These monthly schedule posts are going away. Between deadlines and a desire to have time set aside for my own projects, I just can’t justify the several hours it takes for me to put these posts schedule posts together. Further, in recent months I have noticed Sundance shows commercials during a lot of their films, plus IndiePlex and RetroPlex show bad prints and shrink down Academy ratio films to almost unwatchable sizes (which perhaps look better on a widescreen television, but who knows). Fox Movie Channel has a lot of repeats, too. It’s just not worth it to list anything but TCM, and so many other bloggers do that better than I ever could.

This month, I’m posting a quick list of some pre-codes, Underground, silents and other films you might like. It’s possible you’ll see similar lists from me in the future, but I doubt I’ll make it a regular feature.

For great TCM roundups, I recommend my BBFF and runner up SBBN patron saint (he’s the go-to guy when El Brendel is busy washing his hat) Ivan at Thrilling Days of Yesteryear and his Coming Distractions posts.

TCM
All times Eastern.

Moonfleet (1955)
May 2, 6:15 PM
Fritz Lang film starring Stewart Granger as a buccaneer and smuggler, whose former lover sends her child to live with him. Starring George Sanders and Joan Greenwood, so that’s three great actors right there. Supporting is Vivica Landfors (four!) and John Hoyt and Jack Elam in small roles. Also, Granger wields a halberd. You have to see this movie.

Image courtesy Tietiecinema.

 

May 3 Pre-Codes:
7:00 AM The Heart Of New York (1932)
8:15 AM Side Streets (1934)
9:30 AM Two Alone (1934)
12:15 PM A Successful Calamity (1932)
8:00 PM Alice In Wonderland (1933)
9:30 PM No Greater Glory (1934)

Judex (1917)
French silent serial, which according to TCM is being shown out of order:
May 5, midnight: Episode 3, then the prologue, then episodes 1 and 2.
May 12, midnight: Episodes 6, 4, 7 and 5.
May 19, midnight: Episodes 8, 10, 11, 9, epilogue, then episode 12.

May 9: Alain Delon Day:
ALAIN DELON, GUYS. YOU GUYS, ALAIN DELON.
6:00 AM Rocco and His Brothers (1960)
9:00 AM Purple Noon (1960)
11:00 AM Have I the Right to Kill (1963)
12:45 PM The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964)
3:00 PM Once A Thief (1965)

May 13: Laurel & Hardy shorts, various language versions
6:45 AM Helpmates (1932)
7:15 AM The Live Ghost (1934)
7:45 AM Ladrones (“Night Owls”, Spanish) (1930)
8:30 AM La Vida Nocturna (“Blotto”, Spanish) (1930)
9:15 AM Tiembla Y Titubea (“Below Zero”, Spanish) (1930)
9:45 AM Noche De Duendes (“Laurel & Hardy Murder Case” & “Berth Marks”, Spanish) (1930)
10:45 AM Politiquerias (“Chickens Come Home”, Spanish) (1931)
11:45 AM Les Carottiers (“Be Big!” & “Laughing Gravy”, French) (1931)
1:00 PM Los Calaveras (“Be Big!” & “Laughing Gravy”, Spanish) (1931)

May 23: Frances Marion films
6:00 AM Without Lying Down – Frances Marion and the Powerful Women in Hollywood (2000) (documentary)
7:00 AM Coquette (1929)
8:30 AM The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1929) – I generally hate Norma Shearer on principle, but this is terrific film.
10:15 AM Voice of the City (1929)
11:45 AM The Divorcee (1930)
1:15 PM The Life of the Party (1930)
2:45 PM The Office Wife (1930)
4:00 PM Kept Husbands (1931)
5:30 PM The Secret Six (1931)
7:00 PM Complicated Women (2003) (documentary)

May 23: Harold Lloyd shorts immediately following Frances Marion films. Many of these are billed as being rare, so they’re probably worth checking out.
8:00 PM Safety Last! (1923)
9:30 PM A Gasoline Wedding (1918)
9:30 PM Look Pleasant, Please (1918)
9:30 PM The Big Idea (1918)
9:30 PM By the Sad Sea Waves (1917)
9:30 PM Lonesome Luke, Messenger (1917)
9:30 PM Take a Chance (1918)
9:30 PM Bashful (1917)
11:00 PM The Freshman (1925)
12:30 AM Next Aisle Over (1919)
12:30 AM Just Neighbors (1919)
12:30 AM A Sammy in Siberia (1919)
12:30 AM Spring Fever (1919)
12:30 AM Young Mr. Jazz (1919)
12:30 AM The Marathon (1919)
1:45 AM The Kid Brother (1927)
3:15 AM Captain Kidd’s Kids (1919)
3:45 AM His Royal Slyness (1920)
4:15 AM Now or Never (1921)
5:00 AM Hot Water (1924)

The Coward (1915)
May 26, 3:15 AM (early morning the 27th)
A Confederate deserter stumbles on the chance to redeem himself.

The Cranes Are Flying (1957)
May 26, 4:30 AM (early morning the 27th)
Russian film about a woman who fears for her boyfriend sent off to fight in WWII.

***

As always, feel free to list movies you want to give a shout-out to in the comments — any movie, any channel, as long as it’s during this month!

Here are some films on Fox Movie Channel, Sundance, IndiePlex, RetroPlex and TCM for the month of March, 2013 that you might be interested in. Remember, these movies may be edited, time compressed, in the wrong aspect ratio, have commercial interruptions, be preempted, or have never existed in the first place. You know how it goes.

All times Eastern.

