What’s on TCM: October 2012

October is upon us and that can only mean one thing — classic horror movies!  TCM certainly doesn’t disappoint in that department; every Wednesday night in October will be full of great horror movies to help you get into the Halloween spirit.  In addition to the great horror movies, there’s also a great Star of the Month — Spencer Tracy.  Every Monday night this month will be all about Spencer, but his movies also carry over into every Tuesday as well.

On Tuesday nights, TCM will be doing a series called “The Projected Image: A History of Disability in Film,” which will examine how people with physical and mental disabilities have been portrayed in film.

One night that certainly sounds intriguing is the night of October 21st, a night full of animation rarities.  There will be selections of UPA cartoons as well as many cartoons from the silent film era, dating back as early as 1907!  I know I’m certainly looking forward to seeing those!

October 1:  TCM kicks off October with a birthday tribute to Walter Matthau.  You can see him in A Face in the Crowd at 6:00 AM, Island of Love at 8:15 AM, Ensign Pulver at 10:00 AM, Fail Safe at 12:00 PM, The Fortune Cookie at 2:00 PM, and Cactus Flower at 4:15 PM.  Then it’s on to the first night of Spencer Tracy movies, starting with the documentary The Spencer Tracy Legacy at 6:30 PM then moving on to Me and My Gal at 8:00 PM; Man’s Castle at 9:30 PM; The Power and the Glory at 11:00 PM; Dante’s Inferno at 12:30 AM; 20,000 Years in Sing Sing at 2:00 AM, The Showoff at 3:30 AM; and The Murder Man at 5:00 Am.

October 2:  Spencer Tracy continues into today with Whipshaw at 6:15 AM, Riffraff at 7:45 AM, The Big City at 9:30 AM, Mannequin at 11:00 AM, and They Gave Him a Gun at 12:45 PM.  After that comes a Marx Brothers double feature of A Night at the Opera at 2:30 PM and A Day at the Races at 4:15 PM.  Tonight is the first night of TCM’s look at disabilities in film starting with An Affair to Remember at 8:00 PM, A Patch of Blue at 10:15 PM, Butterflies are Free at 12:15 AM, Gaby – A True Story at 2:15 AM, and The Sign of the Ram at 4:15 AM.

October 3:  Tonight we get a night full of classic horror films: The Mystery of the Wax Museum at 8:00 PM, Doctor X at 9:30 PM, Mark of the Vampire at 11:00 PM, House of Dracula at 12:15 AM, Zombies of the Mora Tau at 1:30 AM, Night of the Living Dead at 2:45 AM, and I Walked With a Zombie at 4:30 AM.

October 4:  Robert Osborne picks tonight’s line-up, which includes the TCM premiere of Tyrone Power’s Son of Fury at 8:00 PM.  Also on the schedule are Thunder Birds at 10:00 PM, Honky Tonk at 11:30 AM, and Marked Woman at 1:30 AM.

October 5:  Tonight we have the first night of TCM’s look at politics in film, starting with the documentary A Night at the Movies: Hollywood Goes to Washington at 8:00 PM, followed by Mr. Smith Goes to Washington at 9:00 PM, and Meet John Doe at 12:15 AM.

October 6:  All of tonight’s movies feature directors appearing in another director’s movie.  First there’s Francois Truffaut in Close Encounters of the Third Kind at 8:00 PM, followed by John Huston in The Wind in the Lion at 10:30 PM, Emilio Fernandez in The Wild Bunch at 12:45 AM, and Woody Allen in The Front at 3:15 AM.

October 8:  Happy birthday to director Rouben Mamoulian!  You can see Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde at 6:00 AM, Queen Christina at 7:45 AM, We Live Again at 9:30 AM, The Gay Desperado at 11:00 AM, Golden Boy at 12:30 PM, and Silk Stockings at 2:15 PM.  Then it’s another Spencer Tracy night starting with Fury at 8:00 PM, Libeled Lady at 9:45 PM, Test Pilot at 11:30 PM, Edison the Man at 1:45 AM, I Take This Woman at 3:45 AM, and Boom Town at 5:30 AM.

October 9:  We get a few more Spencer Tracy movies in the morning with Men of Boys Town at 7:45 AM, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde at 9:45 AM, and Tortilla Flat at 11:45 AM.  Tonight’s movies about disabilities include Lucky Star at 8:00 PM, Bright Victory at 9:45 PM, Reach for the Sky at 11:45 PM, and The Best Years of Our Lives at 2:15 AM.

