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Saturday, April 30, 2011

This week on... TCM (May 1 - 7)

Sunday, May 1
The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956) 4:00 PM - It was said that, when this movie was in theaters, disappointed Marlon Brando fans could be heard lamenting the fact that he was never seen on the screen. Thanks to TCM, we can see if his heavily made-up face is truly unrecognizable. I've found some of his other films that rely on make-up (namely Viva Zapata!) haven't suffered, but his failed attempts at foreign accents have ruined particular movies.
Key Largo (1948) 6:15 PM

Monday, May 2 (Bing Crosby)
Going Hollywood (1933) 8:30 AM - Bing Crosby and his beret!
Blue Skies (1946) 5:00 PM - According to my movie log, I watched this about a year ago but couldn't remember the plot the next day.
Playtime (1967) 11:30 PM - Fun avec Jacques Tati

Tuesday, May 3
Midnight (1939) 3:00 PM - Claudette Colbert comedy
A Day At The Races (1937) 8:00 PM
Fast Company (1953) 11:45 PM - A Howard Keel musical. I'd rather it be 1938's Fast Company (aka The Rare-Book Murder) starring Melvyn Douglas.

Wednesday, May 4
Born To Dance (1936) 11:30 PM - Eleanor Powell and James Stewart musical

Friday, May 6 (Hammer Time -- Mike Hammer, not Hammer Horror)
Kiss Me Deadly (1955) 8:00 PM - The first of a bunch of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer movies
The Girl Hunters (1963) 11:45 PM - The best way to prepare for this night of hard boiled crime stories is to eat some deviled eggs.

Saturday, May 7
Back From Eternity (1956) 5:15 PM - This is not the sequel to From Here To Eternity. The plot sounds like Lost. It's a remake of Five Came Back, which, of course, happened in Lost. This movie stars Robert Ryan (Jack?), Anita Ekberg (Kate?), and Rod Steiger (Locke?). So, is Por' Jud actually daid or is he daid just in some parallel universe? Or was it all a dream (or perhaps a confusing and elaborate dream ballet with totally different dancers representing the original characters)?
The Bicycle Thief (1948) 8:00 PM - Vittorio de Sica's classic that inspired Pee-wee's Big Adventure

Sunday, April 24, 2011

This week on... TCM (April 24 - 30)

Sunday, April 24, 2011
Easter Parade (1948) 9:00 AM - Are you drum crazy? Do you love a piano? Would you like to see Peter Lawford in a fur coat? Then Easter Parade is the musical for you!
Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) 8:00 PM - Religious hippies have the best music and dancers in fringed bikinis (somehow not blasphemous).

Tuesday, April 26, 2011
The Lost Weekend (1945) 8:00 PM

Thursday, April 28, 2011
North By Northwest (1959) 12:00 AM

Friday, April 29, 2011
The Glass Slipper (1955) 12:15 AM - Musical adaptation of Cinderella starring Leslie Caron
The Swan (1956) 2:00 AM

Saturday, April 30, 2011 (Gershwin -- at least Ira -- musicals)
An American In Paris (1951) 8:00 PM
Girl Crazy (1943) 10:15 PM
Shall We Dance (1937) 2:30 PM
Give A Girl A Break (1953) 4:30 AM

Thursday, April 21, 2011

You'll never get away with it, Lady!


No matter that his Ken doll hair looks like a can of cake icing! X, her man with X-ray Eyes, is clearly nauseated by a smattering of microbes that can't be seen by a normal human's naked eye in this detail from a Listerine advertisement from October 1947 (seen in the newstand favorite Woman's Home Companion). My theory is that his eye balls bulge not at the sight of the creepy crawlies on his lovely partner's shoulder but because of the constriction with which his bowtie has affixed his head to his shoulders. His girlfriend doesn't need Listerine; she needs a new dancing partner!

This would have made a great premise for a film noir: Gloria Grahame is the mysterious and be-cootied Lady With The White Gardenia and William Bendix is her crazy-eyed lover who is driven to murder by his jealousy and overwhelming hypochondria. [Also posted at Flickr with alternate commentary]

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

2011 TV Land Awards

The 2011 TV Land Awards aired Sunday, April 17. This year's nostalgia fest was a thrilling set of cast reunions with more sweet and tearful moments than a night of saccharine Nick at Nite programming. The show opened with a bang: Liza Minnelli belting out 'New York, New York' to a packed room of enthusiastic sitcom legends.

Next up, Stevie Wonder presented the Huxtables with the Impact Award for the Cosby Show and serenaded the cast with 'Higher Ground.' The stage was packed with an almost full-cast reunion. Sadly, though not surprisingly, it was Deniseless. Trophies were handed out to Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashad, Sabrina Le Beauf, Geoffrey Owens, a very handsome Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Tempestt Bledsoe, Keshia Knight Pulliam, and Raven-Symone. They're still a good looking cast! I was hoping to see Rudy's friend, Kenny, to see if he would eat the croutons in his salad! [from the third season episode 'Planning Parenthood,' which aired April 30, 1987]


The girls of Eastland earned the Pop Culture Award for The Facts of Life, which was accepted by Charlotte Rae, Lisa Whelchel, Kim Fields, Mindy Cohn, Nancy McKeon, and Geri Jewell. Also in attendance was a relatively subdued Cloris Leachman. My favorite episode of The Facts Of Life involved a not-very-savvy Natalie returning from New York City with only the detachable straps of her purse. She didn't realize that the bulk of her handbag (with all its contents) was no longer attached to it! Typical Natalie!


