TCM tonight:
10:00 PM -- On the Beach (1959)
2h 14m | Horror/Science-Fiction | TV-PG
After a nuclear war, U.S. sailors stationed in Australia deal with the end of civilization.
Director: Stanley Kramer
Cast: Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire
Nominee for Oscars for Best Film Editing -- Frederic Knudtson, and Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture -- Ernest Gold
Ava Gardner's first film as a freelance actress after completing her 20-year studio contract at MGM, where she had worked for a weekly salary and did not benefit financially from being loaned to other studios. As a freelance actress, she was free to choose her roles and negotiate her salary.
12:30 AM -- The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952)
1h 54m | Drama | TV-PG
As he fights a deadly jungle fever, a hunter remembers his lost loves.
Director: Henry King
Cast: Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward, Ava Gardner
Nominee for Oscars for Best Cinematography, Color -- Leon Shamroy, and Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color -- Lyle R. Wheeler, John DeCuir, Thomas Little and Paul S. Fox
Ava Gardner married Frank Sinatra shortly before production began on the film. He wanted her by his side in New York and to placate him, the schedule was rearranged so that all her scenes could be shot in ten days, to which Sinatra agreed. On the last day of shooting, things didn't go as planned and Gardner was forced to spend an extra day on the set. In her autobiography, Gardner says "I knew Frank would give me holy hell about that, and he did."