TCM Schedule for Friday, April 17, 2015 -- Friday Night Spotlight - A. Arnold Gillespie

[Staph]

During the day, we're celebrating the birth of William Holden, born William Franklin Beedle Jr. on April 17, 1918, in O'Fallon, Illinois. In prime time, TCM continues featuring films by special effects wizard A. Arnold Gillespie, including Green Dolphin Street (1947), Royal Wedding (1951 - with Fred Astaire's amazing dance on the walls and ceiling), Scaramouche (1952), and The Wreck of the Mary Deare (1959). Enjoy!



6:45 AM -- Invisible Stripes (1940)
On his release from prison, a crook tries to stop his brother from following in his footsteps.
Dir: Lloyd Bacon
Cast: George Raft, Jane Bryan, William Holden
BW-81 mins, CC,

According to William Holden, during the fight scene between the brothers, Holden accidentally hit George Raft in the eye with his head and opened a gash.


8:15 AM -- Our Town (1940)
Small town lovers search for happiness.
Dir: Sam Wood
Cast: Frank Craven, William Holden, Martha Scott
BW-89 mins, CC,

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Martha Scott, Best Art Direction, Black-and-White -- Lewis J. Rachmil, Best Sound, Recording -- Thomas T. Moulton (Samuel Goldwyn SSD), Best Music, Score -- Aaron Copland, Best Music, Original Score -- Aaron Copland, and Best Picture

Film debut of Martha Scott. She was not considered for the role of "Emily" at first because of her poor screen test for the role of "Melanie" in Gone with the Wind (1939), but she was chosen after much auditioning of other actresses.


10:00 AM -- Rachel And The Stranger (1948)
A mail-order bride finds herself attracted to a handsome drifter.
Dir: Norman Foster
Cast: Loretta Young, William Holden, Robert Mitchum
BW-79 mins, CC,

Loretta Young was famous for placing a "swear jar" on the sets of all of her films, charging anyone in the cast or crew who used foul language 25 cents for doing so, then giving the funds to one of her favorite charities. While making this film with her, Robert Mitchum reputedly held his tongue about his pious co-star until shooting was completed. As he exited the set on the final day of production, Mitchum smiled, dropped a $20 bill into the jar, and said, "This should just about cover everything I've been wanting to say to Loretta."


11:30 AM -- Escape From Fort Bravo (1953)
The Civil War complicates the Cavalry's battle against Indians.
Dir: John Sturges
Cast: William Holden, Eleanor Parker, John Forsythe
C-99 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

William Holden did not shave his chest for his shirtless scene in this movie (as he did for most of his other "beefcake" scenes of the 1950s), thus giving audiences one of their best looks at his normally lush growth of chest hair.


1:15 PM -- Executive Suite (1954)
When a business magnate dies, his board of directors fights over who should run the company.
Dir: Robert Wise
Cast: William Holden, June Allyson, Barbara Stanwyck
BW-105 mins, CC,

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Nina Foch, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -- George J. Folsey, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White -- Cedric Gibbons, Edward C. Carfagno, Edwin B. Willis and Emile Kuri, and Best Costume Design, Black-and-White -- Helen Rose

The entire story takes place during the 24 hour period from Friday afternoon, June 19 1953 to Saturday afternoon, June 20 1953.


3:15 PM -- Born Yesterday (1950)
A newspaper reporter takes on the task of educating a crooked businessman's girlfriend.
Dir: George Cukor
Cast: Judy Holliday, Broderick Crawford, William Holden
BW-102 mins, CC,

Won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Judy Holliday (Judy Holliday was not present at the awards ceremony. Ethel Barrymore accepted on her behalf.)

Nominated for Oscars for Best Director -- George Cukor, Best Writing, Screenplay -- Albert Mannheimer, Best Costume Design, Black-and-White -- Jean Louis, and Best Picture

To help build up Judy Holliday's image, particularly in the eyes of Columbia Pictures chief Harry Cohn, Katharine Hepburn deliberately leaked stories to the gossip columns suggesting that her performance in Adam's Rib (1949) was so good that it had stolen the spotlight from Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. This got Cohn's attention and Holliday won the part in Born Yesterday (1950).


