TCM Schedule for Friday, June 14, 2019 -- What's On Tonight: Girls' Night

[Staph]

In the daylight hours, we're gonna need a bigger boat! TCM is showing us sharks, nothing but sharks (except for the biggest of them all, Jaws (1975)). Then in primetime, TCM is having a girls' night out, with Steel Magnolias (1989), The Group (1966), and Stage Door (1937). Enjoy!

(Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa! Life got in the way. I apologize for getting this out late!)


6:00 AM -- 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.


8:15 AM -- THE SEA CHASE (1955)
A German freighter captain tries to elude the British in the early days of World War II.
Dir: John Farrow
Cast: John Wayne, Lana Turner, David Farrar
C-117 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Prior to the start of filming in Hawaii, John Wayne went scuba diving and developed an ear infection. As a result, he was in severe pain for much of shooting. Many of Wayne's scenes could be shot only on his "good" side, since the infected ear was so swollen, and between takes he had to go lie down to rest from the pain.


10:16 AM -- STRIPER TIME (1956)
This short film presents two sportsmen fishing for striped bass.
Dir: Van Campen Heilner
Cast: Harry A. Watkins, Coot Hall,
BW-8 mins,


10:30 AM -- THE SHARKFIGHTERS (1956)
Navy scientists race to develop a shark repellent that could save the lives of downed fliers.
Dir: Jerry Hopper
Cast: Victor Mature, Karen Steele, James Olson
C-74 mins, Letterbox Format

Special effects artist Russell Shearman was attacked and killed by a shark while filming underwater in the Caribbean Sea off Cuba.


11:50 AM -- COLOR SCALES (1932)
This short film shows various species of tropical fish at the Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco, California.
Dir: Zion Myers
C-8 mins,


12:00 PM -- LAST OF THE PAGANS (1935)
Two South Sea islanders fight a series of natural disasters to be together.
Dir: Richard Thorpe
Cast: Mala, Lotus, Telo A. Tematua
BW-70 mins,

50,000 feet of underwater footage was shot for this film, with a final total of 60 reels shot during the 22 weeks of production. It was eventually released as an 8-reel feature.


1:15 PM -- THE BIRDS AND THE BEASTS WERE THERE (1944)
This short film focuses on three animal parks in Miami, Florida. Vitaphone Release 1288A.
Dir: André De La Varre Jr.
Cast: Knox Manning,
C-10 mins,

The Rare Bird Farm closed in 1961 and was sold for commercial and residential development. As of 2018 the Monkey Jungle, begun in 1935, is still open and covers 30 acres. Also opened in 1935 in Pinecrest, Florida, Parrot Jungle moved to Watson Island, Miami in 2003 and has changed its name to Jungle Island. It's previous location was made into a public recreation center known as Pinecrest Gardens.


1:30 PM -- DEATH CURSE OF TARTU (1966)
After a group of archeology students disturb the grave of a witch-doctor, they are haunted by an apparition that takes form as an alligator, snake, shark, or zombie.
Dir: William Grefé
Cast: Fred Pinero, Babette Sherrill, Mayra Cristine
C-88 mins, CC,

In the last reel, actor Doug Hobart, who plays Tartu who has come back to life, wears full length suntan pantyhose underneath his loincloth.


3:01 PM -- THE BEACH OF NAZARÉ (1957)
This short film focuses on the dress and customs of Nazaré, a fishing village on Portugal's Atlantic coast.
Dir: Van Campen Heilner
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 Screenliners 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.


3:15 PM -- SHARK'S TREASURE (1975)
Treasure hunters seek a lost shipment of gold in shark-infested waters.
Dir: Cornel Wilde
Cast: Cornel Wilde, Yaphet Kotto, John Neilson
C-95 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

In JAWS, that came out the same year, Steven Spielberg made sure that in any angle from the boat during the third act, no land was visible to give the feeling the men were all alone. Which doesn't happen here. In this movie's third act, when the protagonists are held hostage on the boat, there are many scenes where land can be seen close by, and they're supposed to be far away from it: especially given the fact they're captured by wanted criminals.


