TCM Schedule for Thursday, May 11, 2017 -- TCM Spotlight - Creature Features

[Staph]

During the daylight hours, it's a birthday celebration for Margaret Rutherford, born on May 11, 1892, in Balham, England. She was the first, and arguably the best, of the cinematic versions of Miss Jane Marple, Agatha Christie's other famous detective, but Rutherford was so much more than just a litttle old lady solving murders in St. Mary Mead. Then in prime time, TCM has more creature features. Ugh, but try to enjoy!


6:00 AM -- DEMI-PARADISE (1943)
A Russian inventor tries to cope with British life while helping the country prepare for war.
Dir: Anthony Asquith
Cast: Laurence Olivier, Penelope Dudley Ward, Margaret Rutherford
BW-113 mins,

Also known as Adventure for Two.


8:00 AM -- THE YELLOW CANARY (1943)
A socialite poses as a Nazi spy to mask her activities as a British agent.
Dir: Herbert Wilcox
Cast: Anna Neagle, Richard Greene, Nova Pilbeam
BW-84 mins,

"Put her into Brixton jail with all the other 18Bs," says an annoyed lady diner on seeing Sally (Anna Neagle). This references Regulation 18B of the Defence (General) Regulations 1939, which allowed for those suspected of being Nazi sympathisers to be interned; some indeed being housed in HMP Brixton.


9:45 AM -- BLITHE SPIRIT (1945)
A man and his second wife are haunted by the ghost of his first wife.
Dir: David Lean
Cast: Rex Harrison, Constance Cummings, Kay Hammond
C-96 mins,

Won an Oscar for Best Effects, Special Effects -- Tom Howard (visual)

As with most of Noël Coward's work, the film is renowned for its dialogue. During an argument with Ruth, Charles declares, "If you're trying to compile an inventory of my sex life, I feel it only fair to warn you that you've omitted several episodes. I shall consult my diary and give you a complete list after lunch." The line, considered extremely risqué by censors, was deleted from the US release.


11:30 AM -- MIRANDA (1948)
A doctor on fishing holiday catches a mermaid by mistake.
Dir: Ken Annakin
Cast: Glynis Johns, Googie Withers, Griffith Jones
BW-77 mins, CC,

Glynis Johns and David Tomlinson would pair together as husband and wife in Mary Poppins (1964).


1:00 PM -- MAD ABOUT MEN (1954)
A mermaid trades places with a teacher and finds love.
Dir: Ralph Thomas
Cast: Margaret Rutherford, Glynis Johns, Donald Sinden
C-85 mins, CC,

Sequel to Miranda (1948).


2:34 PM -- FISH TALES (1954)
Champion fisherman Ernie St. Claire is after a large fish in this short film.
Dir: Carl Dudley
C-8 mins,


2:45 PM -- TROUBLE IN STORE (1955)
A stock boy in a London department store aspires to better things.
Dir: John Paddy
Carstairs Cast: Moira Lister, Norman Wisdom, Margaret Rutherford
BW-86 mins,

Jill Craigie, who wrote the first draft of the script, is reported to have asked for her name to be removed from the credits after learning of Norman Wisdom's involvement.


4:12 PM -- THE FALL GUY (1955)
The final entry of the Pete Smith specialty series pays tribute to stunt man Dave O'Brien, who took many falls and spills throughout the series.
Dir: Dave O'Brien
Cast: Dave O'Brien,
BW-9 mins,


4:30 PM -- MURDER AHOY (1964)
Elderly sleuth Miss Marple takes to the seas to investigate murder on a naval training ship.
Dir: George Pollock
Cast: Margaret Rutherford, Lionel Jeffries, Charles Tingwell
BW-93 mins, CC,

The screenplay was not based on any published Agatha Christie story. It did, however, borrow a few obscure plot details from "They Do It With Mirrors" and there is a delightful moment when Miss Marple pays homage to Christie's long-running play, "The Mousetrap."


