December 2005 – Bing Crosby

Thursday December 1 – Woody Allen’s 70^th Birthday

Andy Hardy & Nancy Drew films

8:00 PM Woody Allen: A Life in Film (2002) – A TCM original documentary

12:30 AM Zelig (1983) – Before Forrest Gump (1994) there was the chameleon Zelig!

2:00 AM Shadows And Fog (1992) – a TCM premiere!

3:30 AM Play it Again Sam (1972) – one of his best films?

Friday December 2 – Guest Programmer: Isaac Mizrahi

Warren William (several as Perry Mason) day

6:15 PM Gold Diggers Of 1933 (1933)

8:00 PM Dinner At Eight (1933)

10:00 PM The Red Shoes (1948)

12:30 AM All This And Heaven Too (1940)

3:00 AM La Dolce Vita (1960) – this highly regarded film by director Federico Fellini stars Marcello Mastroianni as a society column newspaper writer who has many adventures into the lifestyles of the rich and famous; his photographer is named Paparazzo which is the source of the word "paparazzi". One particular evening includes his pursuit of a famous blonde actress played by Anita Ekberg. The film won an Oscar for Best B&W Costume Design and was nominated for three others including for Fellini’s direction and his (co-written) screenplay. Anouk Aimee (A Man and a Woman (1966)) among others also appears.

Saturday December 3 – Costumes by Edith Head

6:00 AM These Three (1936)

9:30 AM The Major and the Minor (1942)

6:00 PM Charade (1963) – an entertaining romp pairing Audrey Hepburn with Cary Grant in a comedy mystery that includes some other named actors in humorous roles: Walter Matthau James Coburn & George Kennedy. Directed by Stanley Donen.

8:00 PM Vertigo (1958) – this week’s TCM Essential

10:15 PM The Joker Is Wild (1957) – a TCM premiere!

12:30 AM Roman Holiday (1953)

5:00 AM Sweet Charity (1969) – an all new full review!

Sunday December 4 – A Glimmer of Hope

10:00 AM Funny Face (1957) – Fred Astaire plays a much older photographer than Audrey Hepburn’s character but that doesn’t keep a romance between them from blossoming when Astaire’s character "discovers" Hepburn’s making her a famous model the world over. Directed by Stanley Donen this average musical features several George & Ira Gershwin tunes as well as one of Kay Thompson’s three on-screen roles. It received four secondary Academy Award nominations for: Art Direction-Set Decoration Cinematography (Ray June’s last of three unrewarded) one of Edith Head’s many & Hubert de Givenchy’s only for Costume Design and Leonard Gershe’s only for his Story and Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.

12:00 PM Spellbound (1945)

2:00 PM Imitation Of Life (1959) – though vastly inferior to the 1934 version with Claudette Colbert & Louise Beavers this film is still probably worth your time. This one stars Lana Turner and Juanita Moore’s Oscar nominated performance. Susan Kohner who plays Moore’s daughter was also nominated; syrupy Sandra Dee plays Turner’s. John Gavin Robert Alda and Troy Donahue also appear in this Douglas Sirk directed soap opera.

4:15 PM Adam’s Rib (1949)

6:00 PM Vertigo (1958) – TCM Essential repeat

8:15 PM The Facts of Life (1960) – a TCM premiere!

10:15 PM They Got Me Covered (1943) – a TCM premiere!

12:00 AM The Rag Man (1925) – full review!

1:15 AM Exit Smiling (1926) – an all new full review!

2:30 AM Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)

4:30 AM It Should Happen To You (1954) – full review!

Monday December 5 – Bing Crosby TCM’s Star of the Month

Fritz Lang’s & Otto Preminger’s birthday

6:30 AM Fury (1936)

8:15 AM Rancho Notorious (1952)

9:45 AM Clash By Night (1952) – blah

1:00 PM While The City Sleeps (1956) – an all new full review!

6:00 PM The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955)

9:30 PM Pennies From Heaven (1936) – a TCM premiere!

2:15 AM The Princess And The Pirate (1944) – a TCM premiere!

5:30 AM My Favorite Brunette (1947) – a TCM premiere!

Tuesday December 6 – See the Original: First Time Offenders

7:00 AM The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)

8:30 AM Mrs. Parkington (1944)

10:45 AM Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945) – full review!

