I hope everyone enjoyed Summer Under the Stars this year! September is looking like it’s going to be a much quieter month, but there is still plenty to look forward to. Most noteworthy, this month marks the TCM premiere of a couple long-awaited movies, The Constant Nymph and The Story of Temple Drake. Kirk Douglas is September’s star of the month and there are some truly stellar nights of his movies to look forward to. Laurel and Hardy fans will be happy to hear that the duo will be making a few appearances this month. Thursday nights will be dedicated to celebrating fifty years of Merchant Ivory productions, and those nights tend to have too many modern movies for my liking. But there are also TCM’s annual tributes to the Telluride Film Festival and the Library of Congress Film Archive, both of which have some pretty excellent stuff to look forward to.
September 1: Just in case you didn’t get enough Burt Lancaster on his day during Summer Under the Stars, TCM’s got a little more Burt Lancaster on during the day. Jim Thorpe — All American on at 6:00 AM, Ten Tall Men at 8:00 AM, South Sea Woman at 9:45 AM, His Majesty O’Keefe at 11:30 AM, The Flame and the Arrow at 1:15 PM, The Crimson Pirate at 2:45 PM, Trapeze at 4:30 PM, and The Devil’s Disciple at 6:30 PM. Then starting at 8:00 PM is the first night of TCM’s salute to Merchant Ivory productions starting with The Householder, then The Creation of Woman at 9:45 PM, Shakespeare Wallah at 10:00 PM, Bombay Talkie at 12:15 AM, Helen, Queen of the Nautch Girls at 2:15 AM, The Delhi Way at 3:00 AM, and Mahatma and the Mad Boy at 4:00 AM.
September 2: Because no summer is complete without seeing Beach Blanket Bingo, don’t miss it at 9:45 PM tonight!
September 3: It looks like TCM will be showing Laurel and Hardy shorts and Philo Vance movies on Saturday mornings starting today with The Music Box at 9:00 AM and The Bishop Murder Case at 9:30 AM. Tonight’s lineup is all about William Holden starting with Sunset Blvd. at 8:00 PM, Force of Arms at 10:00 PM, Young and Willing at 12:00 AM, Picnic at 1:30 AM, and Wild Rovers at 3:30 AM.
September 4: All This, and Heaven Too is on at 6:00 AM, The Heiress at 10:00 AM, and It Happened One Night at 6:00 PM.
September 5: It’s time for TCM’s salute to the Telluride Film Festival. This year’s salute involves Laurel and Hardy’s Below Zero at 8:00 AM, The Red Shoes at 8:30 AM, The Films of Georges Melies at 10:45 AM. Starting at 12:45 PM is a chance to see every installment of TCM’s Moguls and Movie Stars series.
September 6: Those of you who loved TCM Drive-In back in June will be interested to know that The Thing from Another World will be on at 8:45 AM, followed by The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms at 10:15 AM, Them! at 11:45 AM, The Black Scorpion at 3:15 PM, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman at 4:45 PM, and The Blob at 6:30 PM. Tonight is the first night devoted to star of the month Kirk Douglas with The Strange Loves of Martha Ivers at 8:00 PM, Out of the Past at 10:00 PM, I Walk Alone at 11:45 PM, A Letter to Three Wives at 1:30 AM, and Mourning Becomes Electra at 3:30 AM.
September 7: Kirk Douglas continues through the day with Along the Great Divide at 6:15 AM, The Juggler at 7:45 AM, The Story of Three Loves at 9:15 AM, and Act of Love at 11:30 AM. The guest programmer for this month is Cher, who has chosen Follow the Fleet at 8:00 PM, Hobson’s Choice at 10:00 PM, The Big Street at 12:00 AM, and Lady of Burlesque at 1:45 AM.
