
It's time for a look at the
April schedule on Turner Classic Movies!
Red Skelton is the April Star of the Month. Over a dozen Skelton films will be shown on Monday evenings beginning April 7th.
Skelton was previously honored in April 1998. I will have some recommendations of his films below; please note that there is not a separate Star of the Month post this month.
The April Noir Alley films are THE NARROW MARGIN (1952) on April 5th and 6th, THE STEEL TRAP (1952) on the 12th and 13th, THE SET-UP (1949) April 19th and 20th, and THE PROWLER (1951) April 26th-27th.
THE NARROW MARGIN is one of my all-time favorite films, and I highly recommend it.
The TCM Spotlight is "
Pulp Fiction" on Friday nights, while a Special Theme on Wednesday is "
Acts of Faith," with, as one might guess, films with religious themes.
Below are a few of this month's highlights. Please click any hyperlinked title to read my extended review.
...The month kicks off with an April 1st birthday tribute to Debbie Reynolds. I've enjoyed most of the films on the list and am especially fond of THE TENDER TRAP (1955), costarring Frank Sinatra. The title song reels me in every single time.
..."Acts of Faith" begins on April 2nd with half a dozen films including GOING MY WAY (1944) and ONE FOOT IN HEAVEN (1941).
...I love that the daytime lineup on
April 4th pays tribute to screenwriter F. Hugh Herbert. There are a couple delightful minor gems showing on that day,
SNOWED UNDER (1936) and
PERSONAL MAID'S SECRET (1935), both of which I've enjoyed multiple times. The lineup also includes the TCM premiere of VANITY FAIR (1932), a modern-dress version of the Thackeray story starring Myrna Loy.
...The "Pulp Fiction" series starts in the evening on April 4th, with a lineup including TARZAN THE APE MAN (1932) and LOST HORIZON (1937).
...There are several fun films on
April 6th, including future WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939) costars Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier in the more lighthearted (and Technicolor!)
THE DIVORCE OF LADY X (1938).
...Red Skelton's Star of the Month films on April 7th include HAVING WONDERFUL TIME (1938), which he made at RKO, and all three of the "Whistling" movies with Ann Rutherford. I have fond memories of watching the Whistling movies on local television when I was a child.
...Eddie Muller's newly revised and expanded version of his classic book
DARK CITY DAMES is being published on
April 8th, and TCM celebrates its publication day with several film noir titles including
THE KILLING (1956) and
TENSION (1949), both of which I just saw at the
Noir City Hollywood festival. I took along my advance review copy of DARK CITY DAMES, and Eddie told me it was the first one he'd signed!
...Greer Garson is the focus in a six-film lineup on April 9th, including top classics RANDOM HARVEST (1942), MRS. MINIVER (1942), and PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (1942).
...Marjorie Main will be celebrated in prime time on April 10th with five films including MA AND PA KETTLE (1949).
...Another "only on TCM" lineup this month, on
April 11th, features films costarring the talented dog Asta (real name: Skippy). Titles including
FOG OVER FRISCO (1934),
CALL IT A DAY (1937), BRINGING UP BABY (1938), and of course,
THE THIN MAN (1934).
...April 14th is TCM's 31st anniversary! The Star of the Month films that evening including LADY BE GOOD (1941) with Red Skelton, Eleanor Powell, and Ann Sothern.
...I love that Tax Day, April 15th, features movies about crimes revolving around taxes and tax evasion. The films including George Brent and Bette Davis in SPECIAL AGENT (1935).
...April 17th is one of two evenings featuring the films of Merchant Ivory. Titles include MERCHANT IVORY: THE DOCUMENTARY (2024) which I recently reviewed.
...A night of movies inspired by pulp fiction on
April 18th includes the very good
THE SAINT IN NEW YORK (1938), featuring a different take on the title character, by Louis Hayward, than we're used to seeing from the next actor to play the Saint,
George Sanders.
...The Musical Matinee on April 19th includes the MGM musical LOVELY TO LOOK AT (1952), a very engaging film featuring Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, Ann Miller, Red Skelton, and Marge and Gower Champion, who have a couple spectacular dance numbers. The movie will be encored on April 28th as part of the Star of the Month lineup.
...Easter Sunday,
April 20th, will of course feature EASTER PARADE (1948), along with a lineup of religious films. In the late evening, stick around for Yasujiro Ozu's
LATE SPRING (1949) and
EARLY SUMMER (1951), both starring the radiant
Setsuko Hara.
...Some of Red Skelton's best MGM musicals will be shown the evening of April 21st, including NEPTUNE'S DAUGHTER (1949) and THREE LITTLE WORDS (1950).
...Eight Joan Blondell films will be shown on April 22nd, including the pre-Code gangster drama BLONDIE JOHNSON (1933). Chester Morris costars.
...On April 23rd the daytime lineup focuses on movies set in Los Angeles, including THE BIG SLEEP (1946) with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.
...
SINBAD THE SAILOR (1947), featuring spectacular Technicolor and stars
Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and
Maureen O'Hara, will be shown
April 25th. Marvelous escapism.
...Tim Holt and Marjorie Reynolds star in the RKO "B" Western CYCLONE ON HORSEBACK (1941) on Saturday morning, April 26th.
...The Acts of Faith series concludes on April 30th with a relatively rare TCM showing of the 20th Century-Fox film THE SONG OF BERNADETTE (1943), starring Oscar winner Jennifer Jones.
For more on TCM in April 2025, please visit my Quick Preview of TCM in April, along with TCM's online schedule.