It’s the time of the month again to find out about next month’s upcoming mystery movies that will be on television. As usual, I’m posting the Turner Classic Movies channel mysteries (and some non-mystery movies with my favorite actors and actresses) that I think are definitely worth looking at.
This April, the biggest TCM mystery news will be a Torchy Blaine marathon on April 21st. If you’re a fan of 1930s reporter Torchy Blaine, be sure to check it out!
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April 2017 Turner Classic Movies Channel Mystery Movies (Central time zone):
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Saturday – April 1, 2017
12:45 PM
VERTIGO (1958)
A detective falls for the mysterious woman he’s been hired to tail.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes.
C-128 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – April 2, 2017
9:00 AM
THE BLUE GARDENIA (1953)
A telephone operator kills in self-defense but can’t remember the details of the encounter.
Dir: Fritz Lang Cast: Anne Baxter, Richard Conte, Ann Sothern.
BW-88 mins, CC
11:00 AM
CALL NORTHSIDE 777 (1948)
A Chicago reporter re-opens a ten year old murder case.
Dir: Henry Hathaway Cast: James Stewart, Richard Conte, Lee J. Cobb.
BW-111 mins, CC
3:15 PM
SONG OF THE THIN MAN (1947)
Society sleuths Nick and Nora Charles investigate a murder in a jazz club.
Dir: Edward Buzzell Cast: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Keenan Wynn.
BW-87 mins, CC
5:00 PM
SHADOW OF A DOUBT (1943)
A young girl fears her favorite uncle may be a killer.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Teresa Wright, Joseph Cotten, MacDonald Carey.
BW-108 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Wednesday – April 5, 2017
2:30 AM
JOURNAL OF A CRIME (1934)
Before she can confess to shooting her husband’s mistress, a woman succumbs to amnesia.
Dir: William Keighley Cast: Ruth Chatterton, Adolphe Menjou, Claire Dodd.
BW-65 mins, CC
6:30 AM
DANGEROUS CORNER (1935)
Friends uncover a dark secret when they compare notes about a theft and suicide.
Dir: Phil Rosen Cast: Virginia Bruce, Conrad Nagel, Melvyn Douglas.
BW-66 mins
11:00 AM
FAST COMPANY (1938)
Married book-dealers Joel and Gerda Sloane try to clear a friend in the murder of a rival book-seller.
Dir: Edward Buzzell Cast: Melvyn Douglas, Florence Rice, Claire Dodd.
BW-75 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Thursday – April 6, 2017
3:00 PM
AND THEN THERE WERE NONE (1945)
Guests at a remote island mansion realize a crazed killer is stalking them.
Dir: René Clair Cast: Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Huston, Louis Hayward.
BW-97 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Friday – April 7, 2017
5:00 AM
NINE LIVES ARE NOT ENOUGH (1941)
A reporter tries to solve a series of boardinghouse murders.
Dir: A. Edward Sutherland Cast: Ronald Reagan, Joan Perry, James Gleason.
BW-63 mins
7:00 PM
LOVE LETTERS (1945)
A soldier falls for the woman who may have killed his best friend.
Dir: William Dieterle Cast: Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten, Ann Richards.
BW-101 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Saturday – April 8, 2017
5:00 AM
WHISTLING IN THE DARK (1941)
A radio detective is kidnapped and forced to plan the perfect murder.
Dir: S. Sylvan Simon Cast: Red Skelton, Conrad Veidt, Ann Rutherford.
BW-78 mins, CC
9:45 PM
BLACK WIDOW (1954)
The murder of a scheming female writer throws a group of theatrical friends into turmoil.
Dir: Nunnally Johnson Cast: Ginger Rogers, Van Heflin, Gene Tierney.
C-95 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – April 9, 2017
1:30 AM
THE ZODIAC KILLER (1971)
San Francisco police try to track down a vicious serial killer.
Dir: Tom Hanson Cast: Hal Reed, Bob Jones, Ray Lynch.
C-86 mins, CC
9:00 AM
SCARLET STREET (1945)
A middle aged wouldbe painter falls into the clutches of an unscrupulous woman.
Dir: Fritz Lang Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, Dan Duryea.
BW-102 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Tuesday – April 11, 2017
3:30 AM
DEAD OF NIGHT (1945)
Guests at a country estate share stories of the supernatural.
