TCM Schedule for Saturday, July 13, 2019 -- What's On Tonight: The Essentials: Let's Go to India

[Staph]

In the daylight hours, TCM has the usual Saturday matinee lineup of films and shorts. Then in primetime, The Essentials is back! (or should that be The Essentials are back?), with trailblazing producer, director and screenwriter Ava DuVernay, who will join primetime host Ben Mankiewicz to discuss the films she has chosen. Tonight's theme is films about India. Enjoy!


6:00 AM -- THE PIRATE (1948)
An actor poses as a notorious pirate to court a romantic Caribbean girl.
Dir: Vincente Minnelli
Cast: Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Walter Slezak
C-102 mins, CC,

Nominee for an Oscar for Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture -- Lennie Hayton

The film's musical production final sequence, "Be a Clown", composed by Cole Porter, featured the acrobatic and dancing talents of the Nicholas Brothers, with Gene Kelly, who choreographed the dance number. Judy Garland joins Kelly's act and the film ends with the two of them singing a reprise of "Be a Clown." The dance sequence was the first time The Nicholas Brothers had danced onscreen with a Caucasian, while it was Kelly's insistence that they perform with him. The Nicholas Brothers were the ones punished. When released to the feature movie theater circuit distribution, this Nicholas Brothers sequence was deleted by MGM when screened in the Southern States, such as Memphis, because it featured black performers, the result of racial bigotry in the South. Only in the Northern States' movie theaters, were audiences allowed to view the entire end production presentation. Essentially blackballed, Fayard and Harold moved to Europe and did not return until the mid-sixties making a comeback appearance on The Hollywood Palace (1964) hosted by Roy Rogers and Trigger.


7:46 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,


8:00 AM -- MGM CARTOONS: ONE HAM'S FAMILY (1943)
A hungry wolf with ham in the shape of a pig kid stands in for Santa Claus.
Dir: Tex Avery (Fred)
Cast: Pinto Colvig, Kent Rogers
BW-8 mins, CC,

The piglet is based on Red Skelton's Mean Widdle Kid. The wolf (especially when he laughs) recalls Harold Peary's radio character, the Great Gildersleeve.


8:09 AM -- MENTAL POISE (1938)
In this comedic short, a psychoanalyst encounters a patient who eerily resembles himself.
Dir: Roy Rowland
Cast: Robert Benchley, John Butler,
BW-7 mins,


8:17 AM -- VISITING ST. LOUIS (1944)
This short film explores the history, people, and culture of St. Louis, Missouri.
Dir: James A. FitzPatrick
Cast: James A. FitzPatrick
C-9 mins,


8:26 AM -- DYNAMITE PASS (1950)
Highwaymen invade a road built by cowboys.
Dir: Lew Landers
Cast: Tim Holt, Lynne Roberts, Regis Toomey
BW-60 mins,


9:30 AM -- LOST CITY OF THE JUNGLE: ZALABOR DEATH WATCH (1946)
Episode nine of thirteen.
Dir: Lewis D. Collins, Ray Taylor
Cast: Russell Hayden, Jane Adams, Lionel Atwill
BW-17 mins, CC,


9:51 AM -- SEE YOUR DOCTOR (1939)
In this comedic short film, a lecturer tells of the problems a man faces seeking medical treatment.
Dir: Basil Wrangell
Cast: Hobart Cavanaugh, Monty Woolley, Robert Benchley
BW-8 mins,


10:00 AM -- POPEYE: I YAM LOVE SICK (1938)
Olive is reading a romance novel and munching on a gift box of candy from Bluto when Popeye drops by.
Dir: Dave Fleischer, Seymour Kneitel (uncredited)
Cast: Jack Mercer, Mae Questel, Gus Wickie
BW-8 mins, CC,


10:09 AM -- IN FAST COMPANY (1946)
The Bowery Boys get wrapped up in a taxi war.
Dir: Del Lord
Cast: Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Jane Randolph
BW-63 mins, CC,

The second of 48 Bowery Boys movies.


11:16 AM -- GOOD BAD BOYS (1940)
Deciding that a life of crime suits them, a gang of children gets mixed up with a real burglar in this comedic short.
Dir: Edward L. Cahn
Cast: Roger Moore, Al Hill, Leonard Landy
BW-11 mins,

The 192nd of 220 "Our Gang" short released from 1922 to 1944, and the 24th made at MGM.


11:30 AM -- OKAY, JOSÉ (1935)
A salesman must find and capture a notorious Mexican bandit in this comedic short. Vitaphone Release 7071-7072.
Dir: Ralph Staub
Cast: El Brendel, Anita Camargo, Chris-Pin Martin
C-18 mins,


12:00 PM -- THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938)
The bandit king of Sherwood Forest leads his Merry Men in a battle against the corrupt Prince John.
Dir: Michael Curtiz
Cast: Errol Flynn, Olivia De Havilland, Basil Rathbone
C-102 mins, CC,

Winner of Oscars for Best Art Direction -- Carl Jules Weyl, Best Film Editing -- Ralph Dawson, and Best Music, Original Score -- Erich Wolfgang Korngold

Nominee for an Oscar for Best Picture

The production used all 11 of the Technicolor cameras in existence in 1938 and they were all returned to Technicolor at the end of each day's filming.


1:46 PM -- THE EYES HAVE IT (1931)
In this comedic short, an eye doctor examines a "boy" who has been curiously absent from school. Vitaphone Release 1271.
Dir: Alfred J. Goulding
Cast: Edgar Bergen, Christina Graver,
BW-10 mins,

First Episode in the 1931-1932 Pepper Pot one reel comedy series


2:00 PM -- DARK PASSAGE (1947)
A man falsely accused of his wife's murder escapes to search for the real killer.
Dir: Delmer Daves
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Bruce Bennett
BW-106 mins, CC,

The third of four films made by husband and wife Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. The other three are To Have and Have Not (1944), The Big Sleep (1946), and Key Largo (1948).


