DECEMBER ON TCM

First off, a personal note. This will be the last “on TCM” I will be posting. I might do a highlighted version from now on but it will not be as long. These posts used to be fun but now feel like a chore. This has never been my intention. I’ll be trying out new things next year so stay tuned!

STAR OF THE MONTH: INGRID BERGMAN (WEDNESDAYS IN DECEMBER)

Ingrid Bergman is December’s Star of the Month for the third time. Here are some recommendations:

A Woman’s Face (December 2 @ 2:30PM/1:30PM)-Bergman is a bitter, scarred (physically and emotionally) who gets a chance at a new life.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (December 1 @ midnight/11PM)-Ingrid is the “bad girl” in this 1941 adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic.

The Bells of St. Mary’s (December 8 @ 8PM/7PM)-Ingrid is a plucky nun in this sequel to the 1944 Best Picture winner Going My Way.

Indiscreet (December 15 @ 8PM/7PM)-Would you believe that this was Bergman’s first comedy?!

TCM SPOTLIGHT: MET ON SET (THURSDAYS IN DECEMBER)

Sometimes performers and/or their directors really hit it off and start up a relationship. Some relationships manage to last for a lifetime while others do not end well. Most are in-between. TCM looks at some of cinema’s greatest off-screen couples.

Night 1 looks at Classic Hollywood Sweethearts beginning with a couple whose only on-screen pairing came four years before they got together. I’m talking about Clark Gable and Carole Lombard in No Man of Her Own (8PM/7PM). Lombard was married to William Powell at the time of filming and Gable was also married but in name only. Next is Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy in Woman of the Year (9:30PM/8:30PM). The duo co-starred in another 8 films and spent the next 25 years together until Tracy’s death in 1967. Third is the film where Bogie met Bacall in To Have and Have Not (11:45PM/10:45PM). They made four more films together and were happily married until Bogart’s death in 1957. The subject of Season 3’s The Plot Thickens features the next couple Lucy and Desi in Too Many Girls (1:45AM/12:45AM). They were married for 20 years. Joel McCrea and Frances Dee met on the set of The Silver Cord (3:30AM/2:30AM); McCrea died on the couple’s 57th wedding anniversary. Robert Taylor and Barbara Stanwyck met on the set of His Brother’s Wife (5AM/4AM) and lasted for 15 years. Finally, Jane Wyman and Ronald Reagan met on the set of Brother Rat (6:45AM/5:45AM), married in 1940, and split in 1949.

Night 2 features Short & Sweet Couplings. First up is the previously mentioned Carole Lombard and William Powell who co-starred in Man of the World (8PM/7PM); they lasted a little over two years but remained friends (yes, really). Next is Joan Crawford and Franchot Tone who co-starred in seven movies including Today We Live (9:30PM/8:30PM). They were married for four years. Wait a minute! Bette Davis and Gary Merrill who met on the All About Eve (11:30PM/10:30PM) set lasted for 10 years. That is not short and sweet! Now Eddie and Debbie who co-starred in Bundle of Joy (2AM/1AM) only were married for four years before he left her for Elizabeth Taylor. That’s better. John Gilbert and Virginia Bruce (Downstairs (3:45AM/2:45AM)) were married for less than two years. Lana Turner and Artie Shaw eloped during the making of Dancing Co-Ed (5:15AM/4:15AM) and were married for four months! Finally Ann Sheridan and George Brent fell for each other and made Honeymoon for Three (6:45AM/5:45AM). The marriage lasted nine months.

Night 3 features Passionate Affairs starting with the “affair that nearly burned down Hollywood.” Clark Gable and Joan Crawford (both married) met on the set of Dance, Fools, Dance (8PM/7PM) and a years-long on-again, off-again affair quickly followed. The duo eventually settled into a friendship. SOTM Ingrid Bergman set off an international firestorm when she hooked up with her director Roberto Rossellini on the set of Stromboli (9:30PM/8:30PM). They lasted seven years. A decade later, another affair blew up in the media when Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton (both married) began a torrid affair on the set of Cleopatra (11:30PM/10:30PM). They left their spouses for each other and married twice!

Night 4 is all about Modern Hollywood Couples. The oddest romance I read about was the relationship between Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland on the set of Klute (4:15AM/3:15AM). With the exception of Cybill Shepherd and Peter Bogdonavich plus Ali McGraw and Steve McQueen, the couplings of Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell and Frances McDormand and Joel Cohen have lasted.

TCM SPECIAL THEME: DIRECTED BY ERNST LUBITSCH (TUESDAYS IN DECEMBER)

The director who had his own “touch” is being celebrated with most of his films airing Tuesdays in December including three TCM premieres on December 14. I personally recommend watching his last completed film, Cluny Brown (December 7 @ 10PM/9PM), a movie to get you into the Christmas spirit, The Shop Around the Corner (December 7 @ 8PM/7PM) and I say again, a PRO-throuple movie, Design for Leaving (December 28 @ 9:45PM/8:45PM).

TCM SPECIAL THEME: FIRESIDE FAVORITES (SATURDAYS IN DECEMBER)

The hosts of TCM get to pick some of their favorite films every Saturday night, except on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. As it turns out, there will be an airing on January 1.

Alicia Malone kicks off things on December 4 with the pre-Fatal Attraction movie Leave Her to Heaven (8PM/7PM) and the feminist film Dance, Girl, Dance (10PM/9PM).

Eddie Muller turns up on December 11 with Lady on a Train (8PM/7PM) and the period newspaper drama Park Row (10PM/9PM).

Jacqueline Stewart takes over December 18 with the 1934 version of Imitation of Life (8PM/7PM) and Gold Diggers of 1933 (10PM/9PM).

Of course Ben Mankiewicz gets Christmas Day evening programming with The Bridge on the River Kwai (8PM/7PM) and Billy Wilder’s courtroom drama Witness for the Prosecution (11PM/10PM).

Dave Karger closes out the festival New Year’s Day evening with Penny Serenade (8PM/7PM) and Children of a Lesser God (10PM/9PM).

CHRISTMAS CLASSICS MARATHON (DECEMBER 19-25)

TCM has lined up 76 Christmas movies to air that starts on the evening of December 19 until Christmas Day.

NOIR ALLEY

Hey Noiristas, there’s only three films airing this month.

The Unsuspected (December 4 & 5)-true crime radio host Claude Rains decides it would be fun to try murder.
Cruel Gun Story (December 11 & 12)-ooh, a Japanese noir!
Blast of Silence (December 18 & 19)-a neo-noir.

FROM THE ARCHIVES (DECEMBER 3)

Tonight’s programming is interesting. All three films are documentaries focusing on film archives. The night starts with AMIA Archival Screening Night Roadshow (8PM/7PM), followed by Image Makers: The Adventures of America’s Pioneer Cinematographers (10PM/9PM) and ending with Fragments (midnight/11PM).

HAPPY HANUKKAH (DECEMBER 5)

Shalom! TCM celebrates Hanukkah with three TCM premieres starting with The Dybbuk (8PM/7PM), followed by Tevya (10:15PM/9:15PM) and Mir Kumen On (midnight/11PM).

TCM GUEST PROGRAMMER: GUILLERMO DEL TORO & KIM MORGAN (DECEMBER 6)

TCM host Dave Karger welcomes the Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro and screenwriter Kim Morgan as they talk about the films that inspired their new film Nightmare Alley (coming out on my birthday!) including the original starring Tyrone Power airing at midnight/11PM. The other cinematic inspirations are Lizabeth Scott in Too Late for Tears (8PM/7PM) and angry officer Dana Andrews who kills a suspect in Where the Sidewalk Ends (10PM/9PM).

80TH ANNIVERSARY OF PEARL HARBOR (DECEMBER 7)

On December 7, it will be the 80th anniversary of a day that will live in infamy. Last year was the first time that no survivors nor eyewitnesses attended the ceremony. This year, a 101-year-old survivor will attend thanks to his daughter and donors from GoFundMe.com.

TCM will six WWII films and one documentary called December 7th (1:30PM/12:30PM). Notable films include They Were Expendable (5:30PM/4:30PM), Air Force (3PM/2PM) and Torpedo Run (9:30AM/8:30AM).

STARRING RITA MORENO (DECEMBER 10)

On December 11, Rita Moreno will turn 90. The day before the new adaptation of West Side Story directed by Steven Spielberg will premiere. So far, the movie has gotten great reviews and there are talks that Moreno will receive her second Oscar nomination. This would break a ton of records including smashing Henry Fonda’s 41 year gap between his Oscar nominations. Films airing this evening start with the 1961 version of West Side Story (8PM/7PM) and ending with The King and I (11PM/10PM).

NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY (DECEMBER 17)

The new entries to the National Film Registry will be added sometime this month. TCM will air a few of the films and documentaries named to the Registry but as of this writing, no one knows what will make it this year.

IN MEMORIAM (DECEMBER 27)

TCM looks back at those we lost in 2021 who did not already have a tribute earlier in the year.

Breathless (8PM/7PM) Starring Jean-Paul Belmondo who died September 6 at age 88.

Bright Eyes (9:35PM/8:35PM) Starring Jane Withers who died August 7 at age 95.

Young Frankenstein (11:30PM/10:30PM) Starring Cloris Leachman who died January 27 at age 94.

Across 110th Street (1:30AM/12:30AM) Starring Yaphet Kotto who died March 15 at age 81.

Watermelon Man (3:30AM/2:30AM) Starring Melvin Van Peebles who died September 21 at age 89.

The Group (5:30AM/4:30AM) Starring Jessica Walter who died March 24 at age 80 and Hal Holbrook who died January 23 at age 95.

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (8:15AM/7:15AM) Starring Nino Castelnuovo who died September 6 at age 84.

SEPTEMBER ON TCM

TCM is undergoing quite the change. I’m still getting used to it. I’m open for refreshes as long as TCM doesn’t betray their mission.

STAR OF THE MONTH: PAUL ROBESON (SUNDAYS)

September 2021 marks the first time Paul Robeson has been named TCM’s Star of the Month. Robeson had so many talents-he played football at Rutgers, he could sing with a baritone/bass voice, he was a civil rights activist, he had successful careers in acting and music. Need I say more?

TCM celebrates the pioneer with the majority of his films starting with his film debut (playing twins, no less!) in Oscar Micheaux’s Body and Soul (September 5 @ 8PM/7PM) followed by the Oscar-winning documentary short, Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist (September 5 @ 9:45PM/8:45PM) and ending with perhaps his best known film,The Emperor Jones (September 5 @ 10:30PM/9:30PM). Night two begins with Paul memorably singing ‘Ol Man River in the 1936 adaptation of Jerome Kern’s Show Boat (September 12 @ 8PM/7PM) then Robeson is a Nigerian chieftan in Sanders of the River (September 12 @10:15PM/9:15PM) and a dockworker who befriends a runaway in the TCM premiere of Big Fella (September 12 @ 11:45PM/10:45PM). Night three starts with Song of Freedom (September 19 @ 8PM/7PM) where Robeson demanded and got final cut approval, followed by 1937’s King Solomon’ Mines (September 19 @ 9:30PM/8:30PM) and Jericho (September 19 @ 11PM/10PM) where an AWOL Paul joins a nomadic tribe to escape punishment. Finally, on night four, Robeson is dockworker in The Proud Valley (September 26 @ 8PM/7PM) and another documentary, The Tallest Tree in Our Forest (September 26 @ 9:30PM/8:30PM), a TCM premiere.

