A Flickchart Guide to TCM in July
TCM Spotlight: 50 Years of Hitchcock
There’s nothing to be said about Hitchcock in a paragraph that hasn’t already been said in a tome, so suffice it to say that TCM is playing almost 100% of his filmography this month, from early British silents to his 1950s masterpieces to his late career. In addition, TCM is partnering with Ball State University and Professor Richard Edwards for another course – last year they did slapstick comedy, the year before was film noir, and this time the focus is the master himself. The course actually started on June 26, but it’s self-paced and I think you can still enroll and enjoy all the content. Sign up here on Canvas for that. I do apologize for the lateness of this post, as the first three days of Hitchcock programming, basically all of his silent and British period, have already passed, but there is a lot left to come, and you should still be able to catch all of the early stuff on Watch TCM for a few more days, so I’ve left them listed for reference. These are just in chronological order of airing, because that’s basically chronological through Hitchcock’s filmography, and what better way is there to experience a director’s filmography? Enjoy all of these!
ALREADY AIRED, SORRY
The Ring (1927; ranked #7308 by 145 users) – Playing 7/5 at 8:00pm
Downhill (1927; ranked #10823 by 59 users) – Playing 7/5 at 9:45pm
The Farmer’s Wife (1928; ranked #9590 by 130 users) – Playing 7/5 at 11:15pm
Champagne (1928; ranked #10220 by 115 users) – Playing 7/6 at 1:15am
The Manxman (1929; ranked #9142 by 134 users) – Playing 7/6 at 3:00am
Blackmail (1929; ranked #2412 by 421 users) – Playing 7/6 at 5:00am
Murder! (1930; ranked #7073 by 145 users) – Playing 7/6 at 6:45am
The Skin Game (1931; ranked #12677 by 98 users) – Playing 7/6 at 8:30am
Rich and Strange (1931; ranked #10332 by 138 users) – Playing 7/6 at 10:00am
Number Seventeen (1932; ranked #13043 by 141 users) – Playing 7/7 at 8:00pm
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934; ranked #1413 by 817 users) – Playing 7/7 at 9:30am
The 39 Steps (1935; ranked #219 by 2900 users) – Playing 7/7 at 11:00am
The Lady Vanishes (1938; ranked #193 by 2208 users) – Playing 7/8 at 12:45am
Jamaica Inn (1939; ranked #8109 by 230 users) – Playing 7/8 at 2:45am
Aventure Malgache (1944; ranked #17915 by 30 users) – Playing 7/8 at 4:30am
Bon Voyage (1944; ranked #18745 by 39 users) – Playing 7/8 at 5:15am
YET TO AIR
Rebecca (1940; ranked #159 by 4529 users) – Playing 7/12 at 8:00pm
Foreign Correspondent (1940; ranked #597 by 797 users) – Playing 7/12 at 10:30pm
Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941; ranked #3329 by 567 users) – Playing 7/13 at 12:45am
Suspicion (1941; ranked #580 by 1148 users) – Playing 7/13 at 2:30am
Saboteur (1942; ranked #889 by 1187 users) – Playing 7/13 at 4:15am
Shadow of a Doubt (1943; ranked #104 by 2802 users) – Playing 7/14 at 8:00pm
Lifeboat (1944; ranked #570 by 1127 users) – Playing 7/14 at 10:00pm
Spellbound (1945; ranked #505 by 2051 users) – Playing 7/14 at 12:00M
Notorious (1946; ranked #72 by 4792 users) – Playing 7/15 at 2:15am
The Paradine Case (1948; ranked #4952 by 332 users) – Playing 7/15 at 4:15am
Rope (1948; ranked #128 by 5275 users) – Playing 7/19 at 8:00pm
Stage Fright (1950; ranked #2787 by 376 users) – Playing 7/19 at 9:30pm
Strangers on a Train (1951; ranked #81 by 5291 users) – Playing 7/19 at 11:30pm
I Confess (1953; ranked #1625 by 583 users) – Playing 7/20 at 1:30am
Dial M for Murder (1954; ranked #184 by 5026 users) – Playing 7/20 at 3:30am
Rear Window (1954; ranked #11 by 32786 users) – Playing 7/21 at 8:00pm
The Trouble With Harry (1955; ranked #1129 by 1522 users) – Playing 7/21 at 10:15pm
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956; ranked #467 by 3009 users) – Playing 7/22 at 12:15am
The Wrong Man (1956; ranked #1149 by 769 users) – Playing 7/22 at 2:30am
Vertigo (1958; ranked #48 by 29208 users) – Playing 7/26 at 8:00pm
North by Northwest (1959; ranked #29 by 26451 users) – Playing 7/26 at 10:30pm
Psycho (1960; ranked #42 by 60186 users) – Playing 7/27 at 1:00am
The Birds (1963; ranked #380 by 24980 users) – Playing 7/27 at 3:00am
Marnie (1964; ranked #1353 by 1250 users) – Playing 7/28 at 8:00pm
Torn Curtain (1966; ranked #2596 by 912 users) – Playing 7/28 at 10:30pm
Topaz (1969; ranked #4261 by 615 users) – Playing 7/29 at 1:00am
Frenzy (1972; ranked #1006 by 1491 users) – Playing 7/29 at 3:30am
Family Plot (1976; ranked #2630 by 786 users) – Playing 7/29 at 5:30am
