For all you football fans who happen to enjoy the Turner Classic Movies channel – Monday the first of November is your day! The Turner Classic channel will be showing long-ago movies that celebrate football in one form or another. (I haven’t listed those movies since I try to focus on mystery movies.) And, along those lines, who knew that Reno, Nevada was such a popular place in the 1940s? If you’re interested in Reno or in divorce-central movies, then Tuesday, Nov. 2 is your day on Turner! (I haven’t listed those movies either…) Tuesday, November 9 is a day I have to ignore Turner Classic Movies channel. It’s going to show movies that revolve around dogs – one of the types of movies I totally avoid! Animal movies are just too sentimental for me. (And this from a person who enjoys mysteries – which involve all sorts of terrible events!)
Wednesday, November 10 looks like an old-movies-mystery-lover’s day on the Turner Classic Movies channel! The day will start with different mystery movies and shorts and will then move into several Bull Drummond mystery movies.
The Turner Classic Movies channel will be airing all four of the Miss Marple movies in which Margaret Rutherford starred. These are loosely based on Agatha Christie’s novels, which of course were not comedies! The channel is showing the movies out-of-sequence, so in case you want to watch the movies in sequence: “Murder, She Said” (1961), “Murder at the Gallop” (1963), “Murder Most Foul” (1964), and “Murder Ahoy!” (1964).
Two of the Nancy Drew movies starring Bonita Granville will play this month. On Monday, November 8 >>> “Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase” (1939) and on Monday, November 29 >>> “Nancy Drew: Detective” (1938). I think Bonita Granville is excellent playing the Nancy Drew we grew up with!
***** ***** ***** *****
TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES CHANNEL MYSTERY MOVIES – November 2021
***** ***** ***** *****
Tuesday – November 2, 2021
11:30 AM
Maisie Goes to Reno (1944)
On a trip to Reno, a Brooklyn showgirl tries to stop a soldier and his wife from divorcing.
Dir: Harry Beaumont. Actors: Ann Sothern, John Hodiak, Tom Drake
90 mins
4:00 PM
Born to Kill (1947)
A murderer marries a young innocent then goes after her more experienced sister.
Dir: Robert Wise. Actors: Claire Trevor, Lawrence Tierney, Walter Slezak
92 mins
***** ***** ***** *****
Wednesday – November 3, 2021
8:00 AM
Sabotage (1936)
An unhappily married woman discovers her husband is an enemy agent.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock. Actors: Sylvia Sidney, Oscar Homolka, Desmond Tester
76 mins
9:30 AM
Fury (1936)
An innocent man escapes a lynch mob then returns for revenge.
Dir: Fritz Lang. Actors: Sylvia Sidney, Spencer Tracy, Walter Abel
94 mins
11:15 AM
You Only Live Once (1937)
When he’s framed for murder, an escaped convict returns to crime to protect his wife and child.
Dir: Fritz Lang. Actors: Sylvia Sidney, Henry Fonda, Barton Maclane
85 mins
12:45 PM
They Live by Night (1948)
After an unjust prison sentence, a young innocent gets mixed-up with hardened criminals and a violent escape.
Dir: Nicholas Ray. Actors: Cathy O’Donnell, Farley Granger, Howard Da Silva
95 mins
8:00 PM
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Hard-boiled detective Sam Spade gets caught up in the murderous search for a priceless statue.
Dir: John Huston. Actors: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Gladys George
100 mins
***** ***** ***** *****
Thursday – November 4, 2021
12:00 AM
Conflict (1945)
A man murders his wife so he can be free to marry her sister.
Dir: Curtis Bernhardt. Actors: Humphrey Bogart, Alexis Smith, Sydney Greenstreet
86 mins
8:00 PM
Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939)
An FBI agent risks his life to infiltrate Nazi sympathizers in the U.S.
Dir: Anatole Litvak. Actors: Edward G. Robinson, Francis Lederer, George Sanders
110 mins
***** ***** ***** *****
Saturday – November 6, 2021
10:12 AM
Blondes at Work (1938)
Even a jail term for contempt can’t keep reporter Torchy Blane from investigating the case of a murdered department store owner.
Dir: Frank McDonald. Actors: Glenda Farrell, Barton MacLane, Tom Kennedy
60 mins
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – November 7, 2021
12:00 AM
5 Steps to Danger (1957)
A couple attempts to keep important secrets from Communist spies.
