Sally Field picks four for Turner Classic Movies
Sally Field is a two-time Oscar winner, a three-time Emmy winner — including last year at Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series for Brothers and Sisters — and she’s bound to be in the running again this year when the nominations are announced on July 17.
Now she’s taking on a new role; she’ll be guest programmer at Turner Classic Movies in July, and having gotten a look at her choices, I have to say to Sally, “I like you, I really like you” — at least your taste in movies.
Sally will be joined by TCM host Robert Osborne introducing and discussing her four films. The Field four are Love With a Proper Stranger, The Awful Truth, All About Eve and The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek, and every one of them features great performances by women.
To those of you who aren’t movie buffs, here’s a bit more information about these films — why I like them, and I mean, I really like them.
– Love With a Proper Stranger stars Natalie Wood (in an Oscar-nominated performance) as a girl from a nice Italian family who gets pregnant after a one-night stand with a musician, Steve McQueen. Together they decide she needs to get an abortion. Since the film is set in 1963, that was illegal, expensive and dangerous. Directed by Robert Mulligan, this movie is essentially a two-character piece and Wood and McQueen are fantastic.
– The Awful Truth is a screwball comedy about marriage starring Cary Grant and Irene Dunne. It’s smart, funny and very grown up about men and women and the trouble with fidelity. Made in 1937, directed by Leo McCarey, it’s still one of the funniest movies ever. If you’ve never had a chance to see Irene Dunne at work, this is the movie to watch. She was the Glenn Close of her era, Oscar nominated five times (including The Awful Truth) and never won.
– Most everyone knows that the 1950 Best Picture Oscar-winner All About Eve is the quintessential movie about the theater, with brilliant performances especially by the women in the cast, Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, Celeste Holm and Thelma Ritter — and George Sanders, too.
– The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek is a flat-out comic masterpiece by Preston Sturges, starring Betty Hutton. Made in 1944, with American at war, it’s the story of Trudy Kockenlocker, a small-town girl who gets married and knocked up after an all-night going away party for a soldier. She can’t remember who he is, has no clue, but her disgrace is ameliorated in a most surprising way.
Tune in on July 10 for Sally and Bob and a top-notch movie marathon.
Timothy Olyphant joins Damages
It was announced today that former Deadwood star Timothy Olyphant has joined the season two cast of FX’s Damages in a season-long arc. This marks Olyphant’s first credited TV cast role since the HBO drama went off the air over two years ago.
Olyphant, who will star with returning cast Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, and Tate Donovan, marks the second addition to the FX drama in just over a week. William Hurt joined the show last Monday.
Olyphant’s character will become involved in the life of Ellen Parsons (Byrne) as she deals with her fiancé David’s murder and the FBI case being mounted against her boss, Patty Hewes (Close). Hurt will play a new client of Hewes.
Season two of Damages went in to production in New York City yesterday and the show returns to FX in early 2009, likely after The Shield’s seventh and final season has concluded.
William Hurt joins Damages
FX announced today that William Hurt has joined the season two cast of Damages. He’ll play a new client of Glenn Close’s Patty Hewes. No further description of his character was given, but the possibility of a professional and personal relationship with Hewes was hinted at.
This will mark the first time that Hurt has signed on to a TV series as a regular as well as the first time he and Close have worked together since The Big Chill. No word on whether or not Hurt’s character will extend to the third season though. Damages got the double season renewal back in November.
And now we speculate. How exactly will Hurt’s character tie into the overall story? Will he be connected with the FBI and help Ellen bring down Patty? Will he have ties to Frobisher? Could he be the father of Patty’s deceased daughter Julia? So many questions, but don’t get too excited. Even though the show goes back into production next week, it won’t return to FX until early 2009.
CBS rounds up the stars for The Tonys
CBS is rounding up some A-listers to appear at The Tony Awards this year. Alec Baldwin (30 Rock), Kristin Chenoweth (Pushing Daisies), Glenn Close (Damages), Richard Griffiths, Laura Linney (John Adams), John Lithgow, Liza Minnelli, Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds), Daniel Radcliffe, Brooke Shields (Lipstick Jungle) and Marisa Tomei will be presenters at this year’s award show. As previously announced, Whoopi Goldberg of The View, a Tony-winner herself, will be this year’s host.
Also, the Tony Award-winning productions The Lion King and Rent will make rare encore performances at this year’s gala.
The 62nd Annual Tony Awards will be broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 15th from 8:00 to 11:00 p.m. ET (delayed PT) on CBS. Here’s my issue with the Tonys. It’s long and it’s usually a snore. Do you think this effort to spice up the show will pay off? Does it make you want to tune in?