SUNDANCE

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2009)
March 5, 8:00 PM – only time it’s on this month
The original Opley version starring Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace and Lisbeth Salander, about a young hacker who helps a cop with a 40-year-old unsolved murder.

 

Marathon Man (1976)
March 7, 10:00 PM and 12:15, plus March 11th and 25th
Dustin Hoffman as a man mistaken for a spy in John Schlesinger’s classic.

 

Phantom of the Paradise (1974)
March 9, 6:00 AM and 11:45 AM, plus March 15, 20, and 28th
More evidence that the 1970s can simply never be fully explained, this Brian De Palma retelling of the classic Phantom of the Opera story stars William Finley and Paul Williams.

 

FOX MOVIE CHANNEL

Panic in the Streets (1950)
March 5, 6:00 AM
Zero Mostel and Jack Palance as two gunmen carrying a deadly virus around town. With Richard Widmark as the doctor who must stop them before they accidentally start a plague.

 

Three Came Home (1950)
March 6, 6:00 AM
Jean Negulesco film based on Agnes Newton Keith’s autobiography of her time as a Japanese war prisoner. Starring Claudette Colbert and Sessue Hayakawa.

***

Starting this month I am listing IndiePlex and RetroPlex, Starz channels which were recently added to our cable line-up. Note that while the movies thus far have been unedited and without commercials, I only watch late at night. The official schedules for these channels have prime time movies listed in green, which may mean edits or commercial breaks. Also, when I list movie times “and others,” that means it’s on more than once during the month — most of these films are — so check the full schedule, which I will link to. You may also want to check the schedule for sound issues, such as whether a film has subtitles or if it’s shown in mono, as a few newer films on these channels are.

INDIEPLEX
Click here for the IndiePlex page to see the full schedule for more showings and details.

Cry-Baby (1990)
March 4 11:00 AM, 5:50 PM and others
John Waters spoof of 1950s, rock and roll, and teenagers. Starring Johnny Depp, with fabulous turns by Iggy Pop, Susan Tyrrell, Polly Bergen, Troy Donahue, Mink Stole, and more.

 

Tea With Mussolini (1999)
March 6 11:50 AM and others
Franco Zeffirelli’s gentle, semi-autobiographical drama about the illegitimate son of an Italian businessman. Starring Cher, Joan Plowright, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, and Lily Tomlin.

 

The Memory of a Killer (2003)
March 14 at 2:05 AM and March 19 at 12:15 AM
Thriller from the Netherlands starring Koen De Bouw as an aging hitman chased by the cops, the mob, and his own poor health.

RETROPLEX
Click here for the RetroPlex page to see the full schedule.

Nighthawks (1981)
March 1 at 1:40 AM and others
Sylvester Stallone and Billy Dee Williams as two New York cops trying to hunt down German criminal Rutger Hauer. Because what else would you do with Rutger Hauer?

 

There are four Sherlock Holmes films on this month:

The Seven Per Cent Solution (1976): March 1, 6:05 PM and others
Nicol Williamson as an addicted Sherlock Holmes who hooks up with Sigmund Freud (Alan Arkin!) to solve crimes. Robert Duvall as Watson, Sir Larry as Moriarty, with Vanessa Redgrave and Joel Grey and Charles Gray and it is amazing. A complete mess, but fun.

Dressed to Kill (1946): March 4 at 4:55 AM and others
Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes after a prison inmate somehow managing to steal bank plates while incarcerated.

Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1942): March 4 at 3:20 PM and others
Rathbone as Holmes, who has to protect an inventor being hunted by Professor Moriarty.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Serlock Holmes (2010): March 4 at 4:35 PM and others
The Asylum knock-off version of the 2009 spectacle, starring Ben Syder, Dominic Keating and Gareth David-Lloyd. It gets terrible reviews, many from people who haven’t ever seen an Asylum knock-off “mockbuster” before, so just know what you’re getting into.

 

Duel (1972)
March 3, 7:45 AM and 6:25 PM and March 14 at 1:55 AM
Dennis Weaver stars in this made-for-tv film by Steven Spielberg about a truck driver after a lone motorist on a deserted highway.

 

Rope (1948)
March 6 at 11:05 AM and others
Uh… it’s Rope. If you haven’t seen it, see it. There are other Hitch films on Retroplex this month, including Vertigo, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Psycho, The Birds and Rear Window.

 

To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
March 11 at 12:30 AM and others
William Friedkin film about a cop (William Petersen) after a counterfeiter (Willem Dafoe). Love this movie.

 

TCM

The Hard Way (1942)
March 5, 10:00 PM
Ida Lupino as the ambitious older sister who pushes a young Joan Leslie into being a movie star.

 

Pre-Codes on March 7 with Charles Bickford:
6:00 AM: Anna Christie (1930)
7:45 AM Passion Flower (1930)
9:15 AM The Sea Bat (1930)
10:30 AM Panama Flo (1932)
12:00 PM A Wicked Woman (1934) (Not strictly a pre-code, though a sudsy melodrama that is hard to find)

 

The Wild Guitar (1962) and The Sadist (1963)
March 9, 2:00 AM and 3:45 AM (early morning the 10th)
An Arch Hall Jr. double feature for Underground.

 

Rules of the Game (1939)
March 9, 3:30 AM (early morning the 10th – also note time difference because of Daylight Savings)
A famous pilot falls in love with a rich married woman during a weekend party. Exceptional film, also very depressing. You will be in a sulk for a month.

 

The Ace of Hearts (1921)
March 10, 12:30 AM
Silent film about a militant revolutionary and the woman he loves from afar. Starring Leatrice Joy and Lon Chaney.