12:45 PM Dark Passage (1947) – one of the four great Bogie & Bacall pairings. This film noir has Bogart as a man falsely accused of murdering his wife he escapes and searches for the real killer with help from Bacall and trouble from Agnes Moorehead.

2:45 PM Johnny Belinda (1948)

10:15 PM Scarface (1932)

12:00 AM Cape Fear (1962) – I haven’t seen the updated version of this one yet but I did really enjoy this version which stars Gregory Peck & Robert Mitchum (though it is hard to watch at times). Also with Polly Bergen Martin Balsam even Telly Savalas. #61 on AFI’s 100 Most Heart-Pounding Movies list. Mitchum’s Max Cady was voted #28 villain by AFI.

2:00 AM The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)

4:00 AM The Ladykillers (1955)

Wednesday December 7 – Eli Wallach’s 90^th Birthday & Pearl Harbor (like 9/11 never forget!)

hidden theme: historical dramas about Queens

6:30 AM Marie Antoinette (1938) – full review!

9:00 AM Queen Christina (1933)

11:00 AM The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)

1:00 PM Young Bess (1953) – full review!

3:00 PM Mary of Scotland (1936) – This historical drama features Katharine Hepburn in the title role with Florence Eldridge playing her rival Queen Elizabeth I. It was directed by John Ford; the Maxwell Anderson (All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)) play was given a screenplay treatment by Dudley Nichols (The Informer (1935)). Fredric March plays the dashing Earl of Bothwell opposite Douglas Walton’s Lord Darnley. John Carradine plays Mary’s trusty aide Rizzio while Robert Barrat plays Lord Morton. Ian Keith Moroni Olsen Alan Mowbray and Donald Crisp (among others) also play supporting roles.

5:30 PM The Lion In Winter (1968)

8:00 PM The Magnificent Seven (1960)

10:15 PM The Misfits (1961) – Clark Gable’s and Marilyn Monroe’s last film; Gable’s exhausting effort on-screen wrestling with horses and off (putting up with Monroe’s "antics") probably contributed to Gable’s fatal heart attack. John Huston directs this story written by one of Monroe’s husbands (Arthur Miller). A modern western about this dying way of life really also features a post-"auto accident" Montgomery Clift a terrifically cynical (as always) Thelma Ritter and Eli Wallach.

12:30 AM How the West Was Won (1962)

3:30 AM Baby Doll (1956)

5:30 AM Festival of Shorts #13 (1998) – some delightful Holiday shorts including Jackie Cooper’s The Christmas Party (1931) with Norma Shearer helping him gain the use of an MGM set for a large party with his friends hosted & served by several of the studio’s stars including Clark Gable Lionel Barrymore and Jimmy Durante as Santa Claus!

Thursday December 8 – Ernest Lehman’s Birthday

6:00 AM Destry Rides Again (1939)

8:00 AM The Rare Breed (1966) – fairly unexciting (and thankfully not too long) Western about a British widow played by Maureen O’Hara and her daughter played by Juliet Mills who bring their Hereford bull to America claiming it’s a superior breed. James Stewart miscast for his age at the time (nearly 60!) is the cattle puncher who is hired to transport the bull to its breeder played by an unrecognizable (per a ridiculous red beard) Brian Keith. Of course the trip doesn’t go smoothly the value of the new breed is questioned (is it hardy enough to survive in "our" West?) by "us" ignorant Americans but all turns out well in the end. Jack Elam Ben Johnson and Harry Carey Jr. lend their support

9:45 AM The Sundowners (1960)

12:00 PM Black Narcissus (1947) – Deborah Kerr plays a nun sent to a remote hilltop in the Himalayas to establish a convent on the site of an "ancient" brothel. She is assisted by a local Prince (Sabu) who craves an education and a handsome English government official (David Ferrer) while she struggles against the jealousy of a local beauty (Jean Simmons!) and a straying nun (Kathleen Byron). Breathtaking cinematography and color despite the dull plodding story; won Oscars for its Color Art Direction-Set Decoration and Cinematography. Flora Robson Jenny Laird and Judith Furse also appear.

