The Silver Screen Oasis

Ah, April is the cruelest month...for those of us too poor to join the throng at the TCM Classic Film Festival in LA from April 10-13th. It is our hope that we will find ourselves transported there vicariously thanks to reports from our lucky pals among the crowd. For more about the events related to this, members may wish to check in here at the SSO and on our Facebook page regularly to get the dish. You can also see up-to-date info here: http://filmfestival.tcm.com/

In the meantime, we have a rich cornucopia of film events to unspool in the next four weeks in celebration of the TCM's 20th Anniversary! Here is a link to the full schedule: http://www.tcm.com/schedule/monthly.htm ... 2014-04-01

Some highlights this month:

TCM SPOTLIGHT: FAN PROGRAMMERS:

20 Viewers who earned the chance to sit opposite Robert Osborne to introduce a film of their choosing as four of the twenty sit down each night to introduce their movies from Monday, April 7-Friday, April 11. More about these individuals can be seen here and in an article by Sue Sue Applegate (Christy) about the youngest of the twenty.

I'm particularly delighted to see that Steve Hayes aka "The Tired Old Queen at the Movies" is among the select group. I'm also glad that a TCM premiere, Alberto Cavalcanti's story of how a fictional invasion impacts an English village, in Went the Day Well?, (1943), is among the classic films chosen for this celebration.
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Monday, April 21-Friday, April 25:

A Celebration of John Wayne for 24 hours a day for Five Days leading up to the anniversary of his birth on April 26th. Oh, my sweet Pilgrim!

Some individual movies that I am looking forward to in April:
Friday, April 4th 6am (ET):

Scarlet Dawn (1932)
A Russian nobleman and his fiancee elope to live as peasants in Turkey.
Dir: William Dieterle Cast: Douglas Fairbanks Jr. , Nancy Carroll , Lilyan Tashman .
Doug is nearly a total skunk in this movie that casts him as White Russian trash eking out an existence among the rich and useless. A Serf (Nancy Carroll) is totally devoted to the rascal. Go figure...but I kind of understand her! Lilyan Tashman is her usual unrepentent decadent self.

Forbidden Games (1952): Rene Clement's wartime story of a child (Bridget Fossey). Get out your kleenex for this incredibly moving film.
BW-57 mins,

Thursday, April 10th

10:15pm (ET)
A Man Called Adam (1966)
A guilt-ridden jazz trumpeter blames himself for a car accident that killed his family.
Dir: Leo Penn Cast: Sammy Davis Jr. , Ossie Davis , Cicely Tyson .
BW-104 mins, CC,
I've never seen this and am hoping that this shows a glimmer of Davis' real talent before life caught up with him.

4:15 AM
Lola (1961)
A cabaret singer and mother named Lola is courted by two men, yet her heart longs for her long absent lover.
Dir: Jacques Demy Cast: Anouk Aimée , Marc Michel , Jacques Harden .
BW-89 mins, Letterbox Format

Love Demy's films and Anouk Aimee can do no wrong. I have heard good and bad things about this movie, so maybe it deserves a look?

Friday, April 11th:

6:00 AM
The Story of Three Loves (1953)
Passengers on an ocean liner recall their greatest loves.
Dir: Gottfried Reinhardt Cast: James Mason , Moira Shearer , Agnes Moorehead .
C-122 mins, CC,
I am a sap for any omnibus movies and this one--particularly the ballet sequence with Mason & Shearer and the scenes with Ethel Barrymore as Hazel Pennicott linger fondly in my memory.

Saturday, April 19th:

Dana Andrews Triple Feature:
8:00 PM
Laura (1944)
A police detective falls in love with the woman whose murder he's investigating.
Dir: Otto Preminger Cast: Gene Tierney , Dana Andrews , Clifton Webb .
BW-88 mins,

9:45 PM
Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)
A police detective's violent nature keeps him from being a good cop.
Dir: Otto Preminger Cast: Dana Andrews , Gene Tierney , Gary Merrill .
BW-95 mins, CC,

11:30 PM
The Iron Curtain (1948)
This film, based on real events, focuses on the defection of Soviet Embassy code specialist Igor Gouzenko.
Dir: William A. Wellman Cast: Dana Andrews , Gene Tierney , June Havoc .
BW-87 mins,

Thursday, April 10th

10:15pm (ET)
A Man Called Adam (1966)
A guilt-ridden jazz trumpeter blames himself for a car accident that killed his family.
Dir: Leo Penn Cast: Sammy Davis Jr. , Ossie Davis , Cicely Tyson .
BW-104 mins, CC,
I've never seen this and am hoping that this shows a glimmer of Davis' real talent before life caught up with him.

This is exciting. I have never seen it and want to because, I believe, it is the only feature film directed by Papa Penn.

