TCM Schedule for Friday, July 4, 2014 -- Friday Night Spotlight - 100th Anniversary of WWI

[Staph]

In the daylight hours, we're celebrating the Fourth with a series of movies primarily about the Revolutionary War (though I'm not exactly sure how Jimmy Cagney as George M. Cohan fits that pattern!). And in prime time, TCM is turning the Friday Night Spotlight on the one hundredth anniversary of the start of World War I. Enjoy, and have a safe and happy Fourth of July!



6:00 AM -- Give Me Liberty (1936)
This short film presents a dramatization of Patrick Henry's speech before the Virginia legislature in which he argues for colonial independence. Vitaphone Release 7766-7767.
Dir: B. Reeves Eason
Cast: Jesse Graves, John Litel, Bancroft Owen
C-21 mins,


6:30 AM -- John Paul Jones (1959)
The hero of the Revolutionary War clashes with Congress.
Dir: John Farrow
Cast: Robert Stack, Marisa Pavan, Charles Coburn
C-126 mins,

Film debut of Mia Farrow, and the final feature film of both Charles Coburn and director John Farrow (Mia's father).


8:45 AM -- Sons of Liberty (1939)
A patriotic short film chronicling the efforts of underground leader and military financier Haym Salomon during the American Revolution. Vitaphone Release 9195-9196.
C-21 mins,


9:15 AM -- The Howards of Virginia (1940)
A young Virginian joins the American Revolution despite his love for a beautiful Royalist.
Dir: Frank Lloyd
Cast: Cary Grant, Martha Scott, Cedric Hardwicke
BW-116 mins, CC,

Nominated for Oscars for Best Sound, Recording -- Jack Whitney (General Service SSD), and Best Music, Original Score -- Richard Hageman

Cary Grant considered himself to be miscast. I haven't seen this film in years -- I'm curious to see if I can tell why he would feel that way.


11:15 AM -- The Scarlet Coat (1955)
An American officer goes undercover to unmask a Revolutionary War traitor.
Dir: John Sturges
Cast: Cornel Wilde, Michael Wilding, George Sanders
C-101 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

"Blow the Man Down" is heard on the soundtrack during a scene involving the man o' war. The sea shanty was composed anonymously in the 1860s, eighty-odd years after the incidents in this film.


1:00 PM -- The Declaration of Independence (1938)
This short film offers an account of the meeting of the Continental Congress in the summer of 1776. Vitaphone Release 8874-8875.
Dir: Crane Wilbur
Cast: John Litel, Ted Osborn, Gordon Hart
C-17 mins,


1:30 PM -- 1776 (1972)
The founding fathers struggle to draft the Declaration of Independence.
Dir: Peter H. Hunt
Cast: William Daniels, Howard Da Silva, Ken Howard
C-165 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Cinematography -- Harry Stradling Jr.

According to the writer/director's commentary, John Adams' actual quote following Franklin's urging to remove the slavery clause from the declaration was "If we give in on this issue, there WILL be trouble 100 years hence." The commentary stated that the quote was NOT used because it sounded too much like hindsight. Adams' forward looking prediction missed the first battle of the Civil War by only 15 years.


4:15 PM -- Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
Spirited musical biography of the song-and-dance man who kept America humming through two world wars.
Dir: Michael Curtiz
Cast: James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston
BW-126 mins, CC,

Won Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- James Cagney, Best Sound, Recording -- Nathan Levinson (Warner Bros. SSD), and Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture -- Ray Heindorf and Heinz Roemheld

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Walter Huston, Best Director -- Michael Curtiz , Best Writing, Original Story -- Robert Buckner, Best Film Editing -- George Amy, and Best Picture

Many facts were changed or ignored to add to the feel of the movie. For example, the real George M. Cohan was married twice, and although his second wife's middle name was Mary, she went by her first name, Agnes. In fact, the movie deviated so far from the truth that, following the premiere, the real George M. Cohan commented, "It was a good movie. Who was it about?"


6:30 PM -- The Devil's Disciple (1959)
A preacher and a rebel leader change places during the Revolution.
Dir: Guy Hamilton
Cast: Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier
BW-83 mins,

The play was first performed as a 'Copyright Performance' on 17 April 1897 in London, with author George Bernard Shaw reading the part of Rev. Anderson. He was unhappy with the play and wouldn't permit a public performance at that time. It was first shown in the United States on Broadway's Fifth Avenue Theater in New York City on 4 October 1897, and in London the following year. There were four Broadway revivals in the United States, the last in 1988.



