Trevor Howard: Summer Under the Stars '08

Even in his relative youth on film, Trevor Howard was an unlikely film star. He always looked older than he was. His was a plain, simple face, with a nose broken long ago, rather large ears, a rough cheek, a mouth tight with resolution, (or is it pain?), eyes that seem haunted by unforgettable sights and feelings, and a voice, when he wasn't asked to waste time playing one of those "Thanks awfully, old chap" type of parts, capable of both a fairly devastating restrained romanticism and gruff, hard-earned cynicism. In other words, he may have been a perfect exemplar of how an average Brit saw himself at the end of WWII.

One of the pleasures of this year's Summer Under the Stars is seeing some seriously rare films--such as the broadcast of Barbara Stanwyck's first feature last night, The Locked Door (1929), (and boy, did the lock on that early talkie creak when they opened it--though any curiosity I might ever have had about Rod La Rocque is now satisfied), and the upcoming airing of Frank Borzage's quietly powerful Man's Castle (1933) with Spencer Tracy and Loretta Young on August 31st.

While many of the performers featured each day are quite familiar to us, the lineup of films for one outstanding individual this Friday, August 22nd, when TCM will devote 24 hours to an exploration of Trevor Howard's films, is most welcome...please click here for the rest of the story