It’s the time of the month again to find out about next month’s upcoming mystery movies that will be on television. As usual, I’m posting the Turner Classic Movies channel mysteries (and some non-mystery movies with my favorite actors and actresses) that I think are definitely worth looking at.
There will be two marathons for mystery lovers this month. The first will be on Friday the 19th, a marathon of the Whistler series starring Richard Dix. The other marathon will be a 1960s movie marathon on the 22nd, which will star actresses who were much bigger in the ’40s and ’50s, who were the subjects of the recent miniseries “Feud”. Be sure to check them both out! (Just one more week until the miniseries is complete. I can’t wait!)
Also, on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel:
Sunday – May 21, 2017
8:00 PM (central)
A Bundle of Trouble: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery
Aurora Teagarden and her boyfriend Martin are thrilled when they get an unexpected visit from his niece and her new baby. Their excitement is short lived when his niece disappears and the baby is left behind. Once again, Aurora finds herself drawn into a deadly investigation as she risks it all to help Martin reunite with his family. Stars Candace Cameron Bure and Marilu Henner.
***** ***** ***** *****
May 2017 Turner Classic Movies Channel Mystery Movies (Central time zone):
***** ***** ***** *****
Monday – May 1, 2017
8:30 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.
BW- 110 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Tuesday – May 2, 2017
5:45 AM
GAMBLING ON THE HIGH SEAS (1940)
A reporter tries to nail a gambling-ship owner for murder.
Dir: George Amy Cast: Wayne Morris, Jane Wyman, Gilbert Roland.
BW- 55 mins, CC
5:15 PM
KEY LARGO (1948)
A returning veteran tangles with a ruthless gangster during a hurricane.
Dir: John Huston Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, Lauren Bacall.
BW- 100 mins, CC
7:00 PM
IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)
A newspaperman tracks a runaway heiress on a madcap cross-country tour.
Dir: Frank Capra Cast: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Walter Connolly.
BW- 105 mins, CC
*****This is quite funny – with the two leads at their best!*****
***** ***** ***** *****
Wednesday – May 3, 2017
4:00 AM
NIGHT NURSE (1931)
A nurse discovers that the children she’s caring for are murder targets.
Dir: William A. Wellman Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Ben Lyon, Joan Blondell.
BW- 72 mins, CC
5:30 AM
THE FINGER POINTS (1931)
A naive reporter takes payoffs for keeping a prominent gangster out of the papers.
Dir: John Francis Dillon Cast: Richard Barthelmess, Fay Wray, Regis Toomey.
BW- 85 mins, CC
10:30 PM
MRS. O’MALLEY AND MR. MALONE (1950)
A lawyer and a widow encounter murder on a train ride.
Dir: Norman Taurog Cast: Marjorie Main, James Whitmore, Ann Dvorak.
BW- 69 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Saturday – May 6, 2017
12:45 AM
WINTER KILLS (1979)
An assassinated president’s brother investigates the unsolved crime.
Dir: William Richert Cast: Jeff Bridges, Anthony Perkins, John Huston.
C- 97 mins
9:30 AM
UP GOES MAISIE (1946)
A showgirl working for an inventor battles crooks out to steal his ideas.
Dir: Harry Beaumont Cast: Ann Sothern, George Murphy, Hillary Brooke.
BW- 89 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – May 7, 2017
11:00 AM
THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY (1955)
A corpse creates a world of trouble for several passersby who each believe they may have caused the death.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Edmund Gwenn, John Forsythe, Mildred Natwick.
C- 99 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
2:45 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
***** ***** ***** *****
Wednesday – May 10, 2017
7:45 AM
AFTER OFFICE HOURS (1935)
A society newspaperwoman tries to prove to her editor that she can crack a murder case.
Dir: Robert Z. Leonard Cast: Constance Bennett, Clark Gable, Stuart Erwin.
BW- 72 mins, CC
5:30 PM
GAMBLING HOUSE (1951)
A gambler faces deportation when he gets mixed up with murder.
Dir: Ted Tetzlaff Cast: Victor Mature, Terry Moore, William Bendix.
BW- 80 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Thursday – May 11, 2017
7:00 AM
THE YELLOW CANARY (1943)
A socialite poses as a Nazi spy to mask her activities as a British agent.
Dir: Herbert Wilcox Cast: Anna Neagle, Richard Greene, Nova Pilbeam.
