TCM will be celebrating both its 20th Anniversary as well as John Wayne during April. If you happen to be a John Wayne fan, you should be excited about the 58 movies TCM will be airing. (I know my younger brother is looking forward to those movies. they will be airing them (mostly?) during April 21 and the 25th, which explains the fact that I don’t have very many mystery movies showing that week.
Since they are celebrating an anniversary, they will be showing a few shows that might interest those of you who are especially interested in Hollywood’s Golden era. I have annotated some of those movies. As usual, I have included a few movies that are not mysteries, but that I particularly enjoy, and think some of you might also enjoy seeing them.
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April 2014 Turner Classic Movies Channel Mystery Movies (Central time zone):
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Tuesday – April 1, 2014
9:30 AM
THE NITWITS (1935)
Two cigar-stand attendants get mixed up in a murder investigation.
Dir: George Stevens Cast: Bert Wheeler, Robert Woolsey, Fred Keating.
BW-82 mins
12:30 PM
THE PINK PANTHER (1964)
In the first Inspector Clouseau film, the bumbling French police detective tries to stop a notorious jewel thief from nabbing a princess’ diamond.
Dir: Blake Edwards Cast: David Niven, Peter Sellers, Capucine.
C-115 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
2:30 PM
THE TWELVE CHAIRS (1970)
A fallen aristocrat, a priest and a con artist search for a treasure of jewels hidden inside one of twelve dining chairs.
Dir: Mel Brooks Cast: Ron Moody, Frank Langella, Dom DeLuise.
C-93 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
Wednesday – April 2, 2014
11:00 AM
THE SCAPEGOAT (1959)
A man is tricked into trading places with a look-alike nobleman with murderous plans.
Dir: Robert Hamer Cast: Alec Guinness, Bette Davis, Nicole Maurey.
BW-92 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
12:45 PM
KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS (1949)
An ambitious young man sets out to kill everyone who stands between him and a fortune.
Dir: Robert Hamer Cast: Alec Guinness, Dennis Price, Joan Greenwood.
BW-106 mins, CC
2:45 PM
THE LAVENDER HILL MOB (1951)
An overlooked gold transporter with twenty years service plots to steal a million pounds of gold.
Dir: Charles Crichton Cast: Alec Guinness, Stanley Holloway, Sidney James.
BW-81 mins, CC
7:00 PM
THE LADYKILLERS (1955)
An eccentric bandit gang moves into a little old lady’s boardinghouse to plot a major heist.
Dir: Alexander Mackendrick Cast: Alec Guinness, Cecil Parker, Herbert Lom.
C-91 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
Thursday – April 3, 2014
7:00 AM
LOVER COME BACK (1961)
An ad exec in disguise courts his pretty female competitor.
Dir: Delbert Mann Cast: Rock Hudson, Doris Day, Tony Randall.
C-107 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
***OK, I guess I should disclose that I am a Doris Day/Rock Hudson comedies fan. This is not a mystery.***
7:00 PM
THE THRILL OF IT ALL (1963)
A doctor tries to cope with his wife’s newfound stardom as an advertising pitch woman.
Dir: Norman Jewison Cast: Doris Day, James Garner, Arlene Francis.
C-108 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
***I guess I’m just a Doris Day comedy fan.This one doesn’t have Rock Hudson in it, however, James Garner comes pretty close. This is not a mystery.***
11:00 PM
SEND ME NO FLOWERS (1964)
When he mistakenly thinks he’s dying, a hypochondriac tries to choose his wife’s next husband.
Dir: Norman Jewison Cast: Rock Hudson, Doris Day, Tony Randall.
C-100 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
***Not a Mystery, however it is a Doris Day/Rock Hudson comedy movie, of which (as I mentioned) I am a fan.***
***** ***** ***** *****
Friday – April 4, 2014
6:00 AM
MISS PINKERTON (1932)
A private duty nurse gets herself mixed up in a murder investigation.
Dir: Lloyd Bacon Cast: Joan Blondell, George Brent, Ruth Hall.
BW-66 mins
***This movie is based on Mary Roberts Rinehart‘s Miss Pinkerton.***
9:45 AM
BABBITT (1934)
A small-town businessman bumbles into blackmail and a real-estate swindle.
Dir: William Keighley Cast: Aline MacMahon, Guy Kibbee, Claire Dodd.
BW-74 mins, CC
12:15 PM
THE MOONLIGHTER (1953)
A former jailbird makes good after the wrong man is accused for his crime.
