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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 4/2/13

9:45 PM Turner Classic Movies
White Cargo (1942 USA): Don your pith helmet for this set-in-Africa melodrama about a love triangle on a colonial-era plantation. Directed by Richard Thorpe, White Cargo stars Walter Pidgeon as Harry Witzel, a plantation overseer who finds himself entranced by beautiful native woman Tondelayo, played by African-American superstar Hedy Lamarr. Oh, wait...Hedy was born in Vienna. Well, that’s closer to Africa than Hollywood, I guess. As for the third corner of the triangle, it’s represented by Richard Carlson as Langford, a newly arrived greenhorn who naturally cannot resist Tondelayo’s mesmeric half-breed spell. Also on hand: Frank Morgan, Reginald Owen, and I Walked With a Zombie’s Darby Jones, who really was African-American.

Wednesday 4/3/13

10:05 AM The Movie Channel
The Last Rites of Joe May (2011 USA): No, this isn’t a film about the declining days of German film director Joe May. This Joe May, played ferociously by Dennis Farina, is an aging grifter whose sell-by date has passed him by before he’s been able to make his underhanded fortune. Returning to town after an extended illness, Joe finds a lot of things have changed for the worse – including his living arrangements. Set in Chicago, this Cassavetes-style character study bears some similarities to the equally fine (if notably bloodier) Chicago Overcoat.

7:00 PM Action Max
American Psycho II: All American Girl (2002 USA): Hey, you don’t want to miss a movie directed by Morgan Freeman, do you? Then tune in tonight for American Psycho II! Oh sure, this Morgan Freeman is some pasty-faced white guy with a middle initial, but still...Morgan J. Freeman directing William Shatner as an ex-FBI man turned college instructor! And Ukrainian Mila Kunis as the titular All American Girl – the one who’ll literally stop at nothing to make a name for herself in academia! It may not be The Shawshank Redemption, but it’s gotta be close, right?

Thursday 4/4/13

9:15 PM Turner Classic Movies
Proud Valley (1940 GB): TCM offers a pair of movies set in mining communities this evening, starting with Proud Valley, one of a handful of films American expat Paul Robeson made during his late ‘30s stay in the UK. Robeson plays David Goliath (oy), a former ship’s stoker now employed down at pit. David’s magnificent singing voice naturally attracts the attention of local choirmaster Parry (Simon Lack), who plans to win a national competition with his new discovery front and center, but fate intercedes, the mine is closed following an accident, and the now jobless miners have more to worry about than hitting the high notes. Robeson’s physical presence and nonpareil singing voice dominate the proceedings but there’s room for social commentary, too, as some of David’s co-workers are initially less than happy to accept a black man into their midst. Proud Valley is followed at 10:45 PM by 1949’s A Run For Your Money, an enjoyable Ealing comedy about brothers who win a trip to London, where the inevitable culture clash (not least with a character portrayed by Alec Guinness) leads to amusing complications.

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