Classic Movie Picks: July 2013

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.)

7/12, 8 PM - The Bride Wore Black (1968)
This month, TCM is spotlighting the films of French director Francois Truffaut on Friday nights. The Bride Wore Black stars Jeanne Moreau as a woman on a mission of revenge. The film was conceived as an homage to Alfred Hitchcock (Truffaut had recently published his now-classic book of interviews with Hitchcock) and was an inspiration for Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill movies. So, if you like any of those three directors, this film may be worth a look.
BONUS PICK: 7/26, 8 PM - Day for Night (1973) - Truffaut's Oscar-winner for Best Foreign Film is about the making of movies, lovingly depicting the contrast between the actual tedious labor of filmmaking and the captivating magic of a finished film.

7/22: Big Band Music on Screen
All day long, 6 AM to 8 PM, enjoy musical movies and shorts featuring Big Band stars of the 30s and 40s. For an added level of fun, try to pick out future A-listers like Ronald Reagan, Ava Gardner, and Dale Evans in blink-and-you'll-miss-em roles.
In Ship Ahoy (1942), airing at 12:30 PM, dancing dynamo Eleanor Powell and Red Skelton get mixed up in a spy plot to smuggle a magnetic mine on a cruise ship to Puerto Rico. It's got the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, including a young Frank Sinatra, plus Eleanor tapping out messages in Morse code - what more do you need on a summer afternoon?

7/22: Fred and Ginger
9 PM - The Gay Divorcee (1934)
11 PM - Top Hat (1935)
1 AM - Follow the Fleet (1936)
3 AM - Swing Time (1936)
5 AM - The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939)
After a day of Big Band musicals, what's better than more musicals? Tonight's mini-marathon includes some of the best films featuring Hollywood's quintessential dance team: Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

7/25: Controversial Teachers
8 PM - The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)
This film kicks of a night of stories about students and teachers; however, it is not the usual story of an unconventional teacher who is championed by her students and ultimately vindicated (see Stand and Deliver, Mr. Holland's Opus, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, etc.). Anchored by an Oscar-winning performance by Maggie Smith as the arrogant, manipulative Miss Brodie, the film also contains strong performances by Celia Johnson as the school principal and Pamela Franklin as one of Brodie's favored students.
10 PM - Dead Poet's Society (1989) - If you haven't seen this "new classic" then seize the day - carpe diem! - or night, as it were.
12:15 AM - These Three (1936) - Lillian Hellman adapted her controversial play The Children's Hour into this film about the power of a lie.

7/24: Tribute to Mel Brooks 
8 PM - AFI Lifetime Achievement Award: A Tribute to Mel Brooks
9:30 PM - The Twelve Chairs (1970)
11:15 PM - Carson on TCM: Mel Brooks (9/21/83)
11:30 PM - Excavating the 2000 Year Old Man (2012)
2 AM - Young Frankenstein (1974)
4 AM - The Producers (1968)
5:30 AM - The Dick Cavett Show: Mel Brooks
Tonight we celebrate the work of Mel Brooks with a tribute show, three comedies, two talk show clips, and a documentary; take your pick or enjoy them all! I'm looking forward to The Twelve Chairs, which seems to be the Mel Brooks film no one remembers. Set in Russia following the Bolshevik Revolution, it follows a once-wealthy aristocrat, a con man, and a priest in a race to find a fortune of jewels hidden in one of twelve chairs.

7/28, 8 PM: Great Expectations (1946)
John Mills, Jean Simmons, and Alec Guinness star in this Essentials, Jr. installment about poor orphan Pip who is raised up into society by a mysterious benefactor. Though the original story has been greatly pared down to focus on Pip's journey, this film version directed by David Lean remains the definitive screen adaptation of Dickens' novel.

Classic Movie Picks: June 2013

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.)

6/9: Crime Comedies
8 PM - The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)
9:30 PM - A Slight Case of Murder (1938)
The Essentials Jr. series for kids is back this month with host Bill Hader. The second week of the series brings The Lavender Hill Mob, a british caper comedy starring Alec Guinness as the unlikely leader of a gang set on robbing a gold bullion truck. The film won an Academy Award for Best Screenplay and the clever ending will prompt some post-movie discussion for kids and parents (such as, what is bullion anyway?). 
The official Essentials Jr. entry is followed by another crime comedy in which Edward G. Robinson spoofs his tough gangster persona as a bootlegger determined to go straight after Prohibition ends. However, honest living is not so easy when he discovers his house full of dead thieves and loot.