1:45 PM 49th Parallel (1941)

8:00 PM Sabrina (1954)

10:00 PM Executive Suite (1954)

12:00 AM North By Northwest (1959)

2:30 AM Family Plot (1976) – not one of Hitchcock’s better films but still watchable

4:45 AM Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956)

Friday December 9 – Tuberculosis Night

Kirk Douglas’s birthday

7:00 AM The Strange Love Of Martha Ivers (1946) – interesting early Kirk Douglas against type with Barbara Stanwyck and Van Heflin

9:00 AM Out of the Past (1947)

10:45 AM Lust For Life (1956)

1:00 PM Paths Of Glory (1957)

2:30 PM The Devil’s Disciple (1959) – unusual historical drama with Douglas Burt Lancaster and Laurence Olivier

4:00 PM The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)

6:00 PM Two Weeks In Another Town (1962) – only fair but an all new capsule review!

9:30 PM Three Godfathers (1936)

11:00 PM The Citadel (1938)

Saturday December 10 – Produced by Alexander Korda

6:00 AM Pride Of The Marines (1945) – full review!

8:00 AM Touch Of Evil (1958)

10:00 AM A Christmas Carol (1938) – a short and sweet telling of Charles Dickens’ classic tale. This one features Reginald Owen as Scrooge and Gene Lockhart as Bob Cratchit. Also appearing are Kathleen Lockhart Leo G. Carroll Ann Rutherford and June Lockhart makes her screen debut.

12:00 PM Sitting Bull (1954) – a TCM premiere!

2:00 PM Rebecca (1940)

4:15 PM National Velvet (1944)

8:00 PM The Third Man (1949) – this week’s TCM Essential

10:00 PM The Four Feathers (1939) – a TCM premiere and an all new essential (capsule) review!

12:15 AM The Scarlet Pimpernel (1935) – a TCM premiere!

2:00 AM The Thief of Bagdad (1940) – an all new capsule review!

4:15 AM Vacation From Marriage (1945) – an all new full review!

Sunday December 11 – Directed by Carl Reiner Starring Steve Martin

6:00 AM The Corn Is Green (1945)

8:00 AM Now Voyager (1942)

12:00 PM Ball Of Fire (1941) – an all new full review!

2:00 PM Christmas In Connecticut (1945) – I was reminded of Man’s Favorite Sport? (1964) with Rock Hudson when I first saw this favorite of many for the first time last year on TCM. Barbara Stanwyck plays a fake Martha Stewart-like woman who’s "forced" to portray the character of her creation when her unknowing publisher (Sydney Greenstreet in a most untypical role) bullies her into hosting a soldier (Dennis Morgan) for Christmas as a circulation boosting gimmick. S. Z. Sakall steals every scene he’s in as her "Uncle" Felix.

4:00 PM A Christmas Story (1983) – this holiday classic stars Peter Billingsley as a boy who wants a BB gun for Christmas and his somewhat wacky family which includes Darren McGavin as his father and Melinda Dillon as his mother.

6:00 PM The Third Man (1949) – TCM Essential repeat

8:00 PM All Of Me (1984) – a TCM premiere!

10:00 PM Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (1982) – though not a good movie it’s fun to try and identify the classic film noir clips used by director Carl Reiner in this comedy starring Steve Martin and the always sexy Rachel Ward.

4:00 AM The Little Foxes (1941)

Monday December 12 – Bing Crosby TCM’s Star of the Month

Frank Sinatra’s birthday

6:00 AM Anchors Aweigh (1945) – an all new capsule review!

8:30 AM On the Town (1949) – an all new capsule review!

4:00 PM Suddenly (1954)

8:00 PM Road to Morocco (1942) – one of the better Bing Crosby-Bob Hope "Road" films Best Writing Oscar nomination with Dorothy Lamour & Anthony Quinn. Added to the National Film Registry in 1996.

9:30 PM Road to Utopia (1946) – an all new capsule review!

Tuesday December 13 – See the Original: Scare Tactics

6:00 AM A Woman Rebels (1936) – early Katharine Hepburn that’s not bad; plus an all new full review!

11:00 AM 3:10 To Yuma (1957)

1:00 PM Act Of Violence (1949) – so so read my full review!

2:30 PM H.M. Pulham Esq. (1941) – pretty good not great

4:45 PM The Secret Land (1948) – interesting Antarctica documentary; an all new full review!

6:00 PM Possessed (1947) – full review!

8:00 PM King Kong (1933)

9:45 PM I’m King Kong (2005) – really good all new documentary about the fascinating life of Merian C. Cooper the great ape’s creator and his many adventures.

