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Upcoming Mysteries on Turner Classic Movies for January 2024

December 19, 2023

Wow, another New Year is almost upon us! I hope 2024 is a GREAT year for ALL of us!

Something that sort of surprised me while I was getting the Turner Classic Movies mystery movies schedule together: The year is starting (on January 1) with Godzilla movies which are then going to be followed with the Marx brother movies, not the Thin Man mystery movies. For years, William Powell and Myrna Loy have been ushering us into the New Year with their “many-martinis” mystery movies.

Perhaps the Turner Classic Movies decided it was time to let another mystery movie hero welcome us into 2024… Several of The Saint mystery movies (based on Leslie Charteris’s mystery series) will be aired on Friday, January 12. I don’t believe I have seen all of the line-up, so I’ll be DVR-ing some of them. Three actors will be portraying Simon Templar (“The Saint”) so it will be interesting to see which one is the best…

Murder Most Foul (1964) ***** ***** ***** *****

TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES CHANNEL MYSTERY MOVIES – December 2023

***** ***** ***** *****

Tuesday – January 2, 2024

2:45 PM Murder Most Foul (1964)
Elderly sleuth Miss Marple joins a small-town theatre to investigate a murder.
Dir: George Pollock. Cast: Margaret Rutherford, Ron Moody, Charles Tingwell
90 mins

8:00 PM Out of the Past (1947)
A private eye tries to escape his past by running a gas station in a small town, but it catches up to him.
Dir: Jacques Tourneur. Cast: Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, Kirk Douglas
97 mins

9:45 PM The Big Steal (1949)
A man is on the trail of a thief who stole a $300,000 Army payroll, but there is someone else after him – a woman.
Dir: Don Siegel. Cast: Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, William Bendix
71 mins

11:15 PM His Kind of Woman (1951)
A deported gangster causes problems for guests at a Mexican resort.
Dir: John Farrow. Cast: Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell, Vincent Price
122 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Wednesday – January 3, 2024

1:30 AM Angel Face (1953)
A woman murders her family for their money.
Dir: Otto Preminger. Cast: Robert Mitchum, Jean Simmons, Mona Freeman
91 mins

3:15 AM Where Danger Lives (1950)
A psychopath draws her doctor into her murderous schemes.
Dir: John Farrow. Cast: Robert Mitchum, Faith Domergue, Claude Rains
84 mins

4:45 AM The Racket (1951)
A tough cop has to fight his superiors in order to battle the mob.
Dir: John Cromwell. Cast: Robert Mitchum, Lizabeth Scott, Robert Ryan
88 mins

6:30 AM Crossfire (1947)
A crusading district attorney investigates the murder of a Jewish man.
Dir: Edward Dmytryk. Cast: Robert Young, Robert Mitchum, Robert Ryan
85 mins

8:15 AM Macao (1952)
A man on the run in the Far East is mistaken for an undercover cop.
Dir: Josef Von Sternberg. Cast: Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell, William Bendix
80 mins

9:45 AM Second Chance (1953)
A crooked boxer falls for a gangster’s moll on the run in Mexico.
Dir: Rudy Maté. Cast: Robert Mitchum, Linda Darnell, Jack Palance
82 mins

11:15 AM The Locket (1946)
A dark personal secret drives a young woman to use every man she encounters.
Dir: John Brahm. Cast: Laraine Day, Brian Aherne, Robert Mitchum
86 mins

1:00 PM Undercurrent (1946)
A sheltered woman realizes that either her husband or his mysterious brother is a psychopath.
Dir: Vincente Minnelli. Cast: Katharine Hepburn, Robert Taylor, Robert Mitchum
116 mins

Hunted, The (1948) ***** ***** ***** *****

Friday – January 5, 2024

2:15 PM Suspense (1946)
The new manager of an ice show plots to steal the owners business and his wife.
Dir: Frank Tuttle. Cast: Belita, Barry Sullivan, Bonita Granville
100 mins

4:15 PM The Hunted (1948)
A police detective investigating a jewel robbery discovers evidence that points to his girlfriend as the culprit, although she claims she was framed.
Dir: Jack Bernhard Cast: Preston Foster, Belita, Pierre Watkin
67 mins

8:00 PM Moonstruck (1987)
A levelheaded young woman falls in love with her fiance’s brother in a Brooklyn Italian-American neighborhood.
Dir: Norman Jewison. Cast: Cher, Nicolas Cage, Vincent Gardenia
102 mins
*****Not a mystery, but very good.*****

***** ***** ***** *****

Saturday – January 6, 2024

11:30 AM Dark Shadows (1944)
A psychiatrist investigates the murder of another psychiatrist.
Dir: Walter Hart. Cast: William Tannen, Dorothy Adams, Paul Langton
21 mins

3:30 PM Cast a Dark Shadow (1955)
A wife-killer marries an innocent barmaid and plots her death.
Dir: Lewis Gilbert. Cast: Margaret Lockwood, Dirk Bogarde, Kay Walsh
85 mins

5:00 PM Detour (1945)
A hitchhiker takes on a dead man’s identity only to face blackmail by an unscrupulous woman.
Dir: Edgar G. Ulmer. Cast: Tom Neal, Ann Savage, Claudia Drake
68 mins

The Gazebo (Remastered) ***** ***** ***** *****

Sunday – January 7, 2024

12:30 AM Pickup (1951)
An older man falls for a much younger beauty who is after his money.
Dir: Hugo Haas. Cast: Hugo Haas, Beverly Michaels, Allan Nixon
78 mins

2:15 AM This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
A filmmaker documents the history of Spinal Tap, the world’s loudest rock band.
Dir: Rob Reiner. Cast: Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest, Michael Mckean
82 mins
***Not a mystery. A terrific mockumentary!*****

10:00 AM Pickup (1951)
An older man falls for a much younger beauty who is after his money.
Dir: Hugo Haas. Cast: Hugo Haas, Beverly Michaels, Allan Nixon
78 mins

3:45 PM The Gazebo (1960)
A suburban couple tries to cope with a murder victim whose body refuses to stay put.
Dir: George Marshall. Cast: Glenn Ford, Debbie Reynolds, Carl Reiner
100 mins

5:45 PM Deathtrap (1982)
Sidney Bruhl is a formerly successful writer of Broadway thrillers who is trying to recover from the failure of his latest play. When Sidney returns to his wife Myra, a rich woman with a heart problem who is prone to hysterics, he tells her of his jealousy and humiliation upon the receipt of the first play of a former student. …
Dir: Sidney Lumet. Cast: Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve, Dyan Cannon
115 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Monday – January 8, 2024

