Monday October 1

9:30 AM Detour (Ulmer, 1945) - BW-68 mins. - TCM shows this quite often and there are several DVDs available, with the Image R1 probably looking the best. The film needs a full restoration, as every version I’ve seen has been in pretty bad shape. Ulmer’s film is definitely a noir that is loved by others more than by me, but I think most would agree it’s an essential experience. I have difficulty getting past just how cheap it looks, yet I can’t help but love a line like “fate, or some mysterious force, can put the finger on you or me for no good reason at all.”

Tuesday October 2

8:15 AM Tennessee Johnson (Dieterle, 1942) - BW-104 mins. - Prior to President Clinton’s imbroglio, the only President of the United States to face impeachment was Lincoln’s successor, Andrew Johnson (he too was acquitted, just barely). Aside from being the subject of fun Lincoln-Kennedy coincidences (i.e. both had vice presidents who were from southern states and with the last name Johnson), he’s best known for the impeachment charges, if at all. Though born in North Carolina, Johnson is almost always identified as one of the three presidents hailing from Tennessee, my home state. He was the only southern senator to remain in office after secession and ended up as military governor of the state. Also, the small town I’m from was named after President Johnson. I’m afraid this has little to do with Dieterle’s biopic, where Van Heflin plays the title role. I do find it a little funny that a film about a fairly notorious figure, usually noted primarily for being impeached, was a studio release during World War II. An MGM production, not on DVD and with R1 rights now held by Warner Bros.

Wednesday October 3

1:00 AM Meet John Doe (Capra, 1941) - BW-123 mins. - In the years leading up to WWII, Frank Capra was arguably the greatest director working in Hollywood. I’ve certainly always had a soft spot for his films, including this one starring Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck. It’s interesting that Cooper won his first Oscar for Sergeant York the same year Meet John Doe was released and Stanwyck that year also starred in The Lady Eve and Ball of Fire, which earned her an Academy Award nomination. I’ll gladly take that as evidence that the studio system has never been bettered, in terms of sheer quality and consistency. Capra’s film is available on DVD from numerous sources, but it’s in the public domain and a definitive version has yet to be released. Tonight’s showing comes courtesy of director James Mangold, who will be serving as guest programmer for the evening.

Thursday October 4

11:45 PM The Best Man (Schaffner, 1964) - BW-103 mins. - Gore Vidal adapted his own play about a messy presidential election between front-runners Henry Fonda and Cliff Robertson. Fonda is TCM’s star of the month for October and he’s been pretty well-represented on DVD, but this one remains elusive. It’s inferior to Fonda’s other big political picture from two years earlier, Advise & Consent, but an interesting film nonetheless (especially if you enjoy politics). It looks like United Artists released it theatrically, so MGM (now controlled by Fox) should have R1 DVD rights.

3:15 AM That Certain Woman (Goulding, 1937) -BW-94 mins. - Written and directed by the British filmmaker Edmund Goulding, who would later hit a nice peak with leading man Tyrone Power in The Razor’s Edge and Nightmare Alley, this also stars Fonda, in support of WB star Bette Davis. It looks to be a sort of silly melodrama, but the combination of these three principals piqued my interest. It’s also unavailable on DVD (and perhaps a candidate for a future Bette Davis set).

Friday October 5

8:00 AM Stage Struck (Lumet, 1958) - C-95 mins. - I kind of doubt this is very good, but it re-united Henry Fonda and Sidney Lumet the year after they made 12 Angry Men (which is scheduled for the previous day, along with the director and star’s other notable teaming Fail-Safe) so I’m immediately intrigued. It was, then, Lumet’s second feature and a Technicolor remake of 1933’s Morning Glory, with Susan Strasberg in Katharine Hepburn’s part. The setting is New York theatre life. I see no indication that the film has ever been released on VHS or DVD, anywhere. RKO is listed as the production company, with Walt Disney’s Buena Vista Film Distribution Co. as the distributor. Since Warner Bros. recently released Morning Glory on DVD, I wonder if they own the rights to this as well, or if it’s controlled by Disney.

