The Cozy Mystery List Blog

If you’re a fan of Sherlock Holmes, then be sure you tune in to the Turner Classic Movies channel (TCM) on Wednesday (July 3) for a marathon of mystery movies that feature Sir Conan Doyle’s great detective. I was surprised to find out that all of the movies don’t feature the famous Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce acting duo! These will be followed by two Dick Tracy mystery movies.

Something I have noticed (particularly this month!) is the amount of movies from the late 1950s, ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s TCM is now showing. Even though I list the “newer” mystery movies, I generally prefer movies from Hollywood’s Golden Age (earlier than the 1960s) over these. Most of the time I simply don’t watch them – unless they feature a favorite actor or actress. I sometimes wonder if lots of other people prefer the older movies. I started watching TCM years ago, when Robert Osbourne just-about WAS TCM. Back then the channel rarely showed these “newer” movies…

Either way, here’s the July 2019 Turner Classic Movies channel‘s mystery movie line-up:

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

Monday – July 1

5:15 AM
CHANDLER (1971)
A former private eye lands in hot water when he agrees to protect a government witness.
Dir: Paul Magwood Cast: Warren Oates, Leslie Caron, Alex Dreier.
C- 86 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

7:00 PM
THE BIG HEAT (1953)
A police detective whose wife was killed by the mob teams with a scarred gangster’s moll to bring down a powerful gangster.
Dir: Fritz Lang Cast: Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame, Jocelyn Brando.
BW- 90 mins, CC

10:45 PM
A STOLEN LIFE (1946)
A twin takes her deceased sister’s place as wife of the man they both love.
Dir: Curtis Bernhardt Cast: Bette Davis, Glenn Ford, Dane Clark.
BW- 107 mins, CC

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

Tuesday – July 2

2:45 AM
RANSOM! (1956)
A wealthy couple tries to cope with the press and the police when their son is kidnapped.
Dir: Alex Segal Cast: Glenn Ford, Donna Reed, Leslie Nielsen.
BW- 102 mins, CC

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

Wednesday – July 3

5:00 AM
THE TRIUMPH OF SHERLOCK HOLMES (1935)
Dir: Leslie S. Hiscott Cast: Conway Dixon, Minnie Rayner, Jane Carr.
BW- 83 mins

6:30 AM
SILVER BLAZE (1941)
Sherlock Holmes returns to Baskerville Hall to track down a stolen racehorse.
Dir: Thomas Bentley I Cast: Minnie Rayner, Ralph Truman, Arthur Macrae.
BW- 69 mins

8:00 AM
THE WOMAN IN GREEN (1945)
Sherlock Holmes investigates a series of seemingly unrelated murders.
Dir: Roy William Neill Cast: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Hillary Brooke.
BW- 67 mins, CC

9:15 AM
SHERLOCK HOLMES IN DRESSED TO KILL (1946)
Sherlock Holmes sets out to find why people are killing each other over a seemingly inexpensive music box.
Dir: Roy William Neill Cast: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Patricia Morison.
BW- 71 mins

11:00 AM
DICK TRACY (1945)
Dick is faced with a series of murders in which the victims all come from different social and economic backgrounds.
Dir: William Berke Cast: Morgan Conway, Anne Jeffreys, Mike Mazurki.
BW- 61 mins, CC

12:15 PM
DICK TRACY VS. CUEBALL (1946)
A police detective uses his girlfriend to track down a homicidal maniac.
Dir: Gordon M. Douglas Cast: Morgan Conway, Anne Jeffreys, Lyle Latell.
BW- 62 mins

1:30 PM
THE TESTAMENT OF DR. MABUSE (1933)
A crime wave grips the city and all clues seem to lead to the nefarious Dr. Mabuse.
Dir: Fritz Lang Cast: Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Otto Wernicke, Rudolf Shundler.
BW- 121 mins