2:00 AM The Vanishing (1988)
A young man is obsessed with finding the girlfriend who vanished at a rest stop.
Dir: George Sluizer. Cast: Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, Gene Bervoets, Johanna Ter Steege
107 mins
*****In Dutch*****

4:00 AM Insomnia (1997)
A psychological crime thriller which follows a sleep-deprived homicide detective as he investigates the brutal murder of a teenage girl in Northern Norway. A second murder intensifies the pursuit and prompts the policeman to take some of the same risks as the man they are hunting.
Dir: Erik Skjoldbjµrg. Cast: Stellan Skarsgård, Sverre Anker Ousdal, Bjørn Floberg
99 mins
*****In Swedish and Norwegian*****

***** ***** ***** *****

Wednesday – January 10, 2024

8:00 PM Gilda (1946)
A gambler discovers an old flame in South America, but she’s married to his new boss.
Dir: Charles Vidor. Cast: Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford, George Macready
110 mins

The Liquidator ***** ***** ***** *****

Thursday -January 11, 2024

2:00 PM The Liquidator (1966)
A killer-for-hire gets mixed up with a plot to assassinate England’s Prince Phillip.
Dir: Jack Cardiff. Cast: Rod Taylor, Trevor Howard, Jill St. John
104 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Friday – January 12, 2024

6:15 AM The Saint in New York (1938)
The Saint goes undercover to get the goods on New York’s mob kingpins.
Dir: Ben Holmes. Cast: Louis Hayward, Kay Sutton, Sig Rumann
72 mins

7:45 AM The Saint Strikes Back (1939)
The Saint helps a young beauty take vengeance on the mobsters who ruined her father.
Dir: John Farrow. Cast: George Sanders, Wendy Barrie, Jerome Cowan
64 mins

9:00 AM The Saint in London (1939)
The Saint’s investigation of a counterfeiting ring uncovers a nest of spies.
Dir: John Paddy Carstairs. Cast: George Sanders, Sally Gray, David Burns
72 mins

10:30 AM The Saint’s Double Trouble (1940)
Reformed jewel thief Simon Templer lands in hot water when a look-alike smuggles stolen goods out of Egypt.
Dir: Jack Hively. Cast: George Sanders, Helene Whitney, Jonathan Hale
68 mins

11:45 AM The Saint Takes Over (1940)
Reformed jewel thief Simon Templar tries to help a police inspector who’s been framed on bribery charges.
Dir: Jack Hively. Cast: George Sanders, Wendy Barrie, Jonathan Hale
69 mins

1:00 PM The Saint in Palm Springs (1941)
Reformed jewel thief Simon Templar’s efforts to deliver a fortune in rare stamps are complicated by murder.
Dir: Jack Hively. Cast: George Sanders, Wendy Barrie, Paul Guilfoyle
66 mins

2:15 PM The Saint’s Vacation (1941)
Reformed jewel thief Simon Templer vies with Nazi agents for possession of a mysterious music box.
Dir: Leslie Fenton. Cast: Hugh Sinclair, Sally Gray, Arthur Macrae
60 mins

3:30 PM The Saint Meets the Tiger (1943)
The Saint infiltrates a small English village run by smugglers.
Dir: Paul Stein. Cast: Hugh Sinclair, Jean Gillie, Gordon McLeod
70 mins

8:00 PM Bullitt (1968)
A detective is sent by a politician to catch a big-time gangster so he can procure him before a Senate crime committee for selfish gain. When the gangster is killed before this can happen, the detective and the politico clash with each other.
Dir: Peter Yates. Cast: Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, Jacqueline Bisset
114 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Saturday – January 13, 2024

2:00 AM Eyes in the Night (1942)
Blind detective Duncan Maclain gets mixed up with enemy agents and murder when he tries to help an old friend with a rebellious stepdaughter.
Dir: Fred Zinnemann. Cast: Edward Arnold, Ann Harding, Donna Reed
80 mins

8:00 PM Mississippi Burning (1988)
FBI agents investigate the murders of civil rights workers in the South.
Dir: Alan Parker. Cast: Gene Hackman, Willem Dafoe, Frances Mcdormand
125 mins

10:15 PM The Boston Strangler (1968)
The true story of the extensive police manhunt for a serial killer in Boston who had strangled a number of young women in the early 60s.
Dir: Richard Fleischer. Cast: Tony Curtis, Henry Fonda, George Kennedy
116 mins

I DIED A THOUSAND TIMES ***** ***** ***** *****

Sunday – January 14, 2024

12:15 AM I Died a Thousand Times (1955)
An ex-con dreaming of one last heist faces dissension within his gang.
Dir: Stuart Heisler. Cast: Jack Palance, Shelley Winters, Lori Nelson
109 mins

6:00 AM Dead Ringer (1964)
One of a pair of twins, jealous that the other became wealthy and took away her husband, kills her sister and takes over the latter’s identity.
Dir: Paul Henreid. Cast: Bette Davis, Karl Malden, Peter Lawford
115 mins

8:00 AM A Stolen Life (1946)
A twin takes her deceased sister’s place as the wife of the man they both love.
Dir: Curtis Bernhardt. Cast: Bette Davis, Glenn Ford, Dane Clark
107 mins

10:00 AM I Died a Thousand Times (1955)
An ex-con dreaming of one last heist faces dissension within his gang.
Dir: Stuart Heisler. Cast: Jack Palance, Shelley Winters, Lori Nelson
109 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Monday – January 15, 2024

10:00 AM In the Heat of the Night (1967)
A black detective teams up with a racist white sheriff to solve a murder in a small town in the South. Over time, they begin to find respect for one another.
Dir: Norman Jewison. Cast: Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates
109 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Wednesday – January 17, 2024

8:45 AM The Angry Hills (1959)
A World War II correspondent fights to get strategic information out of occupied Greece.
Dir: Robert Aldrich. Cast: Robert Mitchum, Stanley Baker, Elisabeth Mueller
105 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Friday – January 19, 2024

8:00 PM Best in Show (2000)
A “behind the scenes” look into the highly competitive and cut-throat world of dog-shows through the eyes of a group of ruthless dog owners – all hoping to take the “Best in Show” prize.
Dir: Christopher Guest. Cast: Jennifer Coolidge, Christopher Guest, John Michael Higgins, Michael Hitchcock, Eugene Levy, Jane Lynch, Michael McKean, Catherine O’Hara, Parker Posey, Fred Willard (What a cast!)
90 mins
*****Not a mystery, but a very funny movie.*****