 

Pre-codes on March 12:
9:30 AM Suicide Fleet (1931)
11:00 AM Sweepstakes (1931)
12:30 PM Air Hostess (1933)
1:45 PM Below The Sea (1933)

 

Though his birthday isn’t until March 26, TCM is showing a marathon of movies based on Tennessee Williams’ stage plays on March 13:
6:15 AM A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
8:30 AM Baby Doll (1956)
10:30 AM Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
12:30 PM The Fugitive Kind (1960)
2:45 PM Sweet Bird Of Youth (1962)
5:00 PM The Night Of The Iguana (1964)

 

March 13: Lloyd Rogosin films and documentaries:
8:00 PM On the Bowery (1957) – A young man tries to get out of skid row.

9:15 PM Come Back, Africa (1959) – Documentary about black South Africans living under apartheid.

11:00 PM An American in Sophiatown (2007) – Rogosin discusses his struggle to film Come Back, Africa in Sophiatown, Johannesburg during apartheid. Directed by Earl Lloyd Ross.

12:00 AM Black Roots (1970) – Documentary about folk and blues musicians who share stories and songs about the black experience in America.

1:15 AM Good Times, Wonderful Times (1966) – Rogosin’s anti-war documentary with footage of a host of war crimes and atrocities from around the world.

 

Bette Davis marathon on March 15, including some pre-codes:
6:00 AM The Rich Are Always With Us (1932)
7:15 AM So Big (1932)
8:45 AM Housewife (1934)
10:00 AM Front Page Woman (1935)
11:30 AM Jezebel (1938)
1:15 PM Dark Victory (1939)
3:15 PM The Old Maid (1939)
5:00 PM In This Our Life (1942)
6:45 PM Bette Davis: The Benevolent Volcano (1984) (documentary)

 

Jewel Robbery (1932)
March 16, 6:00 AM
William Powell and Kay Francis in one of the best pre-codes around.

 

Pre-codes on March 18:
6:30 AM Wide Open (1930)
7:45 AM The Front Page (1931)
9:30 AM Lonely Wives (1932)
11:00 AM Smarty (1934)
12:15 PM Success at Any Price (1934)

 

Pre-codes on March 21:
6:00 AM The Pagan (1929)
7:30 AM Night Court (1932)
9:15 AM Eskimo (1933)
11:15 AM Laughing Boy (1934)
12:45 PM Manhattan Melodrama (1934)

 

Le quai de brumes (Port of Shadows) (1939)
March 22, 5:00 AM
Jean Gabin as a solider who falls in love after deserting the army.

 

The Case of the Lucky Legs (1935)
March 23, 10:30 AM
Perry Mason case starring Warren William, with Genevieve Tobin and Craig Reynolds in a small part. My favorite of the 1930s Perry Masons.

The Outrage (1964)
March 29, 3:15 AM
This ridiculous Americanized version of Kurosawa’s masterpiece Rashomon is this month’s official What The Shit Is This? selection. See! Paul Newman in brownface and dressed like a mariachi singer from Casa Bonita. Thrill! As William Shatner finally shakes off any last vestiges of a legit dramatic acting career and embraces scenery chewing, as is his destiny. Swoon! As Laurence Harvey out-hams even William Shatner. Cheer! As Claire Bloom tries and fails to hide the unmistakable “What the fuck have I gotten myself into?” look in her eyes.

 

Penthouse (1933)
March 29, 11:15 AM
Warner Baxter as a lawyer framed for murder and Myrna Loy as the prostitute who helps him find the real killer. This one has been hard to find for a while, so grab it while you can.

***

Got any movies showing this month you want to share? Leave ‘em in the comments!

Here are some films on Fox Movie Channel, Sundance and TCM for the month of February, 2013 that you might be interested in. Remember, these movies may be edited, time compressed, in the wrong aspect ratio, have commercial interruptions, or be pre-empted for a marathon of Tony Danza shows, the bad ones that only ran for half a season, not the good stuff like “Taxi.” You know how it goes.

All times Eastern.

FOX MOVIE CHANNEL

At of the beginning of the year our cable package finally included FMC. Now that I’ve had a chance to see the channel, I can tell you that the evening movies are often edited and have lots of those advertising tags in the bottom right corner. For the most part, it appears the movies I’ll be featuring are on earlier in the day, when the channel uses less or no tags and probably doesn’t edit. However, be warned that movie channels, even our beloved TCM, can show really horrible prints or edits of films.

 

On the Avenue (1937)
February 2, 8:00 AM
Roy Del Ruth and Irving Berlin musical about a New York socialite satirized in a Broadway show. With Alice Faye, Dick Powell, Sig Ruman and Alan Mowbray.

 

The Story on Page One (1959)
February 4, 9:50 AM
Rita Hayworth and Gig Young as lovers involved in a murder, who hire fiery lawyer Tony Franciosa to defend them; written by Clifford Odets. This is a surprisingly good and little-known film that I was lucky enough to catch nearly 20 years ago, but I haven’t seen it since as it hasn’t been released in the US on any format (and the region 2 Spanish release has hard-coded Spanish subtitles and a poor, fuzzy image). If you get a chance to record this, you should. Hopefully it will be in the proper aspect ratio, but I suspect no matter how FMC shows it, it will be the best print you can find.

 

Mr. Billion (1977)
February 5, 8:38 AM
Jonathan Kaplan comedy about a mechanic (Terrence Hill) who has to get to the reading of a will in time to collect his huge inheritance that the executor (Jackie Gleason) wants for himself. With Chill Wills, Slim Pickens and Valerie Perrine. This gets poor ratings online, but appears to be pretty rare.

