Happy August, everyone! Hope you’re all having a nice summer. August is always a great month on TCM thanks to their annual Summer Under the Stars programming. I’ve decided to skip my usual Blogging Under the Stars event this year since I feel like it just wouldn’t fit into my schedule this time around, but I’ll hopefully still be able to see lots of new-to-me movies during this year’s schedule.
First of all, if you’re a big fan of pre-code cinema, there’s a lot for you to look forward to in August. Stars like Fay Wray, Robert Montgomery, Constance Cummings, Ruby Keeler, and Jean Harlow all have days this month so it’s actually a pretty pre-code heavy lineup this year. (Not that I’m complaining!)
Aside from those stars, I’m very excited to see stars like Janet Gaynor, Anne Baxter, and Jean Arthur featured in this year’s schedule.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at this year’s Summer Under the Stars schedule.
August 1: The 2016 edition of Summer Under the Stars kicks off with a day dedicated to Edward G. Robinson. My choices for the day include Little Caesar at 7:30 AM, Kid Galahad at 10:30 AM, Double Indemnity at 4:00 PM, Larceny Inc. at 6:00 PM, and Scarlett Street at 8:00 AM.
August 2: It’s Lucille Ball day and if you’re interested in seeing Ball in a less typical role, I recommend The Big Street at 1:00 PM.
August 3: Bing Crosby is the man of the day and if you want to start your day off with some weirdness, don’t miss Going Hollywood at 6:00 AM. Later, there’s The Road to Hong Kong at 9:00 AM, Blue Skies at 4:30 PM, Going My Way at 8:00 PM, and Road to Morocco at 12:15 AM.
August 4: If you’re a pre-code fan, you’re going to want to clear your DVR for Fay Wray day! There’s The Unholy Garden at 6:00 AM, Ann Carver’s Profession at 7:30 AM, Doctor X at 10:15 AM, The Richest Girl in the World at 11:45 AM, Black Moot at 1:15 PM, Captain Thunder at 2:30 PM, The Mystery of the Wax Museum at 5:15 PM, The Wedding March at 8:00 PM, King Kong at 10:00 PM, Thunderbolt at 12:00 AM, Below the Sea at 1:45 AM, The Most Dangerous Game at 3:15 AM, and One Sunday Afternoon at 4:30 PM.
August 5: Karl Malden day gives us Gypsy at 5:30 PM, On the Waterfront at 8:00 PM, A Streetcar Named Desire at 10:00 PM, and Baby Doll at 2:15 AM.
August 6: Lots of great stuff with Montgomery Clift on today! Suddenly Last Summer at 11:45 AM, The Misfits at 1:45 PM, Red River at 8:00 PM, A Place in the Sun at 10:30 PM, and From Here to Eternity at 12:45 AM.
August 7: Another day fans of pre-codes won’t want to miss is Jean Harlow day. Today’s schedule has quite a few of her post-code films in there, but it’s a pretty awesome lineup all around. The Beast of the City at 10:00 AM, China Seas at 1:15 PM, Dinner at Eight at 4:00 PM, Libeled Lady at 6:00 PM, Red Dust at 8:00 PM, Bombshell at 9:30 PM, Wife vs. Secretary at 11:15 PM, and Red-Headed Woman at 2:45 AM.
August 8: On a hot summer day, is there any better choice for a star to feature than Esther Williams? We’ve got Pagan Love Song at 11:00 AM, Easy to Love at 12:30 PM, Dangerous When Wet at 4:15 PM, Bathing Beauty at 8:00 PM, Million Dollar Mermaid at 10:00 PM, and Neptune’s Daughter at 2:00 AM.
August 9: Tim Holt day is mostly westerns, so not much is grabbing my interest on today’s lineup, but The Treasure of the Sierra Madre at 8:00 PM and The Magnificent Ambersons at 10:15 PM are well worth watching.
August 10: Hedy Lamarr gets the spotlight today. Her Highness and the Bellboy at 8:00 AM and H.M. Pulham Esq. at 10:00 AM are both worth checking out; they were both movies I ended up enjoying way more than I expected to. Come Live With Me at 1:15 AM is also worth seeing.
August 11: It’s hard to go wrong with a day of Spencer Tracy movies. There’s 20,000 Years in Sing Sing at 6:00 AM, Captains Courageous at 9:30 AM, Boom Town at 1:45 PM, Woman of the Year at 4:00 PM, Desk Set at 6:00 PM, Judgment at Nuremberg 8:00 PM, Bad Day at Black Rock at 11:15 PM, and Boys Town at 2:30 AM.
August 12: Very excited to see Janet Gaynor on this year’s schedule! Small Town Girl at 6:00 AM, The Farmer Takes a Wife at 10:00 AM, Delicious at 12:00 PM, A Star is Born at 2:00 PM, State Fair at 4:15 PM, Lucky Star at 8:00 PM, Street Angel at 10:00 PM, and Sunnyside Up at 2:00 AM.