9:45 PM The Kennel Murder Case (1933)
Society sleuth Philo Vance investigates a murder tied to a Long Island dog show.
Dir: Michael Curtiz. Cast: William Powell, Mary Astor, Eugene Pallette
73 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Saturday – January 20, 2024

10:09 AM After Office Hours (1935)
A society newspaperwoman tries to prove to her editor that she can crack a murder case.
Dir: Robert Z. Leonard. Cast: Constance Bennett, Clark Gable, Stuart Erwin
75 mins

6:00 PM The Late Show (1977)
An aging private eye hooks up with a Hollywood eccentric to investigate his partner’s murder.
Dir: Robert Benton. Cast: Art Carney, Lily Tomlin, Bill Macy
94 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Sunday – January 21, 2024

12:15 AM Stage Fright (1950)
When witnesses see a man fleeing the scene of a murder he asks his former girlfriend for help. Believing him innocent, she uses her skills at stagecraft to prove the real murderer is chanteuse Charlotte Inwood.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock. Cast: Jane Wyman, Marlene Dietrich, Michael Wilding
110 mins

10:00 AM Stage Fright (1950)
When witnesses see a man fleeing the scene of a murderhe asks his former girlfriend for help. Believing him innocent, she uses her skills at stagecraft to prove the real murderer is chanteuse Charlotte Inwood.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock. Cast: Jane Wyman, Marlene Dietrich, Michael Wilding
110 mins

12:15 PM Idiot’s Delight (1939)

2:15 PM I Know Where I’m Going (1945)
A determined young Englishwoman sets out to accomplish her goals even at the risk of her heart.
Dir: Michael Powell Cast: Wendy Hiller, Roger Livesey, George Carney
92 mins
*****Not a mystery, though an excellent movie.*****

10:00 PM The Heiress (1949)
A plain young woman’s wealth makes her prey to fortune hunters.
Dir: William Wyler Cast: Olivia De Havilland, Montgomery Clift, Ralph Richardson
115 mins
*****Not a mystery, but this is another really good movie.*****

Klute (DVD) ***** ***** ***** *****

Tuesday – January 23, 2024

12:30 AM Klute (1971)
A low-key small town detective journeys to New York City to investigate the murder of a friend and discovers that both the killer and the victim were clients of the same high-class call girl.
Dir: Alan J. Pakula. Cast: Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, Charles Cioffi
114 mins

1:00 PM Murder on a Honeymoon (1935)
A schoolteacher jumps into detective mode when a fellow airplane passenger gets sick and dies.
Dir: Lloyd Corrigan. Cast: Edna May Oliver, James Gleason, Lola Lane
74 mins
*****Based on Stuart Palmer’s Miss Withers mystery series.*****

8:00 PM The Night of the Hunter (1955)
After hearing an about-to-be-hanged murderer’s story about some hidden money he left in the care of his two young kids, the murderer’s cell-mate is released and embarks on a journey to find the killer’s family.
Dir: Charles Laughton. Cast: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish
93 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Wednesday – January 24, 2024

6:15 AM My Forbidden Past (1951)
A beauty with a skeleton in her closet seeks revenge on the suitor who jilted her.
Dir: Robert Stevenson. Cast: Robert Mitchum, Ava Gardner, Melvyn Douglas
81 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Friday – January 26, 2024

12:15 AM Psycho (1960)
A woman on the run gets mixed up with a repressed young man and his violent mother.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock. Cast: Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin
109 mins

6:00 PM Repeat Performance (1947)
On New Year’s Eve 1946, Sheila Page kills her husband Barney. She wishes that she could relive 1946 and avoid the mistakes that she made throughout the year. Her wish comes true but cheating fate proves more difficult than she anticipated.
Dir: Alfred Werker. Cast: Louis Hayward, Joan Leslie, Virginia Field
93 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Sunday – January 28, 2024

12:00 AM Woman In Hiding (1950)
After her father is killed in an accident, mill heiress Deborah Chandler marries the plant manager, Selden Clark, but his motives are suspicious.
Dir: Michael Gordon. Cast: Ida Lupino, Stephen McNally, Howard Duff
92 mins

10:00 AM Woman In Hiding (1950)
After her father is killed in an accident, mill heiress Deborah Chandler marries the plant manager, Selden Clark, but his motives are suspicious.
Dir: Michael Gordon. Cast: Ida Lupino, Stephen McNally, Howard Duff
92 mins

6:00 PM Jezebel (1938)
Julie Marsden has a place in New Orleans society and a man who adores her, Preston Dillard. But she scandalizes society and her beau when she insists on wearing a stunning red gown to a ball that requires ladies to be dressed in white. Marsden’s headstrong action begins a chain of events that will reveal both her raw viciousness …
Dir: William Wyler. Cast: Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, George Brent
104 mins
*****Not a mystery. Excellent movie.*****

***** ***** ***** *****

Monday – January 29, 2024

6:15 PM The Light Touch (1951)
An art thief tries to double cross his gangster boss.
Dir: Richard Brooks. Cast: Stewart Granger, Pier Angeli, George Sanders
93 mins

10:15 PM Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
In the early 1930s, a car thief and the daughter of his intended victim team up to become America’s most feared and ruthless bank robbers.
Dir: Arthur Penn. Cast: Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Michael J. Pollard
111 mins

Cape Fear ***** ***** ***** *****

Tuesday – January 30 2024

10:00 PM Cape Fear (1962)
A released convict decides to menace and wreak havoc on the family of his defense lawyer.
Dir: J. Lee Thompson. Cast: Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum, Polly Bergen
105 mins

2:00 AM Farewell, My Lovely (1975)
Los Angeles private detective Philip Marlowe takes on the job of finding ex-con Moose Malloy’s girlfriend Velma. Once on the case, Marlowe finds himself in one dangerous situation after another as he follows a trail of lies and betrayals.
Dir: Dick Richards. Cast: Robert Mitchum, Charlotte Rampling, John Ireland
97 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Wednesday – January 31, 2024

7:15 AM The Yakuza (1974)
Harry Kilmer is an ex-soldier who returns to Japan to help his friend George Tanner whose daughter has been kidnapped by the Japanese mafia known as the Yakuza.
Dir: Sydney Pollack. Cast: Robert Mitchum, Ken Takakura, Brian Keith
112 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

If you’re really looking forward to these or other mystery-themed TV specials coming up in January, 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 December 2023 television mystery movies schedule:

Upcoming Television Mystery Movies for December 2023 on Turner Classic Movies channel

And 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 – all you have to do is click on the link to go to that page on my site.

