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.)
11/10: Norma Shearer in the 30s
8 PM - Private Lives (1931)
9:30 PM - A Free Soul (1931)
11:15 PM - Let Us Be Gay (1930)
12:45 PM - The Divorcee (1930)
Norma Shearer is an actress I had never really heard of before I became a regular TCM-watcher, which is surprising considering the heights of her popularity during the 1930s. Costumed in slinky gowns by Adrian, she was an epitome of the glamorous Hollywood star. I think tonight's line up of films from 1930-31 represents a high point for her, evidenced by the Best Actress Academy Award she won in 1930. Shearer started her career during the silent era, but had no trouble transitioning to talkies and soon became the "Queen of MGM" -- a title she earned through her box office popularity, not simply because she was also the wife of MGM production chief Irving Thalberg. In fact, Thalberg almost didn't cast Shearer in her Oscar-winning role; he thought she wasn't sexy enough to play the title character of The Divorcee (what that says about their marriage, I'm not sure...). Shearer had a photographer take some shots of her in alluring poses which finally convinced Thalberg that she could pull off the role. Shearer's films during this "pre-code" period often dealt frankly with sexuality, which might account in part for their popularity with audiences; however, by today's standards the scandalous storylines seem a bit tame. In The Divorcee Shearer's character is branded as a sexually liberated "adventuress" by simply dating a string of men following her divorce -- mind you, she's not sleeping with any of them, just going to nightclubs and accepting expensive jewelry. Enjoy the films tonight for their glamour, wit, sexiness, and star power -- provided by handsome co-stars like Clark Gable and Robert Montgomery, but largely by Shearer herself.
11/13: Bob's Picks Double Feature
1 AM - The Wrong Box (1966)
3 AM - Make Mine Mink (1960)
TCM host Robert Osborne has chosen to program two wacky British comedies, one which I've seen and one that I haven't. The Wrong Box is a film I recommend at every opportunity because it's simply one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. Set in Victorian England, the story centers on two elderly brothers who plot to kill each other in order to inherit a large fortune. The farce builds at a frantic pace, combining witty dialogue with visual gags and physical comedy. John Mills, Ralph Richardson, Peter Sellers, Dudley Moore, Peter Cook, and Michael Caine are just the most recognizable names among the large cast. Make Mine Mink combines the comedy with a heist plot, which is pretty much impossible for me to resist. Terry-Thomas stars as an ex-military man who leads his neighbors at a boarding house as they hatch a scheme to raise money for charity by stealing mink coats.
11/16: Starring Victor Mature
8 PM - My Darling Clementine (1946)
10 PM - Kiss of Death (1947)
12 AM - The Egyptian (1954)
2:30 AM - Million Dollar Mermaid (1952)
4:30 AM - Easy Living (1949)
Handsome and brawny, Victor Mature is well-known for sword-and-sandal epics like Samson and Delilah and The Robe; however, tonight's line-up shows his versatility with roles in a western, noir, sports drama, even an Esther Williams "aquamusical." No matter the role, Mature stands out for his intense, striking presence and subtle performance. I haven't seen a lot of his films, in fact of these five I've only seen Mermaid (go figure, it's the only musical of the bunch); but I've never seen Mature give a bad performance. Off screen, he was self-deprecating about his acting ability. However, his films stand as proof that he was one of the most dynamic actors of his era.
11/23, 1 AM - What a Way to Go! (1964)
My favorite classic movie star Gene Kelly had a November birthday, so I wanted to pick one of his films this month. He's not the star of What a Way to Go! -- that's Shirley MacLaine as a wealthy widow recounting her experiences with four husbands who found success and riches, but met tragic ends. If you haven't seen it, I won't spoil the fun casting except to say that Kelly appears as one MacLaine's husbands doing a parody of his own image and his famous movie musical roles. Of course, the two stars get a dance number together, too!
11/28, 4 AM - All the Marbles (1981)
I'll say up front that I haven't seen this movie and considering that it involves women's wrestling, I'm coming in very dubious. However, the female sports film is a genre with few entries and as a woman who spent many years playing various sports, I'm interested in these stories. In All the Marbles, Peter Falk plays a streetwise survivor and showman who manages a wrestling tag team called the California Dolls, played by Vicki Frederick and Laurene Landon, all the way to the championships in Reno. I'd watch Falk in anything. Director Robert Aldrich made one of my favorite films, The Dirty Dozen, and had success with another sports film, The Longest Yard. The costumes were even designed by the legendary Bob Mackie. However, I'm really interested to see how this film compares to other films of the genre such as Million Dollar Baby and A League of Their Own which focus on the sometimes paternal, sometimes romantic, relationships between the female athletes and their male managers. I'm really crossing my fingers that it's just not completely cringe-worthy.
11/30: Satyajit Ray - Apu and More
8 PM - Pather Panchali (1956) + short Restoring the Apu Trilogy
10:15 PM - Aparajito (1957)
12:15 AM - Apur Sansar (1959)
2:15 AM - Satyajit Ray (1982)
4:45 AM - The Music Room (1958)
Indian director Satyajit Ray is best known for his acclaimed "Apu Trilogy" -- Pather Panchali, Aparajito, and Apur Sansar. A restored version of the three films was released earlier this year by Criterion, so if, like me, you've never seen Ray's films now seems like the perfect time. Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road) follows a poor Indian family -- from children Apu and Durga to an elderly great-aunt -- as they struggle to survive through money troubles, monsoons, and illness. Aparajito (The Unvanquished) picks up the story of Apu as he comes of age and his mother grapples with sending him away to attend school. The third film, Apur Sansar (The World of Apu), shows Apu as a young adult confronting marriage and fatherhood. As a bonus, tonight's line up also includes a documentary about Ray and a non-Apu film, The Music Room. Thought by some to be Ray's greatest work, The Music Room is the story of an aristocrat unable and unwilling to acknowledge his dwindling fortunes. Ray's work is praised for its realistic portrayals of the lives of everyday Indians and not shying away from showing people in poverty. His films offer a stark contrast to the over-the-top spectacle of Bollywood cinema. I look forward to this chance to broaden my film education and become more familiar with Ray's work.