8:00 PM Curse of the Demon (Tourneur, 1958) - BW-82 mins. - Following Nightfall, which TCM scheduled and canceled a couple of weeks ago (it’s said to be back on for January), friends Jacques Tourneur and Dana Andrews re-teamed for this. I’m looking forward to watching it, as I’ve never seen the film (nor many others with the word “demon” in the title). The version released in the UK is 13 minutes longer and titled Night of the Demon. TCM appears to be showing the shorter American cut, though they have allotted 105 minutes for the film so who knows. Both cuts are included in the R1 DVD released by Sony so I might be better off just giving that look to make sure I see the full thing.

12:15 AM The Leopard Man (Tourneur, 1943) -BW-67 mins. - Tourneur’s reputation was made working with producer Val Lewton on low-budget horror art including Cat People and I Walked with a Zombie. I prefer The Leopard Man though, with its suspense-filled shadows and creepy images. It tells the story of a solid black leopard that escapes from an ill-conceived stunt and the strange murders that follow. Those other two Tourneur-Lewton pictures precede this one. All three are available in Warner Bros.’ excellent box set dedicated to Lewton, but The Leopard Man isn’t available individually.

Saturday October 6

8:00 AM To Be or Not to Be (Lubitsch, 1942) - BW-100 mins. - Like Ninotchka, this is a Lubitsch film I’m not entirely sold on. I appreciate it completely, for what it was doing and when it was doing it, but the magic isn’t there for me like with some of his other films. Still, any Lubitsch is good viewing and this was, tragically, Carole Lombard’s final role. Robert Stack is pretty darn good here also. Released on DVD by Warner Bros.

Sunday October 7

2:00 AM Family Diary (Zurlini, 1962) - C-114 mins. - I’ve not yet seen any of Zurlini’s work, but I’m nevertheless interested in seeing this because it stars Marcello Mastroianni and is unavailable on DVD. I know little about the film, aside from it being an Italian drama about two brothers, played by Mastroianni and Jacques Perrin. It doesn’t show up very often and, despite some releases by the fine NoShame label (now seemingly missing in action), Zurlini is fairly unknown. IMDB lists MGM as the original theatrical distributor.

Monday October 8

1:30 PM Fifth Avenue Girl (La Cava, 1939) - BW-84 mins. - I like the idea of hiring Ginger Rogers to “pretend” to be your gold digging mistress. That’s what Walter Connolly does here, just to annoy his family. How can this go wrong? Coming off My Man Godfrey and Stage Door, director Gregory La Cava was on a hot streak. Those two films are his only DVD releases in R1, though this is available on a French R2 disc. That’s a minor shame, as I’d like to see more 1930s comedies period, particularly on DVD. Warner Bros. owns the rights to this, originally made for RKO.

4:30 PM Love on the Run (Van Dyke, 1936) - BW-81 mins. - A Gable-Crawford teaming directed by Thin Man helmer W.S. Van Dyke. It’s a romantic comedy and sounds strangely similar to It Happened One Night, with Crawford as an heiress and Gable a reporter. (Wow did they love wacky heiresses back then.) Not to be outdone though, this one has spies! Probably not great, but I’m sure it’s a nice way to spend 81 minutes. Unavailable on DVD, made for MGM, and home video rights probably owned by Warner Bros.

5:30 AM The Jackie Robinson Story (Green, 1950) - BW-77 mins. - Baby Face director Alfred E. Green helmed the Hollywoodization of Robinson’s breaking of baseball’s color barrier. It’s included in TCM’s monthlong look at the biopic. Certainly not a great film, but an undeniably fascinating one with Robinson playing himself only three years after his major league debut. Ruby Dee plays his wife Rachel. I think biopics tend to work best when the person’s story isn’t common knowledge, but Jackie Robinson’s life was so incredible that he may be an exception. Spike Lee has wanted to make a movie about Robinson for years now, but I believe he’s given up on trying to secure the necessary funds. Right after Jamie Foxx’s Oscar win there were reports of him starring as Robinson in a new film, with Robert Redford playing Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey, but that, thankfully, hasn’t come to pass as of now. There’s also a reasonably good television movie from 1990 about Robinson’s court-martial, starring the great Andre Braugher, but it’s not on DVD. This film, however, is on DVD, in numerous public domain editions, as well as a release by MGM.

