November looks like it will be a great month for mystery movies on TCM, particularly if you’re a fan of the Peter Sellers Pink Panther series – there will be a marathon on November 29th!
***** ***** ***** *****
Saturday – November 2
7:28 AM
FIND THE BLACKMAILER (1943)
A private eye hunts for the talking bird that holds the key to a murder.
Dir: D. Ross Lederman Cast: Jerome Cowan, Faye Emerson, Gene Lockhart.
BW- 56 mins
11:00 PM
SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (1957)
A crooked press agent stoops to new depths to help an egotistical columnist break up his sister’s romance.
Dir: Alexander Mackendrick Cast: Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison.
BW- 97 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – November 3
1:00 AM
ARSENIC AND OLD LACE (1944)
A young man about to be married discovers the two aunts who raised him have been poisoning lonely old men.
Dir: Frank Capra Cast: Cary Grant, Priscilla Lane, Raymond Massey.
BW- 118 mins, CC
9:00 AM
SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (1957)
A crooked press agent stoops to new depths to help an egotistical columnist break up his sister’s romance.
Dir: Alexander Mackendrick Cast: Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison.
BW- 97 mins, CC
7:00 PM
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
9:00 PM
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, CC, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
Monday – November 4
6:45 AM
HUNT THE MAN DOWN (1950)
Lawyer uncovers secrets behind a decade-old murder case.
Dir: George Archainbaud Cast: Gig Young, Lynne Roberts, Mary Anderson.
BW- 68 mins, CC
1:15 PM
THE WOMAN IN WHITE (1948)
Classic mystery about the adventures of a young tutor sent to a ghostly country estate