TCM Schedule for Saturday, June 11, 2016 -- What's On Tonight: The Essentials: The World's Fair

[Staph]

The Essentials are back! And tonight, TCM is featuring a trio of films about the joys of attending the World's Fair. I must admit that I've been to two of them - the Century 21 Exposition in Seattle in 1962, and the International Energy Exposition in Knoxville in 1982. What about the rest of you? Enjoy!



6:01 AM -- "Some Of The Best" Twenty-Five Years Of Motion Picture Leadership (1949)
This promotional short features highlights of MGM's productions from 1924 through 1948 in honor of the studio's 25th anniversary.
C-42 mins, CC,


6:45 AM -- The Wasp Woman (1960)
A cosmetics executive's search for eternal beauty turn her into a monster.
Dir: Roger Corman
Cast: Susan Cabot, Fred Eisley, Barboura Morris
BW-61 mins, CC,

This was Susan Cabot's final movie.


8:00 AM -- Queen of Outer Space (1958)
A space mission to Venus discovers a society of Amazons.
Dir: Edward Bernds
Cast: Zsa Zsa Gabor, Eric Fleming, Lisa Davis
C-80 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

In an interview, director Edward Bernds said that Zsa Zsa Gabor got very "testy" with the actresses playing the Venusian girls. They were mostly beauty contest winners, and were many years - and in some cases a few decades - younger than her. When she noticed that the crew was paying more attention to the tall, leggy, mini-skirted "Venusians" than they were to her, she became very difficult to work with. He said that Gabor gave producer Ben Schwalb such a hard time on the picture that Schwalb eventually wound up in the hospital with ulcers.


9:30 AM -- Ace Drummond: The Doorway of Doom (1936)
In Chapter Three of Ace Drummond ace pilot tries to decoy The Dragons planes while his sidekick escapes a secret prison.
BW-19 mins,


10:00 AM -- Ace Drummond: The Radio Riddle (1936)
In Chapter Four of Ace Drummond ace pilot is accused of murdering one of The Dragon's henchmen.
BW-21 mins,


10:30 AM -- Hold That Line (1952)
The Bowery Boys crash college when one of them lands on the football team.
Dir: William Beaudine
Cast: Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, John Bromfield
BW-64 mins, CC,

The 25th of 48 Bowery Boys movies.


11:45 AM -- God's Little Acre (1958)
A dirt-farmer lets his family fall apart while he hunts for his grandfather's buried gold.
Dir: Anthony Mann
Cast: Robert Ryan, Aldo Ray, Buddy Hackett
BW-118 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

A 1967 re-release attempted to appeal to the new generation by playing up the sex in the advertisements. The '67 poster featured the drawing of a topless woman underneath a bare-chested man on a bed, as well as a topless (but chaste) photo of co-star Fay Spain that was definitely not in the picture itself! For this re-release, Tina Louise was given top-billing and Michael Landon went from tenth billing in 1958 to second billing this time.


2:00 PM -- Giant (1956)
A Texas ranching family fights to survive changing times.
Dir: George Stevens
Cast: Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean
BW-201 mins, CC,

Won an Oscar for Best Director -- George Stevens

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- James Dean (This was James Dean's second consecutive posthumous nomination.), Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Rock Hudson, Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Mercedes McCambridge, Best Writing, Best Screenplay - Adapted -- Fred Guiol and Ivan Moffat, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color -- Boris Leven and Ralph S. Hurst, Best Costume Design, Color -- Moss Mabry and Marjorie Best, Best Film Editing -- William Hornbeck, Philip W. Anderson and Fred Bohanan, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture -- Dimitri Tiomkin, and Best Picture

Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor went for get-to-know-you drinks one night at the very start of the production. They both got exceedingly drunk, finishing the evening at 3:00 am. Their call-time was 5:30 am. Fortunately the scene being shot that morning was a wedding scene with no dialog, so instead of talking, all they had to do was look lovingly at each other. The two actors were concentrating so hard on not being sick that they were quite surprised when some of the people on-set started to cry, so convinced were they of their supposed looks of adoration at each other.


5:30 PM -- Rio Bravo (1959)
A sheriff enlists a drunk kid and an old man to help him fight off a ruthless cattle baron.
Dir: Howard Hawks
Cast: John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson
C-141 mins, CC,

The last movie in which John Wayne wore the hat he had worn since Stagecoach (1939). For most of the film Chance (John Wayne) has the front of his hat turned up to make him look a little soft and friendly. However in the tough guy scenes when Chance informs Nathan Burdette that he will have Stumpy kill his brother if there is any trouble, the front of the hat is turned down, in traditional tough guy mode.



