TCM Schedule for Thursday, March 17 -- Lá Fhéile Pádraig

[Staph]

Happy Saint Patrick's Day! We have a wide selection of Irish-themed films during the day. I suppose that it would be too much of a cliche to include my favorite Irish film, The Quiet Man (1952). In primetime there is a continuation of this month's theme of Employee Picks. The name and department of the employee is in curly brackets {like this!}. Enjoy!



6:00 AM -- My Wild Irish Rose (1947)
Musical biography of Irish songwriter Chauncey Olcott.
Cast: Dennis Morgan, Arlene Dahl, Alan Hale.
Dir: David Butler.
C-101 mins, TV-G, Letterbox Format

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture -- Ray Heindorf and Max Steiner

Film debut of Penny Edwards.


7:51 AM -- Ireland "The Emerald Isle" (1934)
In this "Traveltalk," we see the people, land, and culture of rural Ireland.
Narrator: James A. FitzPatrick
C-8 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

The soundtrack includes "Danny Boy", written by Frederick Edward Weatherly, and "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling", with music by Ernest Ball and lyrics by Chauncey Olcott and George Graff.


8:00 AM -- The Irish in Us (1935)
The sons of an Irish family have to choose among police work, prize fighting and love.
Cast: James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Olivia de Havilland.
Dir: Lloyd Bacon.
BW-84 mins, TV-G, Letterbox Format

Olivia de Havilland's second-released film.


9:30 AM -- Finian's Rainbow (1968)
A leprechaun follows the Irishman who stole his pot of gold to the U.S. South.
Cast: Fred Astaire, Tommy Steele, Petula Clarke.
Dir: Francis Ford Coppola.
C-145 mins, TV-G, CC,

Nominated for Oscars for Best Music, Score of a Musical Picture (Original or Adaptation) -- Ray Heindorf, and
Best Sound

Because of its satire on racism, this popular 1947 Broadway musical was considered such a hot potato in Hollywood that studios would not touch it unless they were allowed to change the story. Its original creators, E.Y. Harburg, Burton Lane and Fred Saidy, held out and by 1968 it was able to be filmed with very few changes.


12:00 PM -- Irene (1940)
An Irish shop girl falls in love with a high-society boy.
Cast: Anna Neagle, Ray Milland, Roland Young.
Dir: Herbert Wilcox.
BW-101 mins, TV-G, Letterbox Format

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Music, Score -- Anthony Collins

This was adapted from a popular Broadway musical that originally opened at the Vanderbilt Theater on Nov. 18, 1919 and ran for 675 performances. Irene Dunne and Jeanette MacDonald were replacement cast members during its long run. The musical was later revived with Debbie Reynolds in the lead. This version opened at the Minskoff Theater in New York on March 13, 1973 and ran for 594 performances.


1:51 PM -- Roaming Through Northern Ireland (1949)
In this "Traveltalk," we learn about the history, culture, and people of Northern Ireland.
Narrator: James A. FitzPatrick
C-8 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Filmed throughout Northern Ireland, including Bangor, Carrick-a-Rede Island, Cushendun, Downpatrick, Dunluce Castle, Enniskillen, Giant's Causeway, and Portrush.


2:00 PM -- Three Cheers For The Irish (1940)
A Scottish lad and Irish lass risk their families' wrath by marrying.
Cast: Thomas Mitchell, Priscilla Lane, Alan Hale.
Dir: Lloyd Bacon.
BW-99 mins, TV-G, Letterbox Format

Thomas Mitchell, born of Irish immigrant parents, was the brother of James P. Mitchell, President Dwight D. Eisenhower's Secretary of Labor 1953-1961.


3:51 PM -- Sean O'Casey: The Spirit Of Ireland (1965)
A promotional featurette about the making of "Young Cassidy" (1965).
C-8 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Young Cassidy was based on the life of Sean O'Casey, whose autobiography "Mirror in My House" served as the basis for the movie.


