TCM Schedule for Friday, December 14 -- What's On Tonight: TCM Spotlight: Ernst Lubitsch

[Staph]

It's a day full of films that won or were nominated for Best Picture Oscars, and an evening with a quartet of films directed by Ernst Lubitsch. Enjoy!


6:30 AM -- The Informer (1935)
An Irish rebel turns in his best friend to earn passage money to America, then has to dodge the suspicions of his cohorts.
Dir: John Ford
Cast: Victor McLaglen, Heather Angel, Preston Foster
BW-92 mins, TV-PG, CC,

Won Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Victor McLaglen, Best Director -- John Ford, Best Music, Score -- Max Steiner (head of departmment), and Best Writing, Screenplay -- Dudley Nichols (Refused to accept his award because of the antagonism between several industry guilds and the academy over union matters. This marked the first time an Academy Award had been declined.
Academy records show that Dudley was in possession of an Oscar statuette by 1949.)

Nominated for Oscars for Best Film Editing -- George Hively, and Best Picture

The day before shooting Gypo Nolan's trial scene, John Ford told Victor McLaglen that he wouldn't be needed the next day so he should take a break, enjoy himself, and not worry about his lines. McLaglen proceeded to go out drinking - which Ford knew he would do - and the next day was forced to film the scene with a terrible hangover, which was just the effect Ford wanted.


8:00 AM -- The Life Of Emile Zola (1937)
The famed writer risks his reputation to defend a Jewish army officer accused of treason.
Dir: William Dieterle
Cast: Paul Muni, Joseph Schildkraut, Gale Sondergaard
BW-116 mins, TV-G, CC,

Won Oscars for Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Joseph Schildkraut, Best Writing, Screenplay -- Heinz Herald, Geza Herczeg and Norman Reilly Raine, and Best Picture

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Paul Muni, Best Art Direction -- Anton Grot, Best Assistant Director -- Russell Saunders, Best Director -- William Dieterle, Best Music, Score -- Leo F. Forbstein (head of department) and score by Max Steiner, Best Sound, Recording -- Nathan Levinson (Warner Bros. SSD), and Best Writing, Original Story -- Heinz Herald and Geza Herczeg

The film was shot in reverse order; Paul Muni grew his own beard for the role, and it was trimmed and darkened as he proceeded to scenes where Zola is younger. His makeup took 3-1/2 hours to apply each morning.


10:00 AM -- The Citadel (1938)
A struggling doctor is tempted to give up his ideals for a posh high-society practice.
Dir: King Vidor
Cast: Robert Donat, Rosalind Russell, Ralph Richardson
BW-113 mins, TV-G, CC,

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Robert Donat, Best Director -- King Vidor, Best Writing, Screenplay -- Ian Dalrymple, Elizabeth Hill and Frank Wead, and Best Picture

Elizabeth Allan was announced as leading lady, and sued M.G.M. when she was replaced by Rosalind Russell.


12:00 PM -- Wuthering Heights (1939)
A married noblewoman fights her lifelong attraction to a charismatic gypsy.
Dir: William Wyler
Cast: Merle Oberon, Laurence Olivier, David Niven
BW-104 mins, TV-PG, CC,

Won an Oscar for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -- Gregg Toland

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Laurence Olivier, Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Geraldine Fitzgerald, Best Art Direction -- James Basevi, Best Director -- William Wyler, Best Music, Original Score -- Alfred Newman, Best Writing, Screenplay -- Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, and Best Picture

Vivien Leigh wanted to play the lead role, alongside her then lover and future husband Laurence Olivier, but studio executives decided the role should go to Merle Oberon. They later offered Leigh the part of Isabelle Linton, but she declined and Geraldine Fitzgerald was cast.


1:45 PM -- Citizen Kane (1941)
The investigation of a publishing tycoon's dying words reveals conflicting stories about his scandalous life.
Dir: Orson Welles
Cast: Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Agnes Moorehead
BW-120 mins, TV-PG, CC,

Won an Oscar for Best Writing, Original Screenplay -- Herman J. Mankiewicz and Orson Welles (On Friday, July 19th, 2003, Orson Welles' Oscar statuette went on sale at an auction at Christie's, New York, but was voluntarily withdrawn so the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences could buy it back for just 1 dollar. The statuette, included in a large selection of Welles-related material, was going to be sold by Beatrice Welles, the youngest of the filmmaker's three daughters and the sole heir of his estate and was expected to sell at over 300,000 dollars.)

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Orson Welles, Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Black-and-White -- Perry Ferguson, Van Nest Polglase, A. Roland Fields and Darrell Silvera, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -- Gregg Toland, Best Director -- Orson Welles, Best Film Editing -- Robert Wise, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic Picture -- Bernard Herrmann, Best Sound, Recording -- John Aalberg (RKO Radio SSD), and Best Picture

The camera looks up at Charles Foster Kane and his best friend Jedediah Leland and down at weaker characters like Susan Alexander Kane. This was a technique that Orson Welles borrowed from John Ford who had used it two years previously on Stagecoach. Welles privately watched Stagecoach about 40 times while making this film.


