The month of August, as always in the past few years, is devoted to 31 days of Summer Under the Stars at TCM. The schedule is here.
What jumps out at me is Aug. 4th, devoted to Marie Dressler. Now, if TCM could please tap our current Guest Star Matthew Kennedy to co-host this day with Robert Osborne, it would be delightful.
Aug. 5th: Claude Rains Day!! No obscure treasures such as Crime Without Passion, The Passionate Friends, (but see the 22nd of August for that one) or The Man Who Reclaimed His Head, but at least The Unsuspected & The Lady With Red Hair (1940) with our Claude playing David Belasco are scheduled.
Aug. 11th devoted to the late, great Richard Widmark. The evening line-up includes Pickup on South Street (1953), which I believe is a TCM premiere. It also features what may be one of Thelma Ritter's best dramatic roles of her career.
Aug 12th: Kim Novak Day with another airing of Middle of the Night & what I think might be another new flick for TCM, Five Against the House at 8pm.
Yippee, zippee!! Aug. 22nd is Trevor Howard Day!! In the evening TCM is showing some of this good actor's best and least known movies: Outcast of the Islands (1951), directed by Carol Reed, The Heart of the Matter (1954) (one of my all time faves) & The Passionate Friends (1949) with Howard, Ann Todd & Claude Rains directed by David Lean. Can't wait for this day.
Aug. 27th is Tony Curtis Day, which I normally wouldn't be too excited about but my #1 Guilty Pleasure movie, THE VIKINGS (1958) will be sailing onto TCM at 8:45am!!
Aug. 31st brings a day devoted to Spencer Tracy. TCM has the rarely seen Frank Borzage movie A Man's Castle (1933) scheduled for 11:30pm that night. Cross your fingers that this time it won't be cancelled.
While many titles may be familiar to hard core studio era movie fans this month, it's a great four weeks to introduce classic movies to the uninitiated. I hope that newbies discover something that appeals to them this summer.
TCM August 2008 Schedule
-
moira finnie
- Administrator
- Posts: 8024
- Joined: April 9th, 2007, 6:34 pm
- Location: Earth
- Contact:
-
movieman1957
- Administrator
- Posts: 5522
- Joined: April 15th, 2007, 3:50 pm
- Location: MD
I was happy with this year's Summer Under the Stars schedule - several rarities made it onto the list (e.g., Dressler, MacMurray, Novak, Palance) along with the old-hat choices (Tracy, Hepburn, Day, Astaire).
And even though their films aren't necessarily rare on TCM, I liked the Chaplin and Laurel/Hardy marathons - I may call in sick on those days.
My top choice for the month is The Legend of Lylah Claire (1968) on Kim Novak day. I'd been wanting to snag that one for a while now.
-Stephen
And even though their films aren't necessarily rare on TCM, I liked the Chaplin and Laurel/Hardy marathons - I may call in sick on those days.
My top choice for the month is The Legend of Lylah Claire (1968) on Kim Novak day. I'd been wanting to snag that one for a while now.
-Stephen
-
jdb1
[quote="movieman1957"]
The 13th - Peter Lorre. Who was the huge Lorre fan?
Me! Me! Well, I don't know if I'm the "huge" fan, but I'm a big fan. I see listed Mad Love, in which he's terrific, and there's Mask of Demetrios, in which he gets to play an urbane and rather normal character, not the usual psycho-neurotic he was generally asked to play. I can't wait to go over the entire August lineup. Thanks for the Lazlo tip.
The 13th - Peter Lorre. Who was the huge Lorre fan?
Me! Me! Well, I don't know if I'm the "huge" fan, but I'm a big fan. I see listed Mad Love, in which he's terrific, and there's Mask of Demetrios, in which he gets to play an urbane and rather normal character, not the usual psycho-neurotic he was generally asked to play. I can't wait to go over the entire August lineup. Thanks for the Lazlo tip.
-
movieman1957
- Administrator
- Posts: 5522
- Joined: April 15th, 2007, 3:50 pm
- Location: MD
I consider myself a Lorre fan as well, but I wish they'd have scheduled The Lost One (1951) along with all the other standby MGM/Warners titles. And I hope they have the foresight to feature some early Warners cartoons that incorporated Lorre caricatures (especially "Birth of a Notion" with Daffy Duck).jdb1 wrote:movieman1957 wrote:
The 13th - Peter Lorre. Who was the huge Lorre fan?
Me! Me! Well, I don't know if I'm the "huge" fan, but I'm a big fan.
