TCM in June: Highlights

It's one of my favorite times of the year, when the pace slows down and there's plenty of time to relax enjoying movies. And the June schedule on Turner Classic Movies is terrific!

The good stuff starts with Jane Powell as the June Star of the Month every Wednesday evening, beginning on June 5th. I'll have more information on the Jane Powell titles posted here in the near future. (Update: Please visit TCM Star of the Month: Jane Powell.)

TCM's special World War II series continues in June, moving from last month's homefront movies to battle films. Beginning on June 6th WWII films will be shown all day every Thursday, with commentary filmed at the National World War II Museum shown along with three films in prime time on Thursday evenings. The complete WWII schedule may be found on TCM's special microsite.

Treasures From the Disney Vault makes its quarterly appearance on June 25th with a lineup of films focused on crime and suspense, headed up by Hayley Mills in THE MOON-SPINNERS (1964), which will please the film's many fans. (I'm probably not the only one wondering whether Disney's partnership with TCM will continue after Disney's streaming service, Disney+, launches in mid-November.) Click on the picture to the right to enlarge it for a closer look at this month's Disney titles, hosted by Disney historian Leonard Maltin.

The June Noir Alley films are THE ASPHALT JUNGLE (1950) on June 1st and 2nd, NORA PRENTISS (1947) on June 8th, PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET (1953) on June 15th and 16th, SHADOW ON THE WALL (1950) on June 22nd/23rd, and ON DANGEROUS GROUND (1951) on June 29th and 30th.

Please note that NORA PRENTISS will only be shown on Noir Alley on June 8th, due to TCM's 24-hour salute to the late Doris Day which begins on Sunday, June 9th. The full schedule for the Day tribute may be found in TCM's press release or on the TCM site.

Below are just a few of TCM's June highlights; click on any hyperlinked title for my past review.

...I'm glad that 20th Century-Fox stars Alice Faye and Don Ameche are featured in a Sunday evening double bill on June 2nd. The titles shown are the colorful, entertaining THAT NIGHT IN RIO (1941) along with a new-to-me title, YOU CAN'T HAVE EVERYTHING (1937). Alice surely never looked more dazzling onscreen than in THAT NIGHT IN RIO!

...There's an interesting lineup of films dealing with divorce on Monday, June 3rd, including a favorite Robert Montgomery title, THEIR OWN DESIRE (1929), and the excellent child actress Sharyn Moffett in CHILD OF DIVORCE (1947), also starring  Regis Toomey. REPENT AT LEISURE (1941), starring Wendy Barrie and Kent Taylor, is on my list to record! Barrie and Taylor costarred one of the great "B" films, FIVE CAME BACK (1939).

...One of my favorite days on this month's calendar is a June 5th tribute to Robert Taylor. (Curiously, it's listed on the TCM Highlights Calendar as a birthday tribute, but he was actually born on August 5th. However, any time is a good time to celebrate Robert Taylor!) Eight Taylor films will be shown, kicking off with one of my favorite movies ever, William Wellman's WESTWARD THE WOMEN (1951).

...The best WWII titles on June 6th include THE LONGEST DAY (1962) and Wellman's BATTLEGROUND (1949). I love that THE LONGEST DAY is being shown on the 75th anniversary of D-Day; I recently learned it will be shown at UCLA's Billy Wilder Theater in August, and I hope to be there!

...This month's Saturday morning "B" Westerns feature a number of good stars. Tim Holt, always a favorite, stars in ROAD AGENT (1952) on Saturday, June 8th.

...I've seen all but one of the Doris Day films showing on June 9th and 10th, and needless to say, given the star, it's a very entertaining lineup. If I had to pick just one title to recommend out of the entire schedule, I'd probably go with CALAMITY JANE (1953), a bouncy musical with a great score which never fails to make me happy. Howard Keel costars.

...Brian Donlevy has turned up in several titles I've recently seen, and he's always good. I really liked IMPACT (1949), a crime film he made with Ella Raines which is showing on June 10th. It features great San Francisco locations.

