MattHelm

We wanted to see everything too, I don't think we put any thought into choosing until movies like Jaws and Star Wars advertised on TV. That's the first time I can remember being actually excited by a movie from watching the trailer. My grandfather took us to see Star Wars ... he didn't want to see it so he tried to talk us out of seeing it by telling us it was a musical. No soap. We saw a lot of junk but I don't think I ever disliked a movie I saw back then at the time. Other Disney live actions that just came to mind are The Treasure of Matacumbe, The Apple Dumpling Gang (and Rides Again), Hot Lead Cold Feet and Dr. Syn, Alias The Scarecrow. Of course, the Love Bug franchise. That last one reminds me of an episode of the Irish TV show, Father Ted. Father Dougal: Ted, can I watch the scary film tonight? Father Ted: No, Dougal. The last time you watched a scary film, you had to climb in my bed and sleep with me. It wasn't even a scary film. Father Dougal: C'mon Ted ... a Volkswagen with a mind of its own ... What could be scarier than that?

I'm guilty of all of that except for Xanadu. I remember all the movies I saw back then, but not the criteria I used to select them. I think I just went along with what my brother wanted to see, so I blame him.

Ben, that's the same type of theater I saw movies at in the 70s. There were a lot of Disney movies during those years that seem to have vanished into obscurity. Movies like One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing, Escape to Witch Mountain, No Deposit No Return, The North Avenue Irregulars, The Cat from Outer Space, etc.

Fedya, love the Reagan line up. I was going to schedule King's Row but it wouldn't fit, and I chose two other Gipper movies instead, though none of the ones you chose. Ben, I had to laugh when I saw Superdad on your schedule ... I totally forgot about that movie until I saw Auto Focus. I remember being dropped off at a second-run cinema with my brothers when I was a kid, to see that. All I remember of it was the water skiing scene.

Great schedule, Fedya. The mystery theme wouldn't be Mays, Maes and hold the Mayo, or a facsimile thereof, would it?

Ben, I was waiting for your changes and notes to comment. Great job!

Donna, Excellent schedule! Love the Underground choices.

Rusty, I think you crossed the line into mad obsession with the addition of On Dangerous Ground. Up till then I thought it was just a single-minded effort, but at that point it was clear that an intervention of loved ones will be needed. If you can admit that you can't stop watching RKO, that will be an important step to recovery. Actually, you're not playing one note ... you're playing hundreds of notes with one instrument. Very impressive. I'm glad to see your combobulations are now in order.

Rusty, Them's good movies. I'm jealous. Never did see any of those Hildegarde Withers movies ... they'd make a fine box set. But really, you could have scheduled at least one RKO movie.

movieman, don't be too modest, that's a fantastic schedule, and box set idea.

What filmlover said, sugarpuss. Great schedule and very creative details and Easter eggs to the DVD box set. Your schedule is the equivalent of comfort food. And I'm glad someone else appreciates "Full of Life." You should read the book by the screenwriter/author, John Fante, if you haven't. Hilarious stuff, and still in print. Nice job!!!

Dewey ... I was thinking of making my box set out of Whistler movies before settling on Gildersleeve. Maybe tcmprogrammer will take note of both the movies you chose, and pass on the idea of the Whistler box set to whomever handles those decisions.

A great programming feat, filmhistorian. I'd be glued to the tube for a week like that. And I'd love for TCM to show Visit to a Small Planet. A Lawrence Tierney day is much needed also.

Thanks filmlover, I really enjoyed this challenge because of your DVD box set idea. Not only was it fun to program, but as we know, tcmprogrammer looks at these and uses some of our ideas. So, this may not only influence these movies turning up on TCM, but could lead to the box sets actually being made, which is even better. I'd love to have a GG box set. Fritz Lang did direct the Wagner trilogy. I saw only one of them years ago at a library that had a movie night. There's something very haunting about these movies. I first learned of Ann Corio reading about a section of Boston called Scollay Square that no longer exists. The Old Howard Atheneum used to host vaudeville and burlesque dancers before WWII there. She was considered the Queen of Burlesque in Boston back then, and maybe nationally. Fred Allen mentions the Howard in his autobiography. The theatre hosted actors and comedians from John Wilkes Booth to the Marx Brothers. Hey, I smell a future Challenge theme night here.