-Stephen
-
jdb1
Well, gang, it looks like August is going to be a great month for classic movie lovers. Great idea of TCM to feature a different star every single day, and there are very few clunkers among the selections. Even those movies that are less than fabulous have wonderful actors in them to make them worth looking at. Here are some I find especially attractive:
Aug 2 - A day of Charlie Chaplin, including lots of silents, long and short.
Aug 4 - A day of the seldom-seen opus of Marie Dressler. All very interesting, and there's Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914) at 8:00 AM. Tillie was a character Dressler created for the stage, and there were many Tillie adventures, some filmed, some unfortunately not.
At 12:30, Garbo speaks! and Dressler listens in Anna Christie (1930).
Aug 6 - A day of the talented and beautiful Anna Maria Italiano, a/k/a Anne Bancroft.
Aug 8 - A day of the rarely spotlighted James Garner, who deserves far more attention as a serious actor than he's received. At 12:30 PM and then 2:30 PM we can see The Wheeler Dealers (1963) and Cash McCall (1960). Actually, I can't remember these films, but I do remember that they were both very, very popular among my peers and their parents at the time. At 8:00 PM and then at 9:45, two of Garner's best: Support Your Local Sheriff (1969) and Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971). Who says a Western can't be funny?
Aug 11 - A day with the recently departed Richard Widmark, and that means a day of good acting. At 6 AM, The Long Ships (1964). Not as good as The Vikings, but still fun to watch, and lots of bare-chested he-men to savor. At 8:00 PM, the excellent noir, Pickup on South Street (1953), with a fabulous Thelma Ritter keeping Widmark company.
Aug 12 - A day with Kim Novak, including Jeanne Eagles (1957) at 8:30 AM, co-starring the not-often-enough seen Jeff Chandler, and Middle of the Night (1950), the May-December romance that aired recently.
Continued on next post
Aug 2 - A day of Charlie Chaplin, including lots of silents, long and short.
Aug 4 - A day of the seldom-seen opus of Marie Dressler. All very interesting, and there's Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914) at 8:00 AM. Tillie was a character Dressler created for the stage, and there were many Tillie adventures, some filmed, some unfortunately not.
At 12:30, Garbo speaks! and Dressler listens in Anna Christie (1930).
Aug 6 - A day of the talented and beautiful Anna Maria Italiano, a/k/a Anne Bancroft.
Aug 8 - A day of the rarely spotlighted James Garner, who deserves far more attention as a serious actor than he's received. At 12:30 PM and then 2:30 PM we can see The Wheeler Dealers (1963) and Cash McCall (1960). Actually, I can't remember these films, but I do remember that they were both very, very popular among my peers and their parents at the time. At 8:00 PM and then at 9:45, two of Garner's best: Support Your Local Sheriff (1969) and Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971). Who says a Western can't be funny?
Aug 11 - A day with the recently departed Richard Widmark, and that means a day of good acting. At 6 AM, The Long Ships (1964). Not as good as The Vikings, but still fun to watch, and lots of bare-chested he-men to savor. At 8:00 PM, the excellent noir, Pickup on South Street (1953), with a fabulous Thelma Ritter keeping Widmark company.
Aug 12 - A day with Kim Novak, including Jeanne Eagles (1957) at 8:30 AM, co-starring the not-often-enough seen Jeff Chandler, and Middle of the Night (1950), the May-December romance that aired recently.
Continued on next post
Last edited by jdb1 on May 8th, 2008, 12:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-
jdb1
More for August:
Aug 13 - Peter Lorre day, as mentioned above. You've probably seen Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) dozens of times. Try watching on the 13th at 12:00 PM just to learn from Lorre how to steal a scene, even from such pros as Raymond Massey and Cary Grant.
Aug 18 - There's one called Ten Seconds to Hell (1959) at 9:15 AM which I can't remember, but it's got Jeff Chandler and is directed by Robert Aldrich, so there must be something to it.
Aug 19 - Explore the works of Barbara Stanwyck and be dazzled. Catch Clash By Night (1952) at 2:15 AM if you haven't seen it before. The performances make this one worthwhile (Babs is joined by Robert Ryan, Paul Douglas, Marilyn Monroe).
Aug 23 - A day of Laurel and Hardy. It's about time. There's something wonderful in each film, even if the films as a whole may falter here and there. The shorts are very good, and the earlier full-lengths, too. The later films (in the 40s) were for a different studio, and aren't nearly as good, although the boys try hard. Let's see - how about Blotto (1930) at 6:25 AM and Brats (1930) at 6:55. In the former they get drunk even though they're not really drinking alcohol (they just think they are), and in the latter, they play their own sons.
