A Flickchart Guide To TCM in December
Looking for some good stuff to watch? Got a cable subscription? You’re all set! Here’s what TCM has in store for you this month.
TCM Spotlight: Girlfriends
This month TCM spotlights that most mercurial of relationships – girlfriends. With two sets of themed double features every Monday night in December, we’ll look at Coming of Age, Best Friends, Frenemies, Roommates, More Than Friends?, and more. The films range from Pre-Codes through Golden Age classics and up into the 1980sI’ve broken up the themes to highlight Flickchart’s top-ranked films, but you can check out TCM’s programming guide here for more info.
Heavenly Creatures (1994; ranked #745 by 3765 users) – Before Peter Jackson got tied down to Middle Earth, he made quite a range of films, from quirky weird small films to horror comedies to splatter films to mockumentaries, to this sobering drama about a pair of teenage girls who kill one of their mothers. This one’s widely considered his best pre-LotR film. Playing 12/7 at 11:45pm.
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953; ranked #928 by 910 users) – When showbiz partners and best friends Lorelei and Dorothy board the ship to Europe, all the other passengers (especially male ones) better look out! By all appearances, this seems like a ditzy slight farce, but it’s surprisingly smart and satisfying, with a top performance from Marilyn Monroe and a scene-stealing one from Jane Russell</a.. Playing 12/21 at 8:00pm.
The Women (1939; ranked #1953 by 206 users) – An ensemble cast that includes Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer, Rosalind Russell, Joan Fontaine, Paulette Goddard and more should be enough to get any classic movie fan’s attention; add in some of the wittiest dialogue ever written and a lot of over the top man-stealing scenarios, and you have a film worth returning to again and again. Playing 12/14 at 10:15pm.
Stage Door (1937; ranked #2199 by 155 users) – Another ensemble cast, this time of girls in a theatrical boarding house all at various stages of trying to become actresses. This time the focus is on Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, Ann Miller, Lucille Ball, Gail Patrick, and more, and the biting humor is offset with enough genuine pathos to elevate the film to something very special. Playing 12/28 at 1:30am.
The Children’s Hour (1961; ranked #2395 by 209 users) – This film and its earlier version (These Three, see below) form the “More than Friends?” double feature, with a pair of female teachers (Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine) accused by a student of being something, well, more than friends. In the earlier film, it’s actually a rumor of an affair with a male teacher, but The Children’s Hour retains the hint of a lesbian relationship from Lillian Hellman’s play, still very risque in 1961. Playing 12/28 at 8:00pm.
The Rest:
Little Darlings (1980; ranked #6728 by 231 users) Playing 12/28 at 11:45pm.
The World of Henry Orient (1964; ranked #7322 by 91 users) Playing 12/7 at 8:00pm.
Three on a Match (1932; ranked #7675 by 43 users) Playing 12/8 at 1:45am.
These Three (1936; ranked #8654 by 23 users) Playing 12/28 at 10:00pm.
Old Acquaintance (1943; ranked #9349 by 31 users) Playing 12/14 at 8:00pm.
Swing Shift (1984; ranked #10775 by 156 users) Playing 12/15 at 12:45am.
Where the Boys Are (1960; ranked #11995 by 42 users) Playing 12/21 at 9:45pm.
Tender Comrade (1943; ranked #16988 by 7 users) Playing 12/15 at 2:45am.
Where Angels Go Trouble Follows (1968; ranked #17038 by 16 users) Playing 12/7 at 10:00pm.
Girlfriends (1978; ranked #20382 by 9 users) Playing 12/21 at 11:30pm.
Sheila Levine is Dead and Living in New York (1975; unranked) Playing 12/22 at 1:30am.
Star of the Month: Frank Sinatra
The Chairman of the Board. Ol Blue Eyes. The Voice. The Sultan of Swoon. Frank Sinatra has a lot of nicknames, mostly for his unmatched singing career, but Sinatra was also an Academy Award winning actor, with three decades of film credits to his name. Born in Hoboken, New Jersey, Sinatra faced a rough childhood with his wiry frame and innate charisma, eventually working his way into singing gigs with big band legends Harry James and Tommy Dorsey. That resulted in performance spots in a few early ‘40s movies, which Frank soon parlayed into actual movie roles. Throughout the ‘40s, he maintained a clean-cut persona with a shy smile and a swoon-worthy croon.
In the early ’50s, however, both his personal and professional lives took a hit – he divorced Nancy, his childhood sweetheart and wife of 12 years, in favor of screen siren Ava Gardner (they’d divorce in 1957), and then he suffered a hemorrhage to his vocal chords, leading to Columbia dropping his record contract. In response, Sinatra took a severe pay cut for a dramatic supporting role in From Here to Eternity – for which he won an Oscar. When his voice recovered, with a deeper, more mature sound, he had proven his acting chops and could take his career basically anywhere he wanted to go. He kept doing light musicals and comedies (including several with his Rat Pack buddies), but interspersed them with drama, war, and noir roles that only solidified his credibility as a serious actor.
Wednesdays in December, TCM is airing some 35 of the features Frank Sinatra appeared in throughout his career, and kicking off each evening with TV specials he made between 1965 and 2011. Here are the ten top-ranked films from TCM’s line-up. I’ll leave you to check out the rest on TCM’s schedule or your DVR, and don’t miss Robert Osborne’s tribute to Sinatra as well.
