TCM Schedule for Saturday Dec, 3, 2022 - "Meet Me In St. Louis," "The Music Man," "Decoy"

[ificandream]

(All times Eastern. Except in the Central, Mountain and Pacific time zones.) (LOL.)

12:00 AM Summer of '42 (1971)
A high school student falls in love, for the first time, with a World War II bride.
Dir: Robert Mulligan Cast: Jennifer O'Neill, Gary Grimes, Jerry Houser
Runtime: 102 mins Genre: Romance Rating: TV-14 CC: Y


2:00 AM TCM Underground: Zardoz (1974)

In the far future, a savage trained only to kill finds a way into the community of bored immortals that alone preserves humanity's achievements.
Dir: John Boorman Cast: Sean Connery, Charlotte Rampling, Sara Kestelman

Trivia: Reportedly, Charlotte Rampling looked forward to her sex scene with Sir Sean Connery, then was disappointed when it was over and done with so quickly.

Trivia: A real baboon on the set attacked a double dressed in an ape suit who was portraying a baboon.
Runtime: 104 mins Genre: Horror/Science-Fiction Rating: TV-MA CC: N


4:00 AM Krull (1983)



In a fantasy adventure, set in a world peopled by creatures of myth and magic, a prince embarks on a quest to find the magical Glaive and then rescues his young bride. Colwyn is the leader of a mythical sword-and-sorcery group in pursuit of "the Beast" that has kidnaped his fiance, Lyssa.
Dir: Derek Cracknell Cast: Lysette Anthony, Gerard Naprous, Bill Weston
Runtime: 121 mins Genre: Action Rating: null CC:

6:15 AM Springfield Rifle (1952)



A Union officer goes undercover to root out Confederate raiders.
Dir: Andre Detoth Cast: Gary Cooper, Phyllis Thaxter, David Brian

Trivia: According Ben Mankiewicz of TCM, while the crew was filming on location at Lone Pine, California at the base of Mount Whitney, a mushroom cloud from a nuclear device was seen on the horizon coming from a Nevada nuclear test site. The test site was operational from 1951 until 1992.

Trivia: The opening scene has a matte shot with the U.S. Capitol dome in the background. The dome was not completed until 1866.

Trivia: Executives at Warner Bros did not want Gary Cooper to play the role, fearing his wholesome image would not suit a plot involving cowardice and double-dealing for both sides in the American Civil War. But director Andre DeToth insisted Cooper should be cast.

Runtime: 93 mins Genre: Western Rating: TV-PG CC: Y


8:00 AM Cartoon (MGM): Abdul the Bulbul Ameer (1941) (Turner Classic Movies Premiere)
Taken from a famous folk song recounting the fight between Abdul & Ivan Skivinsky Skivar.
Dir: Robert Allen Cast: null
Genre: Animation Rating: null CC:


8:10 AM Short: How to Eat (1939)
Robert Benchley discusses how different situations can affect one's ability to consume and digest food.
Dir: Roy Rowland Cast: Ruth Lee, Forbes Murray, George Lessey
Genre: Comedy Rating: TV-G CC: N


8:21 AM Short: Beautiful Bali (1940)
This short film takes the viewer on a tour of Bali, India.
Dir: null Cast: James A. Fitzpatrick, C Bakaleinikoff, Robert Carney
Genre: Documentary Rating: TV-G CC: N


8:30 AM Bullet Code (1940)
A cowboy's battle with rustlers leads to romance.
Dir: David Howard Cast: George O'Brien, Virginia Vale, Slim Whitaker
Runtime: 58 mins Genre: Western Rating: TV-G CC: Y


9:30 AM New Adventures of Tarzan: Chaptor 11, Death's Fireworks (1935)
Tarzan goes to Guatemala to find his lost friend and help discover hidden treasure.
Dir: Edward Kull, Wilbur McGaugh Cast: Ula Holt, Edward Kull, Merrill McCormick
Genre: Action Rating: TV-G CC: Y


10:00 AM Cartoon: Taxi-Turvy (1954) (Turner Classic Movies Premiere)
Cab drivers Popeye and Bluto are constantly trying to outdo each other to obtain a fare. When their lady love Olive hails a cab, the battle is on, and the hapless Olive is caught in the middle with comical results.
Dir: null Cast: Jack Mercer, Jackson Beck, Mae Questel
Genre: Animation Rating: TV-PG CC:


10:08 AM The Gay Falcon (1942)
A society sleuth tries to break up an insurance scam.
Dir: Irving Reis Cast: George Sanders, Wendy Barrie, Allen Jenkins
Runtime: 66 mins Genre: Suspense/Mystery Rating: TV-G CC: Y


