Monday, March 9
My Favorite: The Man in the Iron Mask (1:30 am)
Most Likely to DVR: Lured (8:00 pm)
Never Saw, But Should: Young Dr. Kildare (6:00 am)
Monday morning and afternoon: TCM plays Lew Ayres and Lionel Barrymore in the Dr. Kildare series of movies from 6 am (EST) straight through to 8 pm. Nine films in all made between 1938 and 1942 airing. I got into some detail about Lew Ayres back on his date of birth, December 28, which might make a nice preamble to today’s viewings. I also showed a couple of cards featuring Ayres in Calling Dr. Kildare (1939 – airs at 7:30 am), and here I’ll show the other pair, both with Lionel Barrymore, from the same 1939 Film Fantasy boxed set:
Calling Dr Kildare - 1939 Film Fantasy Game Card
Calling Dr. Kildare - 1939 Film Fantasy Game Card
Monday Evening: Lured (1947) is my DVR pick at 8 pm, a well-cast noir featuring Lucille Ball answering a personal ad to help lead the police to a serial killer. Charles Coburn plays the inspector, and not having seen this one yet I can only say the rest of the cast is a rogue’s gallery of potential serial killers: George Sanders, Boris Karloff, Joseph Calleia, George Zucco, and Sir Cedric Hardwicke. I don’t want to dwell on the IMDb page in case spoilers lurk, but a limited handful of viewers score it a 7.0/10 leaving me even more intrigued.
I’m probably going to record On Our Merry Way (1948 – 10 pm) as well because I just spent some time digging into it while listing some still photos at auction on eBay late last week. The pics I have mostly feature James Stewart and Henry Fonda in their portion of the movie. Burgess Meredith is listed as the star, and there’s also one photo available featuring him, but from what I read he’s more of the lead inside the main story that connects the other parts of this anthology. Meredith’s real-life wife at the time, Paulette Goddard, plays opposite him.
The Stewart-Fonda story, which I think is first , is generally regarded as far and away the best of the three. The second story is with Victor Moore and Dorothy Lamour while the third features Fred MacMurray and William Demarest, pre-dating their television pairing by 17 years (MacMurray, obviously, was cast in My Three Sons from the start in 1960, but Demarest’s Uncle Charley didn’t replace Bub (William Frawley) until 1965).
That's Carl Switzer Blowing the Horn Behind Fonda and Stewart (Alfalfa from The Little Rascals)
Burgess Meredith in On Our Merry Way
Late Night: Harold and Maude (1971) airs at 11:45 pm; The Man in the Iron Mask (1939) is a swashbuckler featuring Louis Hayward, Joan Bennett, and my favorite, Warren William, airs at 1:30 am; appropriately followed by The Three Musketeers (1948) at 3:30. Stars Lana Turner and Gene Kelly.
Kind of a quick MovieMeld today due to Dr. Kildare’s dominance, but hopefully I whet your appetite for the two main features later this evening. I’m just taken aback by how targeted the movie collectibles I show off are today! When I say shop these classics inside the VintageMeld today, I really mean it –
Jimmy Stewart and Dorothy Ford in On Our Merry Way
And please, if you have anything to add about today’s TCM airings, the stars, the movies, or even something about the movie collectibles, feel free to add it below. Most of all, enjoy today’s features!
[phpbay]stewart still, 40, “”, “”[/phpbay]
Tags: anthologies, dr kildare, film noir, movie collectibles, series, still photos
1926 Gallaher “Cinema Stars” Tobacco Cards issued by Gallaher Ltd. out of Belfast & London. 100 card set. Measures 1-1/2″ x 2-1/2″.
1948 Dinkie Grips card from Series 3 covering MGM films. Full cards with unpunctured “grips” area at bottom measure approximately 2-1/8″ X 4-1/4″. Issued out of Birmingham, England by Dinkie Products with ad on back for Dinkie Grips as well as other Dinkie Products (Dinkie Curlers and Wavesetters).
1939 Gallaher “My Favourite Part” Tobacco Cards issued out of London, measuring approximately 1-1/2″ X 2-1/2″.
