TCM Schedule for Saturday, July 25, 2020 - What's On Tonight: The Essentials: Starring Gary Lockwood

[Staph]

In the daylight hours, TCM has the usual Saturday matinee lineup of films and shorts. Then in primetime, on the Essentials, Ben Mankiewicz and special co-host Brad Bird give us a pair of films starring Gary Lockwood. Enjoy!


6:00 AM -- THE LAS VEGAS STORY (1952)
When newlyweds visit Las Vegas, the wife's shady past comes to the surface.
Dir: Robert Stevenson Cast: Jane Russell, Victor Mature, Vincent Price
BW-87 mins, CC,

The night before the Las Vegas premier of "The Las Vegas Story," Jane Russell and her husband, Robert Waterfield, got into a fight in which he slugged her in the face several times. The next morning, Jane's face was swollen and black and blue. RKO executives didn't want to cancel the premier and Jane appeared at the festivities with a severely swollen and bruised face. A story was given to the press that the intense windstorm the night before slammed an open car door into her face. Despite the believable story, a Newsweek magazine blurb hinted at the actual truth.


8:00 AM -- MGM CARTOONS: DOGGONE TIRED (1949)
An energetic dog needs a night's rest if he's going to be ready for rabbit hunting at dawn.
Dir: Tex Avery (Fred)
Cast: Bea Benaderet, Daws Butler
BW-8 mins, CC,

Doggone Tired (1949) and Magical Maestro (1952) have same musical connection of a song. In Doggone Tired, the dog does a dance with the background music, after pointing out a rabbit hole. In Musical Maestro, the magician dog does a quick dance of same musical rhythm.


8:09 AM -- FOUR MINUTE FEVER (1956 )
This short film takes a look at races that involve running a mile in under four minutes.
Dir: William Deeke
BW-9 mins,


8:19 AM -- MADEIRA "ISLE OF ROMANCE" (1938)
This short film takes the viewer to Madeira Island, the largest of the group of Madeira Islands in the Atlantic Ocean.
C-8 mins,


8:28 AM -- THE OFFICE WIFE (1930)
A gold-digging secretary sets out to lure her boss from his straying wife.
Dir: Lloyd Bacon Cast: Dorothy Mackaill, Lewis Stone, Hobart Bosworth
BW-58 mins, CC,

Although credits, a telegram, and a resignation letter show the name of the main character as spelled Fellowes (note second 'e'), the entrance doors to the firm read "Fellows Publishing Co."


9:30 AM -- TERRY AND THE PIRATES: NO ESCAPE (1940)
Dr. Herbert Lee, an archaeologist seeking to decipher ancient Mara inscriptions, is aided by his son, Terry, Terry's pal, Pat Ryan, and Normandie Drake.
Dir: James W. Horne Cast: William Tracy, Jeff York, Joyce Bryant
BW-18 mins, CC,

Episode twelve of fifteen.


10:00 AM -- POPEYE: BLUNDER BELOW (1933)
After disgracing himself in artillery training, Popeye must save his ship from an enemy submarine.
Dir: Dave Fleischer, Dave Tendlar (uncredited)
Cast: Jack Mercer
BW-7 mins, CC,

One of a number of Popeye shorts which were sent off to Asia in the 80's to undergo the infamous redraw and colorization process.


10:09 AM -- THE HIDDEN CITY (1950)
Bomba comes to the rescue of a princess.
Dir: Ford Beebe Cast: Johnny Sheffield, Sue England, Paul Guilfoyle
BW-71 mins, CC,

Fourth of 12 episodes.


11:30 AM -- THE FLAG OF HUMANITY (1940)
This short film focuses on how Clara Barton helped found the American Red Cross.
Dir: Jean Negulesco Cast: William Robertson, Garland Smith, Jack Rice
C-19 mins,


12:00 PM -- MALCOLM X (1992)
Biographical epic of the controversial and influential Black Nationalist leader, from his early life and career as a small-time gangster, to his ministry as a member of the Nation of Islam.
Dir: Spike Lee Cast: Denzel Washington, Joe Seneca, John David Washington
BW-202 mins, CC,

Nominee for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Denzel Washington, and Best Costume Design -- Ruth E. Carter

Initially, Spike Lee requested $33 million for this film, a reasonable sum considering its size and scope, but much more than his previous budgets. Because Lee's five previous films combined had grossed less than $100 million domestically, Warner Bros. offered $20 million for a two-hour fifteen-minute film, plus $8 million from Largo Entertainment for the foreign rights. When the film went $5 million over budget, Lee kicked in most of his salary, but the financiers shut down post-production. Lee went public with his battles, and raised funds from celebrity friends, including Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan and Bill Cosby, to regain control of the project. After a positive screening of a rough cut, Warner Bros. kicked in more funds.


