Quick Preview of TCM in December

Many thanks to Ivan for the tip that TCM has released its online December schedule!

Cary Grant is the December Star of the Month. It will be great having so many wonderful films with Grant playing on TCM during the holiday season. Over 40 Grant films will be shown Monday evenings in December.

If my records are correct, this will be Grant's third time as Star of the Month; he was also the SOTM in 1997 and 2004.

As much as I love Cary Grant, I'm even more excited about December's Friday Night Spotlight, which will be, in essence, a master class on the career of the wonderful MGM director Charles Walters.

The Spotlight series will coincide with the publication of CHARLES WALTERS: THE DIRECTOR WHO MADE HOLLYWOOD DANCE by Brent Phillips so I suspect we will be seeing Phillips on TCM in December.

As I wrote a few years ago, I had the chance to meet Chuck Walters when my parents attended a class he taught at USC not long before his passing. He was a wonderful man and very kind to me and my family. I had the chance to spend an evening sitting and chatting with him and listening to his stories; as an MGM musical fan I was in heaven.

The films directed by Chuck Walters which will be shown on Friday evenings in December include treasures such as GOOD NEWS (1947), EASTER PARADE (1948), SUMMER STOCK (1950), LILI (1953), THE GLASS SLIPPER (1955), THE TENDER TRAP (1955), and many more.

As always, December features many Christmas films. Robert Osborne's Christmas Eve picks this year include several Christmas movies plus the Columbia musical COVER GIRL (1944) with Gene Kelly and Rita Hayworth.

New Year's Eve features documentaries on rock musicians, which won't tempt me away from our family's New Year's Eve tradition of watching a disaster movie -- this year's top candidate is ROLLERCOASTER (1977) -- but BRIGHTON ROCK (1951) with Richard Attenborough is showing earlier in the day and I'm happy about that!

December also features multi-film tributes to Joan Crawford, Warren William, Rhonda Fleming, Ingmar Bergman, Otto Preminger, King Vidor, Errol Flynn, Thomas Mitchell, Edward G. Robinson, Ruth Roman, and Henry Fonda.

I'll have more detailed information on the December schedule, including a post on Christmas movies airing in December, around December 1st.

Janet Leigh is the October Star of the Month, with a "Silent Stars" theme following in November.

Update: For more detailed information on TCM in December, please visit TCM in December: Highlights, TCM Star of the Month: Cary Grant, TCM in December: Christmas Movies, and TCM Friday Night Spotlight: Charles Walters.