Quick Preview of TCM in October

The October schedule was posted online last week by Turner Classic Movies!

The October Star of the Month is Oscar-winning British actor David Niven. Over three dozen Niven films will be shown on Monday evenings in October, continuing overnight and well into Tuesday.

There are many excellent Niven films on the roster, and I'm wondering if Paramount's THE PERFECT MARRIAGE (1947) might be a TCM premiere; I'm a big fan of costar Loretta Young and finally caught up with it thanks to borrowing a friend's VHS copy a few years ago. (September Update: Although THE PERFECT MARRIAGE is still in the title index in the back of TCM's NOW PLAYING guide, it's not on the schedule itself, nor does the TCM website reflect an upcoming airdate.)

As always, there are many outstanding films on TCM in October, including tributes to William Wyler, June Allyson, Walter Matthau, Bob Hope, Mervyn LeRoy, Gene Tierney, Angela Lansbury, Jeff Chandler, Charlie Chaplin, and Lillian Gish. October themes include the Depression, wind, trains, Scotland, and (appropriately for the "scary" month of the year) wife killers.

Treasures from the Disney Vault returns in October, leading off with THE ADVENTURES OF ICHABOD AND MR. TOAD (1949) and the classic short THE OLD MILL (1937), in which animals take shelter in the title mill on a dark and stormy night.

The Disney night will also include ESCAPE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN (1975) with Ray Milland and RETURN FROM WITCH MOUNTAIN (1978) with Bette Davis, along with newer titles I'm admittedly less enthused about such as FRANKENWEENIE (1984) and MR. BOOGEDY (1986).

My overall reaction to the October schedule is perhaps more muted than usual; I'm not a fan of horror, which is understandably a big part of the October schedule, and the series on female directors necessarily means there are a host of "newer," not necessarily always very good films on the schedule, given that Dorothy Arzner and Ida Lupino were the lone classic era women directing movies. I admit I cringed a bit when I saw titles like FIRST LOVE (1977) and LOOK WHO'S TALKING (1989) in the lineup, especially after noting how many post-1970 films are already on the September schedule.

Although films in TCM series are "curated" and presented in a particular context, I'd just as soon not see the channel air so many recent titles which are easy to find elsewhere. However, that's a regular topic of debate among TCM fans which isn't likely to end soon, and indeed, the rumbles I hear through various sources hint that "new" films will likely be an increasing part of TCM's future, as they work to widen their audience. Needless to say, that could be a two-edged sword; if it's not done carefully, they could lose audience as well. We'll see what develops.

In the meantime, there's still no other station anywhere that does what TCM does, presenting such a variety of Golden Era films; to highlight just one evening, a night of silents includes Harry Houdini in THE GRIM GAME (1919), which was shown at this year's TCM Classic Film Festival, and Fatty Arbuckle in the very first Western shot in legendary Lone Pine, THE ROUND-UP (1920). And in terms of the Women in Film series, I can at least recommend CROSSING DELANCEY (1988) from among the "newer" titles.

I'll have more on the October schedule around October 1st. In the meantime, Shirley Temple continues as the July Star of the Month, with Summer Under the Stars coming in August and Susan Hayward the Star of the Month in September.

October 1st Update: For much more on TCM in October, please visit TCM in October: Highlights.