A two-fer today: A Top 5 and a pick for tomorrow when TCM airs “The Guns of Navarone” at 2:15pm PST.

Director J. Lee Thompson’s epic 1961 World War II adventure is my favorite Men on a Mission film. “The Great Escape” might have more star power and “The Dirty Dozen,” The Mighty Lee Marvin and The Mighty Chuck Bronson, but “Navarone’s” complex and realistic look at the emotional toll of war, and more specifically, the killing of another human being, on the noble warrior makes it something much more than a series of suspenseful and exciting set pieces. [some spoilers ahead] (more…)

12:45pm PST – Mildred Pierce (1945) – A woman turns herself into a business tycoon to win her selfish daughter a place in society. Cast: Joan Crawford, Jack Carson, Zachary Scott, Eve Arden Dir: Michael Curtiz BW-111 mins, TV-PG

An interesting exercise would be to watch a double feature of the just released “He’s Just Not That Into You” and today’s pick as example number 11,283 of what’s wrong with Big Hollywood. Liberals dominate Big Hollywood and more women are in positions of power than ever before, and yet “Into You,” like most female driven films today, alternately portrays its five female leads as home wreckers, one-dimensional neurotics, or pathetically needy near-stalkers — but all are as emotionally dependent on men as is possible. Compare that to Hollywood 64 years ago when men (many of them conservative) dominated the film industry and created a slew of top-shelf melodramas populated with complicated, flawed, but very human and usually very strong (at least at the fade) women like Mildred Pierce. (more…)

5pm PST – Tree Grows in Brooklyn, A (1945) – A girl in the slums tries to find her way with the help of her devoted mother and alcoholic father. Cast: Dorothy McGuire, Joan Blondell, James Dunn, Lloyd Nolan Dir: Elia Kazan BW-129 mins, TV-G

Watch in awe as you realize this lyrical, timeless family drama was Elia Kazan’s feature film directorial debut. There was nothing this extraordinary explorer of the human condition couldn’t do and his work will survive as long as there’s a civilization, and much longer than anything made by those who refused to stand when the 89 year-old was awarded an honorary Oscar in 1999. Of course, that’s me being generous and assuming we haven’t already forgotten the classic canon of Nick Nolte and Amy Madigan. (more…)

4am PST - Time Machine, The (1960) – A turn-of-the-century inventor sends himself into the future to save humanity. Cast: Rod Taylor, Alan Young, Yvette Mimieux, Sebastian Cabot Dir: George Pal C-103 mins, TV-G

George Pal’s take on the classic story by H.G. Wells is further proof that story triumphs CGI. Even as a kid watching this on a fourteen inch television, the special effects looked cheesy. But it takes more than bad costumes and cheap models (the stop-motion photography remains impressive, however) to undermine imagination and a great story. You get so wrapped up in the drama and ideas the bad effects barely hit the radar. The remake came out in 2002 (directed by Wells great-grandson Simon, no less) and enjoyed all the latest technical movie magic available, and still it laid there like poorly written, PC-infected roadkill. (more…)

5pm PST – The More the Merrier, The (1943) – The World War II housing shortage brings three people together for an unlikely romance. Cast: Jean Arthur, Joel McCrea, Charles Coburn, Richard Gaines Dir: George Stevens BW-104 mins, TV-G

The logline may sound simplistic and a lot like a bad sitcom, but the execution was smart enough to win Oscar nominations for screenplay, actress (Jean Arthur), and director George Stevens. Fittingly, however, it was character actor Charles Coburn who went home a winner for his warm and hilarious support work. (more…)

8pm PST - Ace In the Hole (1951) – A small-town reporter milks a local disaster to get back into the big time. Cast: Kirk Douglas, Jan Sterling, Bob Arthur, Porter Hall Dir: Billy Wilder BW-111 mins, TV-14

Billy Wilder’s blistering look at the dark underside of journalism is just starting to get the recognition it deserves. When released it probably came off a little cynical, but in this era of Big Media undermining our troops at every opportunity, watching a reporter risk a man’s life to get back in the big time, doesn’t feel at all far-fetched. (more…)

Match me, Sidney.

