TCM Star of the Month: Lana Turner

The December Star of the Month is Lana Turner.

This is Turner's third time as Star of the Month -- she was previously honored in January 1998 and October 2001 -- but it's been over 16 years since the last time she was honored, so I'd say she was due! No doubt there will be many newer classic film fans who will enjoy becoming more closely acquainted with the actress and her films this month, and for the rest of us it's a welcome deep dive into a career packed with entertaining movies.

45 Turner films will be shown every Tuesday evening, continuing into Wednesday. Click any hyperlinked title below for the corresponding review.

First up, on Tuesday, December 5th, is Turner's notable early role in the Warner Bros. crime film THEY WON'T FORGET (1937). That's followed by a mixture of her early MGM and Warner Bros. films:

LOVE FINDS ANDY HARDY (1938)
DANCING CO-ED (1939)
THESE GLAMOUR GIRLS (1939)
ZIEGFELD GIRL (1941)
HONKY TONK (1941)
DRAMATIC SCHOOL (1938)
THE ADVENTURES OF MARCO POLO (1938)
THE GREAT GARRICK (1938)
RICH MAN, POOR GIRL (1938)
CALLING DR. KILDARE (1939)

My favorites from the above batch are DANCING CO-ED (left, with Richard Carlson) and THESE GLAMOUR GIRLS. They may be MGM's version of a "B" film but they're packed with terrific casts and are highly entertaining. Also of note is ZIEGFELD GIRL, costarring Judy Garland, Hedy Lamarr, and James Stewart, and HONKY TONK, her first film opposite Clark Gable.

There's another terrific group of films on December 12th, starting with the crime classic THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE (1946), opposite John Garfield.

More MGM goodness follows that evening:

THE THREE MUSKETEERS (1948)
JOHNNY EAGER (1942)
DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (1941)
GREEN DOLPHIN STREET (1947)
WE WHO ARE YOUNG (1940)
SOMEWHERE I'LL FIND YOU (1942)
TWO GIRLS ON BROADWAY (1940)
THE YOUNGEST PROFESSION (1943)
KEEP YOUR POWDER DRY (1945)
SLIGHTLY DANGEROUS (1943)

Turner is especially good playing an "accidental" bride of sorts in the costume drama GREEN DOLPHIN STREET, an engrossing film which includes a terrific disaster sequence. (She's seen at left with Richard Hart.) I also especially like the WWII drama KEEP YOUR POWDER DRY, in which she plays a wealthy woman who joins the WACs and tangles with military brat Laraine Day, with Susan Peters playing peacemaker. It's a good example of the well-crafted films MGM turned out so regularly throughout the '40s.

A mixture of '40s and '50s melodramas will be shown on December 19th, including a trio of her best-known films, PEYTON PLACE (1957), IMITATION OF LIFE (1959), and THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (1952).

Many more MGM films are showing on the 19th:

LATIN LOVERS (1953)
A LIFE OF HER OWN (1950)
MARRIAGE IS A PRIVATE AFFAIR (1944)
WEEK-END AT THE WALDORF (1945)
CASS TIMBERLANE (1947)
HOMECOMING (1948)
THE MERRY WIDOW (1952)
BETRAYED (1954)

December 19th might be my favorite Turner lineup of the series. LATIN LOVERS, costarring Ricardo Montalban and John Lund, is just plain fun, filmed in gorgeous Technicolor, and she's outstanding in the underrated WWII drama HOMECOMING, opposite Clark Gable.

She's also especially good opposite Spencer Tracy in the May-December romance CASS TIMBERLANE. And I suspect she was never more beuatiful onscreen than in MARRIAGE IS A PRIVATE AFFAIR!

The series concludes December 26th with Turner films from the '50s, '60s, and even one from the mid '70s:

MADAME X (1966)
PORTRAIT IN BLACK (1960)
BACHELOR IN PARADISE (1961)
BY LOVE POSSESSED (1961)
THE BIG CUBE (1969)
MR. IMPERIUM (1951)
THE SEA CHASE (1955)
THE PRODIGAL (1955)
LOVE HAS MANY FACES (1965)
DIANE (1956)
BITTERSWEET LOVE (1976)

BACHELOR IN PARADISE with Bob Hope is notable for its eye-catching early '60s visuals and should be seen for that reason alone!

I always enjoy Turner's films and hope she'll acquire new fans this month! For those who enjoy her I recommend the gorgeous coffee table book LANA: THE MEMORIES, THE MYTHS, THE MOVIES by her daughter Cheryl Crane with Cindy De La Hoz. It features beautifully reproduced photos from Turner's personal collection, many of which I'd never previously seen. Highly recommended.

For more on TCM in December 2017, please visit TCM in December: Highlights, TCM in December: Christmas Movies, and the complete online schedule.