Best-bets for July 12: An 80-year-old epic reigns

1) “Gone With the Wind” (1939), 10 p.m. ET, Turner Classic Movies. Last week, a TCM film called 1939 Hollywood’s greatest year; instant proof was provided with “Wizard of Oz” and “Ninotchka.” Both were Academy Award nominees for best picture, but that Oscar (and seven others) went to “Gone With the Wind” (its poster is shown here). Today, it’s preceded by a day of black-and-white, 1939 films; that peaks at 8 p.m. ET with “Dark Victory,” an Oscar nominee for best picture, actress (Bette Davis) and music. Read more…

1) “Gone With the Wind” (1939), 10 p.m. ET, Turner Classic Movies. Last week, a TCM film called 1939 Hollywood’s greatest year; instant proof was provided with “Wizard of Oz” and “Ninotchka.” Both were Academy Award nominees for best picture, but that Oscar (and seven others) went to “Gone With the Wind” (its poster is shown here). Today, it’s preceded by a day of black-and-white, 1939 films; that peaks at 8 p.m. ET with “Dark Victory,” an Oscar nominee for best picture, actress (Bette Davis) and music.

2) “Agents of SHIELD,” 8 p.m., ABC. Fantasy fans can catch this new episode, with the team racing to save a planet. Or they can switch to CW for a quick rerun of Thursday’s “Outpost” season-opener. The latter is almost adequate, which makes is a big jump from last year’s awful start.

3) “Hawaii Five-0” and “Blue Bloods,” 9 and 10 p.m., CBS. The first rerun involves the murder of Flippa’s friend … pointing to an extremist group’s deadly plan. The second sees a black-out hit New York City; as cops scramble to control the chaos, Frank learns unpleasant truths about his department.

4) “SpongeBob’s Big Birthday Blowout,” 7 and 8 p.m., Nickelodeon. The “SpongeBob” series turns 20 on Aug. 6, but it lists July 14 as SpongeBob SquarePants’ birthday. Now, a tad early, he gets a party. First, friends whisk him to the surface– a chance for guest stars. David Hasselhoff (SpongeBob’s hero) is there; Tom Kenney (who does SpongeBob’s voice) plays a crazed cook. The hour (a tribute to creator Stephen Hillenburg, who died of heart trouble in November at 57) is preceded by reruns at 10 a.m.

5) “Shangri-La” opener, 9 p.m., Showtime. A mystical mood surrounds Rick Rubin. As co-founder of Def Jam Records, he and Russell Simmons propelled hip hop. But as a record producer, he’s gone on to work with everyone from Adele to ZZ Top, from Johnny Cash and Neil Diamond to unknowns. Bearded and barefoot, he presides quietly over studios on a soothing Malibu estate that was named Shangri-La before he bought it. Oscar-winner Morgan Neville subtly captures the spirit of the place.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *