TCM Schedule for Friday, December 18, 2020 -- What's On Tonight: TCM Classic Christmas Marathon

[Staph]

In the daylight hours, TCM has a day's worth of films directed by William Wyler, with two of his many Oscar-nominated films and two of his three Oscar wins (it's the wrong season to watch Ben Hur!). Then in prime time, it's the beginning of TCM's Classic Christmas Marathon, that will continue through Christmas Day. Enjoy!


6:30 AM -- Jezebel (1938)
1h 44m | Romance | TV-PG
A tempestuous Southern belle's willfulness threatens to destroy all who care for her.
Director: William Wyler
Cast: Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, George Brent

Winner of Oscars for Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Bette Davis (On 19 July 2001 Steven Spielberg purchased Davis' Oscar statuette at a Christie's auction and returned it to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This was the second time in five years Spielberg did so to protect an Oscar from further commercial exploitation.), and Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Fay Bainter

Nominee for Oscars for Best Cinematography -- Ernest Haller, Best Music, Scoring -- Max Steiner, and Best Picture

Bette Davis came to the realization that William Wyler was a very special director when he insisted she come view the dailies with him, something she had never done with any other director before. They watched a scene where her character was coming down a staircase, a scene that had really irritated Davis, as she couldn't understand why Wyler wanted to film it over 30 times. Watching the rushes, however, she saw one of the takes in which he had captured a fleeting, devil-may-care expression that summed her character up perfectly. After that, she happily accepted however many takes Wyler wanted.


8:30 AM -- The Letter (1940)
1h 37m | Drama | TV-PG
A woman claims to have killed in self-defense, until a blackmailer turns up with incriminating evidence.
Director: William Wyler
Cast: Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, James Stephenson

Nominee for Oscars for Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Bette Davis, Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- James Stephenson, Best Director -- William Wyler, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -- Tony Gaudio, Best Film Editing -- Warren Low, Best Music, Original Score -- Max Steiner, and Best Picture

After shooting was completed, William Wyler watched a rough cut and decided that he wanted the character of Leslie to be more sympathetic. He ordered some re-writes and planned to shoot them. Bette Davis recalled - "I was heartbroken," she said, "as I felt, after reading the rewrites, that my performance could be ruined with these additions. I asked Willie if I could see the film before doing the retakes. To my horror I was crying at myself at the end of the showing. There was dead silence in the projection room when the lights came up. I said, 'If we film these retakes, we will lose the intelligent audience. It is impossible to please everyone with any one film. If we try to accomplish this, we can lose all audiences.' Plus, to my shame, even though I played the part, I deeply sympathized with Leslie Crosbie. We only made one small addition to the original film. Wyler had agreed with me. Thank God!"


10:15 AM -- The Westerner (1940)
1h 40m | Drama | TV-PG
A drifter accused of horse stealing faces off against the notorious Judge Roy Bean.
Director: William Wyler
Cast: Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, Fred Stone

Winner of an Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Walter Brennan

Nominee for Oscars for Best Writing, Original Story -- Stuart N. Lake, and Best Art Direction, Black-and-White -- James Basevi

Walter Brennan was somewhat embarrassed as to how he won three Oscars. In the early years of the Academy Awards, extras were given the right to vote. Brennan was popular with the Union of Film Extras, and since their numbers were overwhelming, he won every time he was nominated. His third win for this film led to the disenfranchisement of the union from Oscar voting.


12:00 PM -- The Little Foxes (1941)
1h 56m | Drama | TV-PG
An ambitious woman takes on her corrupt brothers and honest husband in her drive for wealth.
Director: William Wyler
Cast: Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, Teresa Wright

Nominee for Oscars for Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Bette Davis, Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Patricia Collinge, Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Teresa Wright, Best Director -- William Wyler, Best Writing, Screenplay -- Lillian Hellman, Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Black-and-White -- Stephen Goosson and Howard Bristol, Best Film Editing -- Daniel Mandell, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic Picture -- Meredith Willson, and Best Picture

Bette Davis and William Wyler fought a great deal during filming. Disagreements ranged from Davis's interpretation of the character (Wyler thought she should be more sympathetic) to the appearance of the house (Davis thought it was far too opulent for a family struggling financially), to her appearance (Wyler thought her white makeup made her look like a Kabuki performer.) Davis eventually walked out of production, but returned when she heard rumors she was going to be replaced by Katharine Hepburn or Miriam Hopkins.


