As March rolls in, 31 Days of Oscar enters its final days. But there’s still plenty to see in those final days. On Monday, March 1st at 9:30 AM EST, there’s Possessed starring Joan Crawford and Van Heflin. Most people consider Mildred Pierce to be the highlight of Joan Crawford’s career, but I think her performance in Possessed really gives Mildred Pierce a run for its money. Prime time on March 2nd looks fantastic: West Side Story, Rebel Without a Cause, and Giant. I am a little embarrassed to say that I have never seen Rebel Without a Cause, but I’m looking forward to seeing it. If you’ll be home during the day on March 3rd, the last day of 31 Days of Oscar, be sure to check out Adam’s Rib at 11:30 AM, which is followed by The Asphalt Jungle at 1:30 PM. Two totally different movies, but they’re equally amazing.
TCM resumes its normal programming on March 4th, but it looks like there’s still plenty of great stuff to look forward to. This month, they’ll be spotlighting a rather interesting couple of stars: Ginger Rogers and Akira Kurosawa. I’m definitely looking forward to the Ginger Rogers movies, but I’m not so sure about the Kurosawa. I’ve seen Rashomon and I’ve tried watching Seven Samurai a couple of times before but just haven’t been able to get into it. Rashomon was good, just not really my cup of tea. Anyone have any suggestions as to which of his movies I should check out this month? I’ve heard so many great things about Kurosawa and I’m still willing to give his movies a shot, I just don’t really know where to begin.
My “To See” List: Rebel Without a Cause (1955), The Gorgeous Hussy (1936), Red, Hot and Blue (1949), Contempt (1963), Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939), The Brothers Warner (2008), The Sisters (1938), Summertime (1955), Housewife (1934), Professional Sweetheart (1933), Kitten With a Whip (1964), Our Hospitality (1923), A Life of her Own (1950)
Five-Star Days/Nights:
- Saturday, March 6: A Streetcar Named Desire (8:00 PM), Somebody Up There Likes Me (10:15 PM), Saturday Night Fever (12:15 AM)
- Monday, March 8: Wow, this day is just unstoppable! First, there is Show People at 12:15 AM, Contempt at 2:00 AM, and The Bad and the Beautiful at 4:00 AM. Very excited to see Contempt since I like Brigitte Bardot and I love that it’s following a Marion Davies movie. But then it gets even better with The Band Wagon at 8:15 AM, the first of several movies starring the lovely Cyd Charisse. I love The Band Wagon, It’s Always Fair Weather, and Silk Stockings. Prime time is dedicated to Warner Brothers, starting with a documentary and continues with some of the most important movies made at Warner Bros. such as The Jazz Singer, I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, and Casablanca. Make sure you’ve got plenty of coffee on hand to get through this day.
- Wednesday, March 10: It’s another night you might want plenty of coffee to get you through. Starting at 8:00 PM, TCM will be playing every Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movie starting with The Gay Divorcee (8:00 PM), Top Hat (10:00 PM), Swing Time (12:00 AM), Roberta (2:00 AM), and Follow the Fleet (4:00 AM). The marathon runs until 2:45 PM on March 11.
- Thursday, March 11: The Lady Eve (8:00 PM), The More the Merrier (10:00 PM) In case you missed them on February 14th, here’s your chance to see these wonderful movies again.
- Monday, March 15: Looks like it’s George Brent day and there are pre-codes galore! Baby Face (7:15 AM) and Female (8:30 AM) are pre-code classics, but I’m looking forward to seeing the rest of them, particularly Housewife (12:15 PM) since it’s a Bette Davis movie I haven’t seen yet.
- Wednesday, March 17: 42nd Street (8:00 PM), Gold Diggers of 1933 (9:45 PM), Professional Sweetheart (11:30 PM), Rafter Romance (1:00 AM) If you didn’t get enough pre-codes on the 15th, here’s a night of pre-code Ginger Rogers.
- Saturday, March 27: Race With the Devil (2:15 AM), Hod Rods to Hell (3:45 AM), Shake Hands With Danger (5:30 AM). I’m reluctant to call this a “five-star” line-up since I had a blast making fun of Race With the Devil. In a way, it kind of reminded me of Manos: The Hands of Fate, only far more competently made. I haven’t seen Hot Rods to Hell, but it could be another great one to make fun of. I think I’m actually most excited for Shake Hands With Danger. A few years ago, I took a film production class and my teacher made us watch Shake Hands With Danger when we were learning about educational films and my entire class laughed through the whole thing because it is so unintentionally hilarious. Just wait till you hear the theme song!
- Monday, March 29: Sherlock Jr. (12:00 AM), The Navigator (1:00 AM), Mr. Hulot’s Holiday (2:15 AM), Mon Oncle (4:00 AM) A late night of Buster Keaton and Jaques Tati: perfection! Then later that night in prime time, a marathon of Marx Brothers movies.
- Wednesday, March 31: Kitty Foyle (8:00 PM), The Major and the Minor (11:30 PM). Here’s a chance to see Ginger Rogers at her finest in both drama and comedy. In between these two is Tom, Dick and Harry, but I haven’t seen that one. Anyone know if it’s good or not?
The Hollywood Revue 