3:45 PM -- Watch On The Rhine (1943)
Nazi agents pursue a German freedom-fighter and his family to Washington.
Dir: Herman Shumlin
Cast: Bette Davis, Paul Lukas, Geraldine Fitzgerald
BW-112 mins, TV-PG, CC,

Won an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Paul Lukas

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Lucile Watson, Best Writing, Screenplay -- Dashiell Hammett, and Best Picture

The play, "Watch on the Rhine" by Lillian Hellman premiered at the Martin Beck Theater in New York City on 1 April 1941 and closed on 21 February 1942 after 378 performances. Paul Lukas as Kurt Muller, Lucile Watson as Fanny Farrelly, George Coulouris as Teck de Brancovis, Eric Roberts as Bodo Muller and Frank L. Wilson as Joseph all originated their movie roles in the play. Also in the cast were Mady Christians as Sara Muller and Helen Trenholme as Marthe de Brancovis.


5:45 PM -- The Lion In Winter (1968)
England's Henry II and his estranged queen battle over the choice of an heir.
Dir: Anthony Harvey
Cast: Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Jane Merrow
C-134 mins, TV-14, CC, Letterbox Format

Won Oscars for Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Katharine Hepburn (Tied with Barbra Streisand for Funny Girl (1968).Hepburn became the third performer to win consecutive awards, and the first to win three awards for lead roles. 'Anthony Harvey' , the film's director, accepted the award on her behalf.), Best Music, Original Score for a Motion Picture (not a Musical) -- John Barry, and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium -- James Goldman

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Peter O'Toole, Best Costume Design -- Margaret Furse, Best Director -- Anthony Harvey, and Best Picture

This was the second time that Peter O'Toole played King Henry II. The first time was in Becket. He received Academy Award nominations for both performances.



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: TCM SPOTLIGHT: ERNST LUBITSCH



8:00 PM -- Trouble In Paradise (1932)
A love triangle ignites trouble between two jewel theives and their intended victim.
Dir: Ernst Lubitsch
Cast: Miriam Hopkins, Kay Francis, Herbert Marshall
BW-82 mins, TV-G, CC,

The most widely known of director Ernst Lubitsch's films. The "Lubitsch touch" as his style was called, emphasized subtlety and elegance, expressive of good taste, and being economical about what does and doesn't need to be shown, relying on the audience to tell the difference.


9:30 PM -- Design For Living (1933)
An independent woman can't chose between the two men she loves.
Dir: Ernst Lubitsch
Cast: Fredric March, Gary Cooper, Miriam Hopkins
BW-91 mins, TV-G, CC,

Writer Ben Hecht and producer-director Ernst Lubitsch retained only one line from the original play by Noel Coward: "For the good of our immortal souls!"


11:15 PM -- One Hour With You (1932)
Both members of a married couple fight the temptation to stray.
Dir: Ernst Lubitsch
Cast: Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald, Genevieve Tobin
BW-78 mins, TV-G, CC,

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture

A French-language version _Une heure près de toi_, ("One More Hour With You&quot was filmed simultaneously. Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald (who spoke French fluently) played the same parts as in the English version, and Lili Damita replaced Genevieve Tobin.


12:45 AM -- The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927)
In this silent film, a young prince attending college falls for a barmaid below his station.
Dir: Ernst Lubitsch
Cast: Ramon Novarro, Norma Shearer, Jean Hersholt
BW-106 mins, TV-G,

The onscreen credit source is "from the book Karl Heinrich," but no author is listed. The writer, Wilhelm Meyer-Förster, is therefore considered uncredited.


2:45 AM -- Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural (1973)
A vampire cult stalks a gangster's daughter.
Dir: Richard Blackburn
C-85 mins,

Filmed on location in Pomona, California.


4:15 AM -- Count Yorga, Vampire (1970)
Two couples at a siance are taken in by a slick count who's really a vampire.
Dir: Robert Kelljan
Cast: Robert Quarry, Roger Perry, Michael Murphy
C-93 mins, TV-14, CC, Letterbox Format

The movie was originally conceived as a low-budget soft-core porno movie. At this stage the title was "The Loves of Count Iorga, Vampire!" but at some stage the decision was taken to film it as a straight horror film. The title was changed accordingly to the less erotic "Count Yorga, Vampire!" which explains the poor animation of the phrase "Count Yorga" in the title (as it now appears on-screen). The original title (and original Iorga spelling) had been restored by the 1990's, but all prints were identical to the original 1970 release; apparently, no additional footage survives from its original erotic premise.

[Matilda]

1. There are two absolute gems in this lineup.

One is the delightful "One Hour With You" - I'm not a great Chevalier fan, but the McDonald-Lubitsch combination is irresistible. I am a great fan of Lubitsch, and under his direction, I think Jeanette lost some of her kittenish mannerisms and became more sophisticated.

The other is the last one on the list - "Count Yorga, Vampire". I first saw that years ago at a midnight Friday 13th screening in Sydney, and the theatre was packed. Robert Quarry was a perfect vampire - very attractive and sophisticated, and it was easy to imagine how women would follow when he beckoned. The script wasn't brilliant, but the direction was tight, and the suspense at the end was gripping. I've never seen Robert Quarry in anything else, but I always remember his Count Yorga.

[Hayabusa]

2. Never seen those

but I'll certainly be watching Citizen Kane (yes, I've never seen it. Am I banned now? LOL) and A Lion in Winter.

[Matilda]

3. Give yourself a treat!

Or two.