Nightmare Alley to Make Its TCM Premiere
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| Nightmare Alley |
Tyrone Power was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood from the late 1930s through the late 1950s and he was 20th Century Fox's most famous star until Marilyn Monroe came along. Turner Classic Movies hasn't traditionally aired as many films of Fox's great stars as those from other studios - this has been about film rights more than anything else. Since TCM entered into an exclusive licensing deal with Fox, though, that has begun to change.
In August 2012, Tyrone Power was honored for the first time with a day filled with his films as part of TCM's annual Summer Under the Stars event. Soon after, more of Power's films began appearing on the channel than in the past, but Wednesday evening, October 16, marks the first time since then that TCM's primetime schedule and late night hours are being devoted to his movies. Among the films to be aired are two that will be making their TCM debuts: Rawhide (1951), a Western, and Nightmare Alley (1947), a film noir that contains what most consider Power's best dramatic performance.
The Schedule (all times Eastern/Pacific):
8:00pm/5:00pm Rawhide (1951), co-starring Susan Hayward, directed by Henry Hathaway
9:45pm/6:45pm Nightmare Alley (1947), co-starring Joan Blondell, directed by Edmund Goulding
11:45pm/8:45pm The Mark of Zorro (1940), co-starring Basil Rathbone and Linda Darnell, directed by Rouben Mamoulian
1:30am/10:30pm The Black Swan (1942), co-starring Maureen O'Hara, George Sanders, Thomas Mitchell and Anthony Quinn, directed by Henry King
3:00am/midnight Marie Antoinette (1938), co-starring Norma Shearer, directed by W.S. Van Dyke
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| The Black Swan |
I love the Black Swan, but also a big fan of Sun Also Rises. Thanks, again, m'Lady for bringing good news.
ReplyDeleteHi Dan - I can't resist The Black Swan either, my favorite swashbuckler
DeleteThough I've seen NIGHTMARE ALLEY on the Fox Movie Channel, I'm especially pleased that it's finally having its TCM premiere! :-D
ReplyDeleteI'll be interested to hear Robert Osborne's intro and outro for Nightmare Alley when it airs for the first time on TCM
DeleteI finally got to see "Nightmare Alley" a while back, thanks to your recommendation, Eve - and it really was excellent. I plan on checking it our on TCM, too. The book it's based on is wonderful, in a dark and twisted way. Your lifelong admiration of Tyrone Power is serving him well in this blog (or at least his legacy). I also saw "The Rains Came" recently on TCM, and that was another film that you focused on and deserves to be seen by more people.
ReplyDeleteMCB - I'm very happy Nightmare Alley is finally being shown on TCM, it's about time - though I'm sure licensing issues must've had something to do with the delay...The Rains Came is one among so many great films of 1939 that it nearly got lost in the shuffle, but TCM airs it fairly often and it's popular among classics fans - I've seen it many times - Tyrone Power and Myrna Loy should've made more films together
DeleteYou can never see Nightmare Alley too many times! However, I have my DVR set for Marie Antoinette, as that has always been on my list, but I've never managed to see the entire film.
ReplyDeleteThe story goes that Zanuck was enraged that his loan out of Tyrone Power to MGM for Marie Antoinette was for what turned out to be a supporting role. Such was his outrage that he never loaned Power out again (bad news for TP's career). However, I can't imagine why Zanuck ever thought anyone but the actress (especially someone like Norma Shearer) who played Marie Antoinette in a film titled Marie Antoinette would be given a great deal of screen time.
DeleteLady Eve, I always liked to see the young Ty in historic costume, especially in Marie Antoinette, the Black Swan, and The Mark of Zorro. The latter is a favorite of mine. The contrasting character of the (playacting) foppish young Vega turned into the swashbuckling Zorro is too entertaining. And the fencing scene with Basil Rathbone is the best to be scene in cinema. Thanks for alerting us to this series.
ReplyDeleteChristian, Tyrone Power carried off costume pictures better than most - his bearing, his leading man looks. And he was stunning in Technicolor (The Black Swan!) - I've always wished that Zorro (one of my all-time favorites of his) had been shot in color.
DeleteI am SOOO glad you've been promoting "Nightmare Alley". I dropped everything Wednesday night to watch it, and was thrilled to have the chance to finally see it. Tyrone Power is AMAZING in this film - it was like he was born to play this role. Joan Blondell was fab, too. A superb film, with a great script + director.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm so glad you were able to see Nightmare Alley for the first time, Ruth (and that you are now a fan). It was such a big departure from type for Tyrone Power and gave him a chance to show his true range as an actor - to show that he was more than a romantic lead (though he certainly was that). I think he's particularly good opposite seasoned actresses (Myrna Loy in The Rains Came, Joan Blondell in Nightmare Alley and Marlene Dietrich in Witness for the Prosecution).
DeleteTyrone Power was alive at the time his homeland, Ireland was free from England at last. That is, Ireland became a republic.
ReplyDelete