...I love the Westerns lineup on June 11th! Titles include POWDERSMOKE RANGE (1935), a film starring Harry Carey (Sr.) and Hoot Gibson which is high on my list of films to see this month.

..."Movies for All Ages" on June 12th include the excellent MGM version of THE SECRET GARDEN (1949), with superb performances by Margaret O'Brien and Dean Stockwell, and some wonderful use of Technicolor.

...My picks for World War II films on June 13th are THIRTY SECONDS OVER TOKYO (1944) and THEY WERE EXPENDABLE (1945), which were both recently featured in my article on classic WWII films.

...A day of films on sharks on June 14th includes Victor Mature in THE SHARKFIGHTERS (1956), about the development of shark repellent to help protect downed servicemen during WWII.

...The enjoyable MEN OF AMERICA (1932), starring William Boyd, is the Saturday morning Western on June 15th. My post includes information on the movie's location shooting at Iverson Ranch.

...I keep holding off on seeing KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL (1952), hoping I can see it for the first time on a big screen, but I may have to watch it on TV after all, as it stars a trio of real favorites in John Payne, Coleen Gray, and Preston Foster. It will be shown on Saturday, June 15th.

...A wonderful cast stars in DAUGHTERS COURAGEOUS on June 16th, led by the Lane Sisters, Gale Page, Claude Rains, and John Garfield.

...I've seen a number of films being shown on June 17th; among them is Paramount's THE GLASS KEY (1942), which stars Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, and Brian Donlevy. I was fortunate to see it on a big screen a couple weeks ago at the Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival. Good stuff!

...I like to plug BOYS' RANCH (1946) when possible as it's a very nicely done family film headed by James Craig, Dorothy Patrick, and Jackie "Butch" Jenkins. It will be shown June 19th.

...Margaret Sullavan, Ann Sothern, Marsha Hunt, Joan Blondell, and several more great actresses star in CRY 'HAVOC' (1944), part of the WWII series films showing on June 20th.

...The classic SABRINA (1954) starring an incandescent Audrey Hepburn alongside Humphrey Bogart and William Holden, will air on June 21st.

...There's more Tim Holt on Saturday morning, June 22nd, with a showing of HOT LEAD (1941), costarring Joan Dixon.

...A prime time showing of TWO GUYS FROM TEXAS (1948) will take place on June 23rd, starring Dennis Morgan, Jack Carson, and Dorothy Malone.

...A great cast is featured in THE BIG CIRCUS (1959) on June 24th. Victor Mature and Rhonda Fleming star, with the cast also including Gilbert Roland, Adele Mara, Vincent Price, and Peter Lorre.

...I'm quite fond of the little-known musical PAINTING THE CLOUDS WITH SUNSHINE (1951), part of a day of films set in Las Vegas on June 25th. Virginia Mayo, Dennis Morgan, Gene Nelson, and Virginia Gibson lead a great cast. Later in the day I really like the minor crime film MYSTERY IN MEXICO (1948) with William Lundigan, Jacqueline White, and Ricardo Cortez.

...The WWII films on June 27th include one of my favorite war films of all time, THE GALLANT HOURS (1960), starring James Cagney and directed and narrated by Robert Montgomery. This story of Admiral William F. Halsey is a remarkable portrait of courageous military leadership. Also excellent on the 27th: Robert Taylor in ABOVE AND BEYOND (1952), the story of the Enola Gay and the dropping of the first atomic bomb. There are many more good war films being shown in June, so be sure to consult the schedule linked earlier in this post.

...This month's Saturday morning "B" Westerns wrap up with George O'Brien and Virginia Vale in the delightful BULLET CODE (1940) on June 29th.

...Another interesting Sunday night lineup, on June 30th, is a double bill of Fox's CLAUDIA (1943) and CLAUDIA AND DAVID (1946), starring Dorothy McGuire and Robert Young.

June is a great month on TCM for so many reasons! For more information on TCM in June 2019, please visit TCM Star of the Month: Jane Powell, Quick Preview of TCM in June, and TCM's online schedule.