TCM in June: Highlights

It's time for summer, hooray! And Turner Classic Movies has a fabulous June schedule ahead to enjoy.

Jean Simmons is the June Star of the Month. 26 Simmons films will begin airing on Tuesday, June 7th. I'll be posting more about that in the near future.

Here's a look at just some of the many great things ahead on TCM in June:

...The month starts in fine style with a Robert Montgomery-Madge Evans film on my "must see" list, PICCADILLY JIM (1936), airing on June 1st.

...The evening of June 1st is a marvelous lineup of espionage films, several of which I've enjoyed in recent months: the Fox film THE HOUSE ON 92ND STREET (1945), a docu-noir with Lloyd Nolan; Margaret Lockwood and Rex Harrison in the very enjoyable NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNICH (1940); Fred MacMurray and Joan Crawford in the somewhat unbelievable yet very entertaining ABOVE SUSPICION (1943); Anna Neagle and Trevor Howard in ODETTE (1951); Errol Flynn in NORTHERN PURSUIT (1943); and Neagle plus Richard Greene in YELLOW CANARY (1943).

...IT HAPPENED TOMORROW (1944) is one of my very favorite movies starring Dick Powell and Linda Darnell. It's a fantasy directed with great style and charm by Rene Clair (I MARRIED A WITCH). It will be shown June 2nd.

...My kids are looking forward to the "Drive-In Double Features," which begin on June 2nd. If monster movies are your thing, check out the TCM schedule each Thursday evening in June.

...As a Dennis Morgan fan, I have to record KISSES FOR BREAKFAST (1941) on June 4th. It costars Jane Wyatt and Shirley Ross.

...I love character actress Jane Cowl, who made just a handful of films, including ONCE MORE, MY DARLING (1949) and NO MAN OF HER OWN (1950). Cowl stars with Bette Davis and Barry Sullivan in Curtis Bernhardt's PAYMENT ON DEMAND (1951) on June 4th.

...GOODBYE, MY FANCY (1951) was an interesting if not completely successful film starring Joan Crawford and Robert Young. Southern Californians might enjoy seeing Occidental College as it looked over 60 years ago. It airs on June 5th.

...June 6th is a day of Cary Grant movies. Glenn Erickson recently referred to EVERY GIRL SHOULD BE MARRIED (1948), costarring Betsy Drake and Franchot Tone, as MAD MEN: THE EARLY YEARS. I haven't seen this movie since I was a teenager and his review certainly made me want to take a fresh look.

...Also on June 6th, the intriguing teaming of Cyd Charisse, George Sanders, and Ernie Kovacs (?!) in FIVE GOLDEN HOURS (1960).

...Alexis Smith receives a birthday tribute on June 8th. 8 films will be shown, including THE SMILING GHOST (1941), a very early Smith film; SAN ANTONIO (1945) with Errol Flynn; THE TWO MRS. CARROLLS (1947) and CONFLICT (1945), both with Humphrey Bogart as a wife murderer; and WHIPLASH (1948), which I was fortunate enough to see in a stunning restored print at the Noir City Film Festival in April. Smith was an underrated actress, and this day is a great chance to become more familiar with her work.

...There's a William Wellman pre-Code festival on June 9th, including delicious fare such as NIGHT NURSE (1931) with Barbara Stanwyck and LOVE IS A RACKET (1932) with Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

...June 13th is a real treat, the 1929 version of THE LAST OF MRS. CHEYNEY, starring Norma Shearer and Basil Rathbone. I loved the 1937 version with Joan Crawford, William Powell, and Robert Montgomery.

...Also on June 13th: The 20th Century-Fox film LLOYD'S OF LONDON, starring Tyrone Power and Madeleine Carroll. It's part of a tribute to Freddie Bartholomew. (Only on TCM!)

...June 14th it's Dorothy McGuire Day, including THE ENCHANTED COTTAGE (1945), TILL THE END OF TIME (1946), FRIENDLY PERSUASION (1956), A SUMMER PLACE (1959), and SUSAN SLADE (1961).

...Young Lana Turner's at her most beautiful in MARRIAGE IS A PRIVATE AFFAIR (1944) on June 15th. She has an amazing wardrobe designed by Irene.

...My very favorite Fred Astaire-Rita Hayworth film, YOU WERE NEVER LOVELIER (1942), is being shown again on June 16th. I never miss a chance to plug this relatively overlooked movie, which has a magical Jerome Kern score and was filmed in shimmering black and white.

...Audie Murphy films are shown on TCM fairly rarely, as so many of them were made for Universal. On June 17th TCM will show four Murphy titles made between 1949 and 1964.

...On June 20th, try to catch CRY WOLF (1947), an Errol Flynn-Barbara Stanwyck film which received a number of interesting comments when I saw it in March.

...TCM had planned an eight-film birthday tribute for the late Jane Russell before she passed away, and that day, June 21st, will now serve as a memorial tribute. I'm looking forward to UNDERWATER! (1951), which Matthew wrote about this weekend at Movietone News. YOUNG WIDOW (1946) also sounds rather interesting. HIS KIND OF WOMAN (1951) and MACAO (1952) are also being shown.

...Robert Osborne's picks on June 22nd include both versions of THE PRISONER OF ZENDA, back to back! The 1937 edition stars Ronald Colman, Madeleine Carroll, David Niven, Mary Astor, and, best of all, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in a scene-stealing performance. Then the 1952 version stars Stewart Granger, Deborah Kerr, James Mason, and Jane Greer. That's entertainment!

...I'm very excited about finally being able to see STATION WEST (1948), starring Dick Powell and Jane Greer. It airs along with five other Greer films on the evening of June 25th. The other films: OUT OF THE PAST (1947), THE BIG STEAL (1949), THE COMPANY SHE KEEPS (1951), RUN FOR THE SUN (1956), and DESPERATE SEARCH (1952). If you're a fan of Greer -- or Powell, Robert Mitchum, or Richard Widmark -- start the DVR early in the evening and let it run for roughly the next ten hours!

...An evening of Hitchcock on June 27th includes a pair of his lesser-seen titles, STAGE FRIGHT (1950) and I CONFESS (1953).

...June 29th is another wonderful "theme" evening, this time featuring films set in Scotland. The movies kick off with I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING! (1945), a Powell-Pressburger film I had the thrill of discovering for the first time in 2008. Most highly recommended! That's followed by a musical I've always been partial to, BRIGADOON (1954), starring Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse, and then the less well-known LET'S BE HAPPY with Vera-Ellen and Tony Martin. (Unfortunately, LET'S BE HAPPY is a CinemaScope film which TCM only seems to have available as a pan-and-scan.)

There are three more "Scottish" titles on the 29th, including David Tomlinson and Margaret Rutherford in CASTLE IN THE AIR (1952); when TCM meant to show this a couple years ago, the obscure RAINBOW 'ROUND MY SHOULDER was shown instead! CASTLE IN THE AIR is an alternate title for RAINBOW, and TCM must have been shipped the wrong print. So fingers crossed for this showing!

...The month ends with a tribute to director Anthony Mann on June 30th. I really enjoyed TWO O'CLOCK COURAGE (1945) with Ann Rutherford as a spunky cab driver helping amnesiac Tom Conway. THE BLACK BOOK (1949), a French Revolution tale with Robert Cummings and Arlene Dahl, also sounds very interesting.

Happy June viewing!

June 6th Update: TCM Star of the Month: Jean Simmons.