Around the Blogosphere This Week...

...is taking the weekend off while I'm on vacation.

The column will return on Saturday, September 21st.

For recent links of interest to classic film fans, please visit my September 7th link roundup.

34th Lone Pine Film Festival Coming In October

The 34th Lone Pine Film Festival returns next month!

The festival will take place in Lone Pine, California, on Columbus Day Weekend, October 10th through 13th.

The 2024 guests will include a mix of familiar festival visitors along with new faces. The list of actors, film historians, and relatives of filmmakers planning to attend includes Patrick Wayne, Robert Carradine, Bruce Boxleitner, Burton Gilliam, Rory Flynn, Cheryl Rogers Barnett, Wyatt McCrea, Alan K. Rode, Jeremy Arnold, Michael F. Blake, Rob Word, Darby Hinton, Diamond Farnsworth, Marc Wanamaker, and Tom Tyler's niece, Sandra Slepski, plus several more great names beyond these. It's going to be a very exciting festival!

Pianist J.C. Munns will once again be providing silent film accompaniment.

This year's films include:

*A 75th anniversary screening of SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON (1949)

*An 80th anniversary screening of the Hopalong Cassidy film MYSTERY MAN (1944)

*THE TALL T (1957) starring Randolph Scott, directed by Budd Boetticher

*THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE (1936) with Errol Flynn

*ROCKY MOUNTAIN (1950) with Errol Flynn

*CATTLE EMPIRE (1958) starring Joel McCrea

*TRAIL OF ROBIN HOOD (1950) with Roy Roger and Jack Holt

*NEVADA (1944) with Robert Mitchum

*THE ARIZONA RANGER (1948) starring Tim Holt

And even more, including silent movies starring William S. Hart and Jack Hoxie!

This year's tours include locations for MYSTERY MAN, NEVADA, THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE, HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL, and more.

There are also tours focused on famed photographer Ansel Adams: Ansel Adams at the Alabama Hills and Ansel Adams at Manzanar. The Manzanar National Historic Site is north of Lone Pine on Highway 395. The annual Sunrise Tour will also take place.

There will also be three horseback location tours guided by my husband and McGee Creek Pack Station.

Many of the tours have already sold out. Anyone considering attending who doesn't yet have passes and tour tickets should book as soon as possible.

For those who are new to the festival, my coverage of previous festivals may be found at these links: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2022. Each of these annual overview posts contains links to several additional posts covering that year's festival with lots of photos and information about the festival experience.

My schedule last fall was so heavy I only wrote briefly here about the 2023 festival. I also shared locations from last year's festival at Classic Movie Hub.

My 2021 Classic Movie Hub preview may be found here, and photos of film locations visited at the 2021 festival are at Classic Movie Hub here.

Please visit the Lone Pine Film Festival site for complete details.

I'll have more coverage of the festival here this fall! I highly recommend attending, it's always one of my favorite weeks of the entire year.

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Tonight's Movie: No Man of Her Own (1950) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

One of my very favorite Barbara Stanwyck movies, NO MAN OF HER OWN (1950), has recently been released on Blu-ray in the Kino Lorber Dark Side of Cinema XIX collection.

Every time I see this film, directed by Mitchell Leisen, I love it more. I first saw it streaming on Netflix back in 2011, then again at UCLA in 2012, and most recently at this year's Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival.

I already loved the movie, and my husband classed it as one of his top favorites at the Arthur Lyons Festival. It's extremely well done and, I would suggest, underrated. I think it says a lot about the movie that I was happy to sit down with it all over again just a handful of weeks later!

The story was written by Sally Benson and Catherine Turney from a Cornell Woolrich story. Coincidentally Turney also wrote the screenplay for Ida Lupino's THE MAN I LOVE (1946), another new Blu-ray release I recently reviewed.

