TCM in November: Highlights

Halloween is just about here, which means it's time to take a look at the November schedule on Turner Classic Movies!

The November Star of the Month is Glenda Farrell.

Four dozen Farrell films will be shown each Monday, starting in the daytime hours and continuing through the evening. I'll have a separate Star of the Month post up on Glenda Farrell in the next few days. (Update: Please visit TCM Star of the Month: Glenda Farrell.)

The November Noir Alley movies are THE SNIPER (1952) on November 3rd and 4th, THE THREAT (1949) on the 10th and 11th, THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW (1944) on the 17th and 18th, and THE KILLING (1956) on November 24th and 25th. I particularly recommend THE KILLING, with a top cast headed by Sterling Hayden.

The TCM Spotlight each Tuesday evening is "The Art of Casting." More details on that series may be found at the TCM website.

Here's a look at just a few more of the interesting titles being shown this month. Click any hyperlinked title to read the corresponding film review:

...I really enjoyed the lesser-known Hitchcock film STAGE FRIGHT (1950) and recently picked up a copy so I can watch it again. For those who don't own it, it's on November 2nd. The film has a wonderful cast headed by Jane Wyman, Michael Wilding, Marlene Dietrich, Richard Todd, and Alastair Sim.

...RED RIVER (1948) was my personal highlight at the 2017 TCM Classic Film Festival. This John Wayne Western, directed by Howard Hawks, is highly recommended. The superb supporting cast includes Montgomery Clift, Joanne Dru, John Ireland (all three seen at left), Walter Brennan, Coleen Gray, Harry Carey Sr., Harry Carey Jr., and Noah Beery Jr. How can you not love a movie with a cast like that?! It airs November 3rd.

...Joel McCrea's November 5th birthday will be celebrated one day later, on Tuesday, November 6th. Eight McCrea films are on the schedule, including several Westerns and my favorite Hitchcock film, FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT (1940). Laraine Day and George Sanders costar.

...I had a wonderful opportunity to see HARD, FAST AND BEAUTIFUL (1951) at a four-movie tribute to Ida Lupino at UCLA last spring. Lupino directed this film about a young tennis star (Sally Forrest) with a greedy mother from you-know-where (Claire Trevor). The movie will be shown on TCM on November 7th. On the schedule later that day is another film directed by Lupino, the disturbing OUTRAGE (1950) with Mala Powers excellent as a traumatized rape victim.

...Gene Raymond and Wendy Barrie star in the cute RKO comedy CROSS-COUNTRY ROMANCE (1937) on November 8th. The fine supporting cast includes Hedda Hopper and Cliff Clark, and watch for Alan Ladd in a bit role near the end!

...TCM has a lineup of war films on November 10th and 11th to mark Veteran's Day. Titles include perhaps the best WWII movie ever made, John Ford's THEY WERE EXPENDABLE (1945), early on the 10th. The film stars Robert Montgomery, John Wayne, and Donna Reed. (November is a good month for Robert Montgomery fans! Some additional titles starring Montgomery are listed below.)

...I like to recommend WITHOUT RESERVATIONS (1946) whenever I get the chance. It's quite an enjoyable romantic comedy with the unlikely pairing of John Wayne and Claudette Colbert, with Don DeFore in support. Good fun! It's on November 12th.

...In my recent Classic Movie Hub column on "Snowy Westerns," one of the films discussed was THE WILD NORTH (1952), starring Stewart Granger, Wendell Corey, and Cyd Charisse. Corey plays a Mountie who gets his man (Granger) -- who then saves the Mountie's life. It will be shown on November 14th.

...A four-film memorial tribute to actress Mary Carlisle will take place on November 15th. Titles include MURDER IN THE PRIVATE CAR (1934). Carlisle, one of the last remaining adult actresses of 1930s Hollywood, passed away in August at the age of 104.

...A day of Marlene Dietrich films on November 16th includes the marvelous SHANGHAI EXPRESS (1932). Anyone who shares my love of "train movies" needs to be sure to see it!

...Robert Montgomery is superb in his Oscar-nominated performance in the comedic fantasy HERE COMES MR. JORDAN (1941), costarring Claude Rains and Evelyn Keyes. It's on November 17th.

...PLYMOUTH ADVENTURE (1952) makes its annual appearance the Sunday before Thanksgiving, on November 18th. While it's only a middling movie, there are so few Thanksgiving-related films that I appreciate TCM showing it each year! It has a strong score by Miklos Rozsa and a cast headed by Van Johnson, Gene Tierney, and Spencer Tracy.

...Robert Taylor is outstanding as an amnesiac who may have killed his wife in HIGH WALL (1947), costarring Audrey Totter. It's on November 19th.

...I've been meaning to catch the 1946 version of BLACK BEAUTY, starring Mona Freeman. It airs November 20th.

...November 21st, the day before Thanksgiving, features a seven-film birthday tribute to Eleanor Powell, including LADY BE GOOD (1941), in which Powell has a delightful dance with a dog. Powell trained the dog for the routine herself! The film also features the Academy Award winning song "The Last Time I Saw Paris."

...Thanksgiving Day, November 22nd, features family-friendly fare starring Elizabeth Taylor and/or Margaret O'Brien: NATIONAL VELVET (1944), THE SECRET GARDEN (1949), LITTLE WOMEN (1949), COURAGE OF LASSIE (1946), and LIFE WITH FATHER (1947). Also on the schedule: MA AND PA KETTLE (1949).

...Black Friday, November 23rd, will feature a lineup of swashbucklers and adventure movies, including THE MARK OF ZORRO (1940), TARZAN THE APE MAN (1932), and KING SOLOMON'S MINES (1950). It's a great opportunity for families to continue enjoying movies together over the long holiday weekend!

...I watch ALL ABOUT EVE (1950) every few years, delighting anew in its wonderful cast and sharp script. Bette Davis, George Sanders, Anne Baxter, Celeste Holm, Gary Merrill, and Hugh Marlowe star, with Marilyn Monroe in a small but amusing role. It's on November 24th.

...Early on the 25th look for the enjoyable mystery FAST AND LOOSE (1939), with Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell as married rare book dealers who are also amateur sleuths.

...The evening of November 25th features a two-film tribute to director Mark Sandrich, SHALL WE DANCE (1937) with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, followed by Astaire and Bing Crosby in HOLIDAY INN (1942).

...ACROSS THE PACIFIC (1942) reunited director John Huston with a trio of stars from his film THE MALTESE FALCON (1941): Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, and Sydney Greenstreet. It's an enjoyable film about WWII espionage. It will be shown November 27th.

...I'm intrigued by YOUNG WIDOW (1946), with Jane Russell in the title role as a woman who lost her husband during WWII. Louis Hayward and Faith Domergue costar. It airs on November 28th.

...Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn star in Stanley Donen's CHARADE (1963) on November 29th. It's been a long time since I saw that one, I'm due for a rewatch!

...The month concludes on November 30th with a lineup of good films about jewel thieves and con artists, including Joan Crawford, William Powell, and Robert Montgomery in THE LAST OF MRS. CHEYNEY (1937); Lucille Ball, John Hodiak, and Lloyd Nolan in TWO SMART PEOPLE (1946); and Herbert Marshall, Miriam Hopkins, and Kay Francis in TROUBLE IN PARADISE (1932).

Please visit the online schedule schedule for more information on TCM's November schedule.

Happy movie viewing, and early wishes for a very happy Thanksgiving to all my readers!