The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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.

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

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.*****

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

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.*****

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.