3:30 PM -- MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)
An idealistic Senate replacement takes on political corruption.
Dir: Frank Capra Cast: Jean Arthur, James Stewart, Claude Rains
BW-130 mins, CC,

Winner of an Oscar for Best Writing, Original Story -- Lewis R. Foster

Nominee for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- James Stewart, Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Harry Carey, Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Claude Rains, Best Director -- Frank Capra, Best Writing, Screenplay -- Sidney Buchman, Best Art Direction -- Lionel Banks, Best Sound, Recording -- John P. Livadary (Columbia SSD), Best Film Editing -- Gene Havlick and Al Clark, Best Music, Scoring -- Dimitri Tiomkin, and Best Picture

Frank Capra faced a daunting logistical problem in filming the Senate scenes. The Senate chamber had been faithfully recreated on the Columbia stages by art director Lionel Banks and a huge team of craftsmen, and the set was just that: a chamber. It was a tall, four-sided set filled with hundreds of people. Action required for the story would also be taking place simultaneously on three levels: the Senate floor, the rostrum where the Vice President sat, and the galleries holding the press, the pages, and the public. As Capra put it in his autobiography, "How to light, photograph, and record hundreds of scenes on three levels of a deep well, open only at the top, were the logistic nightmares that faced electricians, cameramen, and soundmen."


6:00 PM -- JEREMIAH JOHNSON (1972)
An ex-soldier moves to the Colorado wilderness but cannot escape civilization.
Dir: Sydney Pollack Cast: Robert Redford, Will Geer, Delle Bolton
BW-116 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Based upon a real-life trapper named John Johnston, nicknamed "Crow Killer" and "Liver Eater Johnston" for his penchant for cutting out and eating the livers of Crow Indians he had killed (several Crows had murdered his wife and he swore vengeance against the entire tribe).



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: THE ESSENTIALS: STARRING GARY LOCKWOOD



8:00 PM -- 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
Classic sci-fi epic about a mysterious monolith that seems to play a key role in human evolution.
Dir: Stanley Kubrick Cast: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester
C-149 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Winner of an Oscar for Best Effects, Special Visual Effects -- Stanley Kubrick (Stanley Kubrick was not present at the awards ceremony. Presenters Diahann Carroll and Burt Lancaster accepted the award on his behalf.)

Nominee for Oscars for Best Director -- Stanley Kubrick, Best Writing, Story and Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen -- Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, and Best Art Direction-Set Decoration -- Anthony Masters, Harry Lange and Ernest Archer

At the premiere screening, 241 people walked out of the theater, including Rock Hudson, who said, "Will someone tell me what the hell this is about?" Arthur C. Clarke once said, "If you understand '2001' completely, we failed. We wanted to raise far more questions than we answered." Clarke later expressed some concern that the film was too hard to follow, and explained things more fully in the novelization and subsequent sequels.


10:45 PM -- MODEL SHOP (1969)
A young drifter falls for a beautiful model.
Dir: Jacques Demy Cast: Anouk Aimée, Gary Lockwood, Alexandra Hay
C-97 mins, CC,

Harrison Ford was Jacques Demy's first choice for the main character instead of Gary Lockwood, but Columbia didn't want Ford, saying he wouldn't make any money. Demy's wife Agnès Varda shot a screen test of Ford, clips of which are included in her documentary The Beaches of Agnès (2008).


12:30 AM -- THE BREAKING POINT (1950)
A desperate fishing boat captain rents his ship to some gunmen on the lam.
Dir: Michael Curtiz Cast: John Garfield, Patricia Neal, Phyllis Thaxter
BW-97 mins, CC,

According to TCM's Eddie Muller, John Garfield thought this was his best performance and that it was the film of which he was most proud.


2:30 AM -- PLANET OF THE APES (1968)
An astronaut crew crash lands on a planet in the distant future where intelligent talking apes are the dominant species.
Dir: Franklin J. Schaffner Cast: Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter
C-112 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Winner of an Honorary Oscar Award for John Chambers for his outstanding make-up achievement in the movie.

Nominee for Oscars for Best Costume Design -- Morton Haack, and Best Music, Original Score for a Motion Picture (not a Musical) -- Jerry Goldsmith

Roddy McDowall, an experienced actor, recommended to his companions in makeup that they should frequently add tics, blinks and assorted facial gestures to add a sense of realism and keep the makeup from appearing "mask-like". McDowall reportedly became a merry prankster with the makeup, driving home with his make-up on, and shocking some of the other drivers on the freeway. While doing the Planet of the Apes (1974) television series, Roddy surprised Carol Burnett when he showed up on The Carol Burnett Show: Episode #7.23 (1974) in full Galen makeup while she was taping her intro talking to the audience.


4:30 AM -- KONGA (1961)
A mad scientist tests his growth serum on an ape.
Dir: John Lemont Cast: Michael Gough, Margo Johns, Jess Conrad
C-90 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Producer Herman Cohen first considered using "ape" actor Steve Calvert, who had worked with Cohen on Bride of the Gorilla (1951) and Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla (1952), but Calvert had retired from performing in his gorilla suit. Cohen turned to another renowned "ape" actor George Barrows, but only hired Barrows' gorilla costume, not Barrows himself. The actor Paul Stockman was instead chosen, based primarily on being a good fit for Barrows' costume. Barrows was annoyed when his gorilla costume was returned from England in bad shape.