From Here to Eternity (1953; ranked #459 by 1676 users) – The film that won Sinatra his Best Supporting Actor Oscar, From Here to Eternity is a WWII South Pacific drama with an all-star cast – Montgomery Clift, Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr, Donna Reed, in addition to Sinatra – there are lots of interwoven stories here, and they all come together in a pretty powerful way. Playing 12/9 at 9:15pm.
Guys and Dolls (1955; ranked #1093 by 1222 users) – Sinatra plays Nathan Detroit in the film version of the oft-produced Broadway musical, but most people seem to ignore that while they complain about Marlon Brando’s lack of singing prowess as Sky Masterson. Sinatra definitely has his singing prowess intact, and the film is worth watching for him and Vivian Blaine as his long-suffering fiancee, regardless of your thoughts on ostensible leads Brando and Jean Simmons, neither of whom REALLY belong in a musical. Playing 12/2 at 9:00pm.
On the Town (1949; ranked #1532 by 400 users) – The third and best of the Gene Kelly-Frank Sinatra musicals has the boys (along with Jules Munshin) as sailors on 24 hour leave in New York City. They tour the city (it was one of the first musicals shot on location), find girls, and get in all sorts of trouble. Playing 12/16 at 9:00pm.
The Man with the Golden Arm (1955; ranked #2003 by 310 users) – The “golden arm” refers to Sinatra’s characters superior card-dealing skills, which he’s forced to use by his old gang even though he’s trying to go straight after a stint in prison. He’s also trying to stay clean, and they won’t let him do that, either. Some then-harrowing scenes of drug withdrawal probably aren’t as harrowing to modern audiences, but Sinatra plays it with his all. Playing 12/30 at 9:15pm.
Anchors Aweigh (1945; ranked #2152 by 418 users) – Kelly and Sinatra play sailors in their first outing together, in which they pursue Kathryn Grayson and Kelly dances with Jerry the Mouse in an early attempt at mixing live action and animation. The film is slight, but highly enjoyable. Playing 12/17 at 12:45am.
High Society (1956; ranked #2210 by 341 users) – A musical remake of the upper crust marriage comedy The Philadelphia Story, Sinatra takes on the James Stewart role of the reporter covering the society wedding with a bit of a side-eye. With Bing Crosby playing the Cary Grant role, the film takes a pretty laid-back, hangout approach to the story which doesn’t always work, but it’s hard to argue with Cole Porter songs, Grace Kelly, and Crosby-Sinatra duets. Playing 12/23 at 11:00pm.
Some Came Running (1958; ranked #3144 by 157 users) – One of Sinatra’s most nuanced roles is this one as an embittered and alcoholic Army veteran who returns home after 16 years away. He clashes with his upwardly mobile brother, strings on a woman of seemingly loose morals (an Oscar-nominated performance from Shirley MacLaine), hangs out with an inveterate gambler (Dean Martin, in their first on-screen collaboration), and generally struggles to adjust. Playing 12/31 at 1:45am.
Suddenly (1954; ranked #5378 by 124 12/10 users) – In this noir film, Sinatra plays the leader of a group of would-be assassins who take over a family’s house, holding them hostage, to plan an ambush for the visiting President of the United States. One of the few times Sinatra played an out-and-out villain. Playing 12/10 at 6:00am.
Take Me Out to the Ballgame (1949; ranked #6033 by 85 users) – The middle one of the three films Kelly and Sinatra made together; in this one they’re baseball players instead of sailors, but the dynamic is much the same, right down to Jules Munshin playing third wheel as he does in On the Town and Betty Garrett swooping in as Frank’s love interest when Esther Williams takes a cotton to Gene instead. Playing 12/16 at 11:00pm.
Pal Joey (1957; ranked #6561 by 91 users) – Pal Joey was a hit play for Gene Kelly back in the early 1940s (before Kelly came to Hollywood), but by the time it made it to the screen, Sinatra ended up in the title role, which worked out, as he gives the Rodgers & Hart songs, many of their best ones, their definitive treatments. The real behind the scenes story is the passing of the torch (not necessarily willingly) from Rita Hayworth to Kim Novak as Columbia Pictures’ premiere star. Playing 12/2 at 11:45pm.
Holiday Classics
If you like to settle in with your cup of cocoa and your heart-warming holiday movies around Christmastime, TCM has you covered, with three Fridays full of Christmas classics, followed with a full two days worth of holiday favorites on Christmas Eve and Christmas. There are a lot of classic holiday films, but TCM is repeating many of them two or even three times this month, so you get multiple chances at most of them throughout the month.
The Shop Around the Corner (1940; ranked #326 by 884 users) – Charming romance from Ernst Lubitsch about contentious shop employees (James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan) who are, unbeknownst to each other, falling in love with each other as anonymous pen pals. It’s the less high-tech version of You’ve Got Mail, but much deeper and, well, better. Playing 12/19 at 8:00pm AND 12/25 at 2:45am
Meet Me in St. Louis (1944; ranked #719 by 1212 users) – As this film chronicles a whole year in the lives of the Smith family, it’s not just a Christmas movie (the Halloween scene is just as memorable), but it does give us Judy Garland introducing the timeless classic “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and it’s a lovely film in general. Playing 12/12 at 1:15am AND 12/20 at 12:00N AND 12/24 at 6:00pm
Meet John Doe (1941; ranked #1498 by 299 users) – Newspaper columnist Barbara Stanwyck invents a down on his luck guy who threatens to commit suicide on Christmas Eve to protest society’s ills. Challenged by a rival paper, she gets Gary Cooper to play the part, and ends up inadvertently starting a grass-roots kindness movement – it’s the Capracorniest of Frank Capra’s films, but has its heartwarming moments. Playing 12/4 at 10:15pm AND 12/24 at 12:00N
The Bishop’s Wife (1947; ranked #1781 by 401 users) – Bishop David Niven asks for divine help when he struggles to get funding for a cathedral he wants to build, and gets angel Cary Grant – but Grant’s focus isn’t on the cathedral, it’s on repairing Niven’s relationships with his family and community. Playing 12/24 at 8:00pm.