Kubrickbuff, I wish you would join us in making a week's programming. There's some work involved but it's not that hard ... it's fun. Just focus on your favorite movies and what you wish TCM would play. You could study TCM's past or future schedules, or the schedules from the past Challenges, to get ideas. But just remember that it's all for fun, and not some kind of test. We vote for the best schedule, but never judge each other's choices.

Congratulations on your excellent schedules Sinatrafan, Dewey and sweetsmell ... it's great to see new people joining in the Challenge. Some notes on my schedule ... Sunday: For some reason it always amuses me to see actors playing pianists and the camera angles they choose so you can't see their hands hitting the wrong notes on the piano, or whatever they're doing with their hands. I got the Criterion Collection's Burden of Dreams for Christmas, and it's a must-see for fans of Herzog, or just Fitzcarraldo in particular. So, I thought I'd offer both for the Imports. Monday: I've been wanting to choose Ann Corio's movies in past challenges but wasn't sure who owned Monogram films at the time. Now I know, so here they are. Speaking of Monogram ... Tuesday: Now we can see Charlie Chan on TCM. I can't wait for March to see some of these for the first time in I don't know how many years. I'm a big fan of the Great Gildersleeve radio show, and I've been wondering when TCM would play the movies, since they're RKOs. My DVD box set comes with the following movies: Look Who's Laughing (1941) featuring Fibber McGee & Molly Here We Go Again (1942) also featuring Fibber McGee & Molly The Great Gildersleeve (1942) Seven Days' Leave (1942) Gildersleeve on Broadway (1943) Gildersleeve's Bad Day (1943) Gildersleeve's Ghost (1944) Jack Benny and Fred Allen used to take shots at each other on their radio shows to promote Love Thy Neighbor and Buck Benny Rides Again. They created the rivalry through flashbacks on Allen's show, going back years ago to when they had a vaudville act and fell out with one another, not speaking for twenty-five years. The great witty banter and insults were a riot. I doubt Love Thy Neighbor has ever been shown on TCM so I used up a premeire on it. Thursday: I chose this week because I wanted to showcase a lot of George Zucco's horror movies, using the public domain Producer's Releasing Corp. and was able to throw in some Monograms, too. Not only are these movies great B flicks, but I like choosing these one hour movies because you get to cram more movies into a day and get more bang for your buck. For the Take Five films, I wanted to take a more obscure route, taking a look behind the scenes through a mix of comedy and drama. Friday: I was going to originally do my DVD box set on the theme of wooden actors but all of the movies I was planning on including in it are already on DVD. Other actors included were Jeff Chandler and Robert Stack. On the Underground movies ... Daimajin is sort of Godzilla meets Yojimbo. A giant statue comes to life when it hears the plea of the peasants to save them from the Samuai class and brigands. You have to wait through the whole movie to see him come to life and step on people, but we all know that's worth it. 2000 Maniacs is probably too Underground for Underground. Northerners' car break down in a southern town where the confederate dead from the Civil War have come back to life ... and it's payback time. If this traumatized anyone, I scheduled Little Orphan Annie after the Underground as a sort of pallet cleanser. Saturday: The serials are back. I tried to make the day a good excuse for being a couch potato by filling it up with fun B-flicks. I chose Planet of the Apes for an essential because, beside being a fan since I was a kid, I think it's a landmark film as far as make-up effects go. The DVD box set comes with the documentary on the movie, as well as an out take of Edward G. Robinson in a screen test wearing a crude version of the make-up for Dr. Zaius, the role that finally went to Maurice Evans. After that, the night is devoted to movies that starred the Apes' cast.

