Tonight's Movie: Black Angel (1946) - An Arrow Academy Blu-ray Review

The very special film noir BLACK ANGEL (1946) has just been released on Blu-ray by Arrow Academy.

I first saw this film in 2011, and in the years since I've been fortunate to see it in 35mm at the Noir City Film Festival in Hollywood and the Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival in Palm Springs.

BLACK ANGEL not only stands up to repeat viewings, it's one of those films which seems to grow richer each time I see it. It was thus a real joy to watch the film again, thanks to Arrow Academy's beautiful new Blu-ray print, which was restored from original film elements.

The screenplay for BLACK ANGEL was written by Roy Chanslor; like so many great noir titles, the script was based on a story by Cornell Woolrich. Woolrich is the writer behind such favorite films as PHANTOM LADY (1944) -- which has some thematic similarities to BLACK ANGEL -- NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES (1948), NO MAN OF HER OWN (1950), and REAR WINDOW (1954), to name just a few.

The plot concerns the murder of Mavis Marlowe (Constance Dowling, seen at right), the estranged wife of alcoholic pianist Marty Blair (Dan Duryea).

Kirk Bennett (John Phillips), who found the body, is promptly convicted of Mavis's murder. Kirk's wife Cathy (June Vincent) steadfastly believes in her husband's innocence, and Cathy convinces Marty to work with her to find the real killer.

Marty and Cathy manage to hire on as a pianist-singer act in a nightclub owned by Marko (Peter Lorre), their chief suspect. From there the plot takes a number of turns, with the biggest being an unexpected development just before Kirk is scheduled to be put to death.

I love everything about this film: The lead performances by Duryea and Vincent; the music; the stylish direction by Roy William Neill; Vincent's marvelous wardrobe by Vera West; and the unexpected resolution.

The movie is a two-track story, with one aspect focused on solving the murder and the other track depicting Marty's redemption; he leaves the bottle behind and falls in love with Cathy, then eventually realizes the impossibility of their relationship having a future, as Cathy continues to love her husband.

I've always been struck that in the wrong hands this film could have been either a maudlin tearjerker or completely annoying, but thanks to the script, direction, and especially Duryea's superb, sensitive performance, BLACK ANGEL is a richly rewarding and authentically moving experience. With several viewings under my belt, it strikes me that Duryea deserved an Oscar nomination.

His performance is all the more remarkable when one considers that he learned several piano pieces just for the movie; as just one example, Alan Rode points out in his commentary track that in the nightclub audition scene, Duryea and Vincent are performing "live." (Based on the commentary track info, IMDb's reference to Vincent being dubbed is incorrect.)

Vincent had a long career, beginning in movies in 1943 and continuing with TV guest appearances until 1976. She tended to play minor roles in "A" films, such as Deanna Durbin's CAN'T HELP SINGING (1944), with larger parts in "B" films such as MARY RYAN, DETECTIVE (1949).

Vincent is so good here that it's a bit curious to me that she didn't receive more lead roles as a result; I really like her performance in this. She's pitch perfect, evolving from quiet housewife to a determined woman with the confidence to pull off a successful nightclub act.

In addition to a strong performance, Vincent is quite beautiful in this, with lovely hairstyles and a first-rate wardrobe. I also love her hats! Vincent's appearance makes me think a bit of Jean Wallace in another great noir from about a decade later, THE BIG COMBO (1955).

BLACK ANGEL was filmed in black and white by Paul Ivano. It runs a perfectly paced 81 minutes.

The supporting cast includes Broderick Crawford as the detective working on the murder case; the cast also includes Wallace Ford, Mary Field, Freddie Steele, Ben Bard, Hobart Cavanaugh, and Marion Martin.

The plentiful extras on this new Blu-ray edition include an excellent commentary track by Alan K. Rode; a featurette on the film with historian Neil Sinyard; the original trailer; and an image gallery with stills and more.

The final edition of this Blu-ray will include a limited edition booklet with an essay by Philip Kemp. The booklet and reversible case cover art were not included in the advance promotional copy of the set which I reviewed.

A few more stills from this favorite film:

A highly recommended film and Blu-ray release.

Thanks to Arrow Academy for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.

Tonight's Movie: Underwater! (1955) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

Jane Russell stars in UNDERWATER! (1955), newly released on Blu-ray by the Warner Archive.

I first saw this film almost exactly five years ago thanks to Turner Classic Movies. It was a real pleasure to return to this Technicolor "RKO Superscope" production, as the Blu-ray is exquisitely beautiful. This film was a great choice for Blu-ray, which shows off both the gorgeous cast and the underwater scenes to perfection.

