Neal Justin's TV picks for Oct. 29: 'Arsenio Hall: Smart & Classy,' 'The Americanization of Emily,' 'Any One of Us'

October 28, 2019 at 7:59PM
James Garner and Julie Andrews in the 1964 film "The Americanization of Emily."
James Garner and Julie Andrews in the 1964 film “The Americanization of Emily.” (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Steel wheels

"Any One of Us" does a nice job of keeping up with professional mountain biker Paul Basagoitia as he recovers from a spinal cord injury, but his journey keeps getting interrupted by testimonials from other SCI survivors. You've got to admire director Fernando Villena's desire to include more voices, but Basagoitia's story is just too compelling to keep steering away from.

8 p.m., HBO

Spoonful of sugar

An all-night marathon of Julie Andrews films has its crowd-pleasers, including "Victor/Victoria," but the feature that's most worth your time is 1964's "The Americanization of Emily," a World War II drama in which the Oscar winner is wooed by James Garner. This is one of Paddy Chayefsky's best scripts, which is saying something since he also wrote "Marty" and "Network."

2:30 a.m., TCM

Dirty dog

Those who still remember "The Arsenio Hall Show" may be a little startled by watching the former late-night host work blue in his first stand-up special, "Arsenio Hall: Smart & Classy," but the comic's charisma is anything but filthy. Too bad his material, which includes bits about O.J. Simpson and adapting to cellphones, isn't as fresh as his delivery.

Now streaming on Netflix

Neal Justin

FOR USE WITH FYI_TV CONTENT ONLY. Paul Basagoitia poses for a portrait during the Red Bull Rampage in Virgin, UT, USA on 12 October, 2015. // Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool // P-20151014-00024 // Usage for editorial use only // Please go to www.redbullcontentpool.com for further information. //
Basagoitia (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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