tcm alert thread (Jun '23 - tcm alert: dead)

Today's Dolores Del Rio Summer Under the Stars day MAY feature the TCM premiere of Ramona (1928) at 8pm. I say MAY because the title has appeared and disappeared from the schedule; the current schedule shows NOTHING in the 8pm slot; and no one at Nitrateville.com is saying anything about having recorded a score.

I saw Ramona last year at AFI Silver. It's romantic piffle, but some of the most beautiful piffle ever filmed. I'm in no rush to revisit it, but I may record the block just to see WHAT TCM does with the time slot.

enjoyed the nina foch day they had last week. lotta 1-hr goofs that were uniformly interesting if not Good

Just saw part of The Devil's Playground which was not so hot, as tcm.com agrees; however, this take incl. lots about Del Rio's adventures, beginning as a star of the Silent Age, and continuing for quite a while:
...Dolores del Rio's reign as a Hollywood glamour queen ended before the war broke out, but she was never at a loss for admirers. Even into the 1940s, the photographic record of her beauty rivals that of Marlene Dietrich and Joan Crawford. Del Rio had divorced her first husband Jaime del Rio in the silent era but kept his name. Afterwards, she resisted breaking up the home of her mentor/director Edwin Carewe, choosing instead to marry MGM art director Cedric Gibbons. That union lasted for 11 years before it was broken by her torrid affair with a young Orson Welles, who stated in public that del Rio was the most exciting woman he had ever met. When Welles fell out of favor after Citizen Kane (1941) and was no longer welcome in some Hollywood social circles, del Rio refused to disassociate herself with him. She performed with Welles in the RKO film Journey Into Fear (1943), at which time he took up with Hollywood's sensational new attraction, Rita Hayworth. Del Rio then returned to Mexico for the next chapter in her long career. Despite never having made a Spanish language feature, she became an instant star in Mexican classics, some of them for the top director Emilio Fernandez. Always a popular figure, she returned to Hollywood to work in television and to play character parts in features. Several were for her old friend John Ford; one of her more memorable performances was as Elvis Presley's mother in his Western hit Flaming Star (1960).

By Glenn Erickson Flaming Star dir. by Don Siegel, wonder if Erickson got any of the other details wrong?? Anyway, though I've never seen it, seems to be gen. regarded as pretty good.

She does look pretty amazing in Playground, and whole thing looks better than average for sure. This submarine picture benefits greatly from the input of lighting cameraman Lucien Ballard, who had refined his craft at Paramount, helping Josef von Sternberg film several Marlene Dietrich pictures. Ballard would later become known as the cinematographer of Stanley Kubrick's The Killing (1956) and the best films of director Sam Peckinpah, Ride the High Country (1962) and The Wild Bunch (1969).

Oh wow, Eva Marie Saint Day! Good idea, never saw one of those before. Just now turned on TV and here's All Fall Down, with Beatty (Warren, not Ned alas).

So have any of yall seen all of Loving? 1970 as hell--Gordon Willis's urban cinematography was almost too effective---Saint was oxygen and sunlight everytime, dreading and on point and enduring, she did all the loving---but so much George Segal, who got glowing, endlessly detailed praise in quoted reviews by heavy hitters, but I stopped watching because of him/his character, I mean it was just the Johnny Onenote Sub-Cheever-Updike etc., though down-to-earth no-frills etc, didn't get the sighting of nuance in reviews---anybody see it all? Wish I'd kept watching for sake of Saint, but it was late as hell.

Loving is definitely a very 1970 movie, but I dug it. The final stretch is the film’s most memorable, where it all kinda dips into the realm of rude comedy. I can see getting frustrated with Segal’s character, though.

