Classic films in December-Week 1

[Universe Prince]

I like to plug old movies, and I haven’t done that in a while. December programming for Turner Classic Movies has a lot of good stuff, so I thought I would mention some so you can plan ahead. Here is the first week, Monday through Saturday, December 1-6.

Monday, December 1:

Annie Hall-1:00 PM ET-One of Woody Allen’s best efforts. This comedy about relationships and dating stars Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts, and Woody Allen, with supporting roles by Shelley Duvall, Christopher Walken, and Carol Kane. It won the 1977 Academy Award for Best Picture. The Parallax View-10:00 PM ET-It’s a pleasantly creepy conspiracy film starring Warren Beatty, Hume Cronyn, William Daniels and Paula Prentiss. Beatty plays a reporter who starts investigating the assassination of a U.S. Senator. A government investigation concludes there was no conspiracy in the killing, but Beatty’s character isn’t so sure. When three years after the event he is the only witness still alive, he decides to find out what is really going on. I’ve seen this film a couple of times, and in terms of plot, it can be a tad confusing. But it makes up for that, imo, with a genuine atmosphere of increasing paranoia and suspense.

Tuesday, December 2:

Citizen Kane-8:00 PM ET-This is the film that frequently appears at the top of lists of best films ever made. It’s brilliant in its construction of plot and storytelling, and the editing set the standard for decades to come. Well before computers, this film created shots composited from 3 or 4 different images. It is the story of a man who has his childhood taken from him and spends the rest of his life trying to get it back. The movie stars Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Everett Sloan, Ruth Warrick and Agnes Moorehead. This is one of those movies that I think everyone should see at least once. Touch of Evil-1:15 AM ET (I’m considering this to be still Tuesday night.)-Despite an odd bit of casting of Charlton Heston as a Mexican, this film succeeds brilliantly. The studio was persuaded to bring Welles onto the film to rewrite it, star in it and direct it. And he turned out a marvelous cop drama/film noir. After a bombing at the U.S./Mexico border, a somewhat legendary cop, played by Welles, is called in to investigate. A Mexican narcotics cop, played by Charlton Heston, begins to see irregularities in the investigation and decides to do some investigating of his own. The film has good performances by Welles, Heston, Janet Leigh, Joseph Calleia, Akim Tamiroff and Marlene Dietrich.

Wednesday, December 3:

Grand Hotel-7:45 AM ET-This is the Academy Award Best Picture Winner of 1932, and it well deserves to be so. The movie weaves together several stories as the lives of characters intersect. It’s an ensemble film, with good acting from John Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Lionel Barrymore and Wallace Beery, but Greta Garbo is, imo, excellent. She plays a famous ballerina with severe insecurities who falls in love with the poor but lovable and roguish baron, played by John Barrymore, who shows up to steal her jewelry. Jason and the Argonauts-12:30 PM ET-This is arguably the best film made by special effects animator Ray Harryhausen. The movie is a rather loose retelling of the Greek myth about Jason and the Argonauts, who sailed off to find the Golden Fleece in an effort to reclaim the throne that had been taken from Jason’s father. This is hardly high drama, and let’s be honest, the reason to watch is the animation. From the iron giant Talos to the army of skeletons, it is all done amazingly well considering there were no computers to create or fix these animations. If you want to see a film that influenced people like Tim Burton, George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg, check this out. It really is worth your time. The Prisoner of Zenda-4:15 PM ET-This is the good one, the 1937 version with Ronald Coleman in the title role. This story has been told many times, but never better than in this film. An Englishman on vacation in a small European country discovers he is an exact double for a prince who is soon to become king of the small European nation. When the prince is kidnapped, the Englishman must step up to the task of impersonating the prince and taking the throne until the real prince can be found. Naturally there is romance, fighting and political intrigue a-plenty.

Thursday, December 4:

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes-8:00 PM ET-Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell star in this always enjoyable comedy. What more needs to be said? Well, okay, there are several well done musical numbers and a plot involving a private eye sent to report on Monroe’s character to a rich man who doesn’t want her marrying his son. The highlight of the film is probably Monroe’s famous performance of “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.” (Which was later copied for Madonna’s music video of “Material Girl.”) The Pink Panther-9:45 PM ET-This is the original, the one that started them all. Originally, the part of Inspector Clouseau was to be played by Peter Ustinov. He backed out of the deal, so director Blake Edwards brought in Peter Sellers, and the rest, as they say, is history. The movie also stars David Niven as the notorious thief “The Phantom”, who is after a jewel known as the Pink Panther; Capucine as the wife of Clouseau and accomplice of The Phantom; Claudia Cardinale as the very attractive princess who owns the Pink Panther; and Robert Wagner as the son of The Phantom who seeks to follow in his father’s footsteps.