6:15 PM -- THE WACKY WORLD OF MOTHER GOOSE (1967)
Animated film based on various fairy tales and nursery rhymes.
Dir: Jules Bass
Cast: Margaret Rutherford, Bob McFadden, Susan Melvin
C-81 mins, CC,

Margaret Rutherford's last film.


7:41 PM -- A LOOK BACK AT CROSSBOW (1965)
This promotional short film for "Operation Crossbow" (1965) gives the historical background for the movie's plot through archival footage.
BW-10 mins,



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: TCM SPOTLIGHT: CREATURE FEATURES



8:00 PM -- RODAN (1958)
Miners uncover the nest of a giant pterodactyl.
Dir: Inoshiro Honda
Cast: Kenji Sawara, Yumi Shirakawa, Akihiko Hirata
BW-72 mins, CC,

In his autobiography, George Takei says that this was his first professional acting job, and all dialogue voices were provided by himself, Keye Luke, "another man" (Paul Frees) and one woman.


9:30 PM -- THE BLACK SCORPION (1957)
Giant prehistoric scorpions terrorize the Mexican countryside.
Dir: Edward Ludwig
Cast: Richard Denning, Mara Corday, Carlos Rivas
BW-88 mins, CC,

The trapdoor spider that attacks Juanito in the scorpions' underground home is one of the original models left over from the famous deleted spider sequence in King Kong (1933).


11:15 PM -- THE DEADLY MANTIS (1957)
A prehistoric praying mantis wreaks havoc on the Eastern seaboard.
Dir: Nathan Juran
Cast: Craig Stevens, William Hopper, Alix Talton
BW-78 mins,

During the movie, the Air Force sends out a message to members of the Ground Observer Corps asking for help in spotting the mantis. This was a real group that existed at least since World War Two. It was comprised of regular citizens who received basic training in spotting and identifying aircraft, but was discontinued in 1959.


12:52 AM -- DIRT TRACK RACING (1957)
A short film about Viennese dirt bike racing, following a young racer from technical training to learning how to ride to his first race in Vienna.
Dir: Heinz Scheiderbauer
BW-8 mins,

This is one of several short subjects, already in the can, and slated for release by RKO Radio Pictures as part of their Sportscopes 1956-1957 season, but which received no theatrical distribution at the time, as a result of the demise of RKO. In 1994, they became part of the TCM library and, for the past 20+ years, finally saw the light of day through occasional airings on cable television.


1:00 AM -- THE MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD (1957)
An earthquake unleashes a horde of giant prehistoric monsters.
Dir: Arnold Laven
Cast: Tim Holt, Audrey Dalton, Hans Conried
BW-84 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

In the laboratory, above the filing cabinets on the right was an aerial picture of the K-25 plant, it was the largest building in the Manhattan Project and was authorized in late 1942. It was 11 miles from the WWII "secret city" of Oak Ridge, TN. The plant was intended to produce enriched uranium. The photo on the left appears to be a close-up of K-25.


2:45 AM -- EMPIRE OF THE ANTS (1977)
A toxic spill unleashes giant ants on a crooked real estate development.
Dir: Bert I. Gordon
Cast: Joan Collins, Robert Lansing, Albert Salmi
C-90 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

As a promotional gimmick for the film theaters would display ant farms in their lobbies - though they weren't allowed near the concession counters.


4:30 AM -- THE GIANT CLAW (1957)
A giant anti-matter bird invades the Earth's atmosphere.
Dir: Fred F. Sears Cast: Jeff Morrow, Mara Corday, Morris Ankrum
BW-74 mins, CC,

In an interview, star Jeff Morrow said that neither he nor anyone on the film saw the title "monster" until they went to the film's premiere in Morrow's home town. It turned out that producer Sam Katzman had contracted with a low-budget model-maker in Mexico City to construct the "Giant Claw" and no one in the cast or crew had any idea it would come out looking as bizarre and, frankly, laughable as it did. Morrow said that the audience roared with laughter every time the "monster" made an appearance, and he wound up slinking in embarrassment out of the theater before the film was over so that no one who knew him would recognize him.