What I’m most excited about this month is coming up on March 24th, an evening all about Alan Arkin. TCM will be premiering the Live from the TCM Film Festival interview Arkin did with Robert Osborne at last year’s TCM Film Fest. I didn’t attend the taping of that, but I did get to see Arkin speak with Ben Mankiewicz before a screening of The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. I found the discussion with Arkin so fascinating that it made me very eager to see what the longer interview had in store. This should be a real treat.
Now, on to the rest of the schedule…
March 1: 31 Days of Oscar enters its home stretch with a day of musicals including Gold Diggers of 1933 at 6:30 AM, Shall We Dance at 8:15 AM, You Were Never Lovelier at 10:15 AM, On the Town at 12:15 PM, The Music Man at 2:00 PM, and Fiddler on the Roof at 4:45 PM.
March 3: It’s day 31 of this year’s 31 Days of Oscar line-up and it all draws to a close with The Umbrellas of Cherbourg at 6:00 AM, Dodsworth at 1:00 PM, Now Voyager at 2:45 PM, and The Artist at 8:00 PM.
March 4: I’m a big fan of today’s schedule. All the fun of TCM Underground, only you don’t have to stay up late. There’s A Bucket of Blood at 6:00 AM, The Black Sleep at 7:15 AM, The Brain That Wouldn’t Die at 8:45 AM, Wild Guitar at 10:15 AM, Dementia 13 at 12:00 PM, The Last Man on Earth at 1:30 PM, Spider Baby at 3:00 PM, Equinox at 4:30 PM, and Night of the Lepus at 6:00 PM. Then it’s on to Ann Sothern with Grand Exit at 8:00 PM, Smartest Girl in Town at 9:15 PM, Trade Winds at 10:30 PM, There Goes My Girl at 12:15 AM, Blind Date at 1:45 AM, She’s Got Everything at 3:00 AM, Super Sleuth at 4:15 AM, and There Goes the Groom at 5:30 AM.
March 6: The first installment of this month’s Friday Night Spotlight theme of roadshow musicals includes Funny Girl at 8:00 PM, Sweet Charity at 10:45 PM, and Fiddler on the Roof at 1:30 AM.
March 7: A Face in the Crowd at 2:00 PM, Psycho at 4:15 PM, Dr. Strangelove at 6:15 PM, and Caesar and Cleopatra at 10:15 PM. And for one of my favorite bad movies, there’s Tentacles at 4:30 AM.
March 8: Spend your Sunday morning with the Beales, Grey Gardens is on at 10:00 AM. Then there are a couple of very enjoyable ghost movies, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir at 8:00 PM and Topper at 10:00 PM.
March 10: March’s Guest Programmer is Howard Stern’s co-host Robin Quivers, who has chosen A Place in the Sun at 8:00 PM, Raisin in the Sun at 10:15 PM, Born Yesterday 12:30 AM, and The Philadelphia Story at 2:30 AM.
March 11: Ann Sothern is back with Maisie at 8:00 PM, Congo Maisie at 9:30 PM, Gold Rush Maisie at 11:00 PM, Maisie was a Lady at 12:30 AM, Ringside Maisie at 2:00 AM, Maisie Gets Her Man at 3:45 AM, Swing Shift Maisie at 5:15 AM.
March 12: The Ann Sothern/Maisie marathon continues with Maisie Goes to Reno at 6:45 AM, Up Goes Maisie at 8:30 AM, and Undercover Maisie at 10:00 AM.
March 13: Friday Night Spotlight is back with more roadshow musicals, including Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at 8:00 PM, Olvier! at 10:45 PM, and Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969) at 1:30 AM.
March 14: Spend the evening with Joel McCrea with The More the Merrier at 8:00 PM, Ride the High Country at 10:00 PM, and Dead End at 12:00 AM.
March 15: TCM has more Treasures from the Disney Vault tonight with Darby O’Gill and the Little People at 8:00 PM, I Captured the King of the Leprechauns at 9:45 PM, Babes in the Woods at 10:45 PM, The Story of Animated Drawing at 11:00 PM, The Three Caballeros at 12:00 AM, Walt and El Guapo at 1:30 AM, and The Fighting Prince of Donegal at 3:15 AM.
