TCM Schedule for Saturday, March 14, 2015 -- The Essentials: Joel McCrea

Tonight's Essentials features the works of Joel McCrea, and show his range, from comedy to western to gangster thriller. Enjoy!



7:00 AM -- Killer's Kiss (1955)
When he rescues a girl from her gangster lover, a prizefighter is marked for death.
Dir: Stanley Kubrick
Cast: Frank Silvera, Jamie Smith, Irene Kane
BW-67 mins,

Working with practically no budget and largely without on-location filming permits, Stanley Kubrick had to remain unnoticed while shooting in the nation's busiest city, sometimes secretly shooting from a nearby vehicle. In one scene Irene Kane was supposed to walk across 42nd Street, but a truck driver repeatedly blocked the way with his vehicle. The driver agreed to clear the area only if Kane would later meet him for a drink. She agreed and the scene was shot, but to this day no one knows if the rendezvous actually took place.


8:15 AM -- The Big Clock (1948)
A corrupt publisher tries to frame a career-driven editor for murder.
Dir: John Farrow
Cast: Ray Milland, Charles Laughton, Maureen O'Sullivan
BW-95 mins, CC,

The novel on which this film is based was written by its author, poet Kenneth Fearing, as revenge on publisher Henry Luce and his "Time" magazine, where Fearing was obliged to work (for financial reasons) for many years. The fearsome Earl Janoth is often regarded as a libelous parody of Luce, although the book was given a rave review in "Time" when it was first published, as was the film.


10:00 AM -- Batman: The Bat's Cave (1943)
The search for a kidnapped reporter leads the Dynamic Duo to a rooftop chase.
BW-17 mins,


10:30 AM -- Carry on Cleo (1965)
Two kidnapped Britons run afoul of Cleopatra.
Dir: Gerald Thomas
Cast: Sidney James, Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor
C-92 mins,

Although the script is credited to Talbot Rothwell, the most often quoted line ("Infamy, infamy, they've all got it in for me!&quot was supplied by the writing team of Frank Muir and Denis Norden, who had coined it for their BBC Radio comedy series "Take It From Here". Norden recalled that Rothwell asked their permission to recycle the line before using it in his script.


12:15 PM -- Valley Of The Kings (1954)
Archaeologists clash with graverobbers during the search for a priceless Egyptian treasure.
Dir: Robert Pirosh
Cast: Robert Taylor, Eleanor Parker, Carlos Thompson
C-86 mins, CC,

It was possible to film in Egypt as it was before the pro-Soviet Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser seized power.


2:00 PM -- Bhowani Junction (1956)
An Anglo-Indian beauty falls for a British officer as her country fights for independence.
Dir: George Cukor
Cast: Ava Gardner, Stewart Granger, Bill Travers
C-110 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

When Ava Gardner came to Lahore, there was only one reasonable hotel i.e. Falletis Hotel. The suite in which Ava stayed has been named as "The Ava Gardner suite". In its lounge one could see a beautiful large size, black & white portrait of Ava Gardner smiling.


4:00 PM -- The Princess And The Pirate (1944)
A cowardly knight rescues a disguised princess from pirates.
Dir: David Butler
Cast: Bob Hope, Virginia Mayo, Walter Brennan
C-94 mins, CC,

Nominated for Oscars for Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Color -- Ernst Fegté and Howard Bristol, and Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture -- David Rose

Samuel Goldwyn paid Paramount $133,500 to borrow Bob Hope for twelve weeks. During that time, Hope made this film and They Got Me Covered (1943). As part of the deal, Paramount also got the services of Goldwyn contractee Gary Cooper for the lead in "For Whom the Bell Tolls."