Five years ago I rated the film as "pleasant" but somewhat tepid; while I still feel the film meanders, I think I liked it more this time around. The beautiful print added considerably to my enjoyment, and it probably also helped that I knew what to expect going in.

Russell and Richard Egan play newlyweds Johnny and Theresa Gray. They're in a cash crunch but decide to throw in with Dominic (Gilbert Roland), who was a Navy "frogman" with Johnny during the war, and search for a old shipwreck rumored to contain gold.

Beautiful but similarly broke Gloria (Lori Nelson) has a yacht they can use for the trip, and Father Cannon (Robert Keith), a priest, joins the crew, hoping they can recover religious relics from the wreckage.

Naturally the group runs into periodic problems, or there wouldn't be much suspense! A suspicious shark hunter (Joseph Calleia) and his crew pose challenges, as do actual sharks. The most nerve-wracking scene, in fact, finds Theresa stuck in the underwater wreckage while a shark circles nearby. Eeek!

Russell and Egan are appealing as Johnny and Theresa; by all accounts they were both just as nice offscreen, which is always good to know. (An acquaintance who knew Egan told me that he wouldn't take a role if he didn't want his five children to see the film; he married in 1958.) Russell occasionally speaks with a mystifying Latin accent of some sort, but most of the time she sounds like regular ol' Jane Russell.

The story definitely could have been better developed, particularly when it comes to Gloria; the way she ended up with the yacht is rather (deliberately?) vague, and a potential relationship with Dominic is barely hinted at. Roland was considerably older than Nelson, but he's in such fantastic shape that a relationship would nonetheless be entirely plausible.

As mentioned above, this time I knew the movie would be short on story from the outset, so I wasn't disappointed, and instead I just focused on enjoying the film's 99 minutes "hanging out" with the gorgeous quartet of lead actors, who all look fabulous in Blu-ray.

The movie has some beautiful underwater photography by Lamar Boren, while the rest of the film was shot by Harry J. Wild. The caliber of the Blu-ray may make it especially easy to spot the contrast of the scenes filmed in a water tank with those done on location, but at the same time, like everything else in the movie, the water tank scenes look very nice despite the obvious "movie magic."

UNDERWATER! was directed by John Sturges.

As previously stated, the Blu-ray looks terrific. The Blu-ray sound quality is also excellent. There are no extras on the disc.

UNDERWATER! may be weakly scripted and somewhat meandering, but I really enjoyed my return visit to this film thanks to the beauty of the print -- and the cast! -- and I'll watch it again in the future. I expect that some of my fellow classic film fans will find similar enjoyment from this Warner Archive release.

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. Warner Archive Blu-rays may be ordered from Amazon or from any online retailers where DVDs and Blu-rays are sold.

Child Actress Ann E. Todd Dies at 88

Classic film fans may not immediately recognize the name Ann E. Todd, but they surely know the face, as she appeared in countless films of the Golden Era.

Todd was born on August 26, 1931. It was just announced that she passed away on February 7th at the age of 88; obituaries may be found at The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline.

Here are just a few of Ann's many roles which will be recognized by classic film fans. She was Leslie Howard's daughter in INTERMEZZO (1939), seen here with Ingrid Bergman:

She was Walter Pidgeon and Virginia Bruce's daughter in STRONGER THAN DESIRE (1939)...

...and one of Charles Boyer's daughters, along with Virginia Weidler (center) and June Lockhart, in ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO (1940). The girls are seen here with Bette Davis, with Richard Nichols as their brother in the second photo:

She played Tyrone Power's little sister in BRIGHAM YOUNG (1940); she's seen here in front of Dickie Jones, Power, and Linda Darnell:

She was Linda Darnell as a child in BLOOD AND SAND (1941)...

...and Ceinwen in John Ford's HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (1941), pictured with Roddy McDowall:

She had a nice role as Ann Doran and John Ridgely's daughter in PRIDE OF THE MARINES (1945), seen here with John Garfield:

Ann was Jeanne Crain's daughter in the opening and closing scenes in the wonderful MARGIE (1946):

As Jeanette MacDonald's daughter, she was one of the title characters in THREE DARING DAUGHTERS (1948), along with Jane Powell and Elinor Donahue:

Ann was also Barbara Britton's kid sister in a personal favorite, COVER UP (1949), seen here with Helen Spring, Art Baker, Britton, and Dennis O'Keefe:

Other roles included THE BLUE BIRD (1940) with Shirley Temple, KINGS ROW (1942) where she played Ann Sheridan as a child, BEYOND THE BLUE HORIZON (1942) where she played Dorothy Lamour as a child, and ROUGHLY SPEAKING (1945) where she played Rosalind Russell as a child. She finished her acting career on TV's THE STU ERWIN SHOW (1950-53).

