I have to apologize, I guess it was in my excitement to post this, but it’s not The Match King airing Tuesday morning, it’s The Mind Reader. Sorry for any confusion.

Sorry, this really should have been in my last post which was filled with news and notes, but as The Match King rightfully appears to be one of the most requested Warren William films in the comments here I absolutely had to post an alert for you — it airs this Tuesday morning, March 16, 2010 at 8:45 am EST on Turner Classic Movies.

I hope the notice isn’t too late!  I’d mentioned in that last post that my Now Playing subscription had lapsed, so I only noticed this last night when I was scrolling through the week’s schedule with my TV remote choosing which movies I wanted to record.  The Match King made me snap straight up in my seat!

There’s actually a lot of WW airing on TCM this month.  I’d already mentioned his showing up in a pair of films as part of the Ginger Rogers Star of the Month schedule, but he’s also going to show up on George Brent’s birthday as well.  Here’s all the Warren William that TCM is airing in the coming months (all times EST):

• Monday, March 15 at 2:45 pm Living on Velvet (1935) starring Kay Francis, George Brent, Warren William
• Tuesday, March 16 at 8:45 am The Mind Reader (1933) starring Warren William, Constance Cummings, Allen Jenkins
• Wednesday, March 17 at 9:45 pm Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933) starring Warren William, Joan Blondell, Aline MacMahon
• Sunday, March 21 at 12:00 pm The Man in the Iron Mask (1939) starring Louis Hayward, Joan Bennett, Warren William
• Thursday, March 25 at 7:00 am Upper World (1934) starring Warren William, Mary Astor, Ginger Rogers

I’m seeing nothing featuring Warren William on either the April or May 2010 TCM schedules, but 5 for March isn’t too bad!

Enjoy, and again, hope I caught you in time!

Related: Some Dental Work from The Mind Reader.

Arsene Lupin Returns (1938) is the sequel to Arsene Lupin (1932) which ironically starred John Barrymore of all people in the title role. Interesting here though is that Warren William’s Barrymoreness doesn’t get him cast in the lead, but as the private eye on the hunt for Lupin.

Warren William, Melvyn Douglas, and Virginia Bruce in Arsene Lupin Returns (1938)

Of course, this story is all very European and polite, so WW and Melvyn Douglas, lead in Arsene Lupin Returns, are more competitors than enemies here. Besides competing against one another to solve the crime story at the heart of Arsene Lupin Returns, the two compete for the affections of co-star Virginia Bruce, who’s engaged to the Douglas character that WW suspects of being Lupin.

Based upon characters created by Maurice Leblanc in his 1907 book Arsene Lupin, this is the second talkie treatment of the character following numerous silent efforts. Released 6 years after the original, MGM hatched the sequel as early as 1936 when according to Hollywood Reporter plans called for William Powell to play the Douglas role and Spencer Tracy to take what would eventually become William’s part. Myrna Loy was later added to the planned cast. Of course none of that happened, nor did Powell’s chosen successor, Robert Montgomery, show up in the final version of the film, and I imagine that by ’36/’37 John Barrymore’s difficulties had taken him out of consideration.

I find it interesting that Warren William was not cast in the Lupin role himself, and wonder if a career spent being compared to Barrymore had anything to do with either MGM’s casting choice or if perhaps this was William’s own choice. That said, the WB hey day has past for Warren William by this point, and Melvyn Douglas was more of a lead for MGM during this period than WW was, so this just might be coincidence anyway. The parts play pretty even, but still, it’s worth imagining a flip flop in the roles while watching as well.

Besides Douglas, Bruce, and William, Arsene Lupin Returns features John Halliday as the Count de Grissac (the Bruce character’s Uncle), Monty Woolley as George Bouchet (her cousin), Nat Pendleton and E.E. Clive as two of Lupin’s old flunkies, and George Zucco as the Prefect of Police.

Not top of the line Warren William fare, nor does it match up the the earlier film starring the Barrymore brothers, but Arsene Lupin Returns is still entertaining for any classic film fan.