Dir: Henry S. Kesler. Actors: Ruth Roman, Sterling Hayden, Werner Klemperer
81 mins
10:00 AM
5 Steps to Danger (1957)
A couple attempts to keep important secrets from Communist spies.
Dir: Henry S. Kesler. Actors: Ruth Roman, Sterling Hayden, Werner Klemperer
81 mins
2:00 PM
Marty (1955)
A lonely butcher finds love despite the opposition of his friends and family.
Dir: Delbert Mann. Actors: Ernest Borgnine, Betsy Blair, Esther Minciotti
91 mins
*****Not a mystery. Excellent movie, in the Library of Congress.*****
***** ***** ***** *****
Monday – November 8, 2021
12:00 PM
Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (1939)
A teen-aged sleuth helps two old ladies deal with the “haunting” of their mansion.
Dir: William Clemens. Actors: Bonita Granville,Frankie Thomas,John Litel
60 mins
1:15 PM
Before Dawn (1933)
Detectives compete to solve the murders at a mysterious mansion.
Dir: Irving Pichel. Actors: Stuart Erwin, Dorothy Wilson, Warner Oland
60 mins
2:30 PM
Shield for Murder (1954)
A crooked detective masterminds a robbery then fights to keep his money.
Dir: Edmond O’Brien. Actors: Edmond O’Brien, Marla English, John Agar
80 mins
4:00 PM
The Long Night (1947)
A veteran tries to free his former love from a sadistic lover.
Dir: Anatole Litvak. Actors: Henry Fonda, Barbara Bel Geddes, Vincent Price
97 mins
***** ***** ***** *****
Tuesday – November 9, 2021
1:15 PM
Behave Yourself! (1951)
A young couple’s dog gets them mixed up in a string of murders.
Dir: George Beck. Actors: Farley Granger, Shelley Winters, William Demarest
81 mins
10:00 PM
The Last Wave (1977)
An examination of the relationship between white and Aboriginal Australia through the trial of five Aborigines accused of killing another.
Dir: Peter Weir. Actors: Richard Chamberlain, Olivia Hamnett, David Gulpilil
106 mins
***** ***** ***** *****
Wednesday – November 10, 2021
5:45 AM
Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)
When a group of schoolgirls mysteriously disappear, the survivors find their lives changed forever.
Dir: Peter Weir. Actors: Martin Vaughan, Rachel Roberts, Vivean Gray
115 mins
7:45 AM
Where Is Jane Doe? (1956)
New York City police detectives investigate the case of a missing girl.
Dir: Larry O’Reilly. Actors: Bob Hite, Alexander Lockwood, Frances Dinsmoor
8 mins
8:00 AM
The Return of Bulldog Drummond (1934)
The retired British captain forms a gang to rescue his wife and thwart his nemesis.
Dir: Walter Summers. Actors: Joyce Kennedy, Ralph Richardson, Ann Todd
73 mins
9:15 AM
Bulldog Drummond’s Peril (1938)
Bulldog Drummond hunts down an assassin after a priceless diamond.
Dir: James Hogan. Actors: John Barrymore, John Howard, Louise Campbell
66 mins
10:30 AM
Camera Sleuth (1950)
This short film dramatizes how real-life investigator Jo Goggin uses a motion-picture surveillance camera to gather evidence.
Dir: Dave O’Brien Actors: Jo A. Goggin, Pete Smith, John Miljan
10 mins
10:45 AM
Bulldog Drummond in Africa (1938)
Bulldog Drummond must race to Africa to save his friend from a madman.
Dir: Louis King. Actors: John Howard, Heather Angel, H. B. Warner
60 mins
11:45 AM
Bulldog Drummond’s Bride (1939)
Bulldog Drummond postpones his wedding to track down a band of bank robbers.
Dir: James Hogan. Actors: John Howard, Heather Angel, H. B. Warner
56 mins
12:45 PM
So You Want to Be a Detective (1948)
In this comedic short, Joe McDoakes imagines himself as a private detective on a murder case.
Dir: Richard Bare. Actors: Charles Horvath, Art Gilmore, Howard Mitchell
10 mins
1:00 PM
Arrest Bulldog Drummond (1939)
Bulldog Drummond solves the murder of a scientist.
