Hoo boy! Summer is finally heating up on Turner Classic Movies! Monday, August 1 marks the first day of their 'Summer Under The Stars' series which offers up 24 hour blocks of films devoted to thirty-one spectacular stars. Not convinced? Star #1 is Marlon Brando! I'll say he is! So far, I had been less than thrilled with the selection of movies this year. In 2010, I had already watched 161 different films by late July. This year, I've only watched 63 (though, I haven't included any multiple-viewed movies in that tally)! Well, August is going to put me in a much more respectable range, I should think! Hopefully you'll find some good movies to watch, too. There are some daily schedules that are so good, I can barely stand it! Which of these movies are your essentials? [If you can't wait for my weekly picks and want to look at the schedule directly, go to the official page and download the .pdf schedule right now!]
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Harper (1966) 2:00 PM - This one is on a bit early for me, unfortunately, but I highly recommend it to Paul Newman fans who also have a soft spot for film noir detective stories. Harper may not be Sam Spade, but he is just about the hottest detective you'll ever see!
Road To Utopia (1946) 8:00 PM - Those two singing and wise-cracking dopes take on the Alaskan gold rush.
THE OFFICIAL START OF SUMMER UNDER THE STARS
Monday, August 1, 2011 (A DAY OF MARLON BRANDO!)
The Fugitive Kind (1960) 6:00 AM - Argh, I can't believe they're starting with this! This is one of the few Marlon Brando movies I've never seen, and it's still from the era when you could expect something exciting from Brando's acting. This Sidney Lumet film is based off the Tennessee Williams play and co-stars Anna Magnani and Joanne Woodward.
Julius Caesar (1953) 8:15 AM
The Chase (1966) 10:30 AM
Reflections In A Golden Eye (1967) 1:00 PM - Marlon Brando and Elizabeth Taylor?, you think. That has to be good! Well, it's not, I assure you. It's terrible in every possible way.
The Teahouse Of The August Moon (1956) 3:00 PM
Guys And Dolls (1955) 5:15 PM - My last attempt to watch this was interrupted by Mother Nature, so I'll give it another go. It's not as bad as I expected.
The Wild One (1953) 8:00 PM
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) 9:30 PM
On The Waterfront (1954) 12:00 AM - If you haven't seen this and you have to choose just one Marlon Brando movie, this is the one to choose.
The Freshman (1990) 2:00 AM
The Formula (1980) 4:00 AM
[I'm most disappointed that they didn't include Marlon's 1950 screen debut in The Men. It's supposed to be an excellent movie!]
Tuesday, August 2, 2011 (PAULETTE GODDARD)
Second Chorus (1940) 4:45 PM - With Fred Astaire and Burgess Meredith
Modern Times (1936) 6:30 PM [a link to my favorite scene on YouTube]
The Great Dictator (1940) 8:00 PM
[There are probably some fun, light comedies interspersed with these movies, so it might be worth tuning in at other hours.]
Wednesday, August 3, 2011 (BETTE DAVIS -- What a dame!)
The Letter (1940) 4:30 PM
The Petrified Forest (1936) 6:30 PM
Thursday, August 4, 2011 (RONALD COLMAN -- Someone with a terribly painful voice might have sung about Bette Davis' eyes, but a much better singer and his talented song-writing brother name-dropped Ronald Colman in their ode to moustaches)
Lucky Partners (1940) 6:00 AM - According to my trusty movie log, I enjoyed this movie pairing Colman with Ginger Rogers last year, but I can't really remember it very well.
Raffles (1930) 1:30 PM - 'A distinguished British gentleman hides his true identity as a notorious jewel thief'. I always say, 'If you must be a thief, you may as well be a gentleman thief.'
Lost Horizon (1937) 1:45 AM
The Story Of Mankind(1957) 4:00 AM - 'Satan and the spirit of mankind contend for the future of humanity'. What an interesting cast: Vincent Price, Groucho Marx, and Ronald Colman (in his final movie)!
Friday, August 5, 2011 (JOHN GARFIELD)
Humoresque (1946) 4:45 PM - I'd put up with Joan Crawford to see Oscar Levant!
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) 8:00 PM - This is a film noir classic, and there is a legitimate reason for that. This is one of the essential must-watch films for this week!
He Ran All The Way (1951) 2:00 AM - 'A crook on the run hides out in an innocent girl's apartment'. This is John Garfield's last movie, and it co-stars Shelley Winters. Poor Shelley Winters. Things always end really bad for her. It's always a shame to see her sad, little face.
Saturday, August 6, 2011 (LUCILLE BALL) -- In honor of her hundredth birthday!
The Fuller Brush Girl (1950) 1:00 PM - It looks like this is one of my favorite genres, the comedy whodunit!
The Long, Long Trailer (1954) 2:30 PM
Easy To Wed (1946) 11:30 PM - A musical remake of Libeled Lady (one of my favorite comedies starring Jean Harlow, William Powell, and Myrna Loy). This remake stars the singing mermaid, Esther Williams and Van Johnson; hopefully, what with that lack-luster cast, Lucy will be the Belle of the Ball.
Lured (1946) 1:30 AM - Before we knew why we loved Lucy, Ball starred in this multi-faceted noir as an undercover agent hoping to help the police catch a creepy serial killer who preys on women who respond to the lonelyhearts column. George Sanders gives another interesting performance as his typical cad who may or may not be the man they are after. Boris Karloff steals the movie as a mad artist. I thought this was a pretty high quality noir, most definitely worthy of multiple viewings.
The Affairs Of Annabel (1938) 3:15 AM
Stay tuned for next week's schedule.. There is a block of movies early in the week that just about knocks me out!
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