The Man Who Came to Dinner (1941; ranked #2697 by 125 users) – Acerbic radio personality Monty Woolley slips on some ice while visiting a family and insists on recuperating with them through the holidays – meanwhile his no-nonsense aide Bette Davis falls in love and announces she’s staying, which has him trying to sabotage her romance. A hilarious and too-little seen film, but TCM’s making up for that with three showings. Playing 12/25 at 2:15am AND 12/6 at 10:00am AND 12/11 at 8:00pm.
THE REST:
Auntie Mame (1958; ranked #2735 by 253 users) Playing 12/24 at 10:00pm
Christmas in Connecticut (1945; ranked #3061 by 151 users) Playing 12/13 at 12:00N AND 12/24 at 2:15pm AND 12/18 at 9:30pm
3 Godfathers (1948; ranked #3208 by 147 users) Playing 12/25 at 10:45am
Little Women (1933; ranked #3319 by 202 users) Playing 12/25 at 6:45am
A Christmas Carol (1938; ranked #3757 by 445 users) Playing 12/6 at 8:30am AND 12/11 at 12:00M AND 12/24 at 9:15am
Scrooge (1970; ranked #4141 by 259 users) Playing 12/11 at 10:00pm AND 12/20 at 8:00am AND 12/25 at 8:45am
Little Women (1949; ranked #4693 by 129 users) Playing 12/25 at 4:30am
Remember the Night (1940; ranked #5490 by 54 users) Playing 12/18 at 11:30pm
Bachelor Mother (1939; ranked #5547 by 74 users) Playing 12/24 at 10:30am
In the Good Old Summertime (1949; ranked #5784 by 78 users) Playing 12/12 at 3:15am AND 12/13 at 10:00am AND 12/25 at 4:15pm
It Happened on 5th Ave (1947; ranked #6160 by 57 users) Playing 12/4 at 8pm
Holiday Affair (1949; ranked #7336 by 57 users) Playing 12/6 at 12:00N AND 12/19 at 1:15am AND 12/24 at 4:15pm
Bundle of Joy (1956; ranked #11205 by 32 users) Playing 12/19 at 3:00am
Scrooge (1935; ranked #12365 by 43 users) Playing 12/13 at 8:30am
I’ll Be Seeing You (1944; ranked #13093 by 6 users) Playing 12/18 at 8:00pm
Mrs. Parkington (1944; ranked #13532 by 18 users) Playing 12/25 at 12:30am
The Great Rupert (1950; ranked #17687 by 11 users) Playing 12/24 at 6:45am
Bush Christmas (1947; ranked #18647 by 2 users) Playing 12/24 at 5:15am
Carol for Another Christmas (1964; ranked #19151 by 5 users) Playing 12/14 at 4:30am
Mini Marathons
George Sanders – December 3/4
There was no classier villain in pictures than George Sanders, from his subtle bullying of Lady De Winter in Rebecca to his acidic Addison DeWitt in All About Eve to his iconic Shere Khan in Disney’s The Jungle Book. He wasn’t always a bad guy, but his roles often carried a sophisticated slyness that made you wonder.
Top Ranked: The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945; ranked #2528 by 242 users) Playing 12/4 at 1:00am
Truly Obscure: The Moon and Sixpence (1942; ranked #15365 by 6 users) Playing 12/3 at 11:15pm
Hidden Gem: Man Hunt (1941; ranked #5187 by 77 users) Playing 12/4 at 3:00am
THE REST
Lured (1947; ranked #7612 by 61 users) Playing 12/3 at 8:00pm
The Saint Strikes Back (1939; ranked #15113 by 18 users) Playing 12/4 at 4:45am
The Gay Falcon (1942; ranked #17423 by 8 users) Playing 12/3 at 10:00pm
Kirk Douglas – December 9
From the moment he stepped on screen in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers as Barbara Stanwyck’s seemingly retiring husband, Kirk Douglas has owned the screen, and pretty much every movie in this tribute proves why – his brash charisma is second to none.
Top Ranked: Out of the Past (1947; ranked #153 by 1327 users) Playing 12/9 at 8:30am
Truly Obscure: Young Man with a Horn (1950; ranked #10007 by 32 users) Playing 12/9 at 12:00N
Hidden Gem: The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946; ranked #4527 by 100 users) Playing 12/9 at 6:30am
THE REST
Seven Days in May (1964; ranked #2500 by 184 users) Playing 12/9 at 6:00pm
Lust for Life (1956; ranked #3726 by 165 users) Playing 12/9 at 3:45pm
Along the Great Divide (1951; ranked #11315 by 40 users) Playing 12/9 at 10:15am
The Hook (1963; unranked) 12/9 at 2:00pm
Jane Fonda – December 21
These days seems like Jane Fonda is better known for her political activism than her acting career, but this marathon highlights her very early career in the 1960s, before she earned her cred with a Best Actress Oscar in 1971’s Klute.