Dir: James Hogan. Actors: John Howard, Heather Angel, H. B. Warner
57 mins
2:00 PM
Bulldog Drummond’s Secret Police (1939)
Bulldog Drummond discovers the house he’s rented for his wedding hides a secret treasure.
Dir: James Hogan. Actors: John Howard, Heather Angel, H. B. Warner
54 mins
3:00 PM
Bulldog Drummond’s Revenge (1937)
Captain Drummond travels to Switzerland in order to marry his girlfriend but the disappearance of a dangerous cargo of explosives makes him delay his plans.
Dir: Louis King. Actors: John Barrymore, John Howard, Louise Campbell
55 mins
4:00 PM
Bulldog Drummond Escapes (1937)
Captain Drummond becomes a prisoner when he tries to protect a beautiful heiress from an espionage organization.
Dir: James Hogan. Actors: Ray Milland, Sir Guy Standing, Heather Angel
67 mins
5:15 PM
How to Be a Detective (1936)
Robert Benchley attempts to teach the audience what it takes to be a successful detective.
Dir: Felix E. Feist. Actors: Robert Benchley, Dewey Robinson, Arthur Hoyt
8 mins
5:30 PM
Bulldog Drummond Comes Back (1937)
An old enemy kidnaps Bulldog Drummond’s fiancée.
Dir: Louis King. Actors: John Barrymore, John Howard, Louise Campbell
58 mins
6:30 PM
Calling Bulldog Drummond (1951)
The British sleuth comes out of retirement to help catch a band of thieves armed with military weapons.
Dir: Victor Saville. Actors: Walter Pidgeon, Margaret Leighton, Robert Beatty
79 mins
8:00 PM
Flamingo Road (1949)
A stranded carnival dancer takes on a corrupt political boss when she marries into small-town society.
Dir: Michael Curtiz. Actors: Joan Crawford, Zachary Scott, Sydney Greenstreet
94 mins
9:45 PM
The Woman in White (1948)
Classic mystery about the adventures of a young tutor sent to a ghostly country estate.
Dir: Peter Godfrey. Actors: Alexis Smith, Eleanor Parker, Sydney Greenstreet
109 mins
***** ***** ***** *****
Friday – November 12, 2021
7:30 AM
Cat People (1942)
A newlywed fears that an ancient curse will turn her into a bloodthirsty beast.
Dir: Jacques Tourneur. Actors: Simone Simon, Tom Conway, Jane Randolph
71 mins
11:45 AM
Experiment Perilous (1944)
A small-town doctor tries to help a beautiful woman with a deranged husband.
Dir: Jacques Tourneur. Actors: Hedy Lamarr, George Brent, Paul Lukas
91 mins
1:30 PM
Out of the Past (1947)
A private eye tries to escape his past by running a gas station in a small town, but it catches up to him.
Dir: Jacques Tourneur. Actors: Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, Kirk Douglas
97 mins
3:15 PM
Berlin Express (1948)
Allied agents fight an underground Nazi group in post-war Europe.
Dir: Jacques Tourneur. Actors: Merle Oberon, Robert Ryan, Charles Korvin
86 mins
***** ***** ***** *****
Saturday – November 13, 2021
10:08 AM
Torchy Blane in Panama (1938)
An ambitious newspaper woman traces bank robbers to an ocean liner.
Dir: William Clemens. Actors: Lola Lane, Paul Kelly, Tom Kennedy
58 mins
12:00 PM
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
A frustrated wife seduces a drifter into murdering her husband.
Dir: Tay Garnett. Actors: Lana Turner, John Garfield, Cecil Kellaway
111 mins
10:00 PM
To Live And Die In L.A. (1985)
A Secret Service agent becomes obsessed with tracking down a notorious and dangerous Los Angeles counterfeitor.
Dir: William Friedkin. Actors: William Petersen, Willem Dafoe, John Turturro
116 mins
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – November 14, 2021
12:15 AM
The Lineup (1958)
A pair of hit men track down a heroin shipment while the police get closer.
Dir: Don Siegel. Actors: Eli Wallach, Robert Keith, Richard Jaeckel
86 mins
2:00 AM
Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)
It’s 1948 and World War II veteran Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins takes the wrong job after being fired.
Dir: Carl Franklin. Actors: Denzel Washington, Tom Sizemore, Don Cheadle
102 mins
10:00 AM
The Lineup (1958)
A pair of hit men track down a heroin shipment while the police get closer.
