TCM Schedule for Friday, July 15, 2016 -- What's On Tonight: Star of the Month: Olivia De Havilland

This is Staph, speaking from somewhere without Internet, with the able assistance of CBHagman!

"Most of today's daylight films take place in the desert. And in today's salute to Star of the Month Olivia de Havilland, TCM is featuring some of her more dramatic roles, especially after her legal battle with Warner Bros. As described in Wikipedia:

"'After fulfilling her seven-year Warner Bros. contract in 1943, de Havilland was informed that six months had been added to her contract for times she had been on suspension. The law then allowed studios to suspend contract players for rejecting a role, and the period of suspension could be added to the contract period. Most contract players accepted this, but a few tried to change the system, including Bette Davis, who mounted an unsuccessful lawsuit against Warner Bros. in the 1930s. On August 23, 1943, on the advice of her lawyer, Martin Gang, de Havilland took Warner Bros. to court, citing an existing California labor law that forbade an employer from enforcing a contract against an employee for longer than seven years. In November 1943 the California Superior Court found in de Havilland's favor, and Warner Bros. immediately appealed. On December 8, 1944, the California Court of Appeals for the Second District ruled in her favor. The decision was one of the most significant and far-reaching legal rulings in Hollywood, reducing the power of the studios and extending greater creative freedom to performers. California's resulting "seven-year rule", also known as Labor Code Section 2855, is still known today as the De Havilland Law. Her legal victory, which cost her $13,000 (equivalent to $170,000 in 2015) in legal fees, won de Havilland the respect and admiration of her peers, among them her own sister Joan Fontaine, who later commented, "Hollywood owes Olivia a great deal." Warner Bros. reacted to de Havilland's lawsuit by circulating a letter to other studios that had the effect of a "virtual blacklisting". As a consequence, de Havilland did not work at a film studio for nearly two years.'

"Enjoy!"

6:30 AM -- ONE ON ONE (1977)
A talented basketball player has difficulties adjusting to college life.
Dir: Lamont Johnson
Cast: Robby Benson, Annette O'Toole, Gail Strickland
C-98 mins, CC,

The campus scenes were filmed at Colorado State University, mostly at Moby Arena and in the Charles A. Lory Student Center. Many of the CSU basketball players and even assistant coaches were extras in the film.

8:30 AM -- THE PETRIFIED FOREST (1935)
An escaped convict holds the customers at a remote desert cantina hostage.
Dir: Archie L. Mayo
Cast: Leslie Howard, Bette Davis, Genevieve Tobin
BW-82 mins, CC,

Leslie Howard and Humphrey Bogart had played the same roles in the stage version. Warner Bros. wanted to put Howard in the film but replace Bogart with Edward G. Robinson. Howard insisted on Bogart, and Robinson was happy to step aside from yet another gangster role. Bogart would later name his second child with Lauren Bacall Leslie, in honor of Howard, the man who gave him his first big break.

10:15 AM -- THE BRIDE CAME C.O.D. (1941)
A pilot and a temperamental heiress are stranded in the desert together.
Dir: William Keighley
Cast: James Cagney, Bette Davis, Stuart Erwin
BW-92 mins, CC,

Ann Sheridan was originally scheduled to play the Bette Davis role but was on suspension by Warners.

12:00 PM -- HARUM SCARUM (1965)
An American film star is kidnapped in the Middle East.
Dir: Gene Nelson
Cast: Elvis Presley, Mary Ann Mobley, Fran Jeffries
C-85 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

"Colonel" Tom Parker, Elvis Presley's manager, was so disappointed with the script that he suggested adding a talking camel to the film, so the audience would think it was a comedy.

1:30 PM -- ANOTHER DAWN (1937)
An officer's wife at a British outpost in Africa falls for another man.
Dir: William Dieterle
Cast: Kay Francis, Errol Flynn, Ian Hunter
BW-73 mins, CC,

Before this movie was made, any Warner Brothers film which showed a movie marquee would indicate that a movie named "Another Dawn" was playing at the cinema. Unable to come up with a title for this film, they decided to actually create a movie named "Another Dawn."

3:00 PM -- ACTION IN ARABIA (1944)
An adventurous reporter tangles with Nazis in the desert on the eve of World War II.
Dir: Leonide Moguy
Cast: George Sanders, Virginia Bruce, Lenore Aubert
BW-75 mins, CC,

The opening sequence with a map showing North Africa imitates the opening of the previous year's Casablanca (1942) including utilizing Lou Marcelle as narrator.

