TCM in October: Highlights

How is it already October?! It's time for a look at the "spooky season" schedule for Turner Classic Movies.

This month TCM will celebrate the centennial of Charlton Heston. The Star of the Month was born October 4, 1923. Heston's films will be shown on Wednesday evenings.

The October Noir Alley titles are WHIPLASH (1948) on October 1st, DECEPTION (1946) October 7th and 8th, THE BIG CAPER (1957) October 14th-15th, CASQUE D'OR (1952) October 21st and 22nd, and EXPERIMENT IN TERROR (1962) on the 28th and 29th.

I enjoyed all of the films I've seen; I especially like EXPERIMENT IN TERROR, with its stunning black and white photography of San Francisco and evocative Henry Mancini score.

The TCM Spotlight is focused on "Gothic Movies" on Friday nights, with titles such as JANE EYRE (1944), DRAGONWYCK (1946), and THE SECRET GARDEN (1949) part of the first evening on October 6th. This series has an excellent lineup, and I especially recommend it.

The October TCM schedule will feature a variety of other themes including National Parks and Landmarks, Hispanic Heritage Month, and "Creepy Cinema."

A Halloween "TCM Terror-Thon" take place on October 30th and 31st.

Below are some additional highlights from this month's schedule. Please click any hyperlinked title to read my extended review.

...A two-film Sunday evening tribute to Gordon MacRae on October 1st includes a rare TCM showing of CAROUSEL (1956), starring MacRae and Shirley Jones.

...A "Harvest Season" theme on October 3rd includes the very good AS THE EARTH TURNS (1934), based on the Pulitzer-nominated book by Gladys Hasty Carroll. The book has been a favorite of mine since high school, and the movie does a good job consolidating the somewhat sprawling family store into a 73-minute film, though I actually wish it had been longer. Jean Muir stars. The cast also includes the wonderful David Landau, a favorite character actor who was gone too soon.

...It was a supporting role, but Charlton Heston was my favorite thing about William Wyler's great THE BIG COUNTRY (1958). It's being shown as part of Heston's Star of the Month series on October 4th.

...An evening of "border" films on October 5th includes the Tim Holt "B" Western BORDER TREASURE (1950), in which Tim and Chito (Richard Martin) help deliver valuables from Arizona to Mexico in order to purchase relief supplies following an earthquake.

...A seven-film tribute to Kathryn Grayson on October 6th includes one of my favorites, LOVELY TO LOOK AT (1952). Howard Keel, Ann Miller, and Marge and Gower Champion costar.

...I love the National Parks theme on October 9th and 16th. The 9th will include DANGEROUS MISSION (1954), a Victor Mature film which is great fun. To my knowledge this film has yet to have a DVD, Blu-ray, or even VHS release. Both evenings also include Traveltalk shorts filmed in national parks.

...The October 11th theme is twins, including a favorite "B" film, TWICE BLESSED (1945), starring identical twins Lyn and Lee Wilde. The estranged parents in this film, which seems to anticipate Disney's THE PARENT TRAP (1961), are Preston Foster and Gail Patrick.

...A day of "heavenly comedies" on October 12th includes Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy in the delightful I MARRIED AN ANGEL (1942).

...There's a great night of Gothic thrillers on October 13th, including EXPERIMENT PERILOUS (1944), SECRET BEYOND THE DOOR (1948), and THE MAN IN GREY (1943).

...The great William Wellman Western WESTWARD THE WOMEN (1951), which just came out on Blu-ray, will air on October 14th. Robert Taylor leads a fine cast. In addition to my review, I've created a gallery of stills from the film, and in 2021 I visited one of the movie's chief locations, Kanab, Utah, where some of the film's sets are still standing, albeit in a decaying condition. I shared photos of the sets at Classic Movie Hub.

...The second evening of National Parks and Landmarks on October 16th includes Hitchcock's SABOTEUR (1942), which famously concludes atop the Statue of Liberty. In 2014 I also wrote about the movie's "Soda City" location, which was filmed in the community of Dolomite outside Lone Pine, California; please visit my post to check out a photo.

...A day of films with "autumn" in the title includes Yasujiro Ozu's beautiful AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON (1962). I love what Roger Ebert wrote, which I quote in my review: "From time to time I return to Ozu feeling a need to be calmed and restored." So true. It airs October 18th.

...Martin Scorsese guest programs on October 19th. His selections include the "noir Western" BLOOD ON THE MOON (1948), directed by Robert Wise, and the great Howard Hawks Western RED RIVER (1948).

...The theme on October 20th is "stars," and the titles include Joel McCrea, Ellen Drew, and Dean Stockwell in Jacques Tourneur's beautiful STARS IN MY CROWN (1950).

...There's a two-film prime time tribute to actress Diane Baker on October 22nd which features MIRAGE (1965) and MARNIE (1964).

...A tribute to director John Sturges on October 24th includes BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK (1955), with Spencer Tracy leading an all-star cast, and MYSTERY STREET (1950) starring Ricardo Montalban (seen here). Both are highly recommended.

...SKYJACKED (1972), airing as part of the Charlton Heston Star of the Month lineup on October 25th, is great fun. Worth seeing even if just for the shot of Heston piloting the plane during takeoff with a pipe clenched in his teeth. Things were different then!

...The best day in a great month might just be October 26th, featuring RKO Westerns. I believe I've seen every single one, and they're all worth watching, including STATION WEST (1948), starring Dick Powell and Jane Greer.

...TCM is showing both the 1956 and 1934 versions of Alfred Hitchcock's THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH back to back on the evening of October 28th.

For more on TCM in October 2023, please visit my Quick Preview of TCM in October and TCM's online schedule.

Happy October!

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