BW- 84 mins
3:30 PM
MURDER AHOY (1964)
Elderly sleuth Miss Marple takes to the seas to investigate murder on a naval training ship.
Dir: George Pollock Cast: Margaret Rutherford, Lionel Jeffries, Charles Tingwell.
BW- 93 mins, CC
*****Don’t expect to see a run-of-the-mill Miss Marple in this movie!*****
***** ***** ***** *****
Friday – May 12, 2017
8:00 AM
DR. SOCRATES (1935)
A small-town doctor gets mixed up with gangsters.
Dir: William Dieterle Cast: Paul Muni, Ann Dvorak, Barton MacLane.
BW- 70 mins, CC
2:30 PM
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, CC
9:00 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, CC, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
Saturday – May 13, 2017
9:30 AM
UNDERCOVER MAISIE (1947)
A stranded showgirl joins the police force and risks her life to expose a phony psychic.
Dir: Harry Beaumont Cast: Ann Sothern, Barry Nelson, Mark Daniels.
BW- 90 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – May 14, 2017
9:00 AM
THE PROWLER (1951)
A policeman’s obsession with a married woman leads to murder.
Dir: Joseph Losey Cast: Van Heflin, Evelyn Keyes, John Maxwell.
BW- 93 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Monday – May 15, 2017
11:00 PM
BLOOD SIMPLE (1984)
A Texas bar owner hires a private eye to kill his cheating wife and her boyfriend.
Dir: Joel Coen Cast: John Getz, Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya.
C- 96 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
Wednesday – May 17, 2017
8:30 AM
THE SECRET SIX (1931)
A secret society funds the investigation of a bootlegging gang.
Dir: George Hill Cast: Wallace Beery, Lewis Stone, John Mack Brown.
BW- 84 mins, CC
2:15 PM
THE CUCKOOS (1930)
Two tramps-turned-fortune-tellers try to solve a kidnapping.
Dir: Paul Sloane Cast: Bert Wheeler, Robert Woolsey, June Clyde.
BW- 97 mins
***** ***** ***** *****
Thursday – May 18, 2017
4:45 AM
LOVE IS A RACKET (1932)
A beautiful girl convinces a reporter to cover up her involvement in a murder.
Dir: William A. Wellman Cast: Douglas Fairbanks, Ann Dvorak, Frances Dee.
BW- 71 mins
***** ***** ***** *****
Friday – May 19, 2017
I don’t think I’ve seen any of these Whistler movies, but I plan to tape them and hope they’re good…
5:00 AM
THE WHISTLER (1944)
A grieving widower hires an assassin to kill him only to have his late wife turn up alive.
Dir: William Castle Cast: Richard Dix, J. Carrol Naish, Gloria Stuart.
BW- 60 mins, CC
6:30 AM
THE POWER OF THE WHISTLER (1945)
A young woman seeks an amnesiac’s true identity in the clues in his pockets.
Dir: Lew Landers Cast: Richard Dix, Janis Carter, Jeff Donnell.
BW- 66 mins, CC
8:00 AM
VOICE OF THE WHISTLER (1945)
A dying millionaire marries his nurse for companionship, only to experience a miracle cure.
Dir: William Castle Cast: Richard Dix, Lynn Merrick, Rhys Williams.
BW- 60 mins, CC
9:30 AM
THE MYSTERIOUS INTRUDER (1946)
A detective discovers the woman he’s been hired to track down is the key to an unusual inheritance.
Dir: William Castle Cast: Richard Dix, Barton MacLane, Nina Vale.
BW- 62 mins
11:00 AM
THE SECRET OF THE WHISTLER (1946)
An artist plots murder when his rich wife when she catches him in an affair with one of his models.
Dir: George Sherman Cast: Richard Dix, Leslie Brooks, Michael Duane.
BW- 64 mins
12:30 PM
THE RETURN OF THE WHISTLER (1948)
When a woman goes missing on the eve of her wedding, her fiancee hires a detective to track her down.
Dir: D. Ross Lederman Cast: Michael Duane, Lenore Aubert, Richard Lane.
BW- 63 mins
2:00 PM
I LOVE A MYSTERY (1945)
A detective tries to protect a man who has predicted his murder will take place in three days.
Dir: Henry Levin Cast: Jim Bannon, Nina Foch, George Macready.
BW- 69 mins
3:30 PM
THE DEVIL’S MASK (1946)
A detective tries to identify a shrunken head found in a crashed cargo plane.
