TCM Schedule for Thursday, July 1, 2021 -- Primetime Theme: Seeing Double

In the daylight hours, TCM's published schedule says the theme is Elvis! Instead, we've got a celebration of director William Wyler, born July 1, 1902, in Mülhausen, Alsace, Germany (now Mulhouse, Haut-Rhin, France). It's not often that TCM celebrates a birthday with so many Oscar-nominated and Oscar-winning films. Wyler got twelve Best Director nominations, with three wins. Today's films include only one of his non-nominated films, and it's still a great one -- Jezebel (1938).

Then in prime time, TCM is giving us an evening of twins and/or look-alikes - mostly Elvis and all in Elvis films. Enjoy!


6:00 AM -- Friendly Persuasion (1956)
2h 17m | Drama | TV-G
A peaceful Quaker family's sanctity is tested during the Civil War.
Director: William Wyler
Cast: Gary Cooper, Dorothy Mcguire, Marjorie Main

Nominee for Oscars for Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Anthony Perkins, Best Director -- William Wyler, Best Writing, Best Screenplay - Adapted -- Michael Wilson (Due to being blacklisted Michael Wilson did not receive a screen credit, which under special Academy by-law made him ineligible personally although the writing achievement itself could be eligible. In early 1957 AMPAS instructed Price Waterhouse & Co. not to list any nomination declared ineligible under the by-law and thus this nomination was not included on the final voting ballot. The by-law was laster declared unworkable in January 1959. In December 2002 the Academy reinstated Mr. Wilson's nomination.), Best Sound, Recording -- Gordon R. Glennan (Westrex Sound Services) and Gordon Sawyer (Samuel Goldwyn SSD), Best Music, Original Song -- Dimitri Tiomkin (music) and Paul Francis Webster (lyrics) for the song "Friendly Persuasion (Thee I Love)", and Best Picture

This was the first commercial film William Wyler shot in color. He had previously shot 3 WW2 documentaries in color but never before a commercial film.


8:30 AM -- Jezebel (1938)
1h 44m | Drama | TV-PG
In 1850s Louisiana, a free-spirited Southern belle loses her fiancé due to her stubborn vanity and pride, and vows to win him back.
Director: William Wyler
Cast: Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, George Brent

Winner of Oscars for Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Bette Davis (On 19 July 2001 Steven Spielberg purchased Davis' Oscar statuette at a Christie's auction and returned it to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This was the second time in five years Spielberg did so to protect an Oscar from further commercial exploitation.), and Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Fay Bainter

Nominee for Oscars for Best Cinematography -- Ernest Haller, Best Music, Scoring -- Max Steiner, and Best Picture

Bette Davis came to the realization that William Wyler was a very special director when he insisted she come view the dailies with him, something she had never done with any other director before. They watched a scene where her character was coming down a staircase, a scene that had really irritated Davis, as she couldn't understand why Wyler wanted to film it over 30 times. Watching the rushes, however, she saw one of the takes in which he had captured a fleeting, devil-may-care expression that summed her character up perfectly. After that, she happily accepted however many takes Wyler wanted.


10:30 AM -- The Letter (1940)
1h 37m | Drama | TV-PG
A woman claims to have killed in self-defense, until a blackmailer turns up with an incriminating letter.
Director: William Wyler
Cast: Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, James Stephenson

Nominee for Oscars for Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Bette Davis, Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- James Stephenson, Best Director -- William Wyler, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -- Tony Gaudio, Best Film Editing -- Warren Low, Best Music, Original Score -- Max Steiner, and Best Picture

After shooting was completed, William Wyler watched a rough cut and decided that he wanted the character of Leslie to be more sympathetic. He ordered some re-writes and planned to shoot them. Bette Davis recalled - "I was heartbroken," she said, "as I felt, after reading the rewrites, that my performance could be ruined with these additions. I asked Willie if I could see the film before doing the retakes. To my horror I was crying at myself at the end of the showing. There was dead silence in the projection room when the lights came up. I said, 'If we film these retakes, we will lose the intelligent audience. It is impossible to please everyone with any one film. If we try to accomplish this, we can lose all audiences.' Plus, to my shame, even though I played the part, I deeply sympathized with Leslie Crosbie. We only made one small addition to the original film. Wyler had agreed with me. Thank God!"


12:15 PM -- The Little Foxes (1941)
1h 56m | Drama | TV-PG
The ruthless, moneyed Hubbard clan lives in, and poisons, their part of the deep South at the turn of the twentieth century.
Director: William Wyler
Cast: Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, Teresa Wright

Nominee for Oscars for Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Bette Davis, Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Patricia Collinge, Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Teresa Wright, Best Director -- William Wyler, Best Writing, Screenplay -- Lillian Hellman, Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Black-and-White -- Stephen Goosson and Howard Bristol, Best Film Editing -- Daniel Mandell, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic Picture -- Meredith Willson, and Best Picture

Bette Davis and William Wyler fought a great deal during filming. Disagreements ranged from Davis's interpretation of the character (Wyler thought she should be more sympathetic) to the appearance of the house (Davis thought it was far too opulent for a family struggling financially), to her appearance (Wyler thought her white makeup made her look like a Kabuki performer.) Davis eventually walked out of production, but returned when she heard rumors she was going to be replaced by Katharine Hepburn or Miriam Hopkins.


