TCM in October: Highlights

Happy October!

It's time for a close look at the many good things coming this month on Turner Classic Movies.

Myrna Loy is the October Star of the Month. A whopping 56 Loy films will be shown every Monday this month, in both the daytime and prime time hours.

A separate post listing the complete Star of the Month schedule, featuring many film review links, will be posted here this weekend.

The October Noir Alley titles are LOOPHOLE (1954), which is a TCM premiere, plus CRIME WAVE (1954), CHICAGO SYNDICATE (1955), THE HOUSE ON TELEGRAPH HILL (1951), and a Halloween trio of Val Lewton films: THE LEOPARD MAN (1943), THE SEVENTH VICTIM (1943), and CAT PEOPLE (1942). It's a terrific lineup.

The TCM Spotlight focuses on "Sweater Weather," and Mario Cantone returns to cohost "Creepy Cinema" with Ben Mankiewicz on Thursday evenings.

Halloween-themed viewing will also be featured all day on both October 30th and 31st.

Below are a few more highlights from the October schedule. Please click any hyperlinked title to read an extended review.

...October 1st, the first evening of Creepy Cinema, features QUEEN BEE (1955), starring Joan Crawford and Barry Sullivan, which was one of my favorite films at the 2022 TCM Classic Film Festival. Also of note, later that night, is CAST A DARK SHADOW (1955), starring Dirk Bogarde and Margaret Lockwood. I just saw it for the first time this summer and was particularly interested in Lockwood's performance in a part far different from some of her other roles.

...The British film HELL DRIVERS (1957), showing on October 3rd, has an amazing cast. I loved revisiting it at this year's Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival.

...On October 6th Alicia Malone's new book MURDER AT THE MOVIES is celebrated with an evening of, well, "Murder at the Movies"! Titles include Warren William as Perry Mason in THE CASE OF THE HOWLING DOG (1934).

...THE PRISONER OF ZENDA (1937) airs on October 7th, starring Ronald Colman, Madeleine Carroll, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and a terrific supporting cast.

...The second evening of "Creepy Cinema" on October 8th includes a great favorite of mine, THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (1951).

...A lineup of political films on October 9th includes one of my favorite Joan Crawford films of the '40s, FLAMINGO ROAD (1949). She has terrific chemistry with costar David Brian, as they battle Zachary Scott and Sydney Greenstreet.

...Only on TCM will viewers find a John Boles double bill in prime time: BACK STREET (1932) and KING OF JAZZ (1930) air on Sunday evening, October 11th.

...On October 13th there's an eight-film Laraine Day birthday tribute. It's a terrific lineup including my favorite Hitchcock film, FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT (1940); the moving WWII London Blitz film JOURNEY FOR MARGARET (1943); the charming comedy BRIDE BY MISTAKE (1944); an underrated Cary Grant film, MR. LUCKY (1943); and the outstanding THE LOCKET (1946), famous for its "nested" flashbacks.

...The three-night "sweater weather" series begins on the evening of the 13th, featuring autumnal titles including Hitchcock's THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY (1955), starring John Forsythe. I finally caught up with this one last November and really enjoyed it.

...The birthday of director Mervyn LeRoy is celebrated on October 15th, with one of the titles being an outstanding film I just reviewed earlier this month, RANDOM HARVEST (1942).

...There's more Hitchcock on October 16th when the "Films on Film" franchise features the documentary BECOMING HITCHCOCK: THE LEGACY OF BLACKMAIL (2024), followed by several Hitchcock films, including, of course, BLACKMAIL (1929).

...October 17th features Douglas Sirk's terrific period thriller LURED (1947), starring George Sanders and Lucille Ball.

...I never tired of Lubitsch's TO BE OR NOT TO BE (1942), starring Jack Benny and Carole Lombard. It's on October 18th. I most recently saw it at last year's TCM Classic Film Festival.

...A perfect "sweater weather" film showing on October 20th is I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING! (1945), which is high on my list of favorite films. A perfect film to watch wrapped in a cozy blanket while drinking hot cocoa.

...With the baseball postseason in full swing in October, the sport is celebrated during the daytime hours of October 21st, with titles including Gary Cooper in THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES (1942). That lineup then slides into an evening of films starring black sports stars, beginning with THE JACKIE ROBINSON STORY (1950), in which the Dodger great plays himself.

...Constance Bennett is a big favorite, and her birthday is celebrated with a nine-film tribute on October 22nd. There are a number of good films; I particularly recommend the lesser-known SMART WOMAN (1948), in which she plays a savvy attorney. And you can't go wrong watching TOPPER (1937) in October, costarring Cary Grant.

...There's another great day of viewing on October 23rd, featuring a number of RKO Westerns, including Richard Dix as THE ARIZONIAN (1935).

...October 25th features another good film for the "spooky season," THE CANTERVILLE GHOST (1944) starring Margaret O'Brien, Charles Laughton, and Robert Young.

...A day of films directed by Sam Wood on October 27th includes a favorite romantic comedy starring Robert Montgomery, THE MAN IN POSSESSION (1931). It's a witty film with a touch of pre-Code raciness.

...October 28th features a day of romantic suspense films; I've seen an enjoyed every single one, including A NIGHT OF ADVENTURE (1944) starring Tom Conway and Audrey Long, directed by Gordon Douglas.

...Creepy Cinema films on October 29th include I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE (1943), another film which I revisited at this year's Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival. It's also another film starring Tom Conway! Frances Dee costars, directed by Jacques Tourneur.

For more on TCM in October 2026, please visit my Quick Preview of TCM in October, along with TCM's online schedule.

Happy October, and Happy Halloween!

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