4:00 PM -- Young Cassidy (1965)
True story of playwright Sean O'Casey's involvement with the Irish rebellion of 1910.
Cast: Rod Taylor, Julie Christie, Maggie Smith.
Dir: Jack Cardiff, John Ford.
C-110 mins, TV-14, Letterbox Format

Director John Ford fell ill during production and was replaced by Jack Cardiff.


6:00 PM -- The Daughter Of Rosie O'Grady (1950)
Against her widowed father's wishes, a vaudeville star's daughter takes to the stage.
Cast: June Haver, Gordon MacRae, S.Z. Sakall.
Dir: David Butler.
C-105 mins, TV-G, Letterbox Format

The speaking debut of Debbie Reynolds; she had been in June Bride (1948) previously, but without dialogue.


7:51 PM -- Vitaphone Pictorial Review #61 (1938)
A Vitaphone short containing three unique segments: Chemical Magic, about the making and uses of plastics, Hare and Hound, about greyhound racing, and Liquid Enchantment, about perfume.
BW-8 mins, CC, Letterbox Format



WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: TCM SPOTLIGHT: EMPLOYEE PICKS


8:00 PM -- Female (1933) {Anna Davis, TCM Digital}
A female CEO who's used to buying love meets her match in an independent young executive.
Cast: Ruth Chatterton, George Brent, Johnny Mack Brown.
Dir: Michael Curtiz.
BW-60 mins, TV-G, Letterbox Format

The exterior of Alison Drake's house was shot on location at the famous Ennis House in the Hollywood Hills, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.


9:15 PM -- Rififi (1954) (original title -- Du rififi chez les hommes) {Shannon Clute, TCM Brand Department}
Four friends plot an intricate jewelry heist, planning for everything except human frailty.
Cast: Jean Servais, Carl Mohner, Robert Manuel.
Dir: Jules Dassin.
BW-119 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

The much imitated heist sequence is over 32 minutes long and contains not a single line of dialogue or music. The production crew and composer Georges Auric thought it would be a disaster to have such a long sequence sans dialogue. Auric insisted that he allow him to write a grand piece of music for the scene and he eventually did on his own. Later Dassin played the part for Auric twice, once with the score, once without. Auric turned to him and admitted, "Without the music".


11:15 PM -- Trouble Along the Way (1953) {Christina Chyn, TCM Digital}
A famous football coach uses underhanded means to turn a bankrupt college's team into winners.
Cast: John Wayne, Donna Reed, Charles Coburn.
Dir: Michael Curtiz.
BW-110 mins, TV-PG, Letterbox Format

The external scenes at the college were shot at Pomona College, Claremont, California. The building where John Wayne calls to Donna Reed at he end of the film is the Hall of Music at Pomona. The football game scenes were filmed at the Polo Grounds in New York, which at the time was the home field of the NFL's New York Giants.


1:15 AM -- Seconds (1966) {Courtney O'Brien, TCM Studio Production}
A bored rich man buys a new life from a secret organization.
Cast: Rock Hudson, Will Geer, John Randolph.
Dir: John Frankenheimer.
BW-106 mins, TV-14, CC,

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -- James Wong Howe

Originally Kirk Douglas was supposed to play the lead role, but Frankenheimer didn't think that Kirk's well-known features could be adequately hidden. The director envisioned Laurence Olivier in the role before finally choosing Rock Hudson.


3:00 AM -- Carnal Knowledge (1971)
Onetime college friends cope with the sexual revolution of the '60s.
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Art Garfunkel, Ann-Margret.
Dir: Mike Nichols.
C-98 mins, TV-MA,

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Ann-Margret

When Jack Nicholson would get ready to play his nude scenes, he'd prepare everyone on set by warning, "Here comes Big Steve!"


4:45 AM -- R.P.M. (1970)
A liberal professor takes over as college president in the midst of a student uprising.
Cast: Anthony Quinn, Ann-Margret, Gary Lockwood.
Dir: Stanley Kramer.
C-92 mins, TV-14, CC, Letterbox Format

Stanley Kramer always referred to this film in interviews as his least favorite and least successful of the films he has directed.