Granted, it's a rather fantastical tale of mistaken identity, but it's so extremely well written, directed, and acted that the viewer is sucked in and willingly goes along for the ride. All questions of plausibility fade away in the face of this deeply moving, highly engrossing film.

It's the story of Helen Ferguson (Stanwyck) who is unmarried, pregnant, and broke. Her sleazy boyfriend (Lyle Bettger) wants nothing to do with her.

On a train Helen meets Hugh Harkness (Richard Denning) and his pregnant wife Patrice (Phyllis Thaxter). They take Helen under their wing, and during a bathroom chat Patrice even invites the admiring Helen to try on her wedding ring.

The Harknesses are killed when the train crashes, and given the ring on Helen's finger, doctors mistake her for Patrice.

The injured Helen gives birth while in the hospital, and she finds herself on the receiving end of baby gifts from the wealthy Harkness family, who are anxious for her and the baby to come to their home. Helen gradually loses the will to tell anyone the truth about her identity, seeing as how she suddenly has financial security for her newborn baby.

Helen/Patrice eventually arrives at the Harkness home, where she and the baby are enveloped in love and protection. The late Hugh's brother William (John Lund) gradually falls for Helen, even though he has a growing suspicion that she's not really Patrice.

And then the nasty father of Helen's baby comes to town...

Every performance in this film is outstanding, with Lund matching Stanwyck's excellence as he subtly communicates his thoughts without dialogue.

Kudos also go to Jane Cowl, who is deeply moving as William's mother; Henry O'Neill as his father; and Esther Dale as the loyal family maid. All are excellent and give this film's world considerable depth.

The supporting cast includes Griff Barnett, Dooley Wilson, Milburn Stone, and Thomas Browne Henry. Look for famed "dress extra" Bess Flowers in the country club scene.

NO MAN OF HER OWN was filmed by Daniel L. Fapp in black and white. It runs 98 minutes.

I wrote about NO MAN OF HER OWN quite extensively when I first saw it over a dozen years ago, and I'd like to invite readers to click over to that review for additional thoughts.

I'll also mention at this point that this movie has no relationship to another film of the same name available from Kino Lorber, NO MAN OF HER OWN (1932) starring Carole Lombard and Clark Gable.

Kino Lorber's Blu-ray print is from a new HD Master from a 4K scan. The Blu-ray looks great, and although I haven't watched my Olive Films DVD recently, it certainly couldn't be any better than this Blu-ray.

Extras consist of the trailer; two additional trailers for other Kino Lorber releases; and two commentary tracks, one by Imogen Sara Smith and the other by Julie Kirgo and Peter Hankoff. I've enjoyed commentary tracks by both Smith and Kirgo in the past and look forward to hearing these.

The other films in this set are DARK CITY (1950) and BEWARE, MY LOVELY (1952). Reviews will be coming soon, with reviews from the Dark Side of Cinema XX, XXI, and XXII sets also on the way in the coming weeks!

NO MAN OF HER OWN is highly recommended.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray collection.

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James Earl Jones, 1931-2024

The great James Earl Jones has left us at the age of 93.

I especially remember him for STAR WARS (1977) and its sequels...FIELD OF DREAMS (1989)...THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (1990)...THE LION KING (1994)...and he did so much more.

His acting and especially his majestic voice have been part of the soundtrack of our lives. I'm deeply grateful.

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Tonight's TV: Only Murders in the Building - Season One (2021)

The popular comedic mystery series ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING debuted on Hulu in 2021, but I had never seen any of it until a few days ago.

Thanks to a few free weeks of Hulu via a rewards program, I decided to give the show a whirl, and I was pleasantly surprised to find I really enjoyed it. I'll be starting Season 2 in the near future.

ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING was created by John Hoffman and Steve Martin, who stars along with Martin Short and Selena Gomez.

For those who have not yet caught up with the show, it takes place mostly in the Arconia, a marvelous old apartment building in New York City.