NOIR ALLEY

Hey noiristas! Here’s September’s lineup.

Cloudburst (September 4 & 5)-a Hammer-produced film where Robert Preston tries to find his pregnant wife’s killers.
Drive a Crooked Road (September 11 & 12)-auto mechanic Mickey Rooney falls head over heels in love with gangster’s gal Dianne Foster and is forced to participate in a bank heist.
Human Desire (September 18 & 19)-in this remake of Jean Renoir’s Le Bete Humaine, train boss Broderick Crawford’s wife Gloria Grahame tries to get engineer Glenn Ford to kill her husband.
Hell Bound (September 25 & 26)-TCM premiere. According to Wikipedia, the movie is about a criminal gang plots the robbery of a ship containing $2 million worth of surplus narcotics left over from WWII. Not surprisingly, the plan goes awry.

MITZI GAYNOR’S 90TH BIRTHDAY (SEPTEMBER 4)

One of the last living stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age celebrates her 90th birthday on September 4. TCM presents a double feature of Gaynor’s films, both released in 1957. First is Les Girls (8PM/7PM), Gaynor is one of the members of a dance troupe called “Barry Nichols and Les Girls” and one of the ladies (not Mitzi) has written a tell-all book and is being sued for libel. The second film is the drama The Joker is Wild (10:15PM/9:15PM) where Gaynor plays real-life actress Martha Stewart (no, not THAT Martha Stewart) who was briefly married to film subject Joe E. Lewis who is played by Frank Sinatra.

MUSIC BY ENNIO MORRICONE (SEPTEMBER 6)

Italian composed Ennio Morricone created over 400 musical scores in film and television. TCM airs just a sample on September 6. First is Cinema Paradiso (8PM/7PM), the story of a boy who develops a love affair with the movies. Next is The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (10:15PM/9:15PM), the Sergio Leone spaghetti western. I had no idea Morricone composed that score! The other two films on the docket are The Battle of Algiers (1:30AM/12:30AM) and Bugsy (3:45AM/2:45AM).

DIRECTED BY MIKE NICHOLS (SEPTEMBER 8)

TCM celebrates the directing career of one of the greats, Mike Nichols. The night starts with Nichols second film, The Graduate (8PM/7PM) followed by the TCM premiere of his PBS American Masters documentary, American Masters: Mike Nichols (10PM/9PM), then to his directorial debut Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (11PM/10PM) and finally the live concert Gilda Live (1:30AM/12:30AM) starring comedienne Gilda Radner.

STARRING GEORGE C. SCOTT (SEPTEMBER 21)

TCM airs a night of films starring one of the most intense actors ever, George C. Scott. The night starts with Scott’s Oscar-winning role as General George S. Patton in Patton (8PM/7PM). The actor famously refused his Oscar stating he did not want any part of awards campaign. Next is The Hospital (11PM/10PM) where George runs a hospital. The other two films airing are 1972’s Rage (1AM/midnight) and The Last Run (3AM/2AM).

THE START OF AUTUMN (SEPTEMBER 22)

I can’t believe Fall is almost here. I’m still wearing shorts! TCM celebrates the day with a twist-all of the films airing this evening have “Autumn” as past of its title. So, without further ado…

Autumn Leaves (8PM/7PM)-middle-aged Joan Crawford starts a romance with the younger Cliff Robertson.
Cheyenne Autumn (10PM/9PM)-John Ford’s atonement to his portrayal of Native Americans.
Autumn Sonata (12:45AM/11:45PM)-concert pianist Ingrid Bergman visits estranged daughter Liv Ullmann
An Autumn Afternoon (2:30AM/1:30AM)-the final film of director Yasujiro Ozu.
The Winds of Autumn (4:30AM/3:30AM)-TCM premiere. A boy travels across the Montana wilderness after the murder of his parents.

TCM REMEMBERS NED BEATTY (SEPTEMBER 28)

The monologue starts at 1:42 mark

If Ned Beatty will be remembered for anything, okay, it’s the “squeal like a pig!” scene in Deliverance. However, the second thing will be this 5-minute monologue in 1976’s Network (8PM/7PM) where he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. TCM remembers the character actor with 5 films, three are TCM premieres. Beatty plays the father of a young cancer patient in Promises in the Dark (10:15PM/9:15PM), an Irish opera star in 1991’s Hear My Song (12:30AM/11:30PM), an undercover agent in Silver Streak (2:30AM/1:30AM) which is also the first teaming of Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder and a doctor in Chattahoochee (4:30AM/3:30AM).

NATIONAL SILENT MOVIE DAY (SEPTEMBER 29)

There’s so many “days” celebrating pirates, hot dogs, chocolate chip cookies, etc.; why not have a day celebrating, preserving, and creating access to silent films? So TCM has programmed a 24-hour lineup of some of silent cinema’s greatest films plus three documentaries about film pioneers. Here’s the movies airing on National Silent Film Day:

Flesh and the Devil (6:15AM/5:15AM)-watch Greta Garbo and John Gilbert steam up the screen.
The Wind (8:15AM/7:15AM)-new bride Lillian Gish goes mad in her new isolated desert home.
The Battleship Potemkin (9:45AM/8:45AM)-you’ll only remember the much-copied massacre on the Odessa stairs.
City Lights (11AM/10AM)-Charlie Chaplin raises money for a blind florist to restore her eyesight.
Within Our Gates (12:30PM/11:30AM)-a black schoolteacher fights against racism.
The Passion of Joan of Arc (2PM/1PM)-Carl Theodore Dryer’s account of the trial and execution of the future saint.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (4PM/3PM)-Rudolph Valentino does the tango and America, especially women, notice.
The Freshman (6:30PM/5:30PM)-college boy Harold Lloyd joins the football team.
The Melies Mystery (8PM/7PM)-a 2021 documentary about restoring 270 of 520(!) Georges Melies films.
A Trip to the Moon (9:15PM/8:15PM)-a group of scientists take a trip to the moon. Made in 1902!
Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blache (9:30PM/8:30PM)-the story of the pioneering filmmaker and the search for her descendants.
The Great Buster: A Celebration (11:15PM/10:15PM)-Peter Bogdonavich tells the story of the iconic and fearless comedian.
Sherlock, Jr. (1AM/midnight)-wannabe detective Buster Keaton steps into a movie and becomes the real thing.
Sparrows (2AM/1AM)-Mary Pickford, the first movie star, plays an orphan who protects the younger orphans.
Picadilly (4AM/3AM)-Dancer Anna May Wong is caught up in jealousy and murder in 1920s London.

DEBORAH KERR’S 100TH BIRTHDAY (SEPTEMBER 30)

The English Rose-funny since she was Scottish-would be 100 years young on September 30. TCM is airing a 24-hour tribute with eleven films starting with her American film debut The Hucksters (6AM/5AM), then travels back to England in I See a Dark Stranger (8AM/7AM) and features some of her greatest roles including in Kerr’s favorite role in The Innocents (1:45PM/12:45PM), flirting with Cary Grant in An Affair to Remember (8PM/7PM) and rolling around in the sand with Burt Lancaster in From Here to Eternity (12:15AM/11:15PM).

SUMMER UNDER THE STARS 2021

BETTE DAVIS

Real Name or Stage Name?: Kinda. She was born Ruth Elizabeth Davis and was nicknamed “Betty” and Davis changed her name to the French version of “Betty” from a novel called Cousin Bette.

RICHARD BURTON*

Real Name or Stage Name?: Another kinda. While Richard was his real first name, his surname was actually Jenkins. Burton took the last name of his principal Phillip Burton who helped the young Richard discover a love of acting and literature and kept him away from a life working in the coal mines.

KIM NOVAK

Real Name of Stage Name?: Novak’s first name was Marilyn, but she refused to change her surname. Her boss at Columbia, Harry Cohn wanted to change Novak’s name to Kit Marlowe.

LOUIS ARMSTRONG*

Real Name or Stage Name?: One hundred percent real.

MARGARET RUTHERFORD*

Real Name or Stage Name?: REAL

ROBERT MITCHUM

Real Name or Stage Name?: Robert Mitchum, who would be crazy to change that name?!

ABBOTT & COSTELLO*

Real Name or Stage Name?: Surprisingly, Costello’s real surname was Cristillo. I was pretty sure “Bud” was a nickname and it was. Abbott’s full name was William Alexander Abbott.

ESTHER WILLIAMS

In your dreams and probably not then, Grandpa Simpson

Real Name or Stage Name?: REAL

KAY FRANCIS

Real Name or Stage Name?: Stage. Real name Katherine Edwina Gibbs.

GEORGE SEGAL*

Real Name or Stage Name?: REAL

KATHRYN GRAYSON

Real Name or Stage Name?: Stage. Real name was Zelda Kathryn Elisabeth Hedrick.

RAMON NOVARRO*

Did George Clooney travel back in time?!!

Real Name or Stage Name?: Stage. Real name was José Ramón Gil Samaniego.

JANE FONDA

Real Name or Stage Name?: Well, Jane was born LADY JAYNE Seymour Fonda Yeah, she couldn’t believe it either.

GREGORY PECK

A rare pic of Greg Peck with his eyes wide open

Real Name or Stage Name?: Real, although his first name was ELDRED. According to Peck, his mom got it from the phone book. There’s a lesson to be learned here-don’t pick your kid’s name from a phone book.

JUDY GARLAND

Real Name or Stage Name?: Stage. Many people know Judy’s real name was Frances Ethel Gumm.

ROBERT YOUNG*

Real Name or Stage Name?: Real.

GLORIA GRAHAME

Real Name or Stage Name?: Sort of real. Surname was Hallward.

ROBERT REDFORD*

Real Name or Stage Name?: Real, although he goes by his middle name. His first name is Charles.

SETSUKO HARA*

Real Name or Stage Name?: Stage. She was born Maese Aida.

VAN HEFLIN

Real Name or Stage Name?: The Heflin is real, but “Van” was a nickname. He was born Emmett Evan Heflin Jr.

KATHARINE HEPBURN

Real Name or Stage Name?: REAL

TYRONE POWER

Real Name or Stage Name?: REAL. In fact he was a III.

EVE ARDEN*

Real Name or Stage Name?: Stage name. She was born Eunice Mary Quedens.

MAURICE CHEVALIER*

Real Name or Stage Name?: Surprisingly, real.

JANE WYMAN

Real Name or Stage Name?: Stage name. She was born Sarah Jane Mayfield.

TONY RANDALL*

Real Name or Stage Name?: Stage name. I’m shocked. He was born Aryeh Leonard Rosenberg.

MERLE OBERON

Real Name or Stage Name?: Stage Name. Real name is Estelle Merle O’Brien Thompson aka “Queenie.”

LEE MARVIN

Real Name or Stage Name?: REAL

INGRID BERGMAN

Real Name or Stage Name?: REAL

JAMES CAGNEY

Real Name or Stage Name?: REAL

FREDRIC MARCH

Real Name or Stage Name?: Stage Name. Meet Ernie Bickel.

JUNE ON TCM

STAR OF THE MONTH: CYD CHARISSE (TUESDAYS IN JUNE)

Why would her parents name her Tula???!!

