TCM in June: Highlights

It's time for a look at the June schedule for Turner Classic Movies!

Cyd Charisse is the June Star of the Month on Tuesday nights beginning on June 1st. I'll have a separate Star of the Month post available here on the morning of the 1st. (Update: Please visit TCM Star of the Month: Cyd Charisse.)

The June Noir Alley schedule will feature POSSESSED (1947) on June 5th and 6th, WALK A CROOKED MILE (1948) on the 12th and 13th, THE BLUE GARDENIA (1953) June 19th and 20th, and SHADOW OF A DOUBT (1943) on June 26th-27th. The latter showing ties in with a weekend-long Alfred Hitchcock marathon.

The Noir Alley titles are all good to excellent; I'd particularly like to recommend the lesser-known WALK A CROOKED MILE, a procedural teaming L.A. FBI agent Dennis O'Keefe with Scotland Yard agent Louis Hayward on an international case involving top secret nuclear information. The "early CSI" techniques seen in the film are quite interesting.

The TCM Spotlight for June focuses on juvenile delinquents. Another special note: TCM pays tribute to Norman Lloyd on June 14th.

Here are a few highlights from the June schedule. Please click any hyperlinked title to read a complete review.

..."Deadly Domiciles" are the theme of the day on June 3rd, including Ronald Reagan in the fun "B" film NINE LIVES ARE NOT ENOUGH (1941).

...An evening of three Jane Austen films on June 4th features SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (1995), PERSUASION (1995), and PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (1940). I recently posted a photo gallery tribute to the latter film.

...One of the Saturday morning "B" films on June 5th is the entertaining EXPERIMENT ALCATRAZ (1950), starring John Howard and Joan Dixon. It features interesting San Francisco locations and an unusual story.

...June 7th features the type of "only on TCM" programming I especially appreciate, a prime time tribute to actress Florence Rice. Seven of Rice's films will be shown; I'm especially looking forward to VACATION FROM LOVE (1938), a film I've never seen costarring Dennis O'Keefe.

...Eleanor Parker receives a multifilm tribute on June 8th, including a favorite romantic comedy, THE VOICE OF THE TURTLE (1947) with Ronald Reagan. It's shown on TCM under its alternate TV title, ONE FOR THE BOOK.

...June 9th is the first of two days featuring a complete run of MGM's Andy Hardy movie series; this day includes A FAMILY AFFAIR (1937), YOU'RE ONLY YOUNG ONCE (1937), and THE HARDYS RIDE HIGH (1939), among others. The series continues on June 29th.

...A Judy Garland birthday tribute on June 10th includes a pair of films I've enjoyed revisiting on Blu-ray over the last couple of years, THE PIRATE (1948) and SUMMER STOCK (1950). Wonderful MGM entertainment!

...Kay Francis stars as a gold digger in the enjoyable RKO "B" film PLAY GIRL (1941) on June 11th. It's one of those films which isn't necessarily all that good, yet it's fast-paced and quite entertaining. James Ellison costars.

...The genial musical comedy LOVE AND LEARN (1947) airs on June 14th. It stars Martha Vickers, Jack Carson, and Janis Paige, who had previously costarred in the very enjoyable THE TIME, THE PLACE AND THE GIRL (1946). A pleasant score adds to the enjoyment.

...Margaret O'Brien, Charles Laughton, and Robert young star in THE CANTERVILLE GHOST (1944) on June 15th. As a side note, I had the Lux Radio Theater production on LP as a kid and used to listen to it regularly. You can find it on YouTube, with O'Brien and Laughton joined by Tom Drake in Young's role.

...James Cagney stars as a PICTURE SNATCHER (1933) on June 17th. Cagney plays an ex-con restarting his life in the newspaper business who creates a sensation when he sneaks a photo during a Death Row execution. Ralph Bellamy and Patricia Ellis costar.

...Later on the 17th I'm looking forward to recording 13 WEST STREET (1962), an Alan Ladd film I've not yet seen.

...Edward Arnold plays a blind detective with a remarkable guide dog in EYES IN THE NIGHT (1942). A top supporting cast includes Donna Reed, Reginald Denny, Ann Harding, Allen Jenkins, and Stephen (billed as Horace) McNally. It's on June 18th.

...Father's Day on June 20th includes many of the standard titles for this date, including William Powell in LIFE WITH FATHER (1947) and Spencer Tracy in FATHER OF THE BRIDE (1950).

...A favorite 20th Century-Fox musical, MOON OVER MIAMI (1941), will be featured in prime time on June 21st. (Side note: This was one of the first movies I reviewed here, and the review is so short I hope to do a more lengthy post at some future point.) It's always exciting when TCM showcases a 20th Century-Fox film, as they cost more for the channel to license.  It's part of an evening of "Sun-Drenched Summer Classics."

...June 22nd features crime films from 1939, including THE ROARING TWENTIES (1939) starring James Cagney, Priscilla Lane, Humphrey Bogart, and Jeffrey Lynn.  Also of special note that day is TELL NO TALES (1939) starring Melvyn Douglas and Louise Platt.

...The very enjoyable pre-Code GIRL MISSING (1933), starring Glenda Farrell and Mary Bryan, is part of a day of "memorable honeymoons" on June 24th.

...The centennial of Jane Russell's birth is on June 21st. Four nights later, on June 25th, she'll be celebrated in prime time, with a lineup of THE OUTLAW (1943), THE PALEFACE (1948), and HIS KIND OF WOMAN (1951). Russell is the subject of a brand-new biography by Christina Rice which I hope to review this summer.

...June 26th and 27th is "Hitchcock Binge-Watch Weekend."  Almost everything is worth checking out -- I'm not sure about FRENZY (1972) or FAMILY PLOT (1976) -- enjoy!

...THE STEEL FIST (1952) is an interesting little Monogram "B" in which Roddy McDowall works to flee a Communist country. Kristine Miller costars. It's on June 28th.

...A tribute to Olivia de Havilland begins on the evening of June 30th, continuing into July 1st, which would have been her 105th birthday. de Havilland passed away last year shortly after turning 104. Films will include the excellent HOLD BACK THE DAWN (1941), for which de Havilland received a Best Actress Oscar nomination. Charles Boyer and Paulette Goddard costar.

For more on TCM in June 2021, please visit my Quick Preview of TCM in June and TCM Star of the Month: Cyd Charisse. TCM's June schedule will be available on the site beginning June 1st.

Happy TCM movie viewing!

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