Classic Movie Picks: August 2017

by Lani

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.)

August is a special month for classic movie fans. TCM's annual Summer Under the Stars programming festival devotes each day of the month to a different classic film star. From icons such as Marilyn Monroe and John Wayne, to character actors like Slim Pickens and Claire Trevor, every star gets a full 24 hours. It is always fun to look for "new" films with your favorite stars, as well as discover the work of actors you aren't as familiar with. This isn't a month to play favorites, so I've chosen one film for each featured star. Of course, the best way to enjoy Summer Under the Stars is to just pick your favorite star and watch all day! 

8/1: Marilyn Monroe
2 AM - How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)
Marilyn does "Marilyn" to perfection as a model on the prowl for a rich husband in this bubbly ensemble comedy.

8/2: Ray Milland
10 PM - Dial M for Murder (1954)
Milland gives a wonderfully restrained performance as a straying husband who plots to kill his wife - just watch the panic flash across his face as his plans begin to unravel.

8/3: Lon Chaney
8 PM - The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
A early entry in the Universal Monsters horror series, this silent film provided an iconic role for the "Man of A Thousand Faces" using innovative makeup techniques to transform Chaney into the deformed Phantom who haunts the Paris Opera. 

8/4: Claire Trevor
2 AM - Key Largo (1948)
Trevor won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance as an alcoholic gangster's moll, one of several people trapped in a hotel during a hurricane.

8/5: Gene Kelly
3:15 PM - The Three Musketeers (1948)
Kelly's athleticism shines in this high-spirited swashbuckler notable for its stunning Technicolor, lavish production value, and outstanding fight choreography. 

8/6: Robert Mitchum
8 PM - The Night of the Hunter (1955)
Mitchum is unforgettably chilling as an evil reverend who menaces his young step-children while searching for a hidden cache of money.

8/7: Eleanor Parker
8 PM - The Naked Jungle (1954)
In this suspenseful adventure story, Parker plays a mail-order bride sent to South America who must help her husband fight off an approaching horde of destructive Marabunta ants.

8/8: Franchot Tone
10:45 AM - Fast and Furious (1939)
Don't let the title fool you, there's no stunt driving in this breezy, Thin Man-esque flick about a husband and wife who solve a murder at a beauty pageant.

8/9: Sandra Dee
5:45 PM - Imitation of Life (1959)
This is the film that made Dee famous (her starring vehicle, Gidget, would come out later the same year), for her role as Lana Turner's daughter in this tearjerker about parallel mother-daughter relationships.

8/10: Sidney Poitier
8 PM - To Sir, With Love (1967)
Poitier is both formidable and endearing in this crowdpleaser about an inexperienced teacher saddled with a class of "incorrigables" at a tough East London high school.

8/11: Ginger Rogers
10 PM - Top Hat (1935)
This glossy musical with a screwball plot is one of the best Rogers and Astaire team-ups, with plenty of gorgeous gowns and delightful dancing "cheek to cheek."

8/12: John Wayne
5:45 PM - The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
It's the film that launched a thousand John Wayne impressions; the Duke called someone "Pilgrim" for the first time in this dramatic Western that also gave us the quote: "when the legend becomes fact, print the legend."

8/13: Barbara Stanwyck
1:30 AM - Baby Face (1933)
A very young Stanwyck is tough and spunky in this Pre-Code drama about a victimized woman who turns the tables on men and uses them to get what she wants.

8/14: Vanessa Redgrave
8 PM - Julia (1977)
Redgrave gives her Academy Award-winning performance as the title character in this film about childhood friends who become involved in the anti-Nazi movement prior to WWII.

8/15: Ricardo Montalban
10 AM - Two Weeks with Love (1950)
Montalban romances Jane Powell in this musical about a turn-of-the-century family on a Catskills vacation.



8/16: Elvis Presley
8 PM - Elvis: That's the Way It Is (1970)
See Elvis in all his jump-suited glory in this behind the scenes documentary as "The King" prepares for a series of live concerts after over a decade of making films in Hollywood.

