November 2004 – archive
November 2004 – archive
Monday November 1
6:00 AM I Want To Live! (1958) – Susan Hayward finally won her Best Actress Oscar (on her fifth and last nomination) playing Barbara Graham in this "true" story. Ms. Graham was a small-time crook who "hung out" and partied with the wrong type of people. Because of these associations and her own actions she was sentenced to death for her involvement with a couple of killers. Her letters as she fought to escape the gas chamber were used to develop the Oscar-nominated script. Director Robert Wise was also nominated as was the B&W cinematography the sound and the editing. Notable supporting actors include Simon Oakland Virginia Vincent Theodore Bikel and Gaven MacLeod.
6:00 PM Come Back Little Sheba (1952) – I highly recommend you see Shirley Booth’s Oscar winning performance if you haven’t with Terry Moore (also nominated). Have your hankies ready. Also stars Burt Lancaster and features Richard Jaeckel.
10:30 PM Abe Lincoln In Illinois (1940) – starring Raymond Massey (AA nominated for Best Actor) is an interesting look at the man his reluctance to serve (shyness and other pressures) and early "grass roots" politics. The highlight of this film is Lincoln’s "House Divided" speech delivered in a debate against Douglas in Springfield IL. The film was also nominated for B&W cinematography. Don’t miss the ending (the aforementioned speech) if you have a chance to watch/tape/TIVO it! Also with Ruth Gordon and Gene Lockhart.
Tuesday November 2 – Tearjerkers
6:00 PM The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) – stylish film about a rich man so bored with his life that he turns to crime for excitement. This one stars Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway. It was remade with Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo also worth watching. The theme song of the film "The Windmills of Your Mind" won the Academy Award for Best Song. Directed by Norman Jewison (who had directed the Oscar winning Best Picture In the Heat of the Night the year prior to this one).
8:00 PM Dark Victory (1939) – A terrific way for TCM to "kick off" tearjerker Tuesdays! Bette Davis stars as a rich woman who discovers she has developed a brain tumor (something with which I have personal experience). The excellent cast includes George Brent Humphrey Bogart Geraldine Fitzgerald Ronald Reagan and Henry Travers. Ms. Davis Max Steiner’s Score (he did go up that staircase with her;-) and the film itself were nominated for Academy Awards. #32 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Love Stories list.
10:00 PM Camille (1937) – one of Garbo’s best performances on screen especially the ending! She plays a kept woman (by Lionel Barrymore) when she falls in love with a young admirer played by the dashing Robert Taylor. Directed by George Cukor. This is said to be Ms. Garbo’s favorite of her films. She was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar losing to Luise Rainer in "The Good Earth". #33 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Love Stories list.
2:15 AM Wuthering Heights (1939) – one of the many great films from this year producer Samuel Goldwyn’s first great success was somewhat overshadowed by GWTW Laurence Olivier and Geraldine Fitzgerald (Supporting) were nominated for Oscars as was director William Wyler. Gregg Toland did win for B&W Cinematography. With Merle Oberon. #73 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies list. #15 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Love Stories list.
Wednesday November 3 – Gable
6:00 AM In Name Only (1939) – one of Carole Lombard’s best films IMO also stars Cary Grant as a rich man married to a social climbing bore (played by Kay Francis) but is attracted to another woman a widow (Ms. Lombard) with a son. Also with Charles Coburn.
9:00 PM Red Dust (1932) – one of my favorite Gable-Jean Harlow films and they made half a dozen was later remade with Gable Ava Gardner & Grace Kelly as Mogambo (1953). However this is the superior version IMO and it includes Mary Astor looking (uncharacteristically?) sexy. This Victor Fleming directed film also includes Gene Raymond and Donald Crisp.
Thursday November 4 – Gable
8:00 PM Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) – Strong performances by Clark Gable (also in the previous year’s Best Picture winner) Charles Laughton (unforgettable as Captain Bligh – AFI’s #19 villain) and Franchot Tone prompted three Lead Actor nominations from the film which predictably led to the only other Lead Actor nominated (Victor McLaglen in The Informer) taking home the gold. Director Frank Lloyd was also nominated as was the Editing the Score and the Screenplay. A classic story this was the first remake to win the Best Picture Oscar. #86 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies list.
5:30 AM Boom Town (1940) – is one of the many entertaining pairings of Gable & Spencer Tracy about two "wildcat" oil friends who become competitors and also involved with two beautiful women Claudette Colbert & Hedy Lamarr. Frank Morgan also figures prominently as a competitor and partner. Oscar nominations for B&W Cinematography and Special Effects.
Friday November 5
7:30 AM Wife vs. Secretary (1936) – Clark Gable is married to Myrna Loy and has an assistant played by Jean Harlow who is being pursued by James Stewart. Gable’s mom is played by May Robson. It’s a comedy. What else do you need to know;-)
6:00 PM Stars In My Crown (1950) – a charming film starring Joel McCrea as a parson in the West who is also talented with a pistol helping to keep the peace while he preaches in the community. Dean Stockwell plays his son Alan Hale his friend Ellen Drew his wife and other prominent roles played by Juano Hernandez (Intruder in the Dust (1949)) James Mitchell Lewis Stone and Ed Begley (Sr. who specialized in playing racists). Directed by Jacques Tourneur (Out of the Past (1947)).
10:30 PM King Kong (1933) – Fay Wray is the human star in this film about the famous mythical ape. Many times remade and copied and another in the works watching this original is still a special experience not to be missed. Robert Armstrong and Bruce Cabot also star. Added to the National Film Registry in 1991. #43 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies list. #12 on AFI’s Most Heart-Pounding Movies list. #24 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Love Stories list.
Saturday November 6
10:00 AM The Westerner (1940) – this is a very good Western about the legendary Judge Roy Bean played by Walter Brennan (who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor) and a "drifter" who tangles with him played by Gary Cooper. Directed by William Wyler too.
8:00 PM The Quiet Man (1952) – John Ford won his fourth and last Best Director Oscar (the film also won Best Color Cinematography) for this another successful pairing of John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara whose famous face slapping attempt is featured in TCM’s "100 Years at the Movies" short. She broke her hand when Wayne blocked her blow having to film the rest of the movie without a cast! Excellent supporting cast includes Barry Fitzgerald Ward Bond and Victor McLaglen (who was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar). The film was also nominated for Best Picture and in three other categories including Writing. #76 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Love Stories list.
