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Today's daytime theme is a memorial tribute to the late Jackie Cooper. He was an incredibly talented kid . . . and adult, too. And in primetime, TCM is showing a trio of western spoofs. But they have missed my favorite -- Blazing Saddles (1974). It's twue! It's twue! Enjoy!
6:00 AM -- Dinky (1935)
A military school cadet's mother is framed and sent to prison.
Dir: D. Ross Lederman
Cast: Jackie Cooper, Mary Astor, Roger Pryor.
65 min, TV-G
Interesting Jackie Cooper facts (since I can't find any interesting trivia about this film) -- Cooper served with the Navy in the South Pacific toward the end of World War II. Then, quietly and without publicity or fanfare, he compiled one of the most distinguished peacetime military careers of anyone in his profession. In 1961, as his weekly TV series "Hennesey" (1959) was enhancing naval recruiting efforts, he accepted a commission as a line officer in the Naval Reserve with duties in recruitment, training films and public relations. Holder of a multi-engine pilot license, he later co-piloted jet planes for the Navy, which made him an Honorary Aviator authorized to wear wings of gold--at the time only the third so honored in naval aviation history. By 1976, he had attained the rank of Captain, and was in uniform aboard the carrier USS Constellation for the Bicentennial celebration on July 4. In 1980, the Navy proposed a period of active duty at the Pentagon which would have resulted in a promotion to Rear Admiral, bringing him even with Air Force Reserve Brigadier General James Stewart. Fresh on the heels of a second directing Emmy, he felt his absence would impact achieving a long-held goal of directing motion pictures, and reluctantly declined. (The opportunity in films never materialized.) Holds Letters of Commendation from six Secretaries of the Navy. Was honorary chairman of the US Navy Memorial Foundation and a charter member of VIVA, the effort to return POW-MIAs from Vietnam. Upon retirement in 1982, he was decorated with the Legion of Merit by Navy Secretary John F. Lehman Jr.. Other than Stewart, no performer in his industry has achieved a higher uniformed rank in the US military. (Glenn Ford was also a Naval Reserve Captain, and director and Captain John Ford was awarded honorary flag rank upon his 1951 retirement from the Naval Reserve).
7:15 AM -- Divorce In The Family (1932)
A young boy gets caught in an emotional tug of war between his divorcing parents.
Dir: Charles F. Riesner
Cast: Jackie Cooper, Conrad Nagel, Lewis Stone.
81 min, TV-PG
Verree Teasdale was originally cast as "Mr. Grace Shumaker" but developed a severe case of tonsilitis and was replaced by Lois Wilson.
8:45 AM -- O'shaughnessy's Boy (1935)
A circus performer searches for the son his wife stole from him.
Dir: Richard Boleslawski
Cast: Wallace Beery, Jackie Cooper, Spanky McFarland.
87 min, TV-G
The last of the four feature length films costarring Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper. The one we won't see today is The Bowery (1933).
10:15 AM -- Boy of the Streets (1937)
A tough street kid tries to use gang violence to break into corrupt city politics.
Dir: William Nigh
Cast: Jackie Cooper, Maureen O'Connor, Kathleen Burke.
77 min, TV-PG
Based on an original story by Rowland Brown, who received Oscar nominations for The Doorway To Hell (1930) and Angels With Dirty Faces (1938).
11:45 AM -- Gallant Sons (1940)
When a man is charged with murder, his son's schoolboy friends set out to solve the case.
Dir: William Ryan
Cast: Jackie Cooper, Bonita Granville, Gene Reynolds.
76 min, TV-G
Co-stars Jackie Cooper and Gene Reynolds would be reunited years later on the other side of the camera when Reynolds produced over a dozen episodes of "M*A*S*H" (1972) that were directed by Cooper.
1:15 PM -- Tough Guy (1936)
To save his beloved dog, a boy runs away from home, only to get mixed up with gangsters.
Dir: Chester M. Franklin
Cast: Jackie Cooper, Joseph Calleia, Rin Tin Tin Jr..
76 min, TV-G
Robert Greig, Robert Livingston and Lewis Stone were in early production charts as actors in this film, but they were not in the released print. Sidney Bracey (Briggs), Sherry Hall (Jones) and Don Rowan (Powers) were in studio records or casting call lists for those roles, but were not seen in the movie.
2:36 PM -- Color Scales (1932)
This "Fisherman's Paradise" entry shows various species of tropical fish at the Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco, California.
Narrator: Pete Smith
C-8 min
2:45 PM -- The Devil Is A Sissy (1936)
A British boy in New York tries to join a tenement gang.
Dir: W. S. Van Dyke
Cast: Freddie Bartholomew, Jackie Cooper, Mickey Rooney.
92 min, TV-G, CC
Rowland Brown was the original director, but he was replaced after one week by W.S. Van Dyke, who reshot most of Brown's footage. This was the 4th time another director completed a film which Brown started.
