AMID-WEEK public holiday, what a treat, and just to make it worthwhile for the square eyes without family lunchtime commitments, there are some classic films on for a day of total indulgence. ATV has the midday movie market sewn up, warming up with Les Girls (World, 11am), starring the ever irresistible, Gene Kelly.
In the tradition of the 40s musical extravaganza, MGM made Les Girls in 1957, using what was to be the last musical score for Hollywood composed by the great Cole Porter. And it was the first US picture for Kay Kendall. She won rave reviews for her portrayal of Lady Wren, who stirs up a storm when she releases her candid memoirs of what went on behind the scenes with Barry Nichols (Kelly) and his Les Girls. The musical turns into a court-room drama with a difference as each character recalls their version of events.
And then the festive mood really swings into gear - step up Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse and dazzle us with your best. Acclaimed as one of the finest musicals ever made, The Band Wagon (World, 1.00pm), is the work of director Vincente Minnelli. It is the story of Hollywood dancer Tony Hunter (Astaire) who has passed his prime, but tries to revive his career with a Broadway comeback. But it doesn't go as smoothly as he would have hoped, his adjustment problems not helped by the fact his dancing partner, ballerina Gaby Gerard (Charisse), is less than impressed.
What makes this musical special is that it gives us more than singin' and dancin' - it delivers a sharp look at life behind the stage door. Some say it is a thinly-disguised Astaire autobiography, but it is certainly a wonderful piece of entertainment and in fact features the showbiz anthem, That's Entertainment. And, of course, there is some terrific dancing. Charisse and Astaire made some pair on the boards.
Over on TVB, a curious little film is on offer - For Love Alone (Pearl, 12.55 pm). This should not be chosen over the The Band Wagon, even for its curiosity value, which is quite strong, in a modern-day America, voyeuristic sort of way.
For Love Alone is based on the novel by Ivana Trump, who has a cameo role in the TV movie. It is, according to the publicity material, 'the story of a woman, beautiful and talented, resourceful and compelling, and her quest for happiness and love.' Of her book, Ivana says it is not autobiographical, but there are similarities between the main character, Katrina, and Ivana's own life. Both Trump and the fictional Katrina were champion skiers in Czechoslovakia, Katrina skies to freedom over the Austrian border, Ivana got married to slip out from behind the Iron Curtain. Those times as a new immigrant were not always easy for the glamour puss, as she revealed in a recent interview: 'I started from scratch. Working the old-fashioned way, very hard . . . it was really work, work, work, a little bit of the fun and a lot of skiing.' While her later marriage and then divorce to tycoon Donald Trump brought new meaning to the word messy, it left Ivana rich, famous and free to write trashy novels, to be snapped up by production companies and turned into equally trashy TV movies! The two movies on tonight are, fortunately, in a different class from For Love Alone, although there's a good chance you would have already seen each at least twice. Favourites both, ATV is offering The Dirty Dozen (World, 9.35pm), featuring an all-star, classic Hollywood WWII cast. Lee Marvin is non-conformist Major Reisman, assigned to put together a suicide squad of military bad boys to infiltrate and destroy a chateau in occupied France where the Nazi top brass congregate. Among the cast are Telly Savalas, Charles Bronson, Donald Sutherland and Ernest Borgnine. Violent for its time, it was released in 1967, it was a box office smash and has remained popular television fodder.
