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Thursday, April 15, 2010

Carter Stevens' Guide to TCM This Week (April 15-23)


APRIL 15

11:00am Time Machine, The (1960)
A turn-of-the-century inventor sends himself into the future to save humanity.
Cast: Rod Taylor, Alan Young, Yvette Mimieux, Sebastian Cabot Dir: George Pal C-103 mins, TV-G

It falls apart in the second half when he gets to the future but like the old saying goes, getting there us half the fun and our hero's trip through future ages us a hoot.



APRIL 16

8:00pm Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, The (1988)
A dumb cop tries to thwart a plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth.
Cast: Leslie Nielsen, Ricardo Montalban, Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy Dir: David Zucker C-88 mins, TV-14

9:30pm Top Secret! (1984)
An Elvis-like singer falls for a French resistance fighter during World War II.
Cast: Val Kilmer, Lucy Gutteridge, Christopher Villiers, Omar Sharif Dir: Jerry Zucker C-90 mins, TV-14

11:15pm Airplane! (1980)
When a flight crew falls ill, the only man who can land the plane is afraid of flying.
Cast: Robert Hays, Peter Graves, Lloyd Bridges, Julie Hagerty Dir: Jim Abrahams C-88 mins, TV-MA

It's stupid joke night on TCM. Mindless fun to rest up on post tax day. Take your shoes and socks off, sit back and enjoy the barefoot fun.



APRIL 17

8:00pm Strangers On A Train (1951)
A man's joking suggestion that he and a chance acquaintance trade murders turns deadly.
Cast: Farley Granger, Ruth Roman, Robert Walker, Leo G. Carroll Dir: Alfred Hitchcock BW-101 mins, TV-PG

Hitchcock at the top of his game. A great movie that would be worth sitting through even if it wasn't just for the single shot of Robert Wagner staring motionless at Farley Granger playing tennis as the whole crowds heads swing back and forth following the ball. Not to be missed by anyone who loves movies.



APRIL 18

12:00pm Some Like It Hot (1959)
Two musicians on the run from gangsters masquerade as members of an all-girl band.
Cast: Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, George Raft Dir: Billy Wilder BW-121 mins, TV-PG

Only Billy Wilder could take a one joke premise and stretch it into a 2 hour laugh riot. All that and Marilyn Monroe...wow!

12:00am Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928)
In this silent film, a student tries to win a rival captain's daughter after taking over his father's riverboat.
Cast: Buster Keaton, Ernest Torrence, Tom Lewis, Tom McGuire Dir: Charles F. Reisner BW-69 mins, TV-G

Screw Charlie Chaplin. Buster Keaton was the true stand out genius of motion pictures.



APRIL 19

4:00am Breaker Morant (1980)
When his commanding officers make a mistake, an Australian soldier faces court martial.
Cast: Edward Woodward, Jack Thompson, Bryan Brown, John Waters Dir: Bruce Beresford C-107 mins, TV-MA

It was a big stink when they left Farrah Fawcett off the memorial list at the Oscars but no one mentioned them overlooking a real actor like Edward Woodward. A not to be missed tour de force.

9:00pm Diary of Anne Frank, The(1959)
A young girl comes of age while hiding from the Nazis.
Cast: Millie Perkins, Joseph Schildkraut, Shelley Winters, Richard Beymer Dir: George Stevens BW-171 mins, TV-PG

I may watch again. Depends if I feel like having a real cry. Followed by...

11:55pm Short Film: One Reel Wonders: Colorful Holland (1950)
In this "Traveltalk," we learn about the history, culture, and people of Holland.
Cast: James A. FitzPatrick Dir: Ralph F. Donaldson C-9 mins

A short film about my favorite place on Earth. If you ever have the chance to visit be sure not to miss the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam.



APRIL 20

Six (6) Harold Lloyd films in a row. From 6am to 4 pm. Great way to spend a rainy day. Hope it rains all day.



APRIL 21

8:00pm Thomas Crown Affair, The (1968)
A bored tycoon turns to bank robbery and courts the insurance investigator assigned to bring him in.
Cast: Steve McQueen, Faye Dunaway, Paul Burke, Jack Weston Dir: Norman Jewison C-102 mins, TV-14

The original, not the weak-assed remake. The movie that proved chess could be down right dirty sexy.



APRIL 22

8:00pm Red Shoes, The (1948)
A young ballerina is torn between her art and her romance with a young composer.
Cast: Anton Walbrook, Marius Goring, Moira Shearer, Robert Helpmann Dir: Michael Powell C-135 mins, TV-G

The movie that drove many the young girl into the arms of ballet teachers. And what a use of Technicolor.

10:30pm Once Upon a Time in the West (1969)
A mail-order bride enlists an outlaw and a mystery man to help protect her land from a ruthless cattleman.
Cast: Henry Fonda, Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards Jr., Charles Bronson Dir: Sergio Leone C-165 mins, TV-14

Henry Fonda as a bad guy and one hell of a bad guy at that. Who knew. Plus Leone does the old west like nobody else.



APRIL 23

Eight (8) Shirley Temple films in a row. If you have never seen any you owe yourself at least one or two to find out why she was America's darling.

8:00pm 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Classic sci-fi epic about a mysterious monolith that seems to play a key role in human evolution.
Cast: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Daniel Richter Dir: Stanley Kubrick C-149 mins, TV-G

A movie so confusing that Arthur C. Clarke had to go back and write a novel just to explain to people what the hell was going on. But do what we all did when it first came out. Sit back, toke up and enjoy.
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