TCM Schedule for Friday, January 1, 2016 -- Let's Do It Again (In English This Time)

Happy first day of 2016! In the daylight hours, we've a nice selection of films of the future, mostly though not entirely dystopic futures. There are lots of old favorites, but I'm particularly fond of Time After Time (1979), an unusual heroic role for Malcolm MacDowell. And in prime time, we get five English-language remakes of other-language films. Enjoy!


6:45 AM -- Things To Come (1936)
Two generations of philosophers try to bring an end to war.
Dir: William Cameron Menzies
Cast: Raymond Massey, Edward Chapman, Ralph Richardson
BW-97 min

The date on the newspaper in the scene in 1966 when the war ends is 21st September 1966 - which would have been the 100th birthday of H.G. Wells.


8:30 AM -- Soylent Green (1973)
A future cop uncovers the deadly secret behind a mysterious synthetic food.
Dir: Richard O. Fleischer
Cast: Charlton Heston, Leigh Taylor-Young, Edward G. Robinson
C-97 min, CC, widescreen

This film's opening prologue states: "The Year: 2022. The Place: New York City. The Population: 40,000,000".

Whoa! We're only seven years away from Soylent Green!


10:15 AM -- The Fly (1958)
A scientist's experiments with teleportation produce a deadly hybrid.
Dir: Kurt Neumann
Cast: Al Hedison, Patricia Owens, Vincent Price
C-94 min, CC, widescreen

In the scene where the fly with Andre Delambre's head and arm is caught in the spider's web, a small animatronic figure with a moving head and arm was used in the spiderweb as a reference for actors Vincent Price and Herbert Marshall. Price later remembered that filming the scene required multiple takes, because each time he and Marshall looked at the animatronic figure, with its human head and insect body, they would burst out laughing.


12:00 PM -- Them! (1954)
Federal agents fight to destroy a colony of mutated giant ants.
Dir: Gordon Douglas
Cast: James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon
BW-92 min, CC

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Effects, Special Effects

Cameos: Besides Leonard Nimoy and Fess Parker, there are Dub Taylor (the Hubba Bubba man), silent film child star Ann Doran (as the nurse psychiatrist), Richard Deacon (Mel on The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961)) as a reporter and longtime Western extra Mathew McCue (various bit roles in Gunsmoke (1955)) as Gramps Johnson.


1:45 PM -- Time After Time (1979)
When Jack the Ripper steals his time machine, author H.G. Wells travels to modern-day San Francisco to track him down.
Dir: Nicholas Meyer
Cast: Malcolm McDowell, David Warner, Mary Steenburgen
C-112 min, CC, widescreen

Despite the romance of the film, the real-life marriage of Wells and Robbins was anything but blissful. Wells cheated on his wife repeatedly, and was unapologetic about it. In fact, he was so egotistical that he told friends that men ought to be allowed to have as many mistresses as they pleased. Wives, though, Wells said, must be chaste, for appearance's sake.


3:45 PM -- The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
An alien demands that Earth's leaders choose between peace and destruction.
Dir: Robert Wise
Cast: Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe
BW-92 min, CC

The role of Gort was played by Lock Martin, the doorman from Grauman's Chinese Theater, because he was extremely tall. However, he was unable to pick up Helen because he was so weak and had to be aided by wires (in shots from the back where he's carrying her, it's actually a lightweight dummy in his arms). He also had difficulty with the heavy Gort suit and could only stay in it for about a half-hour at a time.


5:30 PM -- Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (1977)
A blue-collar worker's encounter with a UFO leaves him a changed man.
Dir: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Terry Garr
C-135 min, CC, widescreen

Won an Oscar for Best Cinematography -- Vilmos Zsigmond

Won a Special Achievement Award Oscar for Frank E. Warner for sound effects editing

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Melinda Dillon, Best Director -- Steven Spielberg, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration -- Joe Alves, Daniel A. Lomino and Phil Abramson, Best Sound -- Robert Knudson, Robert Glass, Don MacDougall and Gene S. Cantamessa, Best Film Editing -- Michael Kahn, Best Effects, Visual Effects -- Roy Arbogast, Douglas Trumbull, Matthew Yuricich, Gregory Jein and Richard Yuricich, and Best Music, Original Score -- John Williams

Real air traffic controllers were used in the opening sequence. The synthesizer technician/performer was the actual engineer sent by ARP Instruments to install the synthesizer equipment (ARP 2500) on the set. Steven Spielberg watched his expert playing of the equipment and immediately cast him for the role. The name of the ARP engineer is Philip Dodds and he is actually mentioned in the credits.



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: LET'S DO IT AGAIN (IN ENGLISH THIS TIME)



8:00 PM -- The Magnificent Seven (1960)
Seven American gunmen hire themselves out to protect a Mexican village from bandits.
Dir: John Sturges
Cast: Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach, Steve McQueen
C-128 min, CC, widescreen

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture -- Elmer Bernstein

Yul Brynner had a major say in casting decisions, including the decision to cast Steve McQueen. He specifically requested that McQueen be cast as Vin Tanner. Brynner later regretted the move since he and McQueen developed a disastrous relationship on set. In later years, Brynner and McQueen reconciled. McQueen, dying of cancer, called Brynner to thank him. "What for?" queried Brynner. "You coulda had me kicked off the movie when I rattled you," replied McQueen, "but you let me stay and that picture made me, so thanks". Brynner told him, "I am the king and you are the rebel prince: every bit as royal... and dangerous to cross." McQueen said, "I had to make it up with Yul 'cos without him I wouldn't have been in that picture."

Based on Seven Samurai (original title Shichinin no samurai (1954)).


10:15 PM -- M (1951)
When the police hunt for a child killer cramps their style criminal underworld tries to track him down.
Dir: Joseph Losey
Cast: David Wayne, Howard Da Silva, Luther Adler
BW-88 min

Remake of the 1931 German film "M" directed by Fritz Lang.


12:00 AM -- Victor Victoria (1982)
An unemployed female singer poses as a female impersonator and becomes a star.
Dir: Blake Edwards
Cast: Julie Andrews, James Garner, Robert Preston
C-134 min, CC, widescreen

Won an Oscar for Best Music, Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score -- Henry Mancini and Leslie Bricusse

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Julie Andrews, Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Robert Preston, Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Lesley Ann Warren, Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium -- Blake Edwards, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration -- Rodger Maus, Tim Hutchinson, William Craig Smith and Harry Cordwell, and Best Costume Design -- Patricia Norris

Director Blake Edwards admitted in an interview that he "chickened out", and added the scene in which King Marchand (James Garner) discovers that Victoria (Julie Andrews) is indeed a woman. Originally he was to fall in love with Victoria before he was sure about her gender, hence his line "I don't care if you are a man" before he kisses her.

Based on Viktor und Viktoria (1933).


2:30 AM -- The Long Night (1947)
A veteran tries to free his former love from a sadistic lover.
Dir: Anatole Litvak
Cast: Henry Fonda, Barbara Bel Geddes, Vincent Price
BW-97 min, CC

Jo Ann holds up a program pamphlet during the concert in Cleveland and the ad on the back cover is shown. It's an ad for "Pike's Pale: The Ale that Won for Yale!" This is a reference to Henry Fonda's character's family business in "The Lady Eve."

Remake of Le Jour se Leve (1939).


4:15 AM -- The Outrage (1964)
A Mexican bandit's crimes receive wildly different interpretations from four witnesses.
Dir: Martin Ritt
Cast: Paul Newman, Laurence Harvey, Claire Bloom
BW-96 min, CC, widescreen

Claire Bloom previously played her role in the U.S. stage version of "Rashomon".