TCM Schedule for Thursday, October 3, 2019 -- What's On Tonight: Bewitched!

[Staph]

In the daylight hours, TCM has a selection of films about the Lone Star state. I can't find a particular Texas-related event associated with the day, but we'll celebrate anyway! I want tacos and Blue Bell ice cream!

Then in prime time, TCM begins their usual October theme of horror classic films (probably my least favorite catagory of films!). But tell us more about it, Roger!

As a countdown to Halloween on Thursday, October 31, this year's collection of Horror Classics should offer something to shiver every spine, ranging from vampires and black cats to witches and zombies, plus a generous supply of unquiet spirits and devil worshippers. Our fright nights cover the 1920s to the 1980s. Here's a scary sample from each of the seven decades.

The Phantom Carriage (1921) is a silent fantasy directed by and starring Victor Sjöström, considered the "father of Swedish film." He plays a drunkard who fulfills a prophecy that the first sinner who dies in the New Year will drive a ghostly carriage and become a collector of other dead souls. The movie's legacy is its narrative structure and special effects, which were considered very advanced for their time. Ingmar Bergman acknowledged that this movie was a major influence on his work, and Charlie Chaplin called it "the best film ever made."

The Black Cat (1934) was the first of two films of that title featuring Bela Lugosi and inspired by the Edgar Allan Poe story. (The second came in 1941.) In this one, for a change, Lugosi is the (mostly) good guy, a doctor who plays protector to a pair of unlucky American newlyweds (David Manners and Julie Bishop) who are honeymooning in Hungary. Boris Karloff, in his first of eight onscreen appearances with Lugosi, plays an evil Satan worshipper who threatens the couple. This film was Universal's biggest hit of the year and is credited with establishing the subgenre of psychological horror, with its emphasis on atmosphere and emotional tension.

The Uninvited (1944), another film that depends largely on an ominous mood for its chilling effect, tells the story of a brother and sister (Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey) who move into an abandoned house on the English coast and find it to be haunted. Gail Russell, in her breakthrough role, plays the fragile daughter of the former woman of the house and provides Milland's love interest. Russell's character is named Stella, and Victor Young's musical score includes the lovely "Stella by Starlight" theme, which would become an enduring jazz standard.

Bell, Book and Candle (1958) is an offbeat choice because it isn't really a horror film but a sophisticated romantic comedy with supernatural overtones. Based on the Broadway hit by John Van Druten, the movie concerns a modern-day witch (Kim Novak) who beguiles a book publisher (James Stewart). Playing Novak's witchy cohorts in a sparkling supporting cast are Jack Lemmon, Elsa Lanchester and Hermione Gingold. David O. Selznick had originally bought the rights to the stage comedy as a vehicle for his wife, Jennifer Jones, but eventually sold them to Columbia Pictures, clearing the way for Novak to take on the role.

Eye of the Devil (1967) also had been planned as a vehicle for Novak, but she injured her back in a horse-riding accident during filming and was replaced by Deborah Kerr. The British film, based on a novel by Philip Loraine, concerns a couple (Kerr and David Niven) who own a vineyard where it seems that a blood sacrifice will be required for a good crop! Sharon Tate, in her debut film performance, costars as a beautiful witch. Over the years, this film has gained cult status because of its surreal atmosphere and the real-life murder of Tate in 1969.

The Blood on Satan's Claw (1971) is the eye-catching title of a British horror film that earns a certain distinction in casting Satan himself as the villain and portraying him directly (played by an uncredited actor named Peter Ardran). The story, set in the English countryside of the 17th century, concerns a group of local children possessed by evil who are assaulting and killing others. This was one of the last films of Patrick Wymark, a British actor who plays a judge fighting the demons; he died of a heart attack at age 44 in 1970.

The Fog (1980) is directed, co-written and scored by horror specialist John Carpenter of Halloween (1978) fame. This one concerns a weird fog that drifts over a coastal town in California and brings the ghosts of mariners killed there in a shipwreck a century earlier. Carpenter cast two of his favorite leading ladies: then-wife Adrienne Barbeau as a radio DJ who alerts her listeners to the crisis, and Jamie Lee Curtis as a hitchhiker passing through town. The solid supporting cast includes John Houseman, Hal Holbrook and Curtis's mother, Janet Leigh, lending a touch of horror class with her connection to Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960). The Fog is another movie that has benefited from the passing of time and a growing reputation as a cult favorite.

by Roger Fristoe

Enjoy!



