TCM Schedule for Thursday, June 28 -- What's On Tonight: Teen Idols

It's a day of horror, and a night of teen idols. Not quite the same thing, but close. Tonight's teen idols include Tommy Steele, Peter Noone and Herman's Hermits, the Monkees, and Paul Anka. Enjoy!


6:00 AM -- The Time Machine (1960)
C-103 min, TV-G
A turn-of-the-century inventor sends himself into the future to save humanity.
Dir: George Pal
Cast: Rod Taylor, Alan Young, Yvette Mimieux

Won an Oscar for Best Effects, Special Effects -- Gene Warren and Tim Baar

Director George Pal was a close friend of fellow animator Walter Lantz, ever since Lantz did some cut-rate Woody Woodpecker work for Pal's Destination Moon. As tribute, Pal tried to include Woody Woodpecker references in all his subsequent films. In the scenes where the Eloi are having a good time, every so often you can distinctly hear the "Woody Woodpecker" laugh. Also, during the air raid scene, as all the people rush into the shelter a little girl crossing the street stops to pick something up that she dropped. When she does, you can quickly see she picks up a small Woody Woodpecker figure.


7:48 AM -- Where Eagles Dare (1969)
C-13 min
A short documentary providing a behind-the-scenes look at the challenging production of WWII action film "Where Eagles Dare" (1968).
Dir: Brian G. Hutton
Cast: Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood, Mary Ure

The title has its origins in William Shakespeare's 'Richard III': "The world is grown so bad, that wrens make prey where eagles dare not perch."


8:00 AM -- Village Of The Damned (1960)
77 min, TV-14
After a mysterious blackout, the inhabitants of a British village give birth to emotionless, super-powered offspring.
Dir: Wolf Rilla
Cast: George Sanders, Barbara Shelley, Martin Stephens

The blond wigs that the children wear had a built-in dome to give the impression that they had a larger than normal cranium.


9:30 AM -- The Manster (1962)
73 min, TV-PG
A mad scientist turns a reporter into a two-headed killer.
Dir: George P. Breakston
Cast: Peter Dyneley, Jane Hylton, Satoshi Nakamura

Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness pays homage to this film. When Ash has swallowed one of his little dopplegangers, he grows an eye on his right shoulder, which results in him splitting into two beings; Good Ash and Evil Ash. In this film, the reporter is injected with a serum and later develops an eye, which grows into a head, resulting in him splitting into a good being and an evil one.


10:45 AM -- The Snow Devils (1965)
C-91 min, TV-PG
Aliens plot to freeze the Earth as a replacement for their doomed home planet.
Dir: Antonio Margheriti
Cast: Isarco Ravaioli, Freddy Hagar, Enzo Fiermonte

The original Italian title is La morte viene dal pianeta Aytin.


12:30 PM -- War of the Planets (1965)
C-97 min, TV-PG
Martians with mind-control powers attempt to take over the earth.
Dir: Antonio Margheriti
Cast: Franco Nero, Tony Russel, Massimo Serato

The original title is Anno zero - guerra nello spazio.


2:15 PM -- The Wild, Wild Planet (1965)
C-94 min, TV-14
Space amazons control the Earth by shrinking its leaders.
Dir: Anthony Dawson
Cast: Tony Russel, Lisa Gastoni, Massimo Serato

This film, The War of the Planets, Il pianeta errante and The Snow Devils (the "Gamma One Quadrilogy&quot were all shot at the same time in order to save money. TCM is showing all of them today except Il pianeta errante.


4:00 PM -- Five Million Years To Earth (1968)
C-98 min, TV-PG
Subway excavations unearth a deadly force from beyond space and time.
Dir: Roy Ward Baker
Cast: James Donald, Andrew Keir, Barbara Shelley

If you look closely at the London Underground station walls, you can see quite a few posters from other Hammer projects such as The Reptile, Dracula: Prince of Darkness and The Witches, as well as My Fair Lady and Hotel. An old, partially-ripped poster for Sex and the Single Girl can be seen on the wall opposite the entrance to Hobbs End station.


