TCM
TiVo ALERT
For
March
8–March 14
DAVID’S
BEST BETS:
STRANGERS
ON A TRAIN (March 10, 4:00 pm): This is one of Alfred
Hitchcock's best films and that is saying a lot. Robert Walker as the
crazed Bruno Anthony, who wants his father dead and believes he's
struck a quid pro quo deal with tennis player Guy Haines (Farley
Granger), is hypnotically amazing. Walker and Granger are solid
actors, but Hitch brings out the best in them. Also, the plot of this
film is so unique and interesting. The two are strangers who meet on
a train, talk about their problems – Walker's father and
Haines' wife. Both want their "problems" solved so Walker
suggests they kill the other's problem and no one will be the wiser
as they don't know each other. Haines thinks Walker is kidding until
the latter kills the former's wife and wants Haines to kill Walker's
father. The tension and drama are top-shelf, and this is one film you
don't want to miss.
MY
DINNER WITH ANDRE (March 14, 12:00 am): This film is
as good as people who've seen it say it is; probably even better than
that. It's heavy on dialogue with Andre Gregory and the great Wallace
Shawn (this is the film where he first says "inconceivable"),
who wrote the script, have a witty, fascinating and insightful
conversation while eating dinner at a Manhattan restaurant. Directed
by Louis Malle, the film is brilliant, which is quite the
accomplishment for a movie with essentially no plot. There's
absolutely nothing bad to say about this 1981 film.
ED’S
BEST BETS:
THE
LONE RANGER (March 11, 6:30 am): Who’s up for a
little light-hearted nostalgia about those days gone by? If you are,
then this is the movie to watch. This effort, based on the
long-running radio and television series, from Warner Brothers,
remains true to its form. Look, it’s not Stagecoach, Red
River, or The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, but it
never pretended to be. And therein lies its beauty; it never descends
into the realm of camp, either intentionally or unintentionally. The
plot is simple: evil rancher seeks to mine silver in a mountain
sacred to the Native People of the area, so he tries to incite a war
with them. Divide and conquer. It’s up to The Lone Ranger and Tonto
to ride to the rescue and stop things before they get out of hand. As
for the men playing The Ranger and Tonto, it’s hard to imagine
anyone else stepping into their shoes. Granted, Clayton Moore was as
wooden as they come, but he never came off as anything but sincere.
Jay Silverheels was given some of the most ridiculous dialogue this
side of Johnny Weissmuller’s Tarzan, but he always pulled it off
magnificently, no mean feat considering the material he was given to
work with in the movie. It would have been all too easy for both to
overplay it and camp it up, but to their credit, they never did. Also
notice the respect with which the Indians were treated. Trouble
always came from the Whites. Look for Michael Ansara as Angry Horse
(he lives up to the name), and Frank DeKova as Red Hawk. DeKova later
went on to play Chief Wild Eagle in television’s F Troop.
Looking back at DeKova’s career, he played fake Indians almost as
much as Chief Jay Strongbow. Anyway, this is no film “masterpiece,”
but it is 86 minutes worth of great entertainment, especially for
those who saw the television series.
A
CHRISTMAS STORY (March 14, 10:00 pm): Yeah, Yeah, I
know. It’s not Christmas and this movie gets run to death every
Christmas anyway on TBS. So what’s the big deal? Simply this: It’s
a great movie from one of America’s best – and most
underappreciated – humorists, Jean Shepherd. When this film
originally hit the theaters, it bombed, despite good reviews. It was
only when it came out on video that it found an audience. It’s a
distillation of collected stories Shep published in Wanda
Hickey’s Night of Golden Memories, and In God We
Trust, All Others Pay Cash. For years Shepherd had been spinning
these calmly outrageous tales of Ralph Parker, his friends and his
family on WOR-AM out of New York. But despite this, and a large cult
following, Shep never received his due from the nabobs who compiled
humor anthologies. For them, anyone that didn’t appear in The
New Yorker was not funny. So when this film debuted, Shep
was pretty much an unknown quantity, especially for those who never
caught any of his teleplays on PBS (The Phantom of the Open
Hearth), which captured the true humor of the proletariat, and
the fact that working people are as often involved in funny
situations as are those who reside on Park Avenue. For me, this
is a film worth watching any time, not just during the holidays, for
the message is universal.
WE
DISAGREE ON ... THE SUNSHINE BOYS (March 8, 8:15 am)
ED:
A. I will
admit I’m not the biggest fan of Neil Simon, but there are certain
works of his that I adore, and this is one of them. Based on the
vaudeville team of Smith and Dale, the classic comedy team of Lewis
and Clark is being reunited for a TV special. But there’s a fly in
the ointment: they can’t stand one another. Simon’s knowledge of
the history of Smith and Dale comes into good stead here, making this
film not only funny, but also providing us with a glimpse of the real
duo and what they went through. Given two pros such as Walter Matthau
and George Burns (standing in for the fatally ill Jack Benny) it is a
sheer joy to watch as they go through their paces. Matthau is at the
top of his game as the antisocial Willy Clark with Burns giving a
brilliantly funny performance as Al Lewis. Richard Benjamin provides
solid support as Matthau’s nephew and the one who suggested they
reunite for the television special. The only problem with the film is
the indulgent direction of Herbert Ross, a noted hack. But just
forget him and sit back and watch Matthau and Burns at work.
DAVID:
C+. Like Ed,
I'm not a big fan of Neil Simon though I adore The
Odd Couple and The
Goodbye Girl. As for The
Sunshine Boys, I'm
lukewarm to this one-joke film. I've never liked George Burns. I
don't think he was funny, charming, a good actor or an entertaining
comedian, but he's OK in this film. However, I wonder if those who
awarded him with the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor saw the same
film I did. Walter Matthau, who was a splendid comedian with
impeccable timing, gives a solid performance in this 1975 film, but
even he can't save it from mediocrity. The characters are largely
annoying, Herbert Ross' directing is awful, and the plot is cliche
and rambling with Burns and Matthau taking cranky old men to heights
seldom seen.
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