TCM in March: 31 Days of Oscar Highlights

It's just about March, and that means it's time for 31 Days of Oscar on Turner Classic Movies!

In years past, all of the films shown on TCM during this series were either nominated for or won an Academy Award.

The 28th annual 31 Days of Oscar month will be a little different this time around, with the theme "Celebrating the Winners." Every one of the movies shown in March is an Academy Award winner, not just a nominee.

As I mentioned in my "Quick Preview" of Oscar month a few weeks ago, another new feature this year is a tie-in with the HBO Max streaming service. Each day a different Oscar-winning film will be available at the HBO Max Classics Curated by TCM Hub.

TCM has created a special microsite with the month's schedule. Please note the times listed are for the Eastern time zone.

With the Oscar-winning films shown this month being particularly well known, I decided to focus my March recommendations very specifically on some of my all-time most favorite films.

It will be a somewhat shorter list than usual, solely discussing films which I've seen countless times over the course of my life and which hold particularly special meaning for me. Please click any hyperlinked title for a full review.

...I'm hoping to see a top favorite MGM musical, THE HARVEY GIRLS (1946), at this year's TCM Classic Film Festival. Judy Garland leads a marvelous cast. For anyone who can't make it to the festival, THE HARVEY GIRLS will be shown early on Tuesday, March 1st, as one of the first couple of films to kick off Oscar month.

...On March 2nd, heading into March 3rd, my pick is one of my all-time favorite movies, SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS (1954). I consider this one of my Top 3 Favorite Films, and the Barn Dance might be my favorite movie scene ever put on film. Howard Keel and Jane Powell lead a talented cast, directed by Stanley Donen and choreographed by Michael Kidd.

..March 5th another all-time favorite movie will be shown, John Ford's SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON (1949). Please click the title link for a post I wrote after seeing the film (again!) at UCLA a few years ago, in which I list many of its pleasures.

...LITTLE WOMEN (1933) is another film I dearly love. I've seen it many times but was very deeply touched when I revisited it at the Egyptian Theatre in late February 2020. It was an emotional viewing experience -- and I probably would have cried even more if I'd known I'd only see a handful of other films theatrically that year! LITTLE WOMEN will be shown on March 6th.

...THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938) is another of my most favorite movies, which I feel is one of the greatest exemplars of the magic created by the "studio system." It will be shown March 7th. Don't miss it!

...THE MORE THE MERRIER (1943), starring Joel McCrea and Jean Arthur, is an utter delight, with rib-tickling humor and sweet (and even steamy!) romance. Guaranteed smiles and blissful sighs. It's on March 8th.

...On March 13th TCM is showing a "newer" film which I consider an absolute classic: SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (1995), the wonderful Jane Austen story starring Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, and Kate Winslet. It there anyone who doesn't love this movie? Hard to imagine.

...There's more Jane Austen on March 15th: MGM's classic version of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (1940), starring Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier. If anyone at our house stumbles across this film airing on TCM, the channel doesn't change until it's over!

...THE MUSIC MAN (1962), showing on March 17th, is another film which is pure joy. I couldn't begin to guess how many times I've seen it. Favorite scene: "Marian the Librarian."

...There are several old favorites on March 21st; I'll recommend THE GAY DIVORCEE (1934). I grew up watching "Fred and Ginger films," starting on KTTV Ch. 11 in Los Angeles, and they're part of the reason I fell in love with classic films.

...A LETTER TO THREE WIVES (1949) is one of my favorite films of the '40s from 20th Century-Fox. The cast is great, with special mention going to the underrated Linda Darnell, who is simply fabulous. It's on March 22nd.

...What can I say about CASABLANCA (1942)? Despite having seen it countless times over the years, my most recent viewing -- a nitrate print at the Egyptian Theatre -- was one of the most thrilling and memorable theater experiences of the last decade. It will be shown March 26th.

...March 27th is a particularly rich viewing day; I could easily have chosen to write about GONE WITH THE WIND (1939) or ALL ABOUT EVE (1950). I decided to particularly recommend another of the movies which first made me fall in love with classic film, IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934). I don't know how young I was when I first saw it, but it must have been one of the very earliest classic movies I ever saw. I've loved it ever since. Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert are absolute perfection.

...Another favorite Clark Gable film is SAN FRANCISCO (1936), costarring Jeanette MacDonald and Spencer Tracy. It's another I first saw on local television when I was young. I couldn't have dreamed then that I would one day see it on a big screen or via a beautiful Blu-ray, uninterrupted by commercials! Like THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, it's another great example of a movie studio firing on all cylinders -- great casting, music, special effects. Everything works. It's on March 28th.

...March 29th might be my favorite day on the schedule, with some absolutely wonderful films on the schedule, including a pair of World War II movies which hold special meaning for me, THE HUMAN COMEDY (1943) and MRS. MINIVER (1942). I first discovered both films which I was around 12, and they had a great impact on me. In the case of THE HUMAN COMEDY, I also loved William Saroyan's book, and I used the final scene from MRS. MINIVER when we had to memorize and deliver a speech in class. That was a bit unique in a late '70s junior high school.

...There are also several favorites on March 30th, including one of my all-time favorite Doris Day movies, CALAMITY JANE (1953). The music carries the viewer away from the earliest scenes and doesn't let go. The entire film is a delight -- and it includes "Secret Love."

For more on TCM in March 2022, please visit TCM's online schedule along with my Quick Preview of TCM in March.

Finally, a reminder that this year's Academy Awards show will be held on Sunday, March 27th.

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