 

Moontide (1942)
February 9, 6:00 AM
Jean Gabin as a dock worker who blacks out from drink and awakens to find he may have committed murder. Directed by Warner Bros. stalwart Archie Mayo, with Ida Lupino, Thomas Mitchell, Claude Rains, Jerome Cowan and Fritz Lang co-starring.

 

Take a Hard Ride (1975)
February 16, 8:00 AM (also 3:30 AM later that day)
A man carrying a large amount of money is tracked by several men in this very 1970s Western. I watched this on Encore back in the day, after being bombarded with a million showings of the trailer, and found it to be pretty enjoyable and with a great cast: Jim Brown, Fred Williamson, Lee Van Cleef, Catherine Spaak, Jim Kelly and Jerry Goldsmith.

 

SUNDANCE

Away From Her (2006)
February 5, 8:00 PM (also Feb 17th)
An aging couple deal with Alzheimer disease. With Julie Christie and Gordon Pinsent.

 

Me and Orson Welles (2008)
February 18, midnight
A teenager is cast in the 1937 production of Julius Caesar, produced for the stage by Orson Welles. Film directed by Richard Linklater.

 

TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES

It’s TCM’s 31 Days of Oscar, which means there are a lot of films this month that we’ve all seen a million times or more. So take the month off, get some rest, spend time with family. I may even venture outdoors if I’m feeling saucy.

 

Tales From the Warner Bros. Lot (2013)
February 2, 7:00 PM
New hour-long documentary on the history of Warner Bros. Studios. A brief look from the premier on Jan. 30th can be found here. It’s listed as Warner Bros. 90th Anniversary: Tales from the Lot on some parts of the TCM website, and shows multiple times during the month.

 

Imitation of Life (1934)
February 6, 10:30 PM
Claudette Colbert as a widow and Louise Beavers as a single mother who successfully go into business together and weather class and racial differences, as well as difficulties with their daughters. An excellent movie if dated, though maybe not that dated, considering the ignorant and revolting comments on the IMDb message boards about this film.

 

February 7: TCM has a terrific line-up of non-U.S. films during the day:
7:45 AM Wild Strawberries (1957) (Bergman)
9:30 AM The Virgin Spring (1960) (Bergman)
11:30 AM My Life As A Dog (1987) (Hallstrom)
1:30 PM Riso Amaro (1949) (De Santis)
3:30 PM Big Deal On Madonna Street (1958) (Monicelli)
5:30 PM I Compagni (1963) (Monicelli)

 

February 19: The silents and early talkies tonight are all highly recommended, especially The Racket, which is not available in a good print on DVD. The TCM print is the best you’ll get, and it’s gorgeous.

8:00 PM The Racket (1928)
9:30 PM Wings (1927)
12:00 AM The Love Parade (1929)
2:00 AM The Smiling Lieutenant (1931)
4:00 AM A Farewell To Arms (1932)

 

All-American Co-Ed (1941)
February 25, 5:00 AM
This is a bit of a cheat because All-American Co-Ed won the coveted What The Shit Is This? award before, but this month tends to be a nice, inoffensive month for films, so the pickin’s were kind of slim. There isn’t much of a plot to this little bit of what-the-fuckery, it’s just an excuse to be homophobic, sexist and racist. People tend to watch it nowadays because it is so unbelievable, kind of like Golden Dawn except more people unabashedly like the various bigotries in this film. That’s the power of humor when used for evil, folks. Slap a “But it was just a joke” excuse on anything and some people will eat that shit up. Anyway, this is a terrible movie, definitely not like Artists and Models (1937) or Bordertown (1935) where there is a good movie marred by some outdated social beliefs. It’s just bad all around, with poor production and dull acting. So enjoy.

 

A late night mini marathon of Preston Sturges films on February 22:
12:30 AM The Lady Eve (1941)
2:15 AM Hail The Conquering Hero (1944)
4:15 AM The Great McGinty (1940)

 

The Harder They Fall (1956)
February 23, 10:00 PM
A hard-boiled reporter digs deep to expose corruption in boxing. With Humphrey Bogart and Rod Steiger.

 

Saraband For Dead Lovers (1948)
February 28, 6:00 AM
A Basil Dearden film, also known as Saraband. Starring one of my best pretend girlfriends, Joan Greenwood, with one of my best pretend boyfriends, Stewart Granger, I haven’t seen this film but already declare it to be the best film ever made in the history of humankind. It appears to be rarely shown, so now is a good chance to grab a copy.

***

If you have any films coming up in February you want to mention, please feel free!

Are we dead? Did the Mayan spaceship blow us up on the winter solstice? No? Then sit your big butts back down on those couches and start watching movies like God and Greyhound intended!

Here are some films on Fox Movie Channel, Sundance and TCM for the month of January that you might be interested in. Remember, these movies may be edited, time compressed, in the wrong aspect ratio, have commercial interruptions, or contain subliminal messages compelling you to toss articulated bodies off cliffs as part of a series of elaborate insurance scams. You know how it goes.

All times Eastern.

 

FOX MOVIE CHANNEL

Night Train to Paris (1964)
January 1, 4:50 AM (early morning)
Leslie Nielsen as a retired secret agent on one last mission in Paris. This gets horrible reviews, so beware!

 

TRIPLE FEATURE ON JANUARY 2ND:
Leave Her to Heaven (1945) at 6:00 AM
Daisy Kenyon (1947) at 8:00 AM
Laura (1947) at 10:00 AM
Fox Movie Channel rarely has more than two films in a row worth watching, but this is a terrific line up that you might want to marathon on the 2nd. If you’re not still hung over from the 31st, that is.

