TCM Schedule for Friday, August 5 -- Summer Under The Stars -- John Garfield

[Staph]

Today's star is John Garfield, and TCM starts with his first film (for which he received an Oscar nod), and wraps up with his last film, completed before his sudden death of heart failure at 39. Enjoy!



6:00 AM -- Four Daughters (1938)
A small-town family's peaceful life is shattered when one daughter falls for a rebellious musician.
Dir: Michael Curtiz
Cast: Claude Rains, Jeffrey Lynn, John Garfield.
90 min, TV-G, CC

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- John Garfield, Best Director -- Michael Curtiz, Best Sound, Recording -- Nathan Levinson (Warner Bros. SSD), Best Writing, Screenplay -- Lenore J. Coffee and Julius J. Epstein, and Best Picture

John Garfield's first film and first Oscar nomination -- Garfield admitted that he based the way he played his character, Mickey Borden, on Oscar Levant.


7:45 AM -- Blackwell's Island (1939)
A reporter gets himself sent to prison to expose a mobster.
Dir: William McGann
Cast: John Garfield, Rosemary Lane, Dick Purcell.
71 min, TV-G, CC

The first press screening was held at the Welfare Island Prison, on the island in the East River of New York City first called Blackwell's Island, then Welfare Island and now called Roosevelt Island.


9:00 AM -- They Made Me A Criminal (1939)
A young boxer flees to farming country when he thinks he's killed an opponent in the ring.
Dir: Busby Berkeley
Cast: John Garfield, Claude Rains, Gloria Dickson.
92 min, TV-PG, CC

This was a remake of The Life of Jimmy Dolan (starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr.). To conform with the "Hayes" Production Code, first imposed in 1934, the reporter in this film is killed by the fighter's manager. In 1933, the prizefighter, Jimmy Dolan, the central character and hero, was the killer.


10:45 AM -- Dangerously They Live (1942)
A doctor tries to rescue a young innocent from Nazi agents.
Dir: Robert Florey
Cast: John Garfield, Nancy Coleman, Raymond Massey.
77 min, TV-G

Gavin Muir is credited onscreen as "Capt. Strong", but he is called "Hunter" and "Captain Hunter". 'Matthew Boulton' is credited onscreen as "Capt. Hunter" but was not in the print.


12:15 PM -- Pride of the Marines (1945)
A blinded Marine tries to adjust to civilian life.
Dir: Delmer Daves
Cast: John Garfield, Eleanor Parker, Dane Clark.
120 min, TV-G, CC

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay -- Albert Maltz

On the train to Philadelphia, Al (John Garfield) talks to Lee (Dane Clark) about the difficulty he anticipates in getting a job for a blind man. Lee responds that because he, Lee, is Jewish, he has trouble finding a job as well and the wax philosophic about a day when people are discriminated against for any reason. But in real life, it was Garfield who was Jewish.


2:30 PM -- Air Force (1943)
A bomber crew sees World War II action over the Pacific.
Dir: Howard Hawks
Cast: John Ridgely, Gig Young, Arthur Kennedy.
125 min, TV-G, CC

Won an Oscar for Best Film Editing -- George Amy

Nominated for Oscars for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -- James Wong Howe, Elmer Dyer and Charles A. Marshall, Best Effects, Special Effects -- Hans F. Koenekamp (photographic), Rex Wimpy (photographic) and Nathan Levinson (sound), and Best Writing, Original Screenplay -- Dudley Nichols

In the scene on Wake Island where a marine hands the dog to Assistant Crew Chief Weinberg (George Tobias), a voice can be heard telling the dog to give Weinberg a kiss. The voice was from the dog's owner and trainer, Frank Weatherwax. The dog, named Rommy, had appeared in numerous other movies including Reap the Wild Wind, George Washington Slept Here and Without Love.


4:45 PM -- Humoresque (1946)
A classical musician from the slums is sidetracked by his love for a wealthy neurotic.
Dir: Jean Negulesco
Cast: Joan Crawford, John Garfield, Oscar Levant.
125 min, TV-PG, CC

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture -- Franz Waxman

John Garfield's violin "performances" are actually played by two professional violinists standing on either side of him, one to bow and one to finger. The actual music was performed by Isaac Stern.