11:30 AM Short: Double or Nothing (1939)
In this short film, a stunt double loses consciousness and imagines himself in a series of scenes with doubles for many other famous actors including Bing Crosby, Tyrone Power, and Greta Garbo.
Dir: Roy Mack Cast: Lee Dixon, John Elliott, Tom Herbert
Runtime: 18 mins Genre: Short Rating: TV-G CC: N


12:00 PM The Music Man (1962)

A con man, masquerading as a music professor, convinces a small town to form a brass band as a way for him to pocket some money.
Dir: Morton Dacosta Cast: Robert Preston, Shirley Jones, Buddy Hackett

Trivia: In a 1980 episode of the TV series "Happy Days" titled "Joanie Gets Wheels," Howard and Marion Cunningham are coming out of a movie theater and they pause in the lobby and look at the poster for "The Music Man". Marion comments how much the little boy in the movie, the character Winthrop, "looks so much like Richie did when he was little". Both Winthrop and Richie were played by Ron Howard.

Trivia: Composer Meredith Willson made more income off The Beatles' version of his song "Till There Was You" than he did off the play and the movie combined.

Runtime: 151 mins Genre: Musical Rating: TV-G CC: Y


2:45 PM By Design: The Joe Caroff Story (2022)
A look into the life and career of Hollywood graphic designer Joe Caroff.
Dir: Mark Cerulli Cast: Paul C. Rosen, Paul C. Rosen
Genre: null Rating: TV-MA CC: Y


4:00 PM Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

Young love and childish fears highlight a year in the life of a turn-of-the-century family.
Dir: Vincente Minnelli Cast: Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brien, Mary Astor

Trivia: This film was a box-office smash, grossing more money than any prior MGM release in 20 years with the exception of David O. Selznick's Gone with the Wind (1939).

Runtime: 113 mins Genre: Musical Rating: TV-G CC: Y



6:00 PM The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942)



An acerbic critic wreaks havoc when a hip injury forces him to move in with a Midwestern family.
Dir: William Keighley Cast: Bette Davis, Ann Sheridan, Monty Woolley
Runtime: 112 mins Genre: Comedy Rating: TV-G CC: Y

JAZZ AND CRIME

8:00 PM Pete Kelly's Blues (1955)

The jazz band's leader gets mixed up with a gangster in '20s Kansas City.
Dir: Jack Webb Cast: Jack Webb, Janet Leigh, Edmond O'Brien

Trivia: Jack Webb actually knew how to play the cornet. He loved jazz music and, as a boy, was given a cornet by a musician who lived near his home. While he never truly mastered the instrument, he knew it well enough that his handling and fingering of the cornet in this movie is accurate.

Trivia: Supporting actor Martin Milner later co-starred in the Jack Webb-produced TV series. "Adam-12."

Runtime: 95 mins Genre: Crime Rating: TV-PG CC: Y


10:00 PM Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)
Desperate losers plan a bank robbery with unexpected results.
Dir: Robert Wise Cast: Harry Belafonte, Robert Ryan, Shelley Winters
Runtime: 95 mins Genre: Crime Rating: TV-14 CC: N


12:00 AM NOIR ALLEY: Decoy (1946)

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A woman saves her gangster boyfriend from the gas chamber to get her hands on his hidden money.
Dir: Jack Bernhard Cast: Jean Gillie, Edward Norris, Herbert Rudley
Runtime: 76 mins Genre: Crime Rating: TV-14 CC: Y


1:45 AM The Little Foxes (1941)



An ambitious woman takes on her corrupt brothers and honest husband in her drive for wealth.
Dir: William Wyler Cast: Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, Teresa Wright
Runtime: 116 mins Genre: Drama Rating: TV-PG CC: Y


4:00 AM The Talk of the Town (1942)



An escaped political prisoner and a stuffy law professor vie for the hand of a spirited schoolteacher.
Dir: George Stevens Cast: Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Ronald Colman

Trivia: The telegram delivery boy is riding an extremely rare 1941 Crocker Scootabout, made by the Crocker Motorcycle Company of Los Angeles. Less than 100 were made before the company converted to wartime production of aircraft parts. MSRP for the Scootabout was $139 in 1941 (~$2,450 in 2020).

Trivia: Lloyd Bridges' tiny role was one of 20 film appearances he made in 1942 alone.

Runtime: 118 mins Genre: Comedy Rating: TV-G CC: Y

[CBHagman]

1. What a remarkable schedule...

...and I give TCM credit for breadth. Truly there's something for everyone.

The Man Who Came to Dinner counts as a Christmas classic, although I suspect it doesn't have quite the following it deserves.

The Music Man is one of those rare screen adaptions that keeps the magic of the original stage production.

And The Talk of the Town is still politically relevant!