6/11: Working Women Who Surrender in the End
8 PM - Baby Face (1933)
9:30 PM - Female (1933)
The oddly titled theme for tonight's line-up of 5 films hosted by film critic Molly Haskell pretty much spells it out -- in what was a conventional Hollywood story for decades, an independent career woman is drawn to the domestic life once she finds the right man. Baby Face, starring Barbara Stanwyck, and Female, starring Ruth Chatterton, are notable as two of the most daring films from the Pre-Code era. Stanwyck is a tough orphan who uses men to improve her station in life, literally sleeping her way to the top floor of a company in one memorable sequence. Chatterton is a female CEO, who prefers to "shop around" rather than settle down with a husband. Though today's films discuss sex in a far more open way, films made before the production code can still shock with their frankness. The shock is mostly because we're not used to seeing people in black and white movies being so...forward.

6/18, 8 PM - Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)
If you're in the mood for a more conventional romance, one that's staying well within the boundaries of the Production Code, you could do worse than Three Coins in the Fountain. When a film's tagline is "You've never lived until you've loved in Rome!", it's easy to roll your eyes and dismiss it as a mindless chick flick. However, this film about 3 American roommates in Rome wishing for love received several Oscar nominations, including Best Picture! So, enjoy the Italian scenery, 50s fashion, and the title song sung by Frank Sinatra and just except that romantic froth can be sometimes be satisfying.

6/23, 10 PM - The Crimson Pirate (1952)
This one was new to me, perhaps because I've never been a particular Burt Lancaster fan. However, I'm really intrigued by this film which is both a salute to swashbuckling pirate films and a spoof of the genre. Lancaster was an acrobat before coming to Hollywood and here he puts those skills to use alongside his real-life circus partner, Nick Cravat. Lancaster and Cravat use the ship as a jungle gym as the leap, swing, and bounce away from the swords of their enemies, all in service of a plot about a Caribbean island rebellion.

Summer Movies We Want to See

by AJ and Lani

If the robin is a harbinger of spring, then the first superhero sighting of the year must be a sign that spring has given way to summer. And so, with the arrival of Iron Man 3 in theaters last weekend, summer movie season has officially begun. We've looked at all the  films scheduled for release from May through August and picked out a few that we can't wait to see.

Star Trek Into Darkness (May 16)
A.J.: Large chunks of the internet bemoaned the delay of the next "new" Star Trek movie due to script problems, but I would always rather wait and have a good movie. I'm less suspicious and more excited about Star Trek Into Darkness than the 2009 reboot. Into Darkness follows the crew of the Enterprise as they track down a rogue Starfleet officer (that may or may not be Kahn) played by Benedict Cumberbatch. J.J. "lens flare" Abrams is in the director's chair again and with Star Trek and Super 8 he has proven himself to be a solid filmmaker. From the trailers it looks this is sequel has been given the same care as 2009's Star Trek. I suspect that the action sequences and special effects won't upstage the story and characters. 

Now You See Me (May 31)
Lani: The story follows an FBI agent and Interpol detective as they struggle to make a case against magician supergroup The Four Horsemen, who carry out elaborate bank heists while performing on stage, then give the loot to needy people in the audience. The assembled cast sounds great: Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Morgan Freeman, Mark Ruffalo, Melanie Laurent, and Michael Caine. Plus, director Louis Leterrier, the man behind The Transporter and Transporter 2, knows how to combine action with unabashed foolishness. The moment in the trailer that got me was when Jesse Eisenberg is being interrogated by Mark Ruffalo and Eisenberg magically "throws" his handcuffs onto Ruffalo, then looks at him smugly and says, "First rule of magic, always be the smartest guy in the room." It was so ridiculous that I laughed out loud. I may be alone on this one, but this film looks so silly, so beyond all sense, that I have to believe it will be entertaining.




