TCM Schedule for Friday, September 2, 2016 -- Star of the Month -Gene Hackman

During today's daylight hours, TCM is showing the first eleven films of the 16-film Falcon movie series. Don't get upset about the title of the first -- the Falcon's real name is Gay Laurence (I am not making this up!). And in prime time, it's the first of September's Star of the Month, the prolific and prolifically talented Gene Hackman. Enjoy!


6:15 AM -- THE GAY FALCON (1942)
A society sleuth tries to break up an insurance scam.
Dir: Irving Reis
Cast: George Sanders, Wendy Barrie, Allen Jenkins
BW-67 mins, CC,

Leslie Charteris sued RKO contending that "The Falcon" was "The Saint", his creation, in disguise. The disposition of the suit has not been discovered. RKO made the change because Charteris had become an annoyance to the studio with his carping about changes in his original stories. This film, the first in RKO's series of films based on Michael Arlen's character "The Falcon," was the only one actually based on an Arlen story.


7:30 AM -- A DATE WITH THE FALCON (1941)
The gentleman detective postpones his wedding to find a cache of stolen diamonds.
Dir: Irving Reis
Cast: George Sanders, Wendy Barrie, James Gleason
BW-63 mins, CC,

One of the conceits of the series was to end each film with a preview of the next. "The Gay Falcon" concluded with a distraught young woman telling the Falcon about her missing brother. The plot of "A Date with the Falcon" has nothing to do with that premise.


8:45 AM -- THE FALCON TAKES OVER (1942)
A society sleuth and a lady reporter try to track down a murderous thug's lost girlfriend.
Dir: Irving Reis
Cast: George Sanders, Lynn Bari, James Gleason
BW-63 mins, CC,

This is the first of three film versions of Raymond Chandler's "Farewell, My Lovely", with Gay Lawrence standing in for Philip Marlowe.


10:00 AM -- THE FALCON'S BROTHER (1942)
A gentlemanly detective calls on his brother to help him stop the Nazis from assassinating a key diplomat.
Dir: Stanley Logan
Cast: George Sanders, Tom Conway, Jane Randolph
BW-63 mins, CC,

Tom Conway (Tom Laurence) was the real life elder brother of George Sanders (Gay Laurence). This film was Sanders' final appearance as "The Falcon," a role of which he had grown tired. Sanders passed the baton to Conway, who played the role in nine subsequent films until 1946.


11:15 AM -- THE FALCON STRIKES BACK (1943)
A society sleuth is framed for murder by criminals running a war-bond racket.
Dir: Edward Dmytryk
Cast: Tom Conway, Harriet Hilliard, Jane Randolph
BW-66 mins, CC,

The artwork on Tom Lawrence's wall is by the famous pinup artist Alberto Vargas.


12:30 PM -- THE FALCON IN DANGER (1943)
A society sleuth tracks a lost plane carrying $100,000.
Dir: William Clemens
Cast: Tom Conway, Jean Brooks, Elaine Shepard
BW-70 mins, CC,

In an interesting take on double standards, when Tom Conway and Jean Brooks fall on their derrières in the roller skating rink, he had a stuntman to take the fall, but Brooks was left to do the stunt herself.


1:45 PM -- THE FALCON AND THE CO-EDS (1944)
A society sleuth investigates murder at a girls' school.
Dir: William Clemens
Cast: Tom Conway, Jean Brooks, Rita Corday
BW-68 mins, CC,

In the previous Falcon film, released only months earlier, both Jean Brooks and Amelita Ward played different romantic romantic interests for Tom Conway. RKO must have believed filmgoers had a short memory.


3:00 PM -- THE FALCON OUT WEST (1944)
A society sleuth turns cowboy to investigate a Texas murder.
Dir: William Clemens
Cast: Tom Conway, Carole Gallagher, Barbara Hale
BW-64 mins, CC,

The working title for this entry in The Falcon series was simply "The Falcon in Texas".


4:15 PM -- THE FALCON IN MEXICO (1944)
A society sleuth travels South of the border to investigate an art dealer's murder.
Dir: William Berke
Cast: Tom Conway, Mona Maris, Martha MacVicar
BW-70 mins, CC,

Some of the Latin American exterior footage that is seen behind the opening credits, and which is inter-cut with the studio-shot scenes and projected behind the cast in some sequences, is rumored but unconfirmed to have come from Orson Welles' never-completed and Brazilian-located RKO documentary "It's All True"; that project was itself the subject of a documentary, It's All True (1993).