 

The Driver (1978)
January 10, 1:15 PM
Director Walter Hill’s cult fave about an obsessed cop (Bruce Dern) after a getaway driver (Ryan O’Neal).

 

Heaven With a Barbed Wire Fence (1939)
January 10, 4:50 AM (early morning the 11th)
A New Yorker’s adventure on the way to Arizona to settle on his newly-bought land. Directed by Ricardo Cortez and starring Glenn Ford in his first featured role, and Jean Rogers, Raymond Walburn, Marjorie Rambeau, Richard Conte, Eddie Collins, Ward Bond and Dalton Trumbo. (It’s also on YouTube here, for those of us who don’t get FMC.)

 

SUNDANCE

Mommie Dearest (1981)
January 1, 10:00 PM (again on the 2nd, twice on the 13th, twice on the 19th)
The first film in a two-way tie for this month’s What The Shit Is This? sweepstakes! If you haven’t seen Mommie Dearest, you are in for a treat, and by “treat” I mean “terrifying hour and a half of cinematic cheese.” Faye Dunaway plays mid- and late-career Joan Crawford in this flick based on the tell-all book by adopted daughter Christine. Now, I’ve read the book, and it didn’t read as campy as the film turned out, because the book elaborates some points that I’m reasonably sure the screenplay deliberately left unexplained. Vague is funnier, as you know. Dunaway is completely out of control in this performance, intentional emotional instability in an attempt to mimic how Crawford allegedly acted. Stars some great character actors, like Steve Forrest, brother of Dana Andrews and permanent fixture on TV from 1950 through 1999 inclusive. Contains hilarious lines and horrifying child abuse and is probably about as truthful as a version of the Titanic disaster where everyone is saved by an adorable, anthropomorphic super otter.

 

Amreeka (2009)
January 6, 6:00 AM (also twice the 14th)
The troubles of a Palestinian woman and her son who move to the U.S. to live with her sister and family in Illinois. Sundance shows this quite a bit, and I finally got to watch it last month, and I recommend it. Low-key but delightful and surprising.

 

The Border (1982)
January 17, 10:00 PM and again at midnight
Tony Richardson’s tale of a corrupt U.S. border guard who decides to go straight to help a Mexican woman about to lose her child. Starring Jack Nicholson, Valerie Perrine, Warren Oates, Harvey Keitel, Elpidia Carrillo.

 

Buena Vista Social Club (1999)
January 21, 11:00 PM and again at 4:00 AM
Documentary chronicling Ry Cooder’s assembling of older musicians from Cuba, to record an album and tour the world. Nominated for an Oscar.

 

TCM

January 2 through January 3: Loretta Young silents and pre-codes
8:00 PM Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928)
9:30 PM Platinum Blonde (1931)
11:15 PM Taxi! (1932)
12:30 AM Life Begins (1932)
1:45 AM The Squall (1929)
3:45 AM Show Of Shows (1929)
6:00 AM Loose Ankles (1930)
7:15 AM I Like Your Nerve (1931)
8:30 AM Road To Paradise (1930)
10:00 AM The Truth About Youth (1930)

January 3: Marion Davies films
11:15 AM The Bachelor Father (1931)
1:00 PM Polly Of The Circus (1932)
2:15 PM Page Miss Glory (1935)
4:00 PM Ever Since Eve (1937)

 

Forty Naughty Girls (1938)
January 3, 5:30 PM
The final Hildegard Withers mystery, with Withers played by ZaSu Pitts. Check out the review Leonard Maltin gave it: It received on of his infamous (and hilarious) bombs!

 

Tarantula (1955)
January 4, 9:30 PM
BBFF Ivan at Thrilling Days of Yesteryear wrote up a terrific article on Tarantula for the 50s Monster Mash Blogathon last year. This B-movie creature feature comes in the middle of a whole night of ‘em on TCM, starting with Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), then Tarantula, followed by The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) and finally It Came From Outer Space (1953). I note Tarantula here only because of the hilarious TCM description: “A scientist’s experiments to cure hunger create a giant tarantula.” Well, yeah, you try to cure world hunger, that’s gonna happen.

 

The Cheat (1915)
January 6, midnight
Cecil B. DeMille’s overwrought silent about a society woman who makes a deal with a sinister man to cover her debts. Starring Sessue Hayakawa. Remade in the 1920s with Pola Negri, and as an early talkie with Tallulah Bankhead.

 

The Dragon Painter (1919)
January 6, 1:00 AM (early morning the 7th)
The second flick in our Sessue Hayakawa double feature about an artist who believes a beautiful woman has been turned into a dragon.

 

The Spirit of the Beehive (1973)
January 7, 10:30 PM
Two girls see Frankenstein, then decide to search for the monster, believing it to be real; similar to a significant plot point in Heavenly Creatures.

 

January 8: Elvis’s Birthday
6:15 AM Speedway (1968)
8:00 AM Kissin’ Cousins (1964)
9:45 AM Tickle Me (1965)
11:30 AM Live A Little, Love A Little (1968)
1:15 PM Viva Las Vegas (1964)
2:45 PM Jailhouse Rock (1957)
4:30 PM It Happened At The World’s Fair (1963)
6:30 PM Love Me Tender (1956)

 

January 9 and 10: More Loretta Young
There are several pre-codes tonight that you do not want to miss!

8:00 PM Employees’ Entrance (1933) – Very similar to Skyscraper Souls, but still very much its own movie. If you like pre-codes, you will want to see this.

