TCM schedule Saturday, Oct. 5: The Killing Fields, Gilda Radner, Clint Eastwood, Paul Muni, Al Pacino

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TCM schedule Saturday, Oct. 5: The Killing Fields, Gilda Radner, Clint Eastwood, Paul Muni, Al Pacino (All times Eastern/Pacific)

October 5 at a glance

MAKING CHANGE - POLITICAL FILMS
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)
City Hall (1996) (TCM Premiere)
Strike (1925)
High and Low (1963)
- TCM DAYTIME WEEKEND FEATURES
MGM Cartoons: Cobs and Robbers (1953) (8 am ET)
Amazing Mr. Nordill, The (1947) (short)
How to Figure Income Tax (1938) (short)
Strange Alibi (1941)
The Wolf Dog Ch. 1: The Call of the Wilderness
(1933) (TCM Premiere)
Popeye: Fowl Play (1937)
Tarzan's Magic Fountain (1949)
Words & Music (1931) (short)
Gilda Live (1980) (Musical Matinee)
Fistful of Dollars, A (1964)
Ennio (2021)
Macao (1952)
- TCM PRIMETIME TCM SERIES:
TWO FOR ONE - MARTIN SCORSESE
Blood on the Moon (1948)
One Touch of Venus (1948)
- NOIR ALLEY
Detour (1945)
- TCM LATE NIGHT: 1980's FILMS
Killing Fields, The (1984)
Withnail & I (1987)

October 5: full day's schedule

MAKING CHANGE - POLITICAL FILMS
12:00 AM I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang is a 1932 American pre-Code crime tragedy film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Paul Muni as a convicted man on a chain gang who escapes to Chicago. It was released on November 10, 1932. The film received critical acclaim and was nominated for three Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Actor for Muni.

The film was written by Howard J. Green and Brown Holmes from Robert Elliott Burns's 1932 autobiography of a similar name I Am a Fugitive from a Georgia Chain Gang! originally serialized in the True Detective magazine.[3] The true life story was later the basis for the television movie The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains (1987) starring Val Kilmer.[4]

In 1991, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant"
Dir: Mervyn Le Roy Cast: Paul Muni, Glenda Farrell, Helen Vinson
Runtime: 72 mins Genre: Drama Rating: TV-PG CC: Y

Oscar nominations (no wins):
ACTOR -- Paul Muni {"James Allen"} [came in 2nd]
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION -- Warner Bros.
SOUND RECORDING -- Warner Bros. Studio Sound Department, Nathan Levinson, Sound Director [came in 2nd]

Trivia: The film was based on the true story of Robert E. Burns. It sticks basically to the facts except for two instances: Burns actually did steal the $5.29 in order to eat, and he finally succeeded in evading the Georgia legal system with the help of three New Jersey governors. Burns actually slipped into Hollywood and worked for a few weeks on the film, but ultimately the stress and risk were too much, and he fled back to the safety of New Jersey. The book and film helped bring about the collapse of the brutal chain gang system in Georgia. Warner Bros. took a big chance on the film, as social commentary was not normally done in Hollywood pictures. However, this film was a critical and financial success and helped establish Warners as the studio with a social conscience - it also helped save the financially ailing company. Even though Georgia was never specifically named in the film, numerous lawsuits were filed against the studio, the film was banned in Georgia, and the studio's head and the film's director were told that should they ever find themselves in Georgia they would be treated to a dose of the "social evil" they so roundly denounced.

1:45 AM City Hall (1996) (TCM Premiere)

The accidental shooting of a boy in New York leads to an investigation by the Deputy Mayor, and unexpectedly far-reaching consequences.
Dir: Harold Becker Cast: Al Pacino, John Cusack, Bridget Fonda, Danny Aiello
Runtime: 111 mins Genre: Drama Rating: TV-MA CC:

Trivia: To help prepare for his role, Al Pacino spent time with then-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Mayors Ed Koch and David Dinkins.

3:45 AM Strike (1925)

Strike is a 1925 Soviet silent propaganda film directed and edited by Sergei Eisenstein. Originating as one entry out of a proposed seven-part series titled "Towards Dictatorship of the Proletariat", Strike was a joint collaboration between the Proletcult Theatre and the film studio Goskino. As Eisenstein's first full-length feature film, it marked his transition from theatre to cinema, and his next film Battleship Potemkin emerged from the same film cycle.

