CATCH A CLASSIC
Star of the Month: Dana Andrews: ‘1940s and 1950s’
TCM, Beginning at 8 p.m.
Turner Classic Movies’ monthlong Tuesday night salute to star Dana Andrews continues with more titles from his heyday as a leading man of major studio productions in the 1940s as well as some from the early to mid-’50s, when he began a transition into more supporting roles and B-movies. The 10-film lineup continues well into tomorrow afternoon. Up first is a production featuring Andrews in one of his best roles: The Best Years of Our Lives (pictured) (1946), Best
Director Oscar winner William Wyler’s Best Picture Oscar-winning drama about World War II veterans struggling as they readjust to life back home. Amid an exceptional ensemble cast, including Best Actor Oscar winner Fredric March and Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner Harold Russell (a non-professional actor and actual veteran who lost both hands during his military service), Andrews is compelling as a bombardier captain suffering from PTSD, known then as “shell shock.” Following that are Elephant Walk (1954), a drama also starring Elizabeth Taylor and Peter Finch; Boomerang (1947), Elia Kazan’s acclaimed crime semidocumentary based on a true story; Daisy Kenyon, a 1947 romantic drama that re-teamed Andrews with Laura director Otto Preminger, and co-stars Joan Crawford and Henry Fonda; the 1948 drama Night Song;
My Foolish Heart, a 1949 romantic drama co-starring Susan Hayward; the 1949 war film Sword in the Desert; I Want You, a 1951 drama about the effects of the Korean War on a small-town family; Sealed Cargo, a 1951 action drama set during World War II; and (1952), a Cold War espionage thriller.