TCM Schedule for Monday August 10 - SUMMER UNDER THE STARS: DIRK BOGARDE

[rdmtimp]

The impeccable Dirk Bogarde takes center stage, with TCM premieres of 3 of the "Doctor" comedies, plus Joseph Losey's "The Servant"

(all times Eastern)

6:00 AM Esther Waters (1948)
A housemaid's life is complicated by the attentions of a seductive groom. Cast: Kathleen Ryan, Dirk Bogarde, Cyril Cusack. Dir: Ian Dalrymple, Peter Proud. BW-110 mins,

8:00 AM Simba (1955)
A European family gets caught between English colonists and African rebels. Cast: Dirk Bogarde, Virginia McKenna, Basil Sydney. Dir: Brian Desmond Hurst. C-99 mins,

9:45 AM Spanish Gardener, The (1956)
The British consul in Spain resents his son's friendship with a gardener. Cast: Dirk Bogarde, Michael Hordern, Jon Whiteley. Dir: Philip Leacock. C-95 mins, TV-G

11:30 AM Penny Princess (1952)
A young American woman with no political or financial experience finds herself the heiress to a tiny European country. Cast: Yolande Donlan, Dirk Bogarde, Edwin Styles. Dir: Val Guest. C-90 mins,

1:01 PM Short Film: Penny Wisdom (1937)
A newspaper columnist saves an important family dinner. BW-10 mins,

1:15 PM Doctor in the House (1955)
A medical student tries to balance partying with healing the sick. Cast: Dirk Bogarde, Muriel Pavlow, Kenneth More. Dir: Ralph Thomas. C-92 mins,

2:48 PM Short Film: Emergency Doctor (1956)
A tribute to all the doctors who put their lives on hold to save the lives of others. Dir: Harry W. Smith BW-8 mins,

3:00 PM Doctor at Large (1957)
A young doctor tries to survive a series of disastrous internships. Cast: Dirk Bogarde, Muriel Pavlow, James Robertson Justice. Dir: Ralph Thomas. C-99 mins, , Letterbox Format

4:45 PM Doctor in Distress (1963)
An intern and his antagonistic boss bond over romantic problems. Cast: Dirk Bogarde, Samantha Eggar, James Robertson Justice. Dir: Ralph Thomas. C-103 mins, , Letterbox Format

6:30 PM So Long at the Fair (1950)
A woman searches for her missing brother in Paris despite the fact that nobody believes he exists. Cast: Jean Simmons, Dirk Bogarde, David Tomlinson. Dir: Antony Darnborough, Terence Fisher. BW-86 mins, TV-PG

8:00 PM Blue Lamp, The (1950)
A London Bobbie goes after the crooks who shot his partner. Cast: Jack Warner, Jimmy Hanley, Dirk Bogarde. Dir: Basil Dearden. BW-85 mins, , CC

9:30 PM Servant, The (1963)
A wily manservant takes over his dissolute master's estate. Cast: Dirk Bogarde, James Fox, Sarah Miles. Dir: Joseph Losey. BW-116 mins, , Letterbox Format

11:30 PM Our Mother's House (1967)
Afraid of being separated, a family of children keep their mother's death a secret. Cast: Dirk Bogarde, Pamela Franklin, Mark Lester. Dir: Jack Clayton. BW-106 mins, TV-14, CC, Letterbox Format

1:30 AM Darling (1965)
A young beauty sacrifices love and happiness to become an international celebrity. Cast: Julie Christie, Dirk Bogarde, Laurence Harvey. Dir: John Schlesinger. BW-126 mins, TV-MA, CC

3:43 AM Short Film: On The Trail Of The Iguana (1964) C-14 mins,

4:00 AM Damn The Defiant! (1962)
The crew of a British sailing ship threatens mutiny during the Napoleonic wars. Cast: Alec Guinness, Dirk Bogarde, Anthony Quayle. Dir: Lewis Gilbert. C-101 mins, TV-PG, Letterbox Format

5:56 AM Short Film: New Star: Geraldine Chaplin (1965) BW-1 mins,

[Matilda]

1. I think Dirk Bogarde isn't well-known in the States.

He wasn't a Hollywood "type", and I don't think they knew what to do with him, but he was a fine actor and turned
him some memorable performances in a number of good films. He's probably best known for "Death in Venice" in the
US, but he had decades of good work behind him before he made that film towards the end of his career.

The "Doctor" series don't cut it for me, but that's just personal taste. However, there are some others that are
good viewing listed.

SO LONG AT THE FAIR:
I love this film! It isn't a great film, but it has suspense, good photography and direction, and Bogarde and
Simmons are totally credible in their roles (she was at her loveliest at this time). There are fine supporting
performances too, and it's really well worth looking at.

THE SERVANT:
This is an amazing film on so many levels, starting with the script by Harold Pinter, and including the acting of
all the cast, but principally Bogarde, who moves from subservience to menace with hardly a discernible change -
a brilliant, chilling performance. The direction by Joseph Losey never falters, and the cinematography is superb.
It won a number of BAFTAS, including awards for all the main cast - Bogarde, Sarah Miles, Wendy Craig, and James
Fox. Should have won Oscars, IMO, but the film was perhaps too daring for Hollywood at that time; it definitely
broke boundaries.

OUR MOTHER'S HOUSE:
A rather creepy premise - a group of children hide the death of their mother and continue to cash her social
security checks, because they can't face the prospect of their family being broken up. Life continues more or
less as normal until their reprobate father, played by Bogarde, shows up and decides it's time he cashed in. He's
a thoroughly nasty character; although I really like Bogarde, he makes it possible for me to loathe him in this,
which is quite a tribute to his acting. In general, I don't care for films where children are the stars because
they can seldom really carry a film, but this lot can and do. Headed by the wonderful Pamela Franklin, there
isn't a poor performance among them, and they succeed in making a totally implausible premise thoroughly credible.

Give yourselves a treat and watch Mr Bogarde, especially if you're not familiar with his work.