6:30 AM -- NOTHING SACRED (1937)
When a small-town girl is diagnosed with a rare, deadly disease, an ambitious newspaper man turns her into a national heroine.
Dir: William A. Wellman
Cast: Carole Lombard, Fredric March, Charles Winninger
C-74 mins, CC,

Ben Hecht wrote a role for his friend John Barrymore, but David O. Selznick refused to hire Barrymore due to Barrymore's alcohol abuse. Hecht refused to work on any more drafts and quit the film.


7:45 AM -- LONE STAR (1952)
A frontiersman helps out with Texas's fight for independence from Mexico.
Dir: Vincent Sherman
Cast: Clark Gable, Ava Gardner, Broderick Crawford
BW-95 mins, CC,

Final film of Lionel Barrymore. NOTE: He had previously played US President Andrew Jackson in The Gorgeous Hussy (1936). Beulah Bondi, who plays Minniver Bryan, played Jackson's wife, Rachel Jackson, in the previous film.


9:30 AM -- THE WHEELER DEALERS (1963)
Texas tycoons try to mix love with finance on a trip to New York.
Dir: Arthur Hiller
Cast: James Garner, Lee Remick, Phil Harris
C-105 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Film debut of Alan Sues.


11:30 AM -- THE FRENCH LINE (1954)
A Texas heiress masquerades as a model in hopes of finding true love.
Dir: Lloyd Bacon
Cast: Jane Russell, Gilbert Roland, Arthur Hunnicutt
C-101 mins, CC,

Jane Russell's dance to "Looking For Trouble" was shot in two versions. For the American release, she did her pelvic "bumps" behind a flower planter. For the European release, the "bumps" were done without anything hiding them.


1:15 PM -- BOB WILLS AND HIS TEXAS PLAYBOYS (1944)
In this short film, Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys perform such popular musical numbers as "Ride On" and "My Adobe Hacienda." Vitaphone Release 1256A.
Dir: LeRoy Prinz
BW-11 mins,


1:30 PM -- BLOSSOMS IN THE DUST (1941)
True-life story of Edna Gladney, who fought for orphans' rights in Texas.
Dir: Mervyn LeRoy
Cast: Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Felix Bressart
C-99 mins, CC,

Winner of an Oscar for Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Color -- Cedric Gibbons, Urie McCleary and Edwin B. Willis

Nominee for Oscars for Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Greer Garson, Best Cinematography, Color -- Karl Freund and W. Howard Greene, and Best Picture

The child who portrayed Tony in the movie was a 4-year-old named Pat Barker. It was only when Pat came to Fort Worth to celebrate the movie's premiere that the world discovered that Pat was actually Patricia.


3:30 PM -- COW COUNTRY (1953)
A hired hand gets caught between a noble rancher and ruthless land grabbers.
Dir: Lesley Selander
Cast: Edmond O'Brien, Helen Westcott, Bob Lowry
BW-81 mins, CC,

Based on the novel by Curtis Bishop.


5:00 PM -- COLE YOUNGER, GUNFIGHTER (1958)
A young man in trouble with the Texas state police during the 1870's is forced to go on the lam, joining a gang with an infamous outlaw.
Dir: R. G. Springsteen
Cast: Frank Lovejoy, James Best, Abby Dalton
C-79 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

The same script, derived from a novel by Clifton Adams and screen-written by Daniel Mainwaring, was previously used in "The Desperado," distributed by Allied Artists Pictures four years earlier. Allied produced and distributed the new film. Some minor action elements were trimmed, making the new film about two minutes shorter. The other main difference is that the new version was shot in color.


6:30 PM -- THE FIRST TEXAN (1956)
After arriving in Texas to escape a scandal back east, a lawyer becomes involved in the independence of Texas.
Dir: Byron Haskin
Cast: Joel McCrea, Felicia Farr, Jeff Morrow
C-82 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

A version of The Conqueror (1917) and Man of Conquest (1939).



