Saturday, March 13, 2010

Carter Stevens' Guide to TCM This Week (March 13-19)


March 13

10:00pm Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round (1966)
A sophisticated crook mounts an intricate plan to rob an airport bank. Cast: James Coburn, Camilla Sparv, Aldo Ray, Nina Wayne Dir: Bernard Girard C-107 mins, TV-PG

I'll watch any film and I mean ANY film with James Coburn in it. So should you.


March 14

2:00pm All the King's Men (1949)
A backwoods politician rises to the top only to become corrupted. Cast: Broderick Crawford, John Ireland, Joanne Dru, John Derek Dir: Robert Rossen BW-110 mins, TV-PG

Broderick Crawford was never this good again. Hell, I would have voted for Willie Stark.


March 15

4:15am Brute Force (1947)
Tough, disgruntled prisoners plan a daring, possibly bloody escape while on a drain pipe detail. Cast: Burt Lancaster, Hume Cronyn, Charles Bickford, Yvonne De Carlo Dir: Jules Dassin BW-98 mins, TV-14

Best prison film ever made.


March 16

4:00am Great Caruso, The (1951)
The legendary opera singer fights to win his place in society. Cast: Mario Lanza, Ann Blyth, Dorothy Kirsten, Jarmila Novotna Dir: Richard Thorpe C-109 mins, TV-G

I'm not a big Opera fan but Lanza was good enough to convince me that Caruso was the greatest singer who ever lived. Wait isn't that a paradox?

11:30am Lavender Hill Mob, The (1951)
An overlooked gold transporter with twenty years service plots to steal a million pounds of gold. Cast: Alec Guinness, Stanley Holloway, Sidney James, Alfie Bass Dir: Charles Crichton BW-81 mins, TV-G

My very favorite Alec Guiness comedy. I had a model of the Eiffel tower many years before I ever made it to Paris.

1:00pm Great Escape, The (1963)
Thrown together by the Germans, a group of captive Allied troublemakers plot a daring escape. Cast: Robert Graf, Nigel Stock, Angus Lennie, John Leyton Dir: John Sturges C-172 mins, TV-PG

Ok I'll admit it there are times TCM's guide listings confuse the hell out of me. A great film starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, not to mention James Coburn and they don't list any of them in the credits. OK they list all the English actors but what is Richard Attenborough, chopped liver?

10:45pm High And Low (1963)
Kidnappers mistake a chauffeur's son for the child of a wealthy businessman. Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kyoko Kagawa, Tatsuya Mihashi Dir: Akira Kurosawa BW-143 mins, TV-14

Kurosawa's take on a King's Ransom by Ed McBain Not to be missed.


March 17

Drink a green beer and settle down for a day full of seven Irish themed movies. And not one of them The Quiet Man.


March 18

Somebody at TCM has a sense of humor. The day after St. Paddy's they schedule some nice quiet Shoot 'em ups. Hope you don't have a hangover.

8:00pm My Darling Clementine (1946)
When the Clantons steal his family's cattle and kill his brother, Wyatt Earp signs on as sheriff of Tombstone and vows to bring them in. Cast: Henry Fonda, Linda Darnell, Victor Mature, Cathy Downs Dir: John Ford BW-97 mins, TV-PG

10:00pm Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957)
Dramatization of the legendary battle between Wyatt Earp and the Clanton Gang. Cast: Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming, Jo Van Fleet Dir: John Sturges C-123 mins, TV-PG

12:15am Hour Of The Gun (1967)
Wyatt Earp tracks down the survivors of the Clanton Gang after the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Cast: James Garner, Jason Robards Jr., Robert Ryan, Albert Salmi Dir: John Sturges C-101 mins, TV-14

2:00am Masterson of Kansas(1954)
Sheriff Bat Masterson joins forces with Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday to save a rancher framed for murder. Cast: George Montgomery, Nancy Gates, James Griffith, Jean Willes Dir: William Castle C-73 mins, TV-PG

Wait a minute, am I missing something was March 18th Wyatt Earp's Birthday??


March 19

2:00am Kitten With a Whip (1964)
A delinquent escapes from reform school and holds a politician hostage. Cast: Ann-Margret, John Forsythe, Peter Brown, Patricia Barry Dir: Douglas Heyes BW-83 mins

I don't care if it's a good film or if it's a bad film. It's called KITTEN WITH A WHIP and it has a young Ann-Margret in it. As close to porn as TCM will ever get.

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