TCM Schedule for Friday, February 28, 2014 -- 31 Days of Oscar: 1943 Best Actor Nominees

[Staph]

It's a day of Best Actor winners, and the nominees for 1943, including Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, Gary Cooper in For Whom The Bell Tolls, Walter Pidgeon in Madame Curie, Mickey Rooney in The Human Comedy, and winner Paul Lukas in Watch On The Rhine. Enjoy!



7:15 AM -- Captains Courageous (1937)
A spoiled rich boy is lost at sea and rescued by a fishing boat, where hard work and responsibility help him become a man.
Dir: Victor Fleming
Cast: Freddie Bartholomew, Spencer Tracy, Lionel Barrymore
BW-117 mins, CC,

Won an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Spencer Tracy

Nominated for Oscars for Best Writing, Screenplay -- Marc Connelly, John Lee Mahin and Dale Van Every, Best Film Editing -- Elmo Veron, and Best Picture

Spencer Tracy was impressed early on by Freddie Bartholomew's dedication to the role, jumping over the side of the boat in order to get what he considered sufficiently wet after having been shot with a hose and doused with a bucket of water. "The kid can take it," Tracy said. "I hand it to him."


9:15 AM -- The Philadelphia Story (1940)
Tabloid reporters crash a society marriage.
Dir: George Cukor
Cast: Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, James Stewart
BW-112 mins, CC,

Won Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- James Stewart, and Best Writing, Screenplay -- Donald Ogden Stewart

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Katharine Hepburn, Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Ruth Hussey, Best Director -- George Cukor, and Best Picture

During the scene where James Stewart hiccups when drunk, you can see Cary Grant looking down and grinning. Since the hiccup wasn't scripted, Grant was on the verge of breaking out laughing and had to compose himself quickly. James Stewart thought of hiccuping in the drunk scene himself, without telling Cary Grant. When he began hiccuping, Grant turned to Stewart saying, "Excuse me." The scene required only one take.


11:15 AM -- Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
Spirited musical biography of the song-and-dance man who kept America humming through two world wars.
Dir: Michael Curtiz
Cast: James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston
BW-126 mins, CC,

Won Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- James Cagney, Best Sound, Recording -- Nathan Levinson (Warner Bros. SSD), and Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture -- Ray Heindorf and Heinz Roemheld

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Walter Huston, Best Director -- Michael Curtiz, Best Writing, Original Story -- Robert Buckner, Best Film Editing -- George Amy, and Best Picture

Many facts were changed or ignored to add to the feel of the movie. For example, the real George M. Cohan was married twice, and although his second wife's middle name was Mary, she went by her first name, Agnes. In fact, the movie deviated so far from the truth that, following the premiere, the real George M. Cohan commented, "It was a good movie. Who was it about?"


1:22 PM -- Star In The Night (1945)
In this short film, three cowboys see a bright light in the distance and decide to investigate on Christmas Eve.
Dir: Don Siegel
Cast: J. Carrol Naish, Donald Woods, Anthony Caruso
BW-22 mins,

Won an Oscar for Best Short Subject, Two-reel -- Gordon Hollingshead

This was director Don Siegel's first commercial theatrical release.


1:45 PM -- Cyrano De Bergerac (1950)
A swordsman and poet helps another man woo the woman he loves.
Dir: Michael Gordon
Cast: Jose Ferrer, Mala Powers, William Prince
BW-114 mins, CC,

Won an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- José Ferrer

Three people who worked on the film were victims of the Joseph McCarthy HUAC hearings - director Michael Gordon, screenwriter Carl Foreman, and actor Morris Carnovsky, who played Le Bret in the film. José Ferrer himself was investigated, but managed to escape the blacklist.


3:45 PM -- Charly (1968)
Scientists turn a mentally challenged man into a genius.
Dir: Ralph Nelson
Cast: Cliff Robertson, Claire Bloom, Lilia Skala
C-103 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Won an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Cliff Robertson (Cliff Robertson was not present at the Awards ceremony. Frank Sinatra accepted the award on his behalf.)

Cliff Robertson saw more than one TV production he'd starred in turned into hit movies with other actors (such as Days of Wine and Roses (1962)), so when he starred in the 1961 The United States Steel Hour (1953) production of "The Two Worlds of Charlie Gordon," based on the novel "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes, he bought the rights and later was responsible for turning that story into this film.


5:29 PM -- Stop Look And Listen (1967)
This Academy nominated stop-motion live-action short focuses on driving safety and dealing with road rage.
Dir: Chuck Menville
Cast: Len Janson, Chuck Menville, Lea Richardson
C-10 mins,

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Short Subject, Live Action Subjects -- Len Janson and Chuck Menville


5:45 PM -- Philadelphia (1993)
A lawyer sues his firm for firing him because he has AIDS.
Dir: Jonathan Demme
Cast: Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Antonio Banderas
BW-125 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Won Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Tom Hanks, and Best Music, Original Song -- Bruce Springsteen for the song "Streets of Philadelphia"

Nominated for Oscars for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen -- Ron Nyswaner, Best Makeup -- Carl Fullerton and Alan D'Angerio, and Best Music, Original Song -- Neil Young for the song "Philadelphia"

The home movies at the end which show Andrew as a child are real life videos of Tom Hanks in his childhood.



