Quick Preview of TCM in December

This week Turner Classic Movies released its December schedule!

As I mentioned last month, please note that while the header photo at the top of the schedule is for the current month of September, the linked schedule itself is for December. The web address for the December schedule ends in "2017-12-01."

Lana Turner is the December Star of the Month. This is Turner's third time as Star of the Month, but it's been 16 years since she was last honored! She was previously the Star of the Month in January 1998 and October 2001.

Over 40 of Turner's films will be shown every Tuesday evening, continuing into Wednesday.

This being December, there are, of course, numerous Christmas movies on the TCM schedule, including every Friday evening and a couple films each Saturday and Sunday, plus a full day of films on Christmas Eve, continuing into Christmas Day. Christmas Night kicks off 24 hours of Alfred Hitchcock films, and New Year's Eve will be spent with the THIN MAN movies.

Treasures From the Disney Vault returns with a particularly good lineup, including the rarely seen THE STORY OF ROBIN HOOD AND HIS MERRIE MEN (1952), starring Richard Todd, and another relative rarity, TOBY TYLER (1960), starring Kevin Corcoran.

December's multifilm tributes include Cary Grant, Colin Clive, Fritz Lang, Alan Ladd Jr., Edward G. Robinson, Rex Harrison, George Sanders, Frank Sinatra, Henry Fonda, and Jane Fonda.

December 29th and 30th will feature a series of films honoring actors who have passed away in the last year, including Mary Tyler Moore, Bill Paxton, Roger Moore, and Barbara Hale.

The TCM Spotlight theme appears to be the "Great American Songbook," with many musical biopics and other films featuring classic American music on the schedule. I wonder if the 20th Century-Fox film ALEXANDER'S RAGTIME BAND (1938), starring Tyrone Power and Alice Faye, is a TCM premiere?

I'll have more detailed information on the December schedule, including my annual post on TCM's Christmas movie lineup, sometime after Thanksgiving.

In the meantime, Jennifer Jones continues as the September Star of the Month, with Anthony Perkins scheduled in October and James Stewart in November.

Update: For more on TCM in December 2017, please visit TCM in December: Highlights, TCM Star of the Month: Lana Turner, and TCM in December: Christmas Movies.