Hey, it’s Scott again. Thought I’d get this in on time so all of you could catch some more of my suggestions for Turner Classic Movies’ “31 Days of Oscar.” If you’re like me, by the end of the month you’re going to have your TiVo full of old movies. At least you’ll have something to watch until new episodes of your favorite TV shows begin airing in April. All times below are Eastern Standard. Aloha.
Tuesday, February 19
8 PM: The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)
Henry Fonda stars as a rider who gets caught up in a posse out to lynch three suspected rustlers. This western directed by William A. Wellman (The Public Enemy, A Star Is Born) is one of the most underrated films of its genre and a great study of mob mentality. In an interview last year with the Guardian, Clint Eastwood named The Ox-Bow Incident one of his favorite films.
Wednesday, February 20
4 PM: Ninotchka (1939)
Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas star in this classic romantic comedy directed by the master, Ernst Lubitsch (To Be or Not to Be, The Shop Around the Corner), and cowritten by Billy Wilder (Double Indemnity, Some Like It Hot), a master in his own right who received 12 Oscar nominations for Best Screenplay over the course of his career.
Thursday, February 21
7:15 AM: From Here to Eternity (1953)
Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, and Frank Sinatra star as enlisted men stationed in Hawaii just before the United States’ entry into World War II. All three give standout performances, but it was Sinatra who was given the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Á¢€” Lancaster and Clift canceled each other out in the Best Actor category. Directed by Fred Zinnemann (High Noon), this film is everything Michael Bay had hoped Pearl Harbor would be. Nominated for 13 Oscars, it won 8, including Best Picture, Best Director (Zinnemann), Best Supporting Actress (Donna Reed), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Daniel Taradash).
Friday, February 22
11:45 PM: Manhattan (1979)
Woody Allen’s romantic comedy may not be as great as Annie Hall, but it’s still a wonderful film and worth it just to see the stunning black-and-white cinematography by Gordon Willis (the Godfather trilogy). Allen’s valentine to his beloved New York also stars Diane Keaton, a young Meryl Streep, and an even younger Mariel Hemingway.
Saturday, February 23
7:30 AM: Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
Teresa Wright is a young girl who fears her favorite uncle is a killer. Joseph Cotten is splendidly creepy in one of Alfred HitchcockÁ¢€™s best mysteries.
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