October 10:  I absolutely love tonight’s classic horror line-up!  The Haunting at 8:00 PM, The Uninvited at 10:00 PM, House on Haunted Hill at 12:00 AM, Dead of Night at 1:30 AM, The Innocents at 3:30 AM, and 13 Ghosts at 5:15 AM.

October 11:  All of tonight’s movies are directed by Robert Aldrich, starting with The Flight of the Phoenix at 8:00 PM, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? at 10:30 PM, The Legend of Lylah Clare at 1:00 AM, and Kiss Me Deadly at 3:15 AM.

October 12:  It’s another night of movies that deal with politics.  Born Yesterday starts things off at 8:00 PM, followed by an encore of A Night at the Movies: Hollywood Goes to Washington at 10:00 PM, The Great McGinty at 11:00 PM, and I Married a Witch at 12:30 AM.

October 13:  Cinematographer Robert Krasker gets his due tonight with The Third Man at 8:00 PM, Cry the Beloved Country at 10:00 PM, Brief Encounter at 12:00 AM, Alexander the Great at 1:45 AM, and Billy Budd at 4:15 AM.

October 14:  Tonight’s Silent Sunday Night feature is The Unknown with Lon Chaney and Joan Crawford at 1:30 AM.  After that comes Fritz Lang’s The Testament of Dr. Mabuse at 2:30 AM.

October 15:  Spencer Tracy is back in the spotlight again with Boys Town at 8:00 PM, Father of the Bride at 9:45 PM, Bad Day at Black Rock at 11:30 PM, The Old Man and the Sea at 1:00 AM, Captains Courageous at 2:30 AM, and San Francisco at 4:30 AM.

October 16:  In case you’re still wanting more Spencer Tracy, you can see Northwest Passage at 6:30 AM, Malaya at 8:45 AM, Plymouth Adventure at 10:30 AM, The Devil at 4 O’Clock at 12:30 PM, and The Mountain at 2:45 PM.  After that is another night of movies that portray disabilities includes Eyes in the Night at 8:00 PM, 23 Paces to Baker Street at 9:30 PM, Johny Belinda at 11:30 PM, and The Miracle Worker at 1:30 AM.

October 17:  Today gets off to a good start with Mr. Smith Goes to Washington at 6:00 AM followed by You Can’t Take it With You at 8:15 AM.  Later in prime time is a night of Hammer horror movies.  Horror of Dracula at 8:00 PM, The Curse of Frankenstein at 9:30 PM, The Mummy at 11:00 PM, The Gorgon at 12:45 AM, and The Devil’s Bride at 2:15 AM.  Over the past couple of years, I’ve become pretty fond of the Hammer horror movies, so if you’ve never seen one before, this would be a good night to change that.

October 18:  Happy birthday to Miriam Hopkins!  Her birthday tribute includes Wise Girl at 6:30 AM, Woman Chases Man at 7:45 AM, The Old Maid at 9:00 AM, Lady With Red Hair at 10:45 AM, Virginia City at 12:15 PM, and Old Acquaintance at 2:30 PM.  Later, TCM celebrates the 60th anniversary of Cinerama with Cinerama Adventure at 8:00 PM, This is Cinerama at 10:00 PM, and How the West Was Won at 2:00 AM.

October 19:  It’s time for another night of politics in film starting with A Face in the Crowd at 8:00 PM, The Glass Key at 10:15 PM, and Flamingo Road at 11:45 PM.

October 20:  Today is one of those “Only on TCM” days.  First, there’s Red Dust at 6:00 AM.  Later on are a couple of Hammer horror movies, The Revenge of Frankenstein at 10:15 AM and Frankenstein Created Woman 12:00 PM.  After that is Birdman of Alcatraz at 3:30 PM, and later it’s Camille at 8:00 PM and Gigi at 10:00 PM.

October 21:  This should be a pretty interesting night.  All night long, TCM will be showing animation rarities.  You’ll have to consult the TCM website to get more details, but there will even be some silent cartoons starting around midnight.

October 22:  It’s time for another night of Spencer Tracy movies and tonight’s movies all feature his most famous co-star, Katharine Hepburn.  You can see most of their collaborations tonight starting with Woman of the Year at 8:00 PM, then Without Love at 10:00 PM, Adam’s Rib at 12:00 AM, Pat and Mike at 2:00 AM, Keeper of the Flame at 3:45 AM, and Sea of Grass at 5:30 AM.

