Turner Classic Movies Big Stars Judy, Cary, Audrey & More August 5th to 16th 2009 Review

Films from the some of the best loved Stars of Hollywood are featured in film marathons on the cable channel TCM  all August.  

On August 5th, it's a marathon of Harold Lloyd films one of the most popular and talented silent comedians in the world.  His legendary complicated and dangerous stunts thrilled and amused millions-and still do.

Some of my faves are being shown  including his best known works  Safety Last  airing at 7:30 a.m. this morning on the West Coast, and  The Freshman  airing at 12:45 p.m.  And another fave is  Why Worry from 1923 which airs at 9 p.m.  Many wonderful features and shorts are on the schedule.  Including the talkie directed by Preston Sturges  1947's Sin of Harold Diddlecock airing at 1:30 a.m.

Tomorrow night August 6th it's a night of Judy Garland including the classic (as in they don't come any better than) 1944 musical Meet Me in St. Louis which airs at 9 a.m.  which is followed by the fun Judy and Gene Kelly treat 1948's The Pirate. Both of these were directed by Liza's dad Vincente Minnelli.   Also airing is the romantic  near-thriller  called the Clock with Garland, and Robert Walker  airing at 7 p.m. also directed by V.M.  Make it a triple of Judy directed by her ex-husband... you won't be disappointed. 

Glenn Ford is the spotlight Star on the 7th and they've got him in everything from 1946' Gilda, featuring that incredible scene with Rita Hayworth EVERYONE once talked about (at 5 p.m.), the original 1957 version of 3:10 to Yuma  (airing at 8:30 p.m. on the west coast) and the 1965 oater with Henry Fonda called The Rounders at 10:15 PST.

Bette Davis is on all day and night on the August 8th.  Which Bette Davis movie haven't you seen for a while or ever?  That's a good one to watch.   From comedies to romance to drama's, Davis made some superb films and was also interesting to watch.    She's part of the hilarious comedy 1942's  The Man Who Came To Dinner  airing at 5 p.m. P.s.t.  and there's  one of the best loved melodrama's of all time. 1940's The Letter  airing at 8 p.m.  There's a 2005 TCM documentary about her called Stardust: The Bette Davis Story  which airs at 3:30 on the west coast.   And during the day you've got a long interview she did on a 1971 Dick Cavett Show and films liked Marked Woman, Dark Victory and Now Voyager.  Check out the schedule and pick some Bette Davis movies to record and watch. 

On Sunday August 9th all day and night it's the films of perhaps the greatest Star of them all;  Cary Grant.

You can see two of his best Irene Dunne romantic comedies  1937's  Awful Truth and 1940's My Favorite Wife  airing at 6 a.m. and 7:45 on the west coast.  Don't miss 'em.   1948's fan favorite Mr. Blandings Builds his Dream House  with Myrna Loy and Melvyn Douglas airs at 11:15 a.m. (PST).  You've got two Hitchcock films back to back.. 1955's slick romantic suspense drama  To Catch a Thief with Princess Grace Kelly and 1946's Notorious with Ingrid Bergman.  There's the lesser seen but worthwhile Crisis (from 1950) with Jose Ferrer (airint at 9 p.m. on the West Coast).  And  the crime drama Mr. Lucky  airing at 11 p.m. (PST)

Monday August 10th the films of Dirk Bogarde are featured.  If you can see only one, make it 1963's  The Servant which airs at 6:30 p.m. directed by Joseph Losey. 

If you like movies, you like Audrey Hepburn and you get a whole day of her films from her first appearances through some of her very best on Tuesday August 11th.   My Fair Lady is on at 2 p.m.  Love in the Afternoon with Gary Cooper is on at 5 with Roman Holiday (1953) screening on the West Coast at 5:30 p.m.  

Audrey's first important appearance in film was in the very funny British comedy 1951's Laughter in Paradise starring Alistair Sim. A practical joker (Hugh Griffith) leaves a generous inheritance to his four relatives provided they do the crazy things he asks them to in his will.  The unbearably snobbish woman (Fay Compton) must work as a maid;  the shy and reserved man (George Cole) must rob the bank where he works with a toy pistol.  A writer of detective fiction (Alistair Sim)  must be arrested and stay in jail at least a month.  The playboy (Guy Middleton) must marry the first woman he meets and remain married to her. 

She was cast in a larger supporting role in the film by Robert Lennard the casting direction of Associated British Pictures Corporation.  Audrey was part of the show at Ciro's nightclub in Paris.  Her boyfriend was French Cabaret performer Marcel le Bon and Audrey did not want to be away from her boyfriend so she turned the part that was offered to her in the film.   A few weeks later she realized her mistake but another actress was already cast.  The Director Zampi still wanted her in the film so you'll see Audrey Hepburn in  a bit part as a cigarette girl in the movie.  It wound up getting her a 7 year contract with Associated British which she turned down  which was a good thing because her little part led to her being cast by William Wyler in 1953's Roman Holiday.  The film airs at 3:00 a.m. PST.

On August 12th it's Clark Gable who's in the spoltlight.  You'll find him in some of his best known films including  1932's  Red Dust (5 p.m. PST) with Jean Harlow and Mary Astor,   Mogambo (the Red Dust re-make with Ava Gardner and Grace Kelly) from 1953 (at 7:30 p.m. PST)  and  the best version of Mutiny on the Bounty from 1935 with Charles Laughton  which airs at 10:45 p.m.

Gloria Grahame films are spotlighted all day and night on August 13th.   If you haven't seen some of these movies, make sure you catch up with them soon.  One of the best Humphrey Bogart films.. is also a Gloria Grahame film called In a Lonely Place from 1950  directed by Nicholas Ray it airs at 5 p.m.    There is also the Fritz Lang film noir favorite  1953's The Big Heat with Glenn Ford and Grahame which airs at 7:45.   I'm a big fan of the nourish  The Cobweb with  Richard Widmark, Laurenn Bacall and Charles Boyer and Grahame which airs at 11:15 on the West Coast. 

Sidney Poitier who's getting a Medal of Honor from the President has the spotlight on August 14th.

Many of his best films are featured including  Something of Value (9 a.m. PST.),  To Sir with Love (3 p.m. P.S.T.) A Raisin in the Sun (5 p.m. PST),  Lilies in the Field (1963) 7:15 p.m.) and an early one with John Cassavetes 1957's Edge of the City at 11:00 p.m.

On August 15th  it's the films of Deborah Kerr, including one of the most beloved romantic classics of all time   1957's  An Affair to Remember  with Cary Grant  (airing at 5 p.m.)  and the Oscar Winning classic  1953's  From Here to Eternity (at 7:15 p.m.)

And just how crazy for Elvis are you?  Well on August 16th you can watch a marathon of his films day and night.    One of his most fun...  Viva Las Vegas with Ann Margaret  from 1964 airs at 3:00 a.m. in the morning.  1957's Jailhouse Rock with that memorable production number done to the title song airs at 10 a.m.   The one set during Seattle's World Fair;  It Happened at the World's Fair (1963) with Joan O'Brien  airs at 5 p.m.  and probably his best films  1958's  King Creole  and 1960's  GI. Blues  air at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on the West Coast.  Shake those hips.