I have found these mystery movies from TCM’s Now Playing for December 2013. (TCM stands for the Turner Classic Movie channel.) There are less mystery movies being shown this month because of TCM’s great holiday line-up of movies.
I’m listing the movies in Central time zone. If you know of any other mystery movies that are going to be aired on television during December 2013, please post a comment.
***** ***** ***** *****
Monday – December 2, 2013
7:30 AM
THE AMAZING DR. CLITTERHOUSE (1938)
A doctor plots crimes so he can study criminal psychology.
Dir: Anatole Litvak Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Claire Trevor, Humphrey Bogart.
BW-87 mins, TV-PG, CC
9:00 AM
TORCHY RUNS FOR MAYOR (1939)
After digging up the dirt on local politicians, a newswoman decides to run for office.
Dir: Ray McCarey Cast: Glenda Farrell, Barton MacLane, Tom Kennedy.
BW-60 mins, TV-G, CC
10:15 AM
HAVING WONDERFUL CRIME (1945)
Three amateur detectives try to find a missing magician.
Dir: Eddie Sutherland Cast: Pat O’Brien, George Murphy, Carole Landis.
BW-70 mins, TV-PG
11:30 AM
THE BIG STEAL (1949)
Seduction and murder follow the theft of an Army payroll.
Dir: Don Siegel Cast: Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, William Bendix.
BW-71 mins, TV-PG, CC
3:15 PM
STOP, YOU’RE KILLING ME (1952)
The surprise appearance of four corpses interferes with a beer baron’s plans to crash high society.
Dir: Roy Del Ruth Cast: Broderick Crawford, Claire Trevor, Virginia Gibson.
BW-86 mins, TV-G
4:45 PM
DEATH OF A SCOUNDREL (1956)
A Czech refugee uses women to advance his business interest.
Dir: Charles Martin Cast: George Sanders, Yvonne De Carlo, Zsa Zsa Gabor.
BW-120 mins, TV-PG
***** ***** ***** *****
Tuesday – December 3, 2013
11:00 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, TV-14, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Thursday – December 5, 2013
8:00 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, TV-G, CC
11:45 AM
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, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format
5:00 PM
BUNNY LAKE IS MISSING (1965)
A distraught mother searches for her seemingly non-existent daughter, bringing her sanity into question.
Dir: Otto Preminger Cast: Keir Dullea, Carol Lynley, Lucie Mannheim.
BW-107 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format
11:00 PM
IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (1967)
A black police detective from the North forces a bigoted Southern sheriff to accept his help with a murder investigation.
Dir: Norman Jewison Cast: Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates.
C-110 mins, TV-14, CC, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
Friday – December 6, 2013
7:45 AM
BLACKMAIL (1929)
A shopkeeper’s daughter fights off blackmail after she kills a young artist who had tried to rape her.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Anny Ondra, Sara Allgood, Charles Paton.
BW-86 mins, TV-PG
***** ***** ***** *****
Monday – December 9, 2013
5:15 PM
13 GHOSTS (1960)
A family inherits a house haunted by 13 ghosts and a living killer.
Dir: William Castle Cast: Charles Herbert, Jo Morrow, Martin Milner.
BW-82 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
Tuesday – December 10, 2013
2:15 AM
MEMORIES OF MURDER (2003)
A big-city detective helps two inept small-town cops investigate a serial killer.
Dir: Joon-ho Bong Cast: Kang-ho Song, Sang-kyung Kim, Roe-ha Kim.
C-131 mins, TV-MA, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
Friday – December 13, 2013
10:00 AM
GRAND CENTRAL MURDER (1942)
A detective investigates an actress’s murder in a train car.
Dir: S. Sylvan Simon Cast: Van Heflin, Patricia Dane, Cecilia Parker.
BW-74 mins, TV-G, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Saturday – December 14, 2013
12:00 AM
CHINATOWN (1974)
A Los Angeles private eye unwittingly sets up an innocent man for murder, then joins his seductive widow to unearth the corruption behind the crime.
Dir: Roman Polanski Cast: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, Perry Lopez.
C-130 mins, TV-MA, CC, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
Monday – December 16, 2013
8:30 AM
SCREEN DIRECTORS PLAYHOUSE: WHITE CORRIDORS (1956)
An American tourist fights to get the staff of a British hospital to believe she’s witnessed a murder.
Dir: Ted Post Cast: Linda Darnell, John Bentley, Scott Forbes.