Dir: Roy Rowland Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, Ward Bond.
BW-78 mins, CC
4:45 PM
WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH HELEN? (1971)
After their sons are convicted of murder, two women relocate to Hollywood to start a talent school.
Dir: Curtis Harrington Cast: Debbie Reynolds, Shelley Winters, Dennis Weaver.
C-101 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
Saturday – April 5, 2014
10:45 AM
MGM: WHEN THE LION ROARS, PART I: THE LION ROARS (1992)
Patrick Stewart takes viewers through the history of Hollywood’s greatest film studio, MGM, from its formation in 1924 through the death of its greatest production genius, Irving J. Thalberg. Featuring interviews with Joan Crawford and Groucho Marx.
Dir: Frank Martin Cast: Patrick Stewart, Kirk Kerkorian, R E Turner (Ted).
C-122 mins
***I hope this three-part special is as good as it looks. All three parts will be shown during April.***
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – April 6, 2014
7:00 AM
THEY DRIVE BY NIGHT (1940)
Truck driving brothers are framed for murder by a lady psycho.
Dir: Raoul Walsh Cast: George Raft, Ann Sheridan, Ida Lupino.
BW-95 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Monday – April 7, 2014
7:00 PM
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
***** ***** ***** *****
Tuesday – April 8, 2014
6:45 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
9:30 AM
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
7:00 PM
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.
BW-94 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
***This is not a mystery, but I just love this movie. You might enjoy it, too.***
8:45 PM
WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (1958)
A British lawyer gets caught up in a couple’s tangled marital affairs when he defends the husband for murder.
Dir: Billy Wilder Cast: Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton.
BW-116 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
Wednesday – April 9, 2014
6:45 AM
KID GLOVE KILLER (1942)
A police scientist investigates the mayor’s murder.
Dir: Fred Zinnemann Cast: Van Heflin, Marsha Hunt, Lee Bowman.
BW-74 mins, CC
10:00 AM
THE PRIZE (1963)
An American Nobel Prize-winner mixes it up with spies when he travels to Stockholm to collect his award.
Dir: Mark Robson Cast: Paul Newman, Edward G. Robinson, Elke Sommer.
C-135 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
Thursday – April 10, 2014
12:45 AM
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, Letterbox Format
2:30 AM
TRIAL (1955)
A Mexican boy accused of rape and murder becomes a pawn for Communists and red-baiters.
Dir: Mark Robson Cast: Glenn Ford, Dorothy McGuire, Arthur Kennedy.
BW-109 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
1:15 PM
THE LADY VANISHES (1938)
A young woman on vacation triggers an international incident when she tries to track an elderly friend who has disappeared.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave, Paul Lukas.
BW-96 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Friday – April 11, 2014
9:00 AM
THE BLUE GARDENIA (1953)
A telephone operator kills in self-defense but can’t remember the details of the encounter.
Dir: Fritz Lang Cast: Anne Baxter, Richard Conte, Ann Sothern.
BW-88 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Saturday – April 12, 2014
10:45 AM
MGM: WHEN THE LION ROARS, PART II: THE LION REIGNS SUPREME (1992)
Patrick Stewart takes viewers through the history of Hollywood’s greatest film studio at its height during the thirties and early forties. Featuring interviews with Katharine Hepburn and Joan Crawford.
Dir: Frank Martin Cast: Patrick Stewart, Kirk Kerkorian, R E Turner (Ted).
C-121 mins
***The second part of this three-part special.***
4:45 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
***** ***** ***** *****
Monday – April 14, 2014
6:00 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
10:00 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
***** ***** ***** *****
Wednesday – April 16, 2014
7:00 PM
THE REMAINS OF THE DAY (1993)
A proper British butler sacrifices happiness to remain faithful to his position.
Dir: James Ivory Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, Christopher Reeve.
C-134 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
***This is not a mystery, but is really, really good.***
***** ***** ***** *****
Thursday – April 17, 2014
9:30 AM
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
***** ***** ***** *****
Friday – April 18, 2014
10:00 AM
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, Letterbox Format
9:00 PM
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
***** ***** ***** *****
Saturday – April 19, 2014
10:45 AM
MGM: WHEN THE LION ROARS, PART III: THE LION IN WINTER (1992)
Patrick Stewart takes viewers through the history of Hollywoods greatest film studio as it fades from glory during the fifties. Featuring interviews with Gene Kelly and Charlton Heston.