Aug 24 - Henry Fonda day. At 12:00 AM we can see The Best Man (1964) about a presidential campaign. The movie Primary Colors should be screened immediately before this, so we can all compare and contrast.
Aug 25 - Ingrid Bergman all day, including the infamous Stromboli (1950), which she made with her lover/husband Roberto Rossellini, and which caused her so much grief.
Aug 26 - Janet Leigh all day, most of them minor.
Aug 27 - Leigh's ex-husband Tony Curtis today - are we supposed to draw some inference? The logical inference to draw is that Curtis is a much better actor than was Leigh. At 8:45 AM the great The Vikings (1958), a terrific adventure flick. Hail Ragnar! Much later, at 4:00 AM, is the interesting failure Paris When It Sizzles, (1964), which most people don't like very much. However, if you happen to see it, you'll appreciate Curtis' very funny, subtle and, amazingly, uncredited performance as a pompous would-be actor who, as Audrey Hepburn's character describes him, "looks rather like Tony Curtis."
I'm looking forward to a less dreary than usual August.
Aug 13 - Peter Lorre day, as mentioned above. You've probably seen Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) dozens of times. Try watching on the 13th at 12:00 PM just to learn from Lorre how to steal a scene, even from such pros as Raymond Massey and Cary Grant.
Aug 18 - There's one called Ten Seconds to Hell (1959) at 9:15 AM which I can't remember, but it's got Jeff Chandler and is directed by Robert Aldrich, so there must be something to it.
Aug 19 - Explore the works of Barbara Stanwyck and be dazzled. Catch Clash By Night (1952) at 2:15 AM if you haven't seen it before. The performances make this one worthwhile (Babs is joined by Robert Ryan, Paul Douglas, Marilyn Monroe).
Aug 23 - A day of Laurel and Hardy. It's about time. There's something wonderful in each film, even if the films as a whole may falter here and there. The shorts are very good, and the earlier full-lengths, too. The later films (in the 40s) were for a different studio, and aren't nearly as good, although the boys try hard. Let's see - how about Blotto (1930) at 6:25 AM and Brats (1930) at 6:55. In the former they get drunk even though they're not really drinking alcohol (they just think they are), and in the latter, they play their own sons.
Aug 24 - Henry Fonda day. At 12:00 AM we can see The Best Man (1964) about a presidential campaign. The movie Primary Colors should be screened immediately before this, so we can all compare and contrast.
Aug 25 - Ingrid Bergman all day, including the infamous Stromboli (1950), which she made with her lover/husband Roberto Rossellini, and which caused her so much grief.
Aug 26 - Janet Leigh all day, most of them minor.
Aug 27 - Leigh's ex-husband Tony Curtis today - are we supposed to draw some inference? The logical inference to draw is that Curtis is a much better actor than was Leigh. At 8:45 AM the great The Vikings (1958), a terrific adventure flick. Hail Ragnar! Much later, at 4:00 AM, is the interesting failure Paris When It Sizzles, (1964), which most people don't like very much. However, if you happen to see it, you'll appreciate Curtis' very funny, subtle and, amazingly, uncredited performance as a pompous would-be actor who, as Audrey Hepburn's character describes him, "looks rather like Tony Curtis."
I'm looking forward to a less dreary than usual August.
-
The Ingenue
- Posts: 193
- Joined: May 9th, 2008, 12:54 am
- Contact:
I'm excited about Rita Hayworth day, particularly for Affectionately Yours (1941). I once had a dark and rather worn copy of this Warner Bros. comedy. It will be nice to see it again.
Also looking forward to Henry Fonda day on August 24, which begins with three of the earlier titles I've been wanting to see: Slim (1937), Let Us Live (1939), and I Dream Too Much (1935). I first got TCM in November 2007, so I just missed them during Henry Fonda month. What a treat that would have been.
Also looking forward to Henry Fonda day on August 24, which begins with three of the earlier titles I've been wanting to see: Slim (1937), Let Us Live (1939), and I Dream Too Much (1935). I first got TCM in November 2007, so I just missed them during Henry Fonda month. What a treat that would have been.
-
moira finnie
- Administrator
- Posts: 8024
- Joined: April 9th, 2007, 6:34 pm
- Location: Earth
- Contact:
Hi CarrieLiz,
Welcome to the SSO. I love your avatar and was delighted to see that you also have a well-designed website devoted to Frances Dee found here.