Family Ties won the Fan Favorite Award, and it most certainly was a favorite of mine! The award was accepted by the entire Keaton clan (sans Andy who is no longer family-friendly viewing), including Michael Gross, Meredith Baxter, Michael J. Fox, Terri Pollan, Justine Bateman, Tina Yothers, and Marc Prince (Skippy!). Sadly, Nick was not present. Yo.



The 35th anniversary of Welcome Back, Kotter was, coincidentally, the recipient of the 35th Anniversary Award. Gabe Kaplin, a teary-eyed John Travolta, Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs, and the rest of the Sweathogs (minus Horshack, apparently) were on hand. John Travolta seemed to be having the time of his life! Even John Sebastian, the singer of the highly catchy theme song, was in the audience.

Barbara Walters looked back at the record-shattering career of Regis Philbin and bestowed the Legend Award on the dynamo. Hall and Oates got the Music Icon Award. They sang one of their fifty hits to an ecstatic crowd. While I was never a big Hall and Oates fan, it sure beats that autotuned what-have-you they call music now! Missing: John Oates' moustache.


Undeniably, the best part of the entire evening was a thpoof trailer for the new Brady Bunch movie, Thindy's Thpeech. I think it's going to thweep the Oscars next year!

The entire show is available at the TV Land website for free. For the latest TV Land news, follow them on Twitter. Then follow me on Twitter.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

This week on... TCM

Sunday, April 17, 2011
The Wild One (1953) 6:30 PM
The Mysterious House of Dr. "C" (1966) 8:00 PM
Camille (1921) 12:00 AM - Rudolph Valentino and Alla Nazimova

Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Song Of The Thin Man (1947) 6:30 PM - The last Thin Man movie. 11 year old Nicky, Jr. was played by Dean Stockwell.

Saturday, April 23, 2011
Gunga Din (1939) 8:00 PM

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Happy Birthday, Marlon Brando!

I didn't see any Marlon Brando birthday tributes this year (and no block of programming on TCM!), so I thought I would do a pictorial spread of some of my favorite Marlon Brando pictures in celebration of the 87th anniversary of his birth (April 3, 1924). I opted for some of the more amusing or head scratching of my collection rather than the ones that merely showed off his sultry good looks. (Click pictures for slight enlargements)


Marlon Goes Abroad: Packing

This week on... TCM (April 10 - 16)

Uncharacteristically, I didn't watch much television this past week, and I don't think I watched any movies at all. I caught most of a gently enjoyable Peter Bogdanovich 1975 musical homage, At Long Last Love starring the greatly missed Madeline Kahn, Burt Reynolds, and Cybill Shepherd. It wasn't the most inspired plot, dancing, or singing, but it was a surprisingly good effort. I wouldn't mind seeing the entire movie again. Burt Reynolds could sing better than Marlon Brando, at least! Check Fox Movie Channel for future airings, maybe.


Elizabeth and Monty: Best Friends Forever


Sunday, April 10, 2011 (TCM's tribute to the legendary Elizabeth Taylor)
Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (1958) 6:00 PM - Maggie, Brick, and Gooper!
BUtterfield 8 (1960) 8:00 PM
Giant (1956) 12:30 AM - It is giant, but it's worth it!

Monday, April 11, 2011
The Young Philadelphians (1958) 5:00 PM - Paul Newman is a young Philadelphian! (Keep your eyes peeled for Adam West)

Tuesday, April 12, 2011 (Ray Milland, star of the month)
Eve Knew Her Apples (1945) 6:45 PM - Ann Miller stars in this musical adaptation of It Happened One Night.
Dial M For Murder (1954) 10:00 PM
Ministry Of Fear (1944) 2:00 AM - Intriguing noir from Fritz Lang

Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Myrna Loy: So Nice To Come Home To (1991 documentary) 7:00 PM
Golden Girl (1951) 1:15 AM - Mitzi Gaynor musical

Thursday, April 14, 2011
Billy Liar (1963) 9:00 AM - Sir Tom Courtenay was the best Angry Young Man ever! This is a great adaptation of the modern British classic by Keith Waterhouse. Also stars Julie Christie.
The Glass Key (1942) 8:00 PM - I'm really excited to watch this. It's based on a Dashiell Hammett novel and stars Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake (the duo from one of my favorites, The Blue Dahlia -- a Chandler screenplay). I've never read this book, so I don't know the story, but Dashiell Hammett is the king of noir. (The 1935 version of the film with George Raft also has Ray Milland and could have been tied in to the Ray Milland month)
Stage Door Canteen (1943) 11:15 PM - The star-studded musical romance!
Born To Dance (1936) 3:30 AM - Eleanor Powell and James Stewart musical. This is the musical with Jimmy Stewart's rendition of 'So Easy To Love,' a song so good that even his awful singing voice couldn't ruin it (so he said in That's Entertainment!)!

Friday, April 15, 2011
Blind Adventure (1933) 6:15 PM

Saturday, April 16, 2011
Promise Her Anything (1966) 6:00 PM - I'm just intrigued by a comedy starring Warren Beatty, Leslie Caron, and Bob Cummings!
Ball Of Fire (1941) 8:00 PM - Described as Billy Wilder's twist on Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs which starred Gary Cooper and Dana Andrews as part of a group of professors who take in a nightclub singer hiding from the law (Barbara Stanwyck). Well, at least it's not Jean Arthur!
Fire Down Below (1957) 11:30 PM - Robert Mitchum and Jack Lemmon are partners who both fall for a mysterious woman in a steamer (Rita Hayworth).

Happy viewing!