TCM Schedule for Thursday, March 12, 2015 -- What's On Tonight - Jackie Gleason

Last edited Thu Mar 12, 2015, 03:26 AM - Edit history (1)

Today's prime time subject is Jackie Gleason. Though most of us think of him as a television star, he also had a thriving movie career, including an Oscar nomination for The Hustler (1961). And in the afternoon, we're exploring George Armstrong Custer and Sitting Bull. Enjoy!


6:45 AM -- Maisie Goes to Reno (1944)
On a trip to Reno, a Brooklyn showgirl tries to stop a soldier and his wife from divorcing.
Dir: Harry Beaumont
Cast: Ann Sothern, John Hodiak, Tom Drake
BW-90 mins, CC,

The eighth of ten movies starring Ann Sothern as the heroine Maisie Ravier.


8:16 AM -- Romantic Nevada (1943)
This short film takes the viewer to Nevada, with looks at the natural wonders of the state and the city of Reno.
C-9 mins,


8:30 AM -- Up Goes Maisie (1946)
A showgirl working for an inventor battles crooks out to steal his ideas.
Dir: Harry Beaumont
Cast: Ann Sothern, George Murphy, Hillary Brooke
BW-89 mins, CC,

The ninth of ten movies starring Ann Sothern as the heroine Maisie Ravier.


10:00 AM -- Undercover Maisie (1947)
A stranded showgirl joins the police force and risks her life to expose a phony psychic.
Dir: Harry Beaumont
Cast: Ann Sothern, Barry Nelson, Mark Daniels
BW-90 mins, CC,

The last of MGM's 10 "Maisie" frolics released between 1939 and 1947, this film was the only installment which failed to net a contemporary New York Times review.


11:30 AM -- Wyoming (1940)
Outlaw pals are tempted to go straight.
Dir: Richard Thorpe
Cast: Wallace Beery, Leo Carrillo, Ann Rutherford
BW-88 mins,

Based on a story by Jack Jevne.


1:00 PM -- They Died With Their Boots On (1941)
Romanticized biography of General George Armstrong Custer and his last stand.
Dir: Raoul Walsh
Cast: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Arthur Kennedy
BW-140 mins, CC,

Louis Silvie "Louie" Zamperini, Olympic athlete and subject of the novel "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand, and the film directed by Angelina Jolie, was an extra in this film just before being drafted to the United States Armed Forces during World War II.


3:30 PM -- Sitting Bull (1954)
After defeating Custer at the Little Big Horn, the famed chief tries to save an Indian sympathizer from court-martial.
Dir: Sidney Salkow
Cast: Dale Robertson, Mary Murphy, J. Carrol Naish
C-106 mins, Letterbox Format

J. Carrol Naish's portrayal of Sitting Bull was adapted into cartoon form by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera as Crazy Coyote in a Huckleberry Hound cartoon.


5:17 PM -- Rough Riding (1954)
This short film showcases various events on display at a rodeo in Casper, Wyoming.
C-9 mins,


5:30 PM -- Little Big Man (1970)
An American pioneer raised by Indians ends up fighting alongside General Custer.
Dir: Arthur Penn
Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Faye Dunaway, Martin Balsam
C-139 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Chief Dan George

Little Big Man was an actual historical figure. He was a Native American, an Oglala Lakota, who was a fearless and respected warrior who fought under, and was rivals with, Crazy Horse. He also fought at the Battle of Little Big Horn, a battle which is depicted in this film.



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: JACKIE GLEASON



8:00 PM -- Requiem For A Heavyweight (1962)
A washed-up prizefighter tries to free himself from his ruthless promoters to build a new life.
Dir: Ralph Nelson
Cast: Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason, Mickey Rooney
BW-85 mins, CC,

Anthony Quinn did this film when Lawrence of Arabia (1962) went on a two month hiatus between October and December of 1961. The film was released before "Lawrence" came out.


9:37 PM -- The Bounty (1962)
This silent promotional short presents footage of the "HMS Bounty" for the remake of "Mutiny on the Bounty" (1962).
C-7 mins,


9:45 PM -- The Hustler (1961)
A pool shark falls into the clutches of a crooked gambler.
Dir: Robert Rossen
Cast: Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, Piper Laurie
BW-135 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Won Oscars for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White - Eugen Schüfftan, and Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White -- Harry Horner and Gene Callahan

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Paul Newman, Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Piper Laurie, Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Jackie Gleason, Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- George C. Scott (Refused even to be nominated.), Best Director -- Robert Rossen, Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium -- Sidney Carroll and Robert Rossen, and Best Picture

All the pool shots in the movie are performed by the actors themselves (Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason) except one: the massé shot (cue ball sends two object balls into the same pocket), performed by Willie Mosconi.


12:15 AM -- Don't Drink the Water (1969)
A tourist family is stranded behind the Iron Curtain.
Dir: Howard Morris
Cast: Jackie Gleason, Estelle Parsons, Ted Bessell
C-100 mins,

"Don't Drink the Water" opened at the Morosco Theater on November 17, 1966 and ran for 598 performances. Richard Libertini reprises his role in the movie.


2:00 AM -- Soldier in the Rain (1963)
A story of friendship between a worldly-wise Army Master Sergeant and his naive worshiper.
Dir: Ralph Nelson
Cast: Jackie Gleason, Steve McQueen, Tuesday Weld
BW-87 mins, Letterbox Format

Jackie Gleason released a version of the title music as a single on Capitol in early 1964, with another Henry Mancini composition, Bird Brain, as the b-side. This puts Soldier in the Rain (1963) in the same category as Thunder Road (1958) and Because They're Young (1960): movies which had a version of the theme song performed by a member of the cast and released as a single, while that version wasn't the one used in the movie.


3:36 AM -- Storm (1943)
This short film takes a look at how the U.S. weather bureau tries to warn farmers about potentially hazardous storms.
Dir: Paul Burnford
BW-8 mins,


3:45 AM -- Escape From Crime (1942)
An ex-con becomes a daredevil photojournalist.
Dir: D. Ross Lederman
Cast: Richard Travis, Julie Bishop, Jackie C. Gleason
BW-51 mins, CC,

Harry Arras died of a heart attack on set while shooting a scene for this film.


4:45 AM -- Picture Snatcher (1933)
An ex-con brings his crooked ways to a job as a news photographer.
Dir: Lloyd Bacon
Cast: James Cagney, Ralph Bellamy, Patricia Ellis
BW-77 mins, CC,

The scene of Danny photographing an execution is based an actual incident in which Chicago-based crime photographer Tom Howard (who was the grandfather of 'George Wendt') surreptitiously snapped the famous photo of convicted murderess Ruth Snyder's January 12, 1928 execution in the electric chair at Sing Sing for the New York Daily News.