Dir: Henry Levin Cast: Anita Louise, Jim Bannon, Michael Duane.
BW- 66 mins, CC
5:00 PM
THE UNKNOWN (1946)
A woman with amnesia hires two detectives to keep her alive long enough to claim her inheritance.
Dir: Henry Levin Cast: Karen Morley, Jim Bannon, Jeff Donnell.
BW- 71 mins, CC
6:30 PM
DARK SHADOWS (1944)
This short film focuses on a psychiatrist investigating the murder of another psychiatrist.
Dir: Paul Burnford Cast: Paul Guilfoyle, Morris Ankrum, Henry O’Neill.
BW- 22 mins
11:15 PM
POINT BLANK (1967)
A gangster plots an elaborate revenge on the wife and partner who did him dirty.
Dir: John Boorman Cast: Lee Marvin, Angie Dickinson, Keenan Wynn.
C- 92 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
Saturday – May 20, 2017
3:00 AM
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.
C- 108 mins, CC
9:30 AM
MEET BOSTON BLACKIE (1941)
A reformed thief uncovers a spy ring while investigating a murder at sea.
Dir: Robert Florey Cast: Chester Morris, Rochelle Hudson, Richard Lane.
BW- 61 mins
11:00 AM
THE SEVEN-PER-CENT SOLUTION (1976)
Sherlock Holmes seeks psychiatric help from Sigmund Freud and gets caught up in mystery.
Dir: Herbert Ross Cast: Alan Arkin, Vanessa Redgrave, Robert Duvall.
C- 113 mins, CC
7:00 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
11:00 PM
CORNERED (1946)
A World War II veteran hunts down the Nazi collaborators who killed his wife.
Dir: Edward Dmytryk Cast: Dick Powell, Walter Slezak, Micheline Cheirel.
BW- 103 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – May 21, 2017
9:00 AM
CRIME OF PASSION (1957)
An executive’s wife barters sex for her husband’s business success.
Dir: Gerd Oswald Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Sterling Hayden, Raymond Burr.
BW- 86 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
Monday – May 22, 2017
*****If you’ve been watching Feud, then (if it’s based on true facts!) Baby Jane was the first of these types of movies starring favorite actresses from Hollywood’s Golden Age.*****
7:00 PM
WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? (1962)
A crazed, aging star torments her sister in a decaying Hollywood mansion.
Dir: Robert Aldrich Cast: Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Victor Buono.
BW- 134 mins, CC
9:30 PM
DIE! DIE! MY DARLING! (1965)
A religious fanatic imprisons her late son’s sinful fiancee.
Dir: Silvio Narizzano Cast: Tallulah Bankhead, Stefanie Powers, Peter Vaughan.
C- 96 mins, CC
11:30 PM
STRAIT-JACKET (1964)
Murder follows an axe murderer home when she’s released from a mental hospital.
Dir: William Castle Cast: Joan Crawford, Diane Baker, Leif Erickson.
BW- 93 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
Tuesday – May 23, 2017
1:15 AM
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
3:15 AM
THE NANNY (1965)
A disturbed young man tries to prove his nanny is out to kill him.
Dir: Seth Holt Cast: Bette Davis, Wendy Craig, Jill Bennett.
BW- 93 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
6:45 AM
ACT OF VIOLENCE (1948)
An embittered veteran tracks down a POW camp informer.
Dir: Fred Zinnemann Cast: Van Heflin, Robert Ryan, Janet Leigh.
BW- 82 mins, CC
11:30 AM
THE VERDICT (1946)
A retired Scotland Yard chief tries to prove his friend is innocent of murder.
Dir: Don Siegel Cast: Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, Joan Lorring.
BW- 86 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Friday – May 26, 2017
4:15 PM
WASHINGTON MELODRAMA (1941)
A philanthropic businessman is framed for murder during a lobbying trip to Washington.
Dir: S. Sylvan Simon Cast: Frank Morgan, Ann Rutherford, Kent Taylor.
BW- 81 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – May 28, 2017
3:15 PM
SABOTEUR (1942)
A young man accused of sabotage goes on the lam to prove his innocence.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Priscilla Lane, Robert Cummings, Otto Kruger.
BW- 109 mins, CC
5:15 PM
ACROSS THE PACIFIC (1942)
An American agent tries to keep Axis spies from blowing up the Panama Canal.
