TCM Schedule for Thursday, July 23, 2020 -- What's On Tonight: Cinematography by Richard Kline

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In prime time, there are four films filmed by Cinematographer Richard H. Kline. Tell us more, Quatoyiah!

A master of his craft, cinematographer Richard H. Kline's work has transcended decades, genres and styles. The son of Benjamin H. Kline, cinematographer on such pictures The Prescott Kid (1934) and Scandal Sheet (1939), Richard found himself on a Hollywood set as a 16-year-old slate boy on Cover Girl (1944). He joined the U.S. Navy shortly afterward before moving to Paris and attending Sorbonne University, where he earned a degree in Fine Art and History. After returning to America, Kline began working for Columbia, starting as a camera operator and then cinematographer. He earned two Oscar nominations during his career for his work on Camelot (1967) and King Kong (1976), and he became a member of the American Society of Cinematographers in 1967. He celebrated 51 years as a member before his death at 91 on August 7, 2018.

TCM honors the legacy of Kline's work in Hollywood with a selection of films that helped build his reputation in the 1960s and '70s.

Perhaps Kline's best-known work, Camelot earned a bevy of award nominations from the Academy and Golden Globes, garnering three wins at the former. Director Joshua Logan handpicked Kline for this cinematic adaptation of the Broadway musical. While the making of the film proved laborious due to its extensive scope, Kline's work was highly praised though many were skeptical of his ideas. Kline insisted on using natural lighting during the film's wedding scene between King Arthur (Richard Harris) and Guenevere (Vanessa Redgrave).

Kline used more than 1,000 candles for the scene, having a team of about 30 prop men light them. He also placed mirrors around set to heighten the glow from the light and placed a pane of glass in front of the camera at an angle to shoot through along with gauze which softened the look of the image. Kline also trusted his instincts to use a technique he had never tried before that controlled the picture's colors and contrast, giving the look of Camelot a naturalistic, but sublime quality.

Soylent Green (1973) marked the second of six collaborations with Kline and director Richard Fleischer. The two first worked together on crime drama The Boston Strangler starring Tony Curtis and Henry Fonda. Soylent Green, which marked the final film for actor Edward G. Robinson, is a dystopian thriller that once again utilizes Kline's knack for realism and naturalism in his imagery. Set in an overpopulated and polluted New York City, the film captures the grime and desperation of the film's inhabitants through browns, blues and murky greens all captured in bright high-key lighting.

A Dream of Kings (1969) follows a Greek American father (Anthony Quinn) who decides to take his dying son to Greece in hopes of saving the boy's life, but money proves to be an issue. Kline's expertise with lighting is once again on display in this tender drama. Through strategically photographed scenes, the film exhibits a strong use of color and vibrancy that contrasts the decay around it, reflecting emotional turmoil experienced by Quinn's character Matsoukas.

Kline worked within a multitude of genres during his career, including noir such as in Who'll Stop the Rain (1978). Nick Nolte stars as a Vietnam veteran who is conned into selling heroin by a friend and finds himself on the lam when caught. Shot in technicolor, Kline's work alongside director Karel Reisz was praised when it was first released. Gregory Arnold of The Washington Post noted that Kline "has a way of alternating and blending florid, burnished colors with shadowy, ominous colors that creates a pervasive mood of apprehension."

by Quatoyiah Murry

Enjoy! (And I apologize for not including my usual level of detail. My latest health issues make typing difficult.)


6:48 AM -- THE INCREDIBLE STRANGER (1942)
This short film, set in 1893, focuses on a stranger that arrives in a small town and keeps a promise he made to his wife.
Dir: Jacques Tourneur Cast: Paul Guilfoyle, Dorothy Vaughan, Henry Sylvester
BW-11 mins,

7:00 AM -- PERFECT STRANGERS (1950)
A divorcee finds love with a married man while they both sit on a jury.
Dir: Bretaigne Windust Cast: Ginger Rogers, Dennis Morgan, Thelma Ritter
BW-88 mins, CC,

8:37 AM -- A BOY AND HIS DOG (1946)
A young boy fights to save a dog from his cruel owner.
Dir: LeRoy Prinz Cast: Harry Davenport, Dorothy Adams, Morgan Flowers
BW-21 mins, CC,

9:00 AM -- ADVENTURES OF DON JUAN (1948)
The legendary lover saves his queen from treason.
Dir: Vincent Sherman Cast: Errol Flynn, Viveca Lindfors, Robert Douglas
C-111 mins, CC,

11:00 AM -- GOD'S GIFT TO WOMEN (1931)
A modern-day Don Juan tries to go straight for love of an American woman.
Dir: Michael Curtiz Cast: Frank Fay, Laura La Plante, Joan Blondell
BW-72 mins, CC,

12:15 PM -- NO MORE LADIES (1935)
A society girl tries to reform her playboy husband by making him jealous.
Dir: Edward H. Griffith Cast: Joan Crawford, Robert Montgomery, Charles Ruggles
BW-80 mins, CC,

1:45 PM -- WALTZ OF THE TOREADORS (1962)
A retired general's marriage is rocked by the return of his mistress.
Dir: John Guillermin Cast: Peter Sellers, Dany Robin, Margaret Leighton
C-105 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

3:45 PM -- TOM JONES (1963)
In this adaptation of Henry Fielding's novel, a country boy in 18th-century England becomes a playboy.
Dir: Tony Richardson Cast: Albert Finney, Susannah York, Hugh Griffith
C-122 mins, CC,

6:00 PM -- MR. LOVE (1986)
A group of women show up to the funeral of a seemingly reserved, small town gardener and recall their time spent with the covert ladies' man.
Dir: Roy Battersby Cast: Barry Jackson, Maurice Denham, Margaret Tyzack
C-91 mins, CC,


TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: CINEMATOGRAPHY BY RICHARD H. KLINE



8:00 PM -- CAMELOT (1967)
The romance between Guinevere and Lancelot destroys King Arthur's dream kingdom.
Dir: Joshua Logan Cast: Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave, Franco Nero
C-175 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

11:15 PM -- SOYLENT GREEN (1973)
A future cop uncovers the deadly secret behind a mysterious synthetic food.
Dir: Richard O. Fleischer Cast: Charlton Heston, Leigh Taylor-Young, Edward G. Robinson
C-97 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

1:00 AM -- A DREAM OF KINGS (1969)
The father of a dying boy tries to find the money to move his family to Greece.
Dir: Daniel Mann Cast: Anthony Quinn, Irene Papas, Inger Stevens
C-110 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

3:00 AM -- WHO'LL STOP THE RAIN? (1978)
Dir: Karel Reisz Cast: Nick Nolte, Tuesday Weld, Michael Moriarty
BW-126 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

5:15 AM -- MGM PARADE SHOW #3 (1955)
George Murphy introduces clips from "A Free Soul" with Clark Gable and "Trial."
BW-26 mins,