Each month, I scour the Turner Classic Movies schedule 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.)
3/11 - Daytime Thrillers
8 AM - Ministry of Fear (1944)
9:45 AM - Lured (1947)
You know you're a classic movie fan when...you consider taking a sick day from work to stay home and watch TCM. Yep, that's what happens when I see a line-up full of interesting films, like this one. I'd especially like to stay home and watch these two London-set thrillers by two directing masters, Fritz Lang and Douglas Sirk. Thank goodness for the DVR.
3/13: Roadshow Musicals, part 1
8 PM - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
10:45 PM - Oliver! (1968)
1:30 AM - Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969)
This month's Friday Night Spotlight is on "Roadshow Musicals." This film trend from the 60s and 70s is a foreign concept to today's movie goers -- these elaborate musicals were given advance openings in major cities with reserved seating and special ticket prices. Some were box office successes, but others flopped so badly they were blamed for bankrupting studios. All three of tonight's films are good, in my opinion, though Goodbye, Mr. Chips was one of the flops. This musical remake of the classic 1939 film changes the story a bit, but maintains the basic plot of a reserved teacher whose unexpected marriage opens him up to the world and his students. This version of Chips is worth seeing for Petula Clark as a vicious actress who eventually becomes "Mrs. Chips." I knew Clark could sing, but could she live up to the role (played to perfection by Greer Garson in 1939)? Turns out, she is delightful and really enlivens the entire film.
On the other hand, the musical adaptation of Oliver Twist was so popular it won the Oscar for Best Picture. I first saw Oliver! as a young child and it was a gateway drug into musical fandom (along with Seven Brides for Seven Brothers). Which may seem odd since the story is about an orphan living in horrible poverty surrounded by misfortune - but the songs, so catchy! I write this as a warning to anyone with small children: watching this film could result in your child becoming a fan of musicals. And speaking of the kids, do yours need some nightmare fuel? Then check out Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, specifically for the Child Catcher, voted by British audiences as one of the most frightening onscreen characters ever. Luckily, in this film about an inventor with a flying car that basically saves the world, he is a minor (but memorable) character.
3/15: Inside the Disney Vault!
8 PM - Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959)
9:45 PM - I Captured the King of the Leprechauns (1959)
10:45 PM - Babes in the Woods (1932)
11 PM - The Story of Animated Drawing (1955)
12 AM - The Three Caballeros (1944)
1:30 AM - Walt & El Grupo (2008)
3:15 AM - The Fighting Prince of Donegal (1966)
In this trip into the Disney Vault, we'll split our time mainly between Ireland and South America. Darby O'Gill and the Fighting Prince of Donegal are live-action films set in Ireland, while the short I Captured the King of the Leprechauns goes into the folklore behind the Darby O'Gill story. Three Caballeros has always been a favorite of mine; Donald Duck's adventure across several countries with his friends Jose and Panchito is just pure fun. The documentary Walt & El Grupo tells the story of Disney's goodwill tour through South America as he and his team collected material for the Caballeros and other films.
3/20: Roadshow Musicals, part 2
10:30 PM - Star! (1968)
1:30 AM - Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)
Tonight's line-up is for the Julie Andrews fans. While her films may not always be winners, I find that Julie is always on her game. For that reason, I'm excited to see Darling Lili for the first time. This musical, in which Julie plays a German spy romancing WWI flying ace Rock Hudson, was one of the big flops of the era. It will be interesting to see if the public and critics got it right at the time, or if this film deserved a bigger audience. One film whose flop status was deserved is Star!, a biopic of British stage star of the 30s and 40s Gertrude Lawrence. Many of the musical numbers are fantastic -- "Jenny" is a real show stopper, truly something to behold -- but the story overall just sags. As someone who owns the Star! soundtrack and has seen this on a big screen, I think I can say with authority that it's for the hardcore only. Do you enjoy camp? (For example, does the image of a sequined-clad Julie riding a zip line through a ring of fire sound like something you NEED to see?) Then this one's for you.
On the other hand, I feel like anyone would enjoy Thoroughly Modern Millie. It's a zany comedy set in the Roaring Twenties with Julie as an independent flapper, guiding her more innocent friend (played by Mary Tyler Moore) through the most up-to-date fashion and dance trends, while also trying to seduce her handsome, but clueless, boss. This one is another gateway drug into musical fandom. You've been warned.
3/24, 9 PM - The In-Laws (1979)
"Serpentine! Serpentine!"
This classic buddy comedy stars Alan Arkin as a father-of-the-bride dragged along on a series of crazy adventures by father-of-the-groom Peter Falk, who claims to be a CIA agent. Arkin's mild-mannered dentist finds himself thrown into an espionage plot complete with shoot outs and shady dictators, causing him to question whether his daughter should be marrying into Falk's family.
BONUS PICK: 3/24, 4:15 AM, Hearts of the West (1975)
I'm intrigued by this comedy starring Jeff Bridges as an aspiring novelist who, through a series of misadventures, ends up in 1930s Hollywood making low-budget Westerns. The cast includes Alan Arkin as a temperamental director, as well as Andy Griffith and Blythe Danner.
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