Dir: Charles Crichton Cast: Mervyn Johns, Roland Culver, Hartley Power.
BW-103 mins, CC
7:00 PM
THE LADY EVE (1941)
A lady cardsharp tries to con an eccentric scientist only to fall for him.
Dir: Preston Sturges Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Henry Fonda, Charles Coburn.
BW-94 mins, CC
*****I absolutely love this very funny movie! Not a mystery.*****
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Wednesday – April 12, 2017
12:45 AM
WOMAN OF THE YEAR (1942)
Opposites distract when a sophisticated political columnist falls for a sportswriter.
Dir: George Stevens Cast: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Fay Bainter.
BW-114 mins, CC
*****Tracy and Hepburn are delightful in this non mystery comedy.*****
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Tuesday – April 18, 2017
5:00 AM
M (1931)
The mob sets out to catch a child killer whose crimes are attracting too much police attention.
Dir: Fritz Lang Cast: Theo Lingen, Peter Lorre, Otto Wernicke.
BW-110 mins
7:00 AM
THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955)
A bogus preacher marries an outlaw’s widow in search of the man’s hidden loot.
Dir: Charles Laughton Cast: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish.
BW-93 mins, CC
*****TCM has played this movie quite a bit recently, perhaps because it is so good…*****
12:30 PM
GASLIGHT (1944)
A newlywed fears she’s going mad when strange things start happening at the family mansion.
Dir: George Cukor Cast: Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotten.
BW-114 mins, CC
2:30 PM
WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? (1962)
A crazed, aging star torments her sister in a decaying Hollywood mansion.
Dir: Robert Aldrich Cast: Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Victor Buono.
BW-134 mins, CC
*****For those of you watching the FX channel Feud miniseries, you’ll be able to see just how wonderful Susan Sarandon’s and Jessica Lange’s portrayals are of these two dynamic actresses!*****
5:00 PM
SHOCK CORRIDOR (1963)
A reporter fakes insanity to crack a murder committed in an asylum.
Dir: Samuel Fuller Cast: Peter Breck, Constance Towers, Gene Evans.
C-101 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Wednesday – April 19, 2017
6:45 AM
THE MURDER OF DR. HARRIGAN (1936)
A doctor investigates the murder of a colleague involved in experimental surgery.
Dir: Frank McDonald Cast: Ricardo Cortez, Kay Linaker, John Eldredge.
BW-67 mins
***** ***** ***** *****
Friday – April 21, 2017
1:00 AM
REAR WINDOW (1954)
A photographer with a broken leg uncovers a murder while spying on the neighbors in a nearby apartment building.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey.
C-112 mins, CC
3:15 AM
THE WINDOW (1949)
A boy who always lies witnesses a murder but can’t get anyone but the killer to believe him.
Dir: Ted Tetzlaff Cast: Barbara Hale, Arthur Kennedy, Paul Stewart.
BW-73 mins, CC
Torchy Blane movies:
5:00 AM
SMART BLONDE (1936)
An ambitious reporter forces her policeman boyfriend to let her help with a murder case.
Dir: Frank McDonald Cast: Glenda Farrell, Barton MacLane, Winifred Shaw.
BW-59 mins, CC
6:15 AM
FLY AWAY BABY (1937)
Reporter Torchy Blane takes to the skies to track down a band of killers.
Dir: Frank McDonald Cast: Glenda Farrell, Barton MacLane, Gordon Oliver.
BW-60 mins
7:30 AM
THE ADVENTUROUS BLONDE (1937)
Reporter Torchy Blane walks out on her own wedding to solve the case of a murdered actor.
Dir: Frank MacDonald Cast: Glenda Farrell, Barton MacLane, Anne Nagel.
BW-61 mins
8:45 AM
BLONDES AT WORK (1938)
Even a jail term for contempt can’t keep reporter Torchy Blane from investigating the case of a murdered department store owner.
Dir: Frank McDonald Cast: Glenda Farrell, Barton MacLane, Tom Kennedy.
BW-64 mins
10:00 AM
TORCHY BLANE IN PANAMA (1938)
An ambitious newspaper woman traces bank robbers to an ocean liner.
Dir: William Clemens Cast: Lola Lane, Paul Kelly, Tom Kennedy.
BW-59 mins
11:15 AM
TORCHY GETS HER MAN (1938)
Female reporter Torchy Blane tries to crack a counterfeiting case.