One of the greatest dancers of Hollywood’s Golden Age gets her due with twenty films, two of which will be TCM premieres-1958’s Twilight of the Gods (10PM/9PM) and Mark of the Renegade (12:30AM/11:30PM) on June 22.

She was born with unfortunate name TULA ELLICE FINKLEA on March 8, 1922 in Amarillo, Texas. The name “Cyd” came from a childhood nickname came from her brother who was trying to say “Sis” and it came out “Sid”. Little Sid started taking dancing lessons to strengthen her body after a bout with polio. She danced with the prestigious ballet company Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo and met her first husband, dancer Nico Charisse.

Sid signed with MGM in 1943 and producer Arthur Freed changed the spelling of her name to “Cyd.” Cyd got to co-star with such greats as Judy Garland (The Harvey Girls-June 16 @ 12:15AM/11:15PM), Fred Astaire (The Band Wagon-June 1 @ 8PM/7PM and Silk Stockings-June 15 @ 10PM/9PM), and Gene Kelly a whoppin’ three times! (Brigadoon-June 1 @ 10:15PM/9:15PM, It’s Always Fair Weather-June 15 @ 8PM/7PM and Singin’ in the Rain-June 16 @ 4:30AM/3:30AM).

Charisse also did non-dancing roles such as the film noir Tension (June 23 @ 3:45AM/2:45AM), the drama East Side, West Side (June 9 @ midnight/11PM) and the comedy Five Golden Hours (June 23 @ 2AM/1AM). Cyd had a long-lasting (60 years!) second marriage to singer Tony Martin which lasted until her death in 2008. At her peak Cyd Charisse’s legs were insured for $ 5 MILLION DOLLARS.

TCM SPOTLIGHT: JUVENILE DELIQUENTS (THURSDAYS IN JUNE)

Let’s face it. Adults are not really fond of teenagers. Especially those teens who seemed to make a lot of trouble. While juvenile delinquency was a subject discussed during the early years of cinema, the 1940s onward it was presented as a serious social problems in need of exploration and solutions. TCM presents thirty films divided into four categories airing each Thursday night into Friday morning. On June 3, the theme is “School’s a Drag” featuring two TCM premieres: 1959’s Diary of a High School Bride (June 4 @ 3:15AM/2:15AM) and 1957’s Streets of Sinners (June 4 @ 6:15AM/5:15AM). Other films airing that night include Blackboard Jungle (9:45PM/8:45PM) and To Sir, with Love (11:45PM/10:45PM)-a Sidney Poitier double feature! One where he is a student and the other a teacher!

The night of June 10 is “Jail Birds” with one premiere, 1957’s No Time to be Young (June 11 @ 5:45AM/4:45AM) starring one of last month’s SOTM “Roberts” Robert Vaughn. Other films include Rita Moreno’s film debut So Young, So Bad (9:30PM/8:30PM).

June 17 features teens “Running Wild” in the streets starting with Burt Lancaster defending three teens charged with murder in The Young Savages (8PM/7PM) and teenage delinquent Donna Reed (?!) in Eyes in the Night (June 18 @ 5:45AM/4:45AM).

Finally on June 24 we get to the “BAD BOYS” featuring the epitome of the 1950’s teenage rebel James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause (9:45PM/8:45PM).

TCM SPECIAL THEME: TEACHER’S PICKS (WEDNESDAYS IN JUNE)

TCM celebrates teachers this month by inviting four of them to present an evening of films every Wednesday night.

First up is Jim Pieper who selected Charlie Chaplin’s The Gold Rush (June 2 @ 8PM/7PM), Laurel & Hardy’s Oscar-winning short The Music Box (June 2 @ 9:45PM/8:45PM), Lassie Come Home (June 2 @ 10:30PM/9:30PM) and Sounder (June 2 @ 12:15AM/11:15PM).

Next is Lea McMahan who chose the black comedy Arsenic and Old Lace (June 9 @ 8PM/7PM), the musical Singin’ in the Rain (June 9 @ 10:15PM/9:15PM) and the screwball comedy It Happened One Night (June 9 @12:15AM/11:15PM).

Week three introduces us to Susan Loccke who picked the film adaptations of A Streetcar Named Desire (June 16 @ 8PM/7PM), A Raisin in the Sun (June 16 @ 10:15PM/9:15PM) and Lord of the Flies (June 16 @ 12:30AM/11:30PM).

Finally Maria Schwab presents Show Boat (June 23 @ 8PM/7PM), Rhapsody in Blue (June 23 @ 10PM/9PM) and Wuthering Heights (June 23 @ 12:45AM/11:45PM)

NOIR ALLEY

We’re back fellow Noiristas with a full month of the dark side of the street starting with Joan Crawford going mad over ex Van Heflin in Possessed (June 5 & 6), the anti-Communist Walk a Crooked Mile (June 12 & 13), Anne Baxter may have killed her attacker in The Blue Gardenia (June 19 & 20), and Teresa Wright is suspicious of visiting uncle Joseph Cotten in Alfred Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt (June 26 & 27).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROSALIND RUSSELL! (JUNE 4)

TCM celebrates the great Roz’s 114th birthday with seven films starting with her and Clark Gable in They Met in Bombay (7:45AM/6:45AM). You’ll see Roz in comedies-Live, Love and Learn (11AM/10AM) with Robert Montgomery; dramas-Sister Kenny (4PM/3PM); and even a thriller Night Must Fall (6PM/5PM).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUDY GARLAND! (JUNE 10)

Next year will be an even bigger celebration because it will be Judy Garland’s centennial. This year is just the 99th. Highlights this day include the underrated The Pirate (1:15PM/12:15PM) and A Star is Born (5PM/4PM).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RALPH BELLAMY! (JUNE 17)

He may always be second banana but he is first on this day. Well, kind of. Watch Bellamy lose the girl to Fred Astaire in Carefree (8AM/7AM), Dennis Morgan in Affectionately Yours (10:30AM/9:30AM) and Cary Grant in The Awful Truth (12:15PM/11:15AM) AND His Girl Friday (2PM/1PM).

LGBTQ ICONS (JUNE 11 & 28)

TCM presents a festival of stars who were either out and proud or closeted and outed by a third party.

June 11 focuses on the ladies: Pasty Kelly (Nobody’s Baby @8:45AM/7:45AM) who was out in a time when it was career suicide, Tallulah Bankhead (Faithless @ 10:15AM/9:15AM) who became a gay icon due to her outlandish personality, Dolores Del Rio (?!) (Madame Du Barry @ 11:45AM/10:45AM) I had no idea, Lilyan Tashman (The Matrimonial Bed @ 1:15PM/12:15PM) who entered into a “lavender marriage”, Kay Francis (Play Girl @ 2:30PM/1:30PM), Greta Garbo (Camille @ 4PM/3PM), and Marlene Dietrich (The Blue Angel @ 6PM/5PM) who had relationships with men and women.

June 28 the dudes have their turn: Rock Hudson and James Dean (Giant @ 6AM/5AM) Rock-gay and James-bi, Roddy McDowall (The Steel Fist @ 9:30AM/8:30AM) who stayed closeted, Farley Granger (Side Street @ 10:45AM/9:45AM) who spent the majority of his life as a gay man, Van Johnson (Slander @ 12:30PM/11:30PM) who was outed by his former stepson in the early 1990s, Dirk Bogarde (Libel @ 2PM/1PM) who never came out in his lifetime, Marlon Brando (The Fugitive Kind @ 3:45PM/2:45PM) who had some relationships with men, and Montgomery Clift (Suddenly, Last Summer @ 6PM/5PM).

TCM REMEMBERS NORMAN LLOYD (JUNE 14)

TCM remembers their friend and cheerleader who passed away on May 11 at the age of 106.

The tribute starts with Lloyd in his film debut in Alfred Hitchcock’s Saboteur (8PM/7PM), followed by two airings of Live From the TCM Classic Film Festival: Norman Lloyd (10PM/9PM & 5AM/4AM), Charlie Chaplin’s Limelight (11PM/10PM), John Garfield’s last film He Ran All the Way (June 15 @ 1:30AM/12:30AM), and Jean Renoir’s The Southerner (June 15 @ 3AM/2AM).

ANDY HARDY MARATHON (JUNE 9 & 29)

The Andy Hardy films were one of the most profitable film series ever. It put Mickey Rooney on the map and made him the top box office star for three years. TCM is airing all 16 films in chronological order starting on June 9 with A Family Affair (6AM/5AM) and ending on June 29 with Andy Hardy Comes Home (5:30PM/4:30PM).

HITCHCOCK MARATHON (JUNE 26 & 27)

Just in case your weekend gets rained out, TCM has you covered on the final weekend in June with a lot of Hitchcock. Should one start with Hitch’s British period with films such as The Lodger (June 27 @ 12:15AM/11:15PM-part of Silent Sunday Nights)? the start of his Hollywood career-Suspicion (June 27 @ 8:15AM/7:15AM)? the fabulous Fifties-Rear Window (June 26 @10:15PM/9:15PM)? the uneven Sixties-Torn Curtain (June 26 @ 1PM/noon)? or the comback-ish Seventies-Frenzy (June 28 @ 3:45AM/2:45AM)? You have until the final weekend of June to figure it out.

PRIDE DOCUMENTARIES (JUNE 28)

On the 52nd anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, TCM presents six documentaries about the LGBTQ experience three of which are TCM premieres. First up is the premiere of Common Threads: Stories From the Quilt (8PM/7PM), the Oscar-winning documentary focusing on five people who passed away from AIDS-related complications. Next is the premiere of The Celluloid Closet (9:30PM/8:30PM) based off Vito Russo’s study of coded and blatant gay images on screen. Then its the premiere of Paragraph 175 (11:30PM/10:30PM) the story of gay and lesbians persecuted under the Nazi regime. The final three are The Times of Harvey Milk (June 29 @ 1:15AM/12:15AM), Word is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives (June 29 @ 3AM/2AM) and Before Stonewall (5:15AM/4:15AM).

31 DAYS OF OSCAR

Folks, it’s finally here. TCM’s annual 31 Days of Oscar festival celebrating its 26th year. Since the Oscars were postponed until April 25, TCM opted to push 31 Days to April as well. This year’s theme is Oscars A to Z. Starting on April 1 with Adam’s Rib and ending with Z! on May 1 (May 2 if you want to be technical). So this year I am recommending one film starting with each letter of the alphabet which include all eight TCM premieres.

A-Alice Adams (April 1 @ 6PM/5PM)

OSCAR NOMINATIONS

Best Picture
Best Actress (Katharine Hepburn-2nd of twelve nominations-won Best Actress in 1933, 1967, 1968, and 1981)

Kate stars as the title character, a social climber who hosts a disastrous dinner party with prospective rich suitor.

B-Blithe Spirit (April 3 @ 6AM/5AM)

OSCAR WIN

Best Visual Effects

A new film adaptation was released in 2020 so why not recommend the 1945 version of Noel Coward’s black comedy play.

C-Carol (April 3 @ 9:45PM/8:45PM) TCM premiere

OSCAR NOMINATIONS

Best Actress (Cate Blanchett-7th nomination-won Best Supporting Actress in 2004 and Best Actress in 2013)
Best Supporting Actress (Rooney Mara-2nd nomination)
Adapted Screenplay (Phyllis Nagy)
Best Cinematography (Edward Lachman)
Best Costume Design (Sandy Powell)
Best Score (Carter Burwell)

A socialite has an affair with an aspiring photographer in the 1950s. Shot in Cincinnati.