11:00 PM The Haunting (1963) – This horror classic earned the director (producer) Robert Wise a Golden Globe nomination. It stars Julie Harris Clair Bloom Richard Johnson and Russ Tamblyn among others.

1:00 AM Psycho (1960)

3:00 AM Sabotage (1936)

4:30 AM Rope (1948) – technical achievement not much more in this Hitchcock despite James Stewart

Wednesday December 14 – 24 Hours of Shakespeare

6:00 AM Silent Shakespeare (1908) – a TCM premiere!

9:00 AM Othello (1922) – a TCM premiere!

10:30 AM A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1935) – plodding Warner Bros. adaptation of Shakespeare’s tale about a love quadrangle (Dick Powell Ross Alexander Olivia de Havilland & Jean Muir) that’s complicated by a careless fairy (Mickey Rooney); a subplot involves a ham acting troupe (which includes James Cagney) that plays for the Duke (Ian Hunter). The film won Oscars for Cinematography & Editing and received nominations for Best Picture & Assistant Director. Many other recognizable stars appear including Joe E. Brown Victor Jory Hobart Cavanaugh Grant Mitchell Frank McHugh Arthur Treacher and Anita Louise.

1:00 PM As You Like It (1936) – nearly unwatchable film version of Shakespeare’s comedy about a young woman (Elisabeth Bergner) who disguises herself as a man to win the attention of the one she loves (Laurence Olivier). See Olivier wrestle!

3:00 PM Romeo And Juliet (1936)

5:30 PM Julius Caesar (1953)

8:00 PM Henry V (1944) – Olivier won a special Oscar for his writing his direction and his playing the title role in his production of Shakespeare’s story. He had received two nominations Best Actor & Best Picture; the film’s Art Direction & Score were also nominated. Too dull for my tastes.

10:30 PM Hamlet (1948) – a TCM premiere!

1:15 AM Othello (1965) – a TCM premiere!

4:15 AM Orson Welles: The Tragedy of Othello The Moor of Venice (1952) – though highly thought of I couldn’t stay awake watching this Cannes Film Festival winner from Orson Welles.

Thursday December 15 – Alternative Shakespeare

6:00 AM Scarface (1932)

8:00 AM Jezebel (1938)

10:00 AM The Secret Heart (1946) – so so; full review!

12:00 PM Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (1958)

4:15 PM Sweet Charity (1969) – dated but fun; full review!

7:00 PM Private Screenings: Shirley MacLaine (2003) – very good!

8:00 PM The Man From Laramie (1955) – slighty better than average; an all new full review!

10:00 PM West Side Story (1961)

12:45 AM Forbidden Planet (1956)

2:30 AM Kiss Me Kate (1953)

4:30 AM Throne of Blood (1957) – a four star classic by director Akira Kurosawa; check out the bizarre old woman in the woods.

Friday December 16 – Kaye Chronicles

2:00 PM The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)

8:00 PM The Court Jester (1956) – beautiful color production – a four star comedy that was added to the National Film Registry in 2004. It’s #98 on AFI’s 100 Funniest Movies list. Starring Danny Kaye in the title role (who must remember that "The pellet with the poison’s in the vessel with the pestle. The chalice from the palace has the brew that is true.") it also features Glynis Johns as his assistant/love interest Basil Rathbone as his foe and Angela Lansbury as a Princess who falls for him among others.

10:00 PM Up In Arms (1944) – a TCM premiere!

12:00 AM The Kid From Brooklyn (1946) – a TCM premiere!

3:30 AM Wuthering Heights (1939)

Saturday December 17 – Sides of Mayo

9:30 AM Festival of Shorts #13 (1998) – some delightful Holiday shorts including Jackie Cooper’s The Christmas Party (1931) with Norma Shearer helping him gain the use of an MGM set for a large party with his friends hosted & served by several of the studio’s stars including Clark Gable Lionel Barrymore and Jimmy Durante as Santa Claus!

12:00 PM Blood On The Moon (1949) – O.K. full review!

1:30 PM I’m King Kong (2005) – really good all new documentary about the fascinating life of Merian C. Cooper the great ape’s creator and his many adventures.