2:00 AM Destry Rides Again (1939) – a very entertaining Western with an all star cast. James Stewart is the new deputy who must "tame" a wild corrupt town with a saloon that features Frenchy played by Marlene Dietrich. Also in the cast are Una Merkel Mischa Auer Charles Winninger Brian Donlevy and Jack Carson. Added to the National Film Registry in 1996.
3:45 AM The Women (1939) – outstanding all female cast film directed by ladies director George Cukor about "catty" women rivalries and infidelity. With Norma Shearer Joan Crawford Rosalind Russell Mary Boland Paulette Goddard Joan Fontaine Marjorie Main Virginia Grey Ruth Hussey and Hedda Hopper among others.
Sunday November 7
10:00 AM Kiss Me Kate (1953) – this is a delightful pairing of Kathryn Grayson & Howard Keel … a musical version of Shakespeare’s "The Taming of the Shrew". Funny bits throughout including several with James Whitmore & Keenan Wynn. Also in the cast Ann Miller and Bobby Van (the guy who hops across the town in Small Town Girl which I saw in That’s Entertainment II).
12:00 PM The Little Foxes (1941) – outstanding Bette Davis film in which she plays a driven woman with a weak husband (played by Herbert Marshall) who fights for everything in a wealthy family. This William Wyler directed gem also includes Teresa Wright and Dan Duryea. Ms. Davis Ms. Wright and Patricia Collinge received Oscar nominations as did director Wyler the picture and Lillian Hellman’s Screenplay. Ms. Davis’ Regina Giddens is AFI’s #43 villain.
4:00 PM Indiscreet (1958) – underrated film starring marriage phobic Cary Grant and the woman who loves him played by Ingrid Bergman. I think this is the best (and that’s saying something!) pairing of Grant (who is at his suave best) and Bergman who aged well and is very funny in this Stanley Donen film.
Monday November 8
10:00 PM Love Me Tonight (1932) – a four star delight starring Maurice Chevalier Jeanette MacDonald Charlie Ruggles Charles Butterworth Myrna Loy and C. Aubrey Smith. Added to the National Film Registry in 1990. "Isn’t It Romantic" is #73 on AFI’s 100 Top Movie Songs of All Time.
Tuesday November 9 – Tearjerkers
6:00 PM Pride And Prejudice (1940) – A terrific adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic novel about a father (and his wife) who must find husbands for their FIVE daughters set in the 1800’s in England. The outstanding cast includes Greer Garson Laurence Olivier Mary Boland (the wife) Edna May Oliver Maureen O’Sullivan Ann Rutherford and Edmund Gwenn (the father). Cedric Gibbons who designed the Oscar won his third (of ELEVEN on 39 nominations!) Academy Award for Art Direction.
8:00 PM West Side Story (1961) – This updated Romeo and Juliet tale on the streets of New York is the only movie so far to share the Best Director Oscar between two directors Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. Can you believe that Elvis was Director Wise’s first choice to play the "Romeo" (Tony) character opposite "Juliet" Maria played by Natalie Wood (whose singing voice was dubbed by Marni Nixon who also dubbed Ms. Hepburn’s singing voice in My Fair Lady)? The film won 10 (out of 11 nominations) total Oscars including Best Picture and both Supporting roles George Chakiris and Rita Moreno (who also uniquely has an Emmy a Grammy and a Tony Award as well!). Added to the National Film Registry in 1997. #41 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies list. #3 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Love Stories list. "Somewhere" is #20 on AFI’s 100 Top Movie Songs of All Time. "America" is #35 on AFI’s 100 Top Movie Songs of All Time. "Tonight" is #59 on AFI’s 100 Top Movie Songs of All Time.
11:00 PM Casablanca (1942) – "Here’s looking at you kid" – what can one say about the film proclaimed to be the best film ever? Of course the cast is outstanding! Humphrey Bogart Ingrid Bergman Paul Henreid Claude Rains Conrad Veidt Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre. Actually should have competed with Mrs. Miniver in 1942 since it premiered in New York in November of that year. However it didn’t play in Los Angeles until its general release that January so it competed in 1943. Michael Curtiz finally won a Best Director Oscar on his fifth try and was never nominated again despite directing many quality films over nineteen more years; the film also won an Oscar for Writing. The great scenes between Bogart and Rains also earned them Best Actor & Supporting Actor nominations. It was added to the National Film Registry in 1989. #1 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Love Stories list. #2 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies list; Bogart’s Rick was voted the #4 hero by AFI. #37 on AFI’s 100 Most Heart-Pounding Movies list. "As Time Goes By" is #2 on AFI’s 100 Top Movie Songs of All Time.
3:00 AM Doctor Zhivago (1965) – long (David Lean directed of course) epic about lovers during the Russian Revolution with Omar Sharif Julie Christie Rod Steiger Geraldine Chaplin Alec Guinness and Tom Courtenay (Supporting Oscar nomination). Beautiful scenery sets cinematography and costumes as well as an unforgettable score helped it take home half of the 10 Oscars for which it was nominated. The film and its director received nominations. #7 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Love Stories list. #39 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies list.
Wednesday November 10 – Gable
6:30 AM A Farewell To Arms (1932) – a fairly good adaptation of the Ernest Hemingway novel about two officers in WW I falling for the same nurse (played by Helen Hayes). Gary Cooper plays the one who wins her (naturally;-) Adolphe Menjou plays the Doctor who doesn’t. Some fairly improbable things plot-wise but blame Hemingway! The film was nominated for Best Picture and won for Cinematography and Sound.
8:00 AM Four Daughters (1938) – nominated for Best Picture Best Director (Michael Curtiz) and Screenplay Writing. But the standout is not Rains but John Garfield as Mickey Borden which earned him a Supporting Actor nomination in his screen debut. Also notable in the cast besides Priscilla Lane are Dick Foran ("The Singing Cowboy") Frank McHugh and May Robson.