As I wrote a few years ago in my review of STRONGER THAN DESIRE (1939), Ann had a very interesting second career as a music librarian at UC Berkeley.

I'm very grateful for all the joy Ann gave us with her roles in so many marvelous films, and I send sincere condolences to her family and friends.

Links for my reviews of films in which Todd appeared: STRONGER THAN DESIRE (1939), CALLING DR. KILDARE (1939), BRIGHAM YOUNG (1940), HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (1941), THAT OTHER WOMAN (1942), PRIDE OF THE MARINES (1945), MY REPUTATION (1946), MARGIE (1946), THREE DARING DAUGHTERS (1948), and COVER UP (1949).

Tonight's Movie: The Great McGinty (1940) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

Writer-director Preston Sturges made his directorial debut with THE GREAT MCGINTY (1940), recently released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber.

In addition to directing his first film, Sturges won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for his diverting tale of a hobo who rises through the political ranks and ultimately becomes governor -- then loses everything when he turns his back on graft and embraces respectability.

Dan McGinty (Brian Donlevy) is the rags-to-riches protege of political fixers (Akim Tamiroff and William Demarest) who see that he's elected to various offices where he can do their bidding.

Dan enters into a marriage of convenience with his secretary Catherine (Muriel Angelus), who brings to the marriage a pair of children (Donnie Kerr and Mary Thomas) and a dachsund; this ready-made, picture-perfect family is intended to improve Dan's political image, but he doesn't expect to fall in love with his own wife! But that he does, and as time passes he increasingly desires the respect of his both Catherine and his step-children (played at older ages by Drew Roddy and Sheila Sheldon).

When Dan rises to the highest office in the state, he determines to serve honorably, but the top political boss (Tamiroff) behind Dan's success would prefer anything to losing control of his access to graft -- including putting the new governor in jail!

I first saw this movie nearly a decade ago and enjoyed it as much or more this time around than I did then. It's a marvelous film with delightful lead performances and a top cast; the movie remains both topical and funny 80 years after it was first released.

When I recently paged through the book BRIAN DONLEVY: THE GOOD BAD GUY by Derek Sculthorpe, it brought home just how much great work he'd done in many films I've enjoyed: He was the nasty villain of BEAU GESTE (1939), which brought him an Oscar nomination; the pitiable, complex villain of CANYON PASSAGE (1946); the sympathetic Assistant D.A. in KISS OF DEATH (1947); a Brigadier General in the star-studded COMMAND DECISION (1948); the man whose beloved wife attempts to kill him in IMPACT (1949); and most recently watched, the very funny ship's captain of SONG OF SCHEHERAZADE (1947). I could go on for quite a while naming some of his excellent credits; the man really had a fine career.

Donlevy is pitch perfect as McGinty on every step of his journey, from an enterprising but low-class bum to a serious, thoughtful family man in a position of great responsibility. Donlevy makes these transitions believable, letting just enough of the rough-hewn man from the film's early scenes show once his career has advanced. He veers from brawling comedy (his fight with Tamiroff in the back of a taxi is a hoot) to unexpectedly touching, as in the scene where his voice slightly cracks as he remembers working in a factory as a child.

British actress Muriel Angelus is also delightful as Mrs. McGinty, in a charming, natural performance. It's a shame for classic film fans that she chose to give up her film career of a dozen years after this film. She was also a Broadway actress, including appearing in the original cast of Rodgers and Hart's THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE (1938).

My only regret about the movie is the abrupt ending of Dan and Catherine's love story; it bothered me the first time I saw the film, and I haven't changed my opinion. Perhaps it was realistic, but it strikes me as heartbreakingly sad not only for Dan but for the family he loved. At the same time, I admire the film's -- and Donlevy's -- ability to encompass a variety of tones, simultaneously tender and sharp-edged.

Donlevy and Tamiroff later reprised their roles in Sturges' THE MIRACLE OF MORGAN'S CREEK (1944); it's amusing to try to figure out the timeline, as it seems MORGAN'S CREEK would have to have taken place before the ending of THE GREAT MCGINTY.