Yeah, I read the full synopsis later, wish I'd stayed with it. Did get to some very good scenes with sudden deep glimpses of Segar-Saint marital bond, incl. erotic on some levesl, also of course the ongoing conversations about financial considerations---and they were both shaken up by winding-down exchange between husband and wife they might be buying a house from, if things go well (the soon-to-be-ex-husband seems to be an artist, like Segal's character, or at least he's like "You don't want this [art object]? It's yours." "No. No it isn't" And she tells Segal how good, how studio-ready the light and the whole space is. Outside, Saint is crying in his arms, apologizing for bringing him there; it seems like it could be bad luck for their own shaky situation, and also---an intrusion somehow, on something they shouldn't have seen---is the way I took it--what a scene, brief but relentless sequence of scenes! Yeah, I will have to watch the whole thing. Other parts are funny and shrewd and/or "rude," yeah.)(Does the agent really have a port-a-potty in his office, is that what that is? Little worrywart dude is the future[*mid*-70s]-cool Roy Scheider!)

Also when they're spooning in the bed, as he declares that the babysitter has hots for him, calling him "Mr. Thomas" as confirmation---name's not Thomas and wife Saint is like, oooo Mr. Thomas, take me to the gates of ecstasy," not roleplaying so much (although may be some of that) as demonstrating that she's unfazed (does she know about Princess Grace, who has just dumped him because she is intelligently unconvinced by his "I'll tell her tonight."?). Also when she finds what she knows is just the right dress at the store, and yet asks him what he thinks, and it's not an entirely rhetorical question, but she's not just looking at him; she knows she's still got it.

Oh today's Alain Delon Day, only one I've seen so far was Spirits of the Dead, three adaptations of Poe, with Delon in "William Wilson," dir./co-scripted by Malle, okay but then Fellini's "Toby Dammit" vrooooom sorry again Malle (and even Vadim w Jane Fonda, see it's not just Malle this happens to)

End of Summer Tour cont. tonight (saw some of The Decline of Western Civilization Part 1 last night, passed out before Elvis On Tour, but have seen it before; it's cool), opening with The Song Remains The Same, later Jimi, Otis sets re-edited into sep movies---from Monterey Pop footage, I take it (both sets made on a single, splendid LP, which I hope I've still got somewhere)Jimi Plays Monterey incl credit for Janis Joplin, so edits are maybe not too condensed), later an excursion with the worthy, could-be unique Louie Bluie, a performer who started v. early in the 20th Century, think he's still just middle-aged in the early 1970s; he's also an amazing graphic artist by then)---and much else, incl. Don't Look Back, 'til during the day Tuesday, when we get crime capers, if not sprees; Tuesday night is Women Make Film.

Tom Waits' (never on DVD or BLU) Big Time is coming up too.

Think I saw that on cable! With one of his hippest combos, from early 80s, maybe?

Late '80s, on tomorrow, alongside Les Blank's freewheeling Leon Russell film, A Poem Is A Naked Person.

Apparently it's on Prime as a basic free title.

Louie Blouie’s director commentary is better than the film

Tonight: TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: STAR OF THE MONTH: DOROTHY DANDRIDGE
Three with her: Tamango (John Berry, 1959): A graphic portrayal of the horrors on a slave ship sailing from Africa. The captain takes a black woman as his mistress and a rebellion is sparked.
Then Tarzan's Peril and The Harlem Globetrotters: very brief clips incl. her make them seem worth checking.
Then Where Now Are The Dreams of Youth?(Ozu, 1932):Cheating extends to the business world, as a new company head helps his classmates with entrance exams, then gives a lovelorn nerd a spine transplant.
And then Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in the Land of Demons(Misumi,1973) and
Lone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in Hell(Kurada,1974)

Those are probably the recent new restorations of Lone Wolf and Cub that Criterion put out a year or so ago. Soooooooooo dope.

Tarzan's Peril and The Harlem Globetrotters

though this was one movie, like when they were on Gilligan's Island or met Scooby-Doo

me too lol

Just now read Richard Stark's jacket in Luc Sante's new Maybe The People Would Be The Times, and then discovered that Point Blank hits TCM @4:00 EST.

point blank whips ass

Times Square airing on TCM Underground tonight at 11:15pm pst

*not available to watch on streaming platforms tho :(

TCM plays all the best stuff after I’ve gone to sleep. Pretty good slate of circus films tonight though.