Star of the Month: Ronald Colman
From the supremely well-known Hitchcock to the surprisingly obscure Ronald Colman. Colman was a big star in his day, known for his velvety voice and debonair demeanor, even when engaging in fisticuffs or swashbuckling action, and even winning an Oscar in 1947 for A Double Life. Judging by the rankings on Flickchart, though, he’s hardly a household name today, with only one film breaking the Top 2000 – likely because it’s directed by Frank Capra. Colman is well worth getting to know, and here’s where to start:
TOP FIVE
Lost Horizon (1937; ranked #1846 by 287 users) – Most Frank Capra films are about American idealism, but this one is about finding paradise itself, when a plane crashes in Shangri-La, stranding its passengers (including world-weary diplomat Colman) in what seems to be a Himalayan Utopia. Playing 7/13 at 8:00pm
The Talk of the Town (1942; ranked #3106 by 154 users) – An unconventional love triangle, as a professor (Colman) and an escaped prisoner and political activist (Cary Grant) vie for the affections of the schoolteacher whose house they’re both renting (Jean Arthur). Playing 7/28 at 12:15am
A Tale of Two Cities (1935; ranked #3359 by 229 users) – Colman plays Dickens’ heroic Sydney Carton in this fine adaptation set during the French Revolution. Playing 7/20 at 8:00pm
Random Harvest (1942; ranked #4378 by 96 users) – A sentimental but well-played WWII drama with an amnesiac vet (Colman) falling in love with a girl (Greer Garson) – everything goes swimmingly until an accident restores his original memory but erases everything since the war. Playing 7/27 at 10:00pm
The Prisoner of Zenda (1937; ranked #4561 by 82 users) – A swashbuckling tale of identical cousins that, in its original book form, was so popular it created an entire genre called “Ruritanian romances”, Ruritanian being the fictional kingdom wherein it is set. There are several film adaptations, but this 1937 one is widely considered the best. Playing 7/20 at 10:30pm
THE REST
A Double Life (1947; ranked #7614 by 64 users) – Playing 7/27 at 8:00pm
Bulldog Drummond (1929; ranked #10380 by 38 users) – Playing 7/7 at 12:15am
Arrowsmith (1931; ranked #11207 by 43 users) – Playing 7/7 at 6:30am
Clive of India (1935; ranked #12700 by 23 users) – Playing 7/14 at 12:30am
The Story of Mankind (1957; ranked #14339 by 37 users) – Playing 7/27 at 4:15am
If I Were King (1938; ranked #14914 by 4 users) – Playing 7/13 at 10:30pm
Kismet (1944; ranked #15701 by 15 users) – Playing 7/21 at 12:30am
The Devil to Pay (1930; ranked #16787 by 2 users) – Playing 7/7 at 3:30am
Raffles (1930; ranked #17517 by 16 users) – Playing 7/7 at 2:00am
Lucky Partners (1944; ranked #19123 by 5 users) – Playing 7/21 at 2:30am
The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo (1935; ranked #19727 by 1 users) – Playing 7/14 at 4:00am
The Late George Apley (1947; ranked #19865 by 2 users) – Playing 7/28 at 2:300am
Cynara (1932; unranked by 0 users) – Playing 7/7 at 5:00am
The Light That Failed (1939; unranked by 0 users) – Playing 7/14 at 2:15am
My Life with Caroline (1941; unranked by 0 users) – Playing 7/21 at 4:30am
Tributes and Marathons
JOHN GILBERT – July 10
There’s a popular urban legend that matinee idol John Gilbert, notable as Greta Garbo’s most frequent partner in her silents, lost his career when sound arrived due to a high-pitched voice unsuited to his manly persona. It’s not actually true; Gilbert was in some sound films, and his voice is fine. That said, his silents are what he’ll be remembered for, and TCM has a good selection, both with and without Garbo.
La Boheme (1926; ranked #10898 by 26 users) – Playing 7/10 at 7:00am
A Woman of Affairs (1928; ranked #6334 by 70 users) – Playing 7/10 at 7:45am
Desert Nights (1929; ranked #10643 by 28 users) – Playing 7/10 at 9:30am
The Big Parade (1925; ranked #1784 by 198 users) – Playing 7/10 at 10:45am
Way for a Sailor (1930; unranked by 0 users) – Playing 7/10 at 1:30pm
Downstairs (1932; unranked by 0 users) – Playing 7/10 at 3:00pm
The Show (1927; ranked #12133 by 32 users) – Playing 7/10 at 4:30pm
Flesh and the Devil (1926; ranked #5442 by 75 users) – Playing 7/10 at 6:00pm
DORIS DAY – July 11
Doris Day transitioned pretty seamlessly from wholesome musicals to tongue-in-cheek sex comedies mid-career, but today is all pretty early stuff. These are fluff (except for Love Me or Leave Me, an excellent biopic of singer Ruth Etting and her gangster beau), but they’re a lot of fun if you like fluff.