11:30 AM Mr. Skeffington (1944) – displays the talents of two heavyweights Bette Davis & Claude Rains who both received Oscar nominations for their lead roles in this film.
6:00 PM Notorious (1946) – is certainly one of Hitchcock’s most acclaimed (discussed & analyzed) films. It contains terrific characterizations by its three lead actors: Cary Grant (inexplicably ignored by the Academy) Ingrid Bergman and Claude Rains (whose performance did receive a nomination). The love story within is what distinguishes this thriller from his others. Grant’s character must convince the woman he comes to love (Bergman) to seduce the enemy (Rains) whose genuine love for her is betrayed such that "we" are compelled to feel sorry for the villain. Of the many great scenes perhaps the most memorable include a wide tracking shot of a party in Rains’ home which ultimately focuses in on a key in Ms. Bergman’s hand which leads to Grant & Bergman trying to find the "contraband" in the basement. And of course the climactic sequence with Grant & Rains escorting Ms. Bergman down the stairs of his home while encountering (still more) bad guys. #38 on AFI’s 100 Most Heart-Pounding Movies list. #86 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Love Stories list.
Thursday November 11 – Gable
12:00 PM The Naked Spur (1953) – this is one of the many great Anthony Mann westerns featuring James Stewart as a bounty hunter that must bring Robert Ryan to justice. Also with Janet Leigh. It was added to the National Film Registry in 1997.
2:00 PM Bad Day At Black Rock (1955) – lots of familiar players in this drama about a man trying to uncover a secret in a Western town about an old friend of his. Spencer Tracy’s portrayal of that man was Oscar nominated and was director John Sturges and the story. Robert Ryan Anne Francis Dean Jagger Walter Brennan Ernest Borgnine and Lee Marvin "fill in the blanks". Tracy’s last picture with MGM was also the studio’s first Cinemascope effort.
5:15 PM The Dirty Dozen (1967) – winning the Oscar for Best Special Effects this WW II fantasy film includes an all star cast led by Lee Marvin who trains a band of convicted criminals on a mission deep in enemy territory. The cast includes John Cassavetes (Supporting Actor nomination) Charles Bronson Ernest Borgnine Jim Brown Richard Jaeckel George Kennedy Robert Ryan Telly Savalas Clint Walker and Donald Sutherland.
8:00 PM San Francisco (1936) – very entertaining Best Picture Oscar nominee featuring the first of several successful pairings of Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy who received his first Best Actor nomination as well. Jeanette MacDonald is also in the cast singing as usual. Other AA nominations were received for Director (W.S. Van Dyke II) and Writing. It won for Best Sound Recording and includes some terrific earthquake special effects (before that category was added in 1940 for the films of 1939).
10:00 PM Manhattan Melodrama (1934) – This one features Clark Gable & William Powell with Myrna Loy and it won the Best Writing Original Story Oscar that year. Gable and Powell are boyhood pals who take different paths both of which involved Ms. Loy. Famous for having been the film that John Dillinger attended before he was ambushed & gunned down by the FBI as he exited the theater.
Friday November 12 – Grace Kelly’s 75th Birthday
6:00 PM Out of the Past (1947) – one of those gems that you may have never heard about ’cause it was ignored by the Academy. A terrific film noir starring Robert Mitchum Jane Greer Kirk Douglas and Rhonda Fleming. It was added to the National Film Registry in 1991.
8:00 PM High Noon (1952) – shown in real time surely a challenge for Director Fred Zinnemann this Gary Cooper classic also stars Grace Kelly and a terrific supporting cast. "Coop" won his second Best Actor Oscar on his fifth (and final) nomination playing Will Kane (AFI’s #5 hero). The film also won for Editing Musical Score and Song ("Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darlin’" – #25 on AFI’s 100 Top Movie Songs of All Time). The film director Zinnemann and its Writing were also nominated. Added to the National Film Registry in 1989. #33 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies list. #20 on AFI’s Most Heart-Pounding Movies list.
9:30 PM Rear Window (1954) – This voyeuristic film is loved by many – James Stewart plays a new photographer who’s been confined to a wheelchair in his apartment which gives him a view of a courtyard & into the apartments of many residents and their lives. His nurse (Thelma Ritter) and fiancee (Ms. Kelly) become drawn in also and begin watching as well. Things get particularly interesting when they start to suspect that one particular neighbor (Raymond Burr) has bumped off his wife. Like the character Stewart portrays Hitchcock uses his camera such that it becomes the real star in the film creating many scenes which reveal the character(s) in the windows. And his characteristic "black humor" abounds right to the very end. The film received four Academy Award nominations including Best Director. Hitchcock also received a Directors Guild of America nomination. Added to the National Film Registry in 1997. #42 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies list; #14 on AFI’s 100 Most Heart-Pounding Movies list.
Saturday November 13 – Walter Huston
6:00 AM I Love You Again (1940) – very funny film definitely worth watching. Leonard Maltin gives it 3 1/2 stars calling it "hilarious". It features that great comedy team William Powell Myrna Loy Frank McHugh and Carl ‘Alfalfa’ Switzer. Directed by Woody Van Dyke
10:00 AM Red River (1948) – this is a very good Howard Hawks film starring John Wayne Montgomery Clift Joanne Dru and Walter Brennan. John Ford Wayne’s usual director is reported to have said "I didn’t know the guy could act" after seeing this film. Great scene near the end between Wayne & Clift (father & son) fighting it out. Nominated for two Oscars and added to the National Film Registry in 1990.
2:00 PM Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) – Capra’s classic about a baseball/tuba playing common man (Gary Cooper of course) who inherits a fortune but is determined to give it away ’cause he’s "pixelated". Capra won the Best Director Oscar "Coop" was nominated as was the picture and its Screenplay Writing. Jean Arthur is his love interest. #70 on AFI’s 100 Funniest Movies list.
4:00 PM On The Waterfront (1954) – This Best Picture Oscar winner was Best Director Elia Kazan’s justification for "ratting" on friends and colleagues to the House Un-American Activities Committee is thinly veiled in this story about the onset Waterfront Crime Commission hearings on union crime and underworld (vs. communist) infiltration. Five acting nominations with Brando (Terry Malloy is AFI’s #23 hero) winning his first Oscar on his fourth consecutive Best Actor nomination (also a Supporting award for Eva Marie Saint on her only nomination). The excellent cast also included Oscar nominated performances by Lee J. Cobb Karl Malden and Rod Steiger. In all eight Oscars (out of 12) nominations including winning Best Writing and B&W Cinematography. Added to the National Film Registry in 1989. #8 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies list.