The Internship (June 7)
Lani: Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn star as salesman who made their careers during the analog age, but find themselves out of job in today's digital landscape. They manage to land internships at Google and find themselves competing with tech-savvy college students for a coveted permanent position. Some of the jokes in the trailer were a bit stale, but it made me laugh, too. Remember Wedding Crashers? Remember Old School? Those were funny movies, right? I'm optimistic that the formula of Vince Vaughn + a Wilson brother will equal comedy once again.

The Bling Ring (June 14)
A.J.: This movie is based on the true story of a group of not-too-bright, fame-obsessed teens that broke into different celebrities' houses and robbed them. The Bling Ring is written and directed by Sofia Coppola; her last film, Somewhere, was big step towards the, unfortunately, dull end of the "art house" movie spectrum. However, The Bling Ring looks like it has more of the lively spirit of Coppola's previous movies. Coppola also brings out the best in the her female leads, so I'm excited to see Emma Watson in this movie, especially after her great performance in The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

The Lone Ranger (July 3)

A.J.: Despite the dubious casting of Johnny Depp as Tonto and way, way over-the-top action sequences in the trailers, I'm still interested enough to give Disney's big budget, big screen adaptation of The Lone Ranger a watch. I'm interested in seeing Armie Hammer in his first leading role in a major movie. He definitely has the screen presence to carry a movie, and I hope that the material doesn't let him, or the audience, down. It's the summer, so big action-packed movies can't be avoided, but with any luck this will be the right kind of summer action movie: pleasant to look at and listen to, and entertaining.

The Wolverine (July 26)

Lani: I'm fully aware that with each pick my cred as a serious cinephile continues to diminish. However, I will not apologize. X-Men Origins: Wolverine wasn't that good; however, this film has kept what worked about the last one -- Wolverine as a character and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine -- and changed everything else. The setting is modern-day Japan, where Wolverine meets someone from his past who offers him mortality at long last. The trailer has ninjas, katana swords, Yakuzas (maybe?), weird medical equipment, a blond mutant lady, and, of course, Jackman waving his claws around and yelling. I think these are all good things. Maybe I'm just a Jackman fan, maybe I want the X-Men to take back the spotlight from the Avengers; nevertheless, I remain cautiously optimistic.

Classic Movie Picks: May 2013

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.)

5/8, 8 PM & 11:30 PM - Don't Say No Until I've Finished Talking: The Story of Richard Zanuck (2013)
The latest TCM original documentary takes on producer Richard Zanuck, son of 20th Century Fox studio mogul Darryl F. Zanuck. The younger Zanuck was Fox studio president in the 1960, and well-regarded producer in his own right. Under Richard's tenure the studio produced Best Picture winners The Sound of Music, Patton, and The French Connection; it also turned out legendary flops like Dr. Doolittle and Star!, which led to his being fired...by his father Darryl. Richard was an independent producer from the 1970s until his death in 2012, bringing to the screen Jaws, The Sting, Cocoon, and Driving Miss Daisy. With such a distinguished career to cover, not to mention Zanuck's family legacy in Hollywood, this doc should have some interesting tidbits about "the biz".

5/20: Spy Spoofs
From a 21st century filmgoer's perspective, the early James Bond films can sometimes seem like a parody of 1960s culture all on their own. However, at the time, Bond was definitely more cool than kitsch. Dr. No, starring Sean Connery as Bond, hit theatres in 1963 and almost immediately inspired a new genre of secret agent comedies which served their martinis with a wink and tongue planted firmly in cheek.
8 PM - Our Man Flint (1965) - Probably the best-remembered film in the genre, this one stars James Coburn as American secret agent Derek Flink.
10 PM - The Silencers (1965) - Dean Martin had his own franchise starring as suave super-spy Matt Helm which included this film and Murderer's Row.
11:45 PM - Murderer's Row (1966)
1:45 AM - Carry on Spying (1964) - This entry in the British Carry On... series of B-movies may have contained the first Bond parody.
3:30 AM - Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965) - The Goldfoot films are mash-ups of three 1960s genres -- beach party movie, spy parody, and horror-comedy -- starring Vincent Price as the super-villain of the title. Frankie Avalon plays Price's secret agent foil in the first film, while Fabian fills the role in the sequel.
5:15 AM - Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs (1966)