D-Days of Wine and Roses (April 4 @ noon/11AM)

OSCAR WIN

Best Original Song (Days of Wine and Roses by Henry Mancini & Johnny Mercer)

OSCAR NOMINATIONS

Best Actor (Jack Lemmon-4th of eight nominations-won Best Supporting Actor in 1955 and Best Actor in1973)
Best Actress (Lee Remick-sole nomination)
Best B&W Art Direction (Joseph C. Wright & George James Hopkins)
Best B&W Costume Design (Donfield)

A PR man with a drinking problem gets his wife to join in the festivities with disastrous results.

E-The End of the Affair (April 5 @ 2AM/1AM) TCM premiere

Quick! Your husband is just outside the frame!

OSCAR NOMINATIONS

Best Actress (Julianne Moore-2nd of five nominations-won Best Actress in 2014)
Best Cinematography (Roger Pratt)

The 1999 remake of Graham Greene’s novel about a man who can’t figure out why his lover left him.

F-Fury (April 7 @ 5:15AM/4:15AM)

OSCAR NOMINATION

Best Original Story (Norman Krasna)

Spencer Tracy is having a bad day. First he is mistakenly identified as a kidnapper and then a makeshift mob comes for him.

G-Guys and Dolls (April 9 @ 1AM/midnight)

OSCAR NOMINATIONS

Best Color Cinematography (Harry Stradling, Sr.)
Best Art Direction-Color (Oliver Smith, Joseph C. Wright & Howard Bristol)
Best Costume Design-Color (Irene)
Best Score (Jay Blackton & Cyril J. Mockridge)

After winning an Oscar for On the Waterfront (airing on April 18) Marlon Brando decides to do a musical.

H-Hangmen Also Die! (April 9 @ 10AM/9AM)

I wonder if he knock those guys over like bowling pins

OSCAR NOMINATIONS

Best Sound Recording (Jack Whitney)
Best Score (Hans Eisler)

A fictional story about the real-life assassination of Nazi Reinhard Heydrich

I-Inherit the Wind (April 12 @ 12:30AM/April 11 @ 11:30PM)

OSCAR NOMINATIONS

Best Actor (Spencer Tracy-7th of nine nominations-won Best Actor in 1937 and 1938)
Best Adapted Screenplay (Nedrick Young & Harold Jacob Smith)
Best B&W Cinematography (Ernest Lazlo)
Best Editing (Frederic Knudtson)

The first adaptation of the 1955 play about the 1925 Scopes Monkey trial.

J-Johnny Belinda (April 13 @ 2AM/1AM)

OSCAR WIN

Best Actress (Jane Wyman-2nd of four nominations-won Best Actress in 1948)

OSCAR NOMINATIONS

Best Picture
Best Actor (Lew Ayers-sole nomination)
Best Supporting Actor (Charles Bickford-3rd of three nominations)
Best Supporting Actress (Agnes Moorehead-3rd of four nominations)
Best Director (Jean Negulesco-sole nomination)
Best Screenplay (Irma von Cube & Allen Vincent)
Best B&W Cinematography (Ted D. McCord)
Best B&W Art Direction (Robert M. Haas & William Wallace)
Best Editing (David Weisbart)
Best Score (Max Steiner)
Best Sound Recording (Nathan Levinson)

A mute and deaf woman is raped, gives birth, battles for custody from rapist and is tried for murder. On a side note, the parents of Go-Go singer Belinda Carlisle and MY MOTHER were named Belinda from this movie.

K-Kings Row (April 14 @ midnight/April 13 @ 11PM)

The 40th President is shocked about something…

OSCAR NOMINATIONS

Best Picture
Best Director (Sam Wood-3rd of three nominations)
Best B&W Cinematography (James Wong Howe)

L-Leaving Las Vegas (April 15 @ 2AM/1AM) TCM premiere

OSCAR WIN

Best Actor (Nicolas Cage-1st of two nominations-won Best Actor in 1995)

OSCAR NOMINATIONS

Best Actress (Elisabeth Shue-first nomination)
Best Director (Mike Figgis-first nomination)
Best Adapted Screenplay (Mike Figgis)

M-Mona Lisa (April 18 @ 2:30AM/1:30AM) TCM premiere

Why wasn’t Hoskins nominated for Who Framed Roger Rabbit?!

OSCAR NOMINATION

Best Actor (Bob Hoskins-sole nomination)

George Harrison produced this film!

N-Nebraska (April 18 @ 8PM/7PM) TCM premiere

OSCAR NOMINATIONS

Best Picture
Best Actor (Bruce Dern-2nd of two nominations)
Best Supporting Actress (June Squibb-first nomination)
Best Cinematography (Phedon Papmichael)
Best Director (Alexander Payne-7th of seven nominations-3rd Best Director nomination)
Best Original Screenplay (Bob Nelson)

Old man drives 750 miles to collect lottery winnings.

O-Of Mice and Men (April 19 @ 2:30PM/1:30PM)

OSCAR NOMINATIONS

Best Picture
Best Score (Aaron Copland)
Best Sound Recording (Elmer Raguse)

P-Passion Fish (April 21 @ 1:45AM/12:45AM) TCM premiere

OSCAR NOMINATIONS

Best Actress (Mary McDonnell-2nd of two nominations)
Best Original Screenplay (John Sayles)

Woman takes care of former soap opera actress. I haven’t seen the movie and that’s basically the synopsis.

Q-Quo Vadis (April 23 @ 5:15AM/4:15AM)

OSCAR NOMINATIONS

Best Picture
Best Supporting Actors (Leo Genn-sole nomination & Peter Ustinov-1st of three nominations-won Best Supporting Actor in 1960 and 1964-and was nominated for a Best Screenplay Oscar in 1969!)
Best Color Cinematography (Robert Surtees & William V. Skall)
Best Art Direction-Color (William A. Horning, Cedric Gibbons, Edward C. Carfagno & Hugh Hunt)
Best Costume Design-Color (Herschel McCoy)
Best Editing (Ralph E. Winters)
Best Score (Miklos Rozsa)

Sophia Loren was an extra in this film made in Italy.

R-Rashomon (April 23 @ 12:15PM/11:15AM)

HONORARY OSCAR

For the most outstanding foreign language film released in the USA in 1951

OSCAR NOMINATION

Best B&W Art Direction (Takashi Matsuyama & H. Motsumoto)

Four different takes on one story, which is true?

S-The Sundowners (April 28 @ 2:30AM/1:30AM)

OSCAR NOMINATIONS

Best Picture
Best Actress (Deborah Kerr-6th of six nominations)
Best Supporting Actress (Glynis Johns-sole nomination)
Best Director (Fred Zinnemann-6th& 7th-(he produced the film as well) of ten nominations)
Best Adapted Screenplay (Isobel Lennart)

T-The Truman Show and Twice in a Lifetime TCM premieres

The Truman Show (April 29 @ 10:15PM/9:15PM)

Sadly didn’t receive a Best Actor nomination

OSCAR NOMINATIONS

Best Supporting Actor (Ed Harris-2nd of four nominations)
Best Director (Peter Weir-4th of six nominations)
Best Original Screenplay (Andrew Niccol)

Twice in a Lifetime (April 30 @ 4AM/3AM)

OSCAR NOMINATIONS

Best Supporting Actress (Amy Madigan-first nomination)

Two “T” Oscar picks and both are TCM premieres. I haven’t even heard of the second film.

U-Union Pacific (April 30 @ 10PM/9PM)

OSCAR NOMINATION

Best Special Effects

Barbara Stanwyck goes for an Irish accent.

W-Wait Until Dark (May 1 @ 5:15AM/4:15AM)

The man who terrorized a blind Audrey Hepburn

OSCAR NOMINATION

Best Actress (Audrey Hepburn-5th of five nominations-won Best Actress in 1953)

Alan Arkin should have been nominated for his chilling performance but he knew no one would win an award for terrorizing Audrey Hepburn.

X-No X!

Seriously, I don’t think any film starting with the letter X has been nominated for an Oscar.

Y-The Yearling (May 2 @ 2:15AM/1:15AM)

OSCAR WINS

Best Color Cinematography (Charles Rosher, Leonard Smith & Arthur E. Arling)
Best Art Direction-Color (Cedric Gibbons, Paul Groesse & Edwin B. Willis)

OSCAR NOMINATIONS

Best Picture
Best Actor (Gregory Peck-2nd of five nominations-won Best Actor in 1962)
Best Actress (Jane Wyman-1st of four nominations-won Best Actress in 1948)
Best Director (Clarence Brown-6th of six nominations)
Best Editing (Harold F. Kress)

Child actor Claude Jarman Jr. won a special Juvenile Oscar for this role.

Z-Z! (May 2 @ 4:30AM/3:30AM)

OSCAR WINS

Best Foreign Language Film
Best Editing (Francoise Bonnot)

OSCAR NOMINATIONS

Best Picture
Best Director (Costa-Gravas-2nd of three nominations)
Best Adapted Screenplay (Jorge Semprun & Costa-Gravas)

The title card is awesome: Any similarity to real persons and events is not coincidental. It is INTENTIONAL.

MARCH ON TCM

STAR OF THE MONTH: DORIS DAY (MONDAYS IN MARCH)

Doris Day marks her fourth time as TCM’s Star of the Month tying Greta Garbo with the most SOTM tributes. Since there has been a lot written about Day, I’m not going to give a biography this month. Instead, I’m recommending some of her lesser-known work.

It’s a Great Feeling (March 2 @ 5:15AM/4:15AM)-a meta comedy which mirrors Day’s attempts to be noticed by Hollywood producers. Actors Dennis Morgan and Jack Carson play “themselves” who vie for the lovely Doris and features multiple cameos who were currently working on the Warner Bros. lot in the late 1940s and poked fun at their images. Notable cameos include Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford and Edward G. Robinson.

Storm Warning (March 2 @ 7AM/6AM)-Doris is the younger sister of model Ginger Rogers. When Ginger arrives in town, she witnesses the murder of a man by the KKK. One of the murderers is Day’s husband! Rogers must decide whether to tell her pregnant sister the horrible truth about her groom. Ronald Reagan co-stars as a crusading lawyer.
Calamity Jane (March 8 @ 8PM/7PM)-Day’s favorite role. A musical about the gunslinger. Co-starring Howard Keel as Wild Bill Hickok.
Midnight Lace (March 15 @ 8PM/7PM)-Doris is terrorized and stalked while wearing glamourous costumes by Irene.
It Happened to Jane (March 23 @ 2AM/1AM)-Doris teams up with Jack Lemmon in their only film together.
Please Don’t Eat the Daisies (March 30 @ 2:15AM/1:15AM)-Doris is a housewife who deals with her husband’s new job, a move to the country and four rambunctious boys especially the youngest who has a knack for escaping from his crib. It’s so bad that the couple had to make the crib into a baby cage!

Edited to add: The Flight Attendant’s and The Big Bang Theory’s Kaley Cuoco is going to be playing Day in a limited series. What do you think of her casting?