Sunday January 7 6:00 Androcles and the Lion (1953) Victor Mature, Jean Simmons 98m RKO 8:00 The Fire Fly (1937) Allan Jones, Jeanette MacDonald 131m MGM 10:15 Weekend at the Waldorf (1945) Ginger Rogers, Walter Pidgeon 130m MGM 12:30 Tender Comrade (1944) Robert Ryan, Ginger Rogers 102m RKO 2:30 Storm Warning (1951) Ronald Reagan, Ginger Rogers 93m WB 4:15 The Hasty Heart (1950) Ronald Reagan, Patricia Neal 102m WB THE ESSENTIALS REPLAY 6:00 Captain Blood (1935) Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland 119m WB LIKE THEY CAN REALLY PLAY THAT PIANO 8:00 Four Daughters (1938) John Garfield, Priscilla Lane 90m WB 9:30 Rhapsody in Blue (1945) Robert Alda, Joan Leslie 139m WB SILENT SUNDAYS 12:00 Die Nibelungen: Seigrfied (1924) Paul Richter, Hannah Ralph 100m Decla-Bioscop AG TCM IMPORTS 2:00 Fitzcarraldo (1982) Klaus Kinski, Claudia Cardinale 158m New World Pictures 4:30 Burden of Dreams: The Making of Fitzcarraldo (1982) Werner Herzog, Klaus Kinski 95m Flower Films 5:30 Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe: Documentary/Short (1980) Werner Herzog 20m Flower Films Monday January 8 ANN CORIO: QUEEN OF THE BURLESQUE 6:00 Swamp Woman (1941) Ann Corio, Jack LaRue 68m Producers Releasing Corp. 7:15 Jungle Siren (1942) Ann Corio, Buster Crabbe 68m PRC 8:30 Sarong Girl (1943) Ann Corio, Tim Ryan 63m Monogram 9:45 The Sultan?s Daughter (1944) Ann Corio, Tim Ryan 64m Monogram 11:00 Call of the Jungle (1944) Ann Corio, James Bush 60m Monogram NYC HOT SPOTS JILLY?S 12:00 Manchurian Candidate (1962) Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey 126m UA TOOT SHOR?S 2:15 Come Blow Your Horn (1963) Frank Sinatra, Babara Rush 102m Paramount 21 CLUB 4:15 Spellbound (1945) Gregory Peck, Ingrid Bergman 116m UA THE STORK CLUB 6:15 My Friend Irma (1949) Diana Lynn, John Lund 102m Paramount p/s HEAD AND SHOULDERS: EDITH HEAD?S THREADS 8:00 The Glass Key (1942) Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake 85m Paramount p/s 9:30 The Farmer?s Daughter (1947) Loretta Young, Joseph Cotton 96m RKO 11:45 The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) James Stewart, John Wayne 122m Paramount p/s 1:45 Pocketful of Miracles (1961) Glenn Ford, Bette Davis 136m UA p/s 4:15 The Court Jester (1956) Danny Kaye, Glynis Johns 101m Paramount Tuesday January 9 CHARLIE CHAN MONOGRAM MARATHON 6:00 Charlie Chan in the Secret Service (1944) Sidney Toler, Mantan Moreland 65m Monogram 7:15 The Chinese Cat (1944) Sidney Toler, Mantan Moreland 65m Monogram 8:30 Black Magic (1944) Sidney Toler, Mantan Moreland 65m Monogram 9:45 The Jade Mask (1945) Sidney Toler, Mantan Moreland 64m Monogram 11:00 The Scarlet Clue (1945) Sidney Toler, Mantan Moreland 65m Monogram 12:15 The Shanghai Cobra (1945) Sidney Toler, Mantan Moreland 64m Monogram 1:30 The Red Dragon (1946) Sidney Toler, Benson Fong 64m Monogram 2:45 Dark Alibi (1946) Sidney Toler, Mantan Moreland 61m Monogram 4:00 Shadows Under Chinatown (1946) Sidney Toler, Mantan Moreland Monogram 5:15 Dangerous Money (1946) Sidney Toler, Victor Sen Young 66m Monogram 6:30 The Trap (1946) Sidney Toler, Mantan Moreland 69m Monogram THE GREAT GILDERSLEEVE DVD BOX SET PREVIEW 8:00 The Great Gildersleeve (1942) Harold Peary, Nancy Gates 62m RKO 9:15 Gildersleeve on Broadway (1943) Harold Peary, Billie Burke 65m RKO 10:30 Gildersleeve?s Ghost (1944) Harold Peary, Marion Martin 63m RKO 11:45 Look Who?s Laughing (1941) Harold Peary, Fibber McGee & Molly 79m RKO JACK BENNY vs. FRED ALLEN 1:15 Buck Benny Rides Again (1941) Jack Benny, Eddie Anderson 82m Paramount PREMEIRE: 2:45 Love Thy Neighbor (1940) Jack Benny, Fred Allen 80m Paramount 4:15 We?re Not Dressing (1934) Bing Crosby, Carole Lombard 80m Paramount Wednesday January 10 PAUL HENREID?S BIRTHDAY 6:00 Goodbye Mr. Chips (1939) Robert Donat, Greer Garson 110m MGM 8:00 Casablanca (1943) Humphry Bogart, Ingrid Bergman 99m WB 10:00 Now, Voyager (1942) Bette Davis, Paul Henreid 118m WB 12:00 Between Two Worlds (1944) John Garfield, Paul Henreid 110m WB 2:00 The Spanish Main (1945) Paul Henreid, Maureen O?Hara 101m RKO 4:00 Of Human Bondage (1946) Paul Henreid, Eleanor Parker 108m WB 6:00 Song of Love (1947) Paul Hendreid, Katharine Hepburn 117m MGM STAR OF THE MONTH: PAT O?BRIEN 8:00 Hell?s House (1932) Bette Davis, Pat O?Brien 80m State?s