Classic Movie Picks: January

Each month, I scour the Turner Classic Movies Now Playing guide for upcoming films that I can't miss. The highlights are posted here for your reading and viewing pleasure! (All listed times are Eastern Standard, check your local listings or TCM.com for actual air times in your area. Each day's schedule begins at 6:00 a.m.; if a film airs between midnight and 6 a.m. it is listed on the previous day's programming schedule.)

Thursdays in January - Peter Sellers!
1/6, 5:30 AM - The Wrong Box (1966)
1/13, 3:30 AM - After the Fox (1966)
5:15 AM - The Bobo (1967)
1/27, 8 PM - The Man in the Cocked Hat (1959)
9:45 PM - Being There (1979)
I am so pleased that January's Star of the Month is also one of my favorite stars, Peter Sellers. He is best remembered for his comedic films, whether it be the silliness of the Pink Panther series or the dark comedy of Dr. Strangelove...; but he was equally brilliant in dramatic roles, such as Clare Quilty in Lolita. I could easily recommend any Sellers film, just to see Peter Sellers, so check out the full schedule of his films. However, these five films are the ones I'll be sure to watch - The Wrong Box, After the Fox, and Being There are all hilarious (the latter film combining satire and serenity); and I am excited to see The Bobo and The Man in the Cocked Hat in their TCM premieres.

1/11, 8 PM: Laurel and Hardy Shorts & Features (1929-1935)
As part of a month-long slaute to Hal Roach Studios, TCM will dedicate 24 hours to the iconic comedy team launched by Roach, Laurel and Hardy.
(Read more about Hal Roach Studios here.)

1/12: Luise Rainer's 101st Birthday
8 PM & 11 PM - Luise Rainer: Live from the TCM Classic Film Festival (2010)
8:30 PM - The Good Earth (1937)
11:30 PM - The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
German-born Luise Rainer was the first person to win two Best Actress Academy Awards, and she earned them in consecutive years! This month TCM is celebrating her 101st birthday (yes, she is still alive and kicking!) with the premiere of an interview special filmed at the 2010 TCM Classic Film Festival and 4 of her films, including her two Oscar-winning vehicles. If you are not familiar with her work, I urge you to watch The Good Earth - Rainer is lovely and heart-breaking.

1/15: Palme d'Or Winners
8 PM - Black Orpheus (1959)
10 PM - Missing (1982)
Tonight's lineup features films which received top honors at the Cannes Film Festival. I'm interested in Black Orpheus, an adaptation of the mythological tale of Orpheus and Eurydice set in Brazil during Carnivale, and Missing, a politically-charged drama directed by Costa-Gavras (of the Oscar-winning Z) and starring acting geniuses Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek.

1/18, 8 PM - 1 AM: Screen Directors Playhouse (1955-56)
The Hal Roach Studios tribute continues with 10 episodes of the NBC-TV series Screen Directors Playhouse not seen since they originally aired. Hollywood's A-List stars and directors are featured in these 30 minute dramas and comedies. I'm especially looking forward to "Number Five Checked Out" (10 PM) starring Teresa Wright as a young deaf woman who must confront a gang of crooks, and "Claire" (12 AM) with Angela Lansbury in the story of a woman haunted by her husband's first wife.

1/30, 12 AM - Pandora's Box (1929)
This silent film by German director G.W. Pabst was condemned at the time of its release for its "immoral" sexual contect. It was heavily censored for distribution and little-seen in America. When restored prints surfaced in the 1950s, Pandora's Box was hailed as a masterpiece and since then it has garnered a cult following. The film is notable for its unorthodox presentation of the classic vamp character, the expressionistic use of shadows and light, and the performance of American actress Louise Brooks in her iconic role as Lulu.

1/31: Jean Simmons Day
6:45 AM - Hungry Hill (1947)
8:30 AM - Adam & Evelyne (1949)
10:15 AM - Trio (1950)
12 PM - So Long at the Fair (1950)
1:30 PM - She Couldn't Say No (1954)
3 PM - A Bullet is Waiting (1954)
4:30 PM - Footsteps in the Fog (1955)
6 PM - Life at the Top (1965)
To close out the month we get a day of films starring lovely British actress Jean Simmons (not to be confused with Gene Simmons, the lead singer of KISS who is neither British, nor lovely). The lineup includes many of her lesser-known films and my top pick is So Long at the Fair, a unique psychological thriller/mystery set during the 1889 Paris World's Fair co-starring young Dirk Bogarde.

Next month: 30 Days of Oscar!
Happy New Year everyone!