The apparent suicide of a young man, Tim Kono (Julian Cihi), results in an odd trio of neighbors uniting to solve what they believe is actually a murder; they start a true crime podcast sharing their ongoing investigation. The decision on the podcast's focus gives the series itself its amusing title.

Charles (Martin), one of the three neighbors, once starred as a popular TV detective named Brazzos; he tends to pad his speech with borrowed lines from old scripts. Currently he's been living a fairly isolated and lonely life.

Oliver (Short) is a flamboyant theater director who has fallen on hard times and is reduced to asking his veterinarian son Will (Ryan Broussard) for a loan. Eviction from the Arconia due to non-payment of fees may be in his future.

The much younger Mabel (Gomez) is the unlikely third member of the group, who may know a little more about the murder victim than she initially lets on.

I'll pause here to say that while I'm not going to give away major plot points, part of the show's charm is its surprising supporting cast, which I'll be mentioning below; anyone who hasn't seen the show may want to stop reading here and come back after watching!

Within just a couple of episodes the podcast catches the attention of police detective Donna Williams (Da'Vine Joy Randolph), true crime podcaster star Cinda Canning (Tina Fey), and even TV host Jimmy Fallon. Of course, it doesn't hurt publicity for the show that one of the early murder suspects is none other than rock icon Sting, who plays himself on the show.

The exposure on Fallon's show thrills Teddy (Emmy winner Nathan Lane), the deli chain owner Oliver has persuaded to financially back the podcast. But as Charles, Oliver, and Mabel continue to investigate Kono's death, the case evolves in very unexpected directions...

It's the rare show that will make me laugh out loud watching something alone at home, but this show accomplished that multiple times, which I think says a lot about both the script and the cast.

In addition to being fast-paced and at times very funny, I loved that the show's rich scripting and setting feature constant allusions to pop culture and especially musical theater; I've been unable to get "My Boy Bill" from CAROUSEL out of my head since hearing it on the series. Other than the killing going on (!), the show presents an inviting environment.

My only real complaint -- other than some inexplicable decisions in the latter half of the season finale (why weren't paramedics called immediately?) -- was that I would have preferred that certain unnecessary crass bits be edited out of the dialogue. But the show's overall tone is so delightful I was willing to forget those moments and move on.

Something the show does especially well is believably develop the relationships of its three prickly leads, who all have their issues but find their individual worlds lightening as they become friends while solving a dark murder.

Martin and Short are known quantities, and Martin in particular is someone I've enjoyed in various things for many years.  Alongside the "old pros," I found Gomez particularly impressive as a sarcastic "straight woman" to the two older men, and it's really enjoyable watching her friendship with them develop.

As the characters get to know one another and build their relationships, they also begin coming out of their shells; Charles even begins dating a symphony orchestra bassoonist (Amy Ryan).

An episode with starstruck podcast fans (including Ali Stroker) was both funny and realistic. Charles's longtime stunt double, a woman named Sazz (Jane Lynch), was also quite amusing, especially in the moments where she easily imitates his every movement.  His double turning out to be a lookalike woman was quite a good joke.

I also like that the show doesn't require a huge time commitment; each episode runs around half an hour, give or take five minutes in either direction.

The ending of the 10-episode Season 1, a cliffhanger setting up Season 2, ensured that I'll be starting the next season soon! The cast has grown even starrier in ensuing seasons, as several well-known names, including Meryl Streep, have signed up to appear on the show, and it continues to garner critical acclaim.  It was just renewed for Season 5, which will air in 2025.

Recommended.

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Tonight's Movie: Once to Every Woman (1934) - A Sony Blu-ray Review

ONCE TO EVERY WOMAN (1934), releasing this coming week, is the newest in a series of pre-Code Blu-rays out from Sony this year.

Sony previously released MAN'S CASTLE (1933) and COCKTAIL HOUR (1933). Like those films, this is a sparkling Blu-ray. The movie looks great and is also quite entertaining. Can't beat that!

