TCM in January: Highlights

Happy New Year! And very best wishes to all my readers for a very happy 2022.

The Turner Classic Movies January schedule went live late on New Year's Eve, Pacific Time, so we can now take a close look at some of the good things ahead this month on TCM.

The January Star of the Month is Kay Francis. She's certainly a favorite of mine! Kay was last a Star of the Month in September 2008.

Three dozen Francis films will be shown spread over four Monday evenings. Please check back here on January 3rd for my Star of the Month post, which will give a complete rundown on the Kay Francis schedule, including review links. (January 3rd Update: Please visit TCM Star of the Month: Kay Francis.)

The wonderful REPEAT PERFORMANCE (1947), which incidentally comes out on Blu-ray and DVD next month, is scheduled for Noir Alley on January 1st and 2nd. Since the movie is set at New Year's, the timing couldn't be more perfect!

This month's other Noir Alley titles are NIGHTMARE ALLEY (1947) on January 8th and 9th, THE MOB (1951) on January 15th-16th, OVER-EXPOSED (1956) on January 22nd and 23rd, and JENNY LAMOUR (1947), also known as QUAI DES ORFEVRES, on January 29th and 30th.

I saw JENNY LAMOUR at October's Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival and highly recommend it.

The TCM Spotlight this month is "True Crime," and there's also a rather unique "Special Theme" focused on "Movie Accents." Saturday evenings will feature epics including LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962) and CLEOPATRA (1963).

Here's an overview of some of the interesting films being shown on TCM this month. Please click on any hyperlinked title to read the corresponding review.

...Kicking off the year with Tim Holt and Richard "Chito" Martin on New Year's Day sounds like a great idea! RUSTLERS (1949) is a strong "B" Western with a cast which includes a young Martha Hyer. The attractive location filming took place in Idyllwild, California.

...I very much recommend LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA (1960), a favorite discovery a few years ago. Olivia de Havilland, Yvette Mimieux, George Hamilton, Rossano Brazzi, and Barry Sullivan star. It will be shown on Sunday, January 2nd.

...The daytime schedule on January 5th focuses on "Theatre Life," with a lineup of terrific films including the classic MGM musical THE BAND WAGON (1953).

...I was impressed with the Dick Powell-Ruby Keeler musical SHIPMATES FOREVER (1935) a decade ago. There are some serious underlying themes, and the Warren-Dubin songs are worked in quite naturally. Frank Borzage directed. It's on January 6th.

...January 7th is a day of films starring Ray Milland. CLOSE TO MY HEART (1951), an adoption drama costarring Gene Tierney, isn't shown particularly often so I especially recommend checking it out.

...The lineup on January 8th includes one of the few films I saw in a theater in 2020, GILDA (1946), starring Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford.

...A day of films starring Constance Bennett on January 11th includes favorites such as TOPPER (1936), costarring Cary Grant, and MERRILY WE LIVE (1938) with Brian Aherne. Billie Burke appears in both films; she was nominated for the Supporting Actress Oscar for her delightfully daffy performance in the latter film.

...The evening of January 14th TCM presents a tribute to Stanley Baker, including HELL DRIVERS (1957). The marvelous cast includes Sean Connery, Patrick McGoohan, and David McCallum.

...I recommend THE ROMANCE OF ROSY RIDGE (1947) on January 16th. It's a wonderful example of the Americana MGM did so well in the '40s. Janet Leigh made her film debut opposite Van Johnson in this post Civil War film.

...January 18th features a seven-film birthday tribute to Cary Grant! Favorites that day include MR. BLANDINGS BUILDS HIS DREAM HOUSE (1948) and THE BACHELOR AND THE BOBBY-SOXER (1947) opposite Myrna Loy.

...January 19th features a great lineup of Westerns, including RIO BRAVO (1949), which I wrote about last year for Classic Movie Hub. Then stay tuned for an evening of films directed by Frank Capra!

...It's been over a dozen years now since I last saw Robert Taylor in THE POWER AND THE PRIZE (1956). He's seen here with costar Elisabeth Mueller. I don't remember the film especially well and am curious to revisit it. It will be shown as part of a day of office dramas on January 20th.

...Suspicious husbands are the theme on January 21st, including a Doris Day film which is a personal favorite, JULIE (1956). Barry Sullivan and Frank Lovejoy try to help Doris escape her psycho new husband, played by Louis Jourdan.

...The 20th Century-Fox classic A LETTER TO THREE WIVES (1948) will be shown on January 23rd. A great cast, with the movie's best performance probably being that of Linda Darnell. Highly recommended.

...Prime time on January 26th is devoted to "Life on the Farm," beginning with Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray in THE EGG AND I (1947). Other films airing that evening include Zachary Scott and Betty Field in Jean Renoir's THE SOUTHERNER (1945) and Edward G. Robinson and Margaret O'Brien in Roy Rowland's OUR VINES HAVE TENDER GRAPES (1945).

...January 27th's daytime lineup is devoted to films with "men" and "boys" in the title. There are some fun movies showing, including William Boyd in MEN OF AMERICA (1933), which I especially enjoyed seeing after visiting the film's Iverson Ranch location, seen here.

...NORTHERN PURSUIT (1943), with Errol Flynn battling Nazis in Canada's far north, is an enjoyable watch. It's on late on the evening of January 29th.

...January 31st features a tribute to the great costume designer Walter Plunkett, with a lineup of seven films he made for MGM, including the musicals THE GLASS SLIPPER (1955), KISS ME KATE (1953), and ATHENA (1954).

For more on TCM in January 2022, please visit my Quick Preview of TCM in January and TCM Star of the Month: Kay Francis along with TCM's online schedule.

Happy New Year!

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