TCM in September: Highlights

September already? Wasn't it just August 1st?! I always wish for just one more month of summer, but the fall schedule insists on getting underway anyway.

September does have its compensations, including a terrific lineup on Turner Classic Movies. The September Star of the Month is Vivien Leigh, starting on Tuesday, September 7th. I'll be taking a closer look at the Leigh films coming this month in the near future.

Here's a rundown on just a few of the interesting things on TCM in September:

...On September 1st, THE BISHOP MISBEHAVES (1935) sounds like fun. It stars Edmund Gwenn and Maureen O'Sullivan.

...Later on September 1st, IRENE (1940) has a great cast and an interesting filming technique, with most of the movie being shot in black and white, but a party sequence midway through the film was shot in Technicolor. Ray Milland and Anna Neagle star.

...The evening of the 1st is a five-film tribute to Kim Novak, starting with PICNIC (1955). More Novak is ahead on the evening of the 6th.

...A few months ago I watched PERFECT STRANGERS (1950), an interesting courtroom drama/romance with Ginger Rogers and Dennis Morgan. It airs September 5th.

...September 8th is the TCM debut of the 20th Century-Fox film SPRINGTIME IN THE ROCKIES (1942), great Technicolor escapist fare starring Betty Grable, John Payne, Cesar Romero, and Carmen Miranda, not to mention Harry James and his Music Makers. It's a shame this isn't out on DVD.

...MGM's Technicolor musical SUMMER HOLIDAY (1948) airs on the 9th. If you missed it previously, there's a link to a photo tribute to the film in last weekend's roundup. Gloria DeHaven is so pretty in this movie! SUMMER HOLIDAY is preceded by a half-dozen other MGM musicals.

...My dad really enjoyed THIS COULD BE THE NIGHT (1957), which is on September 10th. Jean Simmons plays a teacher who takes a clerical job at a nightclub. It also stars Paul Douglas and Anthony Franciosa.

...YOUNG BESS (1953) finds Jean Simmons playing Elizabeth I, with Charles Laughton as her father, Henry VIII. Stewart Granger (Simmons' then-husband) and Deborah Kerr also star. It's on the 12th.

...Claudette Colbert receives an eight-film birthday tribute on September 13th. I've seen the first six films in the day's lineup and especially recommend the delectable comedy MIDNIGHT (1939), costarring Don Ameche, John Barrymore, and Mary Astor.

...Toby of 50 Westerns from the 50s is happy about Tim Holt Day on September 14th. TCM will be running five of Holt's "B" Westerns.

...There are some really interesting titles "From the UCLA Film and Television Archive" airing on September 20th. I'm especially curious about SONG O' MY HEART (1930), a Frank Borzage film with Maureen O'Sullivan; SECRET BEYOND THE DOOR (1948), a Fritz Lang film with Joan Bennett and Michael Redgrave; and THE PROWLER (1951) with Evelyn Keyes and Van Heflin. The classic TOPPER (1937), with Cary Grant and Constance Bennett as two merry ghosts, will be shown in a new print. (That's one of the very first Cary Grant movies I remember seeing as a child.)  I'm also going to check out LIFE WITH FATHER (1947), which is in public domain and often shown in dreadful prints; hopefully TCM will have a nice copy.

...DEATH ON THE DIAMOND (1934) sounds great: baseball, Robert Young, and Madge Evans. Voters at IMDb give it a high 7.2 rating. It airs September 23rd.

...If you haven't seen the MGM B movie KID GLOVE KILLER (1942), it's a fun early police "procedural" starring Van Heflin and Marsha Hunt. It's on Friday the 24th.

...Only on TCM: September 27th is an eight-film tribute to Dane Clark, kicking off with a wonderful little WWII romance, THE VERY THOUGHT OF YOU (1944). GOD IS MY CO-PILOT (1945) with Dennis Morgan and DEEP VALLEY (1947) with Ida Lupino are just a couple of the interesting titles airing that date.

...THE LUSTY MEN (1952) with Robert Mitchum and Susan Hayward airs on the 28th. Raquelle recently blogged at Out of the Past about her experience seeing this film at the Harvard Film Archive.

...September 29th is a seven-film birthday tribute to the great Greer Garson...

...and September 30th the month concludes with a seven-film birthday tribute to Deborah Kerr. I'm especially fond of KING SOLOMON'S MINES (1950), a grand adventure film Kerr starred in with Stewart Granger, who's absolutely terrific. Kerr's THE SUNDOWNERS (1960), costarring Robert Mitchum, airs the previous evening.

Be sure to check out the complete schedule at the Turner Classic Movies website.

Happy viewing!