TCM in March: Highlights

Today, March 3rd, brings to a conclusion the annual 31 Days of Oscar series on Turner Classic Movies.

The March schedule begins in earnest on Monday, March 4th. There's a wonderful month coming on Turner Classic Movies, including the return of Noir Alley, Treasures From the Disney Vault on March 25th, and a Thursday night TCM Spotlight series on "Journalism in the Movies."

The Saturday morning lineups include John Wayne and Dick Foran "B" Westerns, Perry Mason films, and a Flash Gordon serial. Sundays will celebrate "The Irish on Film," with an extended Irish-themed lineup on St. Patrick's Day.

The March Star of the Month will be Fredric March. Over two dozen March films will be shown Tuesday evenings this month, beginning on March 5th. I'll have more about the Star of the Month lineup posted here in the near future. (Update: Please visit TCM Star of the Month: Fredric March.)

Noir Alley returns on the weekend of March 9th and 10th. This month's Noir Alley films lead off with D.O.A. (1950), followed by HIGH SIERRA (1941) on March 16th/17th, LADY IN THE LAKE (1947) on the 23rd and 24th, and BORDER INCIDENT (1949) on March 30th and 31st.

Below are just a few of this month's highlights; click on any hyperlinked title for an extended review.

...KING OF JAZZ (1930), which was bumped from the December schedule, happily turns up on TCM in prime time on Monday, March 4th. There's additional information about this two-strip Technicolor musical on the TCM website. KING OF JAZZ is part of an interesting multifilm tribute to star John Boles, which also includes titles such as CRAIG'S WIFE (1936) with Rosalind Russell, STELLA DALLAS (1937) with Barbara Stanwyck, and THE LIFE OF VERGIE WINTERS (1934) with Ann Harding.

...A seven-film tribute to Rex Harrison on March 5th includes the wonderful suspense film NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNICH (1940), costarring Margaret Lockwood and Paul Henreid.

...March 6th features a day of Constance Bennett goodness, with many pre-Codes on the schedule including the entertaining THE EASIEST WAY (1931), also starring Robert Montgomery and Clark Gable.

...FIRST LADY (1937) is an entertaining Kay Francis film costarring favorites Preston Foster, Anita Louise, and Verree Teasdale. And of course, Kay is a knockout in Orry-Kelly gowns! It's on March 7th.

...The Journalism in the Movies series begins with a five-film lineup on March 7th. Titles include ALL THE KING'S MEN (1949) and MEET JOHN DOE (1941); I'll be seeing the latter title at UCLA this coming weekend.

...The great Cyd Charisse receives a seven-film birthday tribute on Friday, March 8th. I've seen every film in the lineup and you couldn't go wrong spending the day with Cyd! Some of the relatively lesser-known favorites on the schedule are PARTY GIRL (1958) with Robert Taylor, TENSION (1949) with Barry Sullivan and Richard Basehart, and MEET ME IN LAS VEGAS (1956) with Dan Dailey.

...The Saturday morning lineup on March 9th includes the very enjoyable Perry Mason film THE CASE OF THE CURIOUS BRIDE (1935). Michael Curtiz directed Warren William, Margaret Lindsay, and, in a small supporting role in flashbacks, Errol Flynn.

...The Irish on Film series begins on March 10th with TOP O' THE MORNING (1949) and PEG O' MY HEART (1933). I suspect Paramount's TOP O' THE MORNING, starring Bing Crosby, Ann Blyth, and Barry Fitzgerald, may be a TCM premiere; if not, it surely hasn't been shown on the network for a very long time. PEG O' MY HEART stars Marion Davies. (Update: The TCM monthly highlights calendar confirms that TOP O' THE MORNING is a TCM premiere.)

...Fred Astaire's May 10th birthday will be celebrated in prime time on Monday, May 11th, with two favorite musicals, YOU WERE NEVER LOVELIER (1942) and THE BAND WAGON (1953).

