Classic Movies, TCM Movies, Controversial Cult Movies, Grace Kelly, Johnnhy Mercer Nov. 4 to 6, 2009 Review

Turner Classic Movies explores diversity in film the  next few days.  And I mean in every way you can think of.  The highlight for me over the next few days at TCM are the cult movies showing late Friday Night.  Two controversial gems directed by Robert Downey,  yes, Iron Man  Robert Downey Jr.'s dad.  He was responsible for the low budget bitingly sarcastic once x rated comedy called Putney Swope from 1969 and for the quirky, some though blasphemous Greaser's Palace.   You want to see something different? 

Before we get to these movies:

Movies featuring the lyrics of Johnny Mercer are the spotlight on Wednesday Night.   On Thursday it's movies with Grace Kelly followed by movies that have plots based on well Princesses that will remind you of Grace Kelly.  I like the way the programmers think at TCM.   Then on Friday night they call their two spotlight movies End of the Line denoting last Kings, Czars and/or Emperors.

It's famed song lyricist Johnny Mercer's 100th birthday this month and TCM spotlights Mercer every Wednesday night with shorts, a documentary and movies featuring Mercer's music.  Tonight, November 4th at  5 p.m. on the West Coast it's the new documentary  Johnny Mercer: The Dreams on Me which mixes archival footage and new interviews to trace the career of Mercer.  At 6:49 p.m. PST it's a short featuring Betty nutton singing a Mercer song with the Vincent Lopez orchestra.

Then at 7 p.m. it's the 1942 musical romantic comedy  The Fleet is In  with a cast that include Dorothy Lamour, Eddie Bracken, William Holden, Betty Hutton and the Jimmy Dorsey band.  Mercder songs include the soon to be standard Tangerine.   It's a lightweight but enjoyable 40's war-time musical.  More shorts; a repeat of the documentary at 9 p.m. and eventually the 1954 musical classic Seven Brides for Seven Brothers airs at 11 p.m., followed by 1941's jazzy Blues in the Night.

On Thursday November 5th, 3 movies featuring Grace Kelly are features, including 1951's Fourteen Hours (at 5 p.m. PST) with Paul Douglas, Richard Basehart, Barbara Bel Geddes, Debra Paget and a small role for Grace Kelly.  It's a tense little drama in which a police man tries to talk a desperate young man out of jumping off a ledge of a New York skyscraper and ending it all.  At 7 p.m. it's the Oscar winning classic, from 1952, High Noon starring Gary Cooper as the retired Marshall who is trying to keep the peace and stop a bad guy who's out for revenge.   Then it's the over-produced romantic adventure remake of Red Dust directed by John Ford at 8:30 p.m.; 1953's Mogambo.  It stars Clark Gable as the African hunter who can't decide between a sexy showgirl and a married woman.  Ava Gardner and Grace Kelly are the women.    

At 10:30 p.m. it's 1943's  Princess O'Rourke  which is a comedy starring Robert Cummings as a pilot who's romance with a princess (Olivia de Havilland) causes some political problems.  It's followed by 12:15 a.m. with 1952's Penny Princess which is about a young American woman who suddenly finds herself inheriting a tiny European country.  It stars Dirk Bogarde and Yolanda Donlan.  It's an overlooked little comedic gem you might want to check out (Directed by Val Guest).

On Friday November 6th, TCM offers 1971's  Epic drama  Nicholas and Alexandra the story of Russia's last czar Nicholas the Second.   We know the tragic ending;  Nicholas and his entire family were exterminated in the middle of the night back in 1918.  The ambitious film fizzled with unknown actors and modest indoor locations.  However there are some worthwhile scenes usually involving  Tom Baker as the 'mad monk' Rasputin or Brian Cox as Trotsky.   The three hour film airs at  5 p.m. on he West coast.

1987's The Last Emperor which airs at 11:15 is a lush, colorful epic drama directed by Bernardo Bertolucci and starring John Lone as China's final erperor Pu Yi who becomes little more than a pawn of the communist and imperial forces and has to deal with invading Japanes during his tenure.  Joan chen and Peter O'Toole also have memorable roles.

Then at 11 p.m., TCM airs a movie that once caused quite a stir.  The rule breaking, subversive comedy Putney Swope dealt with advertising, racial stereotypes, corporate politics and censorship all in the course of it's 85 minutes.  This very very low budget movie is mostly in black and white... only the very funny commercial parodies are in color.  You might be a little confused about what it's about since its style is what you might called somewhat controlled chaos.  The corporate board of an advertising agency play tricks on each other and by mistake elect a black man to head up the firm.  The African American creates several new and very controversial ad campaigns.  It's directed by Robert Downey, stars Arnold Johnson, Stan Gottlieb, Allen Garfield and was once rated X for language, nudity and suggestive content.  It's a low budget, dated mess of a movie, but rewarding if you give it a chance.

Robert Downey's 1972 Greaser's Palace takes the basic story of Jesus Christ and places it in a Western setting.  It's a well made 90 minute movie  that created quite a controversy and only received limited distribution upon it's release.  It stars Albert Henderson, Michael Sullivan, Luana Anders and Woody Chamblis.  It airs at 12:30 a.m.

Enjoy.