Friday, December 5:

Anatomy Of A Murder-11:45 AM ET-This is a well crafted courtroom drama from director Otto Preminger. James Stewart plays a small town attorney who takes the case of an Army lieutenant who killed a man accused of raping the lieutenant’s wife. The wife is a flirtatious young woman, played by Lee Remick. Stewart’s attorney runs into the trouble in the form the prosecutor played by George C. Scott. This film seems tame today, but it pushed boundaries for what was allowed to be said about sexual matters in a movie. It also has a fine performance by real life judge Joseph N. Welch, who had some notoriety for questioning one Senator McCarthy about decency. Meet Me in St. Louis-8:00 PM ET-This film is a one of the few musicals I think is truly also a good bit of storytelling. It’s full of memorable songs, like the title song and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” but it is also a well written and well acted and well directed family drama. A happy family in St. Louis experiences life’s ups and downs that come from daughters in love and the father accepting a transfer to New York. Directed by Vincent Minnelli, the film has fine performances all around from Judy Garland, Margaret O’Brian, Mary Astor, Leon Ames, June Lockhart, Tom Drake and Marjorie Main. In the Good Old Summertime-10:00 PM ET-Sometimes, just sometimes, a remake is better than the original. “In the Good Old Summertime” is a remake of “The Shop Around the Corner” (which comes on the following day at 2:00 PM ET), only this time with music. Usually that means disaster, but this time it actually works and works well. The story is one of pen pals who have never met and who unknowingly end up working together. (The movie “You’ve Got Mail” is also a remake of this story.) Anyway, Judy Garland plays a young woman who comes to work in a music store managed by a man played by Van Johnson. They have an adversarial relationship at work, not realizing each is the other’s beloved pen pal. That is, not until the pen pals agree to meet, but I won’t give it away if you haven’t seen it. Also in this fun film are the always enjoyable S.Z. “Cuddles” Sakall, as the owner of the shop, and in a small role, Buster Keaton.

Saturday, December 6:

Swing Time-8:00 PM ET-One of the best of the Astaire/Rogers pairings, this movie is enjoyable all the way through. It takes time getting to the first musical number, but there are jokes played along the way that set up this story of a dancer and gambler, played by Fred Astaire, who moves to New York to earn enough money to impress the father of his fiancé and get permission to marry. Once in New York, however, he meets the woman played by Ginger Rogers, and well, you know how the story goes from there. There are some nice musical numbers in this film, including “The Way You Look Tonight” and “A Fine Romance”. Kitty Foyle-11:15 PM ET-Ginger Rogers earned an Academy Award for her portrayal of the title character. This film tells the story of a poor young woman who dreams of making a better life for herself and marrying a Prince Charming. As she makes her way in the world, she meets and falls in love with two men, considers extramarital affairs and even has a child out of wedlock. Strong stuff in 1940. And no less than Dalton Trumbo wrote the screenplay.

[hnumpah]

Unfortunately we don't get TCM, but every once in a while one of these turns up somewhere else.

Citizen Kane is one of my favorites.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes...Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell...'nuff said.

Anatomy Of A Murder - Otto Preminger, James Stewart, Lee Remick, George C. Scott, you got enough to make a primo movie right there. I remember Judge
Welch, but I never realized he was in this. Interesting - might have to go rent it. Be fun to watch again anyway.

Kitty Foyle - wasn't Dalton Trumbo blacklisted because McCarthy et al alleged he was a communist? Might have to get this one along with Anatomy of a Murder.

[kimba1]

this is one of the times i greatly miss having cable
omg!!!
touch of evil
one of thee great unknown classics
talk about intense
you will forget heston is mexican in this movie
I was glued to the set when this was showing on pbs.
now I`m gonna netflix it,if it`s there

[Universe Prince]

Kitty Foyle - wasn't Dalton Trumbo blacklisted because McCarthy et al alleged he was a communist? Might have to get this one along with Anatomy of a Murder.

He was indeed; had to work under a false name until Kirk Douglas hired him to write the screenplay for "Spartacus".

[Universe Prince]

Oh, and by the way, the version of "Touch of Evil" that will be on tonight will be the restored version. Some years back some folks took the editing notes Welles had left behind and did their best to reedit the film according to Welles's wishes. That is the version TCM always shows.

[kimba1]

now I`m gonna see if I can crash at any friends with cable houses that night