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: 31 DAYS OF OSCAR: 1943 BEST ACTOR NOMINEES



8:00 PM -- Casablanca (1942)
An American saloon owner in North Africa is drawn into World War II when his lost love turns up.
Dir: Michael Curtiz
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid
BW-103 mins, CC,

Won Oscars for Best Director -- Michael Curtiz, Best Writing, Screenplay -- Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch, and Best Picture

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Humphrey Bogart, Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Claude Rains, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -- Arthur Edeson, Best Film Editing -- Owen Marks, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture -- Max Steiner

In the 1980s, this film's script was sent to readers at a number of major studios and production companies under its original title, "Everybody Comes to Rick's". Some readers recognized the script but most did not. Many complained that the script was "not good enough" to make a decent movie. Others gave such complaints as "too dated", "too much dialog" and "not enough sex".


9:46 PM -- Seeing Hands (1943)
This short film stresses how important individuals with a disability are to the war effort.
Dir: Gunther V. Fritsch
Cast: George McFarland (Spanky), William Bishop, Barbara Bedford
BW-11 mins,

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Short Subject, One-reel -- Pete Smith


10:00 PM -- Watch On The Rhine (1943)
Nazi agents pursue a German freedom-fighter and his family to Washington.
Dir: Herman Shumlin
Cast: Bette Davis, Paul Lukas, Geraldine Fitzgerald
BW-112 mins, CC,

Won an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Paul Lukas

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Lucile Watson, Best Writing, Screenplay -- Dashiell Hammett, and Best Picture

The play, "Watch on the Rhine" by Lillian Hellman premiered at the Martin Beck Theater in New York City on 1 April 1941 and closed on 21 February 1942 after 378 performances. Paul Lukas as Kurt Muller, Lucile Watson as Fanny Farrelly, George Coulouris as Teck de Brancovis, Eric Roberts as Bodo Muller and Frank L. Wilson as Joseph all originated their movie roles in the play. Also in the cast were Mady Christians as Sara Muller and Helen Trenholme as Marthe de Brancovis.


12:00 AM -- For Whom The Bell Tolls (1943)
A U.S. mercenary and an army of peasants fight for Spain.
Dir: Sam Wood
Cast: Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman, Akim Tamiroff
BW-156 mins, CC,

Won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Katina Paxinou

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Gary Cooper, Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Ingrid Bergman, Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Akim Tamiroff, Best Cinematography, Color -- Ray Rennahan, Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Color -- Hans Dreier, Haldane Douglas and Bertram C. Granger, Best Film Editing -- Sherman Todd and John F. Link Sr., Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture -- Victor Young, and Best Picture

This film saved the famous love song "As Time Goes By" from being removed from Casablanca (1942). Ingrid Bergman began filming this movie immediately after completing "Casablanca". For this role, her hair was cut short. Meanwhile, for "Casablanca", Warner Brothers wanted to substitute another song for "As Time Goes By" and re-shoot some scenes with Bergman. However, since her hair had been cut, there would be a problem with continuity (even if Bergman wore a wig), so the idea was dropped.


2:40 AM -- A Gun In His Hand (1945)
In this short film, a man joins the police force with the intention of getting away with crimes.
Dir: Joseph Losey
Cast: William Tannen, Harry Wilson, Anthony Caruso
BW-19 mins,

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Short Subject, Two-reel -- Chester M. Franklin


3:00 AM -- The Human Comedy (1943)
A small-town telegraph boy deals with the strains of growing up during World War II.
Dir: Clarence Brown
Cast: Mickey Rooney, Frank Morgan, James Craig
BW-117 mins, CC,

Won an Oscar for Best Writing, Original Story -- William Saroyan

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Mickey Rooney, Best Director -- Clarence Brown, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -- Harry Stradling Sr., and Best Picture

Writer William Saroyan wanted desperately to direct the film despite having no experience in directing. Louis B. Mayer told Saroyan that he would consider the request and assigned the writer to direct a one reel short. The short film was a disappointment and studio stalwart Clarence Brown was promptly assigned. Saroyan was so bitter about the experience he wrote a play about Mayer soon after titled "Get Away Old Man". He also adapted the story he wrote for the film into a novel, which was published within weeks of the movie premiere and became a best seller.


5:00 AM -- Madame Curie (1943)
The famed female scientist fights to keep her marriage together while conducting early experiments with radioactivity.
Dir: Mervyn LeRoy
Cast: Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Henry Travers
BW-124 mins, CC,

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Walter Pidgeon, Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Greer Garson, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -- Joseph Ruttenberg, Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Black-and-White -- Cedric Gibbons, Paul Groesse, Edwin B. Willis and Hugh Hunt, Best Sound, Recording -- Douglas Shearer (M-G-M SSD), Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture -- Herbert Stothart, and Best Picture

The film plays fast and loose with the facts, ignoring Curie's sister who also lived in Paris and Curie's own political activism. She fiercely championed the liberation of her native Poland.