TCM SPOTLIGHT: GROWING UP ON SCREEN (TUESDAYS IN MARCH)

Many child stars fail to transition into adult stardom. This is not about them. These are the stories of the child stars who made it. TCM looks at ten children/teenagers who grew up before our eyes. TCM also interviews several former child stars including Alex Winter, Todd Bridges, Mara Wilson, film historian John Fricke, Natasha Gregson Wagner and her husband Barry Watson, and a little-known actress named Jodie Foster.

Night one stars teenage movie team Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney. The duo appeared in ten films starting in 1937 when Judy was 15 and Rooney was 17. Other films show Judy at 26 and 32 years and Rooney again at 17, 23, 29, 38, and 58.

Night two features Dean Stockwell (who turned 85 on March 5) and Kurt Russell (who will be 70 on St. Patrick’s Day). The audience will see Stockwell at 9, 10, 14, and 34 while Russell is shown at 13, 29, and 36.

Night three features best friends Elizabeth Taylor and Roddy McDowell starting with Liz at age 12, then 18, 26, and 34 then Roddy at age 15 (with an 11-year-old Taylor), 24, and 39.

Night four features Jodie Foster at ages 14 and 18 followed by Patty McCormack at ages 10, 15, 34 and 23.

Finally on night five it’s the works of Natalie Wood and Jackie Cooper. Wood is featured at 8, 17, 27, 3 and 43 while Cooper is shown at ages 12 and 18.

March 2 & 3: Judy Garland & Mickey Rooney-Thoroughbreds Don’t Cry (March 2 @ 8PM/7PM); Easter Parade (March 2 @ 9:30PM/8:30PM); A Star is Born (March 2 @ 11:30PM/10:30PM); A Family Affair (March 3 @ 2:45AM/1:45AM); The Human Comedy (March 3 @ 4AM/3AM); Quicksand (March 3 @ 6AM/5AM); Andy Hardy Comes Home (March 3 @ 7:30AM/6:30AM); The Black Stallion (March 3 @ 9AM/8AM)
March 9 & 10: Dean Stockwell & Kurt Russell-Anchors Aweigh (March 9 @ 8PM/7PM); The Green Years (March 9 @ 10:30PM/9:30PM); Kim (March 10 @ 12:45AM/March 9 @ 11:45PM); The Dunwich Horror (March 10 @ 2:45AM/1:45AM) Guns of Diablo (March 10 @ 4:30AM/3:30AM); Fools’ Parade (March 10 @ 6AM/5AM); Overboard (March 10 @ 8AM/7AM)
March 16 & 17: Elizabeth Taylor & Roddy McDowell-National Velvet (March 16 @ 8PM/7PM); Father of the Bride (March 16 @ 10:15PM/9:15PM); Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (March 17 @ 12:15AM/March 16 @ 11:15PM); Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (March 17 @ 2:15AM/1:15AM); Lassie Come Home (March 17 @ 4:30AM/3:30AM); The Steel Fist (March 17 @ 6:15AM/5:15AM); The Cool Ones (March 17 @ 7:45AM/6:45AM)
March 23 & 24: Jodie Foster & Patty McCormack-Bugsy Malone (March 23 @ 8PM/7PM); The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (March 23 @ 10PM/9PM); Foxes (March 24 @ midnight/March 23 @ 11PM); The Bad Seed (March 24 @ 2:15AM/1:15AM); The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (March 24 @ 4:30AM/3:30AM); The Young Runaways (March 24 @ 6:30AM/5:30AM)
March 30 & 31: Natalie Wood & Jackie Cooper-The Green Promise (March 30 @ 8PM/7PM); Rebel Without a Cause (March 30 @ 9:45PM/8:45PM); Inside Daisy Clover (March 30 @ 11:45PM/10:45PM); The Candidate (March 31 @ 2AM/1AM); Brainstorm (March 31 @ 4AM/3AM); Treasure Island (March 31 @ 6AM/5AM); Gallant Sons (March 31 @ 8AM/7AM)

TCM SPECIAL THEME: REFRAMED (THURSDAYS IN MARCH)

I love classic movies which were made decades before I was born. However, the majority of films made then couldn’t be made today. Times change and so do people’s attitudes. Many classics of yesteryear are seen as “problematic” today. The five hosts from TCM look at 20 films that are classic, but have a lot of problems. The discussion includes the first sound film where the main character wears blackface during his act, pleasant views of slavery, stereotypes of non-white characters including Blacks, Asians, Arabs, and Native Americans, the “shame” of being homosexual or transgender, and misogyny. The 20 films in this series are:

Gone With the Wind (March 4 @ 8PM/7PM)-Positive views of the Confederacy, happy slaves and marital rape
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (March 5@midnight/March 4@11PM)-Sexism, the kidnapping and forced marriage of six women as “meet-cute.”
Rope (March 5 @ 2AM/1AM)-Homosexual undertones between the killers and their victim
The Four Feathers (March 5 @3:30AM/2:30AM)-British colonialism in India and Arabs as “savages”
Woman of the Year (March 11 @ 8PM/7PM)-the third act where apparently the main character had to be taken down a peg
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? (March 11 @ 10:15PM/9:15PM)-Sidney Poitier is positioned as a perfect black man; daring in its time. Today people would be concerned about the couple’s age difference and life experience.
Gunga Din (March 12 @ 12:15AM/March 11 @ 11:15PM)-The title character is played by a white guy in brownface and British colonialism in India
Sinbad the Sailor (March 12 @ 2:30AM/1:30AM)-The title character is a white guy in brownface
The Jazz Singer (March 12@ 4:45AM/3:45AM)-The title character is in blackface
The Searchers (March 18 @ 8PM/7PM)-Cruelty towards Native Americans
Breakfast at Tiffany’s (March 18 @ 10:15PM/9:15PM)- Mickey Rooney in yellowface
Swing Time (March 19 @ 12:30AM/March 18 @ 11:30PM)-Fred Astaire in blackface
Stagecoach (March 19 @ 2:30AM/1:30AM)-Native Americans are treated as the bad guys
Tarzan. the Ape Man (March 19 @ 4:15AM/3:15AM)
My Fair Lady (March 25 @ 8PM/7PM)-Henry Higgins misogyny towards Eliza Doolittle
The Children’s Hour (March 25 @ 11PM/10PM)-portraying LGBT individuals in a bad light
Psycho (March 26 @ 1AM/midnight)-LGBTQ issues
Dragon Seed (March 26 @ 3AM/2AM)-the entire cast including star Katharine Hepburn portray Chinese characters

NOIR ALLEY

Noiristas, here’s the March schedule for Noir Alley. Remember, Noir Alley is taking the month of April off due to TCM’s annual but later this year, 31 Days of Oscar festival. See you in May!

Killers Kiss (March 6 & 7)-Stanley Kubrick’s second feature film about an aging boxer whose girlfriend is kidnapped by her violent boss. The boxer moves heaven and earth to find her.
The Night Holds Terror (March 13 & 14)-a film I’ve never heard of. Three hitchhikers take a family hostage.
The Third Man (March 20 & 21)-Joseph Cotten searches for an elusive “third man” after his childhood buddy Orson Welles has died. Shot on location in Vienna, Austria.
Pepe Le Moko (March 27 & 28)-French noir. Jean Gabin hides from the police in the Casbah. There was an American remake released one year later with Charles Boyer in the Gabin role.

Continue reading →

FEBRUARY ON TCM

Looking for 31 Days of Oscar? Well since the Oscars are postponed until April so is TCM’s annual festival.

STAR OF THE MONTH: JOHN GARFIELD (TUESDAYS)

Before there was Brando, there was John Garfield, the original Method actor. This is Garfield’s third time as TCM’s Star of the Month and the majority of Garfield’s films will air this month.

John Garfield was born Jacob Julius Garfinkle on March 4, 1913 on the Lower East Side of Manhattan to Russian Jewish immigrants. Sometime during his childhood, Garfield contracted scarlet fever which weakened his heart forever (shades of Beth from Little Women). Nicknamed “Julie” Garfield was on his way to taking a wrong path when a teacher encouraged him to memorize speeches and deliver them in class which led to winning a statewide oratory contest. Julie became interested in acting and boxing and later won a scholarship to the Maria Ouspenskya Drama School.

Garfield made his Broadway debut in 1932 and later met the playwright Clifford Odets who invited the actor to join the Group Theater. Odets wrote his play Golden Boy with the intention for Garfield to play the leading role but both were dismayed when Garfield was cast in a supporting role. John Garfield’s dream of starring in Golden Boy wouldn’t come to fruition until the early 1950s.

John Garfield instead signed a contract with Warner Bros. making his film debut in Four Daughters (February 16 @ 12:15AM/11:15PM) as a cynical and depressed composer. Garfield was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. The film was such a success that Warner Bros. greenlit a sequel, Four Wives (February 17 @ 2AM/1AM) which included footage of Garfield from the previous film and reunited nearly the entire cast for the similar Daughters Courageous (February 17 @ 3:45AM/2:45AM). Garfield secured top billing for the first time with Blackwell’s Island (February 3 @ 6:15AM/5:15AM) then played an important supporting role in Juarez (February 10 @ 3:30AM/2:30AM). He got to co-star with such heavyweights as Edward G. Robinson in The Sea Wolf (February 9 @ 8PM/7PM), Spencer Tracy in Tortilla Flat (February 17 @ 5:45AM/4:45AM) and Lana Turner in The Postman Always Rings Twice (February 2 @ 8PM/7PM).

The aforementioned heart issues kept Garfield out of World War II so he fought on the big screen in the Air Force (February 23 @ 12:45AM/11:45PM), under the sea in Destination: Tokyo (February 23 @ 10:15PM/9:15PM) and on the ground in The Fallen Sparrow (February 24 @ 3AM/2AM) and The Pride of the Marines (February 23 @ 8PM/7PM). John Garfield and Bette Davis co-founded the Hollywood Canteen (February 24 @ 10AM/9AM), an integrated club that provided entertainment, food and dancing for servicemen.

After John Garfield’s contract with Warner Bros. ended in 1947, he created his own production company, The Enterprise Studios. Their first film was the boxing drama Body and Soul (February 9 @ 9:45PM/8:45PM). Garfield was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar. The company’s next picture was Force of Evil (February 2 @ 10PM/9PM) with Garfield playing a crooked lawyer. John Garfield’s final three films were John Huston’s We Were Strangers (February 9 @ 11:45PM/10:45PM), Michael Curtiz’s The Breaking Point (February 10 @ 1:45AM/12:45AM) and the film noir He Ran All the Way (February 2 @ 11:45PM/10:45PM).

It was during the late 1940s and the early 1950s that John Garfield became a victim of the House on Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). The witch hunt led to Garfield getting less and less work and the strain eventually caused a fatal heart attack on May 21, 1952. John Garfield was 39 years old and the public was robbed of future John Garfield performances. A tragic case of what might have been.