March 16: It’s time for a night of movies selected by Robert Osborne. There’s The Oklahoma Kid at 8:00 PM, China Seas at 9:30 PM, They Met in Bombay at 11:15 PM, Billy Rose’s Jumbo at 1:00 AM, and Elephant Stampede at 3:15 AM.
March 18: More Ann Sothern tonight with Nancy Goes to Rio at 8:00 PM, April Showers at 9:45 PM, Panama Hattie at 11:30 PM, Lady Be Good at 1:00 AM, Walking on Air at 3:00 AM, Hooray for Love at 4:15 AM, and Thousands Cheer at 5:30 AM.
March 19: This is a day that is so oddly right up my alley. Katharine Hepburn movies all day, movies directed by Bert I. Gordon all night. From the Hepburn line-up, there’s Christopher Strong at 10:00 AM, The Little Minister at 11:30 AM, Break of Hearts at 1:30 PM, A Woman Rebels at 3:00 PM, Quality Street at 4:30 PM, and Iron Petticoat at 6:00 PM. Then it’s on to Bert I. Gordon movies with Tormented at 8:00 PM, The Cyclops at 9:30 PM, Attack of the Puppet People at 10:45 PM, The Magic Sword at 12:15 AM, The Boy and the Pirates at 1:45 AM, Picture Mommy Dead at 3:15 AM, and Village of the Giants 4:45 AM.
March 20: More roadshow musicals tonight with Darling Lili at 8:00 PM, Star! at 10:30 PM, and Thoroughly Modern Millie at 1:30 AM.
March 22: Primrose Path at 6:00 AM, Gilda at 8:00 AM, Mr. Deed Goes to Town at 10:00 AM, Some Came Running at 12:00 PM, Lovely to Look At at 2:30 PM, and Marty at 4:30 PM.
March 23: Happy birthday to Joan Crawford! There’s The Caretakers at 6:30 AM; What Ever Happened to Baby Jane at 8:15 AM; Torch Song at 10:30 AM; Goodbye, My Fancy at 12:00 PM, Flamingo Road at 2:00 PM, Humoresque at 3:45 PM, Mildred Pierce 6:00 PM.
March 24: Cole Porter musicals all day long! Panama Hattie at 6:45 AM, Les Girls at 8:15 AM, Born to Dance at 10:15 AM, Silk Stockings at 12:15 PM, Du Barry Was a Lady at 2:15 PM, Kiss Me Kate at 4:00 PM, and High Society at 6:00 PM. Then it’s on to a night of Alan Arkin with the premiere of his interview at the 2014 TCM Film Festival at 8:00 PM and an encore at 11:00 PM. You can also see him in The In-Laws at 9:00 PM, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter at 12:00 AM, Wait Until Dark at 2:15 AM, and Hearts of the West at 4:15 AM.
March 25: Ann Sothern has her final night as Star of the Month with A Letter to Three Wives at 8:00 PM, The Blue Gardenia at 10:00 PM, Shadow on the Wall at 11:45 PM, Cry ‘Havoc’ at 1:15 AM, The Judge Steps Out at 3:00 PM, and Dulcy at 4:45 AM.
March 27: One more night of roadshow musical Friday nights with Man of La Mancha at 8:00 PM, Camelot at 10:30 PM, and Finian’s Rainbow at 1:45 AM.
March 29: The Lady from Shanghai at 10:30 AM, How to Marry a Millionaire at 2:15 PM, Royal Wedding at 4:00 PM, Grand Hotel at 8:00 PM.
March 30: It’s all about the media tonight with The China Syndrome at 8:00 PM, Broadcast News at 10:15 PM, Network at 12:45 AM, and While the City Sleeps at 3:00 AM.
March 31: Say au revoir to March with a night of Louis Malle movies. Zazie Dans Le Metro at 8:00 PM; Au Revoir, Les Enfants at 10:00 PM; Lancombe, Lucien at 12:00 AM, Murmur of the Heart at 2:30 AM, and Elevator to the Gallows at 4:30 AM.