ONCE TO EVERY WOMAN was released by Columbia Pictures in March 1934, in the final months of the pre-Code era. That said, other than a doctor and nurse dallying on a rooftop, there's nothing particularly "pre-Code" about it. (Well, on second thought there is a patient, played by Kathrin Clare Ward, whose husband has beaten her and broken her ribs, and she seems strangely unperturbed by it.)

What we do have in this film is a fairly typical hospital melodrama of its day, and that's not a bad thing; to the contrary. This type of film is exactly my "cup of tea."

Jo Swerling's screenplay, based on a novel by A.J. Cronin, deftly weaves several stories concerning both hospital staff and patients into a brisk 66 minutes.

The film chiefly revolves around supervising Nurse Fanshawe (Fay Wray), who juggles both patient care and managing her staff. She's kindly when needed, excusing a tired night nurse (Bess Flowers) who's forgotten to complete a report, while treating flirtatious, lazy probational Nurse Andros (Mary Carlisle) more skeptically.

Nurse Fanshawe believes herself to be in love with Dr. Preston (Walter Byron), who's secretly a cad carrying on on the rooftop with Nurse Andros.

The honorable doctor Nurse Fanshawe should actually be paying attention to is Dr. Barclay (Ralph Bellamy), who's caught up in his own drama, as his close friend Dr. Selby (Walter Connolly) is no longer capable of offering the latest surgical treatments but is loath to admit it.

Wray and Bellamy are always welcome when I see their name in the opening credits and they are quite good here, with Bellamy particularly charming in his final scene; his interactions with his mentor, movingly played by Connolly, are well acted and give the movie depth. For her part, Carlisle is an entertaining floozy somewhat reminiscent of Alice White, and I especially enjoyed her final scene with Wray.

It's fun to see well-known extra Bess Flowers in a small part with dialogue in this film. There are several familiar faces in the cast including Ben Alexander (later of DRAGNET), Jane Darwell, J. Farrell MacDonald, Nora Cecil, and Sheila Darcy (who offscreen was Mrs. Preston Foster for many years).

This entertaining hour-plus was directed by Lambert Hillyer, who also directed many "B" Westerns I've enjoyed, such as the excellent Buck Jones films UNKNOWN VALLEY (1933) and THE MAN TRAILER (1934).

The movie was economically made on a handful of hospital room sets, filmed by John Stumar. The film looks terrific on this Blu-ray, which also has a strong soundtrack.

Like the previous releases mentioned at the start of this review, the disc has no extras. The movie boots up immediately after going into the player, without a menu.

As a side note, some of the posters and publicity photos for this film are quite amusing, inasmuch as Fay Wray is never seen in the film other than in her white uniform and nurse's cap.

These Sony releases have been a marvelous surprise, and I hope we'll be seeing more in the future.

Thanks to Allied Vaughn and Sony for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. ONCE TO EVERY WOMAN may be purchased from Movie Zyng, Amazon, and other online retailers.

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Around the Blogosphere This Week

Miscellaneous bits of news and fun stuff from around the Internet...

...Here's an interesting new book: P.R.R.: POVERTY ROW ROYALTY: THE FILMS OF PRODUCER SIGMUND NEUFELD AND HIS BROTHER, DIRECTOR SAM NEWFIELD. It was written by Thomas Reeder and published this summer by Split Reel. I learned about the book thanks to a review by James L. Neibaur, who calls it "one of the most important film history books of the year."

...Another new book, from the University Press of Mississippi: ONE TOUGH DAME: THE LIFE AND CAREER OF DIANA RIGG by Herbie J. Pilato.

...And coming in due course from the University Press of Kentucky will be a biography of Irene Dunne by Lisa Royere. Royere coauthored the excellent recent biography of Eleanor Powell. Royere's coauthor on the Powell book, Paula Broussard, also has a book coming from the University Press of Kentucky, a biography of the Nicholas Brothers. Can't wait to read both books!