I like several Henry Fonda films too and I'm glad that TCM has chosen to include him for a day in August. I'm hoping that someday movies such as Trail of the Lonesome Pine (1936) and Spawn of the North (1938) will reappear on the tube again, along with the rarely seen drama, Chad Hanna (1940) and the enjoyable comedy, Rings on Her Fingers (1942). I think you'll enjoy Slim (1937) and Let Us Live (1939), which follows it immediately at 7:30am. It is a very interesting, well-acted film about the death penalty, among other topics. Let Us Live is similar in tone to the haunting Fritz Lang proto-noir, You Only Live Once (1937), which starred Fonda & Sylvia Sidney.
Welcome to the SSO. I love your avatar and was delighted to see that you also have a well-designed website devoted to Frances Dee found here.
I like several Henry Fonda films too and I'm glad that TCM has chosen to include him for a day in August. I'm hoping that someday movies such as Trail of the Lonesome Pine (1936) and Spawn of the North (1938) will reappear on the tube again, along with the rarely seen drama, Chad Hanna (1940) and the enjoyable comedy, Rings on Her Fingers (1942). I think you'll enjoy Slim (1937) and Let Us Live (1939), which follows it immediately at 7:30am. It is a very interesting, well-acted film about the death penalty, among other topics. Let Us Live is similar in tone to the haunting Fritz Lang proto-noir, You Only Live Once (1937), which starred Fonda & Sylvia Sidney.
Last edited by moira finnie on May 10th, 2008, 1:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-
movieman1957
- Administrator
- Posts: 5522
- Joined: April 15th, 2007, 3:50 pm
- Location: MD
Moira:
The last place I saw "Rings On Her Fingers" was on Cinemax about 18 months ago. The others I'd like to see anywhere.
CarrieLiz:
I read the interview on your website about the McCreas. It was a fun read. I've always liked Joel as an actor and it seems my assumptions of him as a man were correct.
The last place I saw "Rings On Her Fingers" was on Cinemax about 18 months ago. The others I'd like to see anywhere.
CarrieLiz:
I read the interview on your website about the McCreas. It was a fun read. I've always liked Joel as an actor and it seems my assumptions of him as a man were correct.
Chris
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
-
moira finnie
- Administrator
- Posts: 8024
- Joined: April 9th, 2007, 6:34 pm
- Location: Earth
- Contact:
[quote="movieman1957"]Moira:
The last place I saw "Rings On Her Fingers" was on Cinemax about 18 months ago. The others I'd like to see anywhere.
Chris,
I saw this movie (which I'd never heard of before) on HBO Signature about the same time. I was delighted with Laird Cregar in a lighter role than usual and Spring Byington in a featured part. They make great con artists appalled when one of their own goes straight. One of Rouben Mamoulian's least well known movies, it seems.
The last place I saw "Rings On Her Fingers" was on Cinemax about 18 months ago. The others I'd like to see anywhere.
Chris,
I saw this movie (which I'd never heard of before) on HBO Signature about the same time. I was delighted with Laird Cregar in a lighter role than usual and Spring Byington in a featured part. They make great con artists appalled when one of their own goes straight. One of Rouben Mamoulian's least well known movies, it seems.
-
The Ingenue
- Posts: 193
- Joined: May 9th, 2008, 12:54 am
- Contact:
Thanks very much, Moira. Your Fay Bainter avatar is lovely.moirafinnie wrote:Hi CarrieLiz,
Welcome to the SSO. I love your avatar and was delighted to see that you also have a well-designed website devoted to Frances Dee found here.
It's a funny thing: I've not seen any of the titles you mentioned, but I am a relatively new Fonda fan. Rings on Their Fingers and Chad Hannah are high on the list of movies I'd like to see.moirafinnie wrote:I like several Henry Fonda films too and I'm glad that TCM has chosen to include him for a day in August. I'm hoping that someday movies such as Trail of the Lonesome Pine (1936) and Spawn of the North (1938) will reappear on the tube again, along with the rarely seen drama, Chad Hanna (1940) and the enjoyable comedy, Rings on Her Fingers (1942). I think you'll enjoy Slim (1937) and Let Us Live (1939), which follows it immediately at 7:30am. It is a very interesting, well-acted film about the death penalty, among other topics. Let Us Live is similar in tone to the haunting Fritz Lang proto-noir, You Only Live Once (1937), which starred Fonda & Sylvia Sidney.
Once I did start Spawn of the North, but I just wasn't in the mood for seals and salmon that day.
Thanks, movieman. I'm glad you enjoyed the interview.movieman1957 wrote:I read the interview on your website about the McCreas. It was a fun read. I've always liked Joel as an actor and it seems my assumptions of him as a man were correct.