October 23:  Spencer carries into today with the documentary The Spencer Tracy Legacy at 7:45 AM, A Guy Named Joe at 9:30 AM, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo at 11:45 AM, The Seventh Cross at 2:30 PM, Father’s Little Dividend at 4:30 PM, and The Actress at 6:00 PM.  Then it’s on to another night of disabilities on film with A Child is Waiting at 8:00 PM, Mandy at 10:00 PM, Of Mice and Men at 12:00 AM, and Charly at 2:00 AM.

October 24:  Today is a very literary day on TCM.  All of the movies on during the day were based on stories by Somerset Maugham, including the 1929 version of The Letter starring Jeanne Eagels.  If you’ve never seen this one, be sure not to miss it at 8:45 AM.  Other than that, there’s The Circle at 6:00 AM, The Magician at 7:15 AM, Strictly Unconventional at 10:00 AM, Rain at 11:00 AM, Our Betters at 12:45 AM, Isle of Fury at 2:15 PM (which I am dying to see just because I want to see Humphrey Bogart wrestle an octopus), Dirty Gertie from Harlem USA at 3:30 PM, Trio at 4:45 PM, and Encore at 6:30 PM.  Then in prime time is a night of movies based on stories by Edgar Allan Poe, starting with The Raven at 8:00 PM, Murders in the Rue Morgue at 9:45 PM, The Black Cat at 11:00 PM, The Fall of the House of Usher at 12:30 AM, The Tell-Tale heart at 1:45 AM, and Spirits of the Dead at 2:15 AM.

October 25:  Jim Lehrer is this month’s guest programmer and he has chosen All The King’s Men at 8:00 PM, It Happened One Night at 10:00 PM, and My Fair Lady at 12:00 AM.

October 26:  Happy birthday to Jackie Coogan!  You can see him in A Day’s Pleasure at 6:00 AM, The Kid at 6:30 AM, Oliver Twist at 7:30 AM, and The Rag Man at 9:00 AM.  Later, it’s time for one last night of politics in film with Advise and Consent at 8:00 PM, All the President’s Men at 10:30 PM, and Seven Days in May at 1:00 AM.  And if you’re a William Castle fan, I’m sure you’ll be interested in Spine Tingler: The William Castle Story at 3:15 AM.

October 27:  Today has a very nice selection of horror movies.  The Devil Doll at 6:00 AM, Bedlam at 7:30 AM, Cat People at 9:00 AM, Dracula Prince of Darkness at 10:15 AM, Dracula Has Risen from the Grave 12:00 PM, and House of Wax at 4:45 PM.

October 28:  There are some nice movies on throughout the day today: Kind Hearts and Coronets at 8:00 AM, Hobson’s Choice at 10:00 AM, and Sullivan’s Travels at 2:15 PM.  In prime time, there’s a few Ray Harryhausen sci-fi classics like 20 Million Miles to Earth at 8:00 PM, Earth vs. The Flying Saucers at 9:30 PM, and The First Men in the Moon at 11:00 PM.  Tonight’s Silent Sunday Night feature is Lon Chaney’s The Phantom of the Opera at 1:00 AM and this week’s TCM Import is Fritz Lang’s M at 2:45 AM.

October 29:  The final night of Spencer Tracy movies showcases his collaborations with director Stanley Kramer.  There’s Inherit the Wind at 8:00 PM, Judgment at Nuremberg at 10:15 PM, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner at 1:30 AM, and It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World at 3:30 AM.

October 30:  A few more Spencer Tracy movies to close out Edward My Son at 8:30 AM, The People Against O’Hara at 10:30 AM, and The Last Hurrah at 12:15 PM.  Then in prime time, TCM’s spotlight of movies that deal with disabilities ends with some excellent movies.  The Unknown at 8:00 PM, Freaks at 9:15 PM, Bedlam at 10:30 PM, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest at 12:00 AM, and The Snake Pit at 2:30 AM.

October 31:  Happy Halloween!  Of course, today is nothing but classic horror movies.  The day starts off with London After Midnight (this is the “restored” version made completely of still pictures) at 6:00 AM, followed by The Ghoul at 7:30 AM, House of Dark Shadows at 9:00 AM, Repulsion at 11:00 AM, Dementia 13 at 1:00 PM, The Last Man on Earth at 2:30 PM, The Devil Bat at 4:00 PM, White Zombie at 5:15 PM, The Body Snatcher at 6:30 PM, Frankenstein at 8:00 PM, Son of Frankenstein at 9:30 PM, The Wolf Man at 11:15 PM, The Mummy at 12:30 AM, The Mummy’s Hand at 2:00 AM, Island of Lost Souls at 3:15 AM, and The Invisible Man at 4:30 AM.