By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953; ranked #11945 by 27 users) – Playing 7/11 at 6:00am
Starlift (1951; unranked by 0 users) – Playing 7/11 at 8:00am
On Moonlight Bay (1951; ranked #10938 by 40 users) – Playing 7/11 at 10:00am
The West Point Story (1950; ranked #16592 by 23 users) – Playing 7/11 at 11:45am
Love Me or Leave Me (1955; ranked #8323 by 104 users) – Playing 7/11 at 1:45pm
Tea for Two (1950; ranked #16366 by 25 users) – Playing 7/11 at 4:15pm
My Dream is Yours (1949; ranked #15280 by 12 users) – Playing 7/11 at 6:00pm
SHAKESPEARE – July 11
Adaptations of Shakespeare take many forms, and we seem them here from the relatively straight (Hamlet, Much Ado) to the modernized (West Side Story), extrapolated (Chimes at Midnight), and culturally transposed (Throne of Blood). Shakespeare is known for his language, but it’s amazing how well he translates to modern English and even Japanese.
West Side Story (1961; ranked #859 by 12506 users) – Playing 7/11 at 8:00pm
Much Ado About Nothing (1993; ranked #1843 by 4094 users) – Playing 7/11 at 10:45pm
Throne of Blood (1957; ranked #113 by 1374 users) – Playing 7/12 at 1:00am
Chimes at Midnight (1965; ranked #1664 by 247 users) – Playing 7/12 at 3:15am
The Taming of the Shrew (1967; ranked #5498 by 209 users) – Playing 7/12 at 5:30am
Hamlet (1948; ranked #1370 by 840 users) – Playing 7/12 at 7:45am
NATALIE WOOD – July 20
The Searchers (1956; ranked #106 by 4945 users) – Playing 7/20 at 6:00am
Splendor in the Grass (1961; ranked #1773 by 379 users) – Playing 7/20 at 8:15am
Sex and the Single Girl (1964; ranked #8632 by 76 users) – Playing 7/20 at 10:30am
The Great Race (1965; ranked #2380 by 338 users) – Playing 7/20 at 12:30pm
Inside Daisy Clover (1965; ranked #14468 by 42 users) – Playing 7/20 at 3:30pm
Brainstorm (1983; ranked #3778 by 403 users) – Playing 7/20 at 6:00pm
JAMES STEWART WESTERNS – July 24
In terms of Westerns, Stewart is most closely associated with the cycle of films he made with Anthony Mann, and TCM is playing three of those, thrown in with some John Ford and other stuff.
The Cheyenne Social Club (1970; ranked #5059 by 159 users) – Playing 7/24 at 7:00am
Winchester ’73 (1950; ranked #811 by 515 users) – Playing 7/24 at 8:45am
Bend of the River (1952; ranked #3115 by 172 users) – Playing 7/24 at 10:30am
The Far Country (1955; ranked #4414 by 158 users) – Playing 7/24 at 12:15pm
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962; ranked #109 by 2234 users) – Playing 7/24 at 2:00pm
Shenandoah (1965; ranked #4446 by 179 users) – Playing 7/24 at 4:15pm
Firecreek (1968; ranked #11788 by 45 users) – Playing 7/24 at 6:15pm
AVA GARDNER – July 24
The Barefoot Contessa (1954; ranked #3434 by 276 users) – Playing 7/24 at 8:00pm and 7/31 at 2:15pm
The Night of the Iguana (1964; ranked #3370 by 161 users) – Playing 7/24 at 10:30pm
Knights of the Round Table (1953; ranked #10137 by 71 users) – Playing 7/25 at 12:45am
Mogambo (1953; ranked #6946 by 119 users) – Playing 7/25 at 3:00am
Bhowani Junction (1956; ranked #15247 by 18 users) – Playing 7/25 at 5:15am
If You’re Into…
…Pre-Code Hollywood
You may wonder why the 1930-1934 Hitchcock films aren’t included here – well, they’re British. Pre-Code refers to a very specific period in American film when Hollywood studios agreed to be bound by the Production Code, but before they actually abided by it. Non-American studios were not bound by the Code, so they don’t get the Pre-Code label.
