Happy December, everybody! Oh, do we ever have a lot to look forward to on TCM this month.
Since we’re now officially in the holiday season, it goes without saying that there are lots of Christmas movies on the schedule this month. But the real highlight of the month is the fact that Myrna Loy is the Star of the Month! If you’re a big Myrna Loy fan, you’re going to want to clear out your DVR as much as possible because every Friday will be (almost) 24 hours of nothing but Myrna. Since Myrna Loy is one of my favorite actresses, I’m pretty delighted by this.
On Tuesday nights this month, TCM will be doing a spotlight on movies that deal with aging. Coming up on December 5th is a day-long celebration of the 90th anniversary of Vitaphone. I absolutely loved attending the presentation on Vitaphone at this year’s TCMFF, so it’s great that TCM is doing this. I’m also very excited to see Amy Heckerling is December’s guest programmer because she has made some excellent choices.
Now, let’s take a closer look at the schedule.
December 1: Of course, there are plenty of Christmas movies to look forward to this month and TCM wastes no time in getting to those. Tonight, you can see The Man Who Came to Dinner at 8:00 PM, It Happened on 5th Avenue at 10:00 PM, O. Henry’s Full House at 12:00 AM, Meet John Doe at 2:15 AM, and Fitzwilly at 4:30 AM.
December 2: It’s Myrna Loy’s first day as Star of the Month and today focuses on her early films. When a Man Loves at 9:15 AM, The Desert Song at 11:15 AM, The Great Divide at 1:30 PM, Noah’s Ark at 3:00 PM, The Show of Shows at 4:45 PM, Myrna Loy: So Nice to Come Home To at 7:00 PM, The Devil to Pay! at 8:00 PM, Arrowsmith at 9:30 PM, Consolation Marriage at 11:30 PM, The Truth About Youth at 1:00 AM, The Squall at 2:15 AM, and Trade Winds at 4:15 AM.
December 5: Where else but TCM can you see an entire day celebrating the 90th anniversary of Vitaphone? There are way too many things being shown here today for me to list individually, so you’ll have to consult the TCM website for more information, but you’ll have the chance to see a lot of early footage of some of the biggest names in entertainment history.
December 6: It’s the first night of TCM’s “golden years” spotlight with Make Way for Tomorrow at 8:00 PM, The Trip to Bountiful at 9:45 PM, I Never Sang for My Father at 11:45 PM, Tokyo Story at 1:30 AM, and Judge Hardy and Son at 4:00 AM.
December 7: In honor of the 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, TCM will be showing many related films today, including From Here to Eternity at 2:00 PM, They Were Expendable at 4:00 PM, and Tora! Tora! Tora! at 8:00 PM.
December 9: Ready for more Myrna Loy? Today we have The Naughty Flirt at 10:00 AM, The Animal Kingdom at 11:00 AM, Emma at 12:30 PM, The Mask of Fu Manhcu at 2:00 PM, New Morals for Old at 3:15 PM, Rebound at 4:30 PM, The Wet Parade at 6:00 PM, Love Me Tonight at 8:00 PM, The Prizefighter and the Lady at 9:15 PM, Night Flight at 11:00 PM, Thirteen Women at 12:30 AM, Scarlet River at 1:45 AM, Penthouse at 2:45 AM, and The Barbarian at 4:30 AM.
December 11: Lots of good stuff on today. Holiday Affair at 12:15 PM, Christmas in Connecticut at 2:00 PM, A Letter to Three Wives at 5:45 PM, and The Passion of Joan of Arc at 12:45 AM.
December 12: Get yourself a cup of hot chocolate and enjoy another night of holiday classics, including Meet Me In St. Louis at 8:00 PM, In the Good Old Summertime at 10:00 PM, Bachelor Mother at 1:15 AM, Bundle of Joy at 2:45 AM, and Susan Slept Here at 4:30 AM.
December 13: Some great movies with Van Helfin on today, including H.M. Pulham, Esq. at 7:15 AM, Possessed at 9:30 AM, and The Prowler at 4:45 PM. Then it’s back to the Golden Years spotlight with Umberto D. at 8:00 PM, Wild Strawberries at 9:45 PM, Ikiru at 11:30 PM, and Ballad of Narayama at 2:00 AM.
December 15: More Christmas classics tonight with The Shop Around the Corner at 8:00 PM, Christmas in Connecticut at 10:00 PM, Love Finds Andy Hardy at 12:00 AM, and Desk Set at 1:45 AM.
December 16: It’s all Mryna, all day again today with Test Pilot at 7:00 AM, Man-Proof at 9:00 AM, Parnell at 10:30 AM, Wife Vs. Secretary at 12:30 PM, Petticoat Fever at 2:00 PM, Whipsaw 3:00 PM, Stamboul Quest at 5:00 PM, Men in White at 6:30 PM, Broadway Bill at 8:00 PM, The Best Years of Our Lives at 10:00 PM, Third Finger Left Hand at 1:00 AM, Lucky Night at 2:45 AM, and Too Hot to Handle at 4:15 AM.
December 17: Another day with lots of great stuff. Monkey Business (1952) at 2:00 PM, Born Yesterday at 4:00 PM, Send Me No Flowers at 6:00 PM, Song of Bernadette at 8:00 PM, and Going My Way at 10:45 PM.