5/22, 12:30 AM - True Confessions (1981)
I'm curious about this neo-noir based on the infamous Black Dahlia murder case. Not because of the mystery -- the Black Dahlia case remains unsolved, after all -- but because it was the first time Robert Duvall and Robert DeNiro shared the screen (The Godfather: Part II doesn't count because they had zero scenes together). Duvall plays a police detective investigating the murder of a prostitute with ties to prominent Los Angeles businessmen, as well as to his own brother, played by DeNiro, a monsignor supervising several generously funded church building projects. Both actors were at the top of their careers -- DeNiro had just won the Best Actor Oscar for Raging Bull and Duvall would soon win for 1983's Tender Mercies -- so why have I never heard of this movie? We'll see...

5/28, 8 PM - Hard Times (1975)

There was only one Jimmy Stewart, but at the same time there was also Henry Fonda and Gary Cooper. There was only one William Powell, too, but then you also had Melvyn Douglas and Don Ameche. Charles Bronson, though, was a singular presence in his era. I can't think of any contemporary who had quite the same quality. He certainly didn't have the look of a leading man, like co-stars Steve McQueen or Yul Brynner. With his round head, exceedingly lined face, and eyes hidden by a perpetual squint, Bronson sort of resembled a compressed Clark Gable. Then there was his athletic body. Sporting the sort of extreme muscle tone that was not yet de rigueur for all male action stars, Bronson often played the heavy or strong-man type. After notable performances in the ensembles of The Great Escape, The Dirty Dozen, and The Magnificent Seven, he achieved worldwide stardom in the 70s with a string of violent, though simplistic, thrillers including The Mechanic and Death Wish. In the midst of those films, however, he got the chance to play a more complex character in Hard Times, the first feature by writer-director Walter Hill. Here Bronson plays a drifter during the Great Depression who gets by as a bare-knuckle boxer. He's surrounded by a strong supporting cast which includes James Coburn, Strother Martin, and Bronson's real-life wife Jill Ireland. TCM is showing the film as part of its Tuesday night spotlight of classic "tough guys" on film and I agree that Bronson deserves his place among other tough guy icons like Robert Mitchum and John Garfield. (Today, an actor who reminds me a bit of Bronson is Daniel Craig in a film like Munich or Defiance; however, it's an indicator of how much times have changed that someone with Bronson-like grit and physicality is now also portraying James Bond. Can you imagine Roger Moore as a street fighter?) 

BONUS: 5/14, 3:15 AM - The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
This thriller set on the NYC subway is scheduled late night after the Tuesday "tough guys"  programming in prime time and I think it fits the evening's theme, too. Though I'm not sure who's tougher -- Walter Matthau as a veteran transit officer or Robert Shaw as the leader of a gang of train hijackers.

Friday Night Spotlight: Second Looks
This month-long series programmed by actress & filmmaker Ileana Douglas features movies which weren't enthusiastically received at time of their release, but warrant a revisit for one reason or another. I'm interested to see Top Banana (1954) starring Phil Silvers on 5/17 and The Horn Blows at Midnight (1945) starring Jack Benny on 5/10; Silvers and Benny were two extremely popular comics who conquered just about every other medium -- radio, stage, TV -- but neither had much of a film career despite their talent.

However, the real story here is that A New Leaf is finally being shown on TCM! Sure, Ileana  picked it, but I like to think that my consistent mentions of this 1971 film by writer-director Elaine May made a difference, too. Consider this: in a July 2010 post about Walter Matthau's hilarious performance as a spoiled golddigger, I complained that A New Leaf was not available on DVD; then, a mere 2 years and 2 months later, the film came out on DVD (which I celebrated alongside the September 2012 classic movie picks)! Of course, it still hadn't been shown on TCM. And so I began my imaginary letter-writing campaign (it works sort of like The Secret) to get this darkly comic romance into its rightful place in the TCM rotation. Now, seven months after my first victory, I've done it again! So, on 5/31 at 8 PM, I'll be toasting the TCM premiere of A New Leaf!

Cheers!