6:00 PM Suspicion (1941) – This is the first movie that the "Master of Suspense" (Alfred Hitchcock) used Cary Grant as his leading man and it’s certainly the weakest in the four film series (perhaps in part because the suspicion is whether or not Mr. Grant’s character is the bad guy!). It’s the second (and last) time he used Joan Fontaine as his leading lady though her understated performance earned her several awards including the Oscar. The most memorable scenes are near the film’s end when Grant’s character climbs the stairs carrying a glass of milk for Ms. Fontaine’s (the intimation being that it is poisoned) and a wild car ride along a dangerous road with cliffs. Ms. Fontaine won the Best Actress Oscar as well as the New York Film Critics Circle Best Actress Award. The film also received two other Academy Award nominations including for Best Picture.
8:00 PM The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) – features the original use of the line "Badges? We ain’t got no badges! We don’t need no badges! I don’t have to show you any steenkin’ badges!" and stars Humphrey Bogart (and Tim Holt). John Huston directed his father Walter Huston to a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award and won the Best Director & Best Writing (Screenplay) Oscars for himself (the first father-son win). The film was also Oscar nominated. Added to the National Film Registry in 1990. #30 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies list. #67 on AFI’s 100 Most Heart-Pounding Movies list.
12:00 AM Dodsworth (1936) – A favorite of many this William Wyler film features great acting by Walter Huston (Oscar nominated) Ruth Chatterton Paul Lukas Mary Astor David Niven Spring Byington and Maria Ouspenskaya (Supporting Actress nomination). Producer Samuel Goldwyn and Director Wyler received their first Oscar nominations. Besides being nominated for Best Picture the film also received a Screenplay Writing nomination and won for Art Direction. Added to the National Film Registry in 1990.
Sunday November 14
6:30 AM Love Affair (1939) – later remade as "An Affair to Remember" with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr this original version (which stars Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne) is quite good yet another great one from that golden year. Dunne & Maria Ouspenskaya (who plays Boyer’s Grandmother) received Oscar nominations as did Director Leo McCarey’s film and Original Screenplay.
10:00 AM My Fair Lady (1964) – One of "my favorite movies" though it should have starred Julie Andrews who starred with Rex Harrison on Broadway. In a bit of Oscar irony Ms. Andrews won the Best Actress Oscar playing Mary Poppins and Ms. Hepburn wasn’t even nominated. Alan Jay Lerner’s film adaptation of Bernard Shaw’s classic Pygmalion story. The film won 8 (out of 12 nominations) Oscars including Best Picture Best Actor for Harrison and Best Director for George Cukor (his first on his fifth and last nomination … 31 years after Little Women). Gladys Cooper and the marvelous Stanley Holloway were nominated for their supporting roles. #91 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies list. #12 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Love Stories list. "I Could Have Danced All Night" is #17 on AFI’s 100 Top Movie Songs of All Time.
1:00 PM Some Like It Hot (1959) – one of the best comedies ever? I don’t know you decide. It was directed by Billy Wilder of course and it does feature two cross dressing men (Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis) and a very sexy (redundant?) Marilyn Monroe. Oscar nominations for Lemmon and Capra for his direction and Screenplay Writing. Added to the National Film Registry in 1989. #1 on AFI’s 100 Funniest Movies list. #14 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies list.
3:30 PM Vertigo (1958) – The title means dizziness or describes a confused state of mind this is a film about that and obsessive love which many critics say was Hitchcock’s best though retrospectively since it wasn’t initially very well received. It was the last of the four collaborations between the director and James Stewart. The blonde this time was played by Kim Novak (because Vera Miles was pregnant and unavailable) with supporting acting provided by Barbara Bel Geddes (of Dallas fame). The many memorable scenes include Stewart chasing a man across a rooftop and then hanging from a gutter a leap into the San Francisco Bay under the Golden Gate Bridge and the climactic chase up the stairs in a Mission’s tower. The film received two Oscar nominations its director a Directors Guild of America nomination and it was added to the National Film Registry in 1989. #61 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies list; #18 on AFI’s 100 Most Heart-Pounding Movies list; #18 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Love Stories list.
Monday November 15
6:00 AM My Man Godfrey (1936) – see the lovely Carole Lombard in her only Oscar nominated (Best Actress) performance. Her co-star and ex-husband William Powell was also (Best Actor) nominated as was Mischa Auer and Alice Brady in supporting roles making this the first film to receive four acting nominations. Director Gregory La Cava who directed Katherine Hepburn in Stage Door the following year (for which he also received a nomination) also received a nomination as did the writing. It was the first film to receive these nominations without the picture also receiving a nomination and the only one to lose them all. It was added to the National Film Registry in 1999.
8:00 AM Nothing Sacred (1937) – above average comedy romance with Fredric March as newspaper man looking for a story and finding Carole Lombard. Short and sweet lots of funny bits and "battles" in this William A. Wellman directed film.
9:15 AM Meet John Doe (1941) – an outstanding political film by director Frank Capra featuring great acting by Gary Cooper Barbara Stanwyck and Edward Arnold. Other actors in supporting roles include Walter Brennan Spring Byington James Gleason and Gene Lockhart. Nominated for a Best Writing Original Story Oscar.
11:30 AM Kings Row (1942) – features Ronald Reagan’s best acting though the lead actor is Robert Cummings. Some pretty good stuff by Ann Sheridan as well. The film and its director Sam Wood were nominated for Oscars. Charles Coburn Judith Anderson Claude Rains Maria Ouspenskaya and Harry Davenport (among others) provide support.
1:45 PM Fury (1936) – Fritz Lang directed this indictment of "mob rule" with Spencer Tracy Sylvia Sidney and Walter Brennan which was nominated for a Writing Oscar. Added to the National Film Registry in 1995.