Rights/P.D. 9:30 Devil Dogs of the Air (1935) Pat O?Brien, James Cagney 90m WB 11:00 The Irish in Us (1935) Pat O?Brien, James Cagney 84m WB 12:30 The Great O?Malley (1937) Pat O?Brien, Sybil Jason 70m WB 2:00 Women Are Like That (1938) Pat O?Brien, Kay Francis 78m WB 3:30 Castle on the Hudson (1940) Pat O?Brien, John Garfield 78m WB 5:00 Having Wonderful Crime (1945) Pat O?Brien, Carole Landis 70m RKO Thursday January 11 GEORGE ZUCCO?S BIRTHDAY 6:15 The Mad Monster (1942) George Zucco, Anne Nagel 79m Producer?s Releasing Corp 7:45 Fog Island (1945) George Zucco, Lionel Atwill 70m PRC 9:00 The Black Raven (1943) George Zucco, Wanda McKay 62m PRC 10:15 Dead Men Walk (1943) George Zucco, Mary Carlisle 66m PRC 11:30 The Flying Serpent (1946) George Zucco, Hope Kramer 59m PRC 12:30 Voodoo Man (1944) George Zucco, Bela Lugosi 62m Monogram 1:45 Return of the Ape Man (1944) George Zucco, Bela Lugosi 60m Monogram 2:45 Scared to Death (1947) George Zucco, Bela Lugosi 64m Screen Guild Pro. Int?l 3:00 The Secret Garden (1949) Margaret O?Brien, Dean Stockwell 92m MGM 4:30 Joan of Arc (1948) Ingrid Bergman, Lames Lydon 150m RKO 7:00 Strangler of the Swamp (1946) Rosemary LaPlanche, Blake Edwards 60m PRC TAKE FIVE: HOLLYWOOD BEHIND THE SCENES 8:00 Boy Meets Girl (1938) Pat O?Brien, James Cagney 86m WB 9:30 Stand-In (1937) Leslie Howard, Joan Blondell 91m UA 11:00 The Last Tycoon (1976) Robert DeNiro, Jeanne Moreau 122m Paramount p/s 1:15 The Bad and the Beautiful (1953) Kirk Douglas, Lana Turner 117m MGM 3:15 Hellzapoppin? (1941) Olsen & Johnson 82m Universal 4:45 The Falcon in Hollywood (1944) Tom Conway, Barbara Hale 67m RKO Friday January 12 COMMIES AND PINKOS 6:00 The 27TH Day (1957) Gene Barry, Valerie French 75m Colombia PREMIERE: 7:30 I Was a Communist for the FBI (1951) Frank Lovejoy, Dorothy Hart 84m WB 9:00 The Woman on Pier 13 (1950) Laraine Day, Robert Ryan 73m RKO 10:30 Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter 80m Allied Artists 12:00 Mission to Moscow (1943) Walter Huston, Ann Harding 123m WB 2:15 The North Star (1943) Anne Baxter, Dana Andrews 106m RKO 4:00 Song of Russia (1944) Robert Taylor, Susan Peters 107m MGM 6:00 Ninotchka (1939) Greta Garbo, Melvyn Douglas 110m MGM THREE OF THE WOODENEST ACTORS EVER JOHN ?LINDEN? LUND 8:00 The Perils of Pauline (1947) Betty Hutton, John Lund 96m Paramount RALPH ?BIRCH? BELLAMY 10:00 Sunrise at Campobello (1960) Ralph Bellamy, Greer Garson 144m WB VICTOR ?MAHOGANY? MATURE 12:30 The Las Vegas Story (1952) Victor Mature, Jane Russell 88m RKO TCM UNDERGROUND 2:00 Daimajin (1968) Miwa Takada, Yoshihiko Aoyama 86m Dalei Motion Picture Co. 3:30 2000 Maniacs (1964) Connie Mason, Thomas Lund 85m Box Office Spectaculars 5:00 Little Orphan Annie (1932) Mitizi Green, Edgar Kennedy 60m RKO Saturday January 13 6:00 Bluebeard (1944) John Carradine, Jean Parker 73m PRC 7:30 Hitler?s Madman (1943) John Carradine, Patricia Morison 85m MGM 9:00 Bulldog Drummond?s Secret Police (1939) John Howard, Heather Angel 56m Paramount/P.D. 10:00 SATURDAY SERIALS The Phantom Creeps (1939) Bela Lugosi Drums of Fu Manchu (1940) Henry Brandon Jesse James Rides Again (1947) Clayton Moore Panther Girl of the Congo (1955) Phyllis Coates 11:30 CARTOON ALLEY Tortoise Beats Hare (1941) Tortoise Wins by a Hare (1943) Rabbit Transit (1947) 12:00 The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews 75m 20TH Century-Fox 1:30 Strange Illusions (1945) Warren Williams, James Lydon 84m PRC 3:00 Baby Face Morgan (1942) Mary Carlisle, Richard Cromwell 65m PRC 4:15 The Sphinx (1933) Lionel Atwill, Bela Lugosi 70m Monogram 5:30 Behind the Planet of the Apes (documentary) (1968) Charleton Heston, Roddy McDowall 126m 20th Century-Fox 7:45 Short: Planet of the Apes Make-Up Test on Edward G. Robinson 10m THE ESSENTIALS 8:00 Planet of the Apes (1968) Charleton Heston, Kim Hunter 112m 20th Century-Fox BEYOND THE PLANET OF THE APES 10:00 The Naked Jungle (1954) Charleton Heston, Eleanor Parker 95m Paramount p/s 11:45 Lassie Come Home (1943) Roddy McDowall, Elizabeth Taylor 90m MGM 1:15 The Young Stranger (1957) Kim Hunter, James MacArthur 84m RKO 2:45 Kind Lady (1951) Maurice Evans, Ethel Barrymore 78m MGM p/s 4:00 Behind the Planet of the Apes: (documentary) (1968) Charleton Heston, Roddy McDowall 126m 20th Century-Fox