The Most Dangerous Game (1932; ranked #1492 by 612 users) – Playing 7/19 at 12:15pm
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920; ranked #4177 by 234 users) – Playing 7/18 at 7:15am
Bird of Paradise (1932; ranked #11444 by 18 users) – Playing 7/19 at 7:45am
Beauty and the Boss (1932; ranked #13560 by 9 users) – Playing 7/29 at 7:45am
The Match King (1932; ranked #13914 by 13 users) – Playing 7/25 at 1:30pm
The Woman Between (1931; ranked #16682 by 5 users) – Playing 7/25 at 12:00N
Way Back Home (1931; unranked by 0 users) – Playing 7/12 at 10:30am
Way for a Sailor (1930; unranked by 0 users) – Playing 7/10 at 1:30pm
Downstairs (1932; unranked by 0 users) – Playing 7/10 at 3:00pm
Friends and Lovers (1931; unranked by 0 users) – Playing 7/25 at 10:45am
Goldie Gets Along (1933; unranked by 0 users) – Playing 7/25 at 3:00pm
…Film Noir
You may wonder why none of Hitchcock’s thrillers are included here – whether Hitchcock counts as noir is a much-debated subject, and while many would say that at least Hitchcock films feel very noirish, it’s really easier to avoid the question and leave them off. That leaves not a lot of noir this month, but what’s here is choice – a lot of lesser-known noirs that are all just fantastic.
To Have and Have Not (1944; ranked #507 by 711 users) – Playing 7/15 at 10:15pm
Gun Crazy (1950; ranked #1128 by 384 users) – Playing 7/16 at 10:00am
Born to Kill (1947; ranked #3266 by 157 users) – Playing 7/30 at 10:00am
Raw Deal (1948; ranked #5572 by 76 users) – Playing 7/7 at 2:15pm
Side Street (1950; ranked #7962 by 63 users) – Playing 7/7 at 11:30am
Border Incident (1949; ranked #8013 by 78 users) – Playing 7/7 at 9:30am
The Cobweb (1955; ranked #18908 by 10 users) – Playing 7/14 at 8:00am
…Westerns
The Searchers (1956; ranked #106 by 4945 users) – Playing 7/20 at 6:00am
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962; ranked #109 by 2234 users) – Playing 7/24 at 2:00pm
Shane (1953; ranked #666 by 1671 users) – Playing 7/16 at 8:00pm
Winchester ’73 (1950; ranked #811 by 515 users) – Playing 7/24 at 8:45am
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957; ranked #2810 by 284 users) – Playing 7/8 at 5:45pm
Bend of the River (1952; ranked #3115 by 172 users) – Playing 7/24 at 10:30am
The Far Country (1955; ranked #4414 by 158 users) – Playing 7/24 at 12:15pm
Shenandoah (1965; ranked #4446 by 179 users) – Playing 7/24 at 4:15pm
The Cheyenne Social Club (1970; ranked #5059 by 159 users) – Playing 7/24 at 7:00am
I Shot Jesse James (1949; ranked #7431 by 84 users) – Playing 7/8 at 4:15pm
Cimarron (1960; ranked #8076 by 85 users) – Playing 7/7 at 5:30pm
Firecreek (1968; ranked #11788 by 45 users) – Playing 7/24 at 6:15pm
…Musicals
West Side Story (1961; ranked #859 by 12506 users) – Playing 7/11 at 8:00pm
A Star is Born (1954; ranked #1114 by 610 users) – Playing 7/11 at 12:15am
On the Town (1949; ranked #1497 by 490 users) – Playing 7/28 at 7:45am
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954; ranked #1504 by 1425 users) – Playing 7/21 at 11:30am
Anchors Aweigh (1945; ranked #2208 by 469 users) – Playing 7/28 at 5:30pm
Follow the Fleet (1936; ranked #3931 by 134 users) – Playing 7/28 at 1:30pm
Show Boat (1936; ranked #4329 by 129 users) – Playing 7/8 at 12:00M
Ziegfeld Follies (1946; ranked #8037 by 68 users) – Playing 7/14 at 6:00am
Love Me or Leave Me (1955; ranked #8323 by 104 users) – Playing 7/11 at 1:45pm
Broadway Melody of 1936 (1936; ranked #8860 by 66 users) – Playing 7/16 at 6:15am
On Moonlight Bay (1951; ranked #10938 by 40 users) – Playing 7/11 at 10:00am
Maytime (1937; ranked #11834 by 14 users) – Playing 7/30 at 6:00am
By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953; ranked #11945 by 27 users) – Playing 7/11 at 6:00am
Bathing Beauty (1944; ranked #12630 by 21 users) – Playing 7/22 at 6:45am
My Dream is Yours (1949; ranked #15280 by 12 users) – Playing 7/11 at 6:00pm
Born to Dance (1936; ranked #15706 by 25 users) – Playing 7/28 at 11:30am
Tea for Two (1950; ranked #16366 by 25 users) – Playing 7/11 at 4:15pm
The West Point Story (1950; ranked #16592 by 23 users) – Playing 7/11 at 11:45am
…Horror
Bride of Frankenstein (1935; ranked #192 by 2593 users) – Playing 7/8 at 8:00pm
The Invisible Man (1933; ranked #487 by 1263 users) – Playing 7/9 at 2:15am
The Wolf Man (1941; ranked #702 by 1942 users) – Playing 7/18 at 9:45am