3:30 PM Birdman Of Alcatraz (1962) – great if sympathetic movie about Robert Stroud a real life convict that became an expert on birds while imprisoned (actually in Leavenworth). Stroud is played by Burt Lancaster nominated for a Best Actor Oscar and is supported by Telly Savalas Thelma Ritter (who were both nominated for Oscars) Karl Malden as the warden and Edmond O’Brien in this John Frankenheimer directed film.
6:00 PM Body And Soul (1947) – this great boxing film earned lead John Garfield his other Oscar nomination (though the other was for Supporting). Also features the always excellent Anne Revere and TV’s (Cannon) William Conrad. Directed by Robert Rossen (All the King’s Men) the film won an Oscar for Editing.
Tuesday November 16 – Tearjerkers
8:00 AM High Noon (1952) – shown in real time surely a challenge for Director Fred Zinnemann this Gary Cooper classic also stars Grace Kelly and a terrific supporting cast. "Coop" won his second Best Actor Oscar on his fifth (and final) nomination playing Will Kane (AFI’s #5 hero). The film also won for Editing Musical Score and Song ("Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darlin’" – #25 on AFI’s 100 Top Movie Songs of All Time). The film director Zinnemann and its Writing were also nominated. Added to the National Film Registry in 1989. #33 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies list. #20 on AFI’s Most Heart-Pounding Movies list.
12:45 PM Morocco (1930) – Marlene Dietrich earned her only Academy Award nomination (Best Actress) for her role in this film playing opposite Gary Cooper and Adolphe Menjou. Director Josef von Sternberg was also nominated as was the cinematography and art direction. The film was added to the National Film Registry in 1992. #83 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Love Stories list.
2:30 PM Shanghai Express (1932) – A classic Oscar nominated film by director Josef von Sternberg (also nominated) starring Marlene Dietrich as a woman on a train and other intrigue. It won the Oscar for Cinematography.
10:00 PM Love Affair (1939) – later remade as An Affair to Remember with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr this original version (which stars Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne) is quite good yet another great one from that golden year. Dunne & Maria Ouspenskaya (who plays Boyer’s Grandmother) received Oscar nominations as did Director Leo McCarey’s film and Original Screenplay.
11:30 PM Now Voyager (1942) – great cast better film. Bette Davis in an AA Best Actress nominated performance plays a woman who blooms. Paul Henreid & Claude Rains play the men who help her in her transformation from "old maid" to beautiful woman. Gladys Cooper also nominated (Supporting) and Bonita Granville round out the cast. Max Steiner’s score did win the Oscar. #23 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Love Stories list.
3:30 AM Random Harvest (1942) – a terrific "soaper" with Ronald Colman as a man who suffers from amnesia and the woman (Greer Garson) who loves him. This is said to be Ms. Garson’s favorite of all her films. Nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture Colman for Best Actor Best Supporting Actress (Susan Peters) Best Director (Mervyn LeRoy) and Writing.
Wednesday November 17 – Gable
8:00 AM Johnny Belinda (1948) – Jane Wyman’s breakout performance (Best Actress Oscar) as a deaf-mute also stars Lew Ayres Agnes Moorehead and Charles Bickford (all three were Oscar nominated). The film its director (Jean Negulesco) its Writing and more were also nominated for Oscars.
Thursday November 18 – Gable
10:00 AM A Face In The Crowd (1957) – a timely film; it was at the time and it still is. Featuring a performance you won’t believe nor soon forget by "Mayberry’s" Andy Griffith. Patricia Neal and Walter Matthau provide great support as well in this Elia Kazan directed film. Also see Anthony Franciosa and Lee Remick.
12:15 PM Picnic (1955) – great holiday film (Labor Day) about a drifter played by William Holden and his effect on a small town which includes Kim Novak Rosalind Russell Arthur O’Connell (Oscar nominated) Susan Strasberg and Cliff Robertson. Based on the Pulitzer Prize winning play by William Inge it was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar (as was its director Joshua Logan his first of three) and won for Editing and Art Direction.
2:15 PM Rope! (1948) – One of "the lost 5 Hitchcocks" bought back by him and left as part of his legacy to his daughter (along with The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) Rear Window (1954) The Trouble with Harry (1955) and Vertigo (1958)) and re-released in theaters around 1984 after a 30-year absence. Long on technique but short of much else though it does mark the first successful pairings with James Stewart (out of four) and Farley Granger (of two); it also features John Dall. The film was shot in a series of 8-minute continuous takes (the maximum amount of film that a camera could hold) and almost plays in real-time as well. The story is loosely based on the real-life Leopold and Loeb murders. It’s also Hitchcock’s first color film.
4:00 PM The Maltese Falcon (1941) – the best ever Film Noir? Who knows? But it sure is a great Humphrey Bogart film (nominated for a Best Picture Oscar two years before Casablanca won) that also features Mary Astor Sydney Greenstreet (an AA nominated performance) and Peter Lorre. Directed by John Huston who also received an Oscar nomination for writing the screenplay. "The stuff dreams are made of" says Bogart’s Sam Spade. Proof that a remake can be better than the original! Added to the National Film Registry in 1989. #23 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies list. #26 on AFI’s 100 Most Heart-Pounding Movies list.
6:00 PM Citizen Kane (1941) – Orson Welles’ masterpiece is somewhat of an unauthorized biography of publishing tycoon William Randolph Hearst. Stars Welles Joseph Cotten Agnes Moorehead Everett Sloane and Paul Stewart (among others). Herman J. Mankiewicz and Welles shared the Original Screenplay Writing Oscar. Welles the actor the director and the producer (Best Picture) was also nominated as was Gregg Toland’s memorable B&W Cinematography and Robert Wise’s Editing. Added to the National Film Registry in 1989. #1 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies list.
8:00 PM It Happened One Night (1934) – Frank Capra’s first Oscar winner was also the first film to sweep the top five awards (Best Picture Best Lead Actor Best Lead Actress Best Director and Best Writing) also the only nominations it received. The original script was titled "Night Bus" after the book on which the film was based; Myrna Loy turned down the lead. Includes the famous scene of Claudette Colbert raising her skirt above her knees while hitchhiking to Clark Gable’s astonishment. Added to the National Film Registry in 1993. #8 on AFI’s 100 Funniest Movies list. #35 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies list. #38 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Love Stories list.