Dir: John Huston Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Sydney Greenstreet.
C- 96 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Tuesday – May 30, 2017
10:30 AM
THE BIG SLEEP (1946)
Private eye Philip Marlowe investigates a society girl’s involvement in the murder of a pornographer.
Dir: Howard Hawks Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, John Ridgely.
BW- 114 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Wednesday – May 31, 2017
11:00 PM
SEPARATE TABLES (1958)
The boarders at an English resort struggle with emotional problems.
Dir: Delbert Mann Cast: Deborah Kerr, Rita Hayworth, David Niven.
BW- 100 mins, CC
*****Not a mystery.*****
***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****
If you’re particularly looking forward to these or other mystery-themed tv specials coming up in May, 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 April television mystery movies schedule:
Upcoming Television Mystery Movies for April 2017
And of course, here is the page on my site with plenty of entries about movies and television shows you may enjoy:
Debbie says
I LOVE the old Miss Marple movies starring Margaret Rutherford. They are fun and classics. I have found 2 of the old movies, but I see that on Thursday, May
Debbie says
11th at 3:30 pm her ‘Murder Ahoy” is on Turner Classic Channel- which I don’t get. Does anyone know
of a place where I may find this (and any more?).
Thanks.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Debbie, I hope someone can post a comment telling you where to get this movie. (Have you tried your library system?)
Julie says
For anyone who hasn’t seen them, the Margaret Rutherford Miss Marple mysteries are so much fun- she is so cute and funny. Forget whether she is like other Miss Marple’s you’ve seen and just enjoy the British humor : ). (Murder Ahoy! Is the one listed above).
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Julie, I remember the first time I saw a Margaret Rutherford rendition of Miss Marple! I agree with you, they really are fun to watch.
Connie says
Looking forward to so many of these movies, especially the Joel Coen film I missed, “Blood Simple.” I am also recording “Winter Kills” (Jeff Bridges—yes!), “Point Blank,” and “The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse (what’s not to love about Humphrey Bogart and Edgar G. Robinson?). Exciting month. Thank you SO much for creating these lists.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Connie, you’re welcome. I haven’t set up my DVR yet, but am patiently waiting to get some of these movies. (I totally agree with you about Edgar G. Robinson and Humphrey Bogart!)
DaShannon says
I’m not sure where to post this but… I just finished Lillian Jackson Braun’s The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers and I thought I had at least one more but apparently it went unpublished… and if anyone has read the series there are 2 huge things that happen in 60 Whiskers that might send me into therapy!!! Why?!? Why?!?! Any consoling thoughts are welcome or if I should cut and paste this elsewhere. I’m distraught!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
DaShannon, years ago I posted an entry about Lilian Jackson Braun. I think it’s one of the most commented-on entries I have on the site. It’s from way back on August 9, 2009:
Hmmm… Does Anyone Know What’s Happening with Lilian Jackson Braun’s The Cat Who ***
Lots and lots of Cozy Mystery readers were very “distraught” when they finished reading her last Cozy.
DaShannon says
Thanks for this! I’ll go read the article and comments for therapy 🙂 I love your blog and this is exactly why. When I needed to talk cozy I knew just where to find the support I needed. Really, thanks for your time and effort~
Danna - cozy mystery list says
DaShannon, you’re welcome!
Meggie says
Hello DaShannon,
I agree with you! The title was supposed to be
The Cat Who Smelled Smoke.
I saw [it} once on a list to be forth coming
but then nothing..
I knew or suspected after the release of The Cat Who Had Sixty Whiskers that we were coming to the end but I hoped for another book.
I reread her books anytime I want to lose my self in Pickax city.
Connie says
I just finished the same book and was disappointed to learn that no more books follow because the author passed away. So sad to learn that.
DaShannon says
It just ends with those 2 pesky tragedies that need more answers!
Patti S. says
I love watching TCM, but I sure do miss Robert Osborne. He was so knowledgeable about films and so good at what he did. He is irreplaceable. Godspeed Robert.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Patti S, I still have several movies that I taped a while ago – and each time I open one up to watch, I find myself hoping that Robert Osborne will be doing the intro/ending segments. I like Ben Mankiewicz and enjoy hearing him talk about all the actors and directors who came to his house while he was growing up, too. But there was something so special about Robert Osborne…
Gina says
May 14 on Hallmark mystery and movies is a new Aurora Teagarden movie.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Gina, thanks for telling us!