For the first time in the Challenges, I'm having a hard time coming up with premiers. But I've found many films that TCM owns that may seem like premiers, since they own, but have never shown them.

Happy belated birthday, filmlover. Kubrick, don't sweat the Cartoon Alley stuff, no one really places too much importance on that. Just check out a few months worth of Cartoon Alley on the upcoming schedules and pick a few titles. As far as silents go, just google silent movies and pick one. You don't have to adhere to the rules and can pick any one you want.

Guys, if you have trouble picking a week, just think of an actor/actress that you would love to showcase, and pick the week they were born. You'd be surprised who else was also born that same week, and that gives you another person to plan a day's worth of movies around ... sometimes.

filmlover, regarding TCM Underground, Imports and Silents, do we have the same option we have had in the last few Challenges to choose any movie within those genres, seeing how they don't always adhere to the rest of the RKO, Warner, MGM, etc. library?

Sounds great, filmlover! I can't wait to dive in.

Scratch that ... it was the 60s version called, The Christmas Story. While I couldn't remember whether it was Alexander or Morgan, I do recall that Barry Williams was in it, so it couldn't have been the 50s. It was the same story, though.

Good question ... I think it was with Ben Alexander but I'm not 100% sure.

This was the genuine color episode. The reason production companies take advantage of PD material is to basically get something for nothing so they don't have to spend too much, and colorizing costs a lot, never mind for just a half hour episode. I've seen the color Dragnet shows in syndication, but this was the first time I ever saw this Christmas episode, and it was the same color film stock as the rest, with that greenish tint. I'm trying to remember what was on before it, and I think it was a Christmas episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. I've been checking this channel constantly since then, but they haven't played anything as obscure except for reruns of Charlie's Angels.