2:30 PM King Kong (1933)

4:15 PM Tarzan The Ape Man (1932) – the original the classic featuring Johnny Weissmuller in the title role Maureen O’Sullivan as Jane C. Aubrey Smith as her father & Neil Hamilton as her boyfriend. Directed by W.S. Van Dyke and based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs novel.

6:00 PM The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

8:00 PM White Heat (1949) – this week’s TCM Essential

10:00 PM The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946)

1:00 AM A Song Is Born (1948) – a TCM premiere!

3:00 AM Colorado Territory (1949) – O.K. an all new full review!

4:45 AM Seven Days Ashore (1944) – though not insufferable not particularly amusing either; an all new full review!

Sunday December 18 – Early Adopters

6:00 AM The Man Who Came To Dinner (1942)

8:00 AM Little Women (1933)

12:00 PM Meet Me In St. Louis (1944)

4:00 PM Father Goose (1964)

6:00 PM White Heat (1949) – TCM Essential repeat

8:00 PM 3 Godfathers (1948) – A most unusual film and a remake of William Wyler’s Hell’s Heroes (1930) with Charles Bickford & Three Godfathers (1936) about three outlaws trying to get away from the law and find water that happen upon a dying about-to-be mother and then inspired make it their job to care for the newborn in the spirit of the Three Wise Men. John Wayne stars in this version by director John Ford. Harry Carey Jr. Ward Bond Jane Darwell Ben Johnson and Guy Kibbee also appear.

10:00 PM Boys’ Town (1938)

12:00 AM The Kid (1921) – one of Chaplin’s very best films features Jackie Coogan in the title role. The tramp (Chaplin) finds an abandoned baby cares for it and raises it. Now a youngster (Coogan) the boy helps the tramp survive in poverty in the creative ways of his "parent". One day however the kid is taken from his "adoptive" father to be returned to the now successful woman (Edna Purviance) who abandoned him. Some classic comic scenes with tear-jerking moments.

1:00 AM Oliver Twist (1948) – An outstanding British adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel by director David Lean who also co-wrote the screenplay. Alec Guinness stars as Fagin Robert Newton as Bill Sykes Kay Walsh as Nancy and John Howard Davies as the title character. Also Francis Sullivan plays Mr. Bumble the tyrannical orphanage employee who terrorizes the young lad; Henry Stephenson the wealthy Mr. Brownlow who rescues him. Anthony Newley plays the Artful Dodger.

3:00 AM Bachelor Mother (1939) – an all new essential full review!

Monday December 19 – Bing Crosby TCM’s Star of the Month

10:00 AM The Fugitive (1947) – this film by director John Ford stars Henry Fonda as a priest an outlawed profession in Mexico trying to survive and avoid capture while attempting to serve the Christians in the country. Dolores Del Rio plays a woman who helps him; Pedro Armendariz plays the law that pursues him. J. Carrol Naish plays a transient that helps then betrays him; Leo Carrillo plays the chief of police; Robert Armstrong plays another policeman; Ward Bond plays an escaped con he comes across & John Qualen plays a doctor who helps him. Mel Ferrer appears uncredited as another priest.

6:00 PM Deep Valley (1947) – not so good; an all new full review!

8:00 PM Going My Way (1944)

10:15 PM The Bells Of St. Mary’s (1945)

12:30 AM Here Comes the Groom (1951) – a TCM premiere!

4:15 AM Cry Terror! (1958) – compelling for a time before it loses all credibility; full review!

Tuesday December 20 – See the Original: Firsts

Irene Dunne’s birthday

7:30 AM The Great Lover (1931) – average; an all new full review!

9:00 AM No Other Woman (1933) – also rather average; an all new full review!

4:00 PM Love Affair (1939)

5:30 PM The White Cliffs Of Dover (1944) – pretty darn good; full review!

8:00 PM Father Of The Bride (1950)

10:00 PM Yours Mine And Ours (1968) – nothing special; an all new capsule review!

12:00 AM The Shop Around The Corner (1940)

2:00 AM Sabrina (1954)

4:00 AM The Thing From Another World (1951)

5:30 AM Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) – this is a sci-fi film which holds up today who can forget the ending with Kevin McCarthy! Directed by Don Siegel it was added to the National Film Registry in 1994.

Wednesday December 21 – Starring Randolph Scott

7:00 AM Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool (2004) – pretty good!