2:00 AM Test Pilot (1938) – a very enjoyable film with Clark Gable Myrna Loy Spencer Tracy and Lionel Barrymore which was directed by Victor Fleming and nominated for three Oscars including Best Picture and Writing.
Friday November 19
2:00 AM Day of Wrath (1943) – A gem by director (and writer) Carl Theodor Dreyer. An engaging film about an aging minister who marries a young wife only to have his son return from divinity college. Can you guess what happens? Kind of a Salem witchcraft and Scarlett Letter tale wrapped into one.
Saturday November 20
6:00 AM Saboteur (1942) – an incredibly ambitious film which is almost like a first draft of (maybe) Alfred Hitchcock’s greatest film North By Northwest. It contains the familiar "innocent man wrongly accused" etc. theme culminating in a thrilling climax at a famous American landmark. Robert Cummings and Priscilla Lane star (though Hitchcock originally wanted Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck) while Otto Krueger plays the villain. There are many memorable scenes (& expensive set pieces) not the least of which is the leading pair encountering a truckload of circus freaks while escaping their pursuers a deserted mining town a blind man’s home and a shoot-out at Radio City Music Hall. I particularly like the scene where Mr. Cummings’s character must enter the home of Mr. Krueger’s while predictably he is having a party.
6:00 PM The Bachelor And The Bobby-Soxer (1947) – Sydney Sheldon (I Dream of Jeannie‘s creator) won a Best Original Screenplay Oscar on his only nomination for this love triangle comedy between a high schooler (Shirley Temple) her older sister (a judge played by Myrna Loy) and Cary Grant.
8:00 PM To Kill A Mockingbird (1962) – perhaps the best adaptation of a novel to the screen ever (won the appropriate Writing Oscar) featuring the role with which Gregory Peck will always be identified Atticus Finch (AFI’s #1 hero); he won the Best Actor Oscar on his fifth and last nomination. The film its director and child actor Mary Badham ("Scout") were also nominated. Added to the National Film Registry in 1995. #34 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies list.
10:15 PM Bullitt (1968) – the best car chase ever? I actually think I like the one in The Seven Ups better though I like Steve McQueen better than Roy Scheider. This one also stars Robert Vaughn and Jacqueline Bisset. It won the Best Editing Oscar. #36 on AFI’s 100 Most Heart-Pounding Movies list.
2:15 AM Network (1976) – "I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore" says the Best Actor Oscar winner Peter Finch (the first posthumous winner) in this Oscar winning story by Paddy Chayefsky which looks behind the scenes into the world of network television. Faye Dunaway and Beatrice Straight swept the Actress Oscars that year making this only the second film (after A Streetcar Named Desire) to win three acting awards. William Holden and Ned Beatty were nominated. The picture and its director Sidney Lumet were also nominated. Added to the National Film Registry in 2000. #66 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies list.
Sunday November 21
6:15 AM Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941) – A film Mr. Hitchcock directed as a favor to his close friend Carole Lombard who stars with Robert Montgomery (and Gene Raymond & Jack Carson) in this uncharacteristic screwball comedy. Predictably it’s not very good. It’s a rather thin story about a couple with an up-and-down relationship who are told that their marriage license is invalid and "humor" that follows as they each have to decide whether or not they want to do it all over again. Even though I saw this fairly recently I can’t think of any memorable scenes.
2:00 PM The Bishop’s Wife (1947) – another great Samuel Goldwyn produced film with Cary Grant playing an angel who helps a church bishop (David Niven) and his wife played by Loretta Young. Initially Grant was signed to play the bishop Niven the angel. And Billy Wilder was asked to improve the script. The film and its director Henry Koster were Oscar nominated; it won for Sound Recording.
4:00 PM Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967) – an outstanding film about a couple of progressive people who are forced to face their own ideals when their daughter wants to marry a black doctor. The cast is spectacular from top to bottom including Spencer Tracy (Oscar nominated) Katharine Hepburn (Oscar winner) Sidney Poitier Katharine Houghton Cecil Kellaway (Oscar nominated) Beah Richards (Oscar nominated) and Roy Glenn. Director and Producer (Best Picture) Stanley Kramer was also nominated; the film’s Screenplay won. #99 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies list. #58 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Love Stories list.
Monday November 22
8:00 PM The Train (1964) – pretty good (Oscar nominated) story about the French resistance trying to stop the Nazis from taking a trainload of art treasures to Germany. It stars Burt Lancaster Paul Scofield and Jeanne Moreau. It was directed by John Frankheimer who is being features by TCM today.
1:30 AM Birdman Of Alcatraz (1962) – great if sympathetic movie about Robert Stroud a real life convict that became an expert on birds while imprisoned (actually in Leavenworth). Stroud is played by Burt Lancaster nominated for a Best Actor Oscar and is supported by Telly Savalas Thelma Ritter (who were both nominated for Oscars) Karl Malden as the warden and Edmond O’Brien in this John Frankenheimer directed film.
Tuesday November 23 – Tearjerkers
8:00 PM Imitation Of Life (1934) – a very good film (nominated for Best Picture of the year by the Academy) with one of my favorite actresses the beautiful Claudette Colbert as a struggling woman who teams with her friend (played by Louise Beavers) to succeed with a pancake recipe using her "Aunt Jemima-like" likeness to market it. However conflicts arise as the women age and their children (played by Rochelle Hudson & Fredi Washington respectively) grow up. Additional quality supporting acting is provided by Warren William Ned Sparks and Alan Hale.
10:00 PM Stella Dallas (1937) – Barbara Stanwyck gives a knockout performance as a poor woman determined to have a better life who thinks money alone will give her class. It doesn’t and refusing to learn this she soon finds herself back in the dumps. However her love for her daughter (played by Anne Shirley) and self sacrificing struggle to make a better life for her helps build her character. Stanwyck’s and Shirley’s performances were Oscar nominated. Alan Hale John Boles and Barbara O’Neil provide strong support.