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Christmas and Holiday Movies for December 2023

November 26, 2023

As I mentioned on my blog entry about the mystery movies that the Turner Classic Movies channel will be airing during December 2023, here is my entry about the Christmas movies the channel will be showing. Some of these movies are my absolute favorite Cozy Christmas movies – the types I can watch over and over and never tire of seeing. Christmas in Connecticut, Remeber the Night, The Man Who Came to Dinner, The Shop Around the Corner, Auntie Mame, well, the list goes on and on! If you’re looking for Cozy Christmas movies, then try several of these. (Actually, you have probably seen some of these as many times as I have!)

Christmas Carol, A (1938) (DVD) ***** ***** ***** *****

Saturday – December 2,2023

4:30 PM A Christmas Carol (1938)
In this adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic tale, an elderly miser learns the error of his ways on Christmas Eve.
Dir: Edwin L. Marin. Cast: Reginald Owen, Gene Lockhart, Kathleen Lockhart
69 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Sunday – December 3,2023

4:00 PM The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942)
An acerbic critic wreaks havoc when a hip injury forces him to move in with a Midwestern family.
Dir: William Keighley. Cast: Bette Davis, Ann Sheridan, Monty Woolley
112 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Saturday – December 9, 2023

8:00 AM Peace on Earth (1939)
Two squirrel children get a story from their grandfather on Christmas Eve how about mankind ended in violence.
Dir: Hugh Harman. Cast: Mel Blanc, Jeanne Dunne, Shirley Reed
9 mins
*****A Christmas cartoon that I haven’t seen.*****

4:00 PM It Happened on 5th Avenue (1947)
Two homeless men move into a mansion while its owners are wintering in the South.
Dir: Roy Del Ruth. Cast: Don Defore, Ann Harding, Charles Ruggles
115 mins

6:15 PM Remember the Night (1940)
An assistant D.A. takes a shoplifter home with him for Christmas.
Dir: Mitchell Leisen. Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Fred Macmurray, Beulah Bondi
86 mins

Christmas in Connecticut (1945) (DVD) ***** ***** ***** *****

Sunday – December 10, 2023

6:00 PM Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
When a magazine writer invites a rescued sailor to spend Christmas with her, he ends up falling in love with her.
Dir: Peter Godfrey. Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan, Sydney Greenstreet
101 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Saturday – December 16, 2023

8:00 AM Alias St. Nick (1935)
A cat, dressed up as Santa Claus, tries to fool Mrs. Mouse and her family of mice on Christmas Eve but Little Cheeser doesn’t believe in St. Nick and has doubts about the impostor.
Dir: Rudolf Ising. Cast: Bernice Hansen
10 mins
*****A Christmas cartoon that I haven’t seen.*****

8:11 AM Joy Scouts (1939)
In this comedic short, a gang of children decide to head off on an unsupervised camping adventure.
Dir: Edward L. Cahn. Cast: Eugene Lee, Leonard Landy, Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer
10 mins
*****A Christmas cartoon that I haven’t seen.*****

11:30 AM Star in the Night (1945)
Three cowboys see a bright light in the distance and decide to investigate on Christmas Eve.
Dir: Don Siegel Cast: J. Carrol Naish, Lynne Baggett, Anthony Caruso
21 mins
*****A Christmas short that I haven’t seen.*****

12:00 PM Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
Young love and childish fears highlight a year in the life of a turn-of-the-century family.
Dir: Vincente Minnelli. Cast: Judy Garland, Margaret O’Brien, Mary Astor
113 mins

2:00 PM Little Women (1949)
The four daughters of a New England family fight for happiness during and after the Civil War.
Dir: Mervyn Leroy. Cast: June Allyson, Peter Lawford, Margaret O’Brien
121 mins

4:15 PM The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
Feuding co-workers do not realize they are secret romantic pen pals.
Dir: Ernst Lubitsch. Cast: Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart, Frank Morgan
97 mins

6:15 PM Holiday Affair (1949)
A young widow is torn between a boring businessman and a romantic ne’er-do-well.
Dir: Don Hartman. Cast: Robert Mitchum, Janet Leigh, Wendell Corey
87 mins

It Happened on 5th Avenue (DVD) ***** ***** ***** *****

Sunday – December 17, 2023

1:30 AM Mame (1974)
A wealthy eccentric takes in her orphaned nephew.
Dir: Gene Saks. Cast: Lucille Ball, Bea Arthur, Robert Preston
132 mins

1:30 PM King of Kings (1961)
Epic retelling of Christ’s life and the effects of his teachings on those around him.
Dir: Nicholas Ray. Cast: Jeffrey Hunter, Siobhan McKenna, Robert Ryan
168 mins

11:00 PM It Happened on 5th Avenue (1947)
Two homeless men move into a mansion while its owners are wintering in the South.
Dir: Roy Del Ruth. Cast: Don Defore, Ann Harding, Charles Ruggles
115 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Monday – December 18, 2023

3:45 AM Mon Oncle Antoine (1971)
A young boy comes of age at Christmas in rural Quebec.
Dir: Claude Jutra. Cast: Claude Jutra, Jacques Gagnon, Olivette Thibault
110 mins
*****In French*****

6:45 PM A Christmas Carol (1938)
In this adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic tale, an elderly miser learns the error of his ways on Christmas Eve.
Dir: Edwin L. Marin. Cast: Reginald Owen, Gene Lockhart, Kathleen Lockhart
69 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Tuesday – December 19, 2023

4:00 PM Meet John Doe (1941)
A reporter’s fraudulent story turns a tramp into a national hero and makes him a pawn of big business.
Dir: Frank Capra. Cast: Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward Arnold
123 mins

5:45 AM Star in the Night (1945)
***Christmas Three cowboys see a bright light in the distance and decide to investigate on Christmas Eve.
Dir: Don Siegel. Cast: J. Carrol Naish, Lynne Baggett, Anthony Caruso
21 mins
*****A Christmas short that I haven’t seen.*****

6:15 PM The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
Feuding co-workers do not realize they are secret romantic pen pals.
Dir: Ernst Lubitsch. Cast: Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart, Frank Morgan
97 mins

Remember the Night ***** ***** ***** *****

Wednesday – December 20, 2023

6:00 PM Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
When a magazine writer invites a rescued sailor to spend Christmas with her, he ends up falling in love with her.
Dir: Peter Godfrey. Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan, Sydney Greenstreet
101 mins