December 18: Swing Time at 2:00 PM, The Adventures of Robin Hood at 4:00 PM, The Philadelphia Story at 6:00 PM, and the silent Ben-Hur at 12:45 AM.
December 19: Director Amy Heckerling is December’s guest programmer and I absolutely love her choices. The Roaring Twenties at 8:00 PM, Footlight Parade at 10:00 PM, 8 1/2 at 12:00 AM, and The Cabinet of Dr. Calligari at 2:30 AM.
December 20: The Golden Years celebration continues with Ride the High Country at 8:00 PM, The Old Man and the Sea at 9:45 PM, Death of a Salesman at 11:30 PM, The Sunshine Boys at 2:00 AM, and Going in Style at 4:00 AM.
December 21: I’m really glad I have this day off from work because today’s lineup is insane. Out of the Past at 6:00 AM, Born to Kill at 7:45 AM, Dial M For Murder at 9:30 AM, The Postman Always Rings Twice at 12:00 PM, Double Indemnity at 2:00 PM, The Big Sleep at 4:00 PM, and Mildred Pierce at 6:00 PM.
December 22: More holiday movies tonight with Holiday Affair at 8:00 PM, Remember the Night at 9:45 PM, A Christmas Carol (1951) at 11:30 PM, Babes in Toyland at 1:15 AM, and Little Women (1949) at 2:45 AM.
December 23: Today’s Mryna Loy lineup is like getting an early gift from TCM. Evelyn Prentice at 6:00 AM, Manhattan Melodrama at 7:30 AM, The Great Ziegfeld at 9:15 AM, Libeled Lady at 12:15 PM, Double Wedding at 2:15 PM, I Love You Again at 4:00 PM, Love Crazy at 6:00 PM, The Thin Man at 8:00 PM, After the Thin Man at 9:45 PM, Another Thin Man at 11:45 PM, Shadow of the Thin Man at 1:45 AM, The Thin Man goes Home at 3:30 AM, and Song of the Thin Man at 5:15 AM.
December 24: Happy Christmas Eve! Do I even have to say that it’s pretty much all Christmas, all day on TCM today? Tenth Avenue Angel at 6:45 AM, Meet John Doe at 8:00 AM, Scrooge at 10:15 AM, It Happened on 5th Avenue at 12:15 PM, Holiday Affair at 2:15 PM, The Shop Around the Corner at 4:00 PM, Meet Me In St. Louis at 6:00 PM, Christmas in Connecticut at 8:00 PM, In the Good Old Summertime at 12:00 AM, The Man Who Came to Dinner at 2:00 AM, and Bell, Book, and Candle at 4:00 AM.
December 25: Merry Chhristmas! Going My Way at 6:00 AM, The Robe at 10:30 PM, Ben-Hur (1959) at 1:00 PM, King of Kings at 5:00 PM, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town at 8:00 PM, Sullivan’s Travels at 10:00 PM, It Happened One Night at 10:45 PM, The Palm Beach Story at 1:45 AM, Meet John Doe at 3:30 AM, and Hail the Conquering Hero at 5:45 AM.
December 27: TCM’s Golden Years spotlight comes to an end with Arsenic and Old Lace at 8:00 PM, Grey Gardens at 10:15 PM, The Whales of August at 12:00 AM, Travels With my Aunt at 2:00 AM, and Bunny O’Hare at 4:00 Am.
December 28: During the day, we have several movies with scores by Bernard Hermann, including The Magnificent Ambersons at 6:00 AM, Citizen Kane at 3:15 PM, North By Northwest at 5:30 PM. Then it’s on to a night of movies with Roland Young. Pleasure Cruise is up at 8:00 PM, which I’m delighted to see since I missed that one at TCMFF, followed by Wedding Rehearsal at 9:30 PM, The Man Who Could Work Miracles at 11:00 PM, Topper at 12:30 AM, The Young in Heart at 2:15 AM, And Then There Were None at 4:00 AM.
December 29: Tonight, TCM pays tribute to some of the stars who passed away over the past year. There’s George Kennedy in Cool Hand Luke at 8:00 PM, Gloria DeHaven in Two Girls and a Sailor at 10:15 PM, Alan Rickman in Sense and Sensibility at 12:30 AM, Patty Duke in The Miracle Worker at 3:00 AM, Marni Nixon in West Side Story at 5:30 AM.
December 30: It’s the last day of Myrna Loy this month, with When Ladies Meet at 11:00 AM, The Rains Came at 12:30 PM, So Goes My Love at 2:30 PM, The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer at 4:00 PM, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House at 6:00 PM, Midnight Lace at 8:00 PM, The Ambassador’s Daughter at 10:00 PM, Lonelyhearts at 11:45 PM, and the documentary Mryna Loy: So Nice to Come Home To at 1:45 AM. And if you’re up late, there’s even more good stuff after that. Design for Living at 2:45 AM, Love Parade at 4:30 AM, and Sherlock Jr. at 5:15 AM.
December 31: Happy New Year’s Eve! You can dance the night away with a marathon of the That’s Entertainment! movies starting at 8:00 PM.