12:00 AM Since You Went Away (1944) – an excellent film about life on the homefront and the struggles therein when men went off to fight WW II. Claudette Colbert gives a fine performance as a "well to do" woman who must struggle with the financial hardships which follow. Great performances by Jennifer Jones and Shirley Temple as her daughters Monty Woolley as the border she takes in Joseph Cotten as a supportive family friend Lionel Barrymore as a clergyman Robert Walker as a local boy who becomes a soldier and falls for Jones Hattie McDaniel in her typical role and Agnes Moorehead in hers. Colbert Jones and Woolley were nominated for Oscars as was this David O. Selznick production for Best Picture; Max Steiner’s Score won.
3:00 AM Penny Serenade (1941) – Cary Grant and Irene Dunne are a young married couple who adopt a baby after their’s dies. They must struggle every step of the way. This unusual role for Grant earned him his first of only two Academy Award nominations. Ms. Dunne’s favorite of all her films reportedly. George Stevens directed; Beulah Bondi provides support.
5:00 AM Little Women (1933) – this the best version of this much filmed Louisa May Alcott novel IMO film won the Oscar for Best Writing (Adaptation) and was also nominated for Best Picture. It stars Katharine Hepburn Joan Bennett Jean Parker Frances Dee Spring Byington Edna May Oliver and Paul Lukas. Director George Cukor was also nominated.
Wednesday November 24
11:15 PM The Misfits (1961) – Clark Gable’s and Marilyn Monroe’s last film; Gable’s exhausting effort onscreen wrestling with horses and off (putting up with Monroe’s "antics") probably contributed to Gable’s fatal heart attack. John Huston directs this story written by one of Monroe’s husbands (Arthur Miller). A modern western about this dying way of life really also features a post-"auto accident" Montgomery Clift a terrifically cynical (as always) Thelma Ritter and Eli Wallach.
Thursday November 25 – Happy Thanksgiving!
8:00 PM Gone With the Wind (1939) – I couldn’t possibly add any new information about this first color film to win the Best Picture Oscar in a year which featured so many great films but I’ll try … did you know that George Reeves the TV’s original Superman is in the movie? Clark Gable (Oscar nominated) with Vivien Leigh who won the Best Actress Oscar Leslie Howard Hattie McDaniel (Best Supporting Actress) Olivia de Havilland (Supporting Actress nomination) helped bring Margaret Mitchell’s novel to life. Director Victor Fleming won the Best Director Oscar working for Producer David O. Selznick. The film also won for Art Direction Color Cinematography Editing and Screenplay Writing. It was nominated for Special Effects Score and Sound. Added to the National Film Registry in 1989. #4 of AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies list. #2 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Love Stories list.
12:00 AM Run Silent Run Deep (1958) – recently rated the 3rd best submarine film by USAA members (behind Das Boot & The Hunt for Red October) this WW II film provides its two stars Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster a chance to argue. Jack Warden and Don Rickles also appear in this Robert Wise directed film.
2:00 AM Command Decision (1948) – an outstanding film about leadership with Clark Gable as the commander of a bomber crew which must fly perilous missions over Germany in WW II. Outstanding cast includes Walter Pidgeon Van Johnson Brian Donlevy Charles Bickford and Edward Arnold.
Friday November 26
6:00 AM The Secret Garden (1949) – enjoyable adaptation of the popular children’s novel about a wealthy invalid boy (played by Dean Stockwell) and the young girl (Margaret O’Brien) who helps him. Herbert Marshall is the boy’s mysteriously aloof Dad; Gladys Cooper and Elsa Lanchester are staff employees on the estate.
4:00 PM Meet Me In St. Louis (1944) – a great film for the whole family covering all the seasons but especially Halloween and Christmas. I actually grew up in St. Louis myself though not at the turn of the 20th Century like this film;- ) Great songs from its star Judy Garland including the title song the Trolley Song (#26 on AFI’s 100 Top Movie Songs of All Time) and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"(#76 on AFI’s 100 Top Movie Songs of All Time) which became a holiday favorite after its debut in this film. Mary Astor Lucille Bremer Leon Ames Tom Drake Marjorie Mann Harry Davenport June Lockhart and scene stealing Margaret O’Brien also star. Director Vincente Minnelli met his future wife (Ms. Garland) on this set. Nominated for four Oscars it was added to the National Film Registry in 1994 (the year TCM was born!).
6:00 PM A Christmas Story (1983) – this holiday classic stars Peter Billingsley as a boy who wants a BB gun for Christmas and his somewhat wacky family which includes Darren McGavin as his father and Melinda Dillon as his mother.
8:00 PM Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (1977) – Director Steven Spielberg (Oscar nominated) followed up his tremendous success Jaws with this unusual science fiction film (including stunning visual effects – winning the Cinematography Oscar) about two people whose lives are powerfully affected and intertwined by their encounter with aliens. Richard Dreyfuss and Melinda Dillon (Oscar nominated) play the two; director Francois Truffaut Teri Garr and Bob Balaban provide support. #64 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies list. #31 on AFI’s Most Heart-Pounding Movies list.
Saturday November 27
6:00 PM Sands of Iwo Jima (1949) – this film is really about the Marine Corps and the rigorous training that was done before the Pacific campaign of WW II could become a reality. It stars John Wayne who received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his portrayal of unyielding leadership and culminates with the famous flag raising. The film also received 3 other Oscar nominations including for Best Writing.
8:00 PM Doctor Zhivago (1965) – long (David Lean directed of course) epic about lovers during the Russian Revolution with Omar Sharif Julie Christie Rod Steiger Geraldine Chaplin Alec Guinness and Tom Courtenay (Supporting Oscar nomination). Beautiful scenery sets cinematography and costumes as well as an unforgettable score helped it take home half of the 10 Oscars for which it was nominated. The film and its director received nominations. #7 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Love Stories list. #39 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies list.
11:30 PM Vera Cruz (1954) – I saw this for the first time on TCM almost exactly one year ago. It’s an engaging & fairly entertaining period piece especially the conflicts between its two stars Burt Lancaster and Gary Cooper. Cesar Romero Ernest Borgnine Charles Bronson and Jack Elam also appear.
3:15 AM Sleeper (1973) – one of Woody Allen’s better films? A look into the future kind of a Rip Van Winkle type of story with Allen as a man out of place in a utopian (?) world. Also with Diane Keaton. #80 on AFI’s 100 Funniest Movies list.