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: FRIDAY NIGHT SPOTLIGHT: 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF WWI



8:00 PM -- Sergeant York (1941)
True story of the farm boy who made the transition from religious pacifist to World War I hero.
Dir: Howard Hawks
Cast: Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, Joan Leslie
BW-134 mins, CC,

Won Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Gary Cooper, and Best Film Editing -- William Holmes

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Walter Brennan, Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Margaret Wycherly, Best Director -- Howard Hawks, Best Writing, Original Screenplay -- Harry Chandlee, Abem Finkel, John Huston and Howard Koch, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -- Sol Polito, Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Black-and-White -- John Hughes and Fred M. MacLean, Best Sound, Recording -- Nathan Levinson (Warner Bros. SSD), Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic Picture -- Max Steiner, and Best Picture

Alvin C. York had been approached by producer Jesse Lasky several times, beginning in 1919, to allow a movie to be made of his life, but had refused, believing that "This uniform ain't for sale." Lasky convinced York that, with war threatening in Europe, it was his patriotic duty to allow the film to proceed. York finally agreed - but only on three conditions. First, York's share of the profits would be contributed to a Bible School York wanted constructed. Second, no cigarette smoking actress could be chosen to play his wife. Third, that only Gary Cooper, could recreate his life on screen. Cooper at first turned down the role, but when York himself contacted the star with a personal plea, Cooper agreed to do the picture.


10:18 PM -- Lest We Forget (1937)
This short film honors the late Will Rogers, with clips from his films and stars paying tribute.
Dir: Frank Whitbeck
BW-10 mins,


10:30 PM -- The Fighting 69th (1940)
A braggart soldier learns the true meaning of heroism when he joins World War I's all-Irish unit.
Dir: William Keighley
Cast: James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, George Brent
BW-90 mins, CC,

The poem read at the funeral of the soldiers killed in the dugout is"'Rouge Bouquet" by Joyce Kilmer (portrayed by Jeffrey Lynn). This scene and preceding ones are based on an actual incident in the war, when a German heavy artillery bombardment on March 12, 1918, buried 21 men of the 69th; 14 of the bodies were never recovered.


12:04 AM -- Cary Grant: In A Tribute To The Will Rogers Memorial Hospital (1940)
In this short film, Cary Grant asks moviegoers to donate to the Will Rogers Memorial Hospital, a hospital and recovery center for tuberculosis patients.
BW-2 mins,


12:15 AM -- The Dawn Patrol (1938)
A flight commander in France almost cracks under the pressure of sending men to their deaths.
Dir: Edmund Goulding
Cast: Errol Flynn, Basil Rathbone, David Niven
BW-103 mins, CC,

The filmmakers needed several shots of the planes taking off and landing. They assembled a squadron of 17 vintage WW1 aircraft, most of them Nieuports. Flying them proved just as hazardous as in WW1. By the time filming ended, stunt flyers had crashed 15 of them.


2:01 AM -- The United States Army Air Force Band (1942)
This patriotic wartime short showcases the U.S. Army Air Force Band interspersed with wartime footage of the Army Air Force. Vitaphone Release 1050A.
Dir: Jean Negulesco
BW-10 mins,


2:15 AM -- Wings (1927)
In this silent film, romantic rivals fly against the enemy in World War I.
Dir: William A. Wellman
Cast: Clara Bow, Charles (Buddy) Rogers, Richard Arlen
BW-144 mins, CC,

Won Oscars for Best Picture, Production (the equivalent of today's Best Picture), and Best Effects, Engineering Effects -- Roy Pomeroy

As a former pilot William Wellman knew how vital it was to have clouds for the dogfights and he was stuck with clear blue Texan skies for about four weeks. When the Paramount questioned him about it he said "Without clouds it's unattractive, and you get no sense of speed. The clouds give you that but against a blue sky it's like a lot of flies."


4:45 AM -- Von Richthofen and Brown (1970)
This film focuses on the story of Manfred von Richtofen, a German air ace during World War I.
Dir: Roger Corman
Cast: John Phillip Law, Don Stroud, Barry Primus
C-96 mins, Letterbox Format

One of the stunt flyers was Richard D. Bach, the pilot and author of Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1973).

[elleng]

1. YAAAAY! 1776!

@ 1:30 pm!

[Staph]

2. I love that movie so much!

My sister and I can sing along and quote dialogue through the whole film. It annoys her husband no end!

[elleng]

3. I think I can too, Staph!

and saw it at Ford's Theater a couple of years ago. Truly great!

'Molasses and rum and slaves.'

[Staph]

4. I saw it done by a local theatre group here in West Virginia.

It was strange at first to see a different group of people in these familiar roles, including some friends and acquaintances. But, oh, the glorious music and wonderful words! They work even with amateurs.

The fellow who played Edward Rutledge was my former church choir director. After the performance, I told him that he was a evil man . . . . and that meant that he had done a great job. He giggled.

[Gloria in NM]

5. It was fun seeing Wes Clark show up to introduce this event...

Can't believe how long ago it was that I was a devoted "Clarkie"...still think he had some really great, progressive ideas, including that idea about returning bison to a huge area set aside to preserve the land and return it to what it was 100+ years ago.

I saw him 2x in Las Cruces, saw his wife once....worked on his campaign....Still think he would have bee a great candidate. Used to love his appearances on cable, too.

My personal fave is Yankee Doodle Dandy..watched it as a kid faithfully, and still love Jimmy Cagney in ANYTHING...but his dancing style was just so much fun to watch!!