Top Ranked: Sunday in New York (1963; ranked #10006 by 40 users) Playing 12/21 at 6:00pm
Truly Obscure: The Chapman Report (1962; ranked #21159 by 3 users) Playing 12/21 at 6:00am
Hidden Gem: Any Wednesday (1966; ranked #13358 by 30 users) Playing 12/21 at 10:15am
THE REST
Tall Story (1960; ranked #14791 by 24 users) Playing 12/21 at 2:00pm
Period of Adjustment (1962; ranked #18163 by 9 users) Playing 12/21 at 4:00pm
Steelyard Blues (1973; ranked #24949 by 12 users) Playing 12/21 at 8:15am
In the Cool of the Day (1963; ranked #25127 by 4 users) Playing 12/21 at 12:15pm
Alfred Hitchcock – December 22
You can’t really screw up a Hitchcock marathon, but I will say TCM went out of their way to span the breadth of his career with this one – from heights like North by Northwest to anomalies like the costume drama Under Capricorn and the screwball comedy Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Lots of variety in this seven-film tribute, whether you’re new to Hitchcock or a big fan.
Top Ranked: North by Northwest (1959; ranked #22 by 25223 users) Playing 12/22 at 5:30pm
Truly Obscure: Under Capricorn (1949; ranked #5954 by 193 users) Playing 12/22 at 7:45am
Hidden Gem: Stage Fright (1950; ranked #2783 by 331 users) Playing 12/22 at 9:45am
THE REST
Strangers on a Train (1951; ranked #75 by 4828 users) Playing 12/22 at 11:45am
Dial M for Murder (1954; ranked #175 by 4625 users) Playing 12/22 at 1:30pm
The Wrong Man (1956; ranked #1192 by 657 users) Playing 12/22 at 3:30pm
Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941; ranked #3164 by 517 users) Playing 12/22 at 6:00am
Claude Chabrol – December 10
One of the core directors of the French New Wave, Chabrol took many of his cues from Hitchcock, creating breezy mysteries, but with a very French inflection – here’s Martin Scorsese on Chabrol and this set of films.
Top Ranked: La Ceremonie (1995; ranked #6689 by 84 users) Playing 12/10 at 2:00am
Truly Obscure: Masques (1987; ranked #30739 by 12 users) Playing 12/10 at 4:00am
Hidden Gem: Les Cousins (1958; ranked #9520 by 35 users) Playing 12/10 at 8:00pm
THE REST
Le beau serge (1958; ranked #10633 by 36 users) Playing 12/10 at 10:00pm
The Story of Women (1988; ranked #11514 by 34 users) Playing 12/10 at 12:00M
Summer Movies – December 14
As we go into December, summer’s either the furthest thing from your mind, or the thing you long for the most. Long days, warm weather…sounding pretty good, right? Here’s a set of films tailor-made for those of us afflicted with Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Top Ranked: The Long Hot Summer (1958; ranked #2975 by 171 users) Playing 12/14 at 2:00pm
Truly Obscure: Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams (1973; ranked #27533 by 6 users) Playing 12/14 at 4:00pm
Hidden Gem: Summer Stock (1950; ranked #4907 by 83 users) Playing 12/14 at 9:45am
THE REST
Summer with Monika (1953; ranked #2976 by 138 users) Playing 12/14 at 8:00am
Summer of ’42 (1971; ranked #4438 by 143 users) Playing 12/14 at 6:00pm
A Summer Place (1959; ranked #9418 by 35 users) Playing 12/14 at 11:45am
Summer Holiday (1948; ranked #16692 by 9 users) Playing 12/14 at 6:15am
Circus Movies – December 15
Step right up folks, it’s time to head to the big top. The circus has always been a fruitful setting for the movies, and this marathon manages to avoid most of the obvious ones, focusing on obscurities even the most fanatic circus film fan may not have seen.
Top Ranked: The Circus (1928; ranked #527 by 464 users) Playing 12/15 at 6am
Truly Obscure: Carnival Story (1954; ranked #18596 by 0 users) Playing 12/15 at 2:00pm
Hidden Gem: Billy Rose’s Jumbo (1962; ranked #20930 by 9 users) Playing 12/15 at 3:45pm
THE REST
At the Circus (1939; ranked #2631 by 408 users) Playing 12/15 at 11:00am
Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928; ranked #7291 by 54 users) Playing 12/15 at 7:15am
Polly of the Circus (1932; ranked #14143 by 6 users) Playing 12/15 at 8:30am
The Wagons Roll at Night (1941; ranked #14669 by 7 users) Playing 12/15 at 12:30pm
The Circus Clown (1934; ranked #15917 by 4 users) Playing 12/15 at 9:45am
The Big Circus (1959; ranked #19251 by 10 users) Playing 12/15 at 6:00pm
Treasures from the Disney Vault – December 17/18
This selection of Treasures from the Disney Vault focuses mostly on the natural world, with some of Disney’s early nature documentaries and features about boys and their farm animals. No joke, though, watch So Dear to My Heart. It’s very underseen and extremely charming.