8:00 PM & 11:00 PM Budd Boetticher "A Man Can Do That " (2005) – a TCM premiere of the all new documentary about Budd Boetticher

9:30 PM Seven Men From Now (1956) – a TCM premiere!

12:30 AM The Last of the Mohicans (1936) – a TCM premiere!

2:15 AM Western Union (1941) – average

Thursday December 22 – Christmas Classics

unannounced salute to Robert Stack

12:45 PM The Last Voyage (1960) – Co-produced (with his wife?) directed and written by Andrew Stone (Julie (1956)) this average drama details the sinking of a cruise ship 12 years before The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and the rash of disaster films released in the early 70’s. It earned a Best Effects Special Effects Oscar in part because it used a real (retired) ship as the backdrop to the story. Robert Stack and Dorothy Malone play the married couple with a child that are the center of the story around which the sinking revolves. Of course the decisions its Captain (George Sanders) makes throughout are integral as well. Edmond O’Brien plays the ship’s engineer who questions the "retiring" Captain’s every decision; Woody Strode plays a strong crewman who helps the couple.

2:30 PM The Tarnished Angels (1957) – I watched this Douglas Sirk soap opera based on the William Faulkner novel when it premiered on TCM last March because Maltin’s guide gave it 3 ½ (out of 4) stars. Well even Leonard can’t be right all the time. Robert Stack plays a former World War I flying ace who only finds work now in air shows racing around pylons. Dorothy Malone plays his too attractive for "his" own good wife especially with Rock Hudson around. Jack Carson is his socially dim-witted too old to still be attractive longtime friend & mechanic. The three (four with Stack’s & Malone’s 10 year old son) barely get by financially as they travel the country with Stack’s stunts providing their only means. Hudson plays a reporter in the town they’re currently in who finds a "how the mighty have fallen" story in the tension these three adults exude. Robert Middleton plays Stack’s former boss now competitor and soon to be partner through circumstances he can’t avoid. Interesting but average. None of the character’s are particularly credible and none of the acting performances are memorable either (though Malone is beautiful even in B&W).

6:00 PM To Be or Not to Be (1942)

8:00 PM A Christmas Story (1983) – this holiday classic stars Peter Billingsley as a boy who wants a BB gun for Christmas and his somewhat wacky family which includes Darren McGavin as his father and Melinda Dillon as his mother.

10:00 PM Holiday Affair (1950)

1:15 AM Meet John Doe (1941)

5:30 AM Festival of Shorts #13 (1998) – some delightful Holiday shorts including Jackie Cooper’s The Christmas Party (1931) with Norma Shearer helping him gain the use of an MGM set for a large party with his friends hosted & served by several of the studio’s stars including Clark Gable Lionel Barrymore and Jimmy Durante as Santa Claus!

Friday December 23 – Robert Osborne’s Christmas Picks

10:00 PM A Christmas Carol (1938) – a short and sweet telling of Charles Dickens’ classic tale. This one features Reginald Owen as Scrooge and Gene Lockhart as Bob Cratchit. Also appearing are Kathleen Lockhart Leo G. Carroll Ann Rutherford and June Lockhart makes her screen debut.

1:30 AM Since You Went Away (1944)

4:30 AM Beyond Tomorrow (1940) – slightly above average; an all new extended capsule review!

Saturday December 24 – More Robert Osborne’s Christmas Picks

8:00 AM Lady In The Lake (1947) – an experiment gone awry; an all new capsule review!

10:00 AM Holiday Affair (1950)

12:00 PM 3 Godfathers (1948) – A most unusual film and a remake of William Wyler’s Hell’s Heroes (1930) with Charles Bickford & Three Godfathers (1936) about three outlaws trying to get away from the law and find water that happen upon a dying about-to-be mother and then inspired make it their job to care for the newborn in the spirit of the Three Wise Men. John Wayne stars in this version by director John Ford. Harry Carey Jr. Ward Bond Jane Darwell Ben Johnson and Guy Kibbee also appear.

2:00 PM Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)

4:00 PM Roman Holiday (1953)

8:00 PM The Shop Around The Corner (1940)

10:00 PM Christmas In Connecticut (1945) – I was reminded of Man’s Favorite Sport? (1964) with Rock Hudson when I first saw this favorite of many for the first time last year on TCM. Barbara Stanwyck plays a fake Martha Stewart-like woman who’s "forced" to portray the character of her creation when her unknowing publisher (Sydney Greenstreet in a most untypical role) bullies her into hosting a soldier (Dennis Morgan) for Christmas as a circulation boosting gimmick. S. Z. Sakall steals every scene he’s in as her "Uncle" Felix.