2:15 PM -- Mrs. Miniver (1942)
2h 14m | Drama | TV-G
A British family struggles to survive the first days of World War II.
Director: William Wyler
Cast: Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Teresa Wright

Winner of Oscars for Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Greer Garson, Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Teresa Wright, Best Director -- William Wyler (William Wyler was not present at the awards ceremony because he was overseas shooting for the Army Air Force. His wife Margaret Tallichet on his behalf.), Best Writing, Screenplay -- George Froeschel, James Hilton, Claudine West and Arthur Wimperis, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -- Joseph Ruttenberg, and Best Picture

Nominee for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Walter Pidgeon, Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Henry Travers, Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- May Whitty, Best Sound, Recording -- Douglas Shearer (M-G-M SSD), Best Film Editing -- Harold F. Kress, and Best Effects, Special Effects -- A. Arnold Gillespie (photographic), Warren Newcombe (photographic) and Douglas Shearer (sound)

The closing speech, delivered by the vicar (Henry Wilcoxon) at the end of the film, was actually written by Wilcoxon and director William Wyler the night before it was filmed. Wyler had grown dissatisfied with the speech the screenwriters had come up with and convinced Wilcoxon to help him improve it. The speech proved to be integral to the film's success and was distributed across America and Europe in order to boost wartime morale amongst soldiers and civilians alike.


4:45 PM -- The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
2h 52m | Romance | TV-PG
Upon returning to small-town America, three World War II veterans have difficulty readjusting to cilivian life.
Director: William Wyler
Cast: Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews

Winner of an Honorary Oscar Award for Harold Russell for bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans through his appearance in The Best Years of Our Lives.

Winner of Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Fredric March (Fredric March was not present at the awards ceremony. Cathy O'Donnell accepted the award on his behalf.), Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Harold Russell, Best Director -- William Wyler, Best Writing, Screenplay -- Robert E. Sherwood, Best Film Editing -- Daniel Mandell, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture -- Hugo Friedhofer, and Best Picture

Nominee for an Oscar for Best Sound, Recording -- Gordon Sawyer (Samuel Goldwyn SSD)

William Wyler, who served as a major in the Army Air Force during World War II, incorporated his own wartime experiences into the film. Just as Fred Derry (Dana Andrews) did in the movie, Wyler flew in B-17s in combat over Germany, although rather than being a bombardier, as Derry was, Wyler shot footage for documentary films (his hearing was permanently damaged when an anti-aircraft shell exploded near his plane while on a bombing raid). Additionally, he modeled the reunion of Al and Milly, in which they first see each other at opposite ends of a long hallway, on his own homecoming to his wife, Margaret Tallichet.



WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: PRIMETIME THEME -- TCM CLASSIC CHRISTMAS MARATHON



8:00 PM -- Remember the Night (1940)
1h 26m | Drama | TV-G
An assistant D.A. takes a shoplifter home with him for Christmas.
Director: Mitchell Leisen
Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, Beulah Bondi

Even though the story takes place in a contemporary Christmas 1939-New Year 1940 setting, the Old Homestead in Indiana seems to be not yet wired for electricity.


9:45 PM -- The Apartment (1960)
2h 5m | Comedy | TV-PG
An aspiring executive lets his bosses use his apartment for assignations, only to fall for the big chief's mistress.
Director: Billy Wilder
Cast: Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray

Winner of Oscars for Best Director -- Billy Wilder, Best Writing, Story and Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen -- Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White -- Alexandre Trauner and Edward G. Boyle, Best Film Editing -- Daniel Mandell, and Best Picture

Nominee for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Jack Lemmon, Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Shirley MacLaine, Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Jack Kruschen, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -- Joseph LaShelle, and Best Sound -- Gordon Sawyer (Samuel Goldwyn SSD)

The office Christmas party scene was actually filmed on December 23, 1959, so as to catch everybody in the proper holiday mood. Billy Wilder filmed almost all of it on the first take, stating to an observer, "I wish it were always this easy. Today, I can just shout 'action' and stand back."


12:00 AM -- Desk Set (1957)
1h 43m | Comedy | TV-G
A computer expert tries to prove his electronic brain can replace a television network's research staff.
Director: Walter Lang
Cast: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Gig Young

During the Christmas party scene, when Mike enters, he is carrying a giant rabbit for Bunny and Bunny asks, "Aren't you going to introduce me to Harvey?" This is a reference to the 1950 film staring James Stewart titled *Harvey* - a film where a man's family tries to commit him into a mental health facility for claiming to be best friends with an invisible 6-foot tall rabbit.


2:00 AM -- Black Christmas (1975)
1h 13m | Drama | TV-MA
A deranged killer terrorizes the women staying in a sorority house over Christmas.
Director: Bob Clark
Cast: Marian Waldman, John Saxon, Margot Kidder

In 1986, Olivia Hussey met producers for the film Roxanne (1987), since they were interested in casting her for the title role. Roxanne co-star Steve Martin met her and said "Oh my God, Olivia, you were in one of my all-time favorite films." Thinking it was Romeo and Juliet (1968), Olivia was surprised to find out it was actually Black Christmas (1974). Martin claimed he had seen it around 27 times.


4:00 AM -- The Silent Partner (1978)
1h 45m | Adaptation | TV-G
A timid bank teller anticipates a bank robbery and steals the money himself before the crook arrives.
Director: Daryl Duke
Cast: Susannah York, Christopher Plummer, Elliott Gould

The picture's story-element of a heist at Christmas time formed the background for the first few films in the "Die Hard" film franchise.