8/17: Rosalind Russell
10 PM - My Sister Eileen (1942)
Russell shows her talent for madcap comedy as the sensible one in a pair of sisters making their way in New York City amidst a slew of wacky characters.

8/18: Rod Taylor
8 AM - The Liquidator (1966)
In this twist on the spy genre, Taylor plays a secret agent who enjoys the swinging London lifestyle, but has to hire his own hitman to complete the jobs. 

8/19: Angela Lansbury
8 PM - The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
In one of her most acclaimed film roles, Lansbury plays the mother of a war hero brainwashed by the enemy.

8/20: Cary Grant
2 PM - Suspicion (1941)
Grant is perfectly cast as an irresponsible playboy who marries a shy heiress, and may or may not be scheming to bump off his new bride.

8/21: Ann Harding
11:15 PM - When Ladies Meet (1933)
Harding locks horns with Myrna Loy as a wife and the woman trying to steal her husband, respectively...witty banter ensues.

8/22: Glenn Ford
8 PM - Experiment in Terror (1962)
In this under-appreciated noir thriller, Ford is an FBI agent protecting a bank teller forced to cooperate with a ruthless criminal.

8/23: Greer Garson
1 PM - Mrs. Miniver (1942)
Winner of six Oscars, including Best Actress for Garson, this uplifting story centers on an ordinary British family which carries on during WWII.

8/24: Dennis Morgan
12:30 PM - Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
A bit out of season, but Morgan is terribly charming as a war hero who falls for a magazine columnist while spending the holidays at her country home. 

8/25: Simone Signoret
10:15 PM - Diabolique (1955)
In this French-language masterpiece of suspense, a mistress and a wife conspire to kill the cruel man to whom they are both bound.

8/26: James Cagney
10 PM - The Roaring Twenties (1939)
A free-wheeling Cagney elevates this above-average gangster film about three Army buddies mixed up with the mob.

8/27: Leslie Caron
5:45 PM - Father Goose (1964)
In a non-dancing role, Caron plays French teacher who, along with several pupils, is stranded on a Pacific Island during WWII. Cary Grant is there, too.

8/28: Slim Pickens
10 PM - Blazing Saddles (1974)
Pickens memorably plays a henchman to a villainous politician in Mel Brooks' hilarious spoof of classic westerns.

8/29: Marion Davies
10:15 PM - Show People (1928)
Davies shows off her talent for slapstick in this silent comedy about a newcomer trying to make it in Hollywood.

8/30: George Sanders
2 PM - The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)
Sanders is known for his scene-stealing supporting performances, and this film is no exception with Sanders as an upper crust slimeball who leads the title character down a path of debauchery. 

8/31: Elizabeth Taylor
8:15 AM - Father of the Bride (1950)
This was a signature early role for Taylor as the young bride whose father has difficulty adjusting to her impending marriage.

Best Pictures #40: 1930-31 (4th) Academy Awards Outstanding Production Nominee: Trader Horn (1931)

by A.J.

Best Pictures #40: 1930-31 (4^th) Academy Awards Outstanding Production Nominee

Trader Horn (1931)

Trader Horn is an old-fashioned adventure film about men surviving, persevering, and adventuring in a strange, untamed land. Until recently Trader Horn was a rare film but now it is readily available on DVD from Warner Archive. It stars Harry Carey as Aloysius “Trader” Horn, a veteran white trader touring through Africa by river with his sidekick Peru (Duncan Renaldo), who wears a comically large pith helmet. The film is based on a book written by the real Aloysius Horn. Their adventures are mostly episodic until they encounter a missionary widow who is searching for her long-lost daughter that was kidnapped as a baby many years ago. After the missionary dies, Horn and Peru take up the search.

