TCM Star of the Month: Lucille Ball

The October Star of the Month on Turner Classic Movies is Lucille Ball.

43 of Ball's films are on the schedule. They'll be shown on Thursday evenings, running overnight and through Friday mornings.

The films cover the spectrum of her film career, from small roles in the mid '30s up through MAME in 1974.

Titles I particularly recommend include BEAUTY FOR THE ASKING (1939), an interesting melodrama with unexpected twists; FIVE CAME BACK (1939), a thriller which is one of the best "B" films ever made; TWO SMART PEOPLE (1946), a "road trip" film about con artists and a detective, costarring John Hodiak and Lloyd Nolan; and EASY LIVING (1949), an excellent drama set against the background of professional football, featuring a top cast.

I'll be setting my recorder for a couple of films which aren't in my collection, including THE BIG STREET (1942) with Henry Fonda, who would costar with her decades later in YOURS, MINE AND OURS (1968).

There are many more interesting films on the schedule.  Below is the complete Star of the Month lineup. Please click on any hyperlinked title to read my extended review.

October 7th 

I DREAM TOO MUCH (1935)

STAGE DOOR (1937)

ROOM SERVICE (1938)

BUNKER BEAN (1936)

DON'T TELL THE WIFE (1937)

FOLLOW THE FLEET (1936)

CHATTERBOX (1936)

BEAUTY FOR THE ASKING (1939)

FIVE CAME BACK (1939)

THE AFFAIRS OF ANNABEL (1938)

ANNABEL TAKES A TOUR (1938)

PANAMA LADY (1939)

October 14th 

TOO MANY GIRLS (1940)

THE LONG, LONG TRAILER (1954)

FOREVER, DARLING (1956)

EASY TO WED (1946)

SEVEN DAYS' LEAVE (1942)

NEXT TIME I MARRY (1938)

GO CHASE YOURSELF (1938)

A GIRL, A GUY AND A GOB (1941)

TWELVE CROWDED HOURS (1939)

YOU CAN'T FOOL YOUR WIFE (1940)

October 21st 

DUBARRY WAS A LADY (1943)

THE BIG STREET (1942)

MISS GRANT TAKES RICHMOND (1949)

THE FULLER BRUSH GIRL (1950)

HER HUSBAND'S AFFAIRS (1947)

DANCE, GIRL, DANCE (1940)

ZIEGFELD FOLLIES (1946)

MEET THE PEOPLE (1944)

LOOK WHO'S LAUGHING (19441)

THAT'S RIGHT - YOU'RE WRONG (1940)

TWO SMART PEOPLE (1946)

October 28th

YOURS, MINE AND OURS (1968)

THE FACTS OF LIFE (1960)

MAME (1974)

CRITIC'S CHOICE (1963)

VALLEY OF THE SUN (1942)

WITHOUT LOVE (1945)

EASY LIVING (1949)

MARINES FLY HIGH (1940)

BEST FOOT FORWARD (1943)

HAVING WONDERFUL TIME (1938)

For more on TCM in October 2021, please visit my posts Quick Preview of TCM in October and TCM in October: Highlights along with TCM's online schedule.

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