TCM Schedule for Thursday, November 2, 2017 -- What's On Tonight: Sophia Loren

[Staph]

In the daylight hours, TCM is celebrating birthday girl Ann Rutherford, born Therese Ann Rutherford on November 2, 1917, in Vancouver, British Columbia. This naturalized American is best remembered for two quintessential American roles, Mickey Rooney's girlfriend Polly Benedict in the Andy Hardy series (13 films!), and Scarlet O'Hara's youngest sister Careen in Gone With The Wind (1939). And in prime time, we get five films from the 1960s and 1970s starring Sophia Loren. Enjoy!


6:00 AM -- A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1938)
In this adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic tale, an elderly miser learns the error of his ways on Christmas Eve.
Dir: Edwin L. Marin
Cast: Reginald Owen, Gene Lockhart, Kathleen Lockhart
BW-69 mins, CC,

The word "humbug" is misunderstood by many people, which is a pity since the word provides a key insight into Scrooge's hatred of Christmas. The word "humbug" describes deceitful efforts to fool people by pretending to a fake loftiness or false sincerity. So when Scrooge calls Christmas a humbug, he is claiming that people only pretend to charity and kindness in a scoundrel effort to delude him, each other, and themselves. In Scrooge's eyes, he is the one man honest enough to admit that no one really cares about anyone else, so for him, every wish for a Merry Christmas is one more deceitful effort to fool him and take advantage of him. This is a man who has turned to profit because he honestly believes everyone else will someday betray him or abandon him the moment he trusts them. (Apparently, Scrooge was a Republican who saw the light!)


7:20 AM -- STREAMLINED SWING (1938)
In this musical short, a group of waiters sing to bring in customers to their diner.
BW-9 mins,


7:30 AM -- DRAMATIC SCHOOL (1938)
A young actress struggles to make a hit on stage and in married life.
Dir: Robert B. Sinclair
Cast: Luise Rainer, Paulette Goddard, Alan Marshall
BW-80 mins,

MGM had planned for Greer Garson to make her film debut in the film, but shortly before shooting began, Garson injured her back and the role was recast with Luise Rainer.


9:00 AM -- YOU'RE ONLY YOUNG ONCE (1938)
Andy Hardy and his sister find romance during a family vacation in Catalina.
Dir: George B. Seitz
Cast: Lewis Stone, Cecilia Parker, Mickey Rooney
BW-78 mins, CC,

The second of sixteen Andy Hardy films starring Mickey Rooney. The first film that Lewis Stone played Judge Hardy and the first film that Ann Rutherford played Polly Benedict.


10:30 AM -- FOUR GIRLS IN WHITE (1939)
Student nurses cope with life's problems.
Dir: S. Sylvan Simon
Cast: Florence Rice, Una Merkel, Ann Rutherford
BW-74 mins, CC,

Based on an original story by Nathalie Bucknall and Endre Bohem.


12:00 PM -- THESE GLAMOUR GIRLS (1939)
A drunken college boy invites a taxi dancer to spend the weekend at his snobbish school.
Dir: S. Sylvan Simon
Cast: Lew Ayres, Lana Turner, Tom Brown
BW-79 mins, CC,

From a story in Cosmopolitan Magazine, by Jane Hall.


1:30 PM -- THE GHOST COMES HOME (1940)
A man who's presumed dead returns to his family.
Dir: William Thiele
Cast: Frank Morgan, Billie Burke, Ann Rutherford
BW-79 mins, CC,

A great amount of footage of Pookey the Parrot had to be removed because he imitated the "Cut!" command of director Wilhelm Thiele and often screamed it in the middle of a scene.


3:00 PM -- KEEPING COMPANY (1940)
A young man's engagement is jeopardized by the return of an old girlfriend.
Dir: S. Sylvan Simon
Cast: Frank Morgan, Ann Rutherford, John Shelton
BW-80 mins, CC,

If the name of the car Ted is selling sounds familiar - nine years after the release of this film, the Dodge division of Chrysler came out with its Coronet model in 1949. It was in production until 1959, and was brought back in 1965 until 1976.


