How is it already time for another round of Summer Under the Stars?! As usual, TCM has done a great job of coming up with a nice blend of stars who are no strangers to the SUTS schedule and stars who have never been featured before. The more I look at the schedule, the more excited I get to start my Blogging Under the Stars marathon.
Some of the days I’m most looking forward to are: Myrna Loy (August 2), Marilyn Monroe (August 4), Toshiro Mifune (August 9), Ginger Rogers (August 12), James Cagney (August 14), Lillian Gish (August 15), Jack Lemmon (August 22), Gene Kelly (August 23), Kay Francis (August 21), and Warren William (August 30). I have seen woefully few Akira Kurosawa films, so I am really looking forward to Toshiro Mifune’s day. As a fan of silents and pre-codes, I was thrilled to see Lillian Gish, Kay Francis, and Warren William got spots on this year’s line-up. Lately, I’ve been really getting into Tyrone Power movies, so I’m glad to see he got a day this year. And since I’ve always wanted to see more Jeanette MacDonald movies, I’ll definitely be tuning in a lot for her day.
The complete Summer Under the Stars schedule is available to be download here.
August 1, John Wayne: John Wayne is certainly a good way to kick off the Summer Under the Stars festivities. There’s Stagecoach at 9:15 AM, Red River at 11:00 AM, The Searchers at 1:15 PM, Rio Bravo at 3:15 PM, and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon at 8:00 PM.
August 2, Myrna Loy: First of all, I’d like to say that I’m very happy to see that today just isn’t an excuse for a marathon of Thin Man movies. I adore the Thin Man movies, but Myrna was so much more than Nora Charles and today’s schedule reflects that. The day starts off with some of her pre-codes, The Great Divide at 6:00 AM, The Naughty Flirt at 7:15 AM, The Barbarian at 8:15 AM, When Ladies Meet at 9:45 AM, and The Prizefighter and the Lady at 11:15 AM. The it’s on to some of her comedies such as Libeled Lady at 1:00 PM, Wife vs. Secretary at 2:45 PM, The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer at 4:15 PM, and Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream house at 6:00 PM. In prime time, there’s The Best Years of Our Lives at 8:00 PM, The Thin Man at 11:00 PM, Cheaper by the Dozen at 12:45 AM, Penthouse at 2:15 AM, and Test Pilot at 4:00 AM.
August 3, Johnny Weissmuller: I can see this being a pretty hit-or-miss day with some people. If you like the Tarzan movies, then you’ll have lots to keep you busy today. But if Tarzan’s not your thing, then there’s not really much for you today. My two favorite Tarzans are on in prime time, Tarzan the Ape Man at 8:00 PM and Tarzan and his Mate at 10:00 PM. There are three non-Tarzan movies on later at night, Jungle Jim at 1:45 AM, The Lost Tribe at 3:00 AM, and Pygmy Island at 4:30 AM.
August 4, Marilyn Monroe: You might be surprised that this is Marilyn’s first turn on Summer Under the Stars. Today also marks the 50th anniversary of her death. Nothing on today that I haven’t seen before, but there are lots of movies of hers that I love like The Asphalt Jungle at 6:00 AM, Niagara at 10:00 AM, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes at 4:15 PM, The Seven Year Itch at 6:00 PM, Some Like it Hot at 8:00 PM, Bus Stop at 10:15 PM, and How to Marry a Millionaire at 12:00 AM.
August 5, Claude Rains: Lots of great things on today! They Won’t Forget at 7:45 AM, Four Daughters at 9:30 AM, Kings Row at 2:30 PM, Now Voyager at 4:45 PM, The Wolf Man at 6:45 PM, The Invisible Man at 8:00 PM, Mr. Skeffington at 9:30 PM, and The Adventures of Robin hood at 2:15 AM.
August 6, Van Heflin: There’s a lot on today that I haven’t seen before, but I know Possessed at 12:45 PM is an excellent choice.
August 7, Sidney Poitier: Blackboard Jungle at 8:00 AM, A Patch of Blue at 6:00 PM, A Raisin in the Sun at 8:00 PM, To Sir With Love at 10:15 PM.
August 8, Rita Hayworth: The Lady from Shanghai at 10:45 AM, Only Angels Have Wings at 12:15 PM, Pal Joey at 8:00 PM, Gilda at 12:00 AM, and You Were Never Lovelier at 2:00 AM are all excellent choices.
August 10, Lionel Barrymore: Grand Hotel at 10:15 AM, You Can’t Take it With You at 8:00 PM, and Key Largo at 12:00 AM are my favorites from today. At 10:15 PM, though, is the premiere of Night Flight with Lionel, Clark Gable and Helen Hayes, and I’m really looking forward to seeing that one.
August 12, Ginger Rogers: I love Ginger Rogers, so there’s a lot I like about today. Rafter Romance at 6:00 AM, Carefree at 7:30 AM, Kitty Foyle at 11:00 AM, Bachelor Mother at 1:00 PM, Shall We Dance at 4:15, Vivacious Lady at 6:15 PM (one of my favorite discoveries from doing Blogging Under the Stars last year), 42nd Street at 8:00 PM, Swing Time at 9:45 PM, and Stage Door at 11:45 PM.
August 13, Deborah Kerr: Two excellent movies on in prime time tonight, Black Narcissus at 8:00 PM and From Here to Eternity at 12:15 AM.
August 14, James Cagney: Another day where there’s a lot for me to like. The Public Enemy at 7:30 AM, the documentary James Cagney: Top of the World at 7:00 PM, White Heat at 10:00 PM, Footlight Parade at 12:00 AM, and One, Two, Three at 2:00 AM.