Top Ranked: Never Cry Wolf (1983; ranked #2779 by 327 users) Playing 12/17 at 12:00M
Truly Obscure: White Wilderness (1958; ranked #16806 by 9 users) Playing 12/18 at 2:00am
Hidden Gem: So Dear to My Heart (1948; ranked #9026 by 64 users) Playing 12/17 at 8:00pm
THE REST
Babes in Toyland (1961; ranked #9586 by 289 users) Playing 12/17 at 10:00pm
Island at the Top of the World (1974; ranked #9947 by 75 users) Playing 12/18 at 3:45am
Biblical Epics – December 23
It ain’t Christmas without at least some Christ, and TCM is obliging with a marathon of Biblical and para-Biblical epics. It’s only four films, but that pretty much takes up the whole day.
Top Ranked: Ben-Hur (1959; ranked #674 by 15065 users) Playing 12/23 at 6:30am
Truly Obscure: The Bible: In the Beginning (1966; ranked #10391 by 77 users) Playing 12/23 at 10:30am
Hidden Gem: King of Kings (1961; ranked #6869 by 170 users) Playing 12/21 at 5:00pm.
THE REST
The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965; ranked #3507 by 358 users) Playing 12/23 at 1:30pm
Classic Sci-Fi/Fantasy – December 29
There’s nothing like a little classic atomic-age sci-fi/fantasy in the middle of the holidays – a little Ray Harryhausen, a little flying saucer action. Just the thing to distract you from the detritus of wrapping paper and fruitcakes.
Top Ranked: Jason and the Argonauts (1963; ranked #1225 by 1243 users) Playing 12/29 at 6L15pm
Truly Obscure: Mysterious Island (1961; ranked #6300 by 131 users) Playing 12/29 at 1:15pm
Hidden Gem: The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958); ranked #746 by 596 users) Playing 12/29 at 4:30pm
THE REST
20 Million Miles to Earth (1957; ranked #3337 by 209 users) Playing 12/29 at 8:00am
Earth vs the Flying Saucers (1956; ranked #4945 by 184 users) Playing 12/29 at 3:00pm
One Million Years B.C. (1966; ranked #5370 by 257 users) Playing 12/29 at 11:30am
The Valley of Gwangi (1969; ranked #5433 by 153 users) Playing 12/29 at 9:45am
It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955; ranked #6507 by 163 users) Playing 12/29 at 6:30am
In Memoriam – December 29
TCM always does a great job with their memorial reels and tributes when a classic star dies – here’s one last chance to say goodbye to these greats who passed on in 2015.
Theodore Bikel: The Defiant Ones (1958; ranked #1339 by 489 users) Playing 12/29 at 12:00M
Louis Jourdan: Gigi (1958; ranked #2755 by 588 users) Playing 12/29 at 8:00pm
Colleen Gray: Kansas City Confidential (1952; ranked #4097 by 128 users) Playing 12/30 at 2:00am
Betsy Drake: Every Girl Should Be Married (1948; ranked #9341 by 47 users) Playing 12/30 at 5:30am
Lizabeth Scott: Too Late for Tears (1949; ranked #9980 by 25 users) Playing 12/29 at 10:15pm
Anika Ekberg: Back from Eternity (1956; ranked #19201 by 4 users) Playing 12/30 at 3:45am
New Year’s Eve Marx Brothers Marathon – December 31
I think TCM always does a Marx Brothers marathon on New Year’s Eve, and really, there’s no bad reason to have a Marx Brothers marathon, so settle in for some zany.
Top Ranked: Duck Soup (1933; ranked #119 by 5102 users) Playing 12/31 at 6:45pm
Truly Obscure: A Day at the Races (1937; ranked #1137 by 611 users) Playing 12/31 at 10:00am
Hidden Gem: Horse Feathers (1932; ranked #697 by 673 12/31 users) Playing at 5:30pm
THE REST
A Night at the Opera (1935; ranked #198 by 2322 users) Playing 12/31 at 12:00N
Animal Crackers (1930; ranked #355 by 1449 users) Playing 12/31 at 2:00pm
Monkey Business (1931; ranked #826 by 696 users) Playing 12/31 at 4:00pm
The Cocoanuts (1929; ranked #1566 by 710 users) Playing 12/31 at 8:15am
New Year’s Eve Thin Man Marathon – December 31/January 1
This year, you can spend New Year’s Eve primetime and overnight with the most sophisticated heavy drinkers ever to hit the silver screen – and solve some mysteries at the same time! Nick and Nora Charles have yet to be matched as a screen couple, and while their movies dwindled in quality as the Thin Man series continued, their chemistry never did.
The Thin Man (1934; ranked #153 by 1537 users) Playing 12/31 at 8:00pm
After the Thin Man (1936; ranked #1350 by 364 users) Playing 12/31 at 9:45pm
Another Thin Man (1939; ranked #2184 by 297 users) Playing 12/31 at 11:45pm
Shadow of the Thin Man (1941; ranked #4252 by 144 users) Playing 1/1 at 1:45am
The Thin Man Goes Home (1945; ranked #2795 by 226 users) Playing 1/1 at 3:30am
Song of the Thin Man (1947; ranked #6666 by 105 users) Playing 1/1 at 5:15am
If You’re a Fan Of…
War or Wartime Films
On December 7, TCM will be focusing on Japanese Front War movies, including repeats of the relevant sections of Frank Capra’s Why We Fight documentary series. Beyond that, I’ve just gathered up the more notable war-related films playing throughout the month.