Just now see that Clash By Night starts at 6 pm EST, then The Sea Wolf, and then an evening with John Garfield, Paul Muni in Juarez hella late, followed by more Garfield.

Both those movies whip ass and idk why jack london hasnt had a modern reworking (harrison ford animated dog movie notwithstanding)

https://www.vulture.com/article/movie-review-martin-eden-starring-luca-marinelli.html

noticed this months films are airing in alphabetical order ?

One of their 31 Days of Oscar gimmicks.

Next On TCM
@NextOnTCM
CAROL (2015) Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson. Dir: Todd Haynes 9:45 PM ET

An aspiring photographer develops an intimate relationship with an older woman in 1950s New York.

Color, 119 mins, CC, #romance #TCM
No entry sign
Flag of Canada
7:45 PM · Apr 3, 2021·Hootsuite Inc.
Historical marker:

CAROL (2015) Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson. Dir: Todd Haynes 9:45 PM ET

An aspiring photographer develops an intimate relationship with an older woman in 1950s New York.

Color, 119 mins, CC, #romance #TCM
🚫🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/QM4NqHdpxL

— Next On TCM (@NextOnTCM) April 4, 2021

Woke up, got out of bed, turned it on, A Hard Day's Night just now started.

Did it say you were suckers?

https://filmfestival.tcm.com/schedule/20210509/

I forgot to alert you all to let me come in (2011) (on 5/7), and Her Man (Garnett, 1930) earlier today. But do not miss the TCM premiere of So This Is Paris (Lubitsch, 1926), at 8pm EST. Featuring a new score by Ben Model.

On the road today (earlier, the one where early-1950s Stanwyck has to save her feckless hub and son from escaped killer)---now: Detour---next: Gun Crazy---followed by: They Live By Night---and:Judgement at Nuremberg.(with post-crash Montgomery Clift).

Sorry, just(38 minutes in} now got to A Film About Jimi Hendrix(1973), which I first saw in a 70s theater: well-chosen/transferred performances, good interviews, telling the story, not just endorsements like so many docs.

Erk---Brewster McCloud about 15 min in

Just watched the beginning of Pushover (1954), Kim Novak’s screen debut. After a wan, pre-credits bank robbery, the movie kicks into gear with a late-night scene in which Novak is picked up by a stranger (Fred MacMurray) after a movie… they go to a bar, then his apartment. The chemistry in this entire scene (and Novak herself) are—pardon me—hot fuckin stuff!!

Watched the rest of that movie; it was pretty good (though cheap-looking as hell). MacMurray plays a cop who goes crooked and totally screws up his own scheme. (Don’t worry, that’s not much of a spoiler.)

Stone cold Nightmare Allley tonight @11:05 Central, after a parade of Powers as clean-cut action heroes.

TCM to launch onlyfans page. https://t.co/LOALv96Esd

— Bill Chambers (@flmfrkcentral) August 26, 2021

Looks like it was a new logo?: https://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/new_logo_identity_and_on_air_look_for_tcm_by_sibling_rivalry.php

https://memegenerator.net/img/images/400x/73118120.jpg

Oh god that T and M are in different universes

2020’s: death to serifs

ugh, it was much better before

when i write my memoirs it will be called FIRST THEY TOOK OUR SERIFS

Lol, yeah. Ugh, yeah.

Old one was kind of Art Deco or something

Watched a little tonite… I think the new on-air graphics actually look pretty good, it’s a nice refresh. But yeah, the logo in isolation is hard to digest.

The Big Sleep started a little earlier than I thought, not too far back, not like the plot matters that way---next: Out of the Past, Mildred Pierce, Stagecoach, North By Northwest, The Heiress, Body and Soul, and The Bride Wore Red, the only one I haven't seen.