Dir: William Beaudine Cast: Glenda Farrell, Barton MacLane, Tom Kennedy.
BW-63 mins
12:30 PM
TORCHY BLANE IN CHINATOWN (1938)
A daring lady reporter sets out to catch a blackmailer.
Dir: William Beaudine Cast: Glenda Farrell, Barton MacLane, Tom Kennedy.
BW-58 mins, CC
1:30 PM
TORCHY RUNS FOR MAYOR (1939)
After digging up the dirt on local politicians, a newswoman decides to run for office.
Dir: Ray McCarey Cast: Glenda Farrell, Barton MacLane, Tom Kennedy.
BW-60 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Saturday – April 22, 2017
4:45 PM
FAMILY PLOT (1976)
A phony psychic takes on a pair of kidnappers.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Karen Black, Bruce Dern, Barbara Harris.
C-120 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – April 23, 2017
4:45 PM
WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (1957)
A British lawyer gets caught up in a couple’s tangled marital affairs when he defends the husband for murder.
Dir: Billy Wilder Cast: Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton.
BW-116 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Monday – April 24, 2017
8:00 AM
THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY (1955)
A corpse creates a world of trouble for several passersby who each believe they may have caused the death.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Edmund Gwenn, John Forsythe, Mildred Natwick.
C-99 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
Wednesday – April 26, 2017
10:15 AM
THE NAKED CITY (1948)
A step-by-step look at a murder investigation on the streets of New York.
Dir: Jules Dassin Cast: Barry Fitzgerald, Howard Duff, Dorothy Hart.
BW-96 mins, CC
2:15 PM
ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
An ambitious young actress tries to take over a star’s career and love life.
Dir: Joseph L. Mankiewicz Cast: Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders.
BW-138 mins, CC
*****I love, love, love this movie! Not a mystery.*****
***** ***** ***** *****
Thursday – April 27, 2017
12:45 AM
IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (1967)
A black police detective from the North forces a bigoted Southern sheriff to accept his help with a murder investigation.
Dir: Norman Jewison Cast: Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates.
C-110 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
8:30 AM
THE MALTESE FALCON (1931)
In the first screen version of The Maltese Falcon, detective Sam Spade investigates the theft of a priceless statue.
Dir: Roy Del Ruth Cast: Bebe Daniels, Ricardo Cortez, Dudley Digges.
BW-81 mins, CC
3:45 PM
THE PHANTOM OF CRESTWOOD (1933)
Five men have to prove their innocence when a blackmailer is murdered.
Dir: J. Walter Ruben Cast: Ricardo Cortez, Karen Morley, Anita Louise.
BW-76 mins, CC
5:15 PM
HAT, COAT AND GLOVE (1934)
A lawyer gets mixed up in a net of intrigue when he witnesses a suicide.
Dir: Worthington Miner Cast: Ricardo Cortez, Barbara Robbins, John Beal.
BW-65 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Friday – April 28, 2017
1:15 AM
BELLS ARE RINGING (1960)
An answering service operator gets mixed up in her clients’ lives.
Dir: Vincente Minnelli Cast: Judy Holliday, Dean Martin, Fred Clark.
C-126 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
*****You can’t go wrong watching any movie with Judy Holliday. Not a mystery.*****
11:00 PM
ABOUT MRS. LESLIE (1954)
An aging woman recalls the affair that consumed her life.
Dir: Daniel Mann Cast: Shirley Booth, Robert Ryan, Marjie Millar.
BW-104 mins, CC
*****If you are only familiar with Shirley Booth as Hazel from the old TV series, you’ll love seeing what a really great actress she was in this non mystery movie.*****
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If you’re particularly looking forward to these or other mystery-themed tv specials coming up in April, be sure to leave a comment below!
In case you’re interested in seeing the rest of this month’s television mystery movies, here’s the March television mystery movies schedule:
Upcoming Television Mystery Movies for March 2017
And of course, here is the page on my site with plenty of entries about movies and television shows you may enjoy:
Cozy Mystery List TV and Movie Section
P.S. I just posted the premieres of the April 2017 Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel’s Cozy Mystery movies.
Those of you who have been with me for a while know that I absolutely love Hollywood’s Golden Era movies. Actresses like Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck, and Joan Crawford are right up there amongst my favorites. If given a movie from yesteryear or a movie from today, there’s absolutely no question in my mind which I would watch!