The cast of THE GREAT MCGINTY also includes favorites such as Louis Jean Heydt and Allyn Joslyn, plus Thurston Hall, Steffi Duna, Esther Howard, and Libby Taylor.

THE GREAT MCGINTY was filmed in black and white by William C. Mellor. It runs 82 minutes.

The film's UK title, DOWN WENT MCGINTY, is in the fine print of the still below (click to enlarge for a closer look).

The Kino Lorber Blu-ray is a lovely print with good sound. The disc includes the trailer, a gallery of four additional trailers for films available from Kino Lorber, and a commentary track by Samm Deighan.

1940 was a great year for Sturges, as his directorial career got off to a grand start with both THE GREAT MCGINTY and CHRISTMAS IN JULY (1940), which was released by Kino Lorber a couple of months ago. This pair of films may not be quite as well known as some of the Sturges classics which followed, but hopefully even more classic film fans will come to appreciate these top-drawer films thanks to Kino Lorber's beautiful Blu-ray releases. Both are highly recommended.

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

Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...Brand-new from McFarland: RAY MILLAND: THE FILMS, 1929-1984 by James McKay, author of THE FILMS OF VICTOR MATURE.

...It was announced during last weekend's Oscar ceremony that the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will finally open December 14, 2020. (Meanwhile, it also made the news that the museum is $100 million over budget!) We are charter museum members and were informed last week that our membership would extend through April 2022 due to the significant delays in the museum opening. I hope to take a member preview tour of the museum prior to the opening.

...Due out from the Criterion Collection on May 19th: DANCE, GIRL, DANCE (1940) starring Maureen O'Hara and Lucille Ball, directed by Dorothy Arzner.

...Kino Lorber has announced a 4K restoration of the Harry Carey (Sr.) Western STRAIGHT SHOOTING (1917), "coming soon" to Blu-ray. STRAIGHT SHOOTING was directed by John Ford.

...Gene Autry's former Palm Springs estate is for sale...take a photo tour. Love the pool.

...Myriad items once owned by another former Palm Springs resident, Loretta Young, will be sold in an online auction on February 17th.

...The website TV By the Numbers recently closed down.

...Coming in September from Jeff Kurtti, Vanessa Hunt, and Paul Wolski: THE DISNEY MONORAIL: IMAGINEERING A HIGHWAY IN THE SKY. That will be a pre-order "buy" for me!

...Thanks to longtime reader Seth for passing on some interesting links this week, including this CBS Sunday Morning segment on movie backdrops. I especially loved seeing the backdrop from one of my favorite movies, THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965). I wish the related book THE ART OF THE HOLLYWOOD BACKDROP wasn't so pricey...

...Seth also sent another CBS Sunday Morning segment about a little theater in Washington State which was struggling to stay open, but thousands of people have rallied to help keep the doors open on GoFundMe. Thanks again for sharing these, Seth!

...I was amused that my 2014 review of Tyrone Power's PONY SOLDIER (1952) received lots of traffic last week due to a politician using that term. I won't say more since this is a politics-free zone, but I hope everyone who Googled it enjoyed learning about the movie!

...There's a new America's Test Kitchen cookbook due out in April: 100 TECHNIQUES: MASTER A LIFETIME OF COOKING SKILLS, FROM BASIC TO BUCKET LIST.

...My favorite non-Disney cartoon characters, Tom and Jerry, turned 80 on February 10th!

...Turner Classic Movies announced a 24-hour tribute to Kirk Douglas will take place on March 5th, a few days after the March 2nd conclusion of the channel's 31 Days of Oscar programming.

...Attention Southern Californians: I'm repeating a bit of news for anyone who may have missed it in my February 1st roundup: The 1933 version of LITTLE WOMEN will be screened in 35mm at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood next Sunday afternoon, February 23rd. It's a movie I love so I want to be sure to spread the word!

...Notable Passing: Dancer-Actress Paula Kelly, who appeared in SWEET CHARITY (1969), has died at 77.

...For additional links of interest to classic film fans, please check out my February 8th roundup.

Have a great week!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Best wishes to all for a very happy Valentine's Day!

Sweet Ann Rutherford did her fair share of holiday publicity stills for MGM. I featured one of her Halloween publicity shots last fall, and here she is in one of a series taken to celebrate Valentine's Day.

Ann left us in 2012, but her many wonderful films, as well as cute photos such as this one, continue to delight classic film fans.

Have a wonderful holiday!

Previous Valentine's Day Tributes: Anne Gwynne (2014), Dorothy Hart (2015), Lynn Merrick (2016), Debbie Reynolds (2017), Marsha Hunt (2018), and Dianne Foster (2019).