3:45 PM
BLACKMAIL (1939)
A man in prison on false charges escapes to save his family from a blackmailer.
Dir: H. C. Potter Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Ruth Hussey, Gene Lockhart.
BW- 81 mins, CC

5:15 PM
LAURA (1944)
A police detective falls in love with the woman whose murder he’s investigating.
Dir: Otto Preminger Cast: Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb.
BW- 88 mins, CC

7:00 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

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

Thursday – July 4

4:15 AM
THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE (1946)
Illicit lovers plot to kill the woman’s older husband.
Dir: Tay Garnett Cast: Lana Turner, John Garfield, Cecil Kellaway.
BW- 113 mins, CC

7:00 PM
YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)
Spirited musical biography of the song-and-dance man who kept America humming through two world wars.
Dir: Michael Curtiz Cast: James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston.
BW- 126 mins, CC
*****This is not a mystery, however, seeing James Cagney’s terrific dancing makes this Fourth of July themed movie a treat to watch.*****

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

Saturday – July 6

11:00 PM
THE TATTOOED STRANGER (1950)
Detectives investigate the Central Park murder of a young woman with a Marine Corps tattoo.
Dir: Edward J. Montagne Cast: John Miles, Patricia White, Walter Kinsella.
BW- 64 mins, CC

12:30 AM
THE CHINA SYNDROME (1979)
A television newswoman stumbles onto deadly secrets at a nuclear power plant.
Dir: James Bridges Cast: Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon, Daniel Lewk.
C- 122 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

2:45 AM
ABSENCE OF MALICE (1981)
An ambitious reporter unwittingly slanders a businessman under federal investigation.
Dir: Sydney Pollack Cast: Paul Newman, Sally Field, Bob Balaban.
C- 116 mins, CC

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

Sunday – July 7

9:00 AM
THE TATTOOED STRANGER (1950)
Detectives investigate the Central Park murder of a young woman with a Marine Corps tattoo.
Dir: Edward J. Montagne Cast: John Miles, Patricia White, Walter Kinsella.
BW- 64 mins, CC

12:30 PM
BORN YESTERDAY (1950)
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, CC
*****Not a mystery, however, lots of fun – especially if you’re a Judy Holliday fan!*****

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

Monday – July 8

5:00 AM
SCARED TO DEATH (1947)
A beautiful murder victim recalls how she met her untimely end.
Dir: Christy Cabanne Cast: Bela Lugosi, George Zucco, Nat Pendleton.
C- 68 mins

8:30 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.
BW- 110 mins, CC

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

Tuesday – July 9

12:15 AM
AFFAIR IN TRINIDAD (1952)
A nightclub singer enlists her brother-in-law to track down her husband’s killer.
Dir: Vincent Sherman Cast: Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford, Alexander Scourby.
BW- 98 mins, CC

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

Thursday – July 11

12:15 AM
INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956)
Soulless pods take over the inhabitants of a small California town.
Dir: Don Siegel Cast: Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter, Larry Gates.
BW- 80 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

2:45 AM
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

4:45 AM
NANCY DREW…DETECTIVE (1938)
A teen-aged sleuth investigates a wealthy woman’s disappearance.
Dir: William Clemens Cast: Bonita Granville, John Litel, James Stephenson.
BW- 66 mins, CC

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

Friday – July 12

12:30 PM
FAST AND LOOSE (1939)
Married book-dealers Joel and Garda Sloane investigate the killing of a noted collector.
Dir: Edwin L. Marin Cast: Robert Montgomery, Rosalind Russell, Reginald Owen.
BW- 80 mins, CC

5:15 PM
ANOTHER THIN MAN (1939)
Not even the joys of parenthood can stop married sleuths Nick and Nora Charles from investigating a murder on a Long Island estate.
Dir: W. S. Van Dyke II Cast: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Virginia Grey.
BW- 103 mins, CC

