TCM Schedule for Thursday, October 11 -- What's on Tonight: Directed by Robert Aldrich

A day of films directed by the prolific Lew Landers, and an evening of films directed by not-nearly-so-prolific Robert Aldrich. Enjoy!


6:45 AM -- Night Waitress (1936)
A girl just out of prison gets mixed up in murder at the restaurant where she works.
Dir: Lew Landers
Cast: Margot Grahame, Gordon Jones, Vinton Haworth.
BW-57 mins, TV-G,

Film debut of Anthony Quinn.


7:45 AM -- Border Cafe (1937)
Cowboys clash with gangsters and Boston snobs in the modern West.
Dir: Lew Landers
Cast: Harry Carey, John Beal, Armida.
BW-67 mins, TV-PG,

The soundtrack includes the traditional song "How Dry I Am", sung by the drunks in the jail.


9:00 AM -- Danger Patrol (1937)
Tempers ignite when an explosives carrier falls in love with a colleague's daughter.
Dir: Lew Landers
Cast: Sally Eilers, John Beal, Harry Carey.
BW-60 mins, TV-G,

Based on a story by Helen Vreeland and Hilda Vincent.


10:05 AM -- Hollywood Newsreel (1934)
BW-9 mins,


10:15 AM -- Flight From Glory (1937)
Tensions flare among flyers carrying supplies through the Andes.
Dir: Lew Landers
Cast: Chester Morris, Whitney Bourne, Onslow Stevens.
BW-67 mins, TV-PG, CC,

Based on a sotry by Robert Hardy Andrews, father of noted food and wine critic, Colman Andrews, Saveur magazine's Editor-in-Chief.


11:30 AM -- The Man Who Found Himself (1937)
A determined nurse puts a cocky surgeon back on track.
Dir: Lew Landers
Cast: John Beal, Joan Fontaine, Philip Huston.
BW-67 mins, TV-PG,

Based on the story "Wings of Mercy" by Alice F. Curtis.


12:45 PM -- They Wanted to Marry (1937)
A photojournalist and his pet pigeon crash a society party and find love.
Dir: Lew Landers
Cast: Betty Furness, Gordon Jones, E. E. Clive.
BW-60 mins, TV-G,

Betty Furness is best remembered today as the TV spokesperson for Westinghouse and for her 16 years as a consumer affairs expert on the Today show.


1:50 PM -- How To Sub-Let (1939)
BW-8 mins,


2:00 PM -- Without Orders (1937)
Two pilots compete for the love of a pretty flight attendant.
Dir: Lew Landers
Cast: Sally Eilers, Robert Armstrong, Frances Sage.
C-64 mins, TV-G,

The "Amalgamated Airlines" plane is a Boeing 247.


3:15 PM -- You Can't Buy Luck (1937)
A racehorse owner tries to buy victory by performing good deeds, but gets mixed up in murder instead.
Dir: Lew Landers
Cast: Onslow Stevens, Helen Mack, Vinton Haworth.
BW-60 mins, TV-G,

Also known as Borrowed Time.


4:21 PM -- Zion Canyon Of Colour (1934)
In this "Traveltalk," we learn about the forces that formed America's largest canyon, Zion National Park.
C-8 mins,


4:30 PM -- Blind Alibi (1938)
A man pretends to be blind to foil blackmailers.
Dir: Lew Landers
Cast: Richard Dix, Whitney Bourne, Eduardo Ciannelli.
BW-62 mins, TV-G, CC,

The introduction of RKO's answer to Rin Tin Tin -- Ace the Wonder Dog!


5:45 PM -- Conspiracy (1938)
A shipment of poisonous gas is delivered for use in a mythical Central American country.
Dir: Lew Landers
Cast: Allan Lane, Linda Hayes, Robert Barrat.
BW-59 mins, TV-G,

Based on a story by Faith Thomas and writer/actor/director John P. McCarthy.


6:45 PM -- Smashing the Rackets (1938)
Pushed into a do-nothing job, an FBI man finds his own way of going after the mob.
Dir: Lew Landers
Cast: Chester Morris, Frances Mercer, Rita Johnson.
BW-69 mins, TV-PG,

Loosely based on the career of New York D.A. Thomas E. Dewey.



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: DIRECTED BY ROBERT ALDRICH


8:00 PM -- The Flight of the Phoenix (1965)
The survivors of a desert plane crash fight to get back in the air.
Dir: Robert Aldrich
Cast: James Stewart, Richard Attenborough, Peter Finch.
C-142 mins, TV-14, CC, Letterbox Format

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Ian Bannen, and Best Film Editing -- Michael Luciano

Director Robert Aldrich's son (William Aldrich) and son-in-law (Peter Bravos) are the first two casualties in the film, killed by falling cargo during the opening credits as the disabled plane is descending for its crash-landing.


10:30 PM -- What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
A crazed, aging star torments her sister in a decaying Hollywood mansion.
Dir: Robert Aldrich
Cast: Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Victor Buono.
BW-134 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format

Won an Oscar for Best Costume Design, Black-and-White -- Norma Koch

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Victor Buono, Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Bette Davis, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -- Ernest Haller, and Best Sound -- Joseph D. Kelly (Seven Arts-Warner Bros. Glen Glenn Sound Department)

The curious teenager who lives next door to the Hudson sisters is none other than Barbara Merrill, Bette Davis's real-life daughter.


1:00 AM -- The Legend Of Lylah Clare (1968)
An obsessed movie director grooms an unknown to play his deceased movie-star wife.
Dir: Robert Aldrich
Cast: Kim Novak, Peter Finch, Ernest Borgnine.
C-130 mins, TV-14, CC, Letterbox Format

This film is listed among the 100 Most Enjoyably Bad Movies Ever Made in Golden Raspberry Award founder John WIlson's book THE OFFICIAL RAZZIE® MOVIE GUIDE.


3:15 AM -- Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
Detective Mike Hammer fights to solve the murder of a beautiful hitchhiker with a mysterious connection to the Mob.
Dir: Robert Aldrich
Cast: Ralph Meeker, Albert Dekker, Paul Stewart.
BW-106 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format

The Kefauver Commission, a federal unit dedicated to investigating corrupting influences in the 1950s, singled this out as 1955's number one menace to American youth. Because of this, Robert Aldrich felt compelled to conduct a writing campaign for the free speech rights of independent film-makers.


5:06 AM -- Storm (1943)
A look at how the weather bureau tries to warn farmers and businessmen about approaching large storms.
Dir: Paul Burnford
Narrator: John Nesbitt
BW-8 mins,

Another entry in John Nesbitt's Passing Parade.


5:15 AM -- Destination Murder (1950)
A woman infiltrates the mob to find her father's killer.
Dir: Edward L. Cahn
Cast: Joyce MacKenzie, Stanley Clements, Hurd Hatfield.
BW-73 mins, TV-PG, CC,

The movie theatre featured in the film is the Marcal Theatre at 6021 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, California, which featured late runs, revivals, and various odds and ends in keeping with its location on the "wrong" end of Hollywood Boulevard. The revival combination of Flight Lieutenant and Corregidor was somebody's idea of a "commemoration" of the anniversary of Pearl Harbor, the first week of December 1949, at which time Destination Murder was filmed.