8:00 PM Remember the Night (1940)
An assistant D.A. takes a shoplifter home with him for Christmas.
Dir: Mitchell Leisen. Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Fred Macmurray, Beulah Bondi
86 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Thursday – December 21, 2023

5:00 AM Christmas Past (1925)
A compilation of Christmas-themed short, silent films.
120 mins

8:00 PM Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
Young love and childish fears highlight a year in the life of a turn-of-the-century family.
Dir: Vincente Minnelli. Cast: Judy Garland, Margaret O’Brien, Mary Astor
113 mins

10:00 PM The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942)
An acerbic critic wreaks havoc when a hip injury forces him to move in with a Midwestern family.
Dir: William Keighley. Cast: Bette Davis, Ann Sheridan, Monty Woolley
112 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Friday – December 22, 2023

2:15 AM Meet John Doe (1941)
A reporter’s fraudulent story turns a tramp into a national hero and makes him a pawn of big business.
Dir: Frank Capra. Cast: Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward Arnold
123 mins

4:30 AM Beyond Tomorrow (1940)
A ghost tries to smooth the way for two young lovers he knew during his lifetime.
Dir: A. Edward Sutherland. Cast: Harry Carey, C. Aubrey Smith, Charles Winninger
84 mins

2:00 PM A Carol for Another Christmas (1964)
Three ghosts teach an industrialist the importance of international peacekeeping.
Dir: Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Cast: Sterling Hayden, Eva Marie Saint, Ben Gazzara
85 mins

5:30 PM The Lion in Winter (1968)
Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine celebrate Christmas together and battle for control of the throne.
Dir: Anthony Harvey. Cast: Peter O’Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Jane Merrow
134 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Saturday – December 23, 2023

8:15 AM Little Women (1933)
The four March sisters fight to keep their family together and find love while their father is off fighting the Civil War.
Dir: George Cukor. Cast: Katharine Hepburn, Joan Bennett, Paul Lukas
115 mins

11:30 AM The Thin Man (1934)
In New York, a detective, his wife and his dog solve the murder case of an eccentric inventor.
Dir: W. S. Van Dyke. Cast: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Maureen O’Sullivan
80 mins

8:00 PM The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
Feuding co-workers do not realize they are secret romantic pen pals.
Dir: Ernst Lubitsch. Cast: Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart, Frank Morgan
97 mins

Holiday Affair (1949) ***** ***** ***** *****

Sunday – December 24, 2023

6:00 AM Three Godfathers (1936)
Three fugitives risk their lives to bring a newborn baby out of the desert to safety.
Dir: Richard Boleslawski. Cast: Chester Morris, Lewis Stone, Walter Brennan
82 mins

7:30 AM Beyond Tomorrow (1940)
A ghost tries to smooth the way for two young lovers he knew during his lifetime.
Dir: A. Edward Sutherland. Cast: Harry Carey, C. Aubrey Smith, Charles Winninger
84 mins

3:45 PM It Happened on 5th Avenue (1947)
Two homeless men move into a mansion while its owners are wintering in the South.
Dir: Roy Del Ruth. Cast: Don Defore, Ann Harding, Charles Ruggles
115 mins

6:00 PM Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
Young love and childish fears highlight a year in the life of a turn-of-the-century family.
Dir: Vincente Minnelli. Cast: Judy Garland, Margaret O’Brien, Mary Astor
113 mins

8:00 PM Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
When a magazine writer invites a rescued sailor to spend Christmas with her, he ends up falling in love with her.
Dir: Peter Godfrey. Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan, Sydney Greenstreet
101 mins

10:00 PM Holiday Affair (1949)
A young widow is torn between a boring businessman and a romantic ne’er-do-well.
Dir: Don Hartman. Cast: Robert Mitchum, Janet Leigh, Wendell Corey
87 mins

11:45 PM A Christmas Carol (1938)
In this adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic tale, an elderly miser learns the error of his ways on Christmas Eve.
Dir: Edwin L. Marin. Cast: Reginald Owen, Gene Lockhart, Kathleen Lockhart
69 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Monday – December 25, 2023

1:00 AM Little Women (1949)
The four daughters of a New England family fight for happiness during and after the Civil War.
Dir: Mervyn Leroy. Cast: June Allyson, Peter Lawford, Margaret O’Brien
121 mins

3:15 AM Auntie Mame (1958)
An eccentric heiress raises her nephew to be a free spirit.
Dir: Morton Dacosta. Cast: Rosalind Russell, Forrest Tucker, Coral Browne
143 mins

11:45 AM Holiday Affair (1949)
A young widow is torn between a boring businessman and a romantic ne’er-do-well.
Dir: Don Hartman. Cast: Robert Mitchum, Janet Leigh, Wendell Corey
87 mins

3:45 PM The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942)
An acerbic critic wreaks havoc when a hip injury forces him to move in with a Midwestern family.
Dir: William Keighley. Cast: Bette Davis, Ann Sheridan, Monty Woolley
112 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Saturday – December 30, 2023

8:00 AM The Pups’ Christmas (1936)
Two pups experience their very first Christmas and are both excited and fascinated.
Dir: Rudolf Ising. Cast: Bernice Hansen, Leone Le Doux, Dorothy Lloyd
8 mins
*****A Christmas cartoon that I haven’t seen.*****

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Upcoming Mysteries on Turner Classic Movies for December 2023

November 24, 2023

I’m going to be posting a separate blog entry with all of the Christmas movies I could find that will be aired on the Turner Classic Movies channel during December 2023, so I haven’t included them on this list – as I have done in the past. I do want to tell you about something I watch every time they air them on the channel: the old (as in very old!) short travel films by James A. FitzPatrick. They, of course, are all from way before I was born, but I still really enjoy seeing them – even though they are very dated. They show places as they were years and years ago. Here are the four that will be shown during December 2023:

Saturday – December 2, 2023 — 8:18 AM Beautiful Budapest (1938)
This short documentary focuses on the landmarks, people and culture of Budapest.
Cast: James A. FitzPatrick, Winton Hoch, Jack Shilkret
8 mins

Saturday – December 9, 2023 — 8:20 AM Glimpses of Ontario (1942)
This explores the history, land and people of the Canadian province, Ontario.
Cast: James A. FitzPatrick, Nathaniel Finston, Joseph Nussbaum
8 mins

Saturday – December 16, 2023 — 8:22 AM Rocky Mountain Grandeur (1937)
The magnificent scenery of the Rocky Mountains is the star of this.
Dir: James H Smith. Cast: James A. FitzPatrick, Winton Hoch
8 mins

Saturday – December 30, 2023 — 8:20 AM Switzerland the Beautiful (1934)
This focuses on the land, people and culture of Switzerland.
Dir: Ruth FitzPatrick. Cast: James A. FitzPatrick, Ray Fernstrom
8 mins

Also, there will be quite a few Alfred Hitchcock mystery movies on the Turner Classic Movies channel during December, so make sure to take a look at this list – if you’re interested in his movies.

LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE ***** ***** ***** *****

TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES CHANNEL MYSTERY MOVIES – December 2023

***** ***** ***** *****

Friday – December 1,2023

7:30 AM Lightning Strikes Twice (1951)
An actress champions the cause of a man whom she believes has been falsely accused of murdering his wife.
Dir: King Vidor. Cast: Ruth Roman, Richard Todd, Mercedes McCambridge
91 mins

2:30 PM Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
The Brewster sisters are spinster pillars of Brooklyn society, except for their secret penchant for poisoning old male callers with their homemade elderberry wine, to end the men’s loneliness!
Dir: Frank Capra. Cast: Cary Grant, Priscilla Lane, Raymond Massey
118 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Sunday – December 3,2023

12:00 AM Black Angel (1946)
When Kirk Bennett is convicted of a singer’s murder, his wife tries to prove him innocent…aided by the victim’s ex-husband.
Dir: Roy William Neill. Cast: Dan Duryea, June Vincent, Peter Lorre
83 mins

10:00 AM Black Angel (1946)
When Kirk Bennett is convicted of a singer’s murder, his wife tries to prove him innocent…aided by the victim’s ex-husband.
Dir: Roy William Neill. Cast: Dan Duryea, June Vincent, Peter Lorre
83 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Tuesday – December 5, 2023

6:00 AM The Blackbird (1926)
A benevolent bishop helps the needy during the day, but runs a crime syndicate at night.
Dir: Tod Browning. Cast: Lon Chaney, Owen Moore, Renée Adorée
86 mins
*****This is a silent film.*****

7:30 AM The Firebird (1934)
A young girl’s secret romance is exposed when her lover is murdered.
Dir: William Dieterle. Cast: Verree Teasdale, Ricardo Cortez, Lionel Atwill
74 mins

9:00 AM A Date with the Falcon (1941)
The gentleman detective postpones his wedding to find a cache of stolen diamonds.
Dir: Irving Reis. Cast: George Sanders, Wendy Barrie, James Gleason
63 mins

11:45 AM Flamingo Road (1949)
A stranded carnival dancer takes on a corrupt political boss when she marries into small-town society.
Dir: Michael Curtiz. Cast: Joan Crawford, Zachary Scott, Sydney Greenstreet
94 mins

1:30 PM The Fallen Sparrow (1943)
Nazi spies pursue a Spanish Civil War veteran in search of a priceless keepsake.
Dir: Richard Wallace. Cast: John Garfield, Maureen O’Hara, Walter Slezak
94 mins

3:15 PM The House of the Seven Hawks (1959)
A ship’s captain gets mixed up with murder during the hunt for lost Nazi treasure.
Dir: Richard Thorpe. Cast: Robert Taylor, Nicole Maurey, Linda Christian
92 mins

11:30 PM Breathless (1960)
A petty criminal, wanted for the murder of a police officer, returns to Paris where he meets an American girl who hawks newspapers. They become lovers, but eventually the police pressure her into betraying him and revealing his whereabouts.
Dir: Jean-Luc Godard Cast: Jean Seberg, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Liliane David
90 mins
*****This movie is in both French and English.*****

Bullitt (Two-Disc Special Edition) ***** ***** ***** *****

Wednesday – December 6,2023

1:15 AM Bullitt (1968)
A detective is sent by a politician to catch a big-time gangster so he can procure him before a Senate crime committee for selfish gain. When the gangster is killed before this can happen, the detective and the politico clash with each other.
Dir: Peter Yates. Cast: Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, Jacqueline Bisset
114 mins

7:30 AM Clouds over Europe (1939)
When enemy agents steal plans for an experimental plane, the test pilot fights to clear his name.
Dir: Tim Whelan. Cast: Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, Valerie Hobson
78 mins

8:00 PM Marty (1955)
A lonely butcher finds love despite the opposition of his friends and family.
Dir: Delbert Mann Cast: Ernest Borgnine, Betsy Blair, Esther Minciotti
91 mins
*****Not a mystery movie. I have watched this movie several times – and plan to watch it again. It is such a touching film…*****

***** ***** ***** *****

Thursday – December 7, 2023

4:15 AM The Catered Affair (1956)
A working-class mother fights to give her daughter a big wedding whether the girl wants it or not.
Dir: Richard Brooks. Cast: Bette Davis, Ernest Borgnine, Debbie Reynolds
93 mins
*****Not a mytery movie. This is another movie that I have watched several times and plan to watch again. It is another very touching film.*****

10:00 PM On Borrowed Time (1939)
An old man and his grandson trap Death in a tree.
Dir: Harold S. Bucquet Cast: Lionel Barrymore, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Beulah Bondi
99 mins
*****Not a mystery movie – but I remember it as being quitte good. And, what a cast!*****

***** ***** ***** *****

Saturday – December 9, 2023

2:00 PM The Night of the Hunter (1955)
After hearing an about-to-be-hanged murderer’s story about some hidden money he left in the care of his two young kids, the murderer’s cell-mate is released and embarks on a journey to find the killer’s family.
Dir: Charles Laughton. Cast: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish
93 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Sunday – December 10, 2023

1:00 AM I Wouldn’t Be in Your Shoes (1948)
A dancer is pinned for murder after his shoe prints are found at the scene of the crime. His wife follows the trail of clues to find the genuine killer.
Dir: William Nigh. Cast: Don Castle, Elyse Knox, Regis Toomey
70 mins

4:30 AM Star of Midnight (1935)
A New York lawyer tries to track down a kidnapped actress.
Dir: Stephen Roberts. Cast: William Powell, Ginger Rogers, Paul Kelly
90 mins

10:00 AM I Wouldn’t Be in Your Shoes (1948)
A dancer is pinned for murder after his shoe prints are found at the scene of the crime. His wife follows the trail of clues to find the genuine killer.
Dir: William Nigh. Cast: Don Castle, Elyse Knox, Regis Toomey
70 mins

1:45 PM The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
International spies kidnap a doctor’s son when he stumbles on their assassination plot.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock. Cast: James Stewart, Doris Day, Brenda de Banzie
119 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Monday – December 11, 2023