December 7: Japanese Front Movies
Cry of Battle (1963; unranked) 12/7 at 6:15am
Three Came Home (1950; ranked #13084 by 12 users) Playing 12/7 at 8:00am
Task Force (1949; ranked #20496 by 3 users) Playing 12/7 at 9:45am
They Were Expendable (1945; ranked #2670 by 271 users) Playing 12/7 at 11:45am
Air Force (1943; ranked #7206 by 45 users) Playing 12/7 at 2:00pm
Prelude to War (1943; ranked #11364 by 25 users) Playing 12/7 at 4:15pm
War Comes to America (1945; ranked #13231 by 14 users) Playing 12/7 at 5:15pm
December 7th (1943; ranked #17893 by 1 users) Playing 12/7 at 6:30pm
Other War Films
The Dirty Dozen (1967; ranked #309 by 3694 users) Playing 12/19 at 5:15pm
Mrs. Miniver (1942; ranked #2067 by 344 users) Playing 12/6 at 6:00am
In Which We Serve (1942; ranked #6539 by 72 users) Playing 12/2 at 3:30pm
Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943; ranked #7942 by 57 users) Playing 12/3 at 1:45pm
Musicals
If you love musicals, this is your month – there’s a boatload of them, from Fred and Ginger to 1950s MGM classics, to more modern fare like Victor/Victoria. If you love MGM musicals, incidentally, check out the That’s Entertainment! movies, which are 1970s compilations the studio put together celebrating their Golden Age musical legacy. Self-congratulatory? Sure, but a whole lot of fun, too.
Top Hat (1935; ranked #364 by 995 users) Playing 12/26 at 10:00pm
Swing Time (1936; ranked #772 by 476 users) Playing 12/18 at 2:00pm AND 12/26 at 8:00pm
An American in Paris (1951; ranked #764 by 1140 users) Playing 12/6 at 3:30pm AND 12/28 at 11:45pm
A Star is Born (1954; ranked #1120 by 522 users) Playing 12/30 at 8:30am
42nd Street (1933; ranked #1300 by 653 users) Playing 12/28 at 6:00am
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954; ranked #1381 by 1268 users) Playing 12/28 at 1:45pm
Victor/Victoria (1982; ranked #1549 by 945 users) Playing 12/11 at 5:30pm
Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933; ranked #1840 by 224 users) Playing 12/27 at 8:00am
Shall We Dance (1937; ranked #2274 by 196 users) Playing 12/26 at 12:00M
Annie (1982; ranked #3234 by 5051 users) Playing 12/25 at 8:00pm
The Gay Divorcee (1934; ranked #2350 by 182 users) Playing 12/28 at 7:45am
That’s Entertainment! (1974; ranked #4035 by 232 users) Playing 12/5 at 12:00N AND 12/23 at 1:45am
Follow the Fleet (1936; ranked #4234 by 109 users) Playing 12/20 at 6:00am
That’s Entertainment! Part II (1976; ranked #5731 by 151 users) Playing 12/12 at 12:00N AND 12/23 at 4:15am
Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940); ranked #889 by 46 users) Playing 12/20 at 8:00pm
The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964; ranked #9261 by 106 users) Playing 12/28 at 3:45pm
That’s Entertainment! III (1994; ranked #12047 by 85 users) Playing 12/19 at 12:00N
Born to Dance (1936; ranked #14643 by 24 users) Playing 12/20 at 10:00pm AND 12/28 at 9:45am
Billy Rose’s Jumbo (1962; ranked #20930 by 9 users) Playing 12/15 at 3:45pm
That’s Dancing! (1985; ranked #21179 by 46 users) Playing 12/28 at 6:00pm
Lucky Me (1954); ranked #21333 by 9 users) Playing 12/3 at 6:00pm
Horror
Much of the horror this month comes by way of the weekly Saturday night double feature of horror, which includes quite a variety of films this year, from silents to Lucio Fulci and everything in between.
Haxan (1922; ranked #1079 by 371 users) Playing 12/6 at 3:45am
Possession (1981; ranked #1642 by 294 users) Playing 12/20 at 2am
The House by the Cemetery (1981; ranked #2558 by 436 users) Playing 12/13 at 2:00am
Black Moon (1975; ranked #4215 by 163 users) Playing 12/20 at 4:15am
The Walking Dead (1936; ranked #6746 by 68 users) Playing 12/13 at 3:30am
Shock (1977; ranked #7546 by 79 users) Playing 12/6 at 2:00am
Silents
Every Sunday night is silent night on TCM, plus there are a few randoms thrown in throughout the month – definitely some obscurities here as well as some favorites.
The Kid (1921; ranked #181 by 1187 users) Playing 12/26 at 3:30am
Haxan (1922; ranked #1079 by 371 users) Playing 12/6 at 3:45am
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925; ranked #2526 by 293 users) Playing 12/20 at 12:00M
The King of Kings (1927; ranked #6632 by 62 users) Playing 12/27 at 12:00M
Her Night of Romance (1924; ranked #9004 by 25 users) Playing 12/14 at 1:00am
Bardelys the Magnificent (1926; ranked #10847 by 20 users) Playing 12/6 at 12:00M
Foreign Language
No discernible theme to the foreign selections this month – I highly recommend the double feature from Eric Rohmer, especially My Night at Maud’s.
