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.)

1/6: The Stranger (1:15 PM) - This Orson Welles film from 1946 is the one that nobody seems to mention when they talk about his directing career. Loretta Young plays a school teacher who suspects that her husband may be an escaped Nazi war criminal. Edward G. Robinson and Welles also star. Worth checking out if you are a fan of his other films.

1/8: In honor of Elvis Presley's birthday, TCM is showing a day of movies starring the King himself. Yes, the plots may be corny and the songs are sometimes silly, but any of Elvis's movies are worth seeing simply because of Elvis! He is an undeniably charismatic and likable performer and great fun to watch whenever he starts to sing (which in these films is quite often). If you can't spare an entire day, here's the best of the bunch (in my opinion): Girl Happy (1:00 PM), Blue Hawaii (4:30 PM), Viva Las Vegas (6:15 PM). And in primetime, you can see two concert films, Elvis on Tour and and newly restored version of Elvis: That's The Way It Is.

1/17: When you hear the name Alec Guinness, you may think "serious British actor" or, more likely, "Obi Wan Kenobi." So you may not be familiar with Alec Guinness the comedian. In Kind Hearts and Coronets (10 AM), a young man sets out dispatch every heir who stands between him and the family fortune. The versatile Guinness plays all the unfortunate relatives, 8 roles in all! Guinness's contemporary Peter Sellers is better known for playing multiple roles within the same movie (Dr. Strangelove..., The Mouse that Roared), but here Guinness proves that he is Sellers's peer in every respect.
This month you can also see Guinness, starring alongside Peter Sellers, planning to rob a little old lady in the classic comedy The Ladykillers (1/25, 3:15 PM). If you were unimpressed with the recent remake by the usually excellent Coen brothers, I would urge you to watch the original. In case you were wondering, the earlier film contains no Irritable Bowel Syndrome jokes.

Happy New Year and happy movie watching!