6:15 PM The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
A possessive son’s efforts to keep his mother from remarrying threaten to destroy his family.
Dir: Orson Welles. Cast: Joseph Cotten, Dolores Costello, Anne Baxter
88 mins
*****Not a mystery, but very good.*****

The Blue Dahlia ***** ***** ***** *****

Wednesday – December 13, 2023

1:15 AM The Blue Dahlia (1946)
A veteran fights to prove he didn’t kill his cheating wife.
Dir: George Marshall. Cast: Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, William Bendix
98 mins

3:15 AM Gilda (1946)
A gambler discovers an old flame in South America, but she’s married to his new boss.
Dir: Charles Vidor. Cast: Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford, George Macready
110 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Friday – December 15, 2023

11:45 AM On Borrowed Time (1939)
An old man and his grandson trap Death in a tree.
Dir: Harold S. Bucquet Cast: Lionel Barrymore, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Beulah Bondi
99 mins
*****Not a mystery movie – but I remember it as being quitte good. And, what a cast!*****

10:00 PM His Girl Friday (1940)
Walter Burns is a conniving but irresistible newspaper publisher desperate to woo back the paper’s star reporter, who happens to be his estranged wife. She’s tired of the business and is ready to settle down with a new beau. But (as Walter well knows) she has one weakness, she can’t quite resist a juicy scoop.
Dir: Howard Hawks. Cast: Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell, Ralph Bellamy
92 mins
*****Not really a mystery – more a comedy.*****

***** ***** ***** *****

Saturday – December 16, 2023

2:00 AM Suspicion (1941)
A young woman marries a charming man after a brief romance but then comes to believe that he is only after her money and will do anything to get it.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock. Cast: Cary Grant, Joan Fontaine, Sir Cedric Hardwicke
99 mins

4:00 AM North by Northwest (1959)
A suave, successful New York advertising executive finds himself, through a case of mistaken identity, embroiled in a web of intrigue and murder that takes him across the country to prove his innocence to the police.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock. Cast: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason
136 mins

It's A Wonderful World ***** ***** ***** *****

Sunday – December 17, 2023

12:00 AM Beware, My Lovely (1952)
A widow discovers her handyman is an escaped mental patient.
Dir: Harry Horner. Cast: Ida Lupino, Robert Ryan, Taylor Holmes
77 mins

8:00 AM It’s a Wonderful World (1939)
A runaway poetess helps a fugitive prove himself innocent of murder charges.
Dir: W. S. Van Dyke II. Cast: Claudette Colbert, James Stewart, Guy Kibbee
86 mins
*****The description sounds like it should be a mystery movie, however, it’s actually a romantic comedy”’*****

10:00 AM Beware, My Lovely (1952)
A widow discovers her handyman is an escaped mental patient.
Dir: Harry Horner. Cast: Ida Lupino, Robert Ryan, Taylor Holmes
77 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Monday – December 18, 2023

10:15 AM Kind Lady (1935)
A con artist and his criminal colleagues move in on a trusting old lady.
Dir: George B. Seitz. Cast: Aline Macmahon, Basil Rathbone, Mary Carlisle
76 mins

9:30 PM Blast of Silence (1961)
A hit man loses his nerve after allowing himself to feel emotion–and pays the price.
Dir: Allen Baron. Cast: Allen Baron, Molly McCarthy, Larry Tucker
77 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Tuesday – December 19, 2023

2:00 AM The Curse of the Cat People (1944)
A child explores her late mother’s life and discovers her maternal bloodline is cursed.
Dir: Gunther V. Fritsch. Cast: Simone Simon, Kent Smith, Jane Randolph
70 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Thursday – December 21, 2023

1:30 AM Lady in the Lake (1947)
Philip Marlowe searches for a missing woman in this mystery shot entirely from the detective’s viewpoint.
Dir: Robert Montgomery. Cast: Robert Montgomery, Audrey Totter, Lloyd Nolan
103 mins

3:30 AM Roadblock (1951)
An insurance agent’s greedy wife leads him to a life of crime.
Dir: Harold Daniels. Cast: Charles McGraw, Joan Dixon, Lowell Gilmore
73 mins

8:30 AM The Curse of the Cat People (1944)
A child explores her late mother’s life and discovers her maternal bloodline is cursed.
Dir: Gunther V. Fritsch. Cast: Simone Simon, Kent Smith, Jane Randolph
70 mins

2:00 PM Backfire (1950)
A veteran tries to clear an old friend of a murder charge.
Dir: Vincent Sherman. Cast: Viveca Lindfors, Dane Clark, Virginia Mayo
91 mins

4:00 PM Larceny, Inc. (1942)
An ex-convict and his gang try to use a luggage store to front a bank robbery, but business keeps getting in the way.
Dir: Lloyd Bacon. Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Jane Wyman, Broderick Crawford
95 mins

Vertigo ***** ***** ***** *****

Monday – December 25, 2023

8:00 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
128 mins

10:15 PM 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
112 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Tuesday – December 26, 2023

12:15 AM The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
International spies kidnap a doctor’s son when he stumbles on their assassination plot.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock. Cast: James Stewart, Doris Day, Brenda de Banzie
119 mins

2:30 AM Rope (1948)
Two wealthy young men try to commit the perfect crime by murdering a friend.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock. Cast: Dick Hogan, John Dall, Farley Granger
80 mins

4:00 AM Strangers on a Train (1951)
A man’s joking suggestion that he and a chance acquaintance trade murders turns deadly.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock. Cast: Farley Granger, Ruth Roman, Robert Walker
96 mins

10:00 AM The Big Sleep (1946)
Called into a case involving a wealthy family, detective Philip Marlowe discovers blackmail and murder as he falls for the eldest daughter in the family.
Dir: Howard Hawks. Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, John Ridgely
114 mins

2:00 PM Adam’s Rib (1949)
A happily-married, middle-aged husband and wife strain their marriage while serving as trial attorneys on opposite sides of the same headline-making attempted murder-marital case. He is the prosecutor, and she is the defender.
Dir: George Cukor. Cast: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Judy Holliday
101 mins

4:00 PM After the Thin Man (1936)
Married sleuths Nick and Nora Charles try to clear Nora’s cousin of a murder charge.
Dir: W. S. Van Dyke. Cast: William Powell, Myrna Loy, James Stewart
110 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Wednesday – December 27, 2023

12:15 AM Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
In the early 1930s, a car thief and the daughter of his intended victim team up to become America’s most feared and ruthless bank robbers.
Dir: Arthur Penn. Cast: Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Michael J. Pollard
111 mins