Posted in the Eddie G thread, but I'll add it here for good measure, TCM will finally be showing Blackmail (1939) on the 8th of this month. This is nice film, which owes a lot to I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932), but adds a bit of humor and is not as gritty as the precode. Still, it's a nice unsung gem and I don't think TCM has shown it in about 9 years.

Monday, April 21-Friday, April 25:

A Celebration of John Wayne for 24 hours a day for Five Days leading up to the anniversary of his birth on April 26th. Oh, my sweet Pilgrim!

Moira---do you know if Scott Eyman is schedule on any of these days? I read a blurb that he will be on TCM in April but nothing specific and I don't see him listed on the monthly schedule or anywhere on the site.

MissGoddess wrote:

Monday, April 21-Friday, April 25:

A Celebration of John Wayne for 24 hours a day for Five Days leading up to the anniversary of his birth on April 26th. Oh, my sweet Pilgrim!

Moira---do you know if Scott Eyman is schedule on any of these days? I read a blurb that he will be on TCM in April but nothing specific and I don't see him listed on the monthly schedule or anywhere on the site.

I read the same blurb and scoured the TCM site and Scott Eyman's own site to see when and found nothing--maybe we dreamed it??...BTW, the book, Eyman's just-published John Wayne: The Life and Legend (Simon & Schuster) is so compelling and beautifully written that I have to make myself STOP reading it to do other stuff. Maybe he won't be on TCM anytime soon, but if all goes well, a certain someone might be making an appearance somewhere familiar someday soon

I guess we'll have to wait and see! I assume if he does appear it will be in the primetime screenings.

I am already engrossed in my reading of the book, too. He has a great sense of humor and turn of phrase that I really enjoy. It's made me quite a fan.

Didn't someone mention a tribute to John Wayne? I bet he'll be on to introduce that celebration. If we're lucky, maybe he'll do intros for all of it!

Moira, Nils looks smashing with his monocle... I've lately come to really appreciate this fine actor for his acting, not just his looks!

I hope so!

I'm looking forward seeing both MOGAMBO (1953) and RED DUST (1932) as part of the Original / Remake Night on TCM - On Sunday, April 6th - both of them Clark Gable's films and I haven't seen any of these films in my lifetime. I will try to write up a review on Monday when I get a chance to evaluate both of these films.

Monday, Late Night TCM ...


Them! (1954)
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Wasp Woman, The (1959)
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I'm planning on watching these two again for pure fun and enjoyment ... I loved these old movies!

Them! is being introduced by one of the guest programmers Steve Hayes, who is an actor, and a great cut-up. If you are not familiar with him, you can see more of his work on youtube by doing a search of his name. I can't wait to see how Robert Osborne keeps it together opposite this guy.

It's AWESOME that they are giving Steve Hayes time on TCM! He's such a fan and I find him hilarious. I wonder if he'll be as 'on' when he's with RO as he is in his video reviews.

Steve Hayes is going to be so much fun! I can't wait to see what Robert Osborne does, either.

Here are some links to articles I've written about the Guest Programmers...

Shane Fleming, TCM's Youngest Guest Programmer, is so energetic and knowledgeable about film: http://www.examiner.com/article/tcm-s-y ... programmer
Actor Glenn Taranto:http://www.examiner.com/article/actor-g ... programmer
Six programmers and their originally submitted videos:
http://www.examiner.com/article/tcm-s-2 ... rogrammers
And I was so interested in all the films that were chosen by Guest Programmers, that I compiled a list: http://suesueapplegate.wordpress.com/20 ... n-contest/

Rita Hayworth wrote:I'm looking forward seeing both MOGAMBO (1953) and RED DUST (1932) as part of the Original / Remake Night on TCM

If you ask me - I prefer the remake over the original because the original was too steamy, too raunchy, and has too much of everything that I really wanted. However, I do enjoy both films and I never ever saw Clark Gable in a different light of things and I absolutely felt that MOGAMBO was far more superior than RED DUST - But, the performance of Mary Astor in the original was excellent - but the performance of Grace Kelly in the remake was slightly weaker. The lush and tropical scenery of Africa in the remake was a better setting ... but the original was cool and different too.

I'm so glad that I had a chance to watch these two films tonight on TCM and these are one of Clark Gable better roles and I never, ever saw him in this light again. I just wanted to share that and it was not your typical Clark Gable movies - I associated him with Gone With the Wind, War Movies, and certain Romance Movies - but to see him in great tropical settings - one in AFRICA and the other in a RUBBER PLANTATION was unique and real it can be.

I don't mind watching these fine films again ... I just can't believe that I missed these films in my lifetime.

Both of these movies - are loaded with STARS!