8pm PST - Sweet Smell Of Success (1957) – A crooked press agent stoops to new depths to help an egotistical columnist break up his sister’s romance. Cast: Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison, Marty Milner Dir: Alexander Mackendrick BW-96 mins, TV-PG

You could fill pages about the complete greatness of this film, but when all is said and done what impresses most is how so much character and so many plot turns all fit into 96 minutes. As Burt Prelutsky points out in this essay, the all important art of pacing has pretty much vanished in Big Hollywood. When raunchy sex comedies start clocking in at 126 minutes, the canary in the coalmine to warn you something’s gone horribly wrong is long, long dead. (more…)

9:45pm - Night Of The Hunter, The (1955) – A bogus preacher marries an outlaw’s widow in search of the man’s hidden loot. Cast: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, James Gleason Dir: Charles Laughton BW-93 mins, TV-PG

Absolutely brilliant chiller anchored by Robert Mitchum’s larger-than-life performance as a psychotic preacher chasing two children for a doll stuffed with money. Equally good is former silent screen star Lillian Gish, as the children’s protector. The testament to her abilities as an actress is the dialogue she gets away with, especially near the end. (more…)

1:00am PST - Clock, The (1945) - A G.I. en route to Europe falls in love during a whirlwind two-day leave in New York City. Cast: Judy Garland, Robert Walker, James Gleason, Keenan Wynn Dir: Vincente Minnelli BW-90 mins, TV-PG

There are few actors more interesting than Robert Walker. A double feature of today’s pick and “Strangers on a Train” will reveal just what an extraordinarily talented and intriguing screen presence he was. In both roles, Walker’s about a half-measure off the rest of the world and quite capable of aw-shucks charm. From there they separate into the boy next door and a cold, psychotic killer. Which leads me to a larger point… (more…)

7pm PST - Prisoner of Second Avenue, The (1975) – A suddenly unemployed executive and his understanding wife must adapt to their new life. Cast: Jack Lemmon, Elizabeth Wilson, Anne Bancroft, Gene Saks Dir: Melvin Frank BW-98 mins, TV-PG

TCM’s Star of the Month is the irreplaceable Jack Lemmon, who died in 2001, and I’m still not over it.

“The Prisoner of Second Avenue” ranks among Neil Simon’s finest works thanks to his dynamite script, Lemmon’s central performance played perfectly on a knife edge of comedy and tragedy, the marvelous Anne Bancroft as his understanding wife, and Manhattan in the mid 70s, when the city was a vibrant character all on its own. (more…)

3pm PST - Trial, The (1963) – In this adaptation of Kafka’s classic, a man in a nameless country stands trial for an unnamed crime. Cast: Anthony Perkins, Jeanne Moreau, Romy Schneider, Elsa Martinelli Dir: Orson Welles BW-120 mins, TV-14

You can decide if you want to see it again, but everyone should see Welles impressive adaptation of Franz Kafka’s classic nightmare at least once, if only for the film’s stunning look and atmosphere. “The Trial” is a challenging film. There’s no real story, a whole lot of slow spots and an overall pace with little respect for the audience. But it is a wonder to look at and fans of the novel are likely to appreciate how close Welles came to filming what was widely believed to be un-filmable (or they might stand by that opinion). (more…)

11:30am PST – Fugitive, The (1947) – A revolutionary priest flees a Central American dictatorship. Cast: Henry Fonda, Pedro Armendariz, J. Carrol Naish, Leo Carrillo Dir: John Ford BW-100 mins, TV-PG

The star of John Ford’s most personal film is Gabriel Figueroa’s inexpressibly beautiful photography. The Mexican cinematographer painstakingly paints each and every shot with black and white and contrast and hushed stillness. Like his masterpiece, “Young Mr. Lincoln” (which also stars Henry Fonda), Ford isn’t interested in story as much as myth-making and emotional atmosphere. (more…)

5am PST – Show Boat (1951) – Riverboat entertainers find love, laughs and hardships as they sail along “Old Man River.” Cast: Kathryn Grayson, Ava Gardner, Howard Keel, Joe E. Brown Dir: George Sidney C-108 mins, TV-G

“Show Boat” is all about Ava Gardner, who was so much more than just a pretty face. Here, as the victim of racial prejudice, or films such as “On the Beach” and “Night of the Iguana,” she was able to put across a tragic-laced melancholy that transcended her beauty and added an entire dimension to a character without a word of exposition.  The above clip is a perfect example. Ava’s singing voice may be dubbed but she sells the moment like few others could. I gotta love one man till I die… (more…)

6:45am PST – Big Heat, The (1953) – A police detective whose wife was killed by the mob teams with a scarred gangster’s moll to bring down a powerful gangster. Cast: Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame, Jocelyn Brando, Alexander Scourby Dir: Fritz Lang BW-90 mins, TV-14