TCM SPOTLIGHT: KISS CONNECTION (THURSDAYS)

TCM does a “Six Degress of Separation” connecting stars by their kissing partners. The festival beings and ends with Irene Dunne. So this is how it goes: Irene Dunne kisses Cary Grant in My Favorite Wife (February 4 @ 8PM/7PM) then Cary Grant kisses Audrey Hepburn in Charade (February 4 @ 9:45PM/8:45PM) then Audrey Hepburn kisses Gary Cooper in Love in the Afternoon (February 4 @midnight/11PM) then Gary Cooper kisses Barbara Stanwyck in Ball of Fire (February 5 @ 2:30AM/1:30AM) and so on and so on…Then it closes out with Irene Dunne in Theodora Goes Wild (February 26 @ 8:30AM/7:30AM). Other stars featured include-in order-Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Rock Hudson, Doris Day, James Garner, Kim Novak, Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Debbie Reynolds, Gene Kelly, Cyd Charisse, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Joel McCrea, Claudette Colbert, Clark Gable (who also has a daytime birthday tribute on February 1), Ava Gardner, Robert Taylor, Greta Garbo, and Melvyn Douglas.

TCM SPECIAL THEME: NOTEWORTHY AFRICAN-AMERICAN PERFORMANCES (WEDNESDAYS)

I had a photo of Canada Lee to represent TCM’s celebration of African-American film performances but then Cicely Tyson freakin’ DIED and I felt she should be honored. Ben Mankiewicz and film historian Donald Bogle look at 16 groundbreaking performances starting with a quartet of films starring February birthday boy Sidney Poitier. First is Cry, the Beloved Country (February 3 @ 8PM/7PM), also starring Canada Lee in his final film. The duo play two ministers fighting apartheid in South Africa. Sidney’s other three films include his breakthrough as a troubled teen in Blackboard Jungle (February 3 @ 12:30AM/11:30PM), playing the restless Walter Lee Younger in the film adaptation of Lorraine Hansberry’s ground breaking play A Raisin in the Sun (February 3 @ 10PM/9PM) and bitch-slapping a racist white guy in 1967s Best Picture In the Heat of the Night (February 4 @ 2:30AM/1:30AM). Cicely Tyson gets her due co-starring along with Sammy Davis Jr. in the drama A Man Called Adam (February 11 @ 2AM/1AM) and The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (February 10 @ 11:45PM/10:45PM) . Other performers include Rex Ingram in Moonrise (February 10 @ 8PM/7PM), and in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (February 10 @ 10PM/9PM), Juano Hernandez in Stars in My Crown (February 17 @ 8PM/7PM), Brock Peters and making his film debut, Morgan Freeman in The Pawnbroker (February 17 @ 9:45PM/8:45PM), Hattie McDaniel and Ernest Anderson (who should have had a bigger career) in In This Our Life (February 17 @ midnight/11PM), Ron O’Neal is Super Fly (February 18 @ 2AM/1AM), Ruby Dee and Beah Richards in Take a Giant Step (February 24 @ 8PM/7PM), Adolph Caesar, whose career was cut short by his untimely death in A Soldier’s Story (February 24 @ 10PM/9PM), Irene Cara and Lonette McKee in Sparkle (February 24 @ midnight/11PM) and Clarence Muse in Broken Strings (February 25 @ 2AM/1AM).

NOIR ALLEY

Guess what Noiristas? There’s no 31 Days of Oscar this month so here’s February’s lineup

1950’s The Killer That Stalked New York (February 6 & 7) starring Evelyn Keyes as a diamond thief/jilted wife and Patient Zero of a smallpox outbreak. Based off a month-long smallpox outbreak in 1947 New York City.
No noir on Valentine’s Day weekend
The TCM premiere of 1951’s Sangre Negra aka Native Son (February 20 & 21). Author Richard Wright played his own creation, Bigger Thomas.
1959’s Odds Against Tomorrow (February 27 & 28) starring Henry Belafonte, Robert Ryan and Ed Begley, Sr. as three amateur robbers who may make off with $50,000 dollars if they don’t kill each other first.

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JANUARY ON TCM

Welcome to 2021 TCM fans!! It’s a new year and everything will be great…oh, wait.

STAR OF THE MONTH: MIRIAM HOPKINS (THURSDAYS IN JANUARY)

The first Star of the Month for 2021 was an actress who was known more for her rebelliousness and diva temperament. She was the other lady Bette Davis hated-she was number two behind Joan Crawford. I’ve just read her biography and it’s really good.

Ellen Miriam Hopkins was born on in Savannah, Georgia on October 18, 1902. When Miriam was a teenager, her parents split up and Miriam’s mother took Miriam and her older sister Ruby to Syracuse, New York where Hopkins later attended Syracuse University. Hopkins studied dance in New York City and was making a name for herself as a chorus girl when she had the unfortunate luck to break her ankle twice in the same place. Miriam pivoted to acting making her Broadway debut in 1921. By 1930, Miriam signed with Paramount Pictures and after a couple of pictures, she broke through as Princess Anna in The Smiling Lieutenant (January 7 @ 8PM/7PM). It was the first of three films Miriam made with director Ernst Lubitsch: the other two were 1932’s Trouble in Paradise (January 7 @ 10PM/9PM) and the pro-throuple Design for Living (January 7 @ 11:30PM/10:30PM). Hopkins also made a splash playing the doomed prostitute Champagne Ivy in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (January 8 @ 1:15AM/12:15AM). Miriam made two films with rival Bette Davis: 1939’s The Old Maid (January 14 @ 8PM/7PM) and 1943’s Old Acquaintance (January 14 @ 9:45PM/8:45PM). Miriam left Hollywood for the stage in the early 1940s but returned in 1949 for a pivotal supporting role in William Wyler’s The Heiress (January 28 @ 8PM/7PM). She also appeared in Wyler’s These Three (January 21 @ 11PM/10PM) and its remake The Children’s Hour (January 28 @ 10:15PM/9:15PM). One of her final film roles was in the all-star movie The Chase (January 28 @ 12:15AM/11:15PM). Miriam Hopkins died nine days before her 70th birthday on October 9, 1972.

TCM SPOTLIGHT: WHODUNIT WEDNESDAYS

Put on your thinking caps, round up the usual suspects and solve the clues as TCM highlights some of the best whodunits every Wednesday night in January. The fun starts on January 6 with Whodunit Revivals starting with a double dose of Agatha Christie’s famous detective Hercule Poirot as played by Peter Ustinov. First is Death on the Nile (8PM/7PM) followed by Evil Under the Sun (10:30PM/9:30PM).

January 13 starts with two whodunit spoofs-Murder By Death (8PM/7PM) and the TCM premiere of Clue (9:45PM/8:45PM).

On January 20 and 27, TCM takes a look at some of fictional super sleuths beginning with Margaret Rutherford four films as Agatha Christie’s Miss Jane Marple in Murder She Said (January 20 @ 8PM/7PM), Murder at the Gallop (January 20 @ 9:45PM/8:45PM), Murder Most Foul (January 20 @ 11:15PM/10:15PM) and Murder Ahoy (January 21 @ 1AM/midnight). Other detectives include Perry Mason in The Case of Lucky Legs (January 28 @ 2:30AM/1:30AM), Nick and Nora Charles in After the Thin Man (January 27 @ 8PM/7PM) and Sherlock Holmes in The Woman in Green (January 28 @ 1:15AM/12:15AM).

SPECIAL THEME: THE STUDIO SYSTEM (TUESDAYS IN JANUARY)

The studio system, where actors, writers, directors, etc. were under contract to one studio who ruled over them with an iron fist. The studio controlled every aspect of filmmaking including owning their own theaters until 1948 when the government forced the studios to sell their theater chains.

TCM looks back at the era every Tuesday in January with co-hosts Mark Harris and Kim Masters focusing on the “Big Five” (MGM, Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, Paramount, and RKO) and the “Little Three”(Columbia, Universal, United Artists-whose films will not be shown due to being and independent studio).

First up is Columbia during the day on January 5. Columbia started in 1924 by brothers Harry and Jack Cohn. Everyone knows their logo, the lady with the torch. Some of their top stars included Rita Hayworth (represented by Gilda (10:45AM/9:45AM), also starring fellow contract player Glenn Ford), Jean Arthur (who allegedly ran out screaming “I’m Free! I’m Free!” after completing her contract-her film is Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (12:45PM/11:45AM) which was directed by Frank Capra who brought the studio to prominence, Judy Holliday (It Should Happen to You (3PM/2PM)-also featuring Jack Lemmon in his film debut) and William Holden who also had a contract with Paramount; Holden would alternate between studios. The movie represented is The Bridge on the River Kwai (4:45PM/3:45PM).

The night of January 5 focuses on Warner Bros. which leaned toward grit and realism. They were known for their gangster pictures. The studio was started by brothers Harry, Abe, Sam and Jack Warner in 1924. Their biggest stars included Bette Davis (Dark Victory @ 8PM/7PM), Humphrey Bogart (The Maltese Falcon @ 10PM/9PM), Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland (The Adventures of Robin Hood @ midnight/11PM), James Cagney (White Heat @ 2AM/1AM), and the trio of Edward G. Robinson, Ida Lupino, and February’s Star of the Month John Garfield (The Sea Wolf @ 4:15AM/3:15AM).

January 12 features the now defunct studio RKO during the daytime. The studio launched with the help of JFK’s dad Joe Kennedy in 1928. RKO was known for the Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers musicals (Swing Time @ 10AM/9AM), film noirs starring Robert Mitchum co-starring with Jane Russell (His Kind of Woman @ noon/11AM). RKO also made one of the greatest pictures of all time, Citizen Kane (2:15PM/1:15PM).

During the evening of January 12 TCM airs some of the best films from 20th Century Fox, now called 20th Century Studios. The company was formed in 1935 merging the Fox Company with Twentieth Pictures, a production company started by Joseph Schenck and Darryl F. Zanuck who became Vice President in Charge of Production for the new company. They had such stars as Marilyn Monroe (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes @ 8PM/7PM), Tyrone Power (The Mark of Zorro @ 9:45PM/8:45PM), Betty Grable (who was a top-ten box office star for ten years straight) and Don Ameche (Down Argentine Way @ 11:30PM/10:30PM), Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison (The Ghost and Mrs. Muir @ 1:15AM/122:15AM), Will Rogers (A Connecticut Yankee @ 3:15AM/2:15AM), and the little girl who got America through the Great Depression, Shirley Temple (A Little Princess @ 5AM/4AM).

On January 19 its a 24-hour block of films made by MGM. It had to be 24 hours because MGM featured “more stars than there are in the heavens.” The company was formed in 1924 with a merger of Louis B. Mayer’s production studio, the Goldwyn company, and Metro Pictures. Now on to the lengthy list:

Elizabeth Taylor and Mickey Rooney in National Velvet (11:15AM/10:15AM)
Clark Gable and Jean Harlow in Red Dust (1:30PM/12:30PM)
Norma Shearer and Joan Crawford in The Women (3PM/2PM)
Greta Garbo, Robert Taylor, and Lionel Barrymore in Camille (6PM/5PM)
Shearer again-in a dual role!-in Smiling Through (8PM/7PM)
Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn (who started at RKO in the 1930s) in Adam’s Rib (10PM/9PM)
Judy Garland and Gene Kelly in Summer Stock (midnight/11PM)
Lana Turner in The Postman Always Rings Twice (2AM/1AM)
William Powell and Myrna Loy in Love Crazy (4AM/3AM)

Finally on January 26, we end Universal during the daytime. Universal is the oldest operating movie studio beginning in 1912 by Carl Laemmle. They became known for the horror films (Dracula @ 11:30AM/10:30AM), the comedy duo Bud Abbott & Lou Costello (Buck Privates @ 1PM/noon) and the singing sensation Deanna Durbin who walked away from her career before she was 30 (It Started with Eve @ 2:30PM/1:30PM).