Dir: Don Siegel. Actors: Eli Wallach, Robert Keith, Richard Jaeckel
86 mins
***** ***** ***** *****
Monday – November 15, 2021
12:00 PM
His Kind of Woman (1951)
A deported gangster causes problems for guests at a Mexican resort.
Dir: John Farrow. Actors: Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell, Vincent Price
122 mins
***** ***** ***** *****
Tuesday – November 16, 2021
1:30 PM
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. Actors: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, John Ridgely
114 mins
3:45 PM
Dark Passage (1947)
A man falsely accused of his wife’s murder escapes to search for the real killer.
Dir: Delmer Daves. Actors: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Bruce Bennett
106 mins
***** ***** ***** *****
Wednesday – November 17, 2021
8:00 PM
The Verdict (1946)
A retired Scotland Yard chief tries to prove his friend is innocent of murder.
Dir: Don Siegel. Actors: Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, Joan Lorring
86 mins
9:45 PM
Three Strangers (1946)
Three people who share a sweepstakes ticket travel a tangled road to collect their winnings.
Dir: Jean Negulesco. Actors: Sydney Greenstreet, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Peter Lorre
92 mins
11:30 PM
The Conspirators (1944)
A guerilla leader falls in love with a mysterious woman in World War II Lisbon.
Dir: Jean Negulesco. Actors: Hedy Lamarr, Paul Henreid, Sydney Greenstreet
101 mins
***** ***** ***** *****
Saturday – November 20, 2021
10:08 AM
Torchy Gets Her Man (1938)
Female reporter Torchy Blane tries to crack a counterfeiting case.
Dir: William Beaudine. Actors: Glenda Farrell, Barton Maclane, Tom Kennedy
62 mins
8:00 PM
Niagara (1953)
Honeymooners get mixed up with an obsessive husband and his cheating wife.
Dir: Henry Hathaway. Actors: Marilyn Monroe, Joseph Cotten, Jean Peters
92 mins
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – November 21, 2021
12:00 AM
Johnny O’Clock (1947)
Gambling hall owners get mixed up with a cop on the take, leading to murder and mystery.
Dir: Robert Rossen. Actors: Dick Powell, Evelyn Keyes, Lee J. Cobb
95 mins
5:00 AM
Randy Rides Alone (1934)
An undercover agent searches for a murderous outlaw.
Dir: Harry Fraser. Actors: John Wayne, Alberta Vaughn, George Hayes
60 mins
*****I haven’t seen this movie, so I’m not sure if it’s a mystery of sorts. However, when I looked it up, I thought that if John Wayne was playing a Philip-Marlow type of detective instead of a cowboy, it might be…*****
10:00 AM
Johnny O’Clock (1947)
Gambling hall owners get mixed up with a cop on the take, leading to murder and mystery.
Dir: Robert Rossen. Actors: Dick Powell, Evelyn Keyes, Lee J. Cobb
95 mins
4:15 PM
Charade (1963)
A young woman returns home from vacation to find her elegant apartment stripped and her husband murdered.
Dir: Stanley Donen. Actors: Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau
114 mins
***** ***** ***** *****
Tuesday – November 23, 2021
10:30 AM
The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)
A man remains young and handsome while his portrait shows the ravages of age and sin.
Dir: Albert Lewin. Actors: George Sanders, Hurd Hatfield, Donna Reed
110 mins
12:30 PM
The Woman in White (1948)
Classic mystery about the adventures of a young tutor sent to a ghostly country estate.
Dir: Peter Godfrey. Actors: Alexis Smith, Eleanor Parker, Sydney Greenstreet
109 mins
***** ***** ***** *****
Wednesday – November 24, 2021
10:00 PM
Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
When a magazine writer invites a rescued sailor to spend Christmas with her, he ends up falling in love with her.
Dir: Peter Godfrey. Actors: Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan, Sydney Greenstreet
101 mins
*****This terrific Christmas movie is not a mystery.*****
***** ***** ***** *****
Thursday – November 25, 2021
12:00 AM
The Mask of Dimitrios (1944)
A meek novelist investigates the mysterious death of a notorious scoundrel.
Dir: Jean Negulesco. Actors: Sydney Greenstreet, Zachary Scott, Faye Emerson
95 mins
4:00 AM
The Velvet Touch (1948)
After accidentally killing her lecherous producer, a famous actress tries to hide her guilt.