Arsene Lupin Returns (1938) airs on Turner Classic Movies at 3:30 am EST Wednesday, October 14 (technically Thursday the 15th), immediately after Arsene Lupin.

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Shoot guys, it’s been a month since I posted, I’m sorry! I guess TCM needs to air some more Warren William movies, though with Arsene Lupin Returns airing 3:30 am EST late Wednesday night and even better, The Match King airing at a similarly ungodly hour, 3 am late into the evening of Thursday, October 29, we’re having one of our better months.

Sure, one Lone Wolf marathon tops two movies, but at the same time the Arsene Lupin movies seem to air about once per year and I believe it’s been much longer than that for The Match King — Do not forget to record!

–Cliff

Warren William and Lili Damita in The Match King (1932)

Get your preferred recording devices ready, there’s actually A LOT of Warren William airing on TCM this week!

First up, he’s Caesar tomorrow night in Cecil B. De Mille’s “Cleopatra” at 12:45 am EST (That’s actually very early Tuesday morning so as not to confuse). I don’t know if you’ve been checking it out, but I’ve been posting several of the TCM daily schedules with movie collectibles as illustration over in my spot on the Examiner.com. You may have the schedules already, but the images are the added bonus.

Then Wednesday, July 1, starting at 9:30 am, TCM is airing 6 of the 1930′s Perry Mason movies, the first four of which star Warren William in the title role. That schedule, again, all times Eastern:

• 9:30 am “The Case of the Howling Dog” (1934)
• 11:00 am “The Case of the Curious Bride” (1935)
• 12:30 pm “The Case of the Lucky Legs” (1935)
• 2:00 pm “The Case of the Velvet Claws” (1936)

I actually watched “The Case of the Lucky Legs” over the weekend with the intention of writing it up for the Examiner prior to Wednesday’s airing, but with that just 3 days off and another critical viewing required before I attempt to touch it, I’m not sure if I’ll beat TCM to the title or not. More than likely not, but I’ll try. Obviously I’ll link that up over here if and when I do get to it.

Enjoy them while you can, the next appearance Warren William makes on TCM won’t be until a July 17th airing of “The Man in the Iron Mask” (1939). Happy viewing –

Cliff

Warren William as Julius Caesar in Cleopatra

Thanks to a little Perry Mason run, Turner Classic Movies is going to do a little better by us Warren William fans in the early Summer than it did through the Spring.

If you’re interested in the complete rundown here are TCM’s schedules for June 2009 and July 2009.  Warren William highlights follow:

June 29 – 12:45 AM (early morning of the 30th actually) – Cleopatra (1934) – Marc Antony (Henry Wilcoxon) gets more camera time, but Warren William is playing Julius Caesar, which is nothing to sneeze at!  Looks like Cleopatra is part of a Cecil B. DeMille night that starts at 8.

July 1 – Here we go, Perry Mason all morning and into the afternoon on Wednesday the 1st.

9:30 am – The Case of the Howling Dog (1934)
11:00 am – The Case of the Curious Bride (1935) Michael Curtiz directs this one
12:30 pm – The Case of the Lucky Legs (1935)
2:00 pm – The Case of the Velvet Claws (1936) With Claire Dodd as Della Street

Note: Following the Warren William Perry Mason movies you also have a chance to check out Ricardo Cortez (The Case of the Black Cat – 1936) and Donald Woods (The Case of the Stuttering Bishop – 1937) in the role as well.

July 17 – 9:45 am The Man in the Iron Mask (1939) Okay, TCM really likes this one.  It seems to be on once per month.

July 25 – 10:00 pm The Firefly (1937) starring Jeanette MacDonald.  Even my DVR will be lit up here, don’t believe I have this one and I know I haven’t watched it if I do.

And while there’s no WW as Philo Vance on in June or July, I figured I’d share this still from The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1939) that I picked up in an eBay auction recently:

The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1939)