TCM in January: Highlights

Happy New Year and very best wishes to all for a wonderful 2023.

It's hard to believe, but it's already time to take a look at the Turner Classic Movies schedule for January.

Marion Davies is the January Star of the Month. 23 Davies films will be shown on Tuesday evenings. Please note there will not be a separate Star of the Month post for January.

The January Noir Alley titles are DON'T BOTHER TO KNOCK (1952) on January 7th and 8th, THUNDER ROAD (1958) on January 14th-15th, THE TWO MRS. CARROLLS (1947) on the 21st and 22nd, and HIGHWAY 301 (1950) on January 28th and 29th.

Unusually for me, to date I've only seen one of this month's Noir Alley films. They all look quite interesting; I've heard particularly good things from friends about HIGHWAY 301, which stars Steve Cochran and Virginia Grey.

The TCM Spotlight focuses on "Car Chases" on Wednesday evenings. "Female Detectives" will be the theme on the first three Fridays of the month, including films from the Nancy Drew and Torchy Blane series.

A favorite "B" film, WANTED! JANE TURNER (1936), starring Gloria Stuart and Lee Tracy, is also among the detective titles on the schedule, on January 20th.

Here's a look at a few more of the many interesting movies being shown this month on TCM. Please click any hyperlinked title to read my extended review.

...2023 starts in cheery fashion with the classic MGM musical comedy SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952) on New Year's Day.

...A day of 1930s Westerns on January 2nd includes George O'Brien and Laraine (Johnson) Day in BORDER G-MAN (1938). It's also got some nice singing by Ray Whitley, who sings his classic composition "Back in the Saddle Again."

...A January 3rd birthday tribute to Ray Milland includes the RKO comedy WISE GIRL (1937), costarring Miriam Hopkins.

...A night of car chases on January 4th includes HIGH SIERRA (1941), in which Humphrey Bogart races up Whitney Portal Road outside Lone Pine. Today the car can be seen at the Museum of Western Film History in Lone Pine.

...An evening of films themed around "The Jewish Experience" on January 5th includes CROSSFIRE (1947), with Robert Young, Robert Ryan, and Robert Mitchum.

...I've loved getting to know the sensitive work of director Frank Borzage in recent years. There's a day of eight Borzage films on January 6th, including the World War II film THE MORTAL STORM (1940), with James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan heading an excellent cast.

...Don't miss an all-time favorite, I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING! (1945), on Saturday, January 7th. It's a magical romance which is being shown along with PYGMALION (1938) as part of a two-film tribute to Wendy Hiller.

...Last month I reviewed Raymond Massey in ABE LINCOLN IN ILLINOIS (1940), which was recently released on Blu-ray. It's being shown on TCM on January 8th.

...There are a bunch of good films airing on January 9th as part of a birthday tribute to Lee Van Cleef. I particularly recommend the little-known but very fine Western THE DESPERADO (1954), with Van Cleef playing identical twin villains opposite Wayne Morris, and THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS (1953), in which Van Cleef has a memorable scene as an army sharpshooter. You've got to see it to believe it!

...The Marion Davies silent comedy SHOW PEOPLE (1928) is quite delightful. I saw it a few years ago at the TCM Classic Film Festival, introduced by Leonard Maltin and Davies biographer Lara Gabrielle, and I really enjoyed it. It's part of the Davies Star of the Month movies on January 10th.

...Snow is the theme on January 11th, with films including the classic ON DANGEROUS GROUND (1952), starring Robert Ryan and Ida Lupino. The film also features a great score by Bernard Herrmann.

...Errol Flynn is celebrated on January 12th with a terrific seven-film lineup including the WWII films EDGE OF DARKNESS (1943) and DESPERATE JOURNEY (1942).

...Several Torchy Blane films are showing on January 13th, including the first film in the series, SMART BLONDE (1937). I've found the films I've seen in this series to date fast-paced fun.

...One of my very favorite George O'Brien films, THE MARSHAL OF MESA CITY (1939), will be shown on January 14th. It's a top "B" Western which is a loose remake of the Richard Dix film THE ARIZONIAN (1935).

...A pair of favorites, Kay Francis and Preston Foster, star in the stagy yet entertaining FIRST LADY (1937), adapted from a play by George S. Kaufman and Katherine Dayton. It's being shown January 15th.

...It's James Garner Day on January 17th, including BOYS' NIGHT OUT (1962), costarring Kim Novak.

...A day of "warm weather" films on January 20th includes Eleanor Powell, Robert Young, and Burns & Allen in HONOLULU (1939), a minor yet enjoyable film with top dancing by Powell.

...The classic screwball comedy LIBELED LADY (1936) will be shown on January 21st. William Powell, Myrna Loy, Jean Harlow, and Spencer Tracy star. For anyone who hasn't yet seen my February TCM preview, there are lots more screwball comedies coming to the network in the near future.

...It's been a long time since I saw PERFECT STRANGERS (1950), an interesting film about a jury duty romance starring Ginger Rogers and Dennis Morgan. It's on January 22nd.

...A few years ago I enjoyed EVER SINCE EVE (1937), which stars Marion Davies and Robert Montgomery. It's on January 24th as part of an evening of half a dozen Davies films.

...THE BAMBOO BLONDE (1946) is an enjoyable "B" musical starring Frances Langford and directed by Anthony Mann. It's on as part of an entire day of films set in nightclubs on January 25th.

...Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell star in LIVE, LOVE AND LEARN (1937) on January 26th. It's a minor yet enjoyable film pairing two actors with good chemistry.

...Tyrone Power and Maureen O'Hara star in the 20th Century-Fox film THE BLACK SWAN (1942) on Saturday, January 28th.

...THIS COULD BE THE NIGHT (1957) is a relatively unsung charmer directed by Robert Wise, with a marvelous cast headed by Jean Simmons and Paul Douglas. I named it a "favorite discovery" when I first saw it a few years ago. Highly recommended. It's on January 31st.

For more on TCM in January 2023, please visit my Quick Preview of TCM in January along with TCM's online schedule.

Happy New Year!

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