Thursday October 11

10:30 AM The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (Huston, 1948) - BW-126 mins. - Sort of a filler pick because WB released a really great two-disc special edition DVD a few years ago, but the film is so good that it’s worth mentioning. The best of the Huston-Bogart teamings and I’m always fighting between deciding whether Bogart’s finest performance is here or as Dix Steele in Ray’s In a Lonely Place.

8:00 PM The Ox-Bow Incident (Wellman, 1943) - BW-76 mins. - This was made and released on DVD by Fox so it’s not normally shown on TCM. I’m not sure why they’re showing this and not Henry Fonda’s other Fox films like The Grapes of Wrath or, even, Daisy Kenyon. (Drums Along the Mohawk and My Darling Clementine are scheduled for December during a spectacular John Ford tribute.) Regardless, it’s a great (though upsetting) little Western/morality tale and one I’ve heard cited by Clint Eastwood several times as being a personal favorite. Fonda was so obviously interested in socially important parts that reflected his own political sensibilities. The R1 Fox Studio Classics DVD of this is very good and includes an episode of A&E’s Biography series on Fonda.

1:15 AM The Rounders (Kennedy, 1965) - C-85 mins. - Burt Kennedy is an interesting figure in the history of the Western genre. He collaborated on several films with Budd Boetticher, notably Seven Men from Now, and then made a series of comedic Westerns. This was one of the early ones, and stars Henry Fonda and Glenn Ford as a couple of aging cowboys. Peter Fonda and Warren Oates both appear uncredited. Another MGM production, probably controlled by Warner Brothers, and unreleased on DVD.

Friday October 12

6:00 PM The Satan Bug (Sturges, 1965) - C-115 mins. - I haven’t seen it, but I’m intrigued by the presence of John Sturges, using this as his follow-up to The Great Escape. The plot concerns germ warfare and a mad millionaire, things that seem cheesy until you remember that very combination poses a potential threat now. Richard Basehart and Dana Andrews lead the cast. The film was released theatrically by United Artists, and is unavailable on DVD, with MGM controlling home video rights.

9:30 PM Strait-Jacket (Castle, 1964) - BW-92 mins. - Four William Castle films in a row on TCM prime time this evening. I don’t think I’ve watched any of his films, but this one seems like a good entry point. The TCM guide says, “murder follows an axe murderer home when she’s released from a mental hospital.” In a real stretch, Joan Crawford is the axe murderer. The more famous Castle film The Tingler, with Vincent Price, airs at 12:45 AM. There’s a Sony DVD of this on the market, reviewed favorably by DVD Savant. “Bring me the axe!”

Saturday October 13

8:30 AM The Locket (Brahm, 1946) - BW-86 mins. - Director John Brahm is being semi-celebrated with a DVD set of three of his films from Fox this month. He also directed this noirish story of a bride and groom the night before their wedding. Layered in flashbacks, the groom (and the audience) learn of bride Laraine Day’s past with three men, including Robert Mitchum. Sounds lurid. A Warner Bros. property via RKO. Preceded by the infamous I Married a Communist (aka The Woman on Pier 13), also starring Day.

8:00 PM The African Queen (Huston, 1951) - C-105 mins. - The competition for most headscratchingly unavailable R1 title is thinning and Huston’s Bogie-Hepburn pairing remains firmly at the top. Paramount usually blames a lack of quality elements and the expense of restoration, but maybe they can put some of that Transformers money into this. Meanwhile, TCM icon Robert Osborne and worst..Essentials..host..ever Carrie Fisher will add their predictably brief thoughts in this week’s installment of The Essentials.

Sunday October 14

10:30 PM Footsteps in the Dark (Bacon, 1941) - BW-97 mins. - Errol Flynn as a high society mystery writer/crime solver who writes pseudonymous stories about his own family. I haven’t seen this, but it sounds intriguing and I tend to enjoy films that mix comedy and mystery. Why don’t they still make those, I wonder? Like most of Flynn’s films, this was made for Warner Bros. No DVD release yet, but maybe in their Flynn Vol. 3 or 4 set.

