Happy August, everyone! August can only mean one thing on TCM — Summer Under the Stars. If you’re not familiar with Summer Under the Stars, each day in August, TCM will be featuring the work from a certain actor or actress. I always look forward to this because it’s such a great way to discover new movies and maybe even gain appreciation for certain stars.
Looking through this year’s schedule, I’m very happy with the lineup. While there are some traditional crowd-pleasers like Cary Grant, John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, and Elizabeth Taylor, there are also quite a few stars who haven’t been featured in a while. I’m particularly looking forward to Gene Kelly, James Cagney, Lon Chaney, Franchot Tone, Angela Lansbury, Rosalind Russell, and Ann Harding days.
Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the schedule.
August 1: This year’s round of Summer Under the Stars starts off with the ultimate blonde bombshell, Marilyn Monroe. Ladies of the Chorus at 6:00 AM, Clash by Night at 7:30 AM, The Asphalt Jungle at 9:30 AM, Some Like it Hot at 11:30 AM, Love Nest at 2:00 PM, There’s No Business Like Show Business at 3:45 PM, Bus Stop at 6:00 PM, The Seven Year Itch at 8:00 PM, Niagara at 10:00 PM, River of No Return at 12:00 AM, How to Marry a Millionaire at 2:00 PM, and The Prince and the Showgirl at 4:00 AM.
August 2: See Ray Milland in some of his best roles today with The Major and the Minor at 6:00 PM, The Big Clock at 8:00 PM, Dial M for Murder at 10:00 PM, and The Lost Weekend at 2:00 AM.
August 3: Lon Chaney is this year’s featured silent film star. My choices for today are The Unholy Three at 4:45 PM, He Who Gets Slapped at 6:30 PM, The Phantom of the Opera at 8:00 PM, Laugh Clown Laugh at 9:45 PM, and Tell it to the Marines at 11:15 PM.
August 4: The great Claire Trevor gets the spotlight today, including Dead End at 6:00 AM, Raw Deal at 5:00 PM, Born to Kill at 8:00 PM, Murder My Sweet at 10:00 PM, and Key Largo at 2:00 AM.
August 5: I’m never going to complain about a day of Gene Kelly movies. Pilot No. 5 at 6:00 AM, Summer Stock at 7:30 AM, The Pirate at 9:30 AM, Brigadoon at 11:30 AM, Take Me Out to the Ballgame at 1:30 PM, The Three Musketeers at 3:15 PM, Anchors Aweigh at 5:30 PM, Singin’ in the Rain at 8:00 PM, Inherit the Wind at 10:00 PM, On the Town at 12:30 PM, It’s Always Fair Weather at 2:15 AM, and Cover Girl at 4:00 AM.
August 6: You also can’t go wrong with a day of Robert Mitchum movies, but my two big choices for today are Night of the Hunter at 8:00 PM and Out of the Past at 10:00 PM.
August 8: Lots of good Franchot Tone movies on today, including Dangerous at 8:00 AM, Five Graves to Cairo at 3:30 PM, Mutiny on the Bounty at 5:30 PM, The Unguarded Hour at 9:45 PM.
August 9: Given that it’s August, it’s only appropriate to have Sandra Dee in Gidget on at 4:00 PM. You can also see her in some more dramatic roles like A Summer Place at 1:45 PM and Imitation of Life at 5:45 PM.
August 10: See Sidney Poitier at A Patch of Blue at 6:00 PM, To Sir With Love at 8:00 PM, The Defiant Ones at 10:00 PM, and In the Heat of the Night at 12:00 AM.
August 11: I’m always happy to see 24 hours of Ginger Rogers on the schedule, particularly when there are a few movies in there I haven’t seen before. The Tenderfoot at 6:00 AM, Flying Down to Rio at 7:30 AM, Chance at Heaven at 9:15 AM, Twenty Million Sweethearts at 10:45 AM, Star of Midnight at 12:30 PM, Follow the Fleet at 2:15 PM, Tom Dick and Harry at 4:15 PM, Bachelor Mother at 7:15 PM, Kitty Foyle at 8:00 PM, Top Hat at 10:00 PM, Dreamboat at 12:00 AM, Tight Spot at 1:45 AM, and Once Upon a Honeymoon at 3:45 AM.
August 13: All sorts of great Barbara Stanwyck movies on today, including Ladies They Talk About at 9:00 AM, The Lady Eve at 12:00 PM, Ball of Fire at 2:00 PM, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers at 9:30 PM, Baby Face at 1:30 AM, and The Miracle Woman at 3:00 AM. If you’ve never seen The Miracle Woman, I strongly recommend either putting on a pot of coffee or setting the DVR.