Arranged in six parts, the film depicts a strike in 1903 by the workers of a factory in pre-revolutionary Russia, and their subsequent suppression. It is best known for a sequence towards the climax, in which the violent suppression of the strike is cross-cut with footage of cattle being slaughtered, and similar animal metaphors are used throughout the film to describe various individuals.

Upon release, Strike received praise from critics, but many audiences were confused by its eccentric style. It received little international distribution until its reappraisal during the 1950s and 1960s. It is now recognized as one of Eisenstein's more accessible works and a major influence on many of his contemporaries.

Dir: Sergei M. Eisenstein Cast: Grigory Alexandrov, Maxim Shtraukh, Mikhail Gomorov
Runtime: 92 mins Genre: Silent Rating: TV-PG CC: N

Trivia: First feature film directed by Sergei Eisenstein.

5:15 AM High and Low (1963)

When the son of his chauffeur is kidnapped by mistake, a wealthy man faces the dilemma of paying the ransom.
Dir: Akira Kurosawa Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kyoko Kagawa
Runtime: 143 mins Genre: Suspense/Mystery Rating: TV-14 CC: N

Trivia: After the film was released, kidnappings were on the rise in Japan. Akira Kurosawa himself had received threats for the kidnapping of his own daughter, Kazuko Kurosawa. She quoted him as once saying to her "With High and Low, I wanted to inspire tougher sentences on kidnappers. Instead, I was criticized for their increase."

- TCM DAYTIME WEEKEND FEATURES
8:00 AM Cartoon: Cobs and Robbers (1953)
Barney Bear's corn field is taken over by crows; he hires Joe Scarecrow to protect the field, but old Joe is not who he seems.
Dir: Dick Lundy Cast: Paul Frees
Runtime: 6 mins Genre: Animation Rating: TV-G CC: Y


8:07 AM Short: The Amazing Mr. Nordill (1947)
This short film focuses on Everett Nordill, a mastermind behind a counterfeiting ring in the mid-nineteenth century.
Dir: Joseph Newman Cast: Paul Maxey, Leon Ames, John Nesbitt
Runtime: 10 mins Genre: Short Rating: TV-G CC: N


8:18 AM Short: How to Figure Income Tax (1938)
In this comedic short, Robert Benchley explains how those income tax papers work... or tries to.
Dir: Roy Rowland Cast: Robert Benchley, Robert Benchley, Jack Chertok
Runtime: 7 mins Genre: Comedy Rating: TV-G CC: N


8:26 AM Strange Alibi (1941)

An undercover cop finds himself on the wrong side of the law when the mob discovers his true identity.
Dir: D. Ross Lederman Cast: Arthur Kennedy, Joan Perry, Jonathan Hale
Runtime: 63 mins Genre: Crime Rating: TV-PG CC: N


9:30 AM Serial: The Wolf Dog: Chapter 1: The Call of the Wilderness (1933) (TCM Premiere)

The Wolf Dog is a 1933 American Pre-Code Mascot film serial directed by Colbert Clark and Harry L. Fraser and starring Frankie Darro and Rin Tin Tin, Jr. The plot concerns a young boy becoming the heir to a fortune and a villain attempting to take it from him. The boy's canine pet, Rin Tin Tin Jr., is the star of the film, protecting his master from a succession of murder attempts.

This was Rin Tin Tin Jr.'s first serial outing, having replaced the original Rin Tin Tin who died in 1932. He also starred in two other serials, The Law of the Wild (1934) and The Adventures of Rex and Rinty (1935). The Wolf Dog was released on Sept. 30, 1933.
Dir: Colbert Clark, Harry L. Fraser Cast: Rin Tin Tin Jr., Frankie Darro, Boots Mallory
Runtime: 30 mins Genre: Adventure Rating: TV-G CC:


10:00 AM Cartoon: Fowl Play (1937)
Bluto tries to steal a parrot which Popeye has given Olive Oyl as a gift. In the chase that follows, the bird gets away. Popeye is subdued and Olive faints six or seven times but everything turns out alright in the laugh-filled finale.
Dir: Dave Fleischer, Dave Tendlar Cast: Jack Mercer, Mae Questel, Gus Wickie
Runtime: 7 mins Genre: Animation Rating: TV-PG CC: Y


10:08 AM Tarzan's Magic Fountain (1949)

Explorers try to use the jungle king to find a fountain of youth.
Dir: Lee Sholem Cast: Lex Barker, Brenda Joyce, Albert Dekker
Runtime: 73 mins Genre: Adventure Rating: TV-PG CC: Y

Trivia: Producer Sol Lesser interviewed more than 1,000 actors to replace Johnny Weissmuller in the role of Tarzan.