September 9: You can start the day off with a little Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn with Pat and Mike at 8:00 AM. If you’re a fan of Danny Thomas, you’ll be interested in seeing I’ll See You in my Dreams at 8:00 PM, The Jazz Singer (1953 version) at 10:00 PM, and Big City at 12:00 AM. Tonight’s TCM Underground has a couple of dance-themed cult classics, Breakin’ at 2:00 AM and Roller Boogie at 3:30 AM.
September 10: Laurel and Hardy’s Towed in a Hole is on at 9:00 AM and is followed by The Kennel Murder Case at 9:30 AM.
September 11: Lots of great stuff on today! Since today marks the tenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks, it’s a day full of New York City centered movies. At 10:00 AM is 42nd Street, Guys and Dolls at 11:45 AM, The Clock at 2:30 PM, Annie Hall at 4:15 PM, and On the Town at 6:00 PM. Tonight’s prime time schedule was chosen by Patrick McNally and Vernon Webb, two people who were responders at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon that day. Patrick has chosen Casablanca at 8:00 PM and Mister Roberts at 10:00 PM and Vernon chose All The Young Men at 12:15 AM and Red River at 2:00 AM.
September 12: Tonight we’ve got a few of Marilyn Monroe’s good, but often underrated, movies like Don’t Bother to Knock at 8:00 PM, Niagara at 9:30 PM, The Prince and the Showgirl at 11:30 PM, The Misfits at 1:30 AM, and Clash By Night at 3:45 AM.
September 13: At 12:00 PM is the wonderfully witty The Man Who Came to Dinner at 12:00 PM. Then it’s a truly stellar night of Kirk Douglas movies with young Man With a Horn at 8:00 PM, Ace in the Hole at 10:00 PM (It’s been a few years since TCM last played that one), The Bad and the Beautiful at 12:00 AM, The Big Sky at 2:15 AM, and The Big Trees at 4:45 AM.
September 14: Pre-code lovers, rejoice! Tonight’s prime time schedule is a night of Robert Osbourne’s picks which includes the TCM premiere of The Story of Temple Drake at 8:00 PM! Temple Drake is essential pre-code viewing, one of the most notorious films from that era, so do not miss this! Robert Osbourne’s other picks includes The Mating Season at 9:15 PM, Thank Your Lucky Stars at 11:00 PM, The Hoodlum at 1:15 AM, and The Hoodlum Priest at 2:30 AM.
September 16: Happy birthday to Lauren Bacall! A day of her movies kicks off at 6:45 AM with Dark Passage, Key Largo at 8:45 AM, Bright Leaf at 10:30 AM, The Cobweb at 12:30 PM, Sex and the Single Girl at 2:45 PM, Harper at 4:45 PM, and her private screenings interview at 7:00 PM.
September 17: Another one worth noting for pre-code fans in Employees’ Entrance at 6:00 AM. This week’s Laurel and Hardy short is Tit for Tat at 9:00 AM and this week’s Philo Vance movie is The Dragon Murder Case at 9:30 AM. The Major and the Minor is on at 6:15 PM. Then it’s a night of Ann Blyth movies with Mildred Pierce at 8:00 PM, Kismet at 10:00 PM, All the Brothers Were Valiant at 12:00 AM, Our Very Own at 2:00 AM, and Rose Marie at 4:00 AM.
September 18: A couple of great suspenseful features are on this afternoon, Suspicion at 2:15 PM and Wait Until Dark at 4:00 PM. This week’s Silent Sunday Night feature is the restored version of Metropolis at 12:00 AM and it’s followed by the documentary Metropolis Refound at 2:45 AM.
September 19: TCM is spending a night at the ballet tonight with Dor. Coppelius at 8:00 PM, The Red Shoes at 9:45 PM, Invitation to the Dance at 12:15 AM, The Unfinished Dance at 2:00 AM, and Ballerina at 3:45 AM. Schedule change: In memory of Cliff Robertson, today’s schedule includes Picnic at 6:00 AM, Autumn Leaves at 8:00 AM, Underworld USA at 10:00 AM, Gidget at 11:45 AM, Sunday in New York at 1:30 PM, The Best Man at 3:30 PM, and PT 109 at 5:30 PM.
