADY OF BURLESQUE (1943)
A star dancer and comedian team to investigate murders.
Dir: William A. Wellman
Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Michael O'Shea, Iris Adrian
BW-90 mins, CC,

Nominee for an Oscar for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture -- Arthur Lange

It is commonly assumed that Craig Rice, mystery writer from the 1940s and roommate of Gypsy Rose Lee, ghost-wrote "The G-String Murders" for her. That novel was the basis for this film. However, this has been disputed both on stylistic grounds and on the evidence of manuscripts.


11:47 PM -- CAVALCADE OF DANCE (1943)
In this musical short, ballroom dancers present the history of American dance. Vitaphone Release 1159A.
Dir: Jean Negulesco
Cast: Veloz, Yolanda, Art Gilmore
BW-11 mins,

Nominee for an Oscar for Best Short Subject, One-reel -- Gordon Hollingshead


12:00 AM -- BORN TO DANCE (1936)
A sailor on leave helps a young dancer make it to the top on Broadway.
Dir: Roy Del Ruth
Cast: Eleanor Powell, James Stewart, Virginia Bruce
BW-106 mins, CC,

Nominee for Oscars for Best Dance Direction -- Dave Gould for "Swingin' the Jinx", and Best Music, Original Song -- Cole Porter for the song "I've Got You Under My Skin"

Cole Porter picked James Stewart for the male lead and later said he sang "Easy to Love" as well as any professional singer. A dubbing track was prepared with baritone Jack Owens, but it was decided that Stewart's tenor voice was perfect for the song. In That's Entertainment! (1974), Stewart said, "The song had become a huge hit, even my singing wouldn't hurt it."


2:00 AM -- MAC AND ME (1988)
An alien trying to escape from NASA is befriended by a wheelchair-bound boy.
Dir: Stuart Raffill
Cast: Dixon Harding, J.D. Hall, Mayah McCoy
BW-99 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

The McDonald's scenes were all shot in City of Industry, CA, just outside Los Angeles. The set was a real-life McDonald's built specifically for crew member training and television commercials. Everything inside worked, but it never served a real customer. When it wasn't being used, it was locked up behind a chain link fence. It was torn down and rebuilt in 2006.


3:44 AM -- TREASURES FROM TRASH (1946)
This short film presents an unusual Beverly Hills store called the Patio Shop, where trash is turned into art.
Dir: Dave O'Brien
Cast: Dave O'Brien,
BW-10 mins,


4:00 AM -- THE GARBAGE PAIL KIDS MOVIE (1987)
Dodger must confront the struggles of life as he is visited by the Garbage Pail Kids and intimidated by some older bullies.
Dir: Rod Amateau
Cast: Robert Bell, J P Amateau, Larry Green
BW-97 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

The actress who played the host of the modeling show later played the older version of Dottie Hinson, the Geena Davis character in A League of their Own. Her name is Lynn Cartwright.


5:42 AM -- LOVE-TAILS OF MOROCCO (1931)
This Dogville short spoofs Foreign Legion movies, starring an all-canine cast.
Dir: Zion Myers
Cast: Zion Myers, Jules White
BW-16 mins,

Seventh of nine "Dogville Comedies" released by MGM from 1929 to 1931. These shorts generally spoofed popular films of the day and were hugely popular.

[BigmanPigman]

1. I must be clueless since I haven't seen any of them.