TCM ends the tribute on the night of January 26 with Paramount Pictures who also made their debut in 1912. The studio was known for its glamour and sophistication. Paramount had such stars as Mae West and Cary Grant (I’m No Angel @ 8PM/7PM), the trio of Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour (Road to Utopia @ 9:45PM/8:45PM) who made seven pictures together, Jerry Lewis (The Nutty Professor @ 11:30PM/10:30PM) who made film with and without screen partner Dean Martin, the noir team of Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake (The Blue Dahlia @ 1:30AM/12:30AM), and Marlene Dietrich and Gary Cooper (Morocco @ 3:30AM/2:30AM).

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DECEMBER ON TCM

WE MADE IT!!! 2020 is almost over. THANK GOD. Count down the days, minutes and seconds laughing at Laurel & Hardy’s antics, sitting (or zooming) with your family watching some of the best Christmas movies ever made, and celebrating the end of this godawful year on New Year’s eve with some sleuthing and dancing.

STAR OF THE MONTH: LAUREL & HARDY (MONDAYS IN DECEMBER)

TCM Backlot members chose legendary comedic team Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy to be December’s Star of the Month over another legendary comedic team Bud Abbott & Lou Costello. Laurel bumbled and Hardy would try to figure why he let Laurel get him into another mess.

Stan Laurel was born Arthur Stanley Jefferson in England on June 16, 1890. Oliver Hardy was born two years later as Norvell Hardy on January 18, 1892, in Georgia. After having successful solo careers, the boys teamed up for the first time in 1919 and permanently in 1927. Laurel was the brains behind the operation. During breaks while filming, Laurel was hard at work refining their material while Hardy socialized.

The duo made over 70 short films in silent and sound; notably the Oscar-winning The Music Box (December 14 @ 6:12PM/5:12PM) where the boys have to deliver a piano to a home that is on top of a VERY long stairway. Their first feature was Pardon Us (December 7 @ 8PM/7PM) where the guys land in jail. Their most notable film was Sons of the Desert (December 7 @ 9:30PM/8:30PM) where the duo tells their respective wives a little white lie in order to attend a fraternity convention. Heck, Laurel & Hardy even have their own Christmas classic, 1934’s Babes in Toyland (December 8 @ 12:15AM/11:15PM AND Christmas Day @ 10:45AM/9:45AM). The duo worked on movies until 1950 with the release of Utopia (December 29 @ 1AM/midnight) and on the stage until 1954 when Hardy had to retire due to health issues. Laurel & Hardy last appeared on film in a 1956 home movie shot at Stan Laurel’s daughter Lois’ home. The following clip shows a nearly unrecognizable Oliver Hardy due to a 100-plus pound weight loss.

Oliver Hardy died in 1957 and Stan Laurel refused to perform without his partner. Stan Laurel died in 1965.

TCM SPOTLIGHT: BERNARD HERRMANN (WEDNESDAYS IN DECEMBER)

Consider this: your career begins and ends with two of the most acclaimed films EVER. This happened to Bernard Herrmann who launched his film composing career with CITIZEN KANE (December 2 @ 11:45PM/10:45PM) and ends working with Martin freakin’ Scorsese in Taxi Driver. Herrmann’s most recognized works are his collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock. TCM honors the man with 25 films divided into four categories exploring some his scores.

Herrmann Comes to Hollywood (December 2) features his early works including the aforementioned Kane plus the 1943 adaptation Jane Eyre (8PM/ 7PM), The Devil and Daniel Webster (9:45PM/8:45PM) for which he won the Academy Award, The Magnificent Ambersons (2AM/1AM), The Snows of Kilimanjaro (3:45AM/2:45AM) and On Dangerous Ground (6AM/5AM).

Adventures in Sound (December 9) features a variety of films from different genres: the sci-fi classic The Day the Earth Stood Still (8PM/7PM) fantasy films The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (9:45PM/8:45PM), The 3 Worlds of Gulliver (11:30PM/10:30PM), Mysterious Island (1:15AM/12:15AM), Jason and the Argonauts (3AM/2AM) plus the dramas Beneath the 12-Mile Reef (5AM/4AM) and The Naked and the Dead (6:45AM/5:45AM).

Herrmann & Hitchcock (December 16) features the collaboration between Herrmann and the “Master of Suspense” starting with Vertigo (8PM/7PM), Marnie (10:15PM/9:15PM), The Trouble with Harry (12:45AM/11:45PM), The Man Who Knew Too Much (2:30AM/1:30AM) where Herrmann makes a cameo as what else, a composer; The Wrong Man (4:45AM/3:45AM) and North by Northwest (6:45AM/5:45AM).

More Hitchcock & Thrillers (December 30) the festival ends with two Hitchcocks The Birds (8PM/7PM) and Psycho (10:15PM/9:15PM) followed by thrillers Cape Fear (12:15AM/11:15PM) Sisters (2:15AM/1:15AM) It’s Alive (4AM/3AM) and The Bride Wore Black (5:45AM/4:45AM).

NOIR ALLEY

December’s lineup:

1951’s Tomorrow is Another Day (December 5 & 6) starring Steve Cochran and Ruth Roman
1957’s The Burglar (December 12 & 13) starring Dan Duryea and Jayne Mansfield
1947’s The Unsuspected (December 19 & 20) starring Claude Rains and Joan Caulfield
1945’s Detour (December 26 & 27) starring Tom Neal and Ann Savage

CHRISTMAS CLASSICS MARATHON (DECEMBER 18-25)

Look it’s been a tough year and we all need a little Christmas. So the folks at TCM decided to air an eight-day festival of Christmas classics for a total of 90 movies. Christmas movies will air on the first two weekend afternoons in December. It all starts with the romantic dramedy Remember the Night (December 18 @ 8PM/7PM) starring Barbara Stanwyck as a thief who goes to lawyer Fred MacMurray’s home for Christmas and ends on Christmas Day with The Apartment (5:45PM/4:45PM) with many favorites in between. So sit down with the people you like, have some hot chocolate or eggnog and take your mind off your troubles for a few hours.

PRE-CODE CLASSICS WITH BRUCE GOLDSTEIN (DECEMBER 3)

New York City’s Film Forum’s Director of Repertory Programming Bruce Goldstein co-hosts a night of pre-Code films starting with Barbara Stanwyck in Baby Face (8PM/7PM), the story of a woman who literally sleeps her way to the top. Next is Employee’s Entrance (9:30PM/8:30PM), where a department store executive takes advantage of a model. Third is the dramedy Blessed Event (11PM/10PM), the story of a gossip columnist who makes a lot of enemies. Finally it’s the crime film Two Seconds (12:45AM/11:45PM), where an ordinary working man’s life spirals out of control and he ends up in the electric chair.

WRITTEN BY CHARLES DICKENS (DECEMBER 8)

How many times have the works of Charles Dickens been adapted? According to Wikipedia, there are at least 48 wiki pages on A Christmas Carol (8PM/7PM). TCM airs the 1938 version of the Dickens classic starring Reginald Owen as Ebenezer Scrooge. Then it’s the 1935 version of David Copperfield (9:30PM/8:30PM)-9 adaptations with the most recent one coming out this year. Legendary director David Lean made arguably the best adaptations of Great Expectations (midnight/11PM) and Oliver Twist (2:15AM/1:15AM). Thirteen and 23 adaptations respectively. Closing out the tribute is the 1935 version of A Tale of Two Cities (4:30AM/3:30AM) one of nine adaptations.

SANTA SIGHTINGS (DECEMBER 10)

You better watch out, you better not cry, because guys in Santa suits are coming to a TV near you! I couldn’t come up with another rhyme. Tonight’s lineup starts with Errol Flynn donning a fake beard to spend Christmas with his daughter in Never Say Goodbye (8PM/7PM), followed by Edward G. Robinson leading a cohort of hapless ex-cons in Larceny, Inc. (10PM/9PM), Glenn Ford in the film noir comedy (?) Mr. Soft Touch (midnight/11PM), Frank Sinatra and friends in Robin and the 7 Hoods (2AM/1AM), and the 1932 comedy Prosperity (4:15AM/3:15AM).

STARRING MARSHA HUNT (DECEMBER 11-DAYTIME)

Marsha Hunt is one of the last surviving actors from the Golden Age of Hollywood. She turned 103 years young on October 17. TCM celebrates this leading lady with a day of her films leading up to the TCM premiere of a 2015 documentary about her life and career Marsha Hunt’s Sweet Adversity (8PM/7PM).

Marcia Virginia Hunt was born in Chicago on October 17, 1917. Hunt knew she wanted to be an actress since childhood. After graduating from high school, Hunt who changed the spelling of her name to Marsha, couldn’t find a college where one could major in drama before one’s junior year, so she enrolled in drama school instead. Marsha signed with Paramount Pictures at the age of 17. She signed with MGM in 1941 but not before losing the part of Melanie in Gone With the Wind. In the early 1950s, Hunt was blacklisted by the House of Un-American Activities Committee. Marsha turned to humanitarian work and made sporadic appearances in television and film.

Hunt’s daytime lineup includes the comedy Bride By Mistake (6AM/5AM), playing the other woman in Smash-Up: the Story of a Woman (7:30AM/6:30AM), Flight Command (9:30AM/8:30AM), The Human Comedy (11:30AM/10:30AM), The Valley of Decision (1:45PM/12:45PM), Bombers B-52 (3:45PM/2:45PM) and playing the middle Bennett sister Mary in Pride and Prejudice (5:45PM/4:45PM)

FILM DOCUMENTARIES (DECEMBER 11-EVENING)

After the aforementioned premiere of the Marsha Hunt documentary, TCM premieres three documentaries about the history of cinema starting with the 2019 documentary Going Attractions: The Definitive Story of the Movie Palace (10PM/9PM), the 2018 documentary What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael (11:30PM/10:30PM) and the 2009 documentary about the history of film criticism For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism (1:15AM/12:15AM).

NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY (DECEMBER 15)

The schedule for tonight’s National Film Registry hasn’t been posted yet because the Registry hasn’t announced their 2020 selections. For a film to be considered for the Registry, a movie must be at least 10 years old (so 2010 films are eligible) and be “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” So, here’s a couple of films that could be added to the 2020 registry.

1895’s The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots

1896’s Serpentine Dance by Annabelle

The first full-length comedy Tillie’s Punctured Romance

The last film notorious bank robber John Dillinger ever saw 1934’s Manhattan Melodrama

The Lord of the Rings trilogy!

UPDATE: Well, none of the films I posted made this year’s list. You can find the 2020 inductees here.

HOLIDAYS WITH THE HEPBURNS (DECEMBER 25)

Spend Christmas night with Audrey and Katharine Hepburn (no relation) with three films apiece. Audrey’s films are the romantic comedy Sabrina (8PM/7PM), the musical My Fair Lady (midnight/11PM) and the dramedy Two for the Road (4:45AM/3:45AM). Kate’s selected movies include The African Queen (10PM/9PM), one of her four teamings with Cary Grant, 1938’s Holiday (3AM/2AM), and her final pairing with Spencer Tracy in 1967’s Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? (6:45AM/5:45AM).

