TCM Schedule for Saturday, May 26, 2018 -- What's On Tonight: Memorial Day Marathon

[Staph]

It's more of Memorial Day, so it's more of World War II, with a ton of John Wayne-saves-the-day films during the day. Enjoy!



6:15 AM -- TWELVE O'CLOCK HIGH (1949)
The head of a World War II bomber squadron cracks under the pressure.
Dir: Henry King
Cast: Gregory Peck, Hugh Marlowe, Gary Merrill
BW-132 mins, CC,

Winner of Oscars for Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Dean Jagger, and Best Sound, Recording -- Thomas T. Moulton

Nominee for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Gregory Peck, and Best Picture

This film is frequently cited by surviving bomber crew members as the only accurate depiction from Hollywood of their life during the war.


8:30 AM -- FLYING LEATHERNECKS (1951)
A World War II Marine officer drives his men mercilessly during the battle for Guadalcanal.
Dir: Nicholas Ray
Cast: John Wayne, Robert Ryan, Don Taylor
C-102 mins, CC,

John Wayne's character in this movie, Major Daniel Xavier Kirby, was based on Captain John Lucian Smith, USMC Ace who was Commanding Officer in the Marine Fighting Squadron 223 at Guadalcanal in 1942 during World War II. Smith was a Medal of Honor recipient in 1943 and a leader of the "Cactus" Air Force. Smith, a wildcat fighter pilot, shot down nineteen Japanese airplanes over Guadalcanal in 1942. Smith's achievements and commendations were well known to the public prior to this film being made. Smith was eventually promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and likewise, Wayne's Kirby character is also promoted to the same rank in this movie. Moreover, there is also a physical likeness and resemblance between Wayne and Smith. However, Smith was 28 during the events of the film, and Wayne was 44 when the film was made.


10:15 AM -- BACK TO BATAAN (1945)
An Army colonel leads a guerrilla campaign against the Japanese in the Philippines.
Dir: Edward Dmytryk
Cast: John Wayne, Anthony Quinn, Beulah Bondi
BW-95 mins, CC,

The state of the war in World War II was an ever-changing dynamic and two thirds of the way through production, the American invasion of the Philippines took place. As such, script changes and re-writes needed to be made to keep up to date with the current status of the war.


12:00 PM -- THE WINGS OF EAGLES (1957)
Biography of Frank "Spig" Wead, the pioneer aviator who turned to writing after being grounded by an accident.
Dir: John Ford
Cast: John Wayne, Dan Dailey, Maureen O'Hara
C-110 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

The real Frank Wead grew noticeably balder as he got older (World War II era). In order to be accurate about that, this is the only film in which John Wayne appears without his toupee. His toupee did briefly fall off during a fight scene in North to Alaska (1960).


2:00 PM -- OPERATION PACIFIC (1951)
A dedicated submarine commander sacrifices everything to defeat the enemy.
Dir: George Waggner
Cast: John Wayne, Patricia O'Neal, Ward Bond
BW-109 mins, CC,

The problems with submarine torpedoes shown in the movie are accurate. A poorly designed and tested firing pin could malfunction on a good hit (that is, a torpedo striking within about 45 degrees of perpendicular to the side of the target). Poor hits (at a very sharp angle to the side of the ship) could often produce more reliable explosions. Finding the problem, while not performed by the submarine crews as shown, actually did occur in a similar manner.


4:00 PM -- THEY WERE EXPENDABLE (1945)
A Navy commander fights to prove the battle-worthiness of the PT boat at the start of World War II.
Dir: John Ford
Cast: Robert Montgomery, John Wayne, Donna Reed
BW-135 mins, CC,

Nominee for Oscars for Best Sound, Recording -- Douglas Shearer (M-G-M SSD), and Best Effects, Special Effects -- A. Arnold Gillespie (photographic), Donald Jahraus (photographic), R.A. MacDonald (photographic) and Michael Steinore (sound)

During production, John Ford had put John Wayne down every chance he got, because Wayne had not enlisted to fight in World War II. Ford commanded a naval photographic unit during the war, rising to the rank of captain and thought Wayne a coward for staying behind. After months of Ford heaping insults on Wayne's head, co-star Robert Montgomery finally approached the director and told him that if he was putting Wayne down for Montgomery's benefit (Montgomery had also served as a naval officer in the war), then he needed to stop immediately. This brought the tough-as-nails director to tears and he stopped abusing Wayne.

And that kind of action is a small part of why Robert Montgomery is the patron saint of the Classic Films Group!





