by Lani
Each month, I scour the Turner Classic Movies Now Playing guide for upcoming films that I can't miss. The highlights are posted here for your reading and viewing pleasure! (All listed times are Eastern Standard, check your local listings or TCM.com for actual air times in your area. Each day's schedule begins at 6:00 a.m.; if a film airs between midnight and 6 a.m. it is listed on the previous day's programming schedule.)
7/10: Leslie Howard + Bette Davis
8 PM - The Petrified Forest (1936)
9:30 PM - It's Love I'm After (1937)
11:15 PM - Of Human Bondage (1934)
Star of the Month Leslie Howard is featured every Tuesday in July, but I'm especially interested in tonight's line-up co-starring Bette Davis. The two actors reportedly did not get along well off-screen; however, their work together on-screen is in perfect harmony. Englishman Howard first held a grudge against American Davis for getting the lead in Of Human Bondage, a role he felt should have been played by a British actress. That was to be Davis's break-out role and two years later she would again star opposite Howard in The Petrified Forest. Davis was reluctant to do her third film opposite Howard, It's Love I'm After, since their relationship during Forest had run hot and cold. However, this time Davis was left alone; Howard's off-screen attentions were focused solely on beautiful co-star Olivia de Havilland.
7/12, 9:45 PM - Stormy Weather (1943)
This film is significant in history as one of the first big-ticket Hollywood films to feature an all-black cast; however, it is truly notable for its glittering musical numbers starring some of the top talents of the 40s. Bill "Bojangles" Robinson stars as an aspiring dancer in love with singer Lena Horne. The title song would become Horne's signature tune. The two stars are also joined by Cab Calloway, Fats Waller, and The Nicholas Brothers. (Personally, I hate to miss any opportunity to see the marvelous Nicholas Brothers perform.)
7/15, 12 AM - The Films of Georges Melies (1896)
Marvel at the ingenious special effects of early filmmaker Georges Melies in this collection of restored silent shorts, including A Trip to the Moon.
7/19: A Day in Prison
Spend a day behind bars with 9 films set in or around prisons. In the "classic" era, prison films were generally B-grade, but often ripe for campy fun. These are the three that caught my eye:
6 AM - Ladies They Talk About (1933) - A young Barbara Stanwyck stars as a bank robber who becomes boss of the cell block.
4 PM - House of Numbers (1957) - Jack Palance plays opposite himself as twins - one imprisoned, the other trying to break his brother out.
5:45 PM - Convicts 4 (1962) - In a rare leading role, Ben Gazzara stars as real-life convict John Resko, who discovers a talent for art while behind bars. Ray Walston, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Timothy Carey (also a prisoner in House of Numbers) play the three other convicts of the title.
7/20: More Vampires
2 AM - Near Dark (1987)
3:45 AM - The Fearless Vampire Killers; Or, Pardon Me But Your Teeth Are In My Neck (1967)
Since Dracula first stalked the screen, vampires have never really gone out of fashion. Right now you can see them on TV in True Blood and The Vampire Diaries. On the big screen, The Twilight Saga continues, Johnny Depp dons pointy teeth in Dark Shadows, and even Abraham Lincoln has been dubbed a vampire hunter. But if all those don't satisfy your hunger, TCM is showing these two very different vampire movies from directors Kathryn Bigelow and Roman Polanski. The blood suckers of Near Dark resemble a family of filthy drifters rather than the aristocratic Count Dracula or shiny, happy Cullens (in fact, the word "vampire" is not used in this film). This family, led by Lance Henriksen and a scene-stealing Bill Paxton, also draw far more blood than you're likely to find in Dracula and Twilight combined - you've been warned. In contrast, Fearless Vampire Killers is played for comedy, telling the story of a bumbling professor on the track of vampires in the wilds of Eastern Europe.
7/67: Dick Tracy
8 PM - Dick Tracy (1990)
9:55 PM - Dick Tracy Special (2009)
10:30 PM - Dick Tracy (1945)
11:45 PM - Dick Tracy vs. Cueball (1946)
1 AM - Dick Tracy's Dilemma (1947)
Some of you may remember The Great Dick Tracy Marketing Blitz of 1990. I was but a child, yet I remember it well. In anticipation of the release of Warren Beatty's big-budget movie based on a 1930's comic strip, Dick Tracy merchandise was everywhere you looked. I may have owned the most pathetic piece: a plain, pink zippered pouch, meant to be worn around your wrist, with plain, black iron-on letters spelling out "DICK TRACY." I'm not sure if it was even official merchandise, or the product of someone capitalizing on the Dick Tracy mania then sweeping the country. Well, the movie came and went; it won Oscars for its striking art direction, makeup, and Best Song. But the film itself hasn't had much of an afterlife. Except for the Dick Tracy Special, filmed 19 years later, in which Leonard Maltin interviews Beatty, in costume as Dick Tracy, about the history of the character on film. I'm not sure if anyone was asking for this to happen, but it did, so there you have it. Tonight TCM is showing it all - Beatty's film, the special, and three Dick Tracy movies from the 40s. Perhaps we can recapture the rush of Dick Tracy fever again, if only for one night.
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