12:00 PM Dial M for Murder (1954)
A straying husband frames his wife for the murder of the man he’d hired to kill her.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock. Cast: Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings
105 mins

2:00 PM Dead Ringer (1964)
One of a pair of twins, jealous that the other became wealthy and took away her husband, kills her sister and takes over the latter’s identity.
Dir: Paul Henreid. Cast: Bette Davis, Karl Malden, Peter Lawford
115 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Thursday – December 28, 2023

6:00 AM Lured (1947)
A woman helps the police catch the serial killer who murdered her best friend.
Dir: Douglas Sirk. Cast: George Sanders, Lucille Ball, Charles Coburn
102 mins

8:00 AM Night Must Fall (1937)
A charming young man worms his way into a wealthy woman’s household, then reveals a deadly secret.
Dir: Richard Thorpe. Cast: Merle Tottenham, Kathleen Harrison, Dame May Whitty
117 mins

10:00 AM Night Watch (1973)
An unhappy housewife who settles her fraying nerves with alcohol while staring out her window. When she witnesses what she thinks is a murder through a neighbor’s window, she calls the police, who find nothing when they investigate. Her neglectful husband is skeptical and unsupportive.
Dir: Brian G. Hutton. Cast: Elizabeth Taylor, Laurence Harvey, Billie Whitelaw
105 mins

1:30 PM The Last of Sheila (1973)
A game of murder among wealthy vacationers turns into the real thing.
Dir: Herbert Ross. Cast: James Coburn, Raquel Welch, Dyan Cannon
120 mins

3:45 PM Wait Until Dark (1967)
A blind woman fights against drug smugglers who’ve invaded her home.
Dir: Terence Young. Cast: Audrey Hepburn, Alan Arkin, Richard Crenna
108 mins

5:45 PM Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964)
A medium kidnaps a child so she can help the police solve the crime.
Dir: Bryan Forbes. Cast: Kim Stanley, Richard Attenborough, Margaret Lacey
116 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Friday – December 29, 2023

4:15 AM Blow-Up (1966)
A photographer discovers a murder in the background of a candid photo.
Dir: Michelangelo Antonioni. Cast: Vanessa Redgrave, Sarah Miles, David Hemmings
111 mins

Repeat Performance ***** ***** ***** *****

Saturday – December 30, 2023

12:00 PM Repeat Performance (1947)
On New Year’s Eve 1946, Sheila Page kills her husband Barney. She wishes that she could relive 1946 and avoid the mistakes that she made throughout the year. Her wish comes true but cheating fate proves more difficult than she anticipated.
Dir: Alfred Werker. Cast: Louis Hayward, Joan Leslie, Virginia Field
93 mins

4:00 PM The Birds (1963)
An immense flock of birds descends upon a seacoast town, makes it their nesting ground, and begins to attack and kill the townsfolk.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock. Cast: Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren, Jessica Tandy
120 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Sunday – December 31, 2023

1:45 AM The Player (1992)
A frustrated screenwriter menaces a studio executive who eventually kills the writer and gets away with murder.
Dir: Robert Altman. Cast: Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi, Fred Ward
123 mins

4:00 AM In a Lonely Place (1950)
An aspiring actress begins to suspect that her temperamental boyfriend is a murderer.
Dir: Nicholas Ray. Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Gloria Grahame, Frank Lovejoy
91 mins

10:15 AM After the Thin Man (1936)
Married sleuths Nick and Nora Charles try to clear Nora’s cousin of a murder charge.
Dir: W. S. Van Dyke Cast: William Powell, Myrna Loy, James Stewart
110 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

If you’re really looking forward to these or other mystery-themed TV specials coming up in December, 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 November 2023 television mystery movies schedule:

Upcoming Television Mystery Movies for November 2023 on Turner Classic Movies channel

And 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 – all you have to do is click on the link to go to that page on my site.

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Karen Pirie (2022 ITV TV Miniseries)

November 11, 2023

The Distant EchoPlease note: this is a police procedural and is not a cozy mystery series.

Karen Pirie is a 2022 adaptation made by ITV, based off the novels by Val McDermid – specifically, The Distant Echo, the first in her Karen Pirie series.

At the beginning of the series, Karen Pirie (Lauren Lyle) is promoted to Detective Sergeant, and given a new posting at the Historic Cases Unit. The promotion has some clear political motivations – a podcast with a very feminist leaning message has recently highlighted the 25 year old death of a young woman, with the slant that the police might not have pursued every angle because they considered the victim at least partially to blame. Pirie has been promoted because the officers above her believe that the situation will look better, and be less easily criticized regardless of outcome, if a woman is the lead investigator – an angle that Pirie herself is less than pleased to hear about.

The cold case itself regards the death of teenage barmaid Rosie Duff in 1995, who was discovered by three drunken college students who claim that they stumbled across the body on the way home from the pub. Despite suspicion on the part of the police, they were never charged – nor was anyone else. Since then, the case has been largely forgotten – except by those most affected.

Karen Pirie certainly has a lot of things to say about social issues – women’s issues, race issues, sexuality issues, internet privacy issues, among others. Still, almost all of the characters (murderer aside, obviously) are handled with more depth than might be expected for a work with something to say about everything. I was especially a fan of Pirie’s only direct subordinate, Jason Murray (played by Chris Jenks), who when introduced seems like he is going to be a bit of a smarmy jerk, but turns out to be a dedicated cop – if a bit of a doofus.

There are many issues with the case, most of those are the sorts that are at least somewhat understandable given the circumstances – evidence has been misplaced, and there were gaps in the investigation’s methods, but at first most of these seem understandable given the 25 year gap and the death of the initial primary investigator during the course of the original investigation.

The biggest downside to this particular work is the length. The series consists of three episodes, each apparently originally airing in 2 hour blocks and now clocking in at 90 minutes each. All told, that makes this four and a half hours total. The case is admittedly somewhat complicated, but I still feel this is a bit too much time to cover a single piece. Of course, the original novel was almost 500 pages, so this might be more of an issue with the source material than with the adaptation.

That said, if you have the time to spare, (and can parse the sometimes thick-ish Scottish-ness of the cast, or turn on subtitles), I would recommend Karen Pirie to most fans of procedural detective fiction, particularly fans of cold case fictions. The interweaving of the flashbacks to the mid-90s and the modern day investigation help keep the miniseries fresh, though it does occasionally feel like it’s taking a bit too long to get where it is going.

At least as of the time of this writing, Karen Pirie is available on BritBox.

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