9:30 PM Heroes For Sale (1933) – Highly acclaimed William Wellman film about a WWI veteran struggling against drug addiction.

11:00 PM Born to Be Bad (1934) – Scandalous!

12:15 AM Midnight Mary (1933) – Features one of the most pre-code pre-code scenes ever. You’ll know it when you see it. Whew. The rest of the Loretta Young pre-codes are:

1:45 AM They Call It Sin (1932)
3:00 AM The Hatchet Man (1932)
4:30 AM Play Girl (1932)
5:45 AM The Ruling Voice (1931)
7:00 AM She Had To Say Yes (1933)

 

Old Acquaintance (1943)
January 10, midnight
Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins loathe each other for 110 minutes, and it is a delight.

 

Each Dawn I Die (1939)
January 11, 7:15 AM
My favorite Cagney movie in one of the best acting performances ever captured on film, and I will argue this point strenuously if I have to. Cagney is a hard-hitting investigative journalist who turns bitter when framed and sent up the river. Co-stars a terrific George Raft. Turns into violent melodrama toward the finale, but not many movies in 1939 didn’t. The first of several films with George Raft this morning; in order: They Drive by Night (1940), Manpower (1941), Background To Danger (1943), Johnny Angel (1946), Nocturne (1946), Race Street (1948), and A Dangerous Profession (1950).

 

Les Miserables (1935)
January 13, 10:00 AM
TCM has shown this version of Les Miz several times over the last year, but if you haven’t had a chance to catch it yet, definitely try to. It’s a bit thinned down, as one would expect given the shortish length and year it was made, but March is terrific and Charles Laughton is sublime.

 

January 13: Silent Shorts on Silent Sunday Night
12:00 AM midnight: Bumping Into Broadway (1919) (Harold Lloyd)
12:30 AM: The Scarecrow (1920) (Buster Keaton)
1:00 AM: The Pilgrim (1923) (Charles Chaplin)

 

January 14/Early Morning January 15: Jack Nicholson Marathon
12:45 AM Carnal Knowledge (1971)
2:30 AM Five Easy Pieces (1970)
4:15 AM Easy Rider (1969)

 

Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round (1966)
January 15, 10:00 PM
Terrific caper flick starring James Coburn, Camilla Sparv, Aldo Ray, and one of my best pretend boyfriends, Severn Darden. Makes a great double feature with The President’s Analyst (1967).

 

January 16: Alec Guinness Marathon
10:15 AM Oliver Twist (1948)
12:15 PM Malta Story (1953)
2:00 PM The Detective (1954)
3:45 PM The Prisoner (1955)
5:30 PM Cromwell (1970)

 

January 18: Laurel & Hardy
Several L&H shorts followed by their foreign language counterparts. Note that TCM is not allowing anyone to sign up for reminders for these shorts, which could be a technical error, or could mean the schedule is going to change any minute now.
8:00 PM Chickens Come Home (1931)
8:45 PM Politiquerias (“Chickens Come Home”, Spanish) (1931)
9:45 PM Blotto (1930)
10:15 PM La Vida Nocturna (“Blotto”, Spanish) (1930)
11:30 PM Be Big! (1931)
12:00 AM Laughing Gravy (1931)
12:45 AM Les Carottiers (“Be Big!” & “Laughing Gravy”, French) (1931)

 

The Flight of the Phoenix (1965)
January 24, 2:45 PM
Melodramatic in that alluring The High and the Mighty way, this is a ridiculously entertaining yarn about the survivors of a plane crash racing against time to get their plane repaired. Contains tons of great actors, lots of Lawrence of Arabia-esque music and one hell of a plot twist — no one spoil it in the comments! It’s also co-starring Ian Bannen, an actor I’m just now realizing had a pretty huge career, though one rarely hears about him nowadays.

 

Under the Yum Yum Tree (1963)
January 24 (early morning the 2th), 4:45 AM
This month’s co-winner for the coveted What The Shit Is This? award. Misogyny was a big fad in the 1960s, and no one personified the ugly, sexist, proto-rapist bachelor more than Jack Lemmon, who managed to helm a champion trifecta of revolting films in the mid 1960s: Under the Yum Yum Tree (1963), Good Neighbor Sam (1964) and How to Murder Your Wife (1965). Yum Yum Tree is probably the worst, though it’s a toss up, really. People often say “it was a different time” when it comes to the sociopolitical context of films like these, and to that I say, “Bullshit, my good chum.” Men who acted similarly to Lemmon’s characters in pre-codes — Ricardo Cortez, anyone? Warren William? — were portrayed as vile and often died at the end of the film. Just because that sort of behavior became more accepted in the 1960s doesn’t mean it was no longer vile. It was, but the social context changed, and there was a brief period of time where men thought The Pill meant liberation for them rather than for women, and by “liberation” I mean “it’s safe to get women drunk and take advantage of them when they can’t consent because now they can’t get pregnant, yay.” So anyway, long story short, Under the Yum Yum Tree is on TCM this month. Even Jack Lemmon didn’t like the film. Enjoy.

 

 

The Corpse Came C.O.D. (1947)
January 25, 11:30 AM
The idea of George Brent starring in a movie with a title parodying Bette Davis’ The Bride Came C.O.D. by changing “Bride” to “Corpse” amuses the hell out of me. Even better, it’s basically the same plot as the George Brent-Bette Davis vehicle Front Page Woman (1935). I haven’t seen of (or even heard of) this film before, but I am watching the hell outta this one. This is part of a whole day of George Brent movies: The Rains Came (1939), The Corpse Came C.O.D. (1947), Silver Queen (1942), You Can’t Escape Forever (1942), The Gay Sisters (1942), Submarine D-1 (1937).