...I love Jessica's reviews of obscure musicals at Comet Over Hollywood. Last week she reviewed NEARLY EIGHTEEN (1943) starring Gale Storm.

...J.B. Kaufman's "Movie of the Month" is READY, WILLING AND ABLE (1937) starring Ruby Keeler.

...ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING has been renewed by Hulu for a fifth season. This weekend I just concluded my first watch of Season 1 of this amusing series starring Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez. I expect to review it here in the near future.  (Update: Here is that review!)

...Over at Hamlette's Soliloquy, Rachel has ranked all of the 32 Alan Ladd movies she's seen. It's a fun list for Ladd fans to peruse, and I'm certainly one of them.

...Coming to DVD in November: Lacey Chabert and Wes Brown in HAUL OUT THE HOLLY: LIT UP (2023), which I reviewed in January.

...It was a real delight to recently correspond with John McElwee of the highly regarded Greenbriar Picture Shows about this year's TCM Classic Film Festival Screening of WESTWARD THE WOMEN (1951). John has recently published my account of the screening in his column, along with his own musings on being able to watch a "classic-era" film like WESTWARD THE WOMEN theatrically. My great thanks to John not only for sharing my comments on a favorite film but for his very kind words.

...Notable Passings: Actor-Singer-Director James Darren has passed on at 88...Actor turned noted makeup artist Frank Griffin has passed away at 95. Griffin's siblings were actresses Lisa Gaye, Teala Loring, and Debra Paget. Paget, who recently turned 91, survives her three siblings...Lyricist Will Jennings, who won the Oscar for cowriting "Up Where We Belong" for AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN (1982), has died at 80.

...Please note that the blog will be "quiet" when I'm on vacation for several days in mid-September. Around the Blogosphere This Week will not appear on Saturday, September 14th; it will return on September 21st.

...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please visit my August 31st column.

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Tonight's TV: Columbo (1974): "An Exercise in Fatality," "Negative Reaction," "By Dawn's Early Light" - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

I've continued my COLUMBO viewing late this summer with the first three episodes of Season 4, which ran from 1974 through 1975. This season has a total of six episodes, so I'm already at the halfway point.

First, though, I want to mention that when I was at the recent D23 Expo I ran into author David Koenig. I already own his books on Disney topics, but he was also selling two titles he wrote on COLUMBO, SHOOTING COLUMBO: THE LIVES AND DEATHS OF TV'S RUMPLED DETECTIVE and UNSHOT COLUMBO: CRACKING THE CASES THAT NEVER GOT FILMED. I bought them both and he kindly signed them for me. I hope to read the first book on my upcoming vacation.

Back to Season 4, it kicked off in September 1974 with "An Exercise in Fatality" starring Robert Conrad and Gretchen Corbett. I was quite a fan of Conrad "back in the day," including in BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP (aka THE BLACK SHEEP SQUADRON) (1976-78) and CENTENNIAL (1978-79), so it was fun to see him as the murderer.

And of course Gretchen Corbett was a familiar face as Beth Davenport on THE ROCKFORD FILES (1974-78). Amazingly, her first ROCKFORD episode as Beth Davenport aired the very same week as this COLUMBO episode.

In this episode, directed by Bernard L. Kowalski and filmed by William Cronjager, Conrad plays Milo Janus, the owner of a chain of gyms who's making tons of money selling supplies to his franchisees. Franchise owner Gene Stafford (Philip Bruns) is unhappy and investigating Janus for embezzlement, leading to his murder, which Janus frames to look like a workout accident.

Conrad was quite entertaining as the very energetic bad guy; Columbo trying to keep up with his workouts reminded me of Conrad being on BATTLE OF THE NETWORK STARS in the '70s, not to mention his battery commercials.

