TCM in September: Highlights
Time for a look at the September schedule on Turner Classic Movies!Before I launch into a review of this month's TCM movie schedule, the big news of the day is that TCM has announced a "brand refresh," with a new logo and sets. The channel also has a new tag line, "Where Then Meets Now," replacing "Let's Movie."
The changes were first hinted at last week in a brief video featuring Ben Mankiewicz. Today the new logo was unveiled, which emphasizes the "C" in TCM. In a press release TCM says that the "C" stands for "curation, context, connection, and culture," while also being a "modern take on the classic film lens." TCM has also changed the Noir Alley logo, seen further below.
The press release mentions that films will be "presented with a bold new energy that reflects today's audience." It's hard to know at this juncture if this refers to the channel's cosmetic changes or if it portends a deeper change in direction.
For instance, TCM has always shown films with varied types of historical context, but might this mean there will be additional "Reframed"-style editorializing regarding elements which are no longer considered "correct"? Indeed, the press release also says the network is a catalyst for "reframing the conversations around 20th century films for the 21st century."
I'll be participating in a Zoom press conference including key TCM executives next week and hope to gain additional insights then. In the meantime, here's a new "Where Then Meets Now" video as well as an additional "special message" from Ben Mankiewicz in which he assures regular viewers that the changes are mostly cosmetic and not concerning. It seems thoughtful that TCM acknowledges its viewers are wary of change, all the more so as many of us recall what happened to the American Movie Classics channel years ago.
Update: Please visit my October Highlights post for a report on the press conference.
Moving on to a look at the September schedule, Paul Robeson is the Star of the Month. Ten of Robeson's films, along with a brief documentary on his life, will be shown on Sunday evenings. Please note there will not be a separate Star of the Month post for September.
September's TCM Spotlight has a fun and unusual theme: roller-skating in the movies! Titles shown on Thursdays this month include musicals with notable roller-skating dance numbers such as SHALL WE DANCE (1937), I LOVE MELVIN (1953), and IT'S ALWAYS FAIR WEATHER (1955).
Special events on TCM this month include marking Hispanic Heritage Month on September 15th with films featuring Anthony Quinn, Rita Hayworth, and Juano Hernandez; an evening of the "Golden Age" of Mexican cinema on the 20th; a celebration of the opening of the Academy Museum on September 27th; and National Silent Movie Day on September 29th.
Below are just a few additional September highlights. Please click any hyperlinked title to read my review.
...September 4th I'm recording THE JOKER IS WILD (1957) which is part of a two-film prime time birthday tribute to Mitzi Gaynor. The movie also stars Frank Sinatra and Jeanne Crain. Somehow I've never seen it despite its great cast.
...On September 9th there's a tribute to Eleanor Parker featuring seven films and two shorts. I've seen and liked a majority of the films but particularly recommend the WWII romance THE VERY THOUGHT OF YOU (1944), costarring Dennis Morgan, with Dane Clark and Faye Emerson in support.
...On September 10th a day of disaster movies is followed by an evening of films about cults. CULT OF THE COBRA (1955) is a TCM premiere with a wonderful cast including Jack Kelly (MAVERICK), Faith Domergue (WHERE DANGER LIVES), Richard Long, Kathleen Hughes, Marshall Thompson, David Janssen and more.
...The daytime hours on September 11th will feature films based in New York City, including Jules Dassin's docu-noir THE NAKED CITY (1948). Barry Fitzgerald and Don Taylor star.
...A day of films about the navy on September 13th includes a favorite lesser-known MGM musical, TWO GIRLS AND A SAILOR (1944). June Allyson, Van Johnson, Gloria DeHaven, and Tom Drake star.
...September 14th is a wonderful day of '30s rom coms, including a couple particular favorites, THE RICHEST GIRL IN THE WORLD (1934), starring Miriam Hopkins and Joel McCrea, and THREE LOVES HAS NANCY (1938), starring Janet Gaynor, Robert Montgomery, and Franchot Tone.
...TORTILLA FLAT (1942), airing on September 17th, is a flawed film, but it features a charming performance by Hedy Lamarr which should be seen by the actress's fans. John Garfield, Spencer Tracy, and Oscar-nominated Frank Morgan costar.
...TCM offers a day of "Iconic Musicals" on September 20th. All the MGM musicals on the list are terrific. I most recently reviewed ANNIE GET YOUR GUN (1950) when it was released on Blu-ray in a spectacular new print. Betty Hutton and Howard Keel star.
...A day of 1950s Westerns is also my kind of programming! September 22nd's lineup includes one of my all-time favorites, RIO BRAVO (1959), starring John Wayne.
...TCM seems to have a "genre by decades" theme this month! A day of 1960s music on September 24th includes THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT (1967) which was a joy for me to discover several years ago at UCLA. The cast includes Catherine Deneuve, Francoise Dorleac, Gene Kelly, Danielle Darrieux, and George Chakiris.
...Only on TCM will one find programming such as a 10-film tribute to actress Claire Dodd! September 27th will also feature one short with the actress. I've seen most of the films on the list; a particular favorite is the "country house" romantic comedy THE GOOSE AND THE GANDER (1935).
...On September 28th TCM is showing PROMISES IN THE DARK (1979) which I haven't seen since 1980. (I have a vague memory it might have been via the ON TV settop box, remember those?) Marsha Mason plays a doctor, with Kathleen Beller a cancer-stricken young girl. Beller was an actress I enjoyed in many TV productions "back in the day."
...The month ends on a high note September 30th with a centennial tribute to actress Deborah Kerr. I'm especially interested in revisiting I SEE A DARK STRANGER (1946), which I haven't seen for a dozen years.
For more on TCM in September 2021, please visit my Quick Preview of TCM in September along with TCM's complete schedule.
posted by Laura @ 7:50 PM
6 Comments:
TCM, from the death of Robert Osborne, has succeeded in chasing me away, and while I did not need him, he was pleasant and enthusiastic. Now we have TCM woke, and they'll with that, beginning with the new website, and all of their hosts, without exception. No one needs talking heads, we have the movies.
...after without exception, please add, finish the job.
I couldn't agree more, Barry. So Turner went woke too. Great. Instead of an introduction to the movie we now get a sermon. Just what I need.
Haha--what we "old" people don't understand is that you must be woke in order to appeal to a young audience, which is clearly what TCM is doing with the rebranding. In the intro to THE BARKLEYS OF BROADWAY (a film that I enjoyed for the first time), Ben bent over backwards to insist that TCM is still the same, which says to me that they knew the base wouldn't like it. Additionally, I find it humorous that his new contemporary set is midcentury Scandinavian.
That said, I'm not completely turned off by the new branding, and I'm curious to see what Noir Alley looks like this week, since I'm interested in watching Robert Preston in CLOUDBURST.
Margot,
Good hearing from you, or rather seeing your name in print. We should see more of it, and I hope all is well out your way.
Thanks Barry. All is well, though I live in Portland. Actually in the suburbs, thank God.
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