Cat People (1942; ranked #738 by 802 users) – Playing 7/26 at 1:00pm
House on Haunted Hill (1959; ranked #1252 by 1292 users) – Playing 7/26 at 5:30pm
Shock Corridor (1963; ranked #1255 by 338 users) – Playing 7/16 at 4:30am
House of Wax (1953; ranked #1373 by 817 users) – Playing 7/26 at 2:30pm
Them! (1954; ranked #1665 by 760 users) – Playing 7/29 at 6:15pm
The Body Snatcher (1945; ranked #1920 by 397 users) – Playing 7/26 at 6:15am
Mad Love (1935; ranked #2635 by 195 users) – Playing 7/13 at 6:15am
The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945; ranked #2462 by 283 users) – Playing 7/18 at 2:30pm
The Seventh Victim (1943; ranked #3309 by 136 users) – Playing 7/13 at 10:00am
The Curse of the Cat People (1944; ranked #3920 by 238 users) – Playing 7/26 at 4:15pm
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920; ranked #4177 by 234 users) – Playing 7/18 at 7:15am
The Leopard Man (1943; ranked #4328 by 146 users) – Playing 7/13 at 3:45pm
Bedlam (1946; ranked #5776 by 93 users) – Playing 7/26 at 9:30am
The Brain That Wouldn’t Die (1962; ranked #6292 by 595 users) – Playing 7/13 at 12:45pm
The Wasp Woman (1959; ranked #13813 by 184 users) – Playing 7/18 at 8:30am
…Silent Cinema
The Big Parade (1925; ranked #1784 by 198 users) – Playing 7/10 at 10:45am
Show People (1928; ranked #4367 by 89 users) – Playing 7/31 at 12:45pm
Flesh and the Devil (1926; ranked #5442 by 75 users) – Playing 7/10 at 6:00pm
A Woman of Affairs (1928; ranked #6334 by 70 users) – Playing 7/10 at 7:45am
Tokyo Chorus (1931; ranked #6664 by 54 users) – Playing 7/30 at 12:00M
A Sailor-Made Man (1921; ranked #7204 by 45 users) – Playing 7/16 at 12:00M
His Royal Slyness (1920; ranked #7904 by 45 users) – Playing 7/9 at 12:00M
Among Those Present (1921; ranked #10089 by 34 users) – Playing 7/9 at 12:00M
Now or Never (1921; ranked #10405 by 43 users) – Playing 7/9 at 12:00M
Desert Nights (1929; ranked #10643 by 28 users) – Playing 7/10 at 9:30am
La Boheme (1926; ranked #10898 by 26 users) – Playing 7/10 at 7:00am
Hot Water (1924; ranked #10942 by 37 users) – Playing 7/16 at 12:00M
The Show (1927; ranked #12133 by 32 users) – Playing 7/10 at 4:30pm
The Mating Call (1928; unranked by 0 users) – Playing 7/23 at 12:00N
…Foreign Cinema
Throne of Blood (1957; ranked #113 by 1374 users) – Playing 7/12 at 1:00am
Day for Night (1974; ranked #543 by 633 users) – Playing 7/31 at 4:30pm
A Touch of Zen (1971; ranked #3247 by 115 users) – Playing 7/17 at 2:15am
Tokyo Twilight (1957; ranked #4137 by 69 users) – Playing 7/31 at 2:00am
Cria Cuervos (1976; ranked #4146 by 90 users) – Playing 7/18 at 3:30am
Tokyo Chorus (1931; ranked #6664 by 54 users) – Playing 7/30 at 12:00M
Until the End of the World (1991; ranked #8536 by 56 users) – Playing 7/24 at 2:00am
Ariel (1988; ranked #8837 by 72 users) – Playing 7/10 at 3:30am
Shadows in Paradise (1986; ranked #9104 by 45 users) – Playing 7/10 at 2:00am
Record of a Tenement Gentleman (1947; ranked #10028 by 21 users) – Playing 7/30 at 4:30pm
…If You Have Kids
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954; ranked #1504 by 1425 users) – Playing 7/21 at 11:30am
Captains Courageous (1937; ranked #1794 by 412 users) – Playing 7/21 at 5:45pm
Road to Morocco (1942; ranked #2550 by 336 users) – Playing 7/15 at 2:00pm
Little Women (1933; ranked #3262 by 235 users) – Playing 7/21 at 6:00am
The Bachelor of the Bobby-Soxer (1947; ranked #3289 by 239 users) – Playing 7/16 at 4:00pm
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945; ranked #4404 by 103 users) – Playing 7/30 at 12:00N
Yours, Mine and Ours (1968; ranked #4755 by 372 users) – Playing 7/21 at 9:30am
Angels in the Outfield (1951; ranked #7069 by 124 users) – Playing 7/15 at 12:00N
Ziegfeld Follies (1946; ranked #8037 by 68 users) – Playing 7/14 at 6:00am
Please Don’t Eat the Daisies (1960; ranked #9874 by 87 users) – Playing 7/21 at 1:30pm
The Courtship of Eddie’s Father (1963; ranked #11160 by 57 users) – Playing 7/21 at 3:30pm
The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953; ranked #15741 by 14 users) – Playing 7/29 at 9:00am
Movies to See Before You Die
Here at the Flickchart blog we have a feature called Movies to See Before You Die, and it covers anything in the Global Top 1000. These are all the films playing on TCM in July that qualify. You’ll note many of them are from the Hitchcock series this month – Flickcharters are huge Hitchcock fans.