Happy Birthday, Kim Novak!

Happiest birthday wishes to the lovely Kim Novak.

Kim Novak was born in Chicago on February 13, 1933.

By all accounts Kim Novak is a lovely person inside and out. Wishing her every good wish on her birthday!

Novak films reviewed here: PUSHOVER (1954), 5 AGAINST THE HOUSE (1955), BELL BOOK AND CANDLE (1958), and VERTIGO (1958).

Related post: TCM Star of the Month: Kim Novak (September 2013).

Ten Movie Valentines for Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. and below are ten suggestions of favorite romantic films which are just the thing to chase away the winter doldrums.

Please click any hyperlinked title for an extended review of each film.

THE WINNING OF BARBARA WORTH (1926) - Ronald Colman and Gary Cooper both love Vilma Banky in this well-told Western romance. This silent movie is a visual masterpiece, with scenes tinted in amber, blue, and red, and there's an exciting flood sequence as well.

This is a great film for those uncertain about watching silent movies; it helped make me a convert!

LONESOME (1928) - LONESOME is a charming romance about a young working-class couple (Barbara Kent and Glenn Tryon) who meet at Coney Island on Independence Day weekend. As the day passes they draw closer and closer, but then they're accidentally separated and have no way to find one another again...but maybe, just maybe, a miracle will happen.

A mostly silent film released at the dawn of the sound era, there are also a few talking sequences. This marvelous film is remarkably stylish, including pink and blue tints in amusement park scenes, and is a wonderful discovery.

THEIR OWN DESIRE (1929) - Norma Shearer and Robert Montgomery play young lovers in one of my all-time favorite pre-Code films. Lally (Shearer) and Jack (Montgomery) meet at a summer resort and quickly fall in love, but things get complicated when Lally realizes Jack's mother broke up her parents' marriage.

This short, lively romantic melodrama was partly filmed at the Norconian Resort, a favorite getaway for Hollywood filmmakers of that era. Favorite scenes: Lally and Jack meeting in the Norconian pool and later dancing to "Blue is the Night." Incidentally, Shearer was nominated for Best Actress for this film, but lost to...herself, winning for her role in THE DIVORCEE (1930).

MIDNIGHT MARY (1933) - Another favorite pre-Code and also my favorite Loretta Young film. Loretta plays the title role, girlfriend to a gangster (Ricardo Cortez), but Mary is inspired to reform and get a respectable job when she falls for a straight-arrow lawyer (Franchot Tone). Ultimately, though, Mary returns to the mobster in order to protect the man she really loves. Directed by William Wellman, this is a fast-paced, fascinating movie.

IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934) - I think perhaps I had come to take this multi-Oscar winner for granted, having seen it so many times. However, when I watched it for the first time in years at the 2013 TCM Classic Film Festival, the experience blew me away. I'd almost forgotten how wonderfully constructed it is, how many magical moments it contains, and just how good Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert are in it.

Gable and Colbert are at the forefront of countless well-remembered moments, from hitchhiking to dunking donuts to the fabled "Walls of Jericho." If the thought of watching it again makes you shrug, watch it anyway and marvel anew at this terrific romantic comedy, which set the template for countless films to follow.

NO TIME FOR LOVE (1943) - Another Claudette Colbert film, albeit one of her lesser-known comedies, but it's a real gem. Colbert plays an upper-class magazine photographer who meets working-class ditch digger Fred MacMurray on a photo shoot. Colbert and MacMurray's chemistry is simply electric, and Colbert is once again at her very best, tossing off quips and looking smashing in gowns by Irene.

THE MORE THE MERRIER (1943) - One of my all-time favorite comedies, equal parts rib-tickling and romantic. Jean Arthur and Joel McCrea are thrown together in a small apartment by Cupid, in the form of Oscar-winner Charles Coburn. The film is a miracle of comic timing -- the "morning schedule" and the scene where Coburn loses his pants is guaranteed to generate laughs -- and it also has perhaps the swooniest romantic scene of all time, as McCrea courts Arthur on the front steps of her apartment building.

I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING! (1945) - Another real favorite of mine, I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING! is the perfect film to watch at this time of year, wrapped in a cozy blanket while sipping tea or hot cocoa. Wendy Hiller plays Joan, a headstrong young Englishwoman looking for financial security; while traveling to a remote island to marry a wealthy man she doesn't love, she's stranded in a small village by poor weather.