4:15 AM Vampyr (Dreyer, 1932) - BW-75 mins. - Image released this in R1 over nine years ago now, but the upcoming Masters of Cinema R2 DVD should be a significant improvement, using a new HD transfer. Also, Criterion apparently have their own edition planned. I’m not sure what print TCM plans to show, but it might worth tuning in or recording to find out.

Monday October 15

9:00 AM Boys’ Night Out (Gordon, 1962) - C-112 mins. - This is from the director of Pillow Talk and stars James Garner, Kim Novak, and Tony Randall. It’s a comedy about four guys, three married, who rent an apartment together and stock it with a beautiful young woman. Sounds lurid (ha!). They just don’t make ‘em like this anymore, for better or worse. Not available on DVD, released theatrically by MGM, making it controlled by Warner Bros.

Tuesday October 16

9:30 AM Disraeli (Green, 1929) - BW-87 mins. - George Arliss won an Academy Award for his portrayal of British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, but I must admit that I’m a little more curious to see a very young (and blonde) Joan Bennett, who co-stars. Director Alfred E. Green was incredibly prolific, if not particularly discriminating. He has 113 directorial credits on IMDB, ranging from a silent short in 1916 up to episodic television in 1958. Disraeli isn’t on DVD, but you have to think Warner Bros. will release it at some point. If nothing else, the people who buy every major Oscar-winning film would probably pick it up.

Wednesday October 16

9:15 AM The Affairs of Martha (Dassin, 1942) - BW-67 mins. - Jules Dassin, who’d go on to bigger and better films, has said that he didn’t much care for the early MGM work he did so I can’t say how good this particular movie might be. Dassin’s involvement is really my main source of interest. It’s apparently a comedy about a servant who writes a novel about her employers. DVD rights are controlled by Warner Bros. and since I don’t see how they’d fit this in any conceivable box set, it might be sitting on their shelf for awhile.

Thursday October 18

8:00 AM The Unfaithful (Sherman, 1947) - BW-109 mins. - I’m anxious to dive into this one. Ann Sheridan stars in a film noir/melodrama co-written by David Goodis (who, as I’ve mentioned before, wrote the source novels of Dark Passage and Shoot the Piano Player). The plot sounds oddly similar to The Letter, a very good Bette Davis film directed by William Wyler. That movie is on DVD, but The Unfaithful isn’t. Both were made by Warner Bros.

1:30 AM The Fugitive (Ford, 1947) - BW-100 mins. - The last time TCM showed this, I wrote about the film and enjoyed it quite a bit. Henry Fonda stars as a persecuted priest in Mexico. John Ford was said to have considered it a favorite. I can understand why and could see it being at least one of the director’s ten best films. A new R2 DVD will be released next month, but only available in a four film set from Universal that also includes Wagon Master and two titles already released in R1 - The Informer and Mary of Scotland. Warner Bros. should control the R1 DVD rights, as the film was made for RKO.

Friday October 19

8:00 PM Mark of the Vampire (Browning, 1935) - BW-61 mins. - Tod Browning’s film was released last year in the Warner Bros. Hollywood’s Legends of Horror set last year, but it’s not available for purchase individually. Not being a big horror buff, I really enjoyed this film more than the others in the set. Bela Lugosi appears as a vampire, sort of. I can see where some might be put off by the ending, but I think that’s why I liked the film as much as I did. There are some interesting silent Lon Chaney films showing later on in the night, including The Unknown, from 1927 and co-starring Joan Crawford.

Sunday October 21

10:00 AM A Matter of Life and Death (Powell & Pressburger, 1947) - BW&C-104 mins. - Released in the U.S as Stairway to Heaven, the Archers’ story of a downed pilot, played by David Niven, who must argue for his life in a celestial court after falling in love with Kim Hunter. It doesn’t matter what kind of movies you like, just watch this one. No R1 DVD release, with rights controlled by Sony (I’m guessing Criterion would be happy to release this if they could finagle a license). There’s a DVD available in R2 that can usually be had for very little money, even given the weak exchange rate for the dollar.

12:00 AM Battleship Potemkin (Eisenstein, 1925) - BW-75 mins. - A mammothly influential film that I’ve not seen. This showing will be of the very impressive new restoration released two days later on DVD by Kino in R1. Their package looks exceptional and I plan to finally see what is perhaps the pinnacle of Russian silent film. Just in case Kino drops the ball on some conversion issues, TCM’s airing provides a nice back-up plan.