6:30 PM -- DECEMBER 7TH (1943)
After the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, the U.S. fights to survive the early days of World War II.
Dir: Gregg Toland
Cast: Walter Huston, Harry Davenport, Dana Andrews
BW-82 mins,

Winner of an Oscar for Best Documentary, Short Subjects

John Ford was brought in to re-shoot some scenes, shoot new ones and re-edit the film after the Army expressed its displeasure with the results of original director Gregg Toland.



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: MEMORIAL DAY MARATHON



8:00 PM -- FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)
Enlisted men in Hawaii fight for love and honor on the eve of World War II.
Dir: Fred Zinnemann
Cast: Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr
BW-118 mins, CC,

Winner of Oscars for Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Frank Sinatra, Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Donna Reed, Best Director -- Fred Zinnemann, Best Writing, Screenplay -- Daniel Taradash, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -- Burnett Guffey, Best Sound, Recording -- John P. Livadary (Columbia SSD), Best Film Editing -- William A. Lyon, and Best Picture

Nominee for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Montgomery Clift, Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Burt Lancaster, Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Deborah Kerr, Best Costume Design, Black-and-White -- Jean Louis, and Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture -- Morris Stoloff and George Duning

Montgomery Clift threw himself into the character of Prewitt, learning to play the bugle (even though he knew he'd be dubbed) and taking boxing lessons. Fred Zinnemann said, "Clift forced the other actors to be much better than they really were. That's the only way I can put it. He got performances from the other actors, he got reactions from the other actors that were totally genuine."


10:15 PM -- ACROSS THE PACIFIC (1942)
An American agent tries to keep Axis spies from blowing up the Panama Canal.
Dir: John Huston
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Sydney Greenstreet
C-96 mins, CC,

Director Vincent Sherman met with John Huston just before Huston left the project to join the Army Signal Corps and shoot documentaries for the war effort. The two directors conferred just before they were about to shoot the scene in which Leland is trapped in the movie theatre and three assassins are trying to kill him. "How does he get out?" Sherman asked. Huston replied, "That's your problem! I'm off to the war!"


12:00 AM -- THE CLAY PIGEON (1949)
A man awakens from a coma to discover he's accused of treason.
Dir: Richard Fleischer
Cast: Bill Williams, Barbara Hale, Richard Quine
BW-63 mins,

The story and screenplay were written by Carl Foreman, who was later nominated for writing Oscars for Champion (1949), The Men (1950), High Noon (1952), The Guns of Navarone (1961), and Young Winston (1972), and won an Oscar for The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957). Talented writer!


1:15 AM -- CORNERED (1946)
A World War II veteran hunts down the Nazi collaborators who killed his wife.
Dir: Edward Dmytryk
Cast: Dick Powell, Walter Slezak, Micheline Cheirel
BW-103 mins, CC,

The second and last collaboration between Dick Powell and director Edward Dmytryk. Along with Murder, My Sweet (1944), these films transformed Powell's image from that of a light song-and-dance man into a serious "tough guy" actor.


3:15 AM -- THOUSANDS CHEER (1943)
An egotistical acrobat joins the Army and falls in love with his commander's daughter.
Dir: George Sidney
Cast: Kathryn Grayson, Gene Kelly, Mary Astor
C-125 mins, CC,

Nominee for Oscars for Best Cinematography, Color -- George J. Folsey, Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Color -- Cedric Gibbons, Daniel B. Cathcart, Edwin B. Willis and Jacques Mersereau, and Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture -- Herbert Stothart

This patriotic wartime morale-booster was written by Paul Jarrico and Richard Collins. Both were later blacklisted for their supposed "Un-American Activities."


5:30 AM -- STAGE DOOR CANTEEN (1943)
A USO girl defies the rules when she falls for a soldier visiting the star-studded Stage Door Canteen.
Dir: Frank Borzage
Cast: Judith Anderson, Kenny Baker, Tallulah Bankhead
BW-131 mins, CC,

Nominee for Oscars for Best Music, Original Song -- James V. Monaco (music) and Al Dubin (lyrics) for the song "We Mustn't Say Good Bye", and Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture -- Freddie Rich

According to the book 'The Films of World War II' by Joe Morella, Edward Z. Epstein & John Griggs, this movie " . . . was a superstar-studded tribute to the American Theater Wing, which had founded and operated the Stage Door Canteen for the purpose of entertaining servicemen in New York City. The canteen received a percentage of the film's profits so 'Stage Door Canteen' was in reality a big benefit . . . a lot of money was raised for the actual Stage Door Canteen." Moreover, in a review, Bosley Crowther at the time wrote in 'The New York Times' that "90 per cent of the profits (from this film) are to go to the support and advancement of the American Theatre Wing."