 

January 27: Hitchcock mini-marathon
8:00 PM The 39 Steps (1935)
9:30 PM The Lady Vanishes (1938)
11:15 PM Sabotage (1936)

 

The Penalty (1920)
January 27 (early morning the 28th), 12:45 AM
Lon Chaney silent about a criminal mastermind wanting revenge against a doctor who amputated both his legs. Even though I’m in the middle of a two-year-long Chaney burnout, I urge you to see this flick if you haven’t yet. It’s the same-ol’ same-ol’ from Lon and his ugly-on-the-inside-equals-disabled-on-the-outside shtick, but it’s still a good film.

 

January 28: Early Talkies and Pre-Codes
6:15 AM After Tonight (1933)
7:30 AM Hat, Coat and Glove (1934)
8:45 AM Let’s Try Again (1934)
10:00 AM Dance Hall (1929)
11:30 AM She’s My Weakness (1930)
12:45 PM Lovin’ the Ladies (1930)
2:00 PM The Public Defender (1931)
3:15 PM The Royal Bed (1931)
4:30 PM Secret Service (1931)
5:45 PM No Marriage Ties (1933)
7:00 PM No Other Woman (1933)

 

Point Blank (1967)
January 31 (early morning the 1st), 2:45 AM
Terrific John Boorman flick about a criminal bent on revenge after being left for dead in the abandoned Alcatraz.

***

If there are any films coming up in January — any genre, any channel — that you want to mention, please feel free to do so in the comments!

Have a great 2013, everyone!

 

Here are a few films on Sundance, Fox Movies and TCM for the month of December that you might be interested in. Remember, films may be edited, time compressed, in the wrong aspect ratio, or have hard-coded Klingon subtitles. You know how it goes.

 

FOX MOVIE CHANNEL

A Royal Scandal (1945)
December 3, 7:40 AM (and again the 7th)
Tallulah Bankhead as Catherine the Great and Charles Coburn as her wily chancellor. Tallu looks marvelous, Coburn is amazing and the supporting cast (Vincent Price, Anne Baxter) are terrific. Give this one a go.

 

The Black Swan (1942)
December 10, 6:00 AM (again on the 20th)
Tyrone Power as a pirate, swashbuckling and making the ladies swoon. With George Sanders and Laird Cregar.

 
Too Good To Be True (1988)
December 12, 9:30 AM
This is a made-for-TV remake of Leave Her to Heaven starring Loni Anderson and Patrick Duffy (and a very young Neil Patrick Harris). Now, I’m not averse to TV movies, but this was absolutely rotten. I saw it in high school and really, really wish I hadn’t. Anderson is in a bikini much of the time, flirting with one of the Baldwin brothers (Daniel), the hunky hired hand. Duffy is her novelist husband, and Harris is the boy, no longer the brother but the son of Duffy’s character. Duffy just kind of stands there until the script says “Yell about something,” which he does. And the change to the plot they made to make it “original” is what makes this our December What The Shit Is This? Official Selection. I won’t tell you the change, but I can assure you, it’s rotten. Oh, and the best part? Fox Movie Channel is showing it immediately after the original Leave Her to Heaven.

 

SUNDANCE

L’Amour Fou (2010)
December 4, 10:15 AM (and later at 4:15, also the 15th and 26th)
Documentary about designer Yves Saint-Laurent and his relationship with Pierre Berge.

Volver (2006)
December 6, 4:00 PM and again on the 25th
I’ve listed this one before, but it’s a fun Almodovar movie and wanted to list it again.

Henry & June (1990)
December 8th (early morning the 9th) at 12:15 PM, again on December 11
Philip Kaufman directs this NC-17 (the first film rated as such) semi-biographical flick about Anais Nin, Henry Miller and his wife. Starring Fred Ward, Maria de Medeiros and Uma Thurman, this is a sexy film, but also quite good. Kevin Spacey and Richard E. Grant also star. This was probably the first film I ever rented simply because I wanted to see something good, not just what was on the New Releases shelf.

 

 

TCM

The star of the month is Barbara Stanwyck and there are several nights featuring Ernst Lubitsch films, so prepare to get the shit entertained out of you.

Cynara (1932)
December 3, 6:00 AM
A lawyer has a fling with a (probable) hooker while his wife is away, and ridiculous complications ensue. With Ronald Colman and Kay Francis.

The Night Court (1927)
December 3, 7:50 PM
Silent short with Joyzelle Joyner and William Demarest. Not a Baby Peggy movie, but worth mentioning. Showing just before the night of Baby Peggy films.

December 3: Baby Peggy shorts and movies
8:00 PM Baby Peggy, The Elephant in the Room (2010) (documentary)
9:00 PM Captain January (1924)
10:06 PM Bubbles (1930)
10:15 PM Carmen Jr. (1923)
10:30 PM Such is Life (1924)
11:00 PM Peg o’ the Mounted (1924)
11:20 PM Baby Rose Marie: The Child Wonder (1929)
11:30 PM Baby Peggy, The Elephant in the Room (2010) (repeat)

This is all followed by the 1932 Winner Take All at 12:30 AM, starring Dickie Moore, and at 1:45 AM the Private Screenings: Child Stars (2006) with both Peggy and Moore.

December 4: Pre-Codes Directed by William Seiter
6:30 AM Back Pay (1930) – Implausible early talkie romance with silent film stars Corinne Griffith, Grant Withers and Montagu Love.