5:45 PM -- The Night Of The Iguana (1964)
A defrocked priest surrenders to the sins of the flesh in a Mexican hotel.
Dir: John Huston
Cast: Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, Deborah Kerr
BW-118 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Won an Oscar for Best Costume Design, Black-and-White -- Dorothy Jeakins

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Grayson Hall, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -- Gabriel Figueroa, and Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White -- Stephen B. Grimes

Ava Gardner kept changing one of her lines in the film from "In a pig's eye, you are!" to "In a pig's ass, you are!", much to the delight of the rest of the cast and crew, including director John Huston.



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: THE ESSENTIALS: JOEL MCCREA



8:00 PM -- The More the Merrier (1943)
The World War II housing shortage brings three people together for an unlikely romance.
Dir: George Stevens
Cast: Jean Arthur, Joel McCrea, Charles Coburn
BW-104 mins, CC,

Won an Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Charles Coburn

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Jean Arthur, Best Director -- George Stevens, Best Writing, Original Story -- Frank Ross and Robert Russell, Best Writing, Screenplay -- Richard Flournoy, Lewis R. Foster, Frank Ross and Robert Russell, and Best Picture

In the scene at the hotel restaurant/lounge, the band playing in the background is all-female (of course). And some of the couples dancing are girl/girl. Not enough men to go around - "Eight gals for every fella" as Ben Dingle said. So of course, when Connie Milligan is called away to the phone, Joe is surrounded by exactly - eight young women.


10:00 PM -- Ride The High Country (1962)
Two aging gunslingers sign on to transport gold from a remote mining town.
Dir: Sam Peckinpah
Cast: Randolph Scott, Joel McCrea, Mariette Hartley
C-94 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Final film of Randolph Scott. He retired from acting once he saw the finished film, saying he wanted to quit while he was ahead and that he would never be able to better his work here.


12:00 AM -- Dead End (1937)
A killer returns to his childhood home to plot his escape from the law.
Dir: William Wyler
Cast: Sylvia Sidney, Joel McCrea, Humphrey Bogart
BW-92 mins, CC,

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Claire Trevor, Best Cinematography -- Gregg Toland, Best Art Direction -- Richard Day, and Best Picture

This was the first appearance of the Dead End Kids who later evolved into the East Side Kids and later the Bowery Boys. Producer Samuel Goldwyn brought the boys - who had appeared in the original Broadway production of the play - to Hollywood to appear in the movie. He later regretted the decision, as the boys ran wild through the studio, destroying property and crashing a truck through the wall of a sound stage. Afterwards, Goldwyn decided not to use the boys again and sold their contract to Warner Brothers.


2:00 AM -- The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1977)
A small Texas town is terrorized by a hooded serial killer.
Dir: Charles B Pierce
Cast: Ben Johnson, Andrew Prine, Dawn Wells
C-90 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

This movie is a semi-documentary based on the real-life string of mysterious killings that terrorized the people of Texarkana, Texas, in 1946. The murder spree became known as the "Texarkana Moonlight Murders" and ultimately would claim five lives and injure many others. The only description of the killer ever obtained was of a hooded man. To this day no one has been convicted and these murders remain unsolved.


3:30 AM -- In Cold Blood (1967)
Two vagrants try to outrun the police after committing a savage crime in this real-life shocker.
Dir: Richard Brooks
Cast: Robert Blake, Scott Wilson, John Forsythe
BW-134 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Nominated for Oscars for Best Director -- Richard Brooks, Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium -- Richard Brooks, Best Cinematography -- Conrad L. Hall, and Best Music, Original Music Score -- Quincy Jones

To get the authenticity he wanted, Richard Brooks filmed in all the actual locations including the Clutter house (where the murders took place) and the actual courtroom (6 of the actual jurors were used). Even Nancy Clutter's horse Babe was used in a few scenes. The actual gallows at the Kansas State Penitentiary were used for filming the executions, however, in a 2002 interview, Charles McAtee (who was State Corrections Director for Kansas in the 1960's), clarified the hangman in the film was an actor, not the real deal.


5:45 AM -- More Dangerous Than Dynamite (1941)
This short safety film looks at carelessness in the home that can lead to fires.
BW-10 mins,