STAR OF THE MONTH: CYD CHARISSE (TUESDAYS IN JUNE)
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).
Mariah's Musings 