5:00 PM -- The Moon Is Blue (1953)
Two womanizers fall for a woman determined to keep her virginity.
Dir: Otto Preminger
Cast: William Holden, David Niven, Maggie McNamara
BW-99 mins, CC,

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Maggie McNamara, Best Film Editing -- Otto Ludwig, and Best Music, Original Song -- Herschel Burke Gilbert (music) and Sylvia Fine (lyrics) for the song "The Moon Is Blue"

This movie was used as a part of a plot line in the "The Moon is Not Blue" episode of "M*A*S*H." The plot line focuses on Hawkeye Pierce and B.J. Hunnicutt trying to obtain a copy of the movie for the 4077th after hearing it has been banned in Boston. They think it must be a dirty movie, but are disappointed when they finally get to see it. (Hawkeye: "I'm outraged! I've never seen a cleaner movie!" Father Mulcahy: "Well, one of the characters *did* say the word, 'virgin.'" Hawkeye: "That's because everyone *was*!&quot


6:45 PM -- Hollywood Without Make-Up (1966)
In this special, Ken Murray hosts his own behind-the-scenes home movies of some of Hollywood's greatest stars.
Cast: Ken Murray,
BW-50 mins, CC,


7:51 PM -- Picturesque New Zealand (1952)
This short film highlights some of the attractions of New Zealand, including their pastoral tradition and the native Maori people.
C-8 mins,



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: FRIDAY NIGHT SPOTLIGHT: A. ARNOLD GILLESPIE



8:00 PM -- Green Dolphin Street (1947)
In 19th-century New Zealand, two sisters compete for the same man against a backdrop of political unrest and natural disaster.
Dir: Victor Saville
Cast: Lana Turner, Van Heflin, Donna Reed
BW-141 mins, CC,

Won an Oscar for Best Effects, Special Effects -- A. Arnold Gillespie (visual), Warren Newcombe (visual), Douglas Shearer (audible) and Michael Steinore (audible)

Nominated for Oscars for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -- George J. Folsey, Best Sound, Recording -- Douglas Shearer (M-G-M SSD), and Best Film Editing -- George White

$500,000 was spent on the earthquake scene alone.


10:30 PM -- Royal Wedding (1951)
A brother-and-sister musical team find romance when they tour to London for Elizabeth II's wedding.
Dir: Stanley Donen
Cast: Fred Astaire, Jane Powell, Peter Lawford
C-93 mins, CC,

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Music, Original Song -- Burton Lane (music) and Alan Jay Lerner (lyrics) for the song "Too Late Now"

In an interview given shortly after the film was released, Fred Astaire revealed that he had tried dancing with more than thirty commercially available hat racks before the studio had the prop department design and build the one in the film at a final cost of over $900 (about $4000 in 2011 dollars). The hat rack disappeared shortly after the film wrapped.


12:15 AM -- Scaramouche (1952)
In 18th-century France, a young man masquerades as an actor to avenge his friend's murder.
Dir: George Sidney
Cast: Stewart Granger, Eleanor Parker, Janet Leigh
C-115 mins, CC,

The horseback chase scenes were filmed in San Francisco's famed Golden Gate Park. At first, we see the characters spotting each other at Lloyd Lake near the "Portal of the Past", then the "Rainbow Falls" on John F. Kennedy Drive, up the steps in front of the Band Concourse and towards the Japanese Tea Garden. All scenes beautifully photographed in Technicolor in semi-fog. The duel scene was shot at Lindley Meadows, near the Polo Field just south of Stow Lake. This is the same area used in Star Trek IV as the landing place for the Enterprise crew in the captured and cloaked Klingon Bird of Prey ship.


2:30 AM -- The Wreck Of The Mary Deare (1959)
The skipper of a sunken ship stands trial for negligence.
Dir: Michael Anderson
Cast: Gary Cooper, Charlton Heston, Michael Redgrave
C-105 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

The task of bringing this novel to the screen was originally assigned to writer Ernest Lehman and director Alfred Hitchcock. Lehman eventually went to Hitchcock and told him that he couldn't come up with anything. Hitchcock told him not to worry about it, that they'd do something else. Lehman said, "But what about MGM?" Hitchcock replied "We won't tell them." That "something else" that they came up with was North by Northwest (1959).


4:30 AM -- China Seas (1935)
A sea captain caught in a romantic triangle has to fight off modern-day pirates.
Dir: Tay Garnett
Cast: Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Wallace Beery
BW-87 mins, CC,

Jean Harlow wore a wig for this film. She had cut her hair shorter and was letting her natural color grow in. But for the scene where her character Dolly is soaked, the wig could not be used because it would look fake. Thus for a few seconds Harlow's hair is shorter and a different color.