Classic Movie Picks: March

by Lani

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.)

3/4, 12 PM – Between Two Worlds (1944)
This fantasy story about 10 passengers on a boat to the afterlife is a unique example of the World War II-era “communal effort” film, in which people from disparate backgrounds must band together for a common goal – in this case reaching the hereafter. The cast includes John Garfield and Eleanor Parker in early lead performances.

3/6, 10 PM – The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother (1975)
This film introduces us to Sigerson Holmes, the little-known younger brother of Sherlock, who feels he must constantly prove himself to be smarter than his famous brother. Sigerson is played by Gene Wilder, who also wrote and directed this film. His solemn need to outdo Sherlock (just once in his life!) would be enough to make me laugh, but the presence of the sublimely funny Madeline Kahn pretty much guarantees it.

3/10, 6 PM – Living in a Big Way (1947)
Gene Kelly is probably my all-time favorite movie star. So, while I love watching his famous musicals over and over again, I also like discovering his lesser-known films like this early “semi-musical” about a returning GI getting to know his war bride. Though the film was not originally intended to be a musical, Kelly and enlisted Stanley Donen to help create 3 inventive musical numbers, including one in which Kelly “duets” with a dog.
BONUS: 3/14, 9 AM – The Cross of Lorraine (1944)
Another Kelly “deep cut,” this film about Allied POWs in France allowed Gene to stretch his dramatic chops in a non-dancing role.

3/13: Saint Joan
8 PM – Joan of Arc (1948) starring Ingrid Bergman
10:30 PM – Saint Joan (1957) starring Jean Seberg
12:30 AM – The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) starring Renee Falconetti
2 AM – Le Proces de Jeanne d’Arc (1962) starring Florence Carrez
Tonight’s schedule appeals to the film nerd in me - 4 different approaches to the same basic story, starring 4 diverse actresses portraying the same historical figure. Any film students out there in need of a term paper topic? How about “Saint or Sinner: Depictions of Joan of Arc in Film” - you can do the bulk of the research in one night! I’m particularly interested in The Passion of Joan of Arc, a silent film directed by Carl Dreyer. Renee Falconetti’s performance as Joan is still celebrated for its emotional intensity and it is almost all achieved through close-ups of her face.
BONUS: 3/13, 3:15 AM - The Story of Mankind (1957)
When scientists develop a world-destroying weapon, The Spirit of Man (Ronald Colman) must argue before The Supreme Tribunal in favor of the survival of the human race. The film is ultimately a hodge-podge of sketches about historical events, but it’s worth a watch for the eclectic cast of Hollywood stars – including Hedy Lamarr as Joan of Arc, Francis X. Bushman as Moses, Dennis Hopper as Napoleon, and Harpo Marx as Isaac Newton.

3/19, 6 AM – The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964)
In this musical biography, Debbie Reynolds plays Molly Brown, an orphan who set out to find a rich husband, struck gold in Colorado, and then made headlines as a survivor of the sinking of the Titanic. Reynolds had to fight for this role, the studio and director initially wanted Shirley MacLaine; however, she proved she was the perfect choice when Molly Brown became a big hit and earned several Oscar nominations, including Best Actress for Debbie (the only nomination of her career).

3/29, 8 PM – Dinner at Eight (1934)
With this film about a classy dinner party gone awry producer David O. Selznick set out to surpass 1932’s all-star showcase Grand Hotel, produced by MGM’s previous head of production Irving Thalberg. Jean Harlow (TCM’s Star of the Month for March) nearly steals the film among a cast which included Marie Dressler, Wallace Beery, Billie Burke, and 2 Barrymores – Lionel & John. Selznick and director George Cukor championed relative newcomer Harlow for the part of a brassy wife of a tycoon and it paid off. This film made Harlow, and her white satin evening dress, a huge star.

3/29: Pete & Dud
2:45 AM – 30 is a Dangerous Age, Cynthia (1967)
4:15 AM - The Bed Sitting Room (1969)
This double feature showcases the talents of former comedy partners Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. 30 is a Dangerous Age… is a comedy about a man who tries to achieve his dreams – writing a musical & getting married – in the 6 weeks leading up to his 30th birthday. In addition to starring in the film, Moore wrote the original story and also composed and conducted the music. This film may have been an attempt by Moore to come out of the shadow of his partnership with Cook, their best-known film Bedazzled came out the previous year. Moore and Cook reunited in The Bed Sitting Room, a surreal farce about the aftermath of World War III.

3/31, 10:30 PM – The Last of Sheila (1973)
A must for mystery fans, this complex whodunit set among the California jet-set, was a flop at the box-office, but has since acquired a cult following. Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim and actor Anthony Perkins co-wrote the screenplay, drawing upon their shared love of game-playing and puzzles.