12:00 AM Meet Me In St. Louis (1944)

2:00 AM I Remember Mama (1948)

4:30 AM Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938) – one of the better in the series; an all new full review!

Sunday December 25 – Christmas With the In-Laws

8:00 AM The Wonderful World Of The Brothers Grimm (1962) – passable entertainment; an all new full review!

10:30 AM Quo Vadis (1951) – slightly above average

1:30 PM King Of Kings (1961) – the story of Jesus Christ with Jeffrey Hunter in the title role as told by director Nicholas Ray (Rebel Without a Cause (1955)) and screenwriter Philip Yordan (Broken Lance (1954)). Robert Ryan plays John the Baptist Hurd Hatfield is Pontius Pilate Harry Guardino plays Barabbas Rip Torn is Judas and Royal Dano plays Peter. Orson Welles is the uncredited narrator. Leonard Maltin gives this one three and a half stars; the film runs nearly 3 hours.

4:30 PM The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) – Director George Stevens’ LONG epic featuring an all-star cast was nominated for five minor Oscars. The cast includes Max von Sydow Dorothy McGuire Claude Rains and about two dozen others.

8:00 PM Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)

11:30 PM Wife vs. Secretary (1936) – Clark Gable is married to Myrna Loy and has an assistant played by Jean Harlow who is being pursued by James Stewart. Gable’s mom is played by May Robson. It’s a comedy. What else do you need to know;-)

2:15 AM Julia Misbehaves (1948) – kind of fun but you have to stick with it; an all new full review!

4:00 AM Sons of the Desert (1933) – classic Laurel & Hardy; full review!

Monday December 26 – Bing Crosby TCM’s Star of the Month

8:30 AM The Third Man (1949)

10:30 AM Sunset Boulevard (1950)

12:30 PM The Philadelphia Story (1940)

2:30 PM It Happened One Night (1934)

4:30 PM Casablanca (1942)

6:15 PM King Kong (1933)

8:00 PM The Country Girl (1954)

12:00 AM That’s Entertainment! (1974) – an outstanding review of MGM’s best Musicals featuring many of its stars as narrators for the countless clips shown; followed by one of its two sequels:

2:30 AM That’s Entertainment! II (1976)

Tuesday December 27 – See the Original: various

6:00 AM Anne Of The Thousand Days (1969) – some terrific acting

1:00 PM The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976) – interesting mildly entertaining; an all new full review!

3:00 PM Out of Africa (1985) – ugh! one of the worst Best Pictures in Oscar’s history

5:45 PM Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980) – one of those "Only in America" true stories about an ignorant girl from the sticks who makes it big as a country & western singer. A biography of Loretta Lynn featuring Sissy Spacek’s (only to date) Oscar winning Best Actress performance in which she sings all the songs herself! Tommy Lee Jones plays ‘Doo’ her #1 fan & supporter husband who strays when her limelight and newfound independence overshadows his contributions to her success. Beverly D’Angelo plays fellow singer and Lynn friend Patsy Cline. Six other Oscar nominations including Best Picture and Screenplay.

8:00 PM Death Takes a Holiday (1934)

9:30 PM Wings of Desire (1987) – a TCM premiere!

12:00 AM Alfie (1966)

2:00 AM Pride And Prejudice (1940)

4:00 AM The Time Machine (1960) – a sci fi classic which won the Best Effects Special Effects Oscar I actually think the film suffers in the final third with Yvette Mimieux. Rod Taylor plays H.G. Wells in his often copied or adapted story about time travel.

Wednesday December 28 – Sidney Sheldon

6:00 AM The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) – a more introspective philosophical film than most sci-fi movies with Grant Williams in the title role.

11:30 AM They Were Expendable (1945) – a terrific film about the surprising successes of the PT boats during World War II initially thought unworthy of any role in the conflict. Directed by John Ford and starring Robert Montgomery John Wayne Donna Reed Ward Bond Leon Ames and more; it was nominated for two Oscars Special Effects & Sound.