-
jdb1
Hello, CarrieLiz - nice to have you here. Just wanted to mention that you are in for a treat when you do get to see Chad Hanna. I saw it last year for the first time on Fox, and just loved it (you ought to watch for it there, if you get Fox). Not only is Fonda wonderful in it, but Linda Darnell and Dorothy Lamour look especially gorgeous in color. In fact, the movie itself is very beautiful to look at.
I don't remember the Aug. schedule - are they showing Fonda's movies in chronological order? They really should, so we can see his growth as an actor (not that he was terrific right from the start). An interesting exercise in Fonda study would be to see Chad Hanna first, and then Fail-Safe: in the former he is the adorable naif, in the latter the fully matured authority figure about to make a decision that will end the world, and fully cognizant of that fact. And in both, he makes it look so effortless and natural.
I don't remember the Aug. schedule - are they showing Fonda's movies in chronological order? They really should, so we can see his growth as an actor (not that he was terrific right from the start). An interesting exercise in Fonda study would be to see Chad Hanna first, and then Fail-Safe: in the former he is the adorable naif, in the latter the fully matured authority figure about to make a decision that will end the world, and fully cognizant of that fact. And in both, he makes it look so effortless and natural.
-
moira finnie
- Administrator
- Posts: 8024
- Joined: April 9th, 2007, 6:34 pm
- Location: Earth
- Contact:
Not in chronological order, for some reason, but pretty close, I guess. Here's the Fonda Day:I don't remember the Aug. schedule - are they showing Fonda's movies in chronological order?
Sunday Aug. 24th
6:00 AM
Slim (1937)
Electric linemen compete on the job and in love. Cast: Pat O'Brien, Margaret Lindsay, Henry Fonda. Dir: Ray Enright. BW-86 mins, TV-PG, CC
7:30 AM
Let Us Live (1939)
Two wrongly convicted men are sentenced to death. Cast: Maureen O'Sullivan, Henry Fonda, Ralph Bellamy. Dir: John Brahm. BW-68 mins, TV-PG
9:00 AM
I Dream Too Much (1935)
A composer sets the stage for discord when he pushes his wife into a singing career. Cast: Lily Pons, Henry Fonda, Lucille Ball. Dir: John Cromwell. BW-97 mins, TV-G, CC
11:00 AM
The Male Animal(1942)
A college professor fights censorship and an amorous football player who's after his wife. Cast: Henry Fonda, Olivia de Havilland, Jack Carson. Dir: Elliott Nugent. BW-101 mins, TV-G, CC
12:45 PM
Jezebel (1938)
A tempestuous Southern belle's willfulness threatens to destroy all who care for her. Cast: Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, Fay Bainter. Dir: William Wyler. BW-104 mins, TV-PG, CC, DVS
2:45 PM
The Tin Star (1957)
An experienced bounty hunter helps a young sheriff learn the meaning of his badge. Cast: Henry Fonda, Anthony Perkins, Betsy Palmer. Dir: Anthony Mann. BW-93 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format
4:30 PM
Stage Struck (1958)
A young actress makes all the wrong moves trying to break in on Broadway. Cast: Susan Strasberg, Henry Fonda, Christopher Plummer. Dir: Sidney Lumet. C-95 mins, TV-PG, CC
6:15 PM
12 Angry Men (1957)
A jury holdout tries to convince his colleagues to vote not guilty. Cast: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, E.G. Marshall. Dir: Sidney Lumet. BW-96 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format
8:00 PM
Yours, Mine And Ours (1968)
A widow with eight children marries a widower with ten, then gets pregnant. Cast: Lucille Ball, Henry Fonda, Van Johnson. Dir: Melville Shavelson. C-111 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format
10:00 PM
The Fugitive (1947)
A revolutionary priest flees a Central American dictatorship. Cast: Henry Fonda, Dolores Del Rio, Pedro Armendariz. Dir: John Ford. BW-100 mins, TV-PG, CC
12:00 AM
The Best Man (1964)
Two presidential hopefuls get caught up in the dirty side of politics. Cast: Henry Fonda, Cliff Robertson, Lee Tracy. Dir: Franklin J. Schaffner. BW-102 mins, TV-PG, Letterbox Format
2:00 AM
Welcome To Hard Times (1967)
A broken-down sheriff tries to help his town stand against a mysterious outlaw. Cast: Henry Fonda, Janice Rule, Keenan Wynn. Dir: Burt Kennedy. C-103 mins, TV-PG, Letterbox Format
4:00 AM
Wanda Nevada (1979)
A drifter wins an orphaned girl in a poker game. Cast: Peter Fonda, Brooke Shields, Fiona Lewis. Dir: Peter Fonda. C-107 mins, TV-PG, Letterbox Format