It’s safe to assume that Trader Horn’s nomination for Outstanding Production was meant to recognize and acknowledge its epic production. It received no other nominations. This was the first non-documentary film to be shot on location in Africa, which would have been a big deal at a time when nearly every scene of every movie made by every studio was shot on soundstages and backlots. The reason for keeping productions close to studio headquarters was to have control over the production and cut down on problems that might cause costly delays. The production of Trader Horn photographed authentic African landscapes and wildlife but suffered many troubles, some of them tragic. Several crew members were stricken with malaria, including director W.S. Van Dyke and co-star Edwina Booth. It would take Booth six years to recover from her case of malaria. She retired from acting, sued MGM, and settled out of court. Two crew members were killed during filming, both native Africans. One fell off a boat and was eaten by a crocodile. The other was killed by a stampeding rhinoceros. His death was caught on film and used in the movie. It’s a quick shot and not graphic at all—you would never guess it wasn’t just a visual effect—but knowing that the death is real makes it a most disturbing moment to watch. 

Harry Carey is believable as the experienced adventurer that knows his way around the wilds of Africa and the other main actors give good performances, though the characters are thin. An adventure film like this does not require overly complex characters or plot—though those could only help the movie—but underdeveloped characters and a simple plot mean that the action scenes and exotic locations are what is left to engage the audience. A typical scene in Trader Horn will have Horn and Peru in a boat or on a trail, then cut to the wild animals or vistas. For long stretches of the film the characters watch animals graze and hunt. Horn and Peru stroll through the savanna at one point and come across nearly every kind of African animal you’d hope to see if you were on safari. Horn points out and names all of the different animals to Peru like a zoo tour guide and the movie cuts to shots of these animals and the cuts don’t always match well.

I think what would have been most appealing to audiences about Trader Horn at the time of its release are the scenes of African animals, people, and the promise of thrilling adventure. There is some excitement to be found in Trader Horn, but not as much as you’d hope to find in an adventure picture. I must admit that I did feel a flourish of excitement when Horn and his native guide swung on vines like Tarzan over a pit of crocodiles (the first sound Tarzan film would be made a year later in 1932, starring Johnny Weissmuller). The scene in which Horn and Peru are about to be sacrificed by a native tribe by being crucified upside down is also suspenseful. However, the preceding scene of Horn and Peru in a hut listening to the tribal drums beat faster and faster goes on for far too long, well past the point of building suspense. There are a few other sequences that go on longer than needed dramatically but show off the footage shot in Africa. The most notable these scenes happens early in the film when Horn and Peru arrive in a native village to trade. Shots of the native villagers and their version of daily hustle and bustle goes on and on but shows quasi-documentary footage of an exotic, far away people that audiences normally would not have seen. Trader Horn, being a Pre-Code film, even gets away showing topless native women; something I did not expect to see in film made in 1931.

Trader Horn was directed by W.S. Van Dyke, who had worked on films shot in exotic locations before, but also had the nickname “One Take Woody” for shooting scenes as quickly and efficiently as possible. I can understand why MGM would hire “One Take Woody” to helm an expensive production shot in a faraway land where safety is not guaranteed, get the shots required to make an exciting adventure movie, and get out quickly and inexpensively. The result, however, is underwhelming. All of the scenes of African wildlife and landscape are shot from a still, motionless camera. There are some shots that are impressive because of what they show (like a raging waterfall), but many feel dull.

There are many aspects of Trader Horn that are dated by today’s standards and that modern audiences would find offensive. Horn’s native gun bearer, Rencharo (Mutia Omoolu) is a mostly mute and faithful sidekick who would be an interesting character if the film had thought to portray him as such. A rhinoceros is shot and killed, along with other exotic, now endangered, animals, and the close-up shot of the dying rhino’s face is incredibly depressing. Big game hunting was viewed differently in the 1930s, as exciting and manly, and the rights of animals on screen did not exist. According to the IMDB and Wikipedia pages for Trader Horn, many of the scenes of animals attacking other animals were shot in Mexico by a second unit. The reason for this is because in Mexico at the time laws regarding the treatment of animals were lax. The big cats were starved in order to ensure vicious attacks on other animals.

The most curious thing in Trader Horn is the White Goddess character (Nina, the missionary’s long-lost daughter played by Edwina Booth) that rules a native tribe. Peru implores her to help him and Horn when they’ve been captured by her tribe because she is white like them and white people should help each other. Booth herself is as good as she can be playing an over-the-top character that does not speak any English—none of her dialogue, or any native dialogue is subtitled. The trailer for the film advertises “See the cruelest woman in all Africa rule pagan tribes.” I’m not sure how to feel about this character, but I am sure this would not happen in an adventure film made today.  

