This is the second month I am posting the upcoming television mystery movies on the Turner Classic Movie channel. As I have mentioned several times, I subscribe to TCM’s monthly television movie guide (Now Playing) and actually highlight the movies I think my husband and I might enjoy watching. The movies I’m going to list are all mysteries, except for two that feature one of my very favorite actresses: Judy Holliday.
I have not seen all of these listed movies, so please don’t hold me accountable if they aren’t any good. I am going to be listing these movies in Central time zone, so you might want to check out your local starting times.
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Thursday – May 2, 2013
ARSENIC AND OLD LACE (1944) 1:30 AM (Central)
A young man about to be married discovers the two aunts who raised him have been poisoning lonely old men.
Dir: Frank Capra Cast: Cary Grant, Priscilla Lane, Raymond Massey
BW-118 mins, TV-G, CC
THE CASE OF THE BLACK CAT (1936) 9:15 AM (Central)
Perry Mason looks into a trio of murders heralded by the shriek of a cat.
Dir: William McGann Cast: Ricardo Cortez, June Travis, Jane Bryan
BW-66 mins, TV-PG
***** ***** ***** *****
Saturday – May 4, 2013
THE FALCON TAKES OVER (1942) 9:45 AM (Central)
A society sleuth and a lady reporter try to track down a murderous thug’s lost girlfriend.
Dir: Irving Reis Cast: George Sanders, Lynn Bari, James Gleason
BW-63 mins, TV-G
***** ***** ***** *****
Tuesday – May 7, 2013
CROSSFIRE (1947) 9:00 PM (Central)
A crusading district attorney investigates the murder of a Jewish man.|
Dir: Edward Dmytryk Cast: Robert Young, Robert Mitchum, Robert Ryan
BW-86 mins, TV-PG, CC
OUT OF THE PAST (1947) 10:30 PM (Central)
A private eye becomes the dupe of a homicidal moll.
Dir: Jacques Tourneur Cast: Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, Kirk Douglas
BW-97 mins, TV-PG, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Wednesday – May 8, 2013
THE NAKED CITY (1948) 2:15 AM (Central)
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, TV-14, CC
SO LONG AT THE FAIR (1950) 5:30 PM (Central)
A woman searches for her missing brother in Paris despite the fact that nobody believes he exists.
Dir: Antony Darnborough Cast: Honor Blackman, Jean Simmons, Dirk Bogarde
BW-86 mins, TV-PG, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Thursday – May 9, 2013
SPIRITS OF THE DEAD (1969) 4:00 PM (Central)
This film comprises three supernatural tales based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe.
Dir: Roger Vadim Cast: Vincent Price, Jane Fonda, Peter Fonda
C-121 mins, TV-14, Letterbox Format
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Friday – May 10, 2013
UNDER CAPRICORN (1949) 10:00 PM (Central)
Newly arrived in Australia, a man discovers his childhood love is now an alcoholic.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotten, Michael Wilding
C-117 mins, TV-PG, CC
♦♦♦(I wasn’t sure if this is a mystery until I noticed that on page 4 of TCM’s May Now Playing magazine, this is written: “…Under Capricorn (1949) a compelling murder mystery set in 19th-century Australia that was one of the few Alfred Hitchcock films of its period not to capture the public fancy;…”
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Saturday – May 11, 2013
THE FALCON’S BROTHER (1942) 9:45 AM (Central)
A gentlemanly detective calls on his brother to help him stop the Nazis from assassinating a key diplomat.
Dir: Stanley Logan Cast: George Sanders, Tom Conway, Jane Randolph
BW-63 mins, TV-G
***** ***** ***** *****
Wednesday – May 15, 2013
THE THIRD MAN, THE (1949) 8:30 AM (Central)
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-104 mins, TV-14, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Thursday – May 16, 2013
BORN YESTERDAY (1950) 4:30 AM (Central)
A newspaper reporter takes on the task of educating a crooked businessman’s girlfriend.
Dir: George Cukor Cast: Judy Holliday, Broderick Crawford, William Holden
BW-102 mins, TV-PG, CC
THE SOLID GOLD CADILLAC (1956) 1:15 PM (Central)
A small time investor takes on the management of a major corporation.
Dir: Richard Quine Cast: Judy Holliday, Paul Douglas, Fred Clark
C-100 mins, TV-G
♦♦♦(Neither of these movies are mysteries. They are both movies that star one of my all time favorite actresses: Judy Holliday.)
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Friday – May 17, 2013
MAD HOLIDAY (1936) 6:15 AM (Central)
A temperamental film star’s vacation turns deadly when he uncovers a murder.
Dir: George B. Seitz Cast: Edmund Lowe, Elissa Landi, ZaSu Pitts
BW-72 mins, TV-G
THE THIRTEENTH CHAIR (1937) 7:30 AM (Central)
A phony psychic tries to solve a murder that took place during her seance.
Dir: George B. Seitz Cast: Dame May Whitty, Madge Evans, Lewis Stone
BW-67 mins, TV-G
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Saturday – May 18, 2013
THE FALCON STRIKES BACK (1943) 9:45 AM (Central)
A society sleuth is framed for murder by criminals running a war-bond racket.
Dir: Edward Dmytryk Cast: Tom Conway, Harriet Hilliard, Jane Randolph
BW-66 mins, TV-G
MURDER BY DEATH (1976) 10:15 PM (Central)
A criminal madman invites the world’s greatest detectives for a night of dinner and murder.
Dir: Robert Moore Cast: Peter Falk, Truman Capote, Alec Guinness
BW-95 mins, TV-14, CC, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – May 19, 2013
TEN LITTLE INDIANS (1966) 5:15 AM (Central)
Party guests at a remote mansion have been brought together to pay for past crimes.
Dir: George Pollock Cast: Hugh O’Brian, Shirley Eaton, Fabian
C-90 mins, TV-14, CC, Letterbox Format
♦♦♦(Based on Agatha Christie‘s mystery.)
JOHNNY O’CLOCK (1947) 11:00 AM (Central)
Gambling hall owners get mixed up with a cop on the take, leading to murder and mystery.
Dir: Robert Rossen Cast: Dick Powell, Evelyn Keyes, Lee J. Cobb
BW-96 mins, TV-PG, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – May 26, 2013
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT (1940) 3:30 AM (Central)
An American reporter covering the war in Europe gets mixed up in the assassination of a Dutch diplomat.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Joel McCrea, Laraine Day, Herbert Marshall
BW-120 mins, TV-PG, CC
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Friday – May 31, 2013
A NEW LEAF (1971) 3:30 AM (Central)
A playboy squanders his wealth and must seek out a new source to maintain his idle rich lifestyle, namely marrying a rich woman and … murdering her.
Dir: Elaine May Cast: Walter Matthau, Elaine May, Jack Weston .
C-102 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format
♦♦♦(While this isn’t technically a mystery, I enjoyed this movie and think some of you might, too. On page 4 of TCM’s May Now Playing it says: “Elaine May wrote, directed and stars in A New Leaf (1971), a black comedy in which she plays a wealthy wallflower pursued by an impoverished playboy (Walter Matthau) with murder on his mind.“)
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If you know of any other mystery movies that are going to be airing this month, feel free to post a comment.
(All of the above descriptions were copied from the TCM site. I hope they don’t change their line-up!)
