STAR OF THE MONTH: TONY CURTIS (MONDAYS IN JULY)
Tony Curtis finally gets his chance to be Turner Classic Movies’ Star of the Month this July. He was an early advocate and friend to TCM.
Tony Curtis was born Bernie Schwartz on June 3, 1925, the oldest of three sons to European immigrants. Curtis’s brother Julius was killed when he was struck by a car. A few years later, Tony enlisted in the Navy and was honorably discharged at the end of WWII. He took advantage of the GI Bill and enrolled at the City College of New York and then attended The New School where he studied acting with such luminaries as Bea Arthur, Rod Steiger, and Harry Belafonte.
A meeting with an agent led to a contract with Universal Pictures. Curtis made his film debut in the film noir Criss Cross in 1949. Tony Curtis would go on to make such films as Trapeze (July 6 @ 8PM/7PM), where he co-starred with Burt Lancaster; The Defiant Ones (July 6 @ 10PM/9PM), where he co-starred with Sidney Poitier and received his only Oscar nomination; The Vikings (July 6 @ 11:45PM/10:45PM) and Spartacus (July 20@ 8PM/7PM), where he co-starred with Kirk Douglas; Taras Bulba (July 20 @ 3:45AM/2:45AM), co-starring Yul Brynner and where he met his second wife, who was seventeen during filming; Some Like it Hot (July 13 @ 8PM/7PM), Curtis’ best-remembered performance; The Perfect Furlough (July 13 @ 12:30AM/11:30PM) and Who Was That Lady? (July 13 @ 2:15AM/1:15AM), where he co-starred with first wife Janet Leigh, who was also in The Vikings; The Boston Strangler (July 20 @ 1:30AM/12:30AM), where Tony was cast against type as alleged serial killer Albert DeSalvo; Sex and the Single Girl (July 27 @ 8PM/7PM ), co-starring Natalie Wood, Henry Fonda, and Lauren Bacall; and Don’t Make Waves (July 27 @ 10PM/9PM), a counter-culture comedy.
Tony Curtis would continue to make films until his death on September 25, 2010.
TCM SPOTLIGHT: FEEL-GOOD CLASSICS (WEDNESDAYS IN JULY)
Let’s face it: 2020 has SUCKED SO HARD (it’s why I’ve capitalized for emphasis), and it’s only July! The folks over at TCM recognized this and curated a month of escapist fare. Hopefully, viewers will crack a smile or two. Some of the films include Singin’ in the Rain (July 2 @ 8PM/7PM), Annie (10PM/9PM), Harvey (July 9 @ 8PM/7PM), Bringing Up Baby (July 9 @ 10PM/9PM), A Night at the Opera (July 9 @ midnight/11PM), Meet Me in St. Louis (July 15 @ 10:30PM/9:30PM), His Girl Friday (July 22 @ 1AM/midnight), It Happened One Night (July 15 @ 5AM/4AM), The Thin Man (July 29 @ 8PM/7PM), and The Lady Eve (July 29 @ 12:30AM/11:30PM). So sit back and laugh this month because we all need it.
TCM SPECIAL THEME: DIRECTED BY JOHN FORD (FRIDAYS IN JULY)
John Ford once announced to his colleagues “My name is John Ford. I make Westerns.” Yes, Ford did make Westerns, very good Westerns, but he was so much more. TCM celebrates the only director with four Best Director Oscars every Friday in July. The fest starts with one of Ford’s personal favorites, Wagon Master (July 3 @ noon/11AM). Other movies airing July 3 include the first two films of the Calvary trilogy She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (July 3 @ 3:30PM/2:30PM) and Fort Apache (5:30PM/4:30PM). The evening lineup includes Ford masterpieces Stagecoach (12:15AM/11:15PM) and The Searchers (10PM/9PM). Some of Ford’s lesser-known films airing this month include one I’ve never even hear of, Flesh (July 10 @ noon/11AM), the American Revolutionary drama Drums Along the Mohawk (July 10 @ 6PM/5PM), the hysterical The Whole Town’s Talking (July 10 @ 8PM/7PM), the medical drama Arrowsmith (July 10 @ 10PM/9PM), another film I’ve never heard of, Gideon of Scotland Yard (July 17 @ noon/11AM), the Spencer Tracy runs for mayor drama The Last Hurrah (July 17 @ 3:15PM/2:15PM). John Ford shot footage and was actually shot at in The Battle of Midway (July 24 @ 1:30PM/12:30PM). Also check out Ford’s swan song Seven Women (July 24 @ 12:30AM/11:30PM) and final Western Cheyenne Autumn (July 31 @ 5PM/4PM) which focuses on the plight of Native Americans for once.
THE ESSENTIALS
This month’s lineup includes:
- The Music Man (July 4) starring Robert Preston and Shirley Jones
- Dr. Strangelove (July 11) starring Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, and Sterling Hayden
- The Maltese Falcon (July 18) starring Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor
- 2001: A Space Odyssey (July 25) starring Keir Dullea and HAL
NOIR ALLEY
July’s month of noir includes:
The Sign of the Ram (July 4 & 5) starring Susan Peters and Alexander Knox
Bodyguard (July 11 & 12) starring Lawrence Tierney and Priscilla Lane (in her final film role)
Three Strangers (July 18 & 19) starring Geraldine Fitzgerald, Peter Lorre, and Sydney Greenstreet
The Breaking Point (July 25 & 26) starring John Garfield, Patricia Neal, and Phyllis Thaxter
Co-starring: Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O’Connor, and Jean Hagen
Mariah's Musings 