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From the obscure to the obscurest to the merely overlooked or underappreciated; they all have a home in the TiVoPlex! All times Pacific.

Tuesday 7/13/10

10:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Smile (1975 USA): This marvelous comedy/drama stars Bruce Dern and Barbara "Agent 99" Feldon as beauty pageant organizers desperate to put on a good show regardless of the turmoil in their private lives. Feldon’s marriage is on the rocks, and Dern’s son is an amateur pornographer whose hobby has the potential to damage his father’s All-American reputation. Filmed in Alfred Hitchcock’s favorite American small town, Santa Rosa, California, and directed by the erratic but talented Michael Ritchie, Smile is a perceptive and very funny look at the mores of middle America circa 1975. Look for an 18-year-old Melanie Griffith in a supporting role.

Wednesday 7/14/10

2:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
Convoy (1978 USA): It’s singalong time in the TiVoPlex!

Coz we got a great big convoy rockin' thru the night
Yeah we got a great big convoy aint she a beautiful sight
Come on and join our convoy aint nothin' gonna get in our way
We gonna roll this truckin' convoy across the USA
Convoy

Has a good movie ever been adapted from a popular song—especially one featuring the word ‘truckin’ in it? I can’t think of any, and Convoy is certainly no exception. Perhaps the most embarrassing entry in director Sam Peckinpah’s filmography, it’s basically a heavily padded two-hour version of the C. W. McCall tune, which somehow managed to convey its message in a mere two minutes. Kris Kristoffersson stars as Rubber Duck, Ernest Borgnine plays wet blanket lawman Cottonmouth Wallace, Ali Macgraw is bland love interest Melissa, and Burt Young is perfectly cast as Pigpen (the trucker, not the Grateful Dead dude). The good news? Convoy is a little better than its cousin Breaker! Breaker!, and is making its widescreen television debut this morning, allowing you to enjoy those sweeping highway vistas in all their 2.35:1 glory.

6:15 PM Turner Classic Movies
Gun Crazy (1950 USA): Joseph H. Lewis’ legendary film noir returns to the small screen this evening. John Dall, fresh off his appearance in Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope, stars as Bart Tare, a firearms-mad army vet who falls for sharp-shooting carny gal Annie (Welsh actress Peggy Cummins). The two soon tie the knot, but Annie isn’t happy with her standard of living and convinces Bart that they can supplement their income with the occasional stick-up. The couple soon learn, however, that crime does not pay, and are pursued to the ends of the Earth (or at least the nearby mountains) by Deputy Sheriff Boston (Harry Lewis). In all honesty, I don’t think Gun Crazy quite lives up to its reputation—the story is just a tad too routine—but it’s a visually impressive feature, thanks primarily to cinematographer Russell Harlan. Claustrophobia never felt so good!

9:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Cry of the Hunted (1953 USA): Here’s a far more obscure feature from Mr. Lewis, and one I’ve never had the pleasure of seeing before. It’s a crime drama about a fugitive (Vittorio Gassmann, during his brief American sojourn and equally brief marriage to Shelley Winters) on the run from justice (Barry Sullivan) in the bayous of Louisiana. Produced, surprisingly, by MGM, the film also features Polly Bergen and William Conrad. At the very least, it’ll provide interesting contrast with Gun Crazy.

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