TCM Schedule for Sunday, May 25 -- STAR OF THE MONTH: FRANK SINATRA

[Longhorn]

3:38am Short Film: From The Vaults: 2010: The Odyssey Continues (1984)
C-20 mins

4:00am Beach Red (1967)
American soldiers fight to take a Japanese-occupied island during World War II.
Cast: Cornel Wilde, Rip Torn, Burr DeBenning. Dir: Cornel Wilde. C-104 mins, TV-MA

5:45am Short Film: One Reel Wonders: Beach Of Nazare (1957)
BW-8 mins

6:00am First Motion Picture Unit (1943)
The short documentary profiles the Army Air Corps' film production unit, which was put together to produce training films during WWII.
BW-21 mins, TV-PG

6:25am Winning Your Wings (1942)
James Stewart hosts this classic Air Force recruiting film.
BW-18 mins, TV-G

6:45am Guy Named Joe, A (1943)
A downed World War II pilot becomes the guardian angel for his successor in love and war.
Cast: Spencer Tracy, Irene Dunne, Van Johnson. Dir: Victor Fleming. BW-120 mins, TV-G

9:00am Flight Command (1940)
A cocky cadet tries to prove himself during flight training.
Cast: Robert Taylor, Ruth Hussey, Walter Pidgeon. Dir: Frank Borzage. BW-116 mins, TV-PG

11:00am Action In The North Atlantic (1943)
A Merchant Marine crew fights off enemy attacks at the start of World War II.
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Raymond Massey, Alan Hale. Dir: Lloyd Bacon. BW-127 mins, TV-G

1:15pm Objective, Burma! (1945)
An American platoon parachutes into Burma to take out a strategic Japanese outpost.
Cast: Errol Flynn, George Tobias, Henry Hull. Dir: Raoul Walsh. BW-142 mins, TV-PG

3:45pm Stalag 17 (1953)
A cynical serviceman in a World War II POW camp has to prove he's not an informer.
Cast: William Holden, Don Taylor, Otto Preminger. Dir: Billy Wilder. BW-120 mins, TV-PG

6:00pm Pork Chop Hill (1959)
Americans take a vital hill in Korea but have trouble holding it.
Cast: Gregory Peck, Harry Guardino, Woody Strode. Dir: Lewis Milestone. BW-98 mins, TV-PG

What's On Tonight: STAR OF THE MONTH: FRANK SINATRA

8:00pm Frank Sinatra: Ol' Blue Eyes is Back (1973)
Ol' Blue Eyes confidently delivers a slate of quintessentially Frank tunes.
Cast: Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly. Dir: Marty Pasetta. C-51 mins, TV-G

9:00pm On the Town (1949)
Three sailors wreak havoc as they search for love during a whirlwind 24-hour leave in New York City.
Cast: Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Vera-Ellen. Dir: Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen. C-98 mins, TV-G

10:56pm Short Film: From The Vaults: Have Faith In Our Children (1955)
BW-3 mins

11:00pm Frank Sinatra: Ol' Blue Eyes is Back (1973)
Ol' Blue Eyes confidently delivers a slate of quintessentially Frank tunes.
Cast: Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly. Dir: Marty Pasetta. C-51 mins, TV-G

12:00am Anchors Aweigh (1945)
A pair of sailors on leave try to help a movie extra become a singing star.
Cast: Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson. Dir: George Sidney. C-139 mins, TV-G

2:30am Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949)
A beautiful woman takes over a turn-of-the-century baseball team.
Cast: Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Esther Williams. Dir: Busby Berkeley. C-93 mins, TV-G

4:15am Kill the Umpire (1950)
To appease his family, a retired baseball player signs up for umpire school.
Cast: William Bendix, Una Merkel, Ray Collins. Dir: Lloyd Bacon. BW-78 mins, TV-G

[Longhorn]

1. First Motion Picture Unit (1943)

As part of its Memorial Day Weekend Marathon, TCM presents films from the First Motion Picture Unit (FMPU), which was formed in 1942 and produced some 400 World War II training, morale-building and propaganda films for the Army Air Force. Among those who played a key role in the organization of FMPU was studio head Jack Warner, who was commissioned a lieutenant colonel in the AAF. The Unit was eventually located at Hal Roach Studios in Culver City, CA, which became known as "Fort Roach."

The FMPU's first production, Winning Your Wings (1942), a recruiting film narrated by Lt. James Stewart, was credited with winning 150,000 new recruits and won an Oscar nomination as Best Documentary Short. Stewart, who eventually attained the rank of brigadier general, says to potential candidates, "Young America, your future is in the sky; your wings are waiting!" In a light moment, he advises the guys to consider the effect of an airman's shining wings on the "gals."

First Motion Picture Unit (1943), with Ronald Reagan as himself, is a brief documentary explaining the Unit's functions. Reagan, who was promoted to captain the same year the film was released, had been in the Cavalry Reserves when WWII started and was transferred to the FMPU because of his combination of military and movie experience.

In Resisting Enemy Interrogation (1944), Oscar-nominated as Best Documentary Feature, Arthur Kennedy is among the uncredited young actors who play American airmen shot down over Germany and captured by the Nazis. In this noir-flavored film, the Americans are tricked into revealing military secrets, leading to the deaths of several of their comrades. The film offers instructions to other airmen in resisting such treatment.

Ronald Reagan also appears in the documentary short Recognition of the Japanese Zero (1942), playing Lt. Saunders, an overeager pilot who almost shoots down one of our own planes. The focus is on aircraft identification, instructing American pilots in the difference between an American P-40 and a Japanese Zero.

by Roger Fristoe

Here is the schedule for the following First Motion Picture Unit Films on 3/26:

8:00 pm ET First Motion Picture Unit
8:30 pm ET Resisting Enemy Interrogation
9:45 pm ET Winning Your Wings
10:00 pm ET Recognition of the Japanese Zero
10:30 pm ET Code of Conduct