Roger and Me

I met Roger Ebert once at a book signing in New York City in 2005. After telling some very interesting stories and answering questions from the crowd, he signed my copy of his book, Great Movies II, and my DVD of Citizen Kane, for which he recorded a commentary track. I told him that I cited his commentary in a paper I had to write about Citizen Kane. I told him that I’ve been watching At the Movies since I was 9 and I’ve seen a number of movies based just on his (and Richard Roeper’s) reviews. He told me, “I hope we don’t lead you astray.” I also told him that I was a film student and I hoped to one day make a movie that gets "Two Thumbs Up". He said, “I hope so too.”

I won’t go so far as to say that I felt like I knew Roger Ebert, but I did think of him as a mentor. I felt like if I ever met him again we would fall easily into a conversation about movies and in talking about movies we would be talking about ourselves too. I always felt like that would happen. The drive home from work was extra-long last Thursday after I heard that Ebert had passed away. I thought about why I had that feeling. Roger Ebert’s movie reviews were not just reviews. They were first person personal essays, the key word being “personal.” He was telling you about his experience with a movie, how it made him feel, and what it made him think about. Whether he was on television or in print he did not speak with authority but with knowledge and enthusiasm, and his enthusiasm was such that his words could become poetic. His tone was always casual, never didactic. He was able to capture some of the magic that is the movies.

I watched At the Movies, in all its forms, every chance I had. It was difficult since the local television stations would move the show all over their schedule. In college, when I often slept till noon or later on weekends, I made myself wake up  early on Sunday mornings to watch Ebert and Roeper talk about the week’s releases. I sat on the couch in my pajamas eating cereal and watching that show just like I did when I was 9. The internet made things easier. I could watch At the Movies online in case I missed it on TV, and I could read Ebert’s print reviews on his website. The backlog of his reviews, going back to 1967, was a treasure trove for me. I really enjoyed reading his reviews of notable movies from years past. I even enjoyed reading the bad reviews for movies that I liked; it was still great prose. When I had to write papers for my film classes, I tried to write like Ebert. When I started to write movie reviews, I tried to write like Ebert, without fear and always with honesty.

I learned so much from reading those reviews, watching him on TV, and reading his blog. I learned how to talk about movies and how to write about movies. I learned that the real job of a film critic is not to stand on a box and declare what is good and bad, but to recommend whether or not a movie is worth someone’s time and money. I learned that movies are made to entertain but they can also touch your heart and move your soul. Movies can be art. I learned that it’s okay to have an opinion, no matter who else agrees or disagrees. If you like a movie that no one else liked, or hated the most popular movie of the year, it’s okay. I learned that "best of" lists shouldn’t be taken too seriously but can still be fun. I learned that over time your opinion about a movie can change, and that’s okay too.

I know for sure that I’ll always be a little sad that my childhood hero is gone. I know for sure that Roger Ebert influenced countless film critics, journalists, filmmakers, and moviegoers. I know for sure that the two best parts of going to the movies are when the lights dim and the screen begins to move, and the conversation afterwards. I know for sure that I’ll still read his reviews online and in books. I know for sure that I’ll still try to write like him when I write about movies. I know for sure that when everyone else disagrees with me about a movie, I’ll think of Ebert and not tailor my opinion to anyone but myself. I know for sure that I’ll be going to movies or watching them at home for the rest of my life. And I know for sure that I have four people to thank for my love of movies and the major role they play in my life: my parents and Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert.

Thank you, Gene.

Thank you, Roger.

Classic Movie Picks: April 2013

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.)

Game of Thrones returns to HBO tonight and I can only determine that my excitement for the new season has made me a bit bloodthirsty. How else to explain why almost all my picks for April revolve around murder?

4/7, 10 PM - Diabolique (1955)
On this evening devoted to masters of suspense, my pick would be this classic French thriller from director Henri-Georges Clouzot. Two women conspire to murder a cruel, abusive school master in a meticulously plotted crime; however, once the deed is done they continue to feel his presence - is it a ghost or did he somehow survive?

BONUS: 4/7, 2 AM - The Murderer Lives at Number 21 (1947)
Clouzot's first film is a bit lighter than the thrillers for which he's best known; however, murder is still at the heart of the story. Inspector Wens of the Paris police and his girlfriend Mila are like a French answer to Nick and Nora Charles as they track down a serial killer.