Sunday November 28
6:00 AM The Man Who Came To Dinner (1941) – this is a very funny film highlighted by the career performance of Monty Woolley as an egocentric writer who comes to visit the Stanleys falls and injures himself such that they must take care of him until he is better lest they be sued for all they’re worth. Bette Davis plays Woolley’s personal assistant Mary Wickes his nurse. Memorable characters include those by Ann Sheridan Jimmy Durante Billie Burke and Grant Mitchell.
12:00 PM The Mark Of Zorro (1940) – a great film to watch with your kids or grandkids. Features Tyrone Power in the title role Basil Rathbone as his nemesis Gale Sondergaard and the beautiful Linda Darnell. Power’s Zorro is AFI’s #45 hero.
4:15 PM The Wild One (1953) – A somewhat disappointing film about a gang of men led by Marlon Brando and Lee Marvin with nothing better to do than put on leather and ride motorcycles every weekend with typical mob mentality outcomes. I’m guessing this had a bigger impact at the time now it’s pretty dated (even silly at times).
9:30 PM Kelly’s Heroes (1970) – not sure if I’ve already recommended this WW II comedy (?) or not; it features an all star cast behind Mr. Eastwood – Telly Savalas Donald Sutherland Don Rickles Carroll O’Connor Gavin MacLeod Stuart Margolin and Henry Dean Stanton (among others).
2:00 AM Annie Hall (1977) – Inexplicably this relationship film about two neurotic people in love beat Star Wars for the Best Picture Oscar. Director Woody Allen (who also received his only acting nomination) beat George Lucas and Steven Spielberg (Close Encounters of the Third Kind) his first nomination as well. His co-star and girlfriend at the time Diane Keaton also won her only Oscar (Best Actress) and doesn’t seem to want to let go of her title character’s dated wardrobe either. Allen also won the Screenplay Writing Oscar. The Turning Point received 11 nominations without winning a single Oscar. Added to the National Film Registry in 1992. #31 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies list. #4 on AFI’s 100 Funniest Movies list. #11 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Love Stories list. "Seems Like Old Times" is #90 on AFI’s 100 Top Movie Songs of All Time.
Monday November 29
5:45 PM Ziegfeld Girl (1941) – feast your eyes on this lavish spectacle of MGM’s most beautiful women; whether it has a plot worth following or not is debatable. The ladies are showgirls in Ziegfeld’s stable and film "explores" the effect it has on their lives and loves. It features Hedy Lamarr James Stewart Judy Garland Lana Turner Jackie Cooper Philip Dorn and Edward Everett Horton as well as several Ziegfeld sized musical numbers.
8:00 PM Judgment At Nuremberg (1961) – a powerful film by director/producer Stanley Kramer about the post WW II trials of German officers as war criminals. The cast couldn’t be better headlined by Spencer Tracy and Burt Lancaster featuring Maximilian Schell’s Oscar winning performance including Oscar nominated performances from Tracy Montgomery Clift and Judy Garland and other fine support provided by Richard Widmark Marlene Dietrich and Werner Klemperer (before TV’s Hogan’s Heroes). The film and its director were Oscar nominated; it won for Best Writing.
1:30 AM Topkapi (1964) – funny unusual caper film which (along with The Pink Panther (1963)) pioneered many of the robbery stunts you’ve come to see in later films even James Bond movies and ultimately inspired TV’s Mission Impossible. Maximilian Schell Robert Morley and Melina Mercouri star in this film which features Peter Ustinov’s Oscar winning Supporting Actor performance.
3:45 AM Brute Force (1947) – A terrific prison film starring inmates Burt Lancaster and Charles Bickford under the thumb of (a surprisingly vicious) Hume Cronyn! Also with Yvonne De Carlo before she became famous on TV’s The Munsters as Lily.
Tuesday November 30 – Tearjerkers
6:00 AM The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946) – This Best Picture Oscar winning film about veterans returning home from WW II includes disabled Army veteran Harold Russell who received two Oscars (Best Supporting Actor and Honorary for bringing hope & courage to his fellow veterans) for his performance the only time an actor has received two Oscars for the same performance. Producer Samuel Goldwyn’s greatest success (and that’s saying something!) is directed by William Wyler (of course) who also took home the gold along with Best Actor Frederic March its Writing Editing & Musical Score (the Sound was nominated). The excellent cast includes Myrna Loy Dana Andrews Teresa Wright Virginia Mayo Cathy O’Donnell and Hoagy Carmichael. Added to the National Film Registry in 1989. #37 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies list.
8:00 PM The Yearling (1946) – Beautifully shot (Best Color Cinematography & Art Direction Oscars) it gives one a bit of perspective about the way things were on a family farm in the past. It features Claude Jarman as the deer loving boy and only son of parents played Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman whose other children didn’t survive childbirth. Peck Wyman director Clarence Brown and the film were Oscar nominated.
10:15 PM Sounder (1972) – one of the earliest films I can remember loving in my youth (even though I thought it was a movie about a dog;- ) which I watched again on TCM a couple of years ago. A Martin Ritt masterpiece one of his many in which the two lead actors (Paul Winfield & Cicely Tyson) were both nominated for Oscars as was the film and its Writing.
12:15 AM The Champ (1931) – a terrific story (Best Writing Original Story Oscar) of an old boxer played by Wallace Beery and his son (a teary Jackie Cooper) that’s his biggest fan. Beery shared the Best Actor Oscar with Frederic March (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde). The film and its director King Vidor were also nominated.
1:45 AM Goodbye Mr. Chips (1939) – heartwarming film about a teacher and his students featuring Robert Donat’s Academy Award winning Best Actor performance and a Best Actress nominated performance by Greer Garson in her very first film! The film and its director Sam Wood were also nominated as was its Writing Editing and Sound. Also with Paul Henreid. Donat’s title character is AFI’s #41 hero.
3:45 AM Boys’ Town (1938) – Spencer Tracy’s Oscar winning portrayal of Father Flanagan (AFI’s #42 hero) a real person who created an educational community for wayward boys like Mickey Rooney’s character. The film and its director Norman Taurog were Oscar nominated as was its Screenplay. It won the Oscar for Best Original Story.