4:00 PM -- A KISS BEFORE DYING (1956)
A college student tries to get rich quick by wooing two wealthy sisters.
Dir: Gerd Oswald
Cast: Robert Wagner, Jeffrey Hunter, Virginia Leith
C-95 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Ira Levin's "A Kiss Before Dying" novel won the 1954 Edgar Award for Best First Novel.


5:45 PM -- HARPER (1966)
A broken-down private eye sets out to find a rich woman's missing husband.
Dir: Jack Smight
Cast: Paul Newman, Lauren Bacall, Julie Harris
C-121 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

According to Frank Miller at the TCMDb, the success of source novelist Ross Macdonald's Lew Archer detective series "didn't stop Paul Newman from changing the name of Macdonald's most famous detective, however. Struck by his success in two films beginning with the letter "h" - The Hustler (1961) and Hud (1963), Newman asked that the private eye's name be changed from Archer to Harper". However, alternatively, Wikipedia states "The name of the lead character was changed from Lew Archer to (Lew) Harper because the producers had not bought the rights to the series, just to The Moving Target. (Screenwriter William) Goldman later wrote 'so we needed a different name and Harper seemed OK, the guy harps on things, it's essentially what he does for a living'."



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: THE ESSENTIALS: LET'S GO TO INDIA



8:00 PM -- GANDHI (1982)
The legendary Indian leader uses peaceful means to free his homeland from British rule.
Dir: Richard Attenborough
Cast: Ben Kingsley, Candice Bergen, John Gielgud
C-191 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Winner of Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Ben Kingsley, Best Director -- Richard Attenborough, Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen -- John Briley, Best Cinematography -- Billy Williams and Ronnie Taylor, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration -- Stuart Craig, Robert W. Laing and Michael Seirton, Best Costume Design -- John Mollo and Bhanu Athaiya (Bhanu Athaiya became the first Indian-born person to win an Oscar.), Best Film Editing -- John Bloom, and Best Picture

Nominee for Oscars for Best Sound -- Gerry Humphreys, Robin O'Donoghue, Jonathan Bates and Simon Kaye, Best Music, Original Score -- Ravi Shankar and George Fenton, and Best Makeup -- Tom Smith

When plans for the film were announced, Sir Richard Attenborough held a press conference in Delhi for the Indian media. There was much concern expressed about how Gandhi, a virtual deity to many Indians, would or should be portrayed on-screen. One female journalist seriously suggested that Gandhi should only be shown as a brilliant white light moving across the screen. An exasperated Attenborough snapped back, "Madam, I am not making a film about bloody Tinkerbell!"


11:30 PM -- INDIA ON PARADE (1937)
This short film focuses on the landmarks, people and customs of India.
Cast: James A. FitzPatrick
C-9 mins,


11:42 PM -- LAND OF THE TAJ MAHAL (1952)
This short film visits Bombay, India, touching on the local architecture, culture and politics of the day.
Cast: James A. FitzPatrick
C-8 mins,


12:00 AM -- THE PEOPLE AGAINST O'HARA (1951)
A defense attorney jeopardizes his career to save his client.
Dir: John Sturges
Cast: Spencer Tracy, Pat O'Brien, Diana Lynn
BW-102 mins, CC,

According to Director John Sturges' inputs for the book of Emmanuel Laborie "Sturges: a filmmaker's story", John Sturges said he was frightened directing Spencer Tracy, who was a living legend. At the beginning, he was just stuck on the storyboard and choosing good camera angles, and did not dare to interfere in Tracy's way of acting. Until the day Tracy rehearsed a scene, while Sturges was looking at it through the eye-piece of the camera, suddenly took off his jacket and hung it on the camera lens blocking up Sturges' view. Then Tracy took Sturges aside and told "John, can you stop only worrying about your camera and take care about the actors, because the camera is only a hungry machine, and it will not be satisfied if you feed it with junk food".


2:00 AM -- START THE REVOLUTION WITHOUT ME (1970)
Two mismatched sets of identical twins mistakenly exchange identities on the eve of the French Revolution.
Dir: Bud Yorkin
Cast: Gene Wilder, Donald Sutherland, Hugh Griffith
C-90 mins, CC,

Gene Wilder was already adept with a sword from his days on his college fencing team.


3:32 AM -- THE CITY OF LITTLE MEN (1938)
This short film focuses on a community founded by a Catholic Priest as a self-sufficient town for homeless and delinquent boys.
Dir: Harry Loud (uncredited)
Cast: Edward Flanagan, Johnny Walsh, Frank Whitbeck
BW-11 mins,

Filmed on location at Boys Town in Nebraska.


3:45 AM -- A TALE OF TWO CITIES (1935)
Charles Dickens' classic story of two men in love with the same woman during the French Revolution.
Dir: Jack Conway
Cast: Ronald Colman, Elizabeth Allen, Edna May Oliver
BW-126 mins, CC,

Nominee for Oscars for Best Film Editing -- Conrad A. Nervig, and Best Picture

Actor Ronald Colman agreed to play the role of Sydney Carton with the sole condition that he not also be required to play the role of Charles Darnay, as was usually expected in adaptations of the Dickens novel. The plot of A Tale of Two Cities turns on the physical resemblance between the two characters. Colman had long wanted to play Sidney Carton, and was even willing to shave off his beloved mustache to play the part.