TCM Tribute to Mike Nichols Sept. 8

Director Mike Nichols is the subject of a 4-film TCM tribute on Wednesday, September 8, 2021.

Mike Nichols in the 1960s courtesy Wikipedia — Mike Nichols (1960s photo)

Included in the film lineup at Turner Classic Movies are Nichols’ two most famous films, The Graduate (1967) and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966). The schedule is below; all times are Eastern Time.

8:00 pm The Graduate (1967). A recent college graduate has an affair with his neighbor’s wife, then falls for their daughter. Director: Mike Nichols, Cast: Anne Bancroft, Dustin Hoffman, Katharine Ross.
10:00 pm American Masters: Mike Nichols (2016). Documentary on the career of Mike Nichols.
11:00 pm Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966). Film version of Albee’s Broadway hit about a sullen academic and his domineering wife. Director: Mike Nichols, Cast: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal.
01:30 am Gilda Live (1980). Gilda Radner is recorded during a live comedy concert. Director: Mike Nichols

Mike Nichols (born Igor Mikhail Peschkowsky; November 6, 1931 – November 19, 2014) was an American film and theater director, producer, actor, and comedian. He was noted for his ability to work across a range of genres and for his aptitude for getting the best out of actors regardless of their experience. Nichols began his career in the 1950s with the comedy improvisational troupe The Compass Players, then teamed up with his improv partner, Elaine May, to form the comedy duo Nichols and May. Their live improv act was a hit on Broadway, and the first of their three albums won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album.

After Nichols and May disbanded in 1961, he began directing plays, and quickly became known for his innovative productions and ability to elicit polished performances. His Broadway directing debut was Neil Simon‘s Barefoot in the Park in 1963, with Robert Redford and Elizabeth Ashley. He continued to direct plays on Broadway, including Luv (1964), and The Odd Couple (1965) for each of which he received Tony Awards. In 2012, he won his sixth Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play with a revival of Arthur Miller‘s Death of a Salesman starring Philip Seymour Hoffman. Nichols directed and/or produced more than 25 Broadway plays throughout his prolific career.

In 1966, Warner Brothers invited Nichols to direct his first film, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. The groundbreaking film inspired some critics to declare Nichols the “new Orson Welles“. It won five Academy Awards (out of 13 nominations) and was the top-grossing film of 1966. His next film, The Graduate (1967), starred then unknown actor Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft. It was another critical and financial success, became the highest-grossing film of the year, and received seven Academy Award nominations, winning Nichols the Academy Award for Best Director. Among the other films Nichols directed were Catch-22 (1970), Carnal Knowledge (1971), Silkwood (1983), Working Girl (1988), Postcards from the Edge (1990) The Birdcage (1996), Primary Colors (1998), Closer (2004) and Charlie Wilson’s War (2007). Nichols also was known for work on television directing HBO‘s Wit (2001) with Emma Thompson and Angels in America (2003) starring Meryl Streep.

For more details visit: Wikipedia Biography of Mike Nichols

Nichols Film Trailers

Below are trailers for The Graduate and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? from Movieclips Classic Trailers.