Corbett was a real looker in this as Milo's secretary/lover, with her scenes including one where she wears a barely there cherry-print bikini. It's quite a different look from her role as Jim Rockford's attorney, but she brings the same sharp intelligence to the part as she did on ROCKFORD FILES.

One of the amusing bits in Peter S. Fischer's script has Corbett's character telling Columbo Janus's age, which was several years older than Conrad's actual age - the idea being that Janus was a remarkable physical specimen!

And speaking of THE ROCKFORD FILES, the scene where Janus and Columbo are running on the beach was filmed at Paradise Cove, where Jim Rockford parked his trailer. The connections between various shows of the era are part of what makes Columbo fun to watch, and I quite enjoyed "An Exercise in Fatality."

On the other hand, I didn't particularly enjoy "Negative Reaction," with Dick Van Dyke as the killer, photographer Paul Galesko. While we usually see the murder committed, Van Dyke's character killing his shrewish wife (Antoinette Bower) at an isolated ranch went on for an extended period with her completely aware of what was happening; it was simply too chilling to watch.

And maybe it didn't help that my earliest entertainment memories include my first film, MARY POPPINS (1964), along with reruns of THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW (1961-66); watching Van Dyke as a killer was a little more troubling than most! He's very effective as an out-and-out creep.

After killing his wife, Galesko frames an ex-con trying to go straight (Don Gordon) for her murder; his tactics include shooting himself in the leg, making it look like he was also in danger of being killed. Of course, it doesn't take long for Columbo to become suspicious.

I found Columbo's work solving the killing more enjoyable to watch than the episode's early scenes. I think my favorite moment in this one was when a kindly nun (Joyce Van Patten) at a Downtown L.A. mission mistakes Columbo for a homeless man in need, given the state of his perennially rumpled coat. There's also a very funny encounter with driving instructor, played by Larry Storch (F TROOP), who is terrified of Columbo's driving.

The episode's interesting locations included Inglewood Park Cemetery, which I visited in 2022.

"Negative Reaction," like "An Exercise in Fatality," was filmed by William Cronjager; the director was Swedish-born actor-director Alf Kjellin. As a young man Kjellin appeared in MGM's MADAME BOVARY (1949), billed as Christoper Kent.

"By Dawn's Early Light" was the first of Patrick McGoohan's four COLUMBO episodes. Here he's the martinet head of a boys' military academy who rigs a cannon to explode, killing the man (Tom Simcox) determined to turn the campus into a co-ed junior college. That's certainly one of the show's more unusual murder motivations.

The show has an authentic setting, filmed at the Citadel in South Carolina, but I classify it as only a mid-range episode. It's not a bad episode along the lines of "The Most Dangerous Match" (1973), but it's not particularly interesting either, particularly as Howard Berk's screenplay goes on far too long, clocking in at 98 minutes on screen.

I liked that it was sort of built into McGoohan's character that he's brisk and brusque, so he's not obviously bickering with Columbo as some villains do; the downside of that is that his character is rather one-note. We get a little insight into his motivations, but not enough to justify him being a killer, and by the end of 98 minutes he's just kinda boring. (And if I had to hear the obnoxious term "Boodle Boy" one more time...!)

My complaints aside, it's worth noting that McGoohan received a Primetime Emmy Award for his guest role, the first of two such awards he would win for COLUMBO, so "Your mileage my vary" regarding his character and portrayal.

I enjoyed seeing Madeleine Sherwood as the school secretary, as she was part of another early childhood viewing memory, playing the Mother Superior on THE FLYING NUN (1967-70). Another interesting note is that the late Bruno Kirby (WHEN HARRY MET SALLY) is in the episode, playing a cadet, while his real-life father Bruce Kirby plays Sgt. Kramer.

"By Dawn's Early Light" was directed by Harvey Hart and filmed by Jack Priestly.

As always, the Kino Lorber prints look good, and I'm looking forward to watching more episodes in the near future.