5:30 PM -- THE FALCON IN HOLLYWOOD (1944)
A society sleuth tours the movie capital, where he uncovers an actor's murder.
Dir: Gordon Douglas
Cast: Tom Conway, Barbara Hale, Veda Ann Borg
BW-67 mins, CC,

The use of a "stable" of actors was an accepted practice among movie studios and production companies. This concept was common to stage performances and radio programming as well. Orson Welles had his Mercury Theater performers revolving through his films and on-air dramatizations. In fact, all the studios used this concept, as did RKO in the "Falcon" series. It was nothing exceptional to audiences to see familiar faces in various episodic roles.


6:45 PM -- THE FALCON IN SAN FRANCISCO (1945)
A society sleuth enlists a little girl's help in nabbing a mob of silk smugglers.
Dir: Joseph H. Lewis
Cast: Tom Conway, Rita Corday, Edward S. Brophy
BW-66 mins,

In the opening of the film, The Falcon and Goldie are on an express train, The San Franciscan, which is travelling at high speed. At no time does the interior of the car give the impression it is part of a moving train as none of the train staff or passengers have any trouble walking and the drinks served remain completely steady without any shaking from the train movement.



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: STAR OF THE MONTH: GENE HACKMAN



8:00 PM -- BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967)
The legendary bank robbers run riot in the South of the 1930s.
Dir: Arthur Penn
Cast: Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Michael J. Pollard
C-111 mins, CC,

Won Oscars for Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Estelle Parsons, and Best Cinematography -- Burnett Guffey

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Warren Beatty, Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Faye Dunaway, Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Gene Hackman, Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Michael J. Pollard, Best Director -- Arthur Penn, Best Writing, Story and Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen -- David Newman and Robert Benton, Best Costume Design -- Theadora Van Runkle, and Best Picture

Gene Hackman was on the set one day when he noticed a guy standing behind him and staring. The man said, "Hell, Buck would've never wore a hat like that." Hackman turned around and looked at him and said, "Maybe not." He looked like an old Texas farmer. The man introduced himself and said, "Nice to meet you - I'm one of the Barrows."


10:00 PM -- DOWNHILL RACER (1969)
An ambitious skier sacrifices love and family to win.
Dir: Michael Ritchie
Cast: Robert Redford, Gene Hackman, Camilla Sparv
C-102 mins, CC,

Edith Head had begun work on this film back in the spring of 1967 when her contract with Paramount can to an end. It is debatable how much of her contribution still remains in the completed film but she regarded this film as one of her 1000+ films of her incredibly long costume career.


11:54 PM -- ALFRED THE GREAT (1969)
This short film presents a behind-the-scenes look at the making of "Alfred the Great" (1969), as well as a brief history of the warrior-king.
Dir: Clive Donner
Cast: David Hemmings, Michael York, Prunella Ransome
C-5 mins,


12:00 AM -- THE GYPSY MOTHS (1969)
A trio of barnstorming skydivers finds love and heartache at one small-town stop.
Dir: John Frankenheimer
Cast: Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr, Gene Hackman
C-107 mins, CC,

Experienced but amateur skydivers, most with several thousand jumps to their credit, were brought in from California to double for the actors. During one take an unexpected gust of wind pulled the chute and caused one of the skydivers to be slammed into the ground, breaking his collarbone and dislocating his shoulder. Even though in great pain, he stayed in character and managed to get up and finish the scene. He was retained by director John Frankenheimer as a consultant.


2:00 AM -- LILITH (1964)
A young psychiatrist finds himself drawn to a beautiful young mental patient.
Dir: Robert Rossen
Cast: Warren Beatty, Jean Seberg, Peter Fonda
BW-114 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Robert Rossen was dying when he made this film and many regard it as an act of expiation for his behaviour during the McCarthy witch hunts in the 50s when he was a leading friendly witness.


4:00 AM -- MAROONED (1969)
Three U.S. astronauts face a slow death when their rockets fail during a space voyage.
Dir: John Sturges
Cast: Gregory Peck, Richard Crenna, David Janssen
C-129 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Won an Oscar for Best Effects, Special Visual Effects -- Robie Robinson

Nominated for Oscars for Best Cinematography -- Daniel L. Fapp, and Best Sound -- Les Fresholtz and Arthur Piantadosi

The Film Ventures International re-edit of this film (retitled "Space Travelers&quot was featured on an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988). This was also the only film featured on the show to have won an Academy Award.