Rear Window (1954; ranked #11 by 32786 users) – Playing 7/21 at 8:00pm
North by Northwest (1959; ranked #29 by 26447 users) – Playing 7/11 at 3:30am and 7/26 at 10:30pm
Vertigo (1958; ranked #48 by 29208 users) – Playing 7/26 at 8:00pm
Notorious (1946; ranked #72 by 4792 users) – Playing 7/15 at 2:15am
Strangers on a Train (1951; ranked #81 by 5291 users) – Playing 7/19 at 11:30pm
Shadow of a Doubt (1943; ranked #104 by 2802 users) – Playing 7/14 at 8:00pm
The Searchers (1956; ranked #106 by 4945 users) – Playing 7/20 at 6:00am
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962; ranked #109 by 2234 users) – Playing 7/24 at 2:00pm
All About Eve (1950; ranked #122 by 4729 users) – Playing 7/22 at 8:00pm
Rope (1948; ranked #128 by 5275 users) – Playing 7/19 at 8:00pm
Rebecca (1940; ranked #159 by 4529 users) – Playing 7/12 at 8:00pm
A Matter of Life and Death (1946; ranked #178 by 613 users) – Playing 7/8 at 8:30am
Dial M for Murder (1954; ranked #184 by 5026 users) – Playing 7/20 at 3:30am
Bride of Frankenstein (1935; ranked #192 by 2593 users) – Playing 7/8 at 8:00pm
The Lady Vanishes (1938; ranked #193 by 2208 users) – Playing 7/8 at 12:45am
Some Like It Hot (1959; ranked #202 by 19938 users) – Playing 7/29 at 8:00pm
The 39 Steps (1935; ranked #219 by 2900 users) – Playing 7/7 at 11:00am
Rebel Without a Cause (1955; ranked #257 by 6056 users) – Playing 7/26 at 3:00am
The Grapes of Wrath (1940; ranked #311 by 2471 users) – Playing 7/8 at 12:00N
Key Largo (1948; ranked #336 by 1866 users) – Playing 7/23 at 4:00pm
The Birds (1963; ranked #380 by 24980 users) – Playing 7/27 at 3:00am
All That Heaven Allows (1955; ranked #392 by 8685 users) – Playing 7/30 at 2:15pm
Wait Until Dark (1967; ranked #409 by 1268 users) – Playing 7/23 at 6:00pm
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962; ranked #459 by 1643 users) – Playing 7/23 at 12:15am
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956; ranked #467 by 3009 users) – Playing 7/22 at 12:15am
Inherit the Wind (1960; ranked #475 by 1205 users) – Playing 7/23 at 11:45am
The Invisible Man (1933; ranked #487 by 1263 users) – Playing 7/9 at 2:15am
Spellbound (1945; ranked #505 by 2051 users) – Playing 7/14 at 12:00M
To Have and Have Not (1944; ranked #507 by 711 users) – Playing 7/15 at 10:15pm
Day for Night (1974; ranked #543 by 633 users) – Playing 7/31 at 4:30pm
The Lion in Winter (1968; ranked #547 by 1213 users) – Playing 7/22 at 12:00N
F for Fake (1973; ranked #558 by 716 users) – Playing 7/31 at 6:30pm
Bad Day at Black Rock (1955; ranked #569 by 596 users) – Playing 7/29 at 4:45pm
Lifeboat (1944; ranked #570 by 1127 users) – Playing 7/14 at 10:00pm
Suspicion (1941; ranked #580 by 1148 users) – Playing 7/13 at 2:30am
Foreign Correspondent (1940; ranked #597 by 797 users) – Playing 7/12 at 10:30pm
Deliverance (1972; ranked #620 by 10277 users) – Playing 7/18 at 12:00M
Doctor Zhivago (1965; ranked #692 by 3832 users) – Playing 7/17 at 8:00pm
Shane (1953; ranked #666 by 1671 users) – Playing 7/16 at 8:00pm
The Cameraman (1928; ranked #700 by 434 users) – Playing 7/31 at 11:15am
Vampyr (1932; ranked #720 by 677 users) – Playing 7/18 at 6:00am
Cat People (1942; ranked #738 by 802 users) – Playing 7/26 at 1:00pm
Winchester ’73 (1950; ranked #811 by 515 users) – Playing 7/24 at 8:45am
The Getaway (1972; ranked #843 by 1022 users) – Playing 7/16 at 12:15am
Saboteur (1942; ranked #889 by 1187 users) – Playing 7/13 at 4:15am
Day by Day
Sunday, July 9
Top Ranked: The Women (1939; ranked #2075 by 250 users) – Playing 7/9 at 6:00am
Wild Card: His Royal Slyness (1920; ranked #7904 by 45 users) – Tonight’s Silent Sunday Night is a set of Harold Lloyd shorts, starting with this one, and I’m sure all three are worth checking out! Playing 7/9 at 12:00M
Monday, July 10