BW-26 mins, TV-PG,
***** ***** ***** *****
Tuesday – December 17, 2013
8:45 PM
REMEMBER THE NIGHT (1940) *** This is a Christmas movie, not a mystery. I really like it. >>> It gets the two stars of Double Indemnity together in a different venue.
An assistant D.A. takes a shoplifter home with him for Christmas.
Dir: Mitchell Leisen Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, Beulah Bondi.
BW-94 mins, TV-G, CC,
***** ***** ***** *****
Friday – December 20, 2013
9:00 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, TV-14, CC
1:00 AM
THE STEPFORD WIVES (1975)
A recent arrival in suburbia suspects a sinister reason for the local women’s model behavior.
Dir: Bryan Forbes Cast: Katharine Ross, Paula Prentiss, Peter Masterson.
C-115 mins, TV-14, CC, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – December 22, 2013
1:00 PM
CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT (1945) ***This is probably my very favorite Christmas movie. I watch it once every year. It is not a mystery.
A homemaking specialist who can’t boil water is forced to provide a family holiday for a war hero.
Dir: Peter Godfrey Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan, Sydney Greenstreet.
BW-102 mins, TV-G, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Tuesday – December 24, 2013
*****Neither of today’s movies are mystery movies. However, they are really good Christmas movies with phenomenal casts.
10:15 AM
THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER (1941)
An acerbic critic wreaks havoc when a hip injury forces him to move in with a midwestern family.
Dir: William Keighley Cast: Bette Davis, Ann Sheridan, Monty Woolley.
BW-113 mins, TV-G, CC
7:00 PM
CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT (1945)
A homemaking specialist who can’t boil water is forced to provide a family holiday for a war hero.
Dir: Peter Godfrey Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan, Sydney Greenstreet.
BW-102 mins, TV-G, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Thursday – December 26, 2013
5:00 AM
THE NARROW MARGIN (1952)
A tough cop meets his match when he has to guard a gangster’s moll on a tense train ride.
Dir: Richard Fleischer Cast: Charles McGraw, Marie Windsor, Jacqueline White.
BW-72 mins, TV-PG, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Friday – December 27, 2013
8:45 PM
OUT OF THE PAST (1947)
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
***** ***** ***** *****
Saturday – December 28, 2013
7:00 PM
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, TV-PG, CC
9:00 PM
SUSPICION (1941)
A wealthy wallflower suspects her penniless playboy husband of murder.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Cary Grant, Joan Fontaine, Sir Cedric Hardwicke.
BW-100 mins, TV-PG, CC
11:00 PM
LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN (1945)
A beautiful neurotic will stop at nothing to hold onto her husband’s love.
Dir: John M. Stahl Cast: Gene Tierney, Cornel Wilde, Jeanne Crain.
C-110 mins, TV-PG, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Monday – December 30, 2013
10:30 PM
THE CHEAP DETECTIVE (1978)
A private dick tackles two tough cases while trying to clear himself of a murder charge.
Dir: Robert Moore Cast: Peter Falk, Ann-Margret, Eileen Brennan.
C-92 mins, TV-14, CC, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
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!)
If you would like to see more Television and Movies ideas, click on this link.
Patti S. says
Don’t you just love Barbara Stanwyck? I like her movies and it looks like there will be several on this month. Thanks for the info Danna! Appreciate all you do!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Patti S, I can never watch too many Barbara Stanwyck movies! Over the years, I’ve tried to watch every one of her movies at least once. I am now finding myself re-watching them. I enjoy her in everything she was in >>> even the B movies she was in at the beginning of her career. (I have to be honest here >>> I don’t watch the Big Valley shows.) She was absolutely a phenomenal actress.
Jackie J. Griffey says
Danna: I enjoy this list – brings back memories – I too just loved Christmas in Connecticut 😎
Jackie
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Jackie, I think the original Christmas in Connecticut is my favorite black and white Christmas movie. If you like it, make sure to set up your DVR for December 17th’s Remember the Night and December 24th’s The Man Who Came to Dinner. Terrific movies!
(All three movies were made years before I was born, but for some reason I feel like I can identify with them even more than a lot of the movies that were made during my lifetime.)
Paula says
Thank you for listing the TCM mystery movies! I recorded all of the Hildergard Withers movies and have watched them all. They were so entertaining. My two favorite Hildergard actresses are the first two. My next “viewing” will be Philo Vance. Thanks for all your hard work, very much appreciated.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Paula, I’m pleased to see that you were able to watch all of the Hildegard Withers movies on TCM. I am currently getting April’s list ready. I just love old black and white movies!