While waiting for the weather to finally clear, Joan finds herself falling for a poor but dashing Naval lieutenant (Roger Livesey) home on leave. This is one of those movies where it's important to keep your eyes on the screen at all times, for their relationship is developed quite subtly, and what is seen is just as important as what is said. The stark, stormy setting combined with references to ancient legends gives the film a certain otherworldly, mystical quality, building to a heartwarming conclusion. This is a film which only grows more special on repeat viewings.

PILLOW TO POST (1945) - Ida Lupino isn't commonly associated with romantic comedies, but she's simply wonderful as a traveling saleswoman desperate for a place to lay her weary head. Unable to find a hotel room due to WWII crowding, she happens upon a motor court which rents to army officers and their families, and she persuades a nice young lieutenant (William Prince) to pose as her husband just long enough for her to register and finally get a good night's sleep.

Of course, nothing goes as planned, especially when the lieutenant's commanding officer (a delightfully droll Sydney Greenstreet) and his mother (Regina Wallace) both show up unexpectedly!

PILLOW TO POST is a charmer, and who wouldn't want to live in a motor court where the neighbors include Ruth Donnelly, Stuart Erwin, Barbara Brown, and Willie Best?

THE MISSISSIPPI GAMBLER (1953) - This richly detailed costume drama stars Tyrone Power as an honorable gambler who falls in love with chilly Angelique (Piper Laurie). He waits a very long time for her to warm up; it's a bit hard understanding why at times, when lovely Julie Adams is pining away for him, but the film builds to a moving, very satisfying romantic conclusion and makes for a most entertaining movie. The gorgeous cast was filmed in beautiful Technicolor, which also captures spectacular costumes by Bill Thomas.

There are even more suggestions for great romantic movies in last year's post Ten Movies for Valentine's Day.

Enjoy! And Happy Valentine's Day!

This post is adapted from an article originally published by ClassicFlix in 2016.

Quick Preview of TCM in May

A few days ago Turner Classic Movies posted a preview of the channel's May schedule.

The May Star of the Month is Edward G. Robinson. 30 Robinson films will be shown spread across Thursday evenings that month. (Update: The final total of Robinson films shown will be 29.)

Robinson was previously the Star of the Month in August 1994 and May 2002.

The May Noir Alley films are FALLEN ANGEL (1945), MILDRED PIERCE (1945), THE CRIMSON KIMONO (1959), CORNERED (1945), and A KISS BEFORE DYING (1956).

The first three Wednesdays of the month will focus on films with Asian themes, with titles ranging from DAUGHTER OF SHANGHAI (1937) starring Anna May Wong, PHANTOM OF CHINATOWN (1940) with Keye Luke, LOVE IS A MANY-SPLENDORED THING (1955), FLOWER DRUM SONG (1961), and SAYONARA (1957).

I'm especially looking forward to SONG OF INDIA (1949) in this series, starring Sabu, Turhan Bey, and Gail Russell.

A notable title showing on TCM in May is THE SILVER CORD (1933) with Joel McCrea, Irene Dunne, and Frances Dee, which I'm not certain has aired on the network before. The oddball plot concerns a mother who's unhealthily obsessed with her adult sons. Dee steals the film in a moving performance. She and McCrea married a few months after the film was released.

Also of note: An eight-film birthday tribute to Robert Montgomery on May 21st includes FUGITIVE LOVERS (1934), costarring Madge Evans, which to my knowledge hasn't been shown on TCM in many years. It also hasn't been released on DVD by the Warner Archive.

Mother's Day will be celebrated on May 10th with a lineup including THREE DARING DAUGHTERS (1948), LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA (1962), seen at left, and BABY BOOM (1987).

As usual, Memorial Day Weekend will focus on war films, concluding with a series of "homecoming" films on Monday evening, the 25th, including THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946), and the underrated HOMECOMING (1948).

May themes will include psychiatry, Mexico, royalty, beauty contests, pianists, tap dancing, ransom, college musicals, fairy tales, and female pioneers in medicine, aviation, science, and more.

Additional filmmakers receiving multifilm tributes will include Tennessee Williams, Vittorio De Sica, Natalie Wood, Basil Dearden, Katharine Hepburn, James Mason, Bette Davis, Jean Peters, and Don DeFore.

I'll have much more on the May schedule posted here at the end of April.

Meanwhile, 31 Days of Oscar continues in February. The March Star of the Month will be Joe E. Brown and Jane Russell will be featured in April.

Update: For more on TCM in May 2020, please visit TCM in May: Highlights and TCM Star of the Month: Edward G. Robinson.