August 13: Some great movies starring Ralph Richardson are on tonight, including The Heiress at 8:00 PM, The Fallen Idol at 10:15 PM, and Anna Karenina at 12:00 AM.
August 14: Get ready for lots of Cyd Charisse today with East Side West Side at 6:00 AM, Two Weeks in Another Town at 10:0 AM, Singin’ in the Rain at 2:00 PM, Silk Stockings at 6:00 PM, The Band Wagon at 8:00 PM, It’s Always Fair Weather at 10:00 PM.
August 16: It’s Anne Baxter day and some of her finest work is on tonight in prime time, All About Eve at 8:00 PM, The Razor’s Edge at 12:15 AM, and Five Graves to Cairo at 2:45 AM.
August 18: For Angie Dickinson day, I’ve never seen Point Blank, but it sounds good so I think I’ll be tuning in for that one at 8:00 PM.
August 19: Of course, lots of musicals on for Ruby Keeler day! Flirtation Walk at 4:00 PM, Gold Diggers of 1933 at 6:00 PM, 42nd Street at 8:00 PM, Dames at 11:30 AM, Footlight Parade at 1:30 AM, and The Phynx at 4:00 AM. Seriously, folks: don’t miss The Phynx.
August 20: Can’t go wrong with 24 hours of Bogart! Crime School at 6:00 AM, King of the Underworld at 7:30 AM, San Quentin at 8:45 AM, Across the Pacific at 10:00 AM, Passage to Marseille at 12:00 PM, Casablanca at 2:00 PM, Dark Passage at 4:00 PM, Key Largo at 6:00 PM, Sabrina at 8:00 PM, The Two Mrs. Carrolls at 10:00 PM, Dead Reckoning at 12:00 AM, The Maltese Falcon at 2:00 AM, and Chain Lightning at 4:00 AM.
August 21: Absolutely love the fact that Bette Davis day follows Bogart day. Housewife at 6:00 AM, It’s Love I’m After at 7:30 AM, The Letter at 9:15 AM, Mr. Skeffington at 11:00 AM, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane at 1:45 PM, The Catered Affair at 4:00 PM, The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex at 6:00 PM, Now Voyager at 8:00 PM, The Little Foxes at 10:15 PM, Old Acquaintance at 12:15 AM, Dead Ringer at 2:15 AM, and The Whales of August at 4:15 PM.
August 22: Another excellent day for fans of pre-codes! It’s Robert Montgomery day, so there’s The Divorcee at 6:00 AM, The Man in Possession at 7:30 AM, Faithless at 9:00 AM, When Ladies Meet at 10:30 AM, The Mystery of Mr. X at 12:00 PM, Hide-Out at 1:30 PM, The Lady in the Lake at 8:00 PM, Private Lives at 12:30 AM, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith at 2:00 AM.
August 23: It’s Brigitte Bardot day, which gives us things like Spirits of the Dead at 12:15 PM, And God Created Woman at 6:15 PM, Masculin Feminin at 2:00 AM, and Contempt at 4:00 AM.
August 24: And here’s yet another day for pre-code fans to mark on their calendars — Constance Cummings day! Traveling Husbands at 6:00 AM, The Mind Reader at 9:00 AM, The Man is Mine at 10:30 AM, The Big Timer at 3:30 PM, Attorney for the Defense at 5:00 PM, The Guilty Generation at 6:30 PM, Broadway Thru a Keyhole at 8:00 PM, Night After Night at 9:45 PM, American Madness at 11:15 PM, Movie Crazy at 2:15 AM, and The Criminal Code at 4:15 AM.
August 26: Starting to look forward to Halloween? Then Boris Karloff day is perfect for you. Frankenstein at 8:00 PM, The Bride of Frankenstein at 9:30 PM, The Mummy at 11:00 PM, and The Black Cat at 12:30 AM.
August 27: With James Garner day, we get The Americanization of Emily at 10:00 AM, The Thrill of it All at 12:00 PM, The Great Escape at 8:00 PM, Grand Prix at 11:00 AM, and Marlowe at 4:15 AM.
August 28: I’m a big Jean Arthur fan, so I’m very happy to see her on the schedule this year. There’s The Plainsman at 6:00 AM, Only Angels Have Wings at 8:00 AM, The Ex-Mrs. Bradford at 10:15 AM, A Foreign Affair at 12:00 PM, Shane at 2:00 PM, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington at 4:00 PM, The Whole Town’s Talking at 6:15 PM, Easy Living at 8:00 PM, The More the Merrier at 9:45 PM, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town at 11:45 PM, You Can’t Take it With You at 2:00 AM, and Public Hero No. 1 at 4:15 AM.
August 31: Summer Under the Stars 2016 comes to an end with Dean Martin day. See him in Some Came Running at 3:30 PM, Who Was That Lady? at 6:00 PM, Bells are Ringing at 8:00 PM, and Ocean’s Eleven at 10:15 PM.