5:00 PM -- KILLER SHARK (1950)
A fisherman's son tries to prove himself by hunting sharks.
Dir: Oscar Boetticher
Cast: Roddy McDowall, Laurette Luez, Roland Winters
BW-76 mins, CC,

Filmed in Baja California.


6:30 PM -- TIGER SHARK (1932)
A tuna fisherman marries a woman in love with another man.
Dir: Howard Hawks
Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Richard Arlen, Zita Johann
BW-77 mins, CC,

According to Peter Bogdanovich, dialog was improvised by Howard Hawkes and Edward G Robinson.



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: GIRLS' NIGHT



8:00 PM -- STEEL MAGNOLIAS (1989)
Small-town Southern women help each other through the trials of life.
Dir: Herbert Ross
Cast: Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Julia Roberts
C-118 mins, CC,

Nominee for an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Julia Roberts

When Bette Davis saw the off-Broadway play, she thought it would be a great film for her, envisioning herself as Ouiser (Shirley MacLaine's role), Katharine Hepburn as Clairee (Olympia Dukakis), and Elizabeth Taylor as Truvy (Dolly Parton). However, when she contacted the rights holders for the movie adaptation, she found out that they intended to cast much younger actresses. I would love to have seen that cast!


10:04 PM -- COLORFUL NORTH CAROLINA (1942)
This short film provides a tour of North Carolina.
Dir: James A. FitzPatrick
C-9 mins,


10:15 PM -- THE GROUP (1966)
Eight friends from a women's college fight for happiness during the Great Depression.
Dir: Sidney Lumet
Cast: Candice Bergen, Joan Hackett, Elizabeth Hartman
C-152 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

First film for a bunch of amazing actors, including Hal Holbrook, Candice Bergen, Joan Hackett, George Gaynes, and Joanna Pettet.


1:00 AM -- STAGE DOOR (1937)
Women at a theatrical boarding house try to make their big break happen.
Dir: Gregory LaCava
Cast: Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, Adolphe Menjou
BW-92 mins, CC,

Nominee for Oscars for Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Andrea Leeds, Best Director -- Gregory La Cava, Best Writing, Screenplay -- Morrie Ryskind and Anthony Veiller, and Best Picture

The screenplay was considerably altered from the hit stage play. Director Gregory La Cava was particularly gifted working with actresses. For two weeks prior to filming, he had his cast improvise in the boarding house set as if they were actually rooming together, and had a script girl take down all their interchanges. Most of the dialog you hear in the boarding house is extemporaneous ad-libs by the actresses during rehearsals.


2:45 AM -- THE ROBOT VS. THE AZTEC MUMMY (1958)
A mad scientist creates a murderous robot to steal an ancient Aztec treasure.
Dir: Rafael Portillo
Cast: Ramón Gay, Rosita Arenas, Crox Alvarado
BW-64 mins,

The first half of the film is a recap of The Aztec Mummy (1957) and The Curse of the Aztec Mummy (1957).


4:00 AM -- THE MUMMY (1959)
A resurrected mummy stalks the archaeologists who defiled his tomb.
Dir: Terence Fisher
Cast: Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Yvonne Furneaux
C-88 mins, CC,

Sir Christopher Lee's mummy walk isn't entirely acting. A door through which Lee must crash was accidentally bolted by a grip before the scene was shot. Lee's shoulder was dislocated when he broke down the door, but the shot remains in the movie. He also injured his knees and shins while doing scenes in the studio-tank "swamp". He couldn't see where the various pipes and fittings under the swampy water were.


5:30 AM -- WONDERFUL WORLD OF TUPPERWARE (1965)
This short industrial film focuses on the making of Tupperware.
Dir: George J. Yarbrough
C-29 mins,

Although IMDb once listed this as a 1959 film, there are several indicators that it was made much later. A Tuppeware factory is shown, and among the cars driving by are a 1960 Buick and a 1961 Buick Special. Also, during the "Jubilee" convention, several top salespeople are shown being awarded new Ford Mustangs as prizes. The Ford Mustang didn't come out until late 1964.