5:45 PM -- The Green Slime (1969)
C-90 min, TV-14
A mysterious fungus invades a space station and turns the inhabitants into monsters.
Dir: Kinji Fukasaku
Cast: Robert Horton, Richard Jaeckel, Luciana Paluzzi

This was the first film ever to be featured on the cult TV series Mystery Science Theater 3000. An edited version of the film appeared on the show's never-aired pilot episode.


7:30 PM -- MGM Parade Show #12 (1955)
26 min, TV-G
George Murphy introduces clips featuring Vincente Minnelli and Arthur Freed from "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" and visits the set of "Kismet."


TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: STAR OF THE MONTH: TEEN IDOLS


8:00 PM -- Finian's Rainbow (1968)
C-145 min, TV-G
A leprechaun follows the Irishman who stole his pot of gold to the U.S. South.
Dir: Francis Ford Coppola
Cast: Fred Astaire, Petula Clark, Tommy Steele

Nominated for Oscars for Best Music, Score of a Musical Picture (Original or Adaptation) -- Ray Heindorf and Best Sound -- (Warner Bros.-Seven Arts SSD).

Because of its satire on racism, this popular 1947 Broadway musical was considered such a hot potato in Hollywood that studios would not touch it unless they were allowed to change the story. Its original creators, E.Y. Harburg, Burton Lane and Fred Saidy, held out and by 1968 it was able to be filmed with very few changes.


10:30 PM -- Mrs. Brown, You've Got A Lovely Daughter (1968)
C-95 min, TV-G
Herman's Hermits travel to England for a high-stakes greyhound race.
Dir: Saul Swimmer
Cast: Peter Noone, Karl Green, Keith Hopwood

Mostly filmed in Shepperton Studios in the UK, though the airport scene was filmed at Ontario International Airport, Ontario, California.


12:10 AM -- All Eyes On Sharon Tate (1966)
10 min
A short behind the scenes promo for "Eye of the Devil" (1966), showcasing the late Sharon Tate, then a young, 22-year-old hopeful at MGM.
Cast: Sharon Tate,

The scenes of Sharon Tate and David Hemmings dancing in a London discotheque were filmed by legendary cameraman and cinematographer Albert Maysles. There exists a longer version of this sequence as well as on-set footage from The Fearless Vampire Killers that have been part of a traveling festival of films made by the Maysles Brothers in recent years. Albert Maysles has also gone on record saying that Sharon Tate was the sexiest woman he ever filmed.


12:30 AM -- Head (1968)
C-86 min, TV-PG
A manufactured rock group tries to find its own identity in a world gone mad.
Dir: Bob Rafelson
Cast: Peter Tork, Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz

Rumors abound that the title was chosen in case a sequel was made. The advertisements would supposedly have read: "From the people who gave you HEAD."


2:06 AM -- Around The World, Under The Sea (1966)
C-8 min
This short film serves as a promo reel for the feature film 'Around the World Under the Sea'.
Cast: Lloyd Bridges, Shirley Eaton, Brian Kelly

Filmed in Miami, Florida.


2:15 AM -- Look in Any Window (1961)
86 min, TV-PG
A troubled teen loses his job as a aircraft mechanic and goes on a drinking binge.
Dir: William Alland
Cast: Paul Anka, Ruth Roman, Alex Nicol

Talk about teen idols -- this film is the debut of Jack Cassidy, father of future teen heartthrobs David, Shaun, Ryan and Patrick Cassidy.


4:00 AM -- Intimacy (1966)
85 min, TV-PG
A contractor's attempt to blackmail a politician has unexpected results.
Dir: Victor Stoloff
Cast: Jack Ging, Joan Blackman, Nancy Malone


5:30 AM -- TCM Presents Elvis Mitchell Under the Influence: Richard Gere (2008)
C-27 min, TV-14
Celebrities reveal the classic movies that influenced their lives in interviews with acclaimed film critic/interviewer Elvis Mitchell.