TCM in September: Highlights

The end of summer is on the horizon, but happily there are great things to look forward to on the Turner Classic Movies September schedule.

Sidney Poitier is the September Star of the Month. This is Poitier's second time as Star of the Month; he was previously honored in July 2002.

21 of Poitier's films will be shown spread across Tuesday evenings this month. There will not be a separate Star of the Month post for September.

Noir Alley returns in September following a month off for Summer Under the Stars. September's titles are THE BIG CLOCK (1948) on September 7th and 8th, NOCTURNE (1946) on the 14th and 15th, THE WOMAN ON THE BEACH (1947) on September 21st-22nd, and THE HARDER THEY FALL (1956) on the 28th and 29th.

I particularly recommend THE BIG CLOCK, a stylish, engrossing film which I've enjoyed on multiple occasions. (And if the plot seems familiar, it inspired the 1987 Kevin Costner film NO WAY OUT.) Ray Milland, Charles Laughton, and Maureen O'Sullivan lead a great cast, directed by John Farrow.

Treasures From the Disney Vault makes its quarterly appearance on September 2nd with a marvelous slate of films including FUN AND FANCY FREE (1947), THE LOVE BUG (1968), THE HAPPIEST MILLIONAIRE (1967), and SNOWBALL EXPRESS (1972).

Disney fans will be interested to know there's a brand-new book, THE MAKING OF WALT DISNEY'S FUN AND FANCY FREE, by a top Disney historian, J.B. Kaufman.

With the Disney+ streaming service launching this November, I wouldn't be surprised if these special Disney evenings on TCM come to an end, but here's hoping they will continue! I'll be watching for news on this issue.

Also ahead this month: The TCM Spotlight focuses on college football every Friday evening. A celebration of the centennial of United Artists on Wednesdays and Thursdays includes James Bond movies on Thursdays. The Saturday morning lineup of "B" films, cartoons, shorts, and serials will include Ruth Roman in the serial JUNGLE QUEEN (1945) beginning September 21st.

Below are just a few of this month's TCM highlights. Please click any hyperlinked title to read my corresponding review.

...The marvelous classic THE PRISONER OF ZENDA (1937) airs on September 4th. The peerless cast includes Ronald Colman, Madeleine Carroll, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., David Niven, Mary Astor, and Raymond Massey. Anyone who's never seen it before has a particular treat in store.

...Later on the 4th the United Artists tribute kicks off with silent films including BROKEN BLOSSOMS (1919) with Lillian Gish, LITTLE ANNIE ROONEY (1925) starring Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks (Sr.) in THE THREE MUSKETEERS (1921), to name a few.

...UA's James Bond films will be shown every Thursday evening beginning on September 5th, when five Sean Connery 007 films will be shown, starting with DR. NO (1963).

...THE CARTOONS OF WINSOR MCCAY (2014) on September 6th sounds like interesting animation history. It's a collection of cartoons dating from 1911 to 1921.

...Later on the 6th, a "bug"-themed lineup includes HIGHLY DANGEROUS (1950), an enjoyable thriller with Margaret Lockwood as a British entomologist sent behind the Iron Curtain to uncover plans for germ warfare using bugs. She's aided by an American newspaperman played by Dane Clark. It doesn't turn up on TCM often, so be sure to check it out. This film is also available on DVD from VCI.

...The Saturday morning Western on September 7th is Tim Holt in COME ON DANGER (1942). Though my favorite Holt Westerns are those he made in the late '40s and early '50s, a Holt film is always worth watching!

...A day of MGM musicals on September 9th includes treats such as Fred Astaire and Vera-Ellen in THE BELLE OF NEW YORK (1952) and Peter Lawford and June Allyson in GOOD NEWS (1947), both directed by Charles Walters.

...HIGH WALL (1947) is an excellent psychological murder mystery starring Robert Taylor, Audrey Totter, and Herbert Marshall. It's on September 10th.

...The outstanding SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (1957), about a nasty New York gossip columnist (Burt Lancaster) and those in his orbit, is on September 11th. Tony Curtis, Martin Milner, and Susan Harrison costar. For those who might have missed the news, Harrison passed on in April.

...One of my favorite days on the September calendar is the 12th, which features a parade of delightful '60s romances and rom coms, including LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA (1962), WHERE THE BOYS ARE (1960), and COME FLY WITH ME (1963), to name just a few. A marvelous day of thoroughly entertaining films.

...A day of Ruth Chatterton films on September 13th includes one of my favorite pre-Codes, FEMALE (1933). It costars Chatterton's then-husband, George Brent. Besides being a fun, fast-paced film, the set design is fantastic!

...One of my all-time favorite Westerns, Budd Boetticher's RIDE LONESOME (1959) is on September 14th. Randolph Scott, Pernell Roberts, Karen Steele, Lee Van Cleef, and James Coburn star. A gem which tells a great story with terrific characters in a compact 73 minutes. I rewatch this one regularly.

...Tim Holt's RIO GRANDE PATROL (1950) is on in the early morning hours of September 17th. This is a good month for Holt fans -- worth noting that you can also catch him in the classic THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948) on September 2nd.

...September 17th's lineup also includes another "darn good Western," FLAME OF THE WEST (1945) starring Johnny Mack Brown and a solid cast. This is a superior "B" film which I really enjoyed.

...There are some good pre-Codes showing on September 19th, including Barbara Stanwyck and George Brent in THE PURCHASE PRICE (1932), the story of a mail order bride, directed by William A. Wellman.

...I love George O'Brien, and his next-to-last film was GOLD RAIDERS (1951), costarring...the Three Stooges?! It's on Saturday morning, September 21st.

...Sunday, September 22nd, provides examples of Joan Bennett in both her incarnations: Blonde '30s Joan costars in the classic LITTLE WOMEN (1933), followed later in the morning by brunette '40s Joan in the Noir Alley showing of THE WOMAN ON THE BEACH (1947), costarring Robert Ryan.

...I don't seem to recall Frank Capra's STATE OF THE UNION (1948) airing on TCM with great frequency. It's on September 22nd, starring Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Van Johnson, and Angela Lansbury. It's been many years since my last viewing, and I'm curious to see it again.

...5 AGAINST THE HOUSE (1955) is an interesting heist film set in Reno, directed by Phil Karlson and starring Kim Novak, Guy Madison, and Brian Keith. It's part of a day of "robbery" films on September 24th.

...DANGEROUS PARTNERS (1945) on September 26th is the kind of "B" film I enjoy checking out: "A young couple's accident could make them rich, if they can evade a Nazi spy ring." Well, okay then! James Craig, Signe Hasso, and Edmund Gwenn star.

...Be sure to check out the short WOMEN IN HIDING (1940) on the morning of the 28th. This "Crime Doesn't Pay" short about expectant mothers stars Marsha Hunt and was directed by Joseph M. Newman.

...A six-film birthday tribute to Deborah Kerr on September 30th includes the enjoyable MGM drama THE HUCKSTERS (1947). Clark Gable and Ava Gardner also star in this film about the advertising business.

For more on the TCM schedule for September 2019, please consult TCM's complete online schedule as well as my Quick Preview of TCM in September.

Happy movie viewing on TCM in September!