TCM Schedule for Saturday, October 2, 2021 -- Fleischer Animation 100th Anniversary Part I

In the daylight hours, TCM has the usual Saturday matinee lineup of films and shorts. In mid-afternoon, we get a quartet of films about boxing - The Champ (1979), Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962), Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956), and The Greatest (1977 - Muhammad Ali playing himself). Then in primetime, TCM gives us the first of two nights to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Fleischer Animation. Part two will be next Saturday night. Enjoy!


6:15 AM -- Haunted Honeymoon (1940)
1h 23m | Comedy | TV-G
British sleuth Sir Peter Wimsey's wedding celebration is cut short by the discovery of a murdered man in his honeymoon cottage.
Director: Arthur B. Woods
Cast: Robert Montgomery, Constance Cummings, Leslie Banks

The producers of the second 'Lord Peter Wimsey' series, starring Edward Petherbridge as Lord Peter Wimsey, wanted to film a version of this story, but because the rights had been sold to Hollywood years before, they were unable to do so; Petherbridge did act in a version of Busman's Honeymoon, but it was for the stage and not television or the movies.


8:00 AM -- A Rainy Day (1940)
7m | Animation | TV-G
Papa Bear is persuaded by Mama Bear to fix the roof but a storm makes it difficult.
Director: Hugh Harman
Cast: Frank Elmquist, Rudolf Ising, Martha Wentworth


8:09 AM -- Aladdin's Lantern (1938)
10m | Comedy | TV-G
In this short film, a gang of children decide to put on a show based on the stories of Aladdin.
Director: Gordon Douglas
Cast: Darla Hood, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, Spanky McFarland


8:20 AM -- Copenhagen "City of Towers" (1953)
8m | Short | TV-G
This short film takes the viewer on a tour of Copenhagen's most popular attractions.
Cast: James A. Fitzpatrick


8:29 AM -- Ladies Must Live (1940)
58m | Drama | TV-G
A country bumpkin tries to save his millionaire pal from a gold-digging singer.
Director: Noel Smith
Cast: Wayne Morris, Rosemary Lane, Lee Patrick

The screen play was based on the Broadway production of "The Home Towners" by George M. Cohan which opened at the Hudson Theater on August 23, 1926 and ran for 64 performances. In the cast were Robert McWade, Chester Morris and Georgia Caine.


9:30 AM -- Batman: The Doom of the Rising Sun (1943)
20m | Adventure | TV-PG
Last episode of the Batman serial.
Director: Lambert Hillyer
Cast: Lewis Wilson, Douglas Croft, J. Carrol Naish

It's often misstated that Batman became a government agent due to "serial regulations," but there were no such regulations; Batman was given status as a government operative in no small part due to the increased patriotism brought on by WWII. This was commonplace in serials. In the comics, by this time Batman was officially recognized and deputized by Commissioner Gordon and the local authorities in "Batman" #7 (October-November, 1941) and the Bat-Signal came along in "Detective Comics" #60 (February 1942). A platinum badge appeared in "Detective Comics" #70 (December 1942) to commemorate this situation.


10:00 AM -- Pre-Hysterical Man (1948)
6m | Animation | TV-PG
Archeologist Popeye heads his own expedition, with Olive Oyl as his assistant.
Director: Seymour Kneitel
Cast: Jack Mercer, Mae Questel

Opening titles revised to shorten the "Sailor's Hornpipe" portion of the theme.


10:08 AM -- The Case of the Velvet Claws (1936)
1h 3m | Suspense/Mystery | TV-G
Perry Mason's honeymoon with Della Street is interrupted by the murder of a scandal-sheet publisher.
Director: William Clemens
Cast: Warren William, Claire Dodd, Winifred Shaw

As this was the last time Warren William played the role, Perry isn't entirely wrong when he tells Della he'll never take another criminal case.


11:30 AM -- Dark Magic (1939)
10m | Comedy | TV-G
In this comedic short, a father finds a box of magic tricks and performs for his son.
Director: Roy Rowland
Cast: Ruth Lee, John Scarne, Robert Benchley


11:45 AM -- The Champ (1979)
2h 2m | Drama | TV-14
A washed-up prizefighter fights to keep his son.
Director: Franco Zeffirelli
Cast: Jon Voight, Faye Dunaway, Ricky Schroder

Nominee for an Oscar for Best Music, Original Score -- Dave Grusin

Producer Dyson Lovell once said of this remake and the original The Champ (1931): "1931 is a long time ago. The approach we're using is fresh. We've updated the characters and the storyline, and now it's less a boxing picture than the story of a broken marriage, set against the worlds of boxing, racing, and high fashion."


2:00 PM -- Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962)
1h 27m | Drama | TV-PG
A washed-up prizefighter tries to free himself from his ruthless promoters to build a new life.
Director: Ralph Nelson
Cast: Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason, Mickey Rooney

Multi-talented Jackie Gleason was a noted serious actor despite being best remembered for the iconic The Honeymooners (1955) TV series. In addition to playing a world weary fight manager in this film, he also took a turn as pool player Minnesota Fats in The Hustler (1961).


