Combine the flavor of the old Brian Winston Reads TV Guide cable-access program (minus the pretentious social commentary), a taste for obscure movies, and an admittedly snobbish level of viewing discretion, and what do you get? Nathan’s Recommended Cable Viewing List. It is my opinion that the advent of DVD has made television viewing much less interesting; but with the presence of such wonderful networks as Encore, TCM, Sundance, IFC and Flix, that doesn’t have to be the case. (Yes, these channels still screen pictures that aren’t available on video). Here is my top-ten list of recommended features, documentaries and shorts airing on major cable stations for the week of February 3-9, 2008 – all four-star films that are not yet available on video. So sit back with me, pour yourself a glass of Chateau de Pommes 1975, and fire up that glitter box.

1. The Green Years (1946). Turner Classic Movies. Screening Mon. 2/4 at 5:45am.

This gentle, humorous and finely-observed coming-of-age drama marked one of several well-crafted vehicles for the young Dean Stockwell, alongside The Boy with Green Hair and Down to the Sea in Ships. He plays Robert Shannon, a youth buckling beneath the weight of an über-strict Scottish family, but drawn out of his shell by a loveable yet curmudgeonly old grandfather (Charles Coburn) with a taste for spinning some real whoppers.

2. Five Star Final (1931). Turner Classic Movies. Screening Wed. 2/6 at 7am.

Mervyn Le Roy’s pre-code melodrama (and is it ever pre-code) features one of Edward G. Robinson’s sleaziest characterizations. He plays Joseph Randall, the utterly guileless, sociopathic publisher of a tabloid newspaper, who grows so hungry for sensationalistic headlines that he digs up an age-old murder case and enlists a slimy photographer (Boris Karloff at his peak) to pose as a priest and single-handedly destroy the fortunes of an affluent and well-adjusted family. Eat your hearts out, J.J. Hunsecker and Lucy Spiller.

3. When Ladies Meet (1933). Turner Classic Movies. Screening Wed. 2/6 at 10:15am.

This loquacious, witty romantic comedy stars Myrna Loy and Ann Harding as two women unwittingly involved with the same book publisher (played by The Wizard of Oz himself, Frank Morgan) who run into each other by virtue of a mutual friend (Robert Montgomery) and discover the extent of the philanderer’s deceptions. This is the case of standard material elevated to an elegant level by virtue of the sharp dialogue and the stellar performances from a first rate cast – particularly Alice Brady, who walks away with the picture as a wisecracking hostess.

4. This Above All (1942). The Fox Movie Channel. Screening Thurs. 2/7 at 9am.

Hollywood legend Anatole Litvak directed this patriotic WWII ensemble drama on a big budget at 20th Century Fox. A U.S.-produced equivalent to the British masterpiece Way to the Stars (though it predated that film by three years), it stars Tyrone Power as a conscientious objector who withdraws from wartime service because he doesn’t believe in supporting the evils of British class structure. He then opts instead to do his part by rescuing air raid victims. Joan Fontaine, Thomas Mitchell and Nigel Bruce co-star.

5. Before the Music Dies (2006). Independent Film Channel. Screening Sun. 2/3 at 12pm.

This film marks a rarity: a documentary that qualifies as both a deeply personal, intimate journey and a revealing commentary on mass culture. Shortly before musician John Shapter died, he confided to his brother Andrew his convictions about the dire state of American popular music – particularly the notion that the current music industry has abandoned the interests of both fans and musicians. Andrew then embarked on a cross-country journey to investigate this idea, camera-in-tow – interviewing musical performers, listeners, music journalists and executive players in the record industry. Thus, this ambitious film both creates a tapestry-like exploration of the history of American music, charts the decline of American popular music, and speculates on the potentially dire future of the music industry; it features candid and extensive discussion with such luminaries as Eric Clapton, Les Paul, Bonnie Raitt, Dave Matthews and Erykah Badu.

6. Who Are You, Polly Magoo? (1966) NATHAN’S PICK OF THE WEEK. Sundance Channel. Screening Mon. 2/4 at 7:15am and Sat. 2/9 at 8:00pm.

Onetime fashion photographer William Klein (Broadway by Light) was, and is still, a cornerstone of American underground filmmaking. Klein made one of his few narrative features with this comedy, the tale of a model (Dorothy McGowan) who describes her life to a cadre of television reporters – waxing at length on her problems fending off the advances of innumerable men and settling down with Mr. Right. Lest this make the film sound trite or clichéd, the fascination lies in the execution, rife with a slick and glossy “mod” aesthetic and visual effects that presaged Mike Sarne’s Joanna and Jacques Demy’s Model Shop by several years – plus a smart satirical edge that sharply comments on European society in the mid-60s.

7. Lurch (2005). Sundance Channel. Screening Tues. 2/5 at 11:35am, Fri. 2/8 at 3:30pm.

Boris Hars-Tschachotin’s creepy and horrifyingly funny, live action short subject etches out a character study of Kuno Nieff (Chajim Koeningshofen), a worker at the Berlin Museum of Natural History whose job involves filling the institute’s animal specimen jars with preservative alcohol.

8. Karl Lagerfeld is Never Happy Anyway (2000). Sundance Channel. Screening Wed. 2/6 at 7:30pm.

At once eccentric and unquestionably brilliant, fashion designer Lagerfeld set the trends for haute-couture during the ’80s and ’90s, and continues to rewrite the rules of the industry, while pursuing his overarching goal of “intellectually sexy” apparel. A colorful and magnetic personality, Lagerfeld stands at the center of this incisive documentary profile by German director Gero von Boehm. The film is most astonishing for its ability to reach beyond the confines of its subject and provide a window into the creative process per se – an accomplishment that makes it not only a rarity but a must-see.

9. Unfolding Florence (2006). Sundance Channel. Screening Fri. 2/8 at 7:30pm.

Gillian Armstrong of Starstruck and Mrs. Soffel fame mounted this biographical profile of an extraordinary character – the late Aussie interior designer Florence Broadhurst. Broadhurst was a gifted fabricator who spun a series of fantastic yet baseless identities for herself including those of seasoned cabaret performer and European blueblood – until everything caught up with her and she was shockingly murdered. In accordance with Broadhurst’s various permutations, Armstrong stylistically fractures her film, employing a whole bag of tricks – from animation to dramatic reenactments to newsreel footage – to fully evoke Florence’s life and times.

10. The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello (2005). Sundance Channel. Screening Sat. 2/9 at 7:00am.

This critically-worshipped animated short from Australian director Anthony Lucas reflects the imagination and influence of 19th century fantasist Jules Verne by transporting the audience on a fanciful journey through a world full of steel airships and steam-driven inventions. The story concerns a pilot rebounding from failure who is given one last chance to succeed.