Trivia: Final film of Brenda Joyce. She retired after making this film,

11:30 AM Short: Words & Music (1931)
A singer and a songwriter work together to create new music.
Dir: Roy Mack Cast: Ray Collins, Byron Russell, Frank McNellis
Runtime: 20 mins Genre: Short Rating: TV-PG CC: N

12:00 PM Gilda Live (1980)

Gilda Radner is recorded during a live comedy concert. Radner's classic characters are seen in sketches that are sometimes more risque than when they appeared on television. During her breaks, the character Father Guido Sarducci takes the stage.

Dir: Mike Nichols Cast: Gilda Radner, Nils Nichols, Bob Christianson, Maria Vidal
Runtime: 90 mins Genre: Comedy Rating: TV-14 CC: Y

Trivia: This was filmed at the same time as The Blues Brothers (1980), which created a conflict for Paul Shaffer. At the urging of Lorne Michaels, Shaffer chose to work on this film. His part in The Blues Brothers was given to Murphy Dunne, and John Belushi is said to have remarked, "Paul Shaffer is not a Blues Brother."


1:45 PM A Fistful of Dollars (1964)

A lone drifter wanders into a Western town torn apart by two feuding families. He hires himself out as a mercenary, taking no sides and playing one side against the middle, until all is destroyed.
Dir: Sergio Leone Cast: Clint Eastwood, Marianne Koch, Gian Maria Volontè
Runtime: 96 mins Genre: Western Rating: TV-14 CC: Y

Trivia: Clint Eastwood's contract for Rawhide (1959) prohibited him from making movies in the United States while on break from the series. However, the contract did allow him to accept movie assignments in Europe.

Trivia: Since all of the footage was filmed silently, Clint Eastwood did not add his voice to the soundtrack until 1967, when the movie was prepared for U.S. release.

3:45 PM Ennio (2021)

A documentary on the legendary film composer Ennio Morricone.
Dir: Giuseppe Tornatore Cast: Ennio Morricone, Silvano Agosti, Alessandro Alessandroni
Runtime: 156 mins Genre: Documentary Rating: TV-14 CC: Y

Trivia: Although the film had its world premiere in the 2021 Venice Festival, the passing of Ennio Morricone in 2020 - aged 91 - is purposely not acknowledged.


6:30 PM Macao (1952)

A man on the run in the Far East is mistaken for an undercover cop.
Dir: Josef Von Sternberg Cast: Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell, William Bendix
Runtime: 80 mins Genre: Adventure Rating: TV-PG CC: Y

Trivia: Jane Russell reports that director Josef von Sternberg was nasty to the crew, and would make insulting remarks about her and Robert Mitchum to each other, such as "what are we going to do with this beautiful stupid girl." Although Sternberg threatened Mitchum that he could be put off the picture, in the end it was the director who was replaced by Nicholas Ray.

- TCM PRIMETIME TCM SERIES:
TWO FOR ONE - MARTIN SCORSESE
8:00 PM Blood on the Moon (1948)

A gunslinger hired to drive off a rancher falls in love with the man's daughter.
Dir: Robert Wise Cast: Robert Mitchum, Barbara Bel Geddes, Robert Preston
Runtime: 88 mins Genre: Western Rating: TV-G CC: Y

Trivia: Many critics consider this the first western with film noir style.

Trivia: Walter Brennan, an Old West aficionado and historian, saw Robert Mitchum walk onto the set in costume and said, "That is the god-damnedest realest cowboy I've ever seen!"

Trivia: Shortly after this movie was made, the new boss of RKO, Howard Hughes, terminated Barbara Bel Geddes' contract, saying she wasn't sexy enough. She would go on to become most famous for her role of Miss Ellie Ewing on the long-running nighttime soap opera Dallas (1978).