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: BEWITCHED!



8:00 PM -- BELL BOOK AND CANDLE (1958)
A beautiful witch puts a love spell on an unknowing publisher.
Dir: Richard Quine
Cast: James Stewart, Kim Novak, Jack Lemmon
C-102 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Nominee for Oscars for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White or Color -- Cary Odell and Louis Diage, and Best Costume Design, Black-and-White or Color -- Jean Louis

This was James Stewart's final appearance as a romantic lead. This was because many of the leading ladies that were playing his romantic interest were becoming younger and a few were half his age. The critics in 1958 felt that Stewart was miscast as a suave New York businessman, and he apparently agreed. After this film he would concentrate more on roles that portrayed him as an everyman or as a father figure.


9:45 PM -- HORROR HOTEL (1960)
A young coed travels to a village to continue her research on witchcraft, and discovers some horrifying secrets.
Dir: John Moxey
Cast: Patricia Jessel, Betta St. John, Christopher Lee
BW-78 mins, CC,

Originally released in the UK as The City of the Dead. This movie's U.S. release under the title of "Horror Hotel" omitted the following lines during Elizabeth Selwyn's burning at the stake in the first scene, which are critical to fully understanding the plot, but apparently offended American censors: Elizabeth Selwyn: "I have made my pact with thee O Lucifer! Hear me, hear me! I will do thy bidding for all eternity. For all eternity shall I practice the ritual of Black Mass. For all eternity shall I sacrifice unto thee. I give thee my soul, take me into thy service." Jethro Keane: "O Lucifer, listen to thy servant, grant her this pact for all eternity and I with her, and if we fail thee but once, you may do with our souls what you will." Elizabeth Selwyn: "Make this city an example of thy vengeance. Curse it, curse it for all eternity! Let me be the instrument of thy curse. Hear me O Lucifer, hear me!"


11:15 PM -- THE DEVIL'S OWN (1966)
Following a horrifying experience with the occult in Africa, a schoolteacher moves to a small English village, only to discover that black magic resides there as well.
Dir: Cyril Frankel
Cast: Joan Fontaine, Kay Walsh, Alec McCowen
C-91 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Based on the novel 'The Devil's Own' by Norah Lofts, under the pen name of Peter Curtis, it was released in America under that title, but released in the UK as The Witches.


1:00 AM -- SUSPIRIA (1977)
A dancing school is haunted by mysterious murders.
Dir: Dario Argento
Cast: Alessandra Capozzi, Susanna Javicoli, Udo Kier
C-93 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Director Dario Argento's original idea was that the ballet school would accommodate young girls no older than twelve years. However, the studio and producer Salvatore Argento (his father) denied his request because a film this violent involving children would almost certainly be banned. Dario raised the age limit of the girls to twenty years but did not rewrite the script, hence the naiveté of the characters and the occasionally childlike dialogue. He also put all the doorknobs at about the same height as the actress' heads so they would have to raise their arms in order to open the doors, just like children.


2:45 AM -- NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS (1971)
Newlyweds try to survive life at a haunted family estate.
Dir: Dan Curtis
Cast: David Selby, Grayson Hall, Kate Jackson
C-94 mins, CC,

It is reported that MGM forced Dan Curtis to cut over 35 minutes from the completed film, and gave him only 24 hours to do the job. So the film, which was meant to be approximately 129 minutes, was shortened about 94 minutes, which according to some caused the film to lose its coherence. Much of the excised footage was recovered in 1999, but unfortunately, without sound.


4:30 AM -- HAXAN: WITCHCRAFT THROUGH THE AGES (1922)
Scenes trace the history of witchcraft from the middle ages to the early 20th century.
Dir: Benjamin Christensen
Cast: Benjamin Christensen, Maren Pedersen, Clara Pontoppidan
BW-107 mins,

The Swedish film censors required numerous cuts in the film, before authorizing its release. Among the censored scenes were the closeup of the finger being removed from the hanged man's hand, the trampling of the cross in the witch's sabbath scene, the shot of the oozing infant held over a cooking pot, a closeup of a woman's face while she is on a torture rack, closeups of several instruments of torture being employed, and a shot of a demon embracing a nude woman (all these shots have since been restored to the film).