Top Ranked: North by Northwest (1959; ranked #29 by 26447 users) – Playing 7/11 at 3:30am
Wild Card: La Boheme (1926; ranked #10898 by 26 users) – John Gilbert is most famous for his pairings with Greta Garbo, but even though I haven’t seen it, I’d bet this film opposite Lillian Gish is just as if not more compelling. If you’re unfamiliar with La Boheme, the musical Rent is loosely based on the story. Playing 7/10 at 7:00am
Tuesday, July 11
Top Ranked: Throne of Blood (1957; ranked #113 by 1374 users) – Kurosawa takes on Shakespeare, with a take on Macbeth set in medieval Japan, which is a pretty compelling setting for it. Playing 7/12 at 1:00am
Wild Card: Chimes at Midnight (1965; ranked #1664 by 247 users) – Falstaff is one of Shakespeare’s most interesting supporting characters, and Orson Welles obviously agreed, cobbling together sections from multiple plays to create this alternately jocular and tragic portrait of Prince Hal’s rotund companion. Playing 7/12 at 3:15am
Wednesday, July 12
Top Ranked: Rebecca (1940; ranked #159 by 4529 users) – Playing 7/12 at 8:00pm
Wild Card: Two Weeks in Another Town (1962; ranked #13875 by 28 users) – A sort of spiritual sequel to The Bad and the Beautiful (both directed by Vincente Minnelli and featuring Kirk Douglas), with a washed-up actor hoping for a second chance from his old director. Playing 7/12 at 6:00pm
Thursday, July 13
Top Ranked: Lost Horizon (1937; ranked #1846 by 287 users) – Playing 7/13 at 8:00pm
Wild Card: Mad Love (1935; ranked #2635 by 195 users) – Bizarre in the best way, as a musician suffers a terrible accident and gets a hand transplant, but is led by a doctor (creepy Peter Lorre) to believe his new hands are evil. Helmed by one of the leading German Expressionist cinematographers, and striking chiaroscuro fills every shot. Playing 7/13 at 6:15am
Friday, July 14
Top Ranked: Notorious (1946; ranked #72 by 4792 users) – Playing 7/15 at 2:15am
Wild Card: Lifeboat (1944; ranked #570 by 1127 users) – Playing 7/14 at 10:00pm
Saturday, July 15
Top Ranked: To Have and Have Not (1944; ranked #507 by 711 users) – Playing 7/15 at 10:15pm
Wild Card: Woman of the Year (1942; ranked #1901 by 328 users) – The first pairing of Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. Playing 7/15 at 8:00pm
Sunday, July 16
Top Ranked: Shane (1953; ranked #666 by 1671 users) – Playing 7/16 at 8:00pm
Wild Card: A Touch of Zen (1971; ranked #3247 by 115 users) – A seminal wuxia film, I’m pleased to see TCM playing stuff like this! Playing 7/17 at 2:15am
Monday, July 17
Top Ranked: Doctor Zhivago (1965; ranked #692 by 3832 users) – Playing 7/17 at 8:00pm
Wild Card: Cria Cuervos (1976; ranked #4146 by 90 users) – If Ana Torrent is half as good here as she is in The Spirit of the Beehive, then this is a must-see. Playing 7/18 at 3:30am
Tuesday, July 18
Top Ranked: Deliverance (1972; ranked #620 by 10277 users) – Playing 7/18 at 12:00M
Wild Card: Vampyr (1932; ranked #720 by 677 users) – Playing 7/18 at 6:00am
Wednesday, July 19
Top Ranked: Strangers on a Train (1951; ranked #81 by 5291 users) – Playing 7/19 at 11:30pm
Wild Card: Stage Fright (1950; ranked #2787 by 376 users) – A “lesser” Hitchcock, but still quite worth watching, pioneering some narrative techniques that were quite ahead of its time. Playing 7/19 at 9:30pm
Thursday, July 20
Top Ranked: The Searchers (1956; ranked #106 by 4945 users) – Playing 7/20 at 6:00am
Wild Card: The Prisoner of Zenda (1937; ranked #4561 by 82 users) – Playing 7/20 at 10:30pm
Friday, July 21
Top Ranked: Rear Window (1954; ranked #11 by 32786 users) – Playing 7/21 at 8:00pm
Wild Card: Little Women (1933; ranked #3262 by 235 users) – There are a ton of adaptations of Little Women, and while this one might not be as watchable for current audiences as the excellent 1994 version, this is easily the best classic-era take on the tale, with Katharine Hepburn a very wonderful Jo. Playing 7/21 at 6:00am