9:45 PM One Touch of Venus (1948)

A young window dresser kisses a statue of Venus, which then comes to life. Problems begin when Venus falls in love with him.
Dir: William A. Seiter, Gregory La Cava Cast: Robert Walker, Ava Gardner, Eve Arden
Runtime: 82 mins Genre: Comedy Rating: TV-G CC: Y

Trivia: MGM loaned Ava Gardner to Universal Studios to make this movie. Universal sent her to sculptor Joseph Nicolosi to make a proper life-size statue of the goddess. Nicolosi's first statue was entirely nude, and the studio told the sculptor to go back and make a more modest goddess. Universal sent members of the press a small souvenir knockoff of the second statue as a promotional item. According to author Lee Server in his biography "Ava Gardner: Love is Nothing", Robert Walker was so infatuated with his co-star that when he found rival Howard Duff in her dressing room, he slapped Ava. She left the studio and filming ended.

Mary Pickford bought the screen rights to the original Broadway musical comedy for $150,000, intending to film it with the original cast, which included Mary Martin. The plan was abandoned after Martin became pregnant.

NOIR ALLEY: 12:00 AM Detour (1945)

A hitchhiker takes on a dead man's identity only to face blackmail by an unscrupulous woman.
Dir: Edgar G. Ulmer Cast: Tom Neal, Ann Savage, Claudia Drake
Runtime: 68 mins Genre: Suspense/Mystery Rating: TV-PG CC: Y

Trivia: According to Ann Savage, she and Tom Neal did not get along during filming. Savage stated that Neal embarrassed her on the set by putting his tongue in her ear. She retaliated by slapping his face as hard as she could. After that incident, they did not speak to each other except when filming scenes.

- TCM LATE NIGHT: 1980's FILMS
1:30 AM The Killing Fields (1984)

The Killing Fields is a 1984 British biographical drama film about the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, which is based on the experiences of two journalists: Cambodian Dith Pran and American Sydney Schanberg. It was directed by Roland Joffé and produced by David Puttnam for his company Goldcrest Films. Sam Waterston stars as Schanberg, Haing S. Ngor as Pran, and John Malkovich as Al Rockoff. The adaptation for the screen was written by Bruce Robinson; the musical score was written by Mike Oldfield and orchestrated by David Bedford.

The film was a success at the box office and an instant hit with critics. At the 57th Academy Awards it received seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture; it won three, most notably Best Supporting Actor for Haing S. Ngor, who had no previous acting experience, as well as Best Cinematography and Best Editing. At the 38th British Academy Film Awards, it won eight BAFTAs, including Best Film and Best Actor in a Leading Role for Ngor.

In 1999, the British Film Institute voted The Killing Fields the 100th greatest British film of the 20th century. In 2016, British film magazine Empire ranked it number 86 in their list of the 100 best British films.

Dir: Roland Joffe Cast: John Malkovich, Haing S Ngor, Monirak Sisowath
Runtime: 134 mins Genre: Epic Rating: TV-MA CC: Y

Oscar nominations (three wins):
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE -- Sam Waterston {"Sydney Schanberg"}
(*WINNER*) ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE -- Haing S. Ngor {"Dith Pran"}
(*WINNER*) CINEMATOGRAPHY -- Chris Menges
DIRECTING -- Roland Joffé
(*WINNER*) FILM EDITING -- Jim Clark
BEST PICTURE -- David Puttnam, Producer
WRITING (Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium) -- Bruce Robinson

Trivia: In real life, Haing S. Ngor's wife died under the Khmer Rouge regime, haemorrhaging during childbirth (the baby also died). She knew that she couldn't contact her husband as doctors were all being murdered by the regime so by keeping her silence and dying of internal bleeding, she effectively saved his life.

4:00 AM Withnail & I (1987)

In London, 1969, two out-of-work actors take a holiday in the country and are unprepared for what lies in store for them.
Dir: Bruce Robinson Cast: Richard E. Grant, Paul McGann, Richard Griffiths
Runtime: 108 mins Genre: Comedy Rating: TV-MA CC: Y

Trivia: The film features a rare appearance of an original recording by The Beatles. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" plays as Withnail and Marwood return to London and find Presuming Ed in the bath. The song, which was written and sung by George Harrison, was included in the film soundtrack due to Harrison's involvement in the film as one of the producers.

Trivia: It was this film that prompted the family of Jimi Hendrix to take back full control over the use of his songs. They had grown dismayed by the association of Hendrix with drug culture in general.