August 15, Lillian Gish: Fans of silent films, rejoice! There are a few of the movies she made with D.W. Griffith: Broken Blossoms at 6:00 AM, Orphans of the Storm at 7:45 PM, and Intolerance at 8:00 PM. Also not to be missed are La Boheme at 10:30 AM, The Scarlet Letter at 12:15 PM, The Wind at 11:30 PM, and Night of the Hunter at 1:00 AM.
August 17, Katharine Hepburn: Rarely does a Summer Under the Stars go by where there isn’t a Katharine Hepburn day. My top choices are The Lion in Winter at 12:00 PM, Woman of the Year at 2:30 PM, Adam’s Rib at 4:30 PM, Pat and Mike at 6:15 PM, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner at 8:00 PM, and Bringing Up Baby at 12:15 AM.
August 19, Eva Marie Saint: You can’t go wrong with On the Waterfront at 12:00 PM or North by Northwest at 8:00 PM.
August 20, Anthony Quinn: There’s a lot on today that I haven’t seen before, but I did really like The Ox-Bow Incident at 7:15 AM.
August 21, Kay Francis: Today is the first of two days that fans of pre-codes are sure to love. There’s Dr. Monica at 6:00 AM; Mary Stevens, M.D. at 7:00 AM; Jewel Robbery at 8:15 AM; One Way Passage at 9:30 AM; The Keyhole at 10:45 AM; British Agent at 12:00 PM; Guilty Hands at 8:00 PM; The House on 56th Street at 9:30 PM; and Mandalay at 10:45 PM.
August 22, Jack Lemmon: Phffft! at 6:00 AM; Mister Roberts at 8:00 PM; Good Neighbor Sam at 10:15 AM; The Great Race at 2:45 PM; The Apartment at 5:45 PM; The Fortune Cookie at 8:00 PM; Days of Wine and Roses at 2:00 AM; and Buddy, Buddy at 4:15 AM.
August 23, Gene Kelly: Happy 100th birthday to Gene Kelly! I love Gene so I know I’ll just be leaving TCM on all day long today. For Me and My Gal at 6:00 AM, Anchors Aweigh at 8:00 AM, The Three Musketeers at 10:30 AM, The Pirate at 2:45 PM, Invitation to the Dance at 4:30 PM, On the Town at 6:15 PM, Cover Girl at 8:00 PM, An American in Paris at 10:00 PM, Singin’ in the Rain at 12:00 AM, Inherit the Wind at 2:00 AM, and Black Hand at 4:15 AM.
August 24, Irene Dunne: Theodora Goes Wild at 2:45 PM, My Favorite Wife at 6:15 PM, The Awful Truth at 8:00 PM, Life With Father at 12:00 AM, and Show Boat at 2:15 AM.
August 25, Tyrone Power: Marie Antoinette at 6:00 AM, The Sun Also Rises at 11:15 AM, Johnny Apollo at 1:30 PM, The Razor’s Edge at 8:00 PM, and Witness for the Prosecution at 2:30 AM.
August 26, Gary Cooper: A day full of Gary Cooper movies is bound to be good. The documentary Gary Cooper: American Life, American Legend is on at 9:45 AM. Then there’s Sergeant York at 10:45 AM, Love in the Afternoon at 3:15 PM, Pride of the Yankees at 5:30 PM, and Ball of Fire at 8:00 PM.
August 27, Jeanette MacDonald: San Francisco at 8:00 PM and The Merry Widow at 12:45 AM.
August 28, Ava Gardner: I’ve never seen East Side, West Side (9:30 AM) or The Bribe (10:45 PM), but I’m interested in checking both of those out. Night of the Iguana is on at 5:45 PM and Mogambo is on at 12:30 AM.
August 29, Ingrid Bergman: Today marks the 30th anniversary of the death of Ingrid Bergman. Today we can look back on her career with movies such as Saratoga Trunk at 9:30 AM, Under Capricorn at 12:00 PM, Gaslight at 6:00 PM, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde at 8:00 PM, and of course, Casablanca at 10:00 PM.
August 30, Warren William: The second day this month that will make pre-code lovers very happy! There’s Bedside at 6:00 AM, The Mouthpiece at 9:45 AM, Skyscraper Souls at 11:15 AM, Three on a Match at 1:00 PM, The Match King at 2:15 PM, The Mind Reader at 3:45 PM, Gold Diggers of 1933 at 5:00 PM, Lady for a Day at 8:00 PM, Cleopatra at 9:45 PM, and Employees’ Entrance at 11:45 PM.
August 31, James Caan: I don’t believe I have seen any of the movies on today, but I’m rather intrigued by Harry and Walter go to New York at 11:15 AM.
The Hollywood Revue 
So excited. It was hard for me to narrow my TCM 12 to just twelve so I had to add six Stars I’ll be watching.
Nothing wrong with bending the rules a little bit when it comes to Summer Under the Stars.
I’m definitely looking forward to Myrna Loy and Warren William and I need to go set the capture card to record Vivacious Lady. I haven’t seen it yet!
Vivacious Lady is such a fun movie! Just wait until you see Ginger Rogers’ big fight scene, she’s hilarious in it.
To paraphrase JAWS: “We’re gonna need a bigger TiVo.” Nice job, Angela.
I have a feeling I’m going to record enough movies to keep me busy for a long time this year. But really, that’s no different from every other year’s Summer Under the Stars.
You do a really nice job with this type of post. Is TCM paying you commission? They should be!
Haha, if TCM wants to start paying me, I will totally let them. In the meantime, though, I’m just happy to know people enjoy these posts!
Wow, fire up the DVR.
By the way, I tagged you for a Liebster Award. Details here:
http://movienut14.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-liebster-award.html
Thank you so much!