TCM Star of the Month: Karl Malden

This month Turner Classic Movies pays tribute to Karl Malden, showing over two dozen Malden films on Wednesday evenings.

The tribute kicks off this Wednesday night, March 7th, with a seven-film lineup. The titles which intrigue me the most are RUBY GENTRY (1952), also starring Jennifer Jones and Charlton Heston, and PARRISH (1961), with Troy Donahue and Claudette Colbert.

Among the other five films that evening are THE SELLOUT (1951) and BABY DOLL (1956).

March 14th is an especially good night, leading off with A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951), for which Malden won the Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor, and ON THE WATERFRONT (1954), for which he was again nominated as Best Supporting Actor.

Malden's role as the gutsy priest in ON THE WATERFRONT might be my favorite of all his parts. Anyone who hasn't yet seen this film should be sure to calendar the date, and those of us who have seen it may want to visit it again!

Malden directed Richard Widmark in TIME LIMIT (1957), which is also shown that night. Among the other films on the 14th are HOTEL (1967) and the very enjoyable COME FLY WITH ME (1963). In the latter film Malden plays a lonely man who meets stewardess Lois Nettleton at just the right time in his life.

Westerns are among the half-dozen films shown on the 21st, including NEVADA SMITH (1966) and HOW THE WEST WAS WON (1962). METEOR (1979), one of a few films Malden made with Natalie Wood, is also on that evening.

That night I especially recommend the docu-noir BOOMERANG! (1947), also starring Dana Andrews and Lee J. Cobb.

The final Malden evening, on March 28th, includes two more films with Natalie Wood, BOMBERS B-52 (1957) and GYPSY (1962).

Malden plays a police inspector in Hitchcock's I CONFESS (1953). The inspector comes to believe a priest (Montgomery Clift) knows more about a murder than he's letting on, but the priest cannot violate the sanctity of the confessional to tell the inspector the truth. This becomes a particular problem when evidence starts to point toward the priest as the possible murderer.

For more information on TCM in March, please visit TCM in March: Highlights or the complete schedule.