If when you think of Alec Guinness, you think only of Star Wars, boy, are you in for a treat tomorrow night. Guinness, as the rest of you know, was actually one of the foremost comedic actors of the 1940s and 1950s and Turner Classic Movies is showing four of his best, The Lavender Hill Mob, The Man In The White Suit, The Ladykillers and Kind Hearts And Coronets.There's also a documentary about the Ealing Studios where so many of these great British comedies were made.
Here's the schedule for December 29, 2010, from TCM's website. All times are Eastern Standard Time. Check it out. These carry Katie-Bar-The-Door's highest recommendation and she wouldn't steer you wrong.
8:00pm [Crime] Lavender Hill Mob, The (1951)
An overlooked gold transporter with twenty years service plots to steal a million pounds of gold.
Cast: Alec Guinness, Stanley Holloway, Sidney James, Alfie Bass Dir: Charles Crichton BW-81 mins
9:30pm [Documentary] Forever Ealing (2002)
A documentary that explores the history and influence of England's Ealing Studios.
Cast: Jill Balcon, Googie Withers, Derek Bond I, Rupert Everett Dir: Andrew Snell BW-50 mins
10:30pm [Comedy] Man in the White Suit, The (1951)
A young inventor threatens the business world when he creates a cloth that can't tear or wear out.
Cast: Alec Guinness, Joan Greenwood, Cecil Parker, Michael Gough Dir: Alexander Mackendrick BW-85 mins
12:00am [Crime] Ladykillers, The (1955)
An eccentric bandit gang moves into a little old lady's boardinghouse to plot a major heist.
Cast: Alec Guinness, Cecil Parker, Herbert Lom, Peter Sellers Dir: Alexander Mackendrick BW-91 mins
1:45am [Comedy] Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
An ambitious young man sets out to kill everyone who stands between him and a fortune.
Cast: Alec Guinness, Dennis Price, Joan Greenwood, Valerie Hobson Dir: Robert Hamer BW-106 mins
