Mark Twain and his friend, fellow writer Charles Dudley Warner, coined the phrase "The Gilded Age" when they co-authored the 1873 novel by that title, subtitled A Tale of Today. The authors were satirizing the period in which they lived, the years after the Civil War; and what they saw as its rampant greed, frenzied marketplace, and political corruption, all veiled by a thin coating of artificial glitz.

TCM presents a quartet of movies set during this era, in support of sister network TNT's premiere of The Alienist on January 22. Starring Daniel Brühl, Luke Evans and Dakota Fanning, the TNT thriller takes place during the Gilded Age and follows a New York crime reporter and psychologist in their search for a serial killer.

The night starts with The Age of Innocence (1993) is Martin Scorsese's adaptation of Edith Wharton's 1920 novel about the restrictive society of late-19th-century New York. Daniel Day-Lewis stars as a proper gentleman who is engaged to a respectable young woman (Winona Ryder) but attracted to her beautiful and adventurous cousin (Michelle Pfeiffer). The movie won an Oscar® for Costume Design by Gabriella Pescucci, with additional nominations for Ryder as Supporting Actress, Adapted Screenplay, Art Direction/Set Decoration and Original Score by Elmer Bernstein.

The Heiress (1949) is an adaptation by Ruth and Augustus Goetz of their 1947 play of the same title, which in turn was inspired by Henry James' 1880 novel Washington Square. Directed by William Wyler, the film stars Olivia de Havilland in an Oscar-winning performance as Catherine Sloper, the shy and awkward spinster daughter of a wealthy doctor (Ralph Richardson) in New York City. When a handsome young man (Montgomery Clift) comes courting, Dr. Sloper plots to expose him as a fortune-hunter. The film also won Oscars® for Costume Design by Edith Head and Gile Steele, Art Direction/Set Decoration and Original Score by Aaron Copland.

The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) is Orson Welles' adaptation of Booth Tarkington's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1918 novel about a proud Indianapolis family facing social changes and declining fortunes as the advent of the automobile changes the American landscape. The cast is headed by Joseph Cotten, Dolores Costello, Anne Baxter and Tim Holt. The movie brought Oscar® nominations for Best Picture, Supporting Actress (Agnes Moorehead), Cinematography (Stanley Cortez) and Art Direction/Set Decoration.

An American Romance (1944) is writer-producer-director King Vidor's epic drama about an Eastern European immigrant (Brian Donlevy) who comes to America in the 1890s and works his way up from iron mines and steel mills to become an industrial magnate. Ann Richards costars as his faithful wife and Walter Abel plays his loyal friend. Vidor shot the industrial scenes on location in various states including Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois and Indiana.

By Roger Fristoe