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: THE ESSENTIALS: THE WORLD'S FAIR



8:00 PM -- Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
Young love and childish fears highlight a year in the life of a turn-of-the-century family.
Dir: Vincente Minnelli
Cast: Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brien, Mary Astor
C-113 mins, CC,

Won an Oscar Juvenile Award for Margaret O'Brien for outstanding child actress of 1944

Nominated for Oscars for Best Writing, Screenplay -- Irving Brecher and Fred F. Finklehoffe, Best Cinematography, Color -- George J. Folsey, Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture -- George Stoll, and Best Music, Original Song -- Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin for the song "The Trolley Song"

Judy Garland was at first reluctant to accept the role of Esther Smith for fear of being typecast as a "girl next door" type, as she had played such a role in many of her previous films. By this point in her career, she had not only been married briefly, she was also a lover of Hollywood nightlife and had briefly dated many of the famous Hollywood playboys of the time, including Artie Shaw, Tyrone Power and Joe Mankiewicz. In real life, she was a far cry from the girl-next-door types she had played onscreen and wanted to be given the glamor treatment received by the other actresses at MGM. With encouragement from director Vincente Minnelli, who did see Garland as she had wanted to be seen for years (beautiful and womanly), make-up artist Dorothy "Dottie" Ponedel worked on Garland and brought out her natural beauty. Garland's eyebrows were modified to a more defined arch, her cheeks highlighted with a subtle blush, her nose discs and dental caps removed. Garland had worn the nose discs and dental caps in all of her previous films; the caps were worn to disguise her crooked teeth, the nose discs to turn up her nose and create a more pronounced profile. Ponedel threw away the discs and caps, telling Garland she was pretty enough not to need them. To create a glamorous effect, while at the same time drawing attention to Garland's full lips and large brown eyes, Ponedel applied a bright red lip color and false lashes, both of which became staples of Garland's signature look from that point onward. During filming, Minnelli used special lighting to display the results of Ponedel's handiwork effectively. Garland was very pleased with the results and even more impressed when she attended a screening of the film and saw herself onscreen, and later stated that working on this film was the first time she had ever felt beautiful. She would continue to work with Ponedel for the rest of her years at MGM.


10:00 PM -- It Happened At The World's Fair (1963)
A pilot's efforts to help a lost girl at the Seattle World's Fair lead to love.
Dir: Norman Taurog
Cast: Elvis Presley, Joan O'Brien, Gary Lockwood
C-105 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Kurt Russell, in his screen debut, plays the boy who kicks Elvis Presley's shins. Recalling the scene years later, Russell says that he didn't want to do it, as Elvis was such a huge star and Russell was a fan of his. He says that finally Elvis paid him $5 to do it and he did. Russell would later go on to play Elvis in the TV movie, Elvis (1979).


11:48 PM -- Around The World Under The Sea (Longer Featurette) (1966)
This promotional short offers a look at the feature film "Around the World Under the Sea" (1966).
C-8 mins,


12:00 AM -- So Long at the Fair (1950)
A woman searches for her missing brother in Paris despite the fact that nobody believes he exists.
Dir: Antony Darnborough
Cast: Honor Blackman, Jean Simmons, Dirk Bogarde
BW-86 mins, CC,

Audiences in 1950 had no trouble identifying where the somewhat ungainly title came from. It's from the fourth line of a well-beloved folk song, not heard much anymore:

   "Oh, dear, what can the matter be?
   Dear, dear, what can the matter be?
   Oh, dear, what can the matter be?
   Johnny's so long at the fair."

It's no stretch to understand who Johnny is in the movie: It's Jean Simmon's character's missing brother, Johnny, and he certainly seems to have overstayed his welcome at this Paris World's Fair.


1:30 AM -- Camera Sleuth (1950)
This short film dramatizes how real-life investigator Jo Goggin uses a motion-picture surveillance camera to gather evidence.
Dir: Dave O'Brien
Cast: John Miljan ,
BW-10 mins,


2:00 AM -- Some Call It Loving (1973)
A wealthy musician buys a sleeping woman from a carnival but gets a surprise when she awakens.
Dir: James B. Harris Cast: Zalman King, Carol White, Tisa Farrow
C-103 mins,

The film was so well received in Europe after numerous press and distributor screenings that director James B. Harris was invited to attend the prestigious "Directors Fortnight" at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival and present the film. In Europe, "Some Call It Loving" was welcomed with open arms and hailed as an artful drama. In the United States, the critics were not as kind, labeling the film a curious oddity. The picture quickly faded from screens due to the negative word of mouth and lack of release. Since its initial release in the US, however, it has garnered a respectable cult following.


3:45 AM -- Lolita (1961)
Vladimir Nabokov's racy classic focuses on an aging intellectual in love with a teenager.
Dir: Stanley Kubrick Cast: James Mason, Sue Lyon, Shelley Winters
BW-153 mins, CC,

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium -- Vladimir Nabokov

Stanley Kubrick originally wanted Joey Heatherton for the title role of Lolita, but Heatherton's father Ray Heatherton said no for fear his daughter would be typecast as a promiscuous sex kitten. I'm afraid her father failed at that task.

[rdmtimp]

1. Are The Essentials back?

Both last week and this week Madeline Stowe was hosting. (Not that I'm complaining, but still...).