Saturday, July 22
Top Ranked: All About Eve (1950; ranked #122 by 4729 users) – Playing 7/22 at 8:00pm
Wild Card: Moonfleet (1955; ranked #12086 by 56 users) – For some reason I always think this is a noir film (the title plus Fritz Lang directing may lead me in that direction), but it’s actually a swashbuckler. I’m not sure what to make of a Lang-directed swashbuckler, but I’m interested to find out! Playing 7/22 at 2:30pm
Sunday, July 23
Top Ranked: Key Largo (1948; ranked #336 by 1866 users) – Playing 7/23 at 4:00pm
Wild Card: It Should Happen to You (1953; ranked #7295 by 64 users) – A charming comedy about aspiring actress Judy Holliday using her last savings to buy a giant billboard promoting herself – resulting in instant fame. Fairly slight, but with some interesting underlying ideas about the circular logic of being famous purely for being famous. Playing 7/23 at 8:00pm
Monday, July 24
Top Ranked: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962; ranked #109 by 2234 users) – Playing 7/24 at 2:00pm
Wild Card: Mogambo (1953; ranked #6946 by 119 users) – I prefer the original Pre-Code version of this story called Red Dust (both films star Clark Gable), but when John Ford does a remake, it’s worth checking out what drew him to it, and in some ways the casting here is even more believable. Playing 7/25 at 3:00am
Tuesday, July 25
Top Ranked: Rebel Without a Cause (1955; ranked #257 by 6056 users) – Playing 7/26 at 3:00am
Wild Card: The Match King (1932; ranked #13914 by 13 users) – I know almost literally nothing about this, but of the four films playing a Pre-Code tribute to Lily Damita, this one also stars Warren William, a Pre-Code staple who’s always worth watching. Playing 7/25 at 1:30pm
Wednesday, July 26
Top Ranked: Vertigo (1958; ranked #48 by 29208 users) – Playing 7/26 at 8:00pm
Wild Card: The Curse of the Cat People (1944; ranked #3920 by 238 users) – Ostensibly a sequel to 1942’s Cat People, but with very little actual connection to it, this is an overlooked gem among Val Lewton’s horror cycle. Don’t expect anything like Cat People, but instead a gentle and haunting story about children and the tenuous line between life and death. Playing 7/26 at 4:15pm
Thursday, July 27
Top Ranked: The Talk of the Town (1942; ranked #3106 by 154 users) – Playing 7/28 at 12:15am
Wild Card: A Double Life (1947; ranked #7614 by 64 users) – Playing 7/27 at 8:00pm
Friday, July 28
Top Ranked: Frenzy (1972; ranked #1006 by 1491 users) – Playing 7/29 at 3:30am
Wild Card: Follow the Fleet (1936; ranked #3931 by 134 users) – Not as well-known as some of Fred and Ginger’s other films, but right up there in terms of quality, with Fred as a sailor on leave reconnecting with his old partner Ginger. All the dramatic heavy lifting goes to their costars Randolph Scott and Harriet Hilliard (later Harriet Nelson), so Fred and Ginger get to mostly have fun, and it’s supremely enjoyable watching them. Playing 7/28 at 1:30pm
Saturday, July 29
Top Ranked: Some Like It Hot (1959; ranked #202 by 19938 users) – Playing 7/29 at 8:00pm
Wild Card: Them! (1954; ranked #1665 by 760 users) – Playing 7/29 at 6:15pm
Sunday, July 30
Top Ranked: All That Heaven Allows (1955; ranked #392 by 8685 users) – Playing 7/30 at 2:15pm
Wild Card: We have an Ozu triple feature tonight, so I’ll just suggest you check out all of them: Tokyo Chorus (1931; ranked #6664 by 54 users), Tokyo Twilight (1957; ranked #4137 by 69 users), Record of a Tenement Gentleman (1947; ranked #10028 by 21 users) – Playing 7/30 starting at 12:00M
Monday, July 31
Top Ranked: Day for Night (1974; ranked #543 by 633 users) – Playing 7/31 at 4:30pm
Wild Card: The Bad and the Beautiful (1952; ranked #1258 by 460 users) – Playing 7/31 at 9:15am