TCM Schedule for Thursday, March 10 -- Employee Picks

[Staph]

Happy birthday to Gregory La Cava, born on this day in 1892. He started as an animator, and ended his career as a honored director, with two Oscar nominations for directing, for My Man Godfrey (1936) and Stage Door (1937). Enjoy!



5:45am -- Short Film: The MGM Story (1950)
A collection of MGM previews with an introduction by Lionel Barrymore.
Cast: Lionel Barrymore, Dore Schary
BW-57 mins, TV-G


6:45am -- Laugh And Get Rich (1931)
A man drives his family wild with get-rich-quick schemes.
Cast: Edna May Oliver, Hugh Herbert, Dorothy Lee, Russell Gleason
Dir: Gregory La Cava
BW-72 mins, TV-G

Edna May Oliver is a descendant of both John Adams and John Quincy Adams.


8:00am -- Smart Woman (1931)
A woman plots to make her cheating husband jealous.
Cast: Mary Astor, Robert Ames, John Halliday, Edward Everett Horton
Dir: Gregory La Cava
BW-68 mins, TV-G

This was the first film played at the famous Roxy Theater in New York City.


9:15am -- The Age of Consent (1932)
College co-eds learns to handle the responsibilities of romance.
Cast: Dorothy Wilson, Arline Judge, Richard Cromwell, Eric Linden
Dir: Gregory La Cava
BW-63 mins, TV-PG

The play opened in New York City, New York, USA, on 11 November 1929 and had 28 performances. In the cast were Sylvia Sidney, Franchot Tone and Dennie Moore.


10:30am -- Symphony Of Six Million (1932)
A doctor fights his way from the slums to Park Avenue.
Cast: Ricardo Cortez, Irene Dunne, Anna Appel, Gregory Ratoff
Dir: Gregory La Cava
BW-95 mins, TV-PG

Based on a story by Fannie Hurst, whose novels that were adapted into films include Imitation of Life, Back Street, and Sister Act (made into the film Four Daughters).


12:15pm -- Bed Of Roses (1933)
A girl from the wrong side of the tracks is torn between true love and a life of sin .
Cast: Constance Bennett, Joel McCrea, John Halliday, Pert Kelton
Dir: Gregory LaCava
BW-67 mins, TV-G

Same theme music is used in The Lady Takes a Sailor (1949).


1:30pm -- The Half Naked Truth (1933)
A carnival pitch man turns a sideshow dancer into an overnight sensation.
Cast: Lupe Velez, Lee Tracy, Eugene Pallette, Frank Morgan
Dir: Gregory La Cava
BW-77 mins, TV-G

The only screen appearance of composer Max Steiner, who appears briefly as a Bandleader.


3:00pm -- What Every Woman Knows (1934)
An ambitious wife backs her husband's political career.
Cast: Helen Hayes, Brian Aherne, Madge Evans, Lucile Watson
Dir: Gregory La Cava
BW-90 mins, TV-G

After a disappointing preview in Los Angeles, director Gregory La Cava put the film back in production for retakes, but complained so bitterly that Helen Hayes decided to abandon movies and concentrate on stage productions because of his attitude.


4:30pm -- She Married Her Boss (1935)
A secretary who handles the boss' business perfectly marries him and tackles his home life.
Cast: Claudette Colbert, Melvyn Douglas, Michael Bartlett, Raymond Walburn
Dir: Gregory La Cava
BW-88 mins, TV-G

The boss's bratty daughter is played by Edith Fellowes, who began her film career in silent films and, most recently, appeared in the television series ER and The Pursuit of Happiness in 1995.


6:00pm -- Living In A Big Way (1947)
A returning GI and his war bride finally get to know each other and don't really like what they see.
Cast: Gene Kelly, Marie McDonald, Charles Winninger, Phyllis Thaxter
Dir: Gregory La Cava
BW-104 mins, TV-G

This box-office failure was the last credited movie for the renowned, innovative director, screenwriter and occasional producer Gregory La Cava, who had begun working in the film industry as an animator in 1916.


8:00pm -- The Searchers (1956)
An Indian-hating Civil War veteran tracks down the tribe that slaughtered his family and kidnapped his niece.
Cast: John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Ward Bond
Dir: John Ford
C-119 mins, TV-PG

Western star Harry Carey died in 1947. Director John Ford cast Carey's wife (Olive Carey) as Mrs. Jorgensen (the mother) and Carey's son (Harry Carey Jr.) as one of the sons (Brad) as a tribute to Carey. In the closing scene with John Wayne framed in the doorway, Wayne holds his right elbow with his left hand in a pose that Carey fans would recognize as one that he often used. Wayne later stated he did it as a tribute to Carey. Off-camera, Olive watched.


10:15pm -- A Taste of Honey (1962)
Deserted by her mother, a pregnant teen turns to a gay friend for help.
Cast: Dora Bryan, Rita Tushingham, Robert Stephens, Murray Melvin
Dir: Tony Richardson
BW-100 mins

Hazel Blears, who later became a member of the UK parliament and a minister in Tony Blair's government, appears in the film as a 5-year-old urchin along with her brother. She can be seen wearing a tartan skirt and playing with a ball during the films opening credits.


12:00am -- Cabin In The Sky (1943)
God and Satan battle for the soul of a wounded gambler.
Cast: Ethel Waters, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong
Dir: Vincente Minnelli
BW-99 mins, TV-G

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Music, Original Song -- Harold Arlen (music) and E.Y. Harburg (lyrics) for the song "Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe"

This film is generally credited with the first appearance of the "moon walk" dance step. It is performed by Bill Bailey, brother of Pearl Bailey.


2:00am -- Imitation Of Life (1959)
Two mothers, one white, one black, face problems with their rebellious daughters.
Cast: Lana Turner, John Gavin, Sandra Dee, Susan Kohner
Dir: Douglas Sirk
C-125 mins, TV-PG

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Susan Kohner, and Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Juanita Moore

Lana Turner took a much smaller salary, than her usual $25,000 per week and worked for 50% of the film's profits, which earned her over $2 million (setting a record for an actress at the time).