“Boardwalk Empire” costars help introduce TCM’s night of Prohibition biopics

From Turner Classic Movies:

Michael Stuhlbarg as Arnold Rothstein in "Boardwalk Empire"

Before the debut of HBO’s Prohibition-era series Boardwalk Empire, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will get viewers in the speakeasy mood with an evening of biopics about some of the time period’s most notorious gangsters and bootleggers. TCM’s “Prohibition All-Stars” marathon, scheduled to air September 15, will showcase five films about such figures as Al Capone, John “Legs” Diamond, Arnold Rothstein, Louis “Lepke” Buchalter and Vincent “Mad Dog” Coll. Rod Steiger, Tony Curtis and David Janssen are among the stars in the title roles.

Boardwalk Empire co-stars Vincent Piazza (Rescue Me), who plays Lucky Luciano, and Michael Stuhlbarg(A Serious Man), who plays Arnold Rothstein, will join TCM host Robert Osborne in introducing the movies. Boardwalk Empire, from Emmy-winning writer Terence Winter (The Sopranos) and Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese (The Departed, Shutter Island), will premiere September 19 on HBO.

The following is the complete schedule of TCM’s “Prohibition All-Stars” marathon (all times Eastern):

Wednesday, Sept. 15
8 p.m.   Al Capone (1959) – Rod Steiger takes the title role in this throwback to the gritty gangster dramas of the 1930s.  Fay Spain, James Gregory, Martin Balsam and Nehemiah Persoff head a stellar supporting cast under the direction of Richard Wilson. Interestingly, because of the production code, the narrator at the end of the film attributes Capone’s death to “an incurable disease” instead of specifying that he died of syphilis.

10 p.m.    The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (1960 – TCM Premiere) – Budd Boetticher directed this snazzy telling of the “Legs” Diamond tale, with Ray Danton in the starring role.  Karen Steele, Elaine Stewart, Jesse White, Simon Oakland and Warren Oates co-star.  Lucien Ballard’s cinematography is especially noteworthy, as is the debut appearance of future star Dyan Cannon.

Midnight    King of the Roaring 20’s – The Story of Arnold Rothstein (1961 – TCM Premiere) – David Janssen stars in this partially fictionalized look at the legendary gangster’s rise and fall.  The film co-stars Dianne Foster, Diana Dors, Mickey Rooney and, in his last film, Jack Carson.

2 a.m.    Lepke (1975 – TCM Premiere) – Tony Curtis turns in a strong performance as the head of Murder, Inc. in this effective gangster pic from director Menahem Golan.  Anjanette Comer, Michael Callan, Warren Berlinger and Vic Tayback co-star, with Milton Berle turning in a rare serious performance.

4 a.m.    Mad Dog Coll (1961) – John Davis Chandler stars as the most deadly of all gangsters in this gripping melodrama co-starring Brooke Hayward, the daughter of Margaret Sullavan and author of Haywire.  Also featured are early performances by Telly Savalas and Jerry Orbach, a cameo by Vincent Gardenia as Dutch Schultz and the film debut of Gene Hackman.

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Credit: HBO/Craig Blankenhorn