Quick Preview of TCM in May

Turner Classic Movies has just posted a preview of the channel's May schedule.

Marlene Dietrich is the May Star of the Month. My records indicate it's been 16 years since Dietrich was Star of the Month, in January 2002.

Just under 20 of Dietrich's films will be shown on Thursday evenings beginning January 10th.

The first Thursday evening of the Month, May 3rd, will be a celebration of Robert Osborne, including his 20th anniversary tribute and PRIVATE SCREENINGS interview.

I'm especially excited that TCM will be doing something unique this May, running marathons of over 20 different movie series, including Lassie, Maisie, Dick Tracy, Perry Mason, Mexican Spitfire, Torchy Blane, Dr. Kildare, Nancy Drew, and even half a dozen Blondie films. (I can't recall Blondie films running on TCM before, can anyone else?) Some series will be shown in their entirety, while others will feature a representative sampling.

The Saturday morning programming will feature Dick Foran "B" Westerns and Tarzan movies. Noir Alley, now screening the same film twice per weekend, will include two of my all-time favorite film noir titles: THE NARROW MARGIN (1952) and CRIME WAVE (1954).

Having just reviewed it, it's great to see WARLOCK (1959) airing in early May; I hope anyone who's not seen it will give it a look!

May themes include the Arctic and Antarctica, Mother's Day, swashbucklers, fairy tales, and the annual Memorial Day weekend war movie marathon. Memorial Day weekend's Noir Alley selection is a film about a veteran, THE CLAY PIGEON (1949).

Actors receiving multi-movie salutes in May include Audrey Hepburn, Burt Lancaster, Anne Baxter, Robert Donat, Lon Chaney, Lesley-Anne Down, Joseph Cotten, Bob Hope, and Robert Montgomery.

I'll have much more on the May schedule right around April 30th or May 1st. (With the TCM Classic Film Festival ending on April 29th, May 1st may be more likely!)

In the meantime, Elizabeth Taylor is currently Star of the Month for March, with a centennial celebration for William Holden coming in April.

Update: For much more on TCM in May 2018, please visit TCM in May: Highlights.