4/8, 8 PM - Roxie Hart (1942)
Ginger Rogers stars as the fame-hungry Roxie, who sees a murder trial as her ticket to stardom during the Roaring '20s, in this earlier version of the story made famous by the stage and screen musical Chicago.

4/9, 4:15 AM - The Verdict (1946)
This film bears little resemblence to the Paul Newman vehicle of the same name, starting with leading man Sydney Greenstreet. Warner Brothers supporting player Greenstreet and fellow character actor Peter Lorre are the stars for a change in this film about a "perfect crime." Of course, half the fun of a perfect crime is watching the perpetrators squirm as their plan inevitably unravels.

4/13, 10:15 PM - Unfaithfully Yours (1948)
In this screwball comedy from writer-director Preston Sturges, Rex Harrison played an egotistical symphony conductor who believes his wife has been unfaithful. During a concert he imagines three scenarios for dealing with her - including murder; however, his bumbling actions thwart his plans in the real world. Linda Darnell, "the girl with the perfect face," co-stars as the accused wife.

A Women's World: The Defining Era of Women in Film
TCM's Friday Night Spotlight this month features "woman's films" from the 1930s through 50s. The series is co-hosted by Robert Osborne and Cher, which would be incentive enough for me to tune in; however, the line-up of films showing life from a female perspective would be strong enough to draw me in without the promise of intros by Cher. I'm especially interested in the theme for week four, Women Taking Charge, featuring Ginger Rogers, Claudette Colbert, and (of course) Bette Davis.
4/26, 8 PM - The Great Lie (1941)
10 PM - Kitty Foyle (1940)
12 AM - The Palm Beach Story (1942)
1:45 AM - The Women (1939)

Classic Movie Picks: March 2013

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.)

3/4, 8 PM - Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)

Though Robert Donat is the star, and won the Best Actor Academy Award for his portrayal of Mr. Chips, Greer Garson as Chips's wife Kathy is the lynchpin of this film. This was her first movie role, but I can't imagine any other actress in the part - she's just that perfect. Garson also earned an Oscar nomination, her first of seven, but she wouldn't win until 1942's Mrs. Miniver (showing 3/11 at 8 PM). However, it was the beginning of a great career as one of MGM's top leading ladies. Garson is TCM's Star of the Month for March and you can catch her films Monday nights all month long.

3/7: Musical Paris
8 PM - Can-Can (1960)
10:15 PM - Love Me Tonight (1932)
12 AM - Folies Bergere de Paris (1935)
1:30 AM - Roberta (1935)
3:30 AM - April in Paris (1952)
One of my favorite cities serves as the backdrop for five musicals tonight. Two of them (Love Me Tonight & Folies Bergere) star that quintessential Frenchman Maurice Chevalier. If you only remember the white-haired Chevalier crooning "Thank heaven, for little girls..." in Gigi, you may get a kick out of seeing him as a young casanova in the light musical comedies that made him a star in the 30s.

3/14: Double Agents
8 PM - 13 Rue Madeleine (1946)
9:45 PM - The House on 92nd Street (1945)
Tonight's line-up includes two documentary-style thrillers from director Henry Hathaway about uncovering Nazi double-agents. 13 Rue Madeleine stars James Cagney as an O.S.S. agent looking for a German missile site (and spies) in France. The House on 92nd Street concerns FBI agents in New York who must stop the Germans from obtaining the atom bomb formula.

BONUS PICK: 11:30 PM - Ice Station Zebra (1968) - A sub commander Rock Hudson must find the Soviet agent aboard his ship on a perilous mission to the North Pole.

3/17, 3:45 AM - Tomorrow, the World!  (1944)
An interesting film from the WWII period which attempts to portray "everyday" Germans, not just Nazi stereotypes (or double agents as in the films on 3/14). A young teenager (played by Skippy Homeier, who had played the same role to much acclaim on Broadway) is sent from his German home to live with American relatives. They soon discover that the boy has has been indoctrinated into the Nazi youth and uncle Fredric March must teach him a lesson about tolerance.

3/20, 8PM - For All Mankind (1989)
This documentary about the Apollo program and the race to the moon was assembled from extensive footage from NASA's archives, much of it shot by the astronauts themselves.