Fanny and Alexander (1982; ranked #182 by 996 users) Playing 12/27 at 2:45am
My Night at Maud’s (1969; ranked #1825 by 174 users) Playing 12/21 at 2:30am
La collectionneuse (1967; ranked #3918 by 105 users) Playing 12/21 at 4:30am
Mon Oncle Antoine (1971; ranked #5814 by 79 users) Playing 12/14 at 2:30am
Shock (1977; ranked #7546 by 79 users) Playing 12/6 at 2:00am
Twenty Four Eyes (1954; ranked #8906 by 26 users) Playing 12/7 at 3:30am
Morning for the Osone Family (1946; ranked #19316 by 5 users) Playing 12/7 at 2:00am
Classic Literary Adaptations
I’m not sure I would’ve thought to separate these out, but there’s one mini-marathon devoted to Dickens movies on the 2nd, and how could I not highlight all those great Dickens-David Lean movies? There’s no time like the holiday season for Dickens, and that goes for more than just A Christmas Carol.
Great Expectations (1946; ranked #971 by 807 users) Playing 12/2 at 11:30am
Oliver Twist (1948; ranked #2224 by 309 users) Playing 12/2 at 1:30pm
The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945; ranked #2528 by 242 users) Playing 12/4 at 1:00am
A Tale of Two Cities (1935; ranked #3215 by 212 users) Playing 12/2 at 9:15am
Little Women (1933; ranked #3319 by 202 users) Playing 12/25 at 6:45am
A Christmas Carol (1938; ranked #3757 by 445 users) Playing 12/6 at 8:30am AND 12/11 at 12:00M AND 12/24 at 9:15am
David Copperfield (1935; ranked #4070 by 178 users) Playing 12/2 at 7:00am AND 12/13 at 6:00am
Little Women (1949; ranked #4693 by 129 users) Playing 12/25 at 4:30am
Crime and Punishment (1935) 9488 by 23 users) Playing 12/16 at 8:45am
If You Have Kids
From silents to adventures, from musicals to horse-and-dog stories, and from Shirley Temple to Annie, here are a few films suitable for the whole family. Most of the Christmas movies listed above qualify as well, but they already had their moment in the spotlight.
The Kid (1921; ranked #181 by 1187 users) Playing 12/26 at 3:30am
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938; ranked #278 by 3348 users) Playing 12/5 at 4:00pm
Jason and the Argonauts (1963; ranked #1225 by 1243 users) Playing 12/29 at 6L15pm
Clash of the Titans (1981; ranked #1512 by 3859 users) Playing 12/26 at 12:00N
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958; ranked #1746 by 596 users) Playing 12/29 at 4:30pm
Annie (1982; ranked #3234 by 5051 users) Playing 12/25 at 8:00pm
National Velvet (1945; ranked #4005 by 254 users) Playing 12/12 at 2:15pm
Little Women (1949; ranked #4683 by 129 users) Playing 12/5 4:30am
Curly Top (1935; ranked #10077 by 30 users) Playing 12/26 at 2:00am
Courage of Lassie (1946; ranked #11629 by 32 users) Playing 12/5 at 6:00pm
Movies to See Before You Die
We run a feature on the Flickchart blog called Movies to See Before You Die, focusing on films in the Flickchart Global Top 1000. All these films fit that criteria, so you can use this as a handy checklist as you work your way through Flickchart’s most highly recommended films.
North by Northwest (1959; ranked #22 by 25219 users) Playing 12/9 at 12:15am
12 Angry Men (1957; ranked #47 by 26794 users) Playing 12/16 at 10:30am
Strangers on a Train (1951; ranked #75 by 4828 users) Playing 12/22 at 11:45am
Sunset Boulevard (1950; ranked #80 by 10636 users) Playing 12/5 at 8:00pm
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968; ranked #83 by 54949 users) Playing 12/26 at 2:15pm
The Philadelphia Story (1940; ranked #93 by 2746 users) Playing 12/13 at 4:00pm
Duck Soup (1933; ranked #119 by 5102 users) Playing 12/31 at 6:45pm
Sweet Smell of Success (1957; ranked #151 by 945 users) Playing 12/8 at 10:30pm
Out of the Past (1947; ranked #153 by 1327 users) Playing 12/9 at 8:30am
Charade (1963; ranked #156 by 2599 users) Playing 12/13 at 6:00pm
Anatomy of a Murder (1959; ranked #160 by 1733 users) Playing 12/16 at 5:00pm
Dial M for Murder (1954; ranked #175 by 4625 users) Playing 12/22 at 1:30pm
Bridge on the River Kwai (1957; ranked #177 by 14340 users) Playing 12/26 at 5:00pm
The Kid (1921; ranked #181 by 1187 users) Playing 12/26 at 3:30am
Fanny and Alexander (1982; ranked #182 by 996 users) Playing 12/27 at 2:45am
A Matter of Life and Death (1947; ranked #191 by 533 users) Playing 12/12 at 12:00M
A Night at the Opera (1935; ranked #198 by 2322 users) Playing 12/27 at 6:00am
Mean Streets (1973; ranked #215 by 4790 users) Playing 12/22 at 3:30am
Witness for the Prosecution (1958; ranked #226 by 1360 users) Playing 12/16 at 12:30pm
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966; ranked #247 by 1479 users) Playing 12/8 at 8:00pm AND 12/30 at 5:45pm
In a Lonely Place (1954; ranked #267 by 564 users) Playing 12/5 at 12:00M
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938; ranked #278 by 3348 users) Playing 12/5 at 4:00pm