Monday October 22

4:45 PM Born to Be Bad (Ray, 1950) - BW-91 mins. - Nicholas Ray’s second stab at melodrama ended up better than his first (A Woman’s Secret). This film, sometimes erroneously described as noir, features the beautiful Joan Fontaine as a really terrible woman who manipulates everyone in her path. Robert Ryan is along for the ride, but disappears too often to make the impact you’d expect. It’s kind of trash, but good trash, I suppose. I’d like to see Warner Bros. release it on DVD certainly, and, in time, I’d guess they will.

10:15 PM The Story of Louis Pasteur (Dieterle, 1935) -BW-87 mins. - Paul Muni won his Academy Award for playing the guy who makes dairy products safe. That’s a little flip, but you get the idea. Director William Dieterle made another biopic five years later that will be shown right after this film, at 12:00 AM. It’s called Dr. Ehrlich’s Magic Bullet and stars Edward G. Robinson as the guy who devoted his life to finding a cure for syphilis. Milk and STDs - sure sounds like a night of fun. Both films were made for Warner Bros. and remain unreleased on DVD.

Tuesday October 23

11:30 PM The Fire Within (Malle, 1963) - BW-108 mins. - In French it’s Le Feu follet, Louis Malle’s film about alcoholism and suicide. It reunites the director with his Elevator to the Gallows lead Maurice Ronet. I’m incredibly excited that TCM is showing this, as I’ve never seen it and very much want to. Criterion owns the R1 DVD rights, but impatient North Americans also have the option to import the Optimum Malle set (Vol. 1) that was released last year and contains the film, along with Les Amants, Elevator, and Zazie dans le métro. Those last two will also be shown on TCM this evening, kicking off a two-day Malle tribute in honor of the late director’s 75th birthday.

3:30 AM Black Moon (Malle, 1975) - C-100 mins. - I understand this film was maligned on release and hasn’t gained much respect since. It’s another one I’ve not seen, but the TCM guide mentions that the plot involves a young girl moving into a fantasy world to escape a war between men and women. I believe Guillermo del Toro has acknowledged the obvious influence on his Pan’s Labyrinth. Black Moon was released in the United States theatrically by Fox, but rights are now held by Janus. Criterion’s DVD will surely follow at some point. They own distribution rights to nearly all of Malle’s films in R1.

Thursday October 25

8:00 AM Hide-Out (Van Dyke, 1934) - BW-82 mins. - The description says “[f]armers take in an injured racketeer and try to reform him.” I think this is a comedy, but I’ve never seen it. Robert Montgomery and Maureen O’Sullivan star. I like Montgomery; I like films from the thirties. Those were my main reasons for highlighting the movie. It was also nominated for Best Original Story at the Oscars, losing to Manhattan Melodrama.

10:00 AM Tomorrow Is Forever (Pichel, 1946) - BW-104 mins. - A fairly rare Orson Welles starring role with someone else behind the camera. Welles shares the screen with Claudette Colbert as lovers separated by war. He’s presumed dead, only to pop up twenty years later with a new identity and a dilemma about what to tell the woman he left behind. Not available on DVD, the film was released by RKO and home video rights are controlled by Warner Bros.

2:00 PM This Happy Breed (Lean, 1944) - C-111 mins. - David Lean and Celia Johnson in a film based on a Noel Coward play, made a year before Brief Encounter. This was Lean’s first time working in color and only the second film he directed, following the Coward collaboration In Which We Serve. The story is about a middle-class English family who move to the suburbs following World War I and deal with their personal ups and downs leading up to World War II. It’s not out on R1 DVD, despite being announced and canceled by MGM, but is scheduled for release by Network in R2 on the 12th of November.

Friday October 26

7:15 PM The Mad Miss Manton (Jason, 1938) - BW-81 mins. - Before The Lady Eve, there was The Mad Miss Manton. Mystery! Comedy! Romance! Barbara Stanwyck! Another Stanwyck-Fonda film, Columbia’s You Belong to Me from 1941, airs later in the morning, at 10:30 AM. Not on DVD! (both!)

