Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will celebrate the extraordinary career of actress Kim Novak with an entire night of programming Wednesday, March 6, beginning at 8 p.m. (ET). The evening will open with the premiere of Kim Novak: Live from the TCM Classic Film Festival, a one-hour interview special hosted by TCM's Robert Osborne and taped at last year's festival in Hollywood.
In addition to Kim Novak: Live from the TCM Classic Film Festival, TCM will explore Novak's career with presentations of four memorable films: Bell, Book and Candle (1958), Picnic (1955), The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) and Of Human Bondage (1964).
"Kim Novak had one of the really interesting careers in the movie business," Osborne says in his introduction to Kim Novak: Live from the TCM Classic Film Festival. "Her rise in Hollywood in the 1950s was meteoric. She went from being a fledgling model to a full-blown superstar in the space of just two short years. By 1956, she was considered the movie's #1 box office star in the world."
Novak was a reluctant superstar, however, as Osborne goes on to explain. "She turned her back on fame and eventually left Hollywood for a quiet life in the Pacific Northwest, where she ultimately found what she'd always been after: contentment."
Last April, after more than two decades away from the spotlight, Novak accepted TCM's invitation to return to Hollywood as a special guest at the 2012 TCM Classic Film Festival. During that festival, she was honored with a hand and footprint ceremony at TCL Chinese Theatre, followed by her extensive interview with Osborne in front of a packed house at The Avalon theater.
"This was something all of us at TCM have wanted to happen for a long time, and it was well worth the wait," Osborne says about his conversation with Novak. "Kim was candid, revealing, funny, heartbreakingly honest and beautiful. The end result is one of my favorites of any interview I've ever had the good fortune to be a part of."
TCM Celebrates Kim Novak – Wednesday, March 6
8 p.m. – Kim Novak: Live from the TCM Classic Film Festival (2013) – Premiere
9 p.m. – Bell, Book and Candle (1958) – Kim Novak stars in this delightful adaptation of John Van Druten's play about a witch who sets her sights on a publisher who is already engaged to be married. James Stewart plays the object of her affections. Jack Lemmon, Janice Rule, Ernie Kovacs, Hermione Gingold and Elsa Lanchester co-star.
11 p.m. – Kim Novak: Live from the TCM Classic Film Festival (2013) – Encore
Midnight – Picnic (1955) – William Inge's Pulitzer Prize-winning play serves as the basis for this memorable romantic drama directed by Joshua Logan. Novak plays a young woman who falls for a drifter (William Holden), even though she's in a relationship with his pal (Cliff Robertson). Rosalind Russell and Arthur O'Connell co-star.
2 a.m. – The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) – In this searing social drama from director Otto Preminger, Frank Sinatra plays a musician struggling to overcome a heroin addiction. Novak plays the former flame who complicates his life even further. Eleanor Parker and Darren McGavin also star, with the memorable jazz score provided by Elmer Bernstein.
4:15 a.m. – Of Human Bondage (1964) – This adaptation of Somerset Maugham's classic romance, Novak stars as a poor waitress who attracts the passions of a young doctor, played by Laurence Harvey. Robert Morley, Siobhan McKenna, Roger Livesey and Brenda Fricker co-star under the direction of Ken Hughes.
About Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is a Peabody Award-winning network that presents great films, uncut and commercial-free, from the largest film libraries in the world. Currently seen in more than 85 million homes, TCM features the insights of hosts Robert Osborne and Ben Mankiewicz, plus interviews with a wide range of special guests. As the foremost authority in classic films, TCM offers critically acclaimed original documentaries and specials, along with regular programming events that include The Essentials, hosted by Robert Osborne and Drew Barrymore, and the month-long 31 Days of Oscar® in February and Summer Under the Stars in August. TCM also stages special events and screenings, such as the TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood and the TCM Classic Cruise; produces a wide range of media about classic film, including books and DVDs; and hosts a wealth of online through the TCM homepage, which includes the TCM Movie Database, message boards, blogs and more.
TCM is part of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company. Turner Broadcasting creates and programs branded news; entertainment; animation and young adult; and sports media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.