4:30 PM -- WYOMING (1940)
Outlaw pals are tempted to go straight.
Dir: Richard Thorpe
Cast: Wallace Beery, Leo Carrillo, Ann Rutherford
BW-88 mins, CC,

The opening credits of the currently shown version of this movie on TCM display the title as: "Bad Man of Wyoming", a title often used by TV broadcasters in order to eliminate confusion with the similarly titled Wyoming (1947) which had also hit the airwaves around the same time sixty years ago.


6:15 PM -- WHISTLING IN BROOKLYN (1943)
A radio sleuth infiltrates the Brooklyn Dodgers to solve a murder.
Dir: S. Sylvan Simon
Cast: Red Skelton, Ann Rutherford, Jean Rogers
BW-87 mins, CC,

Last movie Ann Rutherford made with MGM studios.


7:48 PM -- CAPRICCIO ITALIEN (1953)
In this short film, The MGM Symphony Orchestra performs Tchaikovsky's "Capriccio Italien."
BW-10 mins,



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: SOPHIA LOREN



8:00 PM -- MARRIAGE - ITALIAN STYLE (1964)
A businessman's discarded mistress refuses to tell him which of her three sons is his.
Dir: Vittorio De Sica
Cast: Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni, Aldo Puglisi
C-102 mins, Letterbox Format

Nominated for Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film -- Italy, and Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Sophia Loren

Based on a play by Eduardo De Filippo.


10:00 PM -- YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW (1963)
Three tales of very different women using their sexuality as a means to getting what they want.
Dir: Vittorio De Sica
Cast: Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni, Aldo Giuffrè
C-118 mins, Letterbox Format

Won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film -- Italy

The limousine featured in part II ("Anna&quot was a 1963 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III Convertible.


12:15 AM -- TWO WOMEN (1961)
A widow tries to get her daughter to safety in World War II Italy.
Dir: Vittorio De Sica
Cast: Sophia Loren, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Eleonora Brown
BW-96 mins, Letterbox Format

Won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Sophia Loren (Sophia Loren is the first actor to win an Academy Award for a foreign language film. Sophia Loren was not present at the awards ceremony. Greer Garson accepted the award on her behalf.)

It has been said that Anna Magnani was originally cast in the role of Cesira, but when she was unable commit to the film due to illness, it was Magnani herself who suggested Sophia Loren for the role, suggesting to director Vittorio De Sica that if Loren (who was 25 years old at the time) would not mind playing a mother with an adolescent daughter, then the role should go to her.


2:00 AM -- LIVE FROM THE TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL: SOPHIA LOREN (2016)
Sophia Loren discusses her career with her son Edoardo Ponti and a live audience.
C-66 mins, CC,

Among the movies discussed are Too Bad She's Bad (1955), The Pride and the Passion (1957), Two Women (1960), Marriage Italian Style (1964), and Human Voice (2014 - short).


3:15 AM -- A SPECIAL DAY (1977)
Two neighbors, a persecuted journalist and a resigned housewife, meet during Hitler's visit in Italy in May 1938.
Dir: Ettore Scola
Cast: Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni, John Vernon
C-107 mins, Letterbox Format

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Marcello Mastroianni, and Best Foreign Language Film -- Italy

Sophia Loren's younger sister Maria Scicolone was married to Benito Mussolini's son Romano Mussolini from 1962 to 1971. Maria and Romano's daughter Alessandra Mussolini plays Maria Luisa, one of the daughters of her real life aunt Sophia Loren's character Antonietta.


5:15 AM -- THE PRIEST'S WIFE (1971)
A priest falls in love with a young woman and sets her up as his mistress.
Dir: Dino Risi
Cast: Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni, Venantino Venantini
C-107 mins, CC,

Based on a story by Ruggero Maccari, Dino Risi, and Bernardino Zapponi.