Dir: Frank Martin Cast: Patrick Stewart, Kirk Kerkorian, R E Turner (Ted).
C-123 mins
***The third and final part of this special.***
7:00 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
8:45 PM
WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS (1950)
A police detective’s violent nature keeps him from being a good cop.
Dir: Otto Preminger Cast: Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney, Gary Merrill.
BW-95 mins, CC
10:30 PM
THE IRON CURTAIN (1948)
This film, based on real events, focuses on the defection of Soviet Embassy code specialist Igor Gouzenko.
Dir: William A. Wellman Cast: Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney, June Havoc.
BW-87 mins
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – April 20, 2014
1:00 AM
HATCHET FOR THE HONEYMOON (1970) (horror?)
A bridal design shop owner kills various young brides-to-be.
Dir: Mario Bava Cast: Stephen Forsyth, Dagmar Lassander, Laura Betti.
C-88 mins
2:45 AM
THE TERROR (1963) (horror?)
A lost soldier discovers a mysterious beauty haunting a half-deserted castle.
Dir: Roger Corman Cast: Boris Karloff, Jack Nicholson, Sandra Knight.
C-79 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
Tuesday – April 22, 2014
3:00 AM
THOU SHALT NOT: SEX, SIN AND CENSORSHIP IN PRE-CODE HOLLYWOOD (2008)
This documentary looks at how the social, financial and moral forces all helped shape one of the most intriguing periods in Hollywood history.
C-68 mins, CC
***I had no idea how racy pre-code Hollywood was!***
5:30 PM
1939: HOLLYWOOD’S GREATEST YEAR (2009)
This documentary focuses on 1939, considered to be Hollywood’s greatest year, with film clips and insight into what made the year so special.
C-68 mins, CC
***Why not? Might as well end the TCM anniversary finding out about Hollywood’s greatest year.***
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – April 27, 2014
2:45 AM
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, Mark Eden.
BW-116 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
7:30 AM
THE 39 STEPS (1935)
A man falsely suspected of killing a spy races across Scotland handcuffed to the beautiful blonde who turned him in.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll, Lucie Mannheim.
BW-86 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Monday – April 28, 2014
3:45 AM
GUN CRAZY (1950)
Two disturbed young people release their fascination with guns through a crime spree.
Dir: Joseph H. Lewis Cast: Peggy Cummins, John Dall, Berry Kroeger.
BW-87 mins, CC
6:45 AM
THE UNHOLY NIGHT (1929)
A mad strangler haunts the London fog.
Dir: Lionel Barrymore Cast: Ernest Torrence, Roland Young, Dorothy Sebastian.
BW-93 mins
10:15 AM
GUILTY HANDS (1931)
A district attorney tries to frame an innocent girl for the murder he committed.
Dir: W. S. Van Dyke Cast: Lionel Barrymore, Kay Francis, Madge Evans.
BW-69 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Tuesday – April 29, 2014
4:30 AM
ANGEL FACE (1953)
An unscrupulous woman murders her loved ones for profit.
Dir: Otto Preminger Cast: Robert Mitchum, Jean Simmons, Mona Freeman.
BW-91 mins, CC
3:45 PM
SHOCK CORRIDOR (1963)
A reporter fakes insanity to crack a murder committed in an asylum.
Dir: Samuel Fuller Cast: Peter Breck, Constance Towers, Gene Evans.
C-101 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
Wednesday – April 30, 2014
7:00 PM
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
***** ***** ***** *****
(All of the above descriptions were copied from the TCM site. There were a few mystery movies that appeared in my monthly TCM Now Playing that didn’t show up on TCM’s schedule online, so I didn’t add them to the list.)
If you know of any other mystery movies that are going to be aired on television during April 2014, please post a comment.
If you would like to see more Television and Movies ideas, click on this link.
Here’s a quick post to let you know my husband and I are heading out to New Orleans this morning. Google maps says it’s a nine hour trip, and I am hoping it (they?) is (are?) correct. Our son is going to be holding down the fort here, even though Sprite (our puppy) is no longer with us. Having him here let’s me enjoy my trips.
I got an email two days ago from my best friend (college roommate) who lives in Iowa. She mentioned just how tired she is of winter. While reading her letter, I was able to look outside and watch the birds (and squirrels) in our back yard as they flitted about enjoying the sunshine. What a drastic difference!