3:45 PM -- Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956)
1h 53m | Drama | TV-PG
True story of boxer Rocky Graziano's rise from juvenile delinquent to world champion.
Director: Robert Wise
Cast: Paul Newman, Pier Angeli, Everett Sloane

Winner of Oscars for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -- Joseph Ruttenberg, and Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White -- Cedric Gibbons, Malcolm Brown, Edwin B. Willis and F. Keogh Gleason

Nominee for an Oscar for Best Film Editing -- Albert Akst

The movie was originally to be filmed on-location in New York City in Technicolor with James Dean in the lead role. However, after Dean's sudden death and replacement by Paul Newman, it was decided the film should be in black and white, and filmed on studio sets. Director Robert Wise felt the sets looked fake, and only used them for night scenes, while filming the daytime scenes on-location.


6:00 PM -- The Greatest (1977)
1h 41m | Drama | TV-PG
Muhammad Ali risks his championship status by speaking out against the Vietnam War.
Director: Tom Gries
Cast: Ernest Borgnine, Lloyd Haynes, John Marley

Sharon Stone met Muhammad Ali when she was 17. She was in the Miss Pennsylvania pageant and Ali was in Hershey, Pennsylvania, when Stone was there and she met him. And then Ali called her father and offered her a part in his film that he was making (The Greatest). The late boxing champ predicted movie stardom while her father was skeptical. Sharon Stone's father said, ''She is not going to be in film.'' Ali told her father, ''You may think that she is not, but she is. You cannot hide that girl under a bushel basket. Her light is too bright."



WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: PRIMETIME THEME -- FLEISCHER ANIMATION 100TH ANNIVERSARY, PART ONE



8:00 PM -- Cartoon Carnival (2021)
Documentary
Tells the story of the pioneering early days of the animated art-form and chronicles one film preservationist's quest to rescue pre-sound cartoons from obscurity and screen them to new, appreciative audiences.
Director: Andrew T. Smith
Cast: Howard Beckerman, Kevin Brownlow, Shane Fleming


9:45 PM -- 100th Anniversary of Fleischer Animation – Part 1: The Silent Era (2021)
Documentary

Fleischer Studios was an American animation studio located at 1600 Broadway, New York City, New York. It was founded in 1921 as Inkwell Studios, Inc. and Out of the Inkwell Films by brothers Max Fleischer and Dave Fleischer who ran the pioneering company from its inception until Paramount Pictures, the studio's parent company and the distributor of its films, acquired ownership. In its prime, Fleischer Studios was a premier producer of animated cartoons for theaters, with Walt Disney Productions becoming its chief competitor in the 1930s.


10:45 PM -- 100th Anniversary of Fleischer Animation – Part 2: The Sound Era (2021)
Documentary

Fleischer Studios characters included Koko the Clown, Betty Boop, Bimbo, Popeye the Sailor, and Superman. Unlike other studios, whose characters were anthropomorphic animals, the Fleischers' most successful characters were humans (with the exception of Bimbo, who was a black-and-white cartoon dog). The cartoons of the Fleischer Studio were very different from the Disney product, both in concept and in execution. As a result, the Fleischer cartoons were rough rather than refined, consciously artistic rather than commercial. But in their unique way, their artistry was expressed through a culmination of the arts and sciences. This approach focused on surrealism, dark humor, adult psychological elements, and sexuality. Furthermore, the environments were grittier and urban, often set in squalid surroundings, reflecting the Great Depression as well as German Expressionism.


12:00 AM -- The Glass Wall (1953)
1h 20m | Drama | TV-PG
A World War II refugee fights to stay in the U.S.
Director: Maxwell Shane
Cast: Vittorio Gassman, Gloria Grahame, Ann Robinson

In the beginning of the trailer, Shelley Winters is shown and her name is displayed to introduce audiences to her then-husband, Vittorio Gassman on his American debut. Winters isn't otherwise involved in the movie.


1:45 AM -- Being There (1979)
2h 10m | Comedy | TV-14
Political pundits mistake an illiterate gardener for a media genius and turn him into a national hero.
Director: Hal Ashby
Cast: Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas

Winner of an Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Melvyn Douglas (Melvyn Douglas was not present at the awards ceremony. Co-presenter Liza Minnelli accepted the award on his behalf.)

Nominee for an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Peter Sellers

It took Peter Sellers nearly nine years to get this movie made by a studio, mainly because by the 1970s Sellers' career had hit rock bottom and no studio in Hollywood would work with him. After the revival (and success) of the Pink Panther movies, Lorimar Pictures finally greenlit the project.


4:00 AM -- I Love You, Alice B. Toklas! (1968)
1h 34m | Comedy | TV-14
A henpecked L.A. lawyer escapes into the world of hippies and free love.
Director: Hy Averback
Cast: Peter Sellers, Jo Van Fleet, Leigh Taylor-Young

The film's title is a tribute to Gertrude Stein's lifelong partner, Alice B. Toklas, who published a cookbook in 1954 that contained the first printed recipe for hash fudge. In one of the movie's most famous scenes Harold Fine unknowingly serves marijuana-laced brownies baked by Nancy to his parents and fiancée.