Some months certainly have more mysteries than others on TCM, and I’m afraid that February will be a bit “light” in the mystery department! Still, I’ve tried to sort out the mysteries, and included a bit more in the “personal favorites” category to try to make up for the shortage!
Saturday – February 2
4:15 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.
BW- 116 mins, CC
6:15 AM
SUDDEN FEAR (1952)
An ambitious actor insinuates himself into the life of a wealthy middle-aged woman, then plots with his mistress to murder her.
Dir: David Miller Cast: Joan Crawford, Jack Palance, Gloria Grahame.
BW- 111 mins, CC
8:15 AM
THE THIRD MAN (1949)
A man’s investigation of a friend’s death uncovers corruption in post-World War II Vienna.
Dir: Carol Reed Cast: Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles.
BW- 105 mins, CC
10:00 AM
PANIC IN THE STREETS (1950)
A killer evades the police not knowing he has a deadly plague.
Dir: Elia Kazan Cast: Richard Widmark, Paul Douglas, Barbara Bel Geddes.
BW- 96 mins
11:45 AM
SUSPICION (1941)
A wealthy wallflower suspects her penniless playboy husband of murder.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Cary Grant, Joan Fontaine, Sir Cedric Hardwicke.
BW- 99 mins, CC
**** This is a terrific mystery movie. Unfortunately, the studio made Alfred Hitchcock change the end, but it’s still a terrific movie. *****
1:30 PM
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.
BW- 101 mins, CC
3:30 PM
NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
An advertising man is mistaken for a spy, triggering a deadly cross-country chase.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason.
C- 136 mins, CC
6:00 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.
C- 108 mins, CC
Tuesday – February 5
12:30 AM
THE LETTER (1940)
A woman claims to have killed in self-defense, until a blackmailer turns up with incriminating evidence.
Dir: William Wyler Cast: Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, James Stephenson.
BW- 95 mins, CC
***** I love this movie! It’s a movie I re-watch from time to time. *****
***** ***** ***** *****
Thursday – February 7
9:45 AM
THE CRIMINAL CODE (1931)
A convict trying to reform is torn between conflicting loyalties when he witnesses a murder behind bars.
Dir: Howard Hawks Cast: Walter Huston, Phillips Holmes, Constance Cummings.
BW- 96 mins, CC
8:00 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
*****Not a mystery, but an absolutely terrific movie.*****
Friday – February 8
6:00 AM
ADAM’S RIB (1949)
Husband-and-wife lawyers argue opposite sides in a sensational women’s rights case.
Dir: George Cukor Cast: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Judy Holliday.
BW- 101 mins, CC
*****Not a mystery, but the cast makes this a very fun movie to watch.*****
***** ***** ***** *****
Saturday – February 9
8:00 PM
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
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – February 10
9:45 PM
THE THIN MAN (1934)
A husband-and-wife detective team takes on the search for a missing inventor and almost get killed for their efforts.
Dir: W. S. Van Dyke Cast: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Maureen O’Sullivan.
BW- 91 mins, CC
Tuesday – February 12
10:00 AM
THE STRANGER (1946)
A small-town schoolteacher suspects her new husband may be an escaped Nazi war criminal.
Dir: Orson Welles Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Loretta Young, Orson Welles.
BW- 95 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Friday – February 15
4:00 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
5:30 PM
THE BAD SEED (1956)
A woman suspects that her perfect little girl is a ruthless killer.
Dir: Mervyn LeRoy Cast: Gage Clarke, Jesse White, Joan Croyden.
C- 129 mins, CC
*****Yikes!*****
Tuesday – February 19
11:00 AM
THE LITTLE FOXES (1941)
An ambitious woman takes on her corrupt brothers and honest husband in her drive for wealth.
Dir: William Wyler Cast: Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, Teresa Wright.
BW- 116 mins, CC
***** Not a mystery, but Bette Davis is at her best here!*****
1:00 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
***** ***** ***** *****
Wednesday – February 20
12:00 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.
C- 111 mins, CC
2:15 PM
TWILIGHT OF HONOR (1963)
A struggling lawyer takes on a controversial murder case that could make or break him.
Dir: Boris Sagal Cast: Richard Chamberlain, Joey Heatherton, Nick Adams.
BW- 104 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
4:15 PM
MADELEINE (1950)
A beautiful young woman stands trial for poisoning her lover.
Dir: David Lean Cast: Ann Todd, Norman Woland, Ivan Desny.
BW- 115 mins, CC
6:15 PM
12 ANGRY MEN (1957)
A jury holdout tries to convince his colleagues to vote not guilty.
Dir: Sidney Lumet Cast: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Ed Begley.
BW- 96 mins, CC
Sunday – February 24
3:30 AM
KEY LARGO (1948)
A returning veteran tangles with a ruthless gangster during a hurricane.
Dir: John Huston Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, Lauren Bacall.
BW- 100 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Tuesday – February 26
8:00 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
***** ***** ***** *****
Wednesday – February 27
10:00 AM
THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)
Hard-boiled detective Sam Spade gets caught up in the murderous search for a priceless statue.
Dir: John Huston Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Gladys George.
BW- 100 mins, CC
12:00 PM
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
2:00 PM
THE ASPHALT JUNGLE (1950)
A gang of small time crooks plots an elaborate jewel heist.
Dir: John Huston Cast: Sterling Hayden, Louis Calhern, Jean Hagen.
BW- 112 mins, CC
6:00 PM
MYSTERY STREET (1950)
Criminal pathologists try to crack a case with nothing but the victim’s bones to go on.
Dir: John Sturges Cast: Ricardo Montalban, Sally Forrest, Bruce Bennett.
BW- 93 mins, CC
Thursday – February 28
10:00 AM
JEZEBEL (1938)
A tempestuous Southern belle’s willfulness threatens to destroy all who care for her.
Dir: William Wyler Cast: Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, George Brent.
BW- 104 mins, CC
*****Not a mystery, but definitely terrific!*****
***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****
If you’re really looking forward to these or other mystery-themed tv specials coming up in February, 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 January 2019 television mystery movies schedule:
Upcoming Television Mystery Movies for January 2019 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.
(All of the movie descriptions were taken off their respective websites.)