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

Saturday – July 13

2:30 AM
ALONE IN THE DARK (1982)
Four escaped lunatics invade a doctor’s home.
Dir: Jack Sholder Cast: Jack Palance, Donald Pleasence, Paula Raflo.
C- 93 mins, CC

1:00 PM
DARK PASSAGE (1947)
A man falsely accused of his wife’s murder escapes to search for the real killer.
Dir: Delmer Daves Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Bruce Bennett.
BW- 106 mins, CC

3:00 PM
A KISS BEFORE DYING (1956)
A college student tries to get rich quick by wooing two wealthy sisters.
Dir: Gerd Oswald Cast: Robert Wagner, Jeffrey Hunter, Virginia Leith.
C- 95 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

4:45 PM
HARPER (1966)
A broken-down private eye sets out to find a rich woman’s missing husband.
Dir: Jack Smight Cast: Paul Newman, Lauren Bacall, Julie Harris.
C- 121 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

11:00 PM
THE PEOPLE AGAINST O’HARA (1951)
A defense attorney jeopardizes his career to save his client.
Dir: John Sturges Cast: Spencer Tracy, Pat O’Brien, Diana Lynn.
BW- 102 mins, CC

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

Sunday – July 14

7:00 AM
KEEPER OF THE FLAME (1943)
A reporter digs into the secret life of a recently deceased political hero.
Dir: George Cukor Cast: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn,
Richard Whorf.
BW- 101 mins, CC

9:00 AM
THE PEOPLE AGAINST O’HARA (1951)
A defense attorney jeopardizes his career to save his client.
Dir: John Sturges Cast: Spencer Tracy, Pat O’Brien, Diana Lynn.
BW- 102 mins, CC

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

Wednesday – July 17

11:30 PM
THE HITCH-HIKER (1953)
A dangerous madman kidnaps two businessmen on a hunting trip.
Dir: Ida Lupino Cast: Edmond O’Brien, Frank Lovejoy, William Talman.
BW- 71 mins, CC

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

Friday – July 19

4:15 PM
FIVE CAME BACK (1939)
Survivors of a jungle plane crash realize that their repaired airplane can only carry five passengers.
Dir: John Farrow Cast: Chester Morris, Lucille Ball, Wendy Barrie.
BW- 75 mins, CC
*****I’m not sure if this qualifies as a mytery, but it’s an interesting concept and you can’t be quite sure who will be returning…*****

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

Saturday – July 20

5:00 AM
ONCE UPON A HONEYMOON (1942)
A radio correspondent tries to rescue a burlesque queen from her marriage to a Nazi official.
Dir: Leo McCarey Cast: Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers, Walter Slezak.
BW- 115 mins, CC

2:30 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

11:00 PM
WHILE THE CITY SLEEPS (1956)
Reporters compete to catch a serial killer.
Dir: Fritz Lang Cast: Dana Andrews, Rhonda Fleming, George Sanders.
BW- 100 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

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

Sunday – July 21

9:00 AM
WHILE THE CITY SLEEPS (1956)
Reporters compete to catch a serial killer.
Dir: Fritz Lang Cast: Dana Andrews, Rhonda Fleming, George Sanders.
BW- 100 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

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

Monday – July 22

11:30 AM
HORROR HOTEL (1960)
A young coed travels to a village to continue her research on witchcraft, and discovers some horrifying secrets.
Dir: John Moxey Cast: Patricia Jessel, Betta St. John, Christopher Lee.
BW- 78 mins, CC

11:15 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.
BW- 102 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

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

Wednesday – July 24

10:00 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

8:30 PM
LAURA (1944)
A police detective falls in love with the woman whose murder he’s investigating.
Dir: Otto Preminger Cast: Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb.
BW- 88 mins, CC

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

Thursday – July 25

3:30 AM
NIGHT MUST FALL (1964)
A psychopath worms his way into an elderly woman’s household.
Dir: Karel Reisz Cast: Albert Finney, Mona Washbourne, Susan Hampshire.
BW- 102 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