August 16: Today marks the 40th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley. For today, I’d pick Girl Happy at 4:00 PM, Jailhouse Rack at 6:00 PM, and Viva Las Vegas at 10:00 PM.
August 17: Very happy to see a Rosalind Russell day on this year’s schedule! Craig’s Wife at 6:00 AM, The Women at 9:15 AM, Auntie Mame at 5:30 PM, My Sister Eileen at 10:00 PM, and His Girl Friday at 12:00 AM.
August 19: Today, you can see a wide range of movies from Angela Lansbury’s career, including The World of Henry Orient at 12:00 PM, State of the Union at 3:45 PM, The Harvey Girls at 6:00 PM, The Manchurian Candidate at 8:00 PM, and Gaslight at 12:30 AM.
August 20: Who doesn’t like a day of Cary Grant movies? Penny Serenade at 6:00 AM, In Name Only at 8:15 AM, None But the Lonely Heart at 10:00 AM, Mr. Lucky at 12:00 PM, Suspicion at 2:00 PM, I Was a Male War Bride at 4:00 PM, The Philadelphia Story at 6:00 PM, Holiday at 8:00 PM, An Affair to Remember at 9:45 PM, The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer at 12:00 AM, People Will Talk at 2:00 AM, and Walk Don’t Run at 4:00 AM.
August 21: Paging all pre-code fans! While Ann Harding day isn’t just about pre-codes, there are certainly plenty of them on today. Her Private Affair at 6:00 AM, Condemned at 7:30 AM, The Conquerors at 9:00 AM, The Life of Vergie Winters at 10:30 AM, It Happened on 5th Avenue at 6:00 PM, The Animal Kingdom at 9:30 PM, When Ladies Meet at 11:15 PM, and Double Harness at 2:30 AM.
August 23: The radiant Greer Garson shines today in Mrs. Miniver at 1:00 PM, Madame Curie at 8:00 PM, and Blossoms in the Dust at 10:15 PM.
August 24: Dennis Morgan is today’s star, and my choices are Christmas in Connecticut at 12:30 PM (who cares if it’s out of season?), It’s a Great Feeling at 4:30 PM, and The Hard Way at 10:00 PM.
August 25: It’s a whole day of Simone Signoret with movies like La Ronde at 6:00 AM, Ship of Fools at 3:30 PM, Room at the Top at 8:00 PM, and Diabolique at 10:15 PM.
August 26: Glad to see James Cagney back on Summer Under the Stars. Blonde Crazy at 6:00 AM, The Crowd Roars at 7:30 PM, Jimmy the Gent at 8:45 AM, The Strawberry Blonde at 10:00 AM, Captain of the Clouds at 11:45 AM, Yankee Doodle Dandy at 2:00 PM, The Bride Came C.O.D. at 4:15 PM, Shake Hands With the Devil at 6:00 PM, White Heat at 8:00 PM, The Roaring Twenties at 10:00 PM, Love Me or Leave Me at 12:00 AM, The Gallant Hours at 2:15 AM, and The Mayor of Hell at 4:30 AM.
August 27: The lovely Leslie Caron is featured today in movies like Gaby at 10:00 AM, An American in Paris at 1:30 PM, Gigi at 3:30 PM, Father Goose 5:45 PM, Lili at 9:15 PM, The L-Shaped Room at 11:00 PM, and Daddy Long Legs at 1:15 AM.
August 29: I’m always happy to see Marion Davies getting some time to shine. Hearts Divided at 6:00 AM, Operator 13 at 7:30 AM, Enchantment at 9:00 AM, The Bride’s Play at 10:30 PM, The Red Mill at 12:00 PM, Five and Ten at 1:30 PM, Peg O’ My Heart at 3:15 PM, The Florodora Girl at 5:00 PM, The Patsy at 6:30 PM, When Knighthood Was in Flower at 8:00 PM, Show People at 10:15 PM, Marianne at 12:00 AM, Blondie of the Follies at 2:00 AM, and Page Miss Glory at 4:00 AM.
August 30: George Sanders is up today in movies like Foreign Correspondent at 4:00 PM, Journey to Italy at 10:15 PM, Lured at 2:00 AM, and Confessions of a Nazi Spy at 4:00 AM.
August 31: Summer Under the Stars comes to an end with one of the biggest stars of them all — Elizabeth Taylor. There’s National Velvet at 6:00 AM, Father of the Bride at 8:15 AM, The Last Time I Saw Paris at 2:00 PM, The VIPs at 6:00 PM, Butterfield 8 at 8:00 PM, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at 10:00 PM.
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