I couldn’t help but think of Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness, nominated for Unique and Artistic Picture at the 1^st Academy Awards, which managed to make an exciting, entertaining film that treated native people respectfully, made them the stars of the movie, and worked with animals far better than in Trader Horn, even though both involved killing real animals. The most objectionable treatment of animals in Chang was the kidnapping of a baby elephant to get its mother to stampede and tear apart a hut, but the mother frees her baby and both return to the jungle. Leopards and tigers were killed in Chang and it is a sad thing to see, but these animals had been menacing the native Lao people and, as a result, death by big cats decreased in the following years. Trader Horn is MGM’s attempt to capture the thrill and excitement of exotic animals and locations, the danger and adventure of a quasi-documentary like Chang, and couch it in the more broadly appealing framework of a mainstream narrative. The result is a blend of fictional narrative and real nature documentary that has only some of the excitement it was it was aiming to capture. 

Nominee: MGM

Producer: Irving Thalberg

Director: W.S. Van Dyke

Screenplay: Richard Schayer, adaptation by Dale Van Every and John T. Neville, dialogue by Cyril Hume, based on the book by Alfred Aloysius Horn

Cast: Harry Carey, Edwina Booth, Duncan Renaldo

Release Date: May 23^rd, 1931

Total Nominations: 1, including Outstanding Production
Wins: N/A

Other Nominations: N/A

Classic Movie Picks: July 2017

by Lani

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.)

7/4, 4 AM - Miss Firecracker (1989)
This slice of Southern Americana is perfect programming for the Fourth of July, if you are in the mood for something slightly bittersweet and satirical. Holly Hunter stars as Carnelle, a young misfit obsessed with winning the annual beauty contest in her small town of Yazoo City, Mississippi. After seeing her elegant cousin Elain (Mary Steenburgen) win the pageant 10 years earlier, subsequently marry up, and become a local celebrity, Carnelle is sure that the title of Miss Firecracker will be her ticket to a new life outside her hometown. 
While not her first film, Miss Firecracker may be the first time I saw Holly Hunter on screen. Mild-mannered child that I was, Hunter's intensity and energy, not to mention her flame red hair, were a bit frightening; however, I did admire her determination and spirit. The highlight is the performance by Hunter, as well as a very strong supporting cast including Steenburgen, Alfre Woodard, and Tim Robbins. The film was adapted from an off-Broadway play, and while far from perfect, it - like Carnelle - is worth giving a chance. 



7/7: Hitchcock in the UK
8 PM - Number Seventeen (1932)
9:30 PM - The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)
11 PM - The 39 Steps (1935)
12:45 AM - The Lady Vanishes (1938)
TCM is spotlighting filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock on Wednesdays and Fridays this month, moving chronologically from 1927's The Ring on July 5 to his final film, 1976's Family Plot, on July 28. You're sure to find something interesting on any evening devoted to Hitchcock's work, but I've chosen to focus on this batch of films from the 1930s. At the time Hitchcock was working in England making films with steadily bigger budgets and production value, and not only gaining acclaim in the UK, but in America with his first trans-Atlantic hit, The 39 Steps. 
The 39 Steps also made a film star of British stage actor Robert Donat (four years later Donat would win an Oscar for Goodbye, Mr. Chips). Donat plays that favorite Hitchcock character: an innocent man accused. After a spy is killed, and Donat blamed, he goes on the run across Scotland, all the while handcuffed to the woman who turned him in; together, they must discover the real killer and expose a spy ring. 
Among the other films tonight is the original version of The Man Who Knew Too Much, a big hit in Britain and the first English-language film for character actor Peter Lorre. Hitchcock liked this story about a vacationing family accidentally drawn into international espionage so much, he remade the film in 1956.
The low-budget thriller Number Seventeen is not one of Hitch's most celebrated works, but it is notable for possibly introducing the director's signature gimmick, the "Macguffin" - an object that drives the plot, but is basically irrelevant to the overall story. In this case, the Macguffin is a stolen necklace which draws the characters to a spooky old house where they encounter a string of mysteries, including a man's corpse.
1938's The Lady Vanishes was Hitchcock's biggest hit to date and helped him to secure a lucrative Hollywood contract. The plot - including a sudden disappearance, a plucky heroine, secret agents, and plenty of sly humor - is a treat for any Hitchcock fan.