Dir: John Gage. Actors: Rosalind Russell, Leo Genn, Claire Trevor
97 mins
***** ***** ***** *****
Friday – November 26, 2021
1:15 PM
The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
Feuding co-workers do not realize they are secret romantic pen pals.
Dir: Ernst Lubitsch. Actors: Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart, Frank Morgan
97 mins
*****This delightful Christmas movie is not a mystery.*****
***** ***** ***** *****
Saturday – November 27, 2021
10:08 AM
Torchy Blane in Chinatown (1938)
A daring female reporter sets out to catch a blackmailer.
Dir: William Beaudine. Actors: Glenda Farrell, Barton Maclane, Tom Kennedy
59 mins
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – November 28, 2021
12:00 AM
Tight Spot (1955)
A district attorney tries to get a hardboiled woman to testify against the mob.
Dir: Phil Karlson. Actors: Ginger Rogers, Edward G. Robinson, Brian Keith
97 mins
10:00 AM
Tight Spot (1955)
A district attorney tries to get a hardboiled woman to testify against the mob.
Dir: Phil Karlson. Actors: Ginger Rogers, Edward G. Robinson, Brian Keith
97 mins
***** ***** ***** *****
Monday – November 29, 2021
6:15 AM
Murder Most Foul (1964)
Elderly sleuth Miss Marple joins a small-town theatre to investigate a murder.
Dir: George Pollock. Actors: Margaret Rutherford, Ron Moody, Charles Tingwell
90 mins
8:00 AM
Murder at the Gallop (1963)
Elderly sleuth Miss Marple suspects foul play when an old friend is supposedly scared to death by a cat.
Dir: George Pollock. Actors: Margaret Rutherford, Robert Morley, Flora Robson
81 mins
9:30 AM
Murder Ahoy! (1964)
Elderly sleuth Miss Marple takes to the seas to investigate murder on a naval training ship.
Dir: George Pollock. Actors: Margaret Rutherford, Lionel Jeffries, Charles Tingwell
93 mins
11:15 AM
Murder She Said (1961)
When nobody will believe she witnessed a murder, elderly sleuth Miss Marple takes a job as a maid to ferret out clues.
Dir: George Pollock. Actors: Margaret Rutherford, Arthur Kennedy, Muriel Pavlow
86 mins
12:45 PM
Lured (1947)
A woman helps the police catch the serial killer who murdered her best friend.
Dir: Douglas Sirk. Actors: George Sanders, Lucille Ball, Charles Coburn
102 mins
2:45 PM
Nancy Drew: Detective (1938)
A teen-aged sleuth investigates a wealthy woman’s disappearance.
Dir: William Clemens. Actors: Bonita Granville, John Litel, James Stephenson
60 minser
4:00 PM
Deadline at Dawn (1946)
An aspiring actress risks her life to clear a sailor charged with murder.
Dir: Harold Clurman Actors: Susan Hayward,Paul Lukas,Bill Williams
83 mins
5:30 PM
Wanted! Jane Turner (1936)
A postal detective tracks the gang that robbed a mail truck and killed the driver.
Dir: Edward Killy. Actors: Lee Tracy, Gloria Stuart, Judith Blake
66 mins
6:45 PM
The Big Steal (1949)
A man is on the trail of a thief who stole a $300,000 Army payroll, but there is someone else after him – a woman.
Dir: Don Siegel. Actors: Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, William Bendix
71 mins
***** ***** ***** *****
If you’re really looking forward to these or other mystery-themed tv specials coming up in November, 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 October 2021 television mystery movies schedule:
Upcoming Television Mystery Movies for October 2021 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.
Patti S says
Lots of great movies this month! I love Bonita Granville in the Nancy Drew movies, too! Love the Maisie movies also. Thanks Danna, for listing these for us. Looks like a good month for classic movies!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Patti, it certainly looks like a good month!
Beverly J Stewart says
I’m looking forward to watching the Nancy Drew movies. I read the books growing up.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Beverly, I hope you enjoy them!
Jo says
I love, love this blog so much💖💗💗
I appreciate all the cozy mysteries that are posted that are coming out soon. I also love the advance notice of movies on TCM. That way I never miss one.
Thank you so much for all you effort and especially time that you put in complying the information for us. You are very much appreciated!!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Jo, you’re very welcome! I’m glad that the upcoming mysteries lists are useful.