Each month, I scour the Turner Classic Movies schedule 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.)
4/17: Guest Programmer William Daniels
8 PM - 1776 (1972)
11 PM - A Thousand Clowns (1965)
1:15 AM - Dodsworth (1936)
People of my generation will know actor William Daniels as Mr. Feeny from 90s sitcom Boy Meets World (younger folks may know the character from the spin-off series Girl Meets World). Others may recognize him from his Emmy-winning role on 80s hospital drama St. Elsewhere. But, he's also had a long career on the stage and screen, and his programming picks tonight include two of his own films in which he reprised a successful stage role. First up is 1776, a musical about the second Continental Congress and the creation of the Declaration of Independence, in which Daniels stars as founding father John Adams, reworking his acclaimed performance from the Broadway production for film. The numerous and lengthy debates, compromises, and votes are fascinating for any history buff (despite a bit of dramatic invention), though the witty dialogue and snappy songs keep it from feeling like a stale history lesson. The second film of the night, A Thousand Clowns, has a much smaller scope, centering on a New York City bachelor, played by Jason Robards, who is the guardian for his young nephew. When Robards quits his job, his ability to provide for the child is called into question and a social worker, played by Daniels in another reprise of a stage role, threatens to remove the child from his uncle's care. For his final pick of the night, Daniels chose the 1936 drama Dodsworth, starring Walter Huston. Daniels admires Huston's acting here in a role that Huston had previously played onstage (a theme tonight!). Huston's Dodsworth is a successful businessman living a comfortable life in middle age. His frustrated wife begins an affair which provokes Dodsworth to pursue a new life with another woman. It is a mature drama about adult people, with no contrived circumstances. Though times and social expectations have changed since the 30s, the film still plays well today.
4/20: What a Character!
8 PM - On the Town (1949), Florence Bates
10 PM - By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953), Mary Wickes
12 AM - The Long, Long Trailer (1954), Marjorie Main
2 AM - Rear Window (1954), Thelma Ritter
Throughout the month, TCM is highlighting character actors of Hollywood's golden age - the unsung heroes of many classic films. I singled out this evening's line-up because it features some of the best character actresses of all time. If you don't recognize the names, you'll certainly recognize the faces. These ladies bring texture to many a glossy film with their talent for cracking wise as maids, matrons, nurses, or other supporting characters.
In the energetic musical On the Town, Florence Bates has a small, but memorable turn as Vera Ellen's stern, and apparently inebriated, ballet teacher. Then we get Mary Wickes playing the housekeeper (she was always the housekeeper) for the central family in the quaint musical By the Light of the Silvery Moon. Marjorie Main was well known for her leading role in the Ma and Pa Kettle films, but tonight you see her in a supporting role as a nosy neighbor in The Long, Long Trailer. Finally, we are treated to a performance by Thelma Ritter, an actress who received six Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominations between 1951 and 1963, but never won. She appears as James Stewart's nurse in Rear Window.
4/21, 8 PM - An Affair to Remember (1957)
This film is part of a month-long spotlight on post-WWII melodramas, and it's definitely one of the biggies. The story was originally filmed in 1939 and again in 1994, both times under the title Love Affair. However, the 1957 film, starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, remains the best-known version. From the poster, you'd think that Grant and Kerr are, well, kissing in Italy...across an ocean...and all over New York; but that would be misleading, as the two have a fairly chaste romance. They strike up a friendship on board a Transatlantic ocean liner heading from Europe to New York. Though both are involved with other people back home, Grant and Kerr's relationship blossoms into love. After landing in New York, they agree to reunite in six months at the Empire State Building. But will they? Not before quite a few tears are shed.
The film received four Oscar nominations, for cinematography, costumes, original score, and original song for An Affair to Remember (Our Love Affair), sung by Vic Damone over the opening credits.
4/27, 2:15 AM - Bells Are Ringing (1960)
I saw this film for the first time just last year and it was so charming, I had the experience of thinking, "Oh, why did I wait so long to see this? To think I could have had Bells Are Ringing in my life sooner!" This is a film adaptation of a Broadway musical about an operator for a telephone answering service who gets too involved in the lives of her clients. Judy Holliday won a Tony on Broadway for her portrayal of operator Ella Peterson and reprises that role here. As Ella, she's bubbly, bright, and warm; she has a big heart which gets her into trouble sometimes, but enough pluckiness to pull herself out of any jam. It's possibly the most "Judy Holliday" of any Judy Holliday character, which isn't so surprising when you learn that authors Betty Comden and Adolph Green created the role as an idealized version of their old friend, Judy Holliday. Dean Martin co-stars as a writer who gains new motivation and inspiration after meeting Ella.
This was Holliday's final performance on film; however, her final screen credit came in 1965's A Thousand Clowns (see above). The title song was composed by Holliday's boyfriend Gerry Mulligan with lyrics supplied by Holliday. Unfortunately, she died far too young, of cancer at age 43, before the film was released.
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