Previous COLUMBO review posts: "Murder By the Book" (1971), "Death Lends a Hand" (1971), "Dead Weight" (1971), "Suitable for Framing" (1971), "Lady in Waiting" (1971), "Short Fuse" (1972), "Blueprint for Murder" (1972), "Etude in Black" (1972), "The Greenhouse Jungle" (1972), "The Most Crucial Game" (1972), "Dagger of the Mind" (1972), "Requiem for a Falling Star" (1973), "A Stitch in Crime" (1973), "The Most Dangerous Match" (1973), "Double Shock" (1973), "Lovely But Lethal" (1973), "Any Old Port in a Storm" (1973), "Candidate for Crime" (1973), "Double Exposure" (1973); "Publish Or Perish" (1974), "Mind Over Mayhem" (1974), "Swan Song" (1974), "A Friend in Deed" (1974).

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray set.

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TCM in September: Highlights

It's time for a detailed look at the September schedule on Turner Classic Movies!

Lauren Bacall is the September Star of the Month. September 16th marks the centennial of Bacall's birth. Her films will be shown on Monday evenings. Some of the highlights from the Star of the Month schedule are noted below.

The September Noir Alley films are OUT OF THE PAST (1947) on September 7th and 8th, A LADY WITHOUT PASSPORT (1950) on the 14th and 15th, SPLIT SECOND (1953) on September 21st and 22nd, and HIGH WALL (1947) on the 28th-29th.

September's TCM Spotlight will focus on "Studio Directors," with 52 movies shown across Wednesday evenings.

The "Special Theme" on Friday nights is "Making Change: The Most Significant Political Films of All Time." This is a two-month series which will run until November 1st. Mike Barnes of The Hollywood Reporter recently shared details. ALL THE KING'S MEN (1949) is among the titles being shown on the first evening, September 6th.

Below are a handful of additional September highlights. Please click on any hyperlinked title to read an extended review which includes complete cast info and much more.

..Sunday evening, September 1st, features a double bill of "Big Band" films: THE GLENN MILLER STORY (1954) and THE BENNY GOODMAN STORY (1956). I've not seen the Goodman film yet, but THE GLENN MILLER STORY is one I've seen many times, going back to early childhood memories. James Stewart and June Allyson star.

...The Lauren Bacall Star of the Month films kick off on Labor Day with five films including the delightful HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE (1953), costarring Betty Grable and Marilyn Monroe.

...September 3rd will feature a seven-film tribute to one of my all-time favorite actors, Alan Ladd. While none of the films I've seen from the schedule are particularly noteworthy in his career, they're all enjoyable. Titles include THE DEEP SIX (1958) and DRUM BEAT (1954).

...A Memorial Tribute to the late Barbara Rush later on September 3rd will include the TCM premiere of WORLD IN MY CORNER (1956), starring Audie Murphy.

...Only on TCM will you find a seven-film lineup of musicals featuring Xavier Cugat! On September 5th TCM will show a lineup of MGM favorites including A DATE WITH JUDY (1948).

...September 6th features a tribute to Virginia Mayo. The titles include the underrated THE GIRL FROM JONES BEACH (1949) and PAINTING THE CLOUDS WITH SUNSHINE (1951). Both films are highly entertaining.

...The Musical Matinee on September 7th is THAT NIGHT IN RIO (1941) starring Don Ameche (in a dual role!), Alice Faye, and Carmen Miranda. I revisited this film a few weeks ago for the first time in years and enjoyed it very much. And Faye is absolutely gorgeous!

...A double bill of Helen Morgan musicals on the evening of September 8th includes SHOW BOAT (1936), starring Irene Dunne, Allan Jones, and Paul Robeson.

...The September 9th Lauren Bacall films include the wonderfully soapy Douglas Sirk film WRITTEN ON THE WIND (1957).