The Dirty Dozen (1967; ranked #309 by 3694 users) Playing 12/19 at 5:15pm
The Shop Around the Corner (1940; ranked #326 by 884 users) Playing 12/19 at 8:00pm
Animal Crackers (1930; ranked #355 by 1449 users) Playing 12/31 at 2:00pm
The Day the Earth Stood Stilll (1951; ranked #357 by 5699 users) Playing 12/27 at 10:00am
Top Hat (1935; ranked #364 by 995 users) Playing 12/26 at 10:00pm
Wait Until Dark (1967; ranked #437 by 1138 users) Playing 12/27 at 12:00N
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958; ranked #439 by 1497 users) Playing 12/30 at 11:30am
From Here to Eternity (1953; ranked #459 by 1676 users) Playing 12/9 at 9:15pm
East of Eden (1955; ranked #479 by 843 users) Playing 12/26 at 10:00am
The Quiet Man (1952; ranked #480 by 1459 users) Playing 12/6 at 5:30pm
The Circus (1928; ranked #527 by 464 users) Playing 12/15 at 6am
The Lion in Winter (1968; ranked #548 by 1113 users) Playing 12/27 at 5:30pm
Suspicion (1941; ranked #586 by 1008 users) Playing 12/12 at 6:15pm
Doctor Zhivago (1965; ranked #645 by 3596 users) Playing 12/27 at 2:00pm
Ben-Hur (1959; ranked #674 by 15065 users) Playing 12/23 at 6:30am
Horse Features (1932; ranked #697 by 673 users) Playing 12/31 at 5:30pm
Meet Me in St. Louis (1944; ranked #719 by 1212 users) Playing 12/20 at 12:00N
Heavenly Creatures (1994; ranked #745 by 3765 users) Playing 12/7 at 11:45pm
An American in Paris (1951; ranked #764 by 1140 users) Playing 12/6 at 3:30pm
Swing Time (1936; ranked #772 by 476 users) Playing 12/18 at 2:00pm
It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963; ranked #781 by 2432 users) Playing 12/19 at 2:15pm
Monkey Business (1931; ranked #826 by 696 users) Playing 12/31 at 4:00pm
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953; ranked #928 by 910 users) Playing 12/21 at 8:00pm
An Affair to Remember (1957; ranked #954 by 1012 users) Playing 12/27 at 8:00pm
Great Expectations (1946; ranked #971 by 807 users) Playing 12/2 at 11:30am
Jandy’s Hidden Gems
These are a few films that I particularly enjoy that didn’t get what I consider their just due elsewhere in the post.
Lady on a Train (1945; ranked #9814 by 22 users) – At one time singer/actress Deanna Durbin was a bigger star than Judy Garland (the comparison is not random – both girls were under contract consideration at MGM, who ultimately went with Garland but didn’t know what to do with her until three years later and The Wizard of Oz; meanwhile Universal snapped up Durbin and immediately made her a star with Three Smart Girls). This is a rare non-singing role for the charming Durbin, but since her high coloratura is not really in fashion these days, that makes it all the more accessible to modern audiences. Here she’s a fan of detective fiction who gets drawn into a mystery of her own. Playing 12/13 at 8:00pm.
How Green Was My Valley (1941; ranked #1352 by 494 users) – I’ve written before at every opportunity how much I love this film, so I probably should’ve picked something else for my hidden gems this month, but I couldn’t help it. If you still haven’t made time to see this gem of a family drama, please do. It’s not a Christmas movie, but its emphasis on family and the past make it a perfect fit as we near the holidays. Playing 12/20 at 5:30pm.
My Favorite Wife (1940; ranked #2358 by 181 users) – After seven years of being missing you can be declared legally dead – when Cary Grant‘s wife gets shipwrecked for seven years, he takes just that step and prepares to marry his new fiancee. That very night, his wife (Irene Dunne) returns – along with the man (Randolph Scott) she’s been shipwrecked with for those seven years. Innuendo-filled hilarity ensues in one of the most fun entries in the screwball comedy genre. Playing 12/22 at 10:00pm.
The Tender Trap (1955; ranked #8619 by 60 users) – This is playing as part of Frank Sinatra’s Star of the Month programming, but it’s way on down there in the Flickchart rankings, so I wanted to pull it out and give it some love. It’s an admittedly slight comedy made at the height of Sinatra’s career, but it’s a mighty adorable one with Debbie Reynolds doing her best to out-cute Sinatra’s playboy charm. Playing 12/24 at 3:15am.
Men Must Fight (1933; unranked) – I honestly don’t know whether this is any good or not; I haven’t seen it myself. But it’s obscure enough that I had to submit it to the Flickchart database, so I got to read about it a bit while doing that, and it’s definitely my top to-see pick of the month. It’s from 1933, but set in the then-near-future of 1940, when relations with the euphemistically named nation “Eurasia” have deteriorated and war looms. Pretty prophetic, right? Certainly enough to make me curious. Playing 12/15 at 4:45am.
Incredible post as always. Looking forward to filling in a couple of the remaining holes in my Marx Brothers filmography.