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Friday 7/23/10

3:30 AM Sundance
Leila Khaled (2006 SWE): Nobody likes a 'terrorist'--but watch this film, and you will have a better understanding of what motivates one. Leila Khaled was born in Palestine in 1944, and--along with hundreds of thousands of other Palestinian Arabs--lost her home in 1948 when Israel came into existence. Exiled throughout the Middle East, the Palestinian people placed their hope in Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, but when the 1967 war ended in disaster, they turned to more radical tactics, including airline hijackings. This utterly riveting documentary, produced for Swedish television, tells the story of Ms. Khaled, the poster girl for the Palestinian liberation movement, who was involved in a pair of hijackings, and who now works on behalf of her people as a member of the Palestinian National Council. For anyone interested in the often byzantine history of Palestine and Israel, this is essential viewing.

Saturday 7/24/10

7:30 AM Turner Classic Movies
Blues Busters (1950 USA): I told you we’d get to the Boys soon enough! In this outing (series entry number 19), Sach (Huntz Hall) gets his tonsils removed—and becomes a smooth Crosby-style crooner as a result. Slip (Leo Gorcey) and the boys decide to cash in on his newly dulcet tones, and open a night club, but find they have criminal competition. Interesting footnote: Blues Busters marked the final series appearance of Gabriel Dell, one of the original Dead End Kids.

1:00 PM HBO
A Small Act (2010 USA): In the mood for something heartwarming? Check out this documentary about a Swedish woman who paid for the education of a Kenyan child who grew up, graduated from Harvard Law School, and became a United Nations Human Rights Commissioner. He also started his own scholarship fund in honor of his mentor. Somehow A Small Act manages to tell this story without resorting to doe-eyed sentimentality, and Sally Struthers is nowhere to be seen. Also airs at 4:00 PM.

Sunday 7/25/10

8:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
The Noose Hangs High (1948 USA): I was a pretty big Abbott and Costello fan when I was a wee sprout. Their movies aired constantly on commercial television throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s, but there were three dozen of them and you never got bored with the repeated routines. Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, Captain Kidd—A & C capered with all of them throughout their wildly successful career, but one of the duo’s films never, ever aired in the Los Angeles area—and this is it. Even Dance With Me Henry and Africa Screams would show up every now and then, but not The Noose Hangs High! I used to think this was because of the film’s somewhat gruesome and out of character title, but now I suspect it all came down to business: this was the only film A&C produced themselves, and probably wasn’t included in syndication packages sold to television by Universal. It’s now part of the MGM library and has even been released on DVD, but for me remains a bit of a holy grail, somewhat akin to Val Lewton’s Ghost Ship before it also resurfaced a few years ago. Long story short: this is the only A&C film I’ve never seen, and I’m thrilled it’s finally showing up on TCM.

Monday 7/26/10

5:00 PM Sundance
The U.S. vs. John Lennon (2006 USA): Richard Nixon and J. Edgar Hoover did not like John Lennon. The lank-haired Liverpudlian was, they believed, a terrible and even dangerous influence on American youth, and Hoover’s FBI worked hard to keep him out of the United States. Lennon, of course, had relocated to the States in the early ‘70s and begun supporting a number of radical political causes, and the Feds desperately tried to deport him on the basis of a British drugs conviction. This fascinating and still topical film is essential viewing for any self-respecting Lennon fan, and anyone who cherishes civil liberties and the right to dissent.

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