4:30 PM -- BENGAZI (1955)
Three shady characters team up to search for Nazi gold in the African desert.
Dir: John Brahm
Cast: Richard Conte, Victor McLaglen, Richard Carlson
BW-79 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

The last music score for RKO by Roy Webb, who had been with the studio since 1929.

6:00 PM -- THE DESERT SONG (1953)
A French professor secretly leads a band of desert freedom fighters.
Dir: Bruce Humberstone
Cast: Kathryn Grayson, Gordon MacRae, Steve Cochran
C-111 mins, CC,

Practically all of the lyrics for "The Riff Song" have been rewritten, even the words that did not have to be changed. This was common practice in several Broadway musical adaptations made before 1955; it was done frequently in the Nelson Eddy- Jeanette MacDonald operettas and it was done in the 1954 film version of "The Student Prince". Movie studios did this so that royalties from all sales of sheet music for the film versions would go to the studios that made the films, not to the original lyricists. Exceptions included the 1936 film version of "Show Boat" and all of the songs except "Cotton Blossom" in the 1951 "Show Boat", as well as the 1943 film version of "Girl Crazy".

TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: STAR OF THE MONTH: OLIVIA De HAVILLAND

8:00 PM -- THE SNAKE PIT (1948)
A young woman tries to recover her sanity in a corrupt mental institution.
Dir: Anatole Litvak
Cast: Olivia de Havilland, Mark Stevens, Leo Genn
BW-108 mins, CC,

Won an Oscar for Best Sound, Recording

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Olivia de Havilland, Best Director -- Anatole Litvak, Best Writing, Screenplay -- Frank Partos and Millen Brand, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture -- Alfred Newman, and Best Picture

Director Anatole Litvak insisted that the cast and crew spend three months visiting mental institutions and attending psychiatric lectures to prepare themselves for the film. Olivia de Havilland willingly threw herself into the research. She attended patient treatments at the institutions, and observed electric shock therapy and hydrotherapy first-hand. When permitted, she sat in on doctor-patient therapy sessions. She also attended social events for patients at the institutions. After seeing the film, a "Daily Variety" columnist questioned whether any mental institution would really allow violent inmates to dance with each other at a social event. De Havilland personally called the columnist to confirm that she had attended several such dances at institutions.

10:00 PM -- THE HEIRESS (1949)
A plain young woman's money makes her prey to fortune hunters.
Dir: William Wyler
Cast: Olivia De Havilland, Montgomery Clift, Ralph Richardson
BW-115 mins, CC,

Won Oscars for Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Olivia de Havilland, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White -- John Meehan, Harry Horner and Emile Kuri, Best Costume Design, Black-and-White -- Edith Head and Gile Steele, and Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture -- Aaron Copland

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Ralph Richardson, Best Director -- William Wyler, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -- Leo Tover, and Best Picture

Olivia de Havilland wisely chose William Wyler as her director, considering that such a meticulous director would be able to coax a strong performance from her. As it turned out, Wyler became a staunch supporter of his leading actress, particularly in regard to the sneering attitude that Montgomery Clift displayed toward her (he didn't value her talents as an actress) and Ralph Richardson taking every opportunity to steal scenes from under her nose with his improvisations.

12:15 AM -- TO EACH HIS OWN (1946)
A single mother gives up her son, then fights to remain a part of his life.
Dir: Mitchell Leisen
Cast: Olivia de Havilland, Mary Anderson, Roland Culver
BW-122 mins, CC,

Won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Olivia de Havilland

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Writing, Original Story -- Charles Brackett

This was Olivia de Havilland's first film role in three years. She was suspended by Warner Brothers when she filed suit against the studio on August 23, 1943, and was officially fired by the studio after she won her suit by unanimous decision on December 8, 1944. Because of this lawsuit and her reputation as a perfectionist, de Havilland was labeled "difficult" in show business, temporarily making her an undesirable choice for many producers.

2:30 AM -- DEVOTION (1946)
The Bronte sisters and their brother fight personal demons to realize their artistic ambitions.
Dir: Curtis Bernhardt
Cast: Ida Lupino, Paul Henreid, Olivia De Havilland
BW-107 mins, CC,

Warners initially tried to borrow Joan Fontaine for Emily Bronte so she could play opposite her real life sister, Olivia de Havilland, but when an agreement couldn't be reached, the part was played by Warner contractee Ida Lupino.

4:30 AM -- WINGS OF THE NAVY (1939)
Pilot brothers vie for the same woman.
Dir: Lloyd Bacon
Cast: George Brent, Olivia De Havilland, John Payne
BW-89 mins, CC,

The movie being shown to the prisoners is Each Dawn I Die, with James Cagney and George Raft.