There’s nothing quite like a Glenn Ford slow burn. Watching Ford’s nice guy characters take it and take it some more until they give it back with compound interest is one of the delights of Ford’s under-appreciated work. My favorite of these is “The Violent Men,” a 1955 Western that pits mild-mannered, square-shouldered Ford against land grabbers Edward G. Robinson and Barbara Stanwyck.  It’s “Death Wish” on a horse. (more…)

2am PST – Hollywood Without Make-Up (1966) – In this special, Ken Murray hosts his own behind-the-scenes home movies of some of Hollywood’s greatest stars. Cast: Ken Murray BW-50 mins, TV-G

Not a movie this time, but a delightful 1966 television special hosted by Ken Murray and starring his own home movies that date back to Hollywood’s silent-era when the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks wiled away their weekends at San Simeon, the estate owned by William Randolph Hearst and his wife mistress Marion Davies. The same estate Orson Welles somewhat recreated for his character in “Citizen Kane” who was modeled after Hearst. (more…)

6:45pm PST – A Star Is Born (1937)  – A fading matinee idol marries the young beginner he’s shepherded to stardom. Cast: Janet Gaynor, Fredric March, Adolphe Menjou, May Robson Dir: William A. Wellman C-111 mins, TV-G

While few films top the marvelous Judy Garland musical update of this classic, cautionary Hollywood tale, this version (itself a sort-of remake of George Cukor’s1932 “What Price Hollywood?” – Cukor would direct the Garland version, as well) offers up a memorable, heartbreaking performance from Fredric March as the sad and sodden Norman Maine, a has-been movie star living in the shadow of his famous wife. Lionel Stander also blazes through his scenes as a ruthless studio press-hack who inadvertently brings ruin to those around him all in the name of doing his job of creating movie stars and keeping them movie stars. (more…)

8:45am PST – The Human Comedy (1943) – A small-town telegraph boy deals with the strains of growing up during World War II. Cast: Mickey Rooney, Frank Morgan, James Craig, Marsha Hunt Dir: Clarence Brown BW-117 mins, TV-PG

The camera floats high above a small, idyllic American town as our deceased narrator reflects on his life: (more…)

7:15 am PST – Notorious (1946) – A U.S. agent recruits a German expatriate to infiltrate a Nazi spy ring in Brazil. Cast: Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains, Louis Calhern Dir: Alfred Hitchcock BW-101 mins, TV-PG

Not only is “Notorious” my favorite Hitchcock film, it’s one of my steady top fives of all time. If there’s ever been a more complicated relationship created for the screen than the emotional wringer Hitchcock and his screenwriter (and genius) Ben Hecht crafted to put Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman though, I’ve yet to see it. Both leads are ridiculously gorgeous and Grant’s standout performance is ablaze with equal parts pride, jealousy, resentment and longing. (more…)

7pm PST - War Wagon, The (1967)  – A rancher and a hired gun join forces to take on the criminal who betrayed them both. Cast: John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Howard Keel, Robert Walker Jr. Dir: Burt Kennedy C-101 mins, TV-PG

In the mid-60s, Kirk Douglas and John Wayne made a number of films together, none of them classics, but the chemistry between the laconic Wayne and intense Douglas always made for an interesting screen dynamic. Considering how far apart they were politically, one can only guess at the between-take chatter as the Vietnam War raged and the hippies took to the streets.

Wayne and Douglas were lifelong friends.

Douglas is a different kind of Hollywood Democrat. He hails from an era when “class” meant something.

Frequently, we conservatives are accused of not liking certain actors because of the actor’s politics. What an absurd charge.

(more…)

9:30pm PST – Double Indemnity (1944) – An insurance salesman gets seduced into plotting a client’s death. Cast: Porter Hall , Fred MacMurray , Edward G. Robinson , Barbara Stanwyck Dir: Billy Wilder BW-108 mins, TV-PG

Generally, these daily recommendations won’t include the obvious. You don’t need anyone to tell you to watch Casablanca or Ben-Hur or Double Indemnity. It’s just that when it comes to Barbara Stanwyck my self-control wavers slightly. My wife thinks I obsess over Stanwyck, which is silly. The nearly completed time machine is only so we can be friends. Then of course I’ll kill Hitler.

Double Indemnity is based on a novel by James M. Cain, who’s also responsible for the films Mildred Pierce in 1945 and The Postman Always Rings Twice in ‘46.  Between the three there are more unexpected, yet credible plot turns than you will see in all of 2009. The books were loaded with sex and didn’t always meet other production code standards, but all three were brilliantly adapted for the screen and the first, today’s pick, is the best of an elite trio.

(more…)