TCM Today: Monday 12/10

Turner Classic Movies has become the hub for all lovers of old movies across the country. Many of us schedule our lives around the commercial free programming the channel offers us. This feature will include a breakdown of what a classic film enthusiast can recommend of TCM’s daily offerings. Margaret Perry has loved old movies for most of her life. She devotes most of her time and energy to her blog, The Great Katharine Hepburn. You can follow Margaret on Twitter @MargaretPerryKH or find her on Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, Letterboxd, Goodreads, and WordPress.

Prime time on Turner Classic Movies tonight will feature an evening of “Academic Conversations: The Art of Production Designs.” The evening will be co-hosted by two Academy Award-nominated production designers: Guy Hendrix Dyas and Lilly Kilvert. Dyas’s credits include such films as Pearl Harbor (2001), Planet of the Apes (2001), The Matrix Reloaded (2003), and Inception (2010). Kilvert has worked on films like The Crucible (1996), The Last Samurai (2003), and Valkyrie (2008).

Grand Hotel (1932), designed by art director Cedric Gibbons, starts the night off. Dyas will talk about the film’s distinct studio look, as well its art deco and art moderne style. The drama/romance is directed by Edmund Goulding and stars Greta Garbo, John and Lionel Barrrymore, Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery, Jean Hersholt, and Lewis Stone as the guests of a luxurious Berlin hotel.

Greta Garbo arrives at the Grand Hotel (1932)

At 10:15 pm, viewers will be treated to one of my all-time favorite musicals, George Cukor‘s My Fair Lady (1964), starring Audrey Hepburn, Rex Harrison, Stanley Holloway, and Gladys Cooper. George Bernard Shaw wrote the original play “Pygmalion” and Alan Jay Lerner turned it into one of America’s greatest film treasures. Dyas will discuss renowned photographer/costume designer/art director Cecil Beaton‘s vision and splendour made manifest in this cinematic masterpiece.

Gladys Cooper, Audrey Hepburn, and Rex Harrison enjoy the races in My Fair Lady (1964)

And now for something completely different…. In the early hours of Tuesday morning, Kilvert will take a look at a couple “politically charged” and “romantically charged” films: Grapes of Wrath (1940), the work of art directors Richard Day and Mark-Lee Kirk, and Mario Garbuglia’s stunning production design in The Leopard (1963).

Une Merkel

If you are in the mood for something a bit lighter, stay home from work and enjoy a day of Una Merkel dramas and comedies. If you don’t know the name never fear, you’ll definitely recognize the face. Merkel began her career as a stand-in for Lillian Gish back in the silent era, but when her comedic potential was discovered, she spent most of her career as the protagonists smart-talking, peroxide-blonde best friend. 

For a full schedule of TCM’s line-up for tomorrow, be sure to check out their website. I can also recommend investing in a subscription to their “Now Playing” guide. In it you get all the show times, plus articles about the special features. But my favorite part is the crossword puzzle at the back! I look forward to hearing what you watched and what you loved today on TCM!