...A birthday tribute to director Robert Wise on September 10th includes minor but quite enjoyable "B" films MYSTERY IN MEXICO (1948) and CRIMINAL COURT (1946) along with excellent better-known titles.

...Sissy Spacek stars in MARIE: A TRUE STORY (1985) on September 12th. This title was just released on Blu-ray by the Warner Archive Collection, and I will be reviewing it soon. Attorney and future senator (1994-2003) Fred Thompson plays himself in the film. It was the start of a notable acting career which next included NO WAY OUT (1987), reviewed here just a few days ago.

...Val Lewton receives a tribute on Friday, September 13th. There are a number of notable titles on the schedule, including CAT PEOPLE (1942).

...It's hard to beat a Saturday night double bill of my two favorite James Stewart-Anthony Mann Westerns, BEND OF THE RIVER (1952) and WINCHESTER '73 (1950). See them on September 14th.

...I remember my dad liking HERO AT LARGE (1980) when it came out but don't think I've ever seen it. John Ritter and Anne Archer star on September 15th.

...On Lauren Bacall's September 16th centennial the lineup consists of the four films she made with Humphrey Bogart, along with the documentary BACALL ON BOGART (1988). All of the films are good; TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (1944) holds a special place in my heart as a key film hooking me on classic movies when I was young.

...September 17th is another "only on TCM" kind of day. The daytime schedule features actresses named Margaret: Lindsay, Hamilton, Dumont, Rutherford, Lockwood, Sullavan, and O'Brien. Then the evening celebrates the work of the great character actor Joseph Calleia, including TOUCH OF EVIL (1958).

...One of my favorite Barbara Stanwyck films, MY REPUTATION (1946), airs on September 18th as part of the "Studio Directors" series. It was directed by Curtis Bernhardt.

...A day of animal movies on the 19th includes CHALLENGE TO LASSIE (1949) starring Donald Crisp, Edmund Gwenn, Geraldine Brooks, and Ross Ford. Brooks and Ford are pictured at left.

...One of the best days on the schedule, in my opinion, is September 20th, featuring "train movies"! I've seen seven of the nine films on the schedule, and they're all worthwhile, including favorites like SHANGHAI EXPRESS (1932), THE TALL TARGET (1941), and THE NARROW MARGIN (1952).

...The Musical Matinee on September 21st is the musical biopic DEEP IN MY HEART (1954), with Jose Ferrer as composer Sigmund Romberg. The film is uneven but has some wonderful musical numbers, including Gene Kelly dancing with his brother Fred; the highlight is the steamy dance "One Alone" featuring Cyd Charisse and James Mitchell. It still blows my mind it made it past the censors.

...A birthday tribute to Mickey Rooney on September 23rd includes the superb MGM Americana THE HUMAN COMEDY (1943). Rooney was never better, and he's backed by a top cast.

...Barbara Stanwyck and Geraldine Brooks are on the schedule again in CRY WOLF (1947), also starring Errol Flynn. It's a film I really like, despite the fact that its parts are better than the whole. It's being shown on September 24th.

...September 25th there's a rare back-to-back showing of a pair of Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, OKLAHOMA! (1955) and SOUTH PACIFIC (1958). An evening of great music!

...There are more musicals the next day, the 26th, with films set on Broadway including two great MGM Fred Astaire films, EASTER PARADE (1948) and THE BAND WAGON (1953), seen here with costar Cyd Charisse.

...National Silent Movie Day will be celebrated on September 29th with titles including the TCM premiere of THE ENCHANTED COTTAGE (1924) and Harold Lloyd's HOT WATER (1924).

...The month wraps up with a September 30th birthday tribute to Deborah Kerr, including VACATION FROM MARRIAGE (1945), costarring Robert Donat and Glynis Johns.

TCM has posted its September promotional video on Twitter.

For more on TCM in September 2024, please visit my Quick Preview of TCM in September along with TCM's online schedule.

Happy September movie viewing!

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