4:30 PM -- Treasure Island (1934)
Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale of a young boy out to foil pirates and find a buried treasure.
Dir: Victor Fleming
Cast: Wallace Beery, Jackie Cooper, Lionel Barrymore.
103 min, TV-G, CC
The second of the four Beery-Cooper pairings, and one of more than 20 remakes of the Robert Louis Stevenson story. Others who have played Jim Hawkins include Bobby Driscoll, Davy Jones (of Monkees fame), Christian Bale, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Dawn French (in an animated version!).
6:15 PM -- Night Descends On Treasure Island (1940)
A travelogue celebrating the 1939 Golden Gate Exposition and highlighting its exhibition of classical paintings and stunning lighting effects.
Narrator: James A. FitzPatrick
C-8 min
Filmed concurrently with "Cavalcade of San Francisco" and "A Day on Treasure Island."
6:30 PM -- The Champ (1931)
A broken-down prizefighter battles to keep custody of his son.
Dir: King Vidor
Cast: Wallace Beery, Jackie Cooper, Irene Rich.
86 min, TV-G, CC
Won Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Wallace Beery (Tied with Fredric March for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)), and Best Writing, Original Story -- Frances Marion
Nominated for Oscars for Best Director -- King Vidor, and Best Picture
Wallace Beery actually got one less vote than Fredric March in the 1931/1932 Academy Awards voting for best actor, but the rules at the time considered anyone with one or two votes less than the leader as being in a tie. So both got Academy Awards.
TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: WESTERN SPOOFS
8:00 PM -- The Paleface (1948)
An inept dentist must rescue his outlaw wife from the Indians.
Dir: Norman Z. McLeod
Cast: Bob Hope, Jane Russell, Robert Armstrong.
C-91 min, TV-G, CC
Won an Oscar for Best Music, Original Song -- Jay Livingston and Ray Evans for the song "Buttons and Bows"
Though the story here is fictional, there was a real dentist who called himself 'Painless' - 'Painless Parker'. Edgar Parker was a dentist who struggled to run a street dental business, and so he took his practice on the road. He worked in the 1890s, in the era of 'amusement'. Inspired by P.T. Barnum, he had a horse-drawn office, show girls and buglers. Parker promised that he could extract a rotten tooth painlessly for 50 cents. If the extraction was not painless, he would give the customer $5.00. Parker had a band that he used to attract people to his office. The band also served to distract the patients and to drown out any moans of pain emitted from the patients. Patients were served with a cup of whiskey or a solution of cocaine (called 'hydrocaine'). Parker is said to have legally changed his first name to 'Painless' to avoid charges of false advertising.
9:42 PM -- Spotlight (2000)
14 min
10:00 PM -- Along Came Jones (1945)
A mild-mannered cowboy is mistaken for a notorious outlaw.
Dir: Stuart Heisler
Cast: Gary Cooper, Loretta Young, William Demarest.
Loretta Young was pregnant with her son Christopher Lewis during shooting and was told by her doctor to take it easy because of all the horseback riding she had to do during filming.
12:00 AM -- Cat Ballou (1965)
A prim schoolteacher turns outlaw queen when the railroad steals her land.
Dir: Elliot Silverstein
Cast: Jane Fonda, Lee Marvin, Michael Callan.
C-96 min, TV-PG, CC
Won an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Lee Marvin
Nominated for Oscars for Best Film Editing -- Charles Nelson, Best Music, Original Song -- Jerry Livingston (music) and Mack David (lyrics) for the song "The Ballad of Cat Ballou", Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment -- Frank De Vol, and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium -- Walter Newman and Frank Pierson
When filming the scene where Kid Shaleen takes a bath and dons his costume, director Elliot Silverstein had all actions timed to the beat of a metronome, its pace increasing when Shaleen takes his guns. He planned to have the scene scored with Spanish guitars following this beat, but the producer was adamantly opposed to anything Spanish in a Western. In the end electric, guitars were used.
2:00 AM -- Snapshot (1978)
A sports photographer tires to steal his best friend's girl.
Dir: Allan Eastman
Cast: Jim Henshaw, Susan Petrie, Susan Hogan.
C-100 min, TV-MA
Also known as A Sweeter Song.
3:45 AM -- Model Shop (1969)
A young drifter falls for a beautiful model.
Dir: Jacques Demy
Cast: Anouk Aimée, Gary Lockwood, Alexandra Hay.
C-97 min, TV-14
Harrison Ford was Jacques Demy's first choice for the main character instead of Gary Lockwood, but Columbia didn't want Ford, saying he wouldn't make any money. Demy's wife Agnès Varda shot a screen test of Ford, clips of which are included in her documentary Les plages d'Agnès (2008).
5:30 AM -- Summer of '63 (1963)
Teens on the make spread syphilis among their friends.
C-21 min, TV-PG
Filmed on location in Salina, Kansas. Maybe that's the problem with Kansas!
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