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

Friday – July 26

5:15 AM
PRIVATE DETECTIVE (1939)
Rival detectives fall in love when they’re forced to work together.
Dir: Noel Smith Cast: Jane Wyman, Dick Foran, Gloria Dickson.
BW- 56 mins, CC

6:15 AM
TELL NO TALES (1939)
In search of a big scoop for his failing paper, an editor tries to solve a kidnapping case that’s turned into murder.
Dir: Leslie Fenton Cast: Melvyn Douglas, Louise Platt, Gene Lockhart.
BW- 69 mins

7:30 AM
JAMAICA INN (1939)
A young woman on the British coast stumbles onto a ring of bloodthirsty scavengers.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Charles Laughton, Horace Hodges, Hay Petrie.
BW- 99 mins, CC

9:15 AM
YOU CAN’T GET AWAY WITH MURDER (1939)
A young tough takes the rap for a hardened gangster.
Dir: Lewis Seiler Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Gale Page, Billy Halop.
BW- 79 mins, CC

10:45 AM
THEY MADE ME A CRIMINAL (1939)
A young boxer flees to farming country when he thinks he’s killed an opponent in the ring.
Dir: Busby Berkeley Cast: John Garfield, Claude Rains, Gloria Dickson.
BW- 92 mins, CC

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

Saturday – July 27

3:00 AM
NIGHT SCHOOL (1981)
A police investigator attempts to solve the murders of two women from a local night school.
Dir: Ken Hughes Cast: Leonard Mann, Rachel Ward, Drew Snyder.
C- 89 mins, CC

7:29 AM
LAWLESS VALLEY (1939)
After doing time for a crime he didn’t commit, a cowboy tries to find the men who framed him.
Dir: David Howard Cast: George O’Brien, Kay Sutton, Walter Miller.
BW- 59 mins, CC

12:15 PM
ANATOMY OF A MURDER (1959)
A small-town lawyer gets the case of a lifetime when a military man
avenges an attack on his wife.
Dir: Otto Preminger Cast: James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara.
BW- 161 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

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

Sunday – July 28

1:00 AM
BORN YESTERDAY (1950)
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, CC
*****Not a mystery, however, lots of fun – especially if you’re a Judy Holliday fan!*****

3:00 AM
IT SHOULD HAPPEN TO YOU (1953)
A dizzy model in love with fame rents a billboard and puts her name on it.
Dir: George Cukor Cast: Judy Holliday, Peter Lawford, Jack Lemmon.
BW- 87 mins, CC
*****Another non-mystery Judy Holliday movie.*****

9:00 AM
DEAD RECKONING (1947)
A tough veteran sets out to solve his war buddy’s murder.
Dir: John Cromwell Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Lizabeth Scott, Morris Carnovsky.
BW- 100 mins, CC

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

Monday – July 29

1:45 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.
BW- 112 mins, CC

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

Tuesday – July 30

12:30 PM
FULL CONFESSION (1939)
A priest hears a murderer’s confession, then finds himself suspected of the same crime.
Dir: John Farrow Cast: Victor McLaglen, Sally Eilers, Joseph Calleia.
BW- 73 mins,

3:30 PM
I CONFESS (1953)
A priest suspected of murder can only clear himself by violating the sanctity of the confessional.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Montgomery Clift, Anne Baxter, Karl Malden.
BW- 95 mins, CC

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

Wednesday – July 31

1:15 AM
NIAGARA (1953)
Honeymooners get mixed up with an obsessive husband and his cheating wife.
Dir: Henry Hathaway Cast: Marilyn Monroe, Joseph Cotten, Jean Peters.
C- 89 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

If you’re really looking forward to these or other mystery-themed tv specials coming up in July, 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 June 2019 television mystery movies schedule:

Upcoming Television Mystery Movies for June 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.)