September 20: Happy birthday to Sophia Loren! A day of her movies kicks off at 10:30 AM with Two Women, Yesterday Today and Tomorrow at 12:15 PM, Lady L at 2:15 PM, Operation Crossbow at 4:15 PM, and Ghosts — Italian Style at 6:15 PM. Then it’s time for more Kirk Douglas with Lust For Life at 8:00 PM, Paths of Glory at 1o:15 PM, Last Train From Gun Hill at 12:00 AM, The Devil’s Disciple in 1:45 AM, Town Without Pity at 3:15 AM, and Two Weeks in Another Town at 5:15 AM.
September 21: Tonight is a night long tribute to James Dean, starting with the documentary James Dean: Forever Young at 8:00 PM, East of Eden at 9:45 PM, Rebel Without a Cause at 12:00 AM, and Giant at 2:00 AM.
September 24: Laurel and Hardy’s The Fixer Uppers is on at 9:00 AM and is followed by The Casino Murder Case at 9:30 AM. Then it’s a night of movies featuring music by Rodgers & Hart starting with Love Me Tonight at 8:00 PM, Hallelujah, I’m a Bum at 10:00 PM, Hollywood Party at 11:30 PM, Evergreen at 12:45 AM, I Married an Angel at 2:30 AM, and Nana at 4:00 AM.
September 25: First up is The Broadway Melody of 1938 at 6:00 AM and The Children’s Hour at 12:00 PM. Later, Silent Sunday Nights gives us a couple from Charlie Chaplin, The Circus at 12:00 AM and Pay Day at 1:30 AM.
September 26: It’s a night of movies set in China, starting with The Painted Veil at 8:00 PM, China Sky at 9:30 PM, The Inn of the Sixth Happiness at 11:00 PM, Shanghai Express at 2:00 AM, China Doll at 3:30 AM, and West of Shanghai at 5:15 AM.
September 27: The final night Kirk Douglas movies include Spartacus at 8:00 PM, Lonely are the Brave at 11:30 PM, Seven Days in May at 1:30 AM, and The Way West at 3:45 AM.
September 28: During the day, we’ve got Woman of the Year at 12:00 PM and The Great Lie at 6:00 PM. A 24-hour salute to The Library of Congress Film Archive kicks off at 8:00 PM with the rarely-seen The Constant Nymph with Joan Fontaine. Then there’s Baby Face at 10:00 PM, Two Heads on a Pillow at 11:30 PM, a restored silent version of All Quiet on the Western Front at 12:45 AM, and Sparrows at 5:15 AM.
September 29: The tribute to The Library of Congress Film Archive continues with Laurel and Hardy’s Towed in a Hole at 10:15 AM, Taxi! at 12:00 PM, The Killers at 1:15 PM, The Naked City at 3:15 PM.
September 30: September draws to a close with a birthday tribute to Deborah Kerr, starting at 6:00 AM with Count Your Blessings, If Winter Comes at 8:00 AM, Black Narcissus at 10:00 AM, The End of the Affair at 11:45 AM, The Innocents at 1:45 PM, The Journey at 3:30 PM, and The Sundowners at 5:45 PM. Then it switches over to a night of Angie Dickinson movies at 8:00 PM with Point Blank, Tension at Table Rock at 10:00 PM, and The Sins of Rachel Cade at 11:45 PM.
The Hollywood Revue 
Ooh, so glad to see they’re finally playing The Constant Nymph and The Story of Temple Drake! Saw them both at the TCM Festival, but they’re both too good to keep to such a small audience.
I haven’t seen The Constant Nymph yet, but there’s so much buzz around it that I can’t help but be excited to see it. I love Temple Drake, though, and that one is way overdue for its TCM debut.