7/25: Lili Damita Double Feature
10:45 AM - Friends and Lovers (1931)
12 PM - The Woman Between (1931)
French actress Lili Damita was one of the many foreign beauties brought to Hollywood during the silent era - including Pola Negri, Greta Garbo, and Marlene Dietrich - to play exotic temptresses. Cast for their ability to give meaningful glances rather than speak lines, not all the imports made a successful transition to talkies. However, Garbo, Dietrich, and, yes, Damita were among the few who did. Today she's remembered as Errol Flynn's first wife; although, when they married in 1935, Flynn was just a handsome newcomer and Damita was the star. An old-fashioned gal, Damita gave up her career after marrying Flynn...which may be why she's better known for the divorce which bankrupted Flynn than for her own movies, but that's a story for another day.
Today's double feature includes two films made in 1931 with director Victor Schertzinger for RKO Studios. In Friends and Lovers, Damita flirts her way through British society in India, blackmailing her conquests under the (monocled) eye of her unscrupulous husband, played by Erich von Stroheim. Adolphe Menjou and Laurence Olivier, in his first American film, star as young British officers ensnared by Damita's charms. 
In the second film, Damita is the titular Woman, this time unintentionally coming between a father and son. Happily married to a rich older man, Damita is shocked when her husband's son returns from WWI and it is revealed that her stepson is also her former lover. (Since we're all thinking it, I'll just say that I have found no evidence that this film was the inspiration for the classic 1997 TV-movie My Stepson, My Lover.) You may recognize O.P. Heggie, who plays Damita's husband, as the blind hermit from Bride of Frankenstein.

7/27: Star of the Month Ronald Colman
8 PM - A Double Life (1947)
10 PM - Random Harvest (1942)
12:15 AM - The Talk of the Town (1942)
The suave British actor Ronald Colman is TCM's Star of the Month with his films scheduled in primetime each Thursday in July. Colman was a top leading man from the silent era through the 1940s, equally popular with men and women for his dashing manner and handsome good looks. I plan on watching several of his movies this month, including early hits like Bulldog Drummond (1929) and Raffles (1930), but I am recommending three of his most popular films from the 40s.
In the politically-tinged comedy The Talk of the Town Colman shares leading man duties with Cary Grant. Grant plays an accused arsonist on the lam who hides out in the home of schoolteacher Jean Arthur. He enlists Arthur's help to convince Colman, a respected law professor, of his innocence. Of course both men develop romantic feelings for the lovely Ms. Arthur and the film leaves you guessing until the end as to which man she will choose. This may be the only instance in which a love triangle involving Cary Grant felt equally weighted. Apparently alternate endings were filmed, one in which Arthur chose Grant and one in which she chose Colman; see if you agree with the final outcome. 
The Talk of the Town was Oscar-nominated for Best Picture and breathed new life into Colman's career and he followed it with another hit, the romantic drama Random Harvest. The plot is a bit convoluted, but basically it involves Colman getting amnesia - twice! - and forgetting the love of his life, played by Greer Garson. Director Meryn LeRoy quipped that "the English language was never spoken more beautifully on film." The film received seven Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Director, and Best Actor. However, most of the awards that year went to Garson's other hit, Mrs. Miniver; Colman lost out to James Cagney in Yankee Doodle Dandy.
For Colman, fourth time was the charm when he finally won the Best Actor Oscar for A Double Life playing an actor in a production of Othello opposite his own wife who finds his character's jealousy seeping into his own psyche. Married writing team Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin originally wanted Laurence Olivier for the lead role, but jumped after Colman when their first choice was unavailable. It was Colman who wasn't sure if he was right for the role; despite a stage background, he had never been a Shakesperean actor. However, the Kanins got Colman to sign on by promising him that the role would earn him that elusive Oscar - and they were right!