1:45 PM Red River (1948)

4:00 PM Fort Apache (1948) – another super John Ford/John Wayne western (the first of his trilogy of U.S. Cavalry pictures these two made along with She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) & Rio Grande (1950)). This one also features Henry Fonda Shirley Temple and Ward Bond among others.

6:15 PM She Wore A Yellow Ribbon (1949)

8:00 PM The Bachelor And The Bobby-Soxer (1947) – Sydney Sheldon (TV’s I Dream of Jeannie’s creator) won a Best Original Screenplay Oscar on his only nomination for this love triangle comedy between a high schooler (Shirley Temple) her older sister (a judge played by Myrna Loy) and Cary Grant.

12:00 AM Billy Rose’s Jumbo (1962) – not a very good musical an all new full review!

Thursday December 29 – Against All Odds

unannounced Stanley Kubrick tribute

6:00 AM The Asphalt Jungle (1950)

10:00 AM The Killing (1956)

11:30 AM Lolita (1962)

2:15 PM 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

4:45 PM Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb (1963)

6:30 PM Paths Of Glory (1957)

8:00 PM The Guns of Navarone (1961) – a very good World War II action film starring Gregory Peck as the Captain of an elite group of specialists hired to snuff out two big German guns that control a Greek sea channel the Allies want to be able to traverse with their ships. Only problem is the guns are built into an impregnable rock bunker 400 feet above sea level! David Niven Anthony Quinn Anthony Quayle James Darren Irene Papas and Richard Harris (among others) are also in the cast. The film won an Oscar for Best Special Effects and was nominated for Best Picture Best Director (J. Lee Thompson) Writing Editing Sound and Score.

11:00 PM The Great Escape (1963)

2:00 AM A Bridge Too Far (1977) – Directed by Richard Attenborough (Gandhi (1982)) this LONG World War II movie written by two time Oscar winning screenplay writer William Goldman tells the story of a massive Allied airdrop behind enemy lines and features an all star cast including: Dirk Bogarde James Caan Michael Caine Sean Connery Edward Fox Elliot Gould Gene Hackman Anthony Hopkins Ryan O’Neal Laurence Olivier Robert Redford Maximilian Schell even John Ratzenberger among others.

Friday December 30 – Gershwin Tunes

8:00 AM Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (1954)

10:00 AM The Band Wagon (1953)

12:00 PM Anchors Aweigh (1945)

2:30 PM An American in Paris (1951)

4:30 PM On the Town (1949)

6:15 PM Singin’ In The Rain (1952)

8:00 PM Rhapsody In Blue (1945) – an all new full review!

10:30 PM Funny Face (1957) – Fred Astaire plays a much older photographer than Audrey Hepburn’s character but that doesn’t keep a romance between them from blossoming when Astaire’s character "discovers" Hepburn’s making her a famous model the world over. Directed by Stanley Donen this average musical features several George & Ira Gershwin tunes as well as one of Kay Thompson’s three on-screen roles. It received four secondary Academy Award nominations for: Art Direction-Set Decoration Cinematography (Ray June’s last of three unrewarded) one of Edith Head’s many & Hubert de Givenchy’s only for Costume Design and Leonard Gershe’s only for his Story and Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.

12:30 AM Girl Crazy (1943) – full review!

2:15 AM Le Quai des Brumes (1938) – an all new full review!

4:00 AM The Farmer’s Daughter (1947)

Saturday December 31 – The End is Near

6:00 AM Sullivan’s Travels (1941)

1:30 PM The Pink Panther (1964) – this first film with Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau is a comedy classic by director Blake Edwards. With David Niven Robert Wagner and Capucine (before Madonna I guess;- ) it features the great theme music by Henry Mancini as well as introducing the famous "Pink Panther" cartoon even though the film’s title actually refers to a famous diamond.

3:30 PM Jaws (1975)

6:00 PM Rear Window (1954)

8:00 PM Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) – this is a sci-fi film which holds up today who can forget the ending with Kevin McCarthy! Directed by Don Siegel it was added to the National Film Registry in 1994.

11:00 PM The Thing From Another World (1951)

3:30 AM Village Of The Damned (1960) – pretty good horror film about a strange occurrence which causes a rash of births nine months later. The offspring are children which grow up too fast and possess special abilities which give their parents cause for worry. George Sanders plays a professor who recognizes their capabilities first and initially educates them until he realizes what he’s helped to create. Check out their eyes!