If Cultureshark Were TCM's Guest Programmer--Part 2

Click here for a general explanation and here for my first personal dream Guest Programmer lineup.


This time, I decided to spotlight some lesser-known or lesser-screened movies. After all, I get more excited as a viewer when a Guest programmer chooses something that isn't already on all the time. Here is my schedule:


6:00 am: The Gorilla (1939, Ritz Brothers, Bela Lugosi)
--Bleary-eyed and groggy might be the best way to "enjoy" the Ritz Brothers, a comedy team whose ineptness makes them more offbeat performers than even Lugosi. Everyone should see the Ritz Brothers at least once, and if you can't track down their short film "Hotel Anchovy," this is a good start.

7:30 AM The Invisible Boy (1947, Robby the Robot)
--A sci-fi movie full of bizarre charm and wonder. A great morning pick for those fabled "children of all ages."

9:00 AM The Secret of Dr. Kildare (1939, Lew Aryes, Lionel Barrymore)
--MGM's Dr. Kildare series gives you a bunch of movies packed with humor, melodrama, even a little action. The recurring characters, played by stalwarts like Nat Pendelton, add flavor, and each installment is a lot of fun. I highlight this one because of the entertaining subplot of Kildare and others trying to trick the crusty but big-hearted Dr. Gillespie (the brilliant Lionel Barrymore), but any of these movies draw you in with their easy charm and casual, yet still vital, appeal.

10:30 AM The Big Noise (1936, Guy Kibbee)
--To me this is the epitome of the kind of buried treasure you find on TCM. I have no idea why I taped this some years back. I knew nothing about it and barely knew Guy Kibbee at the time. It just seems so random looking back. Heck, the movie itself seems random. A guy retires, gets bored, and opens up a dry cleaning business, but then is besieged by gangsters trying to get in on his racket. It goes from one place to another, packing in quite a bit in about an hour. A movie like this would never be released theatrically today, let alone developed for TV.

11:30 Hell Divers (1931, Wallace Beery, Clark Gable)

--I had the opportunity to see this one in a professional capacity a few years back, and thus the Legend of Wallace Beery sprung forth. This one shows how old movies can be flat-out fun. It's loaded with brawling, airplane flying, and derring-do. I think it's a riot, but I don't mean that in a mocking sense; it's just hilarious to laugh with (and sometimes at) in a good-natured way. And the big lug Wally Beery is the kind of larger-than-life character that makes anything he's in a treat.

1:30 PM Angels in the Outfield (1951 Paul Douglas, Janet Leigh)
--As a big fan of the game, I'm compelled to throw in a baseball movie. This isn't the best one, but it has sentimental value for me because I remember seeing it on WWOR as a kid and, more importantly, it features the Pittsburgh Pirates. Plus my team gets divine intervention! Much like a midweek day baseball game, this film would be a good afternoon treat.

3:30pm Hail the Conquering Hero (1944 Preston Sturges joint w/ Eddie Bracken and Bill Demarest)

--Simply one of the best yet most underrated comedies of Classic Hollywood. When Sturges gets his due today, which is not often enough, it's generally with regards to the sophisticated The Lady Eve or the "risque" Miracle of Morgan's Creek. Time to show this one some love.


Now let's bring on the darkness as the sun goes down:

5:30pm Cry Danger (1951, Dick Powell)

--A great film noir with some of the best dialogue around. Noir is associated with nighttime, but this has a lot of daytime scenes and is a good early-evening pick. Don't worry, though, it still packs a punch.

7:00pm Pitfall (1948, Dick Powell and Lisabeth Scott)

--This look at a middle-class "average" man who spirals into trouble got me into film noir. Someone needs to rescue this from obscurity and get it to DVD...or at least TCM. I rented a Republic Pictures VHS several years ago and sometimes regret having returned it.

8:30 PM Dark Passage (1947, Bogart and Bacall)

--How can a movie with those two stars be underappreciated? Well, the plot has some fantastic elements, and Bogart spends much of the movie with his face bandaged. But this is an innovative noir with plenty of surprises and entertaining little detours and sidebars. Sure, it's ultimately a big studio production packed with stars, but it still has that offbeat charm seen in the best cheapo B-movie noirs.

10:30 PM The Big Combo (1955, Richard Conte, Brian Donlevy)

--There are at least 3 standout shots/sequences that still shock today. Noir buffs know that anything directed by Anthony Mann and shot by John Alton is a must-see, but all old movie fans should get that message.

Midnight Woman on the Run (1950, Ann Sheridan)
-- One of the most exciting movies you'll get for only 5 bucks (or less) on a budget DVD. It's widely available, but not widely known, but it should be. The climactic chase sequence alone is a keeper,

1:30 AM Devil Thumbs a Ride (1947, Larry Tierney)

--An amazing low-budget thriller that mesmerizes from start to finish. Tierney is, not surprisingly, an incredible bad-ass presence, and this short but snappy flick is loaded with tawdry menace. If you love "Detour," you may love discovering this one late at night on my Guest Programmer lineup.

2:45 AM Too Late for Tears (1949, Lizabeth Scott, Dan Duryea, and, somewhat hilariously, Don "Mr. B from Hazel" Defore)

--A wild ride with a classic femme fatale. The lousy print quality, jump cuts, and missing footage tend to add a certain air of intrigue to this gritty noir, but I'd love to see a restored version just the same.


4:30 AM The Day the World Ended (1955, A Roger Corman joint)

--I remember very little about this one except that one late night, my father and I stayed up to watch this one and had a great time mocking it--in a loving fashion, of course. I'd love to see this one again, but it could never be as good as that first experience, a great time that helped implant my affection for old movies.