TCM Schedule for Friday, August 10 -- Summer Under The Stars: Lionel Barrymore

[Staph]

Any serious fan of acting, on stage, screen or radio, knows the Barrymore family and the impressive Lionel Barrymore. But few know of his other talents. Barrymore was a skilled graphic artist, and a prolific composer of works ranging from solo piano works to orchestral works. And some sources create him with creating the boom microphone, while directing Madame X (1929), one of the 15 films and shorts he directed. He also wrote a novel, an autobiography and four short films. What an amazing talent! Enjoy!



6:00 AM -- West of Zanzibar (1928)
65 min, TV-G
In this silent film, a mad African dictator plots revenge on the trader who stole his wife.
Dir: Tod Browning
Cast: Lon Chaney, Lionel Barrymore, Mary Nolan

In the ceremonial tribal dances the local extras had difficulty dancing to the drums.To remedy the situation a radio was brought to the set and played Jazz tunes by a local station.


7:15 AM -- The Devil Doll (1936)
78 min, TV-PG
A Devil's Island escapee shrinks murderous slaves and sells them to his victims as dolls.
Dir: Tod Browning
Cast: Lionel Barrymore, Maureen O'Sullivan, Frank Lawton

Based on Abraham Merritt's novel "Burn Witch Burn".


8:45 AM -- Mata Hari (1931)
89 min, TV-PG
Romantic biography of World War I's notorious lady spy.
Dir: George Fitzmaurice
Cast: Greta Garbo, Ramon Novarro, Lionel Barrymore

Though the title character was real, the events in the film are mostly fictional.


10:15 AM -- Grand Hotel (1932)
113 min, TV-PG
Guests at a posh Berlin hotel struggle through scandal and heartache.
Dir: Edmund Goulding
Cast: Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Joan Crawford

Won an Oscar for Best Picture

Originally conceived by MGM production chief as one of the first All-Star vehicles. Conventional wisdom of the time was that you put no more than one or two of your biggest stars in a picture so as to lower production cost and to maximize profits. Grand Hotel featured 5 of MGM's top tiered stars and was one of the highest grossing pictures in studio history.


12:15 PM -- Should Ladies Behave? (1933)
87 min, TV-PG
A young girl falls for her aunt's lover.
Dir: Harry Beaumont
Cast: Lionel Barrymore, Alice Brady, Conway Tearle

The original play, The Vinegar Tree, by Paul Osborn, opened in New York on 19 November 1930.


1:45 PM -- This Side Of Heaven (1934)
77 min, TV-G
An eccentric family tries to work together when the father is accused of embezzlement.
Dir: William K. Howard
Cast: Lionel Barrymore, Fay Bainter, Mae Clarke

Scenes from the film Another Language are shown in the movie theater that Hal and Peggy attend, but the AFI Catalogue reports that these are probably outtakes.


3:15 PM -- The Return of Peter Grimm (1936)
83 min, TV-PG
A strong-willed patriarch returns from the dead to amend the wrongs he did his family.
Dir: George Nicholls Jr.
Cast: Lionel Barrymore, Helen Mack, Edward Ellis

The play opened on Broadway in New York City, New York, USA on 17 October 1911 and closed in May 1912 after 231 performances. The opening night cast included Thomas Meighan as James and John St. Polis as Frederik.


4:45 PM -- A Yank At Oxford (1938)
102 min, TV-G
A cocky American student runs into trouble when he transfers to the famed British college.
Dir: Jack Conway
Cast: Robert Taylor, Lionel Barrymore, Maureen O'Sullivan

Film debut of Jon Pertwee, best remembered as the third Doctor Who.


6:30 PM -- Young Dr. Kildare (1938)
82 min, TV-G
A medical school graduate must choose between a small-town practice and a big-city internship.
Dir: Harold S. Bucquet
Cast: Lionel Barrymore, Lew Ayres, Lynne Carver

The second of ten Dr. Kildare films and the first to feature Barrymore as Dr. Gillespie. After Lew Ayres declared himself a contientious objector at the start of WWII, the Dr. Kildare series ended, and six more films were made in a series about Dr. Gillespie -- all starring Barrymore.



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: SUMMER UNDER THE STARS: LIONEL BARRYMORE


8:00 PM -- You Can't Take It With You (1938)
126 min, TV-G
A girl from a family of freethinkers falls for the son of a conservative banker.
Dir: Frank Capra
Cast: Jean Arthur, Lionel Barrymore, James Stewart

Won Oscars for Best Director -- Frank Capra, and Best Picture

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Spring Byington, Best Cinematography -- Joseph Walker, Best Film Editing -- Gene Havlick, Best Sound, Recording -- John P. Livadary (Columbia SSD), and Best Writing, Screenplay -- Robert Riskin

Shortly before filming began, Lionel Barrymore lost the use of his legs to crippling arthritis and a hip injury. To accommodate him, the script was altered so that his character had a sprained ankle, and Barrymore did the film on crutches. He would receive injections every hour to help relieve the pain of his arthritis.


10:15 PM -- Night Flight (1933)
85 min, TV-G
An airline's owner runs his business with ruthless disregard for safety.
Dir: Clarence Brown
Cast: John Barrymore, Helen Hayes, Clark Gable

There was to have been a scene in which Clark Gable jumped out of a plane at an altitude of 25,000 feet. The stuntman Jim Unger, who was to double for Clark, passed out at 20,000 feet from lack of oxygen and the shot never got made.


12:00 AM -- Key Largo (1948)
101 min, TV-G
A returning veteran tangles with a ruthless gangster during a hurricane.
Dir: John Huston
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, Lauren Bacall

Won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Claire Trevor

In a classic case of a director being emotionally manipulative, John Huston informed Claire Trevor that they were to film her song that very day. Trevor was not a trained singer, and had not even rehearsed the song yet. She also felt very intimidated by the A-list actors seated directly in front of her. The result was a hesitant, nervous, uncomfortable rendition, exactly the feeling Huston was hoping to get.


2:00 AM -- The Gorgeous Hussy (1936)
103 min, TV-PG
President Andrew Jackson's friendship with an innkeeper's daughter spells trouble for them both.
Dir: Clarence Brown
Cast: Joan Crawford, Robert Taylor, Lionel Barrymore

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Beulah Bondi, and Best Cinematography -- George J. Folsey

This was the first film Joan Crawford and Franchot Tone made together after their marriage in 1935.


4:00 AM -- Lone Star (1952)
95 min, TV-PG
A frontiersman helps out with Texas's fight for independence from Mexico.
Dir: Vincent Sherman
Cast: Clark Gable, Ava Gardner, Broderick Crawford

Lionel Barrymore's last movie (and his second time as Andrew Jackson!).