IN MEMORIAM (DECEMBER 29)

The Graduate (screenwriter Buck Henry-died January 8 at age 89)
Sweet Bird of Youth (actress Shirley Knight-died April 22 at age 83)
This is Spinal Tap (actor Fred Willard-died May 15 at age 86)
TCM premiere The Belly of an Architect (actor Brian Dennehy-died April 15 at age 81)
The Front (cinematographer Michael Chapman-died September 20 at age 84 and actor Jerry Stiller-died May 11 at age 92)
The Battle of Algiers (composer Ennio Morricone-died July 6 at age 91)
The Family Secret (actress/author Diana Serra Cary aka “Baby Peggy”-died February 24 at age 101)
The Square Peg (actress Honor Blackman-died April 5 at age 94
Evil Under the Sun (actress Diana Rigg-died September 10 at age 82
The China Syndrome (actor Wilford Brimley-died August 1 at age 82)

NEW YEAR’S EVE (DECEMBER 31)

New Year’s Eve has the annual marathons of The Thin Man series during the daytime and the That‘s Entertainment quartet in the evening.

NOVEMBER ON TCM

STAR OF THE MONTH: SHELLEY WINTERS (MONDAYS IN NOVEMBER)

Shelley Winters. What can you say about Shelley Winters? Well, she wasn’t dull!

That’s probably why TCM selected her to be November’s Star of the Month. The thirty films selected show Winters range and follow her career from sultry sex symbol to unlucky lady in love to scene stealer to character actress.

Shelley Winters was born Shirley Schrift on August 18, 1920 in St. Louis, Missouri and her family moved to Brooklyn, New York when Shirley was nine years old. Winters studied acting at the New School and also modeled to pay the bills. Shelley started working on Broadway in 1941 and within a couple of years received a long-term contract with Columbia. She had bit parts in several films until finally getting her break as a doomed waitress in Universal’s A Double Life which also won her a long-term contract with the studio. Winters received her first acting nomination as the doomed Alice in George Stevens A Place in the Sun (November 9 @ 11PM/10PM). She won her first of two Best Supporting Actress Oscars for her role as Mrs. Van Daan in The Diary of Anne Frank (November 16 @ 8PM/7PM). Shelley Winters died on January 14, 2006.

The first night features some of Winter’s early work starting with a bit part in The Gangster (November 2 @ 8PM/7PM) followed by a small supporting role in Cry of the City (November 2 @ 10PM/9PM) and leading lady roles in the comedy Behave Yourself! (November 2 @ midnight/11PM) and the noir I Died a Thousand Times (November 2 @ 1:30AM/12:30AM).

Night two features Shelley as the woman unlucky in love although why is A Patch of Blue (November 9 @ 1:30AM/12:30AM) featured in this batch of films? Winters plays the bad guy for cripes sake! The other three films are Lolita (November 9 @ 8PM/7PM), A Place in the Sun (November 9 @ 11PM/10PM) and Harper (November 9 @ 3:30AM/2:30AM).

Night three has Winters stealing scenes from her co-stars starting with her Oscar-winning role in The Diary of Anne Frank (November 16 @ 8PM/7PM). She donated her Oscar to the Anne Frank Museum where it still stands today. Next is a small role in one of the final film noirs, 1959’s Odds Against Tomorrow (November 16 @ 11:15PM/10:15PM) then Shelley is part of an ensemble cast in MGM’s Executive Suite (November 16 @ 1AM/midnight) and Tennessee Champ (November 16 @ 3AM/2AM).

Night four features Shelley in notable Westerns including a bit part in Red River (November 23 @ 8PM/7PM) and the leading lady role in Winchester ’73 (November 23 @ 12:30AM/11:30PM).

On the final night we travel to the 1970s when Winters made a lot of “interesting” movies including playing a drug lord named “Mommy” in Cleopatra Jones (November 30 @ 4AM/3AM), a former champion swimmer who plays a critical role in The Poseidon Adventure (November 30 @ 8PM/7PM) and the real-life criminal Kate “Ma” Barker in Bloody Mama (November 30 @ 2:15AM/1:15AM).

WOMEN MAKE FILM (TUESDAYS IN NOVEMBER)

As stated in the September and October on TCM posts, I will create a separate post for November plus the finale on December 1.

TCM SPOTLIGHT: UNDER THE BIG TOP (FRIDAYS IN NOVEMBER)

Remember the circus? TCM celebrates films focusing on life under the big top every Friday night this November. The fun starts with the Oscar-winning Best Picture The Greatest Show on Earth (November 6 @ 8PM/7PM) followed by Charlie Chaplin’s The Circus (November 6 @ 10:45PM/9:45PM). Other films on the docket include the Marx Brothers At the Circus (November 27 @ 12:15AM/11:15PM), Danny Kaye in Merry Andrew (November 20 @ midnight/11PM) and Doris Day in Billy Rose’s Jumbo (November 27 @ 10PM/9PM).

NOIR ALLEY

November’s lineup of noir starts with the snow-covered noir Nightfall (November 7 & 8), one of the last films Anne Bancroft made before returning to Broadway to star as Annie Sullivan in The Miracle Worker; the low-budget noir Fear (November 14 & 15); the apocalyptic Kiss Me Deadly (November 21 & 22) and the ice skating (?!!) show noir Suspense (November 28 & 29).

ANN RUTHERFORD CENTENNIAL (NOVEMBER 2)

Friend of TCM Ann Rutherford would have been 100 years young on this day. TCM celebrates her with a day of her films (minus her turn in Gone With the Wind).

Therese Ann Rutherford was born on November 2, 1920 in Vancouver, British Columbia to a former actress and a former opera singer. Not long after Ann’s birth, the Rutherford’s moved to San Francisco where the marriage eventually broke up. Ann’s mother took her and her sister to Los Angeles. Ann started acting in radio dramas before making her film debut in 1935. She starred in a number of Westerns until she signed with MGM in 1937 where she would stay until 1943. Her most memorable role at MGM was playing Polly Benedict, Andy Hardy’s on-again, off-again girlfriend. After leaving MGM, Ann freelanced until retiring from film work in 1950. She was asked to play Old Rose in Titanic but turned it down. Ann Rutherford died on June 11, 2012.

The day starts with Dancing Co-Ed (6AM/5AM); Ann is not the co-ed, Lana Turner is. Next Ann is one of the Four Girls in White (7:30AM/6:30AM) then Ann co-stars with the Wizard of Oz Frank Morgan in three films: the dramas Keeping Company (9AM/8AM) and Washington Melodrama (noon/11AM), plus the comedy The Ghost Comes Home (10:30AM/9:30AM) in between. Then it’s the comedic mystery trilogy Rutherford made with Red Skelton: Whistling in the Dark (1:30PM/12:30PM), Whistling in Dixie (3PM/2PM) and Whistling in Brooklyn (4:30PM/3:30PM). The tribute ends with two shorts Carnival in Paris (6PM/5PM) and Rutherford playing the title role in Annie Laurie (7:45PM/6:45PM), also a 1945 noir called Two O’Clock Courage (6:30PM/5:30PM).

THE ESSENTIALS VOL. 2 ( NOVEMBER 5)

Writer Jeremy Arnold co-hosts a night of films featured in his new book The Essentials Vol. 2: 52 More Must-See Movies and Why They Matter. The films selected from the book are the ghostly romance The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (8PM/7PM) followed by the creepy Vertigo (10PM/9PM) the screwball comedy Twentieth Century (12:15AM/11:15PM) and the suspenseful Cat People (2AM/1AM).

VETERANS DAY (NOVEMBER 11)

TCM celebrates those who have fought for our country with seven films starting with I have never even heard of; the 1956 film Screaming Eagles (noon/11AM). Now the rest of the movies on the docket I know very well including The Best Years of Our Lives (5PM/4PM), Sergeant York (8PM/7PM), The Dirty Dozen (2PM/1PM) and From Here to Eternity (1:15AM/12:15AM).

LEONARD MALTIN’S NEGLECTED CLASSICS (NOVEMBER 12)

Film critic and friend of TCM Leonard Maltin returns to take a look at five films which are not on anyone’s top 10 or best of list. First up is The Gilded Lily (8PM/7PM), a 1935 romantic comedy starring Claudette Colbert and in his film debut, Fred MacMurray. Colbert and MacMurray would make an additional six films together. Next is the TCM premiere of Come Next Spring (9:30PM/8:30PM), a drama about a single mother whose estranged husband comes back into her life. Then it’s the mystery-comedy Blind Adventure (11:15PM/10:15PM) followed by the film noir The Mob (12:30AM/11:30PM) and the pre-code movie Penthouse (2:15AM/1:15AM).

MESSAGE PICTURES IN 1949 (NOVEMBER 19)

The year 1949 was a banner year for the “message picture” a subgenre where a film communicates a message about modern society. TCM takes a look at four films released during the pivotal year. Two films tell stories about a nurse (Pinky @ 11:45PM/10:45PM) and an entire family (Lost Boundaries @ 8PM/7PM) who pass for white and what happens when their true identities are revealed. The other two films focus on black men who try to navigate the experiences of being the only black soldier in your unit (Home of the Brave (10PM/9PM) and being accused of murder (Intruder in the Dust (1:45AM/12:45AM).

24 HOURS OF HITCHCOCK (NOVEMBER 26 & 27)

While your eating Thanksgiving leftovers or ordering pizza because you don’t want to eat any more turkey, TCM has your back with a 24-hour festival of Hitchcock starting on Thanksgiving night with Rear Window (8PM/7PM) and ending with Hitch’s personal favorite Shadow of a Doubt (November 27 @ 6PM/5PM).

VIRGINIA MAYO CENTENNIAL (NOVEMBER 30)

The Sultan of Morocco once saw actress Virginia Mayo and stated that seeing her was “tangible proof of the existence of God.” What a compliment.

Virginia Mayo was born Virginia Jones on November 30, 1920 in St. Louis, Missouri. She was the daughter of a newspaper reporter. Virginia’s aunt ran an acting school in the area where Virginia started taking lessons at the age of six. Her aunt also hired instructors to teach Virginia how to dance. After graduating high school, Virginia started landing acting and dancing jobs with the St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre aka “The Muny.” A local performer named Andy Mayo recruited Virginia to appear in his act Morton and Mayo. She toured the vaudeville circuit and was noticed by independent producer Samuel Goldwyn. The mogul was astounded by her beauty and signed her to a Hollywood contract. She made film with comedian Danny Kaye and received rave reviews for her performance in Goldwyn’s The Best Years of Our Lives. Her film contract was taken over by Warner Bros. She continued working on films and television until the 1990s. Virginia Mayo died in 2005 at the age of 84.

TCM celebrates the 100th anniversary of her birth with seven films airing during the daytime hours. The tribute starts with the 1949 comedy The Girl From Jones Beach (7AM/6AM) co-starring the 40th president, Ronald Reagan. Then its the similar musical comedies She’s Back on Broadway (8:30AM/7:30AM) and She’s Working Her Way Through College (10:15AM/9:15AM); the latter also co-starring Reagan. Mayo worked with James Cagney on two films: the musical The West Point Story (12:15PM/11:15AM) and the vicious film noir White Heat (5:45PM/4:45PM). The other two movies are film noirs: 1949’s Red Light (2:15PM/1:15PM) and 1950’s Backfire (4PM/3PM).