...A fun day of detective films on May 12th includes Walter Pidgeon in the Nick Carter mystery SKY MURDER (1940) and UNDER COVER OF NIGHT (1937) with Edmund Lowe and Florence Rice.

...Journalism-themed movies on March 14th include the excellent SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (1957) starring Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis.

...A pair of very different but equally wonderful Cary Grant films air back to back on March 15th: The classic romantic melodrama IN NAME ONLY (1939) with Carole Lombard and Kay Francis, and the madcap screwball comedy MY FAVORITE WIFE (1940) costarring Irene Dunne, Randolph Scott, and Gail Patrick.

...The Irish-themed FINIAN'S RAINBOW (1968), starring Fred Astaire and Petula Clark, will be shown just ahead of St. Patrick's Day, on March 16th.

...St. Patrick's Day features a nine-film lineup including (what else?) John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara in THE QUIET MAN (1952). There are some interesting choices this year including the short film RETURN TO GLENNASCAUL (1953) with Orson Welles, the documentary MAN OF ARAN (1934), and HUNGRY HILL (1947) starring Margaret Lockwood.

...HIGHER AND HIGHER (1943) is a favorite musical I watched many times growing up. It stars Frank Sinatra, Michele Morgan, Jack Haley (Sr.), Marcy McGuire, Mel Torme, and Barbara Hale. The wonderful McHugh-Adams score includes "A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening" and the Oscar-nominated "I Couldn't Sleep a Wink Last Night." Look for it on March 18th.

...Journalism-themed films in prime time on March 21st include the classic comedies LIBELED LADY (1936) and IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934). Classic film fans in Southern California also have the opportunity to see IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT at UCLA this month!

...A wonderful day of Westerns on March 22nd includes the superior FORT DOBBS (1958), starring Clint Walker, Virginia Mayo, and Brian Keith. I like it a lot. The day also includes one of my all-time favorite films, William Wellman's WESTWARD THE WOMEN (1951), with Robert Taylor heading a great cast.

...On New Year's Day I loved revisiting THE SEA HAWK (1940), marvelous swashbuckling entertainment starring Errol Flynn. It's on March 23rd.

...The Irish-themed films on March 24th are SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL (1959), starring James Cagney, and ODD MAN OUT (1947) starring James Mason.

...Animals are the focus of the latest entry in the Treasures From the Disney Vault series on March 25th. Titles include CHARLIE, THE LONESOME COUGAR (1967) and YELLOWSTONE CUBS (1963), which my children enjoyed growing up. Also on the evening's schedule: THE AFRICAN LION (1955), THE WILD COUNTRY (1970), CHEETAH (1989), BENJI THE HUNTED (1987), and THE BEARS AND I (1974). I'm curious about the inclusion of the BENJI film as it was also part of the Disney Treasures lineup last June.

...I MARRIED AN ANGEL (1940), Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy's last film together, will be shown on March 27th. I wasn't expecting much from it based on what I've read over the years and found it quite delightful.

...MAID'S NIGHT OUT (1938) is a cute little "B" screwball comedy from RKO starring Joan Fontaine and Allan "Rocky" Lane. It's on March 28th.

...I'm delighted to see THE FAKE (1953) turn up on TCM on March 29th. It's a cozy London-set mystery starring Dennis O'Keefe and Coleen Gray. I enjoyed it quite well when I first saw it a half-dozen years ago, and I look forward to revisiting it.

...The journalism series wraps up on March 30th with Jack Webb's paean to the newspaper business, -30- (1959). Anyone who enjoys Webb films will want to see this one.

...The final films in the Irish on Film series on March 31st are John Ford's THE LAST HURRAH (1958) and THE IRISH IN US (1935) with James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, and Olivia de Havilland.

Finally, TCM has posted a video montage with some of the March highlights on Twitter.

For more information on Turner Classic Movies in March 2019, please visit the full TCM schedule along with my posts Quick Preview of TCM in March and TCM Star of the Month: Fredric March.