Saturday October 27

11:45 PM The Trial (Welles, 1963) - BW-120 mins. - Kafka’s story of a man who awakens to police surrounding him and is then put on trial for an undisclosed crime. Anthony Perkins, who’s the subject of a TCM tribute this evening, stars as Josef K. Jeanne Moreau and Romy Schneider lead the international cast. Despite being an avid fan of both Kafka and Welles, I’ve somehow avoided this film. I probably keep waiting on a definitive DVD edition, which still hasn’t happened. DVD Beaver has a good rundown of the situation, with the French release looking to be the best available for now. In R1, Image has an overpriced version, but the film is languishing in public domain. If Criterion is up for it, this would seem to be a very nice project to follow up their two excellent Welles releases.

2:00 AM Five Miles to Midnight (Litvak, 1962) - BW-103 mins. - More Perkins, this time with Sophia Loren and Gig Young. If I’m understanding the plot correctly, Perkins is married to Sophia, is in a plane crash and presumed dead, survives, then wants to collect the insurance money and start a new life. I wouldn’t expect greatness, but there’s some pretty good personnel involved and it’s not on DVD, with rights controlled by MGM. Followed by Green Mansions, the first Hollywood film to be shot in Panavision. I don’t know if this picture of Audrey Hepburn is at all representative of that film, but it definitely got my attention.

Sunday October 29

10:30 PM The Miracle Woman (Capra, 1931) - BW-91 mins. - Where oh where are the Capra-Stanwyck films on DVD? This pre-code gem has Barbara playing a faith healer tempted to give up the con when she meets and becomes romantically interested in a blind man. Four of the films that partnered director and actress, including this one, were made for Columbia and thus sit locked away at Sony now. When it comes to treatment of classic films, Sony is second to everyone. They’re a horrible outfit who very rarely do anything with their library and then use embarrassingly terrible covers when they do release something. It used to be much better, but they still refuse to lower the retail price on things that were released on DVD years ago. Now, as Stanwyck’s centennial birthday year is about to pass, we still don’t get these Capra movies.

Tuesday October 30

10:00 PM Tender Comrade (Dmytryk, 1943) - BW-102 mins. - Probably another underachiever, but enough behind-the-scenes elements to intrigue me. Director Edward Dmytryk, here coming off Murder, My Sweet, and screenwriter Dalton Trumbo would both become members of the blacklisted “Hollywood Ten.” Dmytryk eventually gave testimony naming members of the Communist party and faced the wrath of many people in the aftermath, while Trumbo did not and was forced to work using pseudonyms for a decade. TCM is using this night to show movies from blacklisted filmmakers. In this film, Ginger Rogers works at a defense plant while husband Robert Ryan is at war. She takes up in a house with other wives who are similarly situated. Made for RKO, Warner Bros. owns the DVD rights but hasn’t yet released the film.

11:45 PM Deadline at Dawn (Clurman, 1946) - BW-84 mins. - I saw this at Film Forum’s NYC Noir series this past August and it’s a bit nutty, but entertaining enough to be worthwhile. Susan Hayward stars as a dancer who gets mixed up with a sailor who can’t remember if he’s a murderer. It was director Harold Clurman’s only film and the script by Clifford Odets is worth the price of admission. It’s hardly a good film, but Odets’ dialogue has a certain charm and Hayward is easy enough on the eyes. Not on DVD, released theatrically by RKO so Warner Bros. controls home video rights.

Wednesday October 31

6:00 PM The Haunting (Wise, 1963) - BW-112 mins. - I’ve always read good things about this film, but haven’t ever watched it. It involves a haunted house and psychic investigators, including Julie Harris and Claire Bloom. I’m not a scary movie person, but the ever-versatile Robert Wise’s direction interests me. The film was remade by Jan de Bont and, by all accounts, the original is far superior. Warner Bros. released a DVD in R1, but, obviously, I’ve not seen it.

3:30 AM The Walking Dead (Curtiz, 1936) - BW-66 mins. - Boris Karloff is framed for murder and executed, but doctors try to bring him back to life. Michael Curtiz directs. Not available on DVD, released and owned by Warner Bros. Happy Halloween.