2:45 PM -- Mrs. Miniver (1942)
2h 14m | War | TV-G
A British family struggles to survive the first days of World War II.
Director: William Wyler
Cast: Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Teresa Wright

Winner of Oscars for Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Greer Garson, Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- Teresa Wright, Best Director -- William Wyler (William Wyler was not present at the awards ceremony because he was overseas shooting for the Army Air Force. His wife Margaret Tallichet on his behalf.), Best Writing, Screenplay -- George Froeschel, James Hilton, Claudine West and Arthur Wimperis, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -- Joseph Ruttenberg, and Best Picture

Nominee for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Walter Pidgeon, Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Henry Travers, Best Actress in a Supporting Role -- May Whitty, Best Sound, Recording -- Douglas Shearer (M-G-M SSD), Best Film Editing -- Harold F. Kress, and Best Effects, Special Effects -- A. Arnold Gillespie (photographic), Warren Newcombe (photographic) and Douglas Shearer (sound)

The closing speech, delivered by the vicar (Henry Wilcoxon) at the end of the film, was actually written by Wilcoxon and directorWilliam Wyler the night before it was filmed. Wyler had grown dissatisfied with the speech the screenwriters had come up with and convinced Wilcoxon to help him improve it. The speech proved to be integral to the film's success and was distributed across America and Europe in order to boost wartime morale amongst soldiers and civilians alike.


5:00 PM -- The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
2h 52m | Drama | TV-PG
Upon returning to small-town America, three World War II veterans have difficulty adjusting to civilian life.
Director: William Wyler
Cast: Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews

Winner of an Honorary Oscar -- Harold Russell for bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans through his appearance in The Best Years of Our Lives.

Winner of Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Fredric March (Fredric March was not present at the awards ceremony. Cathy O'Donnell accepted the award on his behalf.), Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Harold Russell, Best Director -- William Wyler, Best Writing, Screenplay -- Robert E. Sherwood, Best Film Editing -- Daniel Mandell, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture -- Hugo Friedhofer, and Best Picture

Nominee for an Oscar for Best Sound, Recording -- Gordon Sawyer (Samuel Goldwyn SSD)

William Wyler, who served as a major in the Army Air Force during World War II, incorporated his own wartime experiences into the film. Just as Fred Derry, Wyler flew in B-17s in combat over Germany, although not as a bombardier. Wyler shot footage for documentary films. (His hearing was permanently damaged when an anti-aircraft shell exploded near his plane while on a bombing raid.) Additionally, he modeled the reunion of Al and Milly--in which they first see each other at opposite ends of a long hallway--on his own homecoming to his wife, Margaret Tallichet.



WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: PRIMETIME THEME -- SEEING DOUBLE



8:00 PM -- Kissin' Cousins (1964)
1h 36m | Musical | TV-PG
A singing military officer gets mixed up with his look-alike, hillbilly cousin.
Director: Gene Nelson
Cast: Elvis Presley, Arthur O'connell, Glenda Farrell

Elvis Presley supposedly loathed the "strawberry blond" wig he had to wear as the hillbilly cousin in this film, in part because it made him look as he had before deciding to dye his hair black in the mid-fifties.


10:00 PM -- Double Trouble (1967)
1h 30m | Musical | TV-PG
A teen heiress falls for an American rock singer in London.
Director: Norman Taurog
Cast: Elvis Presley, Annette Day, John Williams

Elvis Presley later said about the film: "I wasn't exactly a James Bond in this movie. But then, no one ever asked Sean Connery to sing a song while dodging bullets".


12:00 AM -- Clambake (1967)
1h 40m | Musical | TV-G
A playboy switches places with a water-skiing instructor to find a woman who isn't after his money.
Director: Arthur H. Nadel
Cast: Elvis Presley, Shelley Fabares, Will Hutchins

While shooting this film, Elvis suffered a serious fall in his bathroom at home, tripping over an electrical cord and striking his head on the porcelain edge of a bathtub. The resultant injury was serious enough that Presley lay unconscious for an unknown length of time, and was briefly hospitalized. The pain-killers he was prescribed to relieve the massive headaches and other effects of his injuries began the drug dependency that was partially blamed for his death a decade later.


2:00 AM -- Live a Little, Love a Little (1968)
1h 30m | Musical | TV-PG
Elvis is a model photographer who eventually falls for one of his subjects.
Director: Norman Taurog
Cast: Elvis Presley, Michele Carey, Don Porter

This has often been cited as being Elvis Presley's only adult themed film, but this isn't completely accurate. His film Stay Away, Joe (1968) which was released earlier in the same year, had several adult themes to it, including language, strong violence, alcohol use, and implied nudity from several girls.


4:00 AM -- Cash McCall (1960)
1h 42m | Romance | TV-PG
A corporate spoiler makes a play for a failing company and the owner's daughter....
Director: Joseph Pevney
Cast: James Garner, Natalie Wood, Nina Foch

James Garner's last film under his Warner Brothers contract. After a writer's strike halted all Warner Brothers productions, even though Garner had a "play or pay" contract, Warner Brothers refused to pay him. Garner sued the studio for breach of contract and won.