7:30 AM Sunny (1930) – Early creaky musical with Marilyn Miller, Lawrence Gray and Joe Donahue. (Note: The TCM website has the Leonard Maltin review for the 1941 version of this film on the page for the 1930 version.)

9:00 AM Way Back Home (1932) – Drama with Phillips H. Lord, Effie L. Palmer and Frank Albertson.

10:30 AM Young Bride (1932) – Drama starring Helen Twelvetrees as a newlywed who discovers her husband is a louse.

12:00 PM If You Could Only Cook (1935) – A Seiter film, though not a pre-code. Starring Herbert Marshall as an executive who decides to run off and work as a butler, only to fall for the cook (Jean Arthur). Two more Seiter films follow: It’s A Date (1940) at 1:15 PM with Kay Francis and Deanna Durbin, and Belle Of The Yukon (1944) at 3:00 PM with Randolph Scott, Gypsy Rose Lee and Dinah Shore.

 

Ladies of Leisure (1930)
December 5, 8:00 PM
Talkie with Stanwyck as a model (or rather “model”) who falls for a rich man whose parents disapprove of the relationship. One of Marie Prevost’s last good film roles.

 

December 5 and 6: More Stanwyck
The rest of the Stanwyck films go all night and into the next day:
9:45 PM This Is My Affair (1937)
11:45 PM The Other Love (1947)
1:30 AM A Message to Garcia (1936)
3:00 AM Stella Dallas (1937)
5:00 AM The Miracle Woman (1931)
6:45 AM So Big (1932)
8:15 AM The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1932)
9:45 AM Baby Face (1933)
11:15 AM Golden Boy (1939)
1:00 PM Meet John Doe (1941)
3:15 PM Executive Suite (1954)
5:00 PM Walk On The Wild Side (1962)
7:00 PM Barbara Stanwyck: Fire and Desire (1991) (documentary)

 

The Loves of Pharaoh (1922)
December 7, 8:00 PM
Epic Ernst Lubitsch silent about an Ethiopian king who marries off his daughter to a Pharaoh in hopes of peace.

 

December 10: Pre-Codes
6:00 AM Huddle (1932)
8:00 AM Beauty For Sale (1933)
9:30 AM Clear All Wires (1933)
11:00 AM Day Of Reckoning (1933)
12:15 PM Whistling In The Dark (1933)
1:45 PM The Women in His Life (1933)
3:15 PM Paris Interlude (1934)

 

December 12 and 13: Barbara Stanwyck
8:00 PM Banjo On My Knee (1936)
9:45 PM Remember the Night (1940)
11:30 PM The Lady Eve (1941)
1:15 AM Ball Of Fire (1941)
3:15 AM You Belong to Me (1941)
5:00 AM Lady Of Burlesque (1943)
6:45 AM To Please A Lady (1950)
8:30 AM The Bride Walks Out (1936)
10:00 AM Breakfast for Two (1937)
11:15 AM The Mad Miss Manton (1938)
12:45 PM The Woman In Red, The (1935)
2:00 PM The Secret Bride (1935)
3:15 PM Ever In My Heart (1933)
4:30 PM Shopworn (1932)
5:45 PM Illicit (1931)

December 14: Ernst Lubitsch
8:00 PM Trouble In Paradise (1932)
9:30 PM Design For Living (1933)
11:15 PM One Hour With You (1932)
12:45 AM The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927)

December 19 and 20: Barbara Stanwyck
8:00 PM Double Indemnity (1944)
10:00 PM The Strange Love Of Martha Ivers (1946)
12:00 AM Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)
1:45 AM Clash By Night (1952)
3:45 AM Jeopardy (1953)
5:00 AM Witness To Murder (1954)
6:30 AM Crime Of Passion (1957)
8:00 AM Barbara Stanwyck: Fire and Desire (1991)
9:00 AM The Two Mrs. Carrolls (1947)
10:45 AM Cry Wolf (1947)
12:15 PM The Gay Sisters (1942)
2:15 PM Ladies They Talk About (1933)
3:30 PM The Purchase Price (1932)
4:45 PM Forbidden (1932)
6:15 PM Ten Cents A Dance (1931)

 

December 21: Ernst Lubitsch
8:00 PM The Love Parade (1929)
10:00 PM Monte Carlo (1930)
12:00 AM The Merry Widow (1934)

 

Fitzwilly (1967)
December 23, 6:00 PM
The only Christmas movie I really love. Dick Van Dyke as a third generation butler who robs to keep his elderly philanthropist employer in money. Also starring Barbara Feldon and a million amazing character actors.

 

December 26 and 27: Barbara Stanwyck
8:00 PM Forty Guns (1957)
9:30 PM The Maverick Queen (1956)
11:15 PM The Violent Men (1955)
1:00 AM Trooper Hook (1957)
2:30 AM The Moonlighter (1953)
4:00 AM Annie Oakley (1935)
5:45 AM Night Nurse (1931)
7:00 AM Gambling Lady (1934)
8:30 AM His Brother’s Wife (1936)
10:00 AM My Reputation (1946)
11:45 AM B.F.’s Daughter (1948)
1:45 PM The Man With A Cloak (1951)
3:15 PM These Wilder Years (1956)

 

December 28: Ernst Lubitsch
8:00 PM Ninotchka (1939)
10:00 PM To Be or Not to Be (1942)
11:45 PM That Lady in Ermine (1948)
1:30 AM That Uncertain Feeling (1941)

 

TerrorVision (1986)
December 28, 4:30 AM (early morning the 29th)
Hilarious cult comedy-horror flick about a satellite television attracting an alien invasion.

***

If there are any movies you want to point out — any genre, any channel — feel free to do so in comments!