7:00 PM -- The John Garfield Story (2003)
A TCM original documentary that traces John Garfield's life and career from his humble childhood.
Dir: David Heeley
Cast: Julie Garfield, Hume Cronyn, Richard Dreyfuss.
C-58 min, TV-PG, CC

Features clips from Footlight Parade (1933), Swingtime in the Movies (1938), Four Daughters (1938), They Made Me a Criminal (1939), Blackwell's Island (1939), Juarez (1939), Daughters Courageous (1939), Dust Be My Destiny (1939), Four Wives (1939), Castle on the Hudson (1940), Saturday's Children (1940), Flowing Gold (1940), East of the River (1940), The Sea Wolf (1941), Out of the Fog (1941), Tortilla Flat (1942), The Fallen Sparrow (1943), Destination Tokyo (1943), Hollywood Canteen (1944), Pride of the Marines (1945), The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), Humoresque (1946), Body and Soul (1947), Gentleman's Agreement (1947), Force of Evil (1948), We Were Strangers (1949), The Breaking Point (1950) and He Ran All the Way (1951).



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: SUMMER UNDER THE STARS: JOHN GARFIELD



8:00 PM -- The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
Illicit lovers plot to kill the woman's older husband.
Dir: Tay Garnett
Cast: Lana Turner, John Garfield, Cecil Kellaway.
113 min, TV-PG, CC

This caused a stir amongst 1940s audiences who were shocked when it seemed clear to them that John Garfield uses his tongue in one of his kissing scenes with Lana Turner.


10:00 PM -- The Breaking Point (1950)
A desperate fishing boat captain rents his ship to some gunmen on the lam.
Dir: Michael Curtiz
Cast: John Garfield, Patricia Neal, Phyllis Thaxter.
97 min, TV-PG, CC

Based on the novel To Have And Have Not by Ernest Hemingway.


12:00 AM -- We Were Strangers (1949)
A Cuban American returns to his homeland during the Revolution and becomes involved in an assassination attempt.
Dir: John Huston
Cast: Jennifer Jones, John Garfield, Pedro Armendariz.
106 min, TV-PG, CC

One of the writers, Peter Viertel, wrote a chapter in his book Dangerous Friends about how he and John Huston wrote the screenplay for We Were Strangers, including two weeks in Cuba with Ernest Hemingway. According to Viertel, Hemingway suggested ending the film as it occurred in reality: with the death of the revolutionaries. Instead, an alternative ending was supplied by Ben Hecht.


2:00 AM -- He Ran All the Way (1951)
A crook on the run hides out in an innocent girl's apartment.
Dir: John Berry
Cast: John Garfield, Shelley Winters, Wallace Ford.
78 min, TV-PG

This was John Garfield's final film.


3:30 AM -- Destination Tokyo (1943)
A U.S. sub braves enemy waters during World War II.
Dir: Delmer Daves
Cast: Cary Grant, John Garfield, Alan Hale.
135 min, TV-PG, CC

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Writing, Original Story -- Steve Fisher

The appendectomy operation conducted by the character Pills (William Prince) was inspired by an actual appendix operation performed aboard the submarine "Seadragon" in 1942. The real-life appendectomy was performed by 22-year-old pharmacist's mate Wheeler B. Lipes with the help of an assistant. The two were able to extract the appendix of Seaman Darrell Dean Rector under very trying conditions with limited resources and skills. They used kitchen utensils and equipment including a strainer and bent spoons as retractors; alcohol taken from torpedoes, and sterilized pajamas as surgical gowns. The sub's crew had believed that Lipes was the most qualified person to perform such a life-or-death operation, as he had apparently observed appendectomies before. Lipes was persuaded to do the operation by his fellow crewmen. The operation took place 120 feet below the surface of the South China Sea. Afterwards, Lipes' actions were criticized by US Navy doctors and the US Surgeon General even considered court-martialling him. Over 60 years later, in April 2005, Lipes finally received the US Navy Commendation Medal, two months before his death. According to the 19 April 2005 Los Angeles Times obituary of Lipes, this operation was the first ever performed in a submerged submarine.

[CBHagman]

1. John Garfield day!

This is where I get to say (again) that it's a shame that more people aren't familiar with his work nowadays. But I'll admit I didn't get his appeal the first time I saw Four Daughters and it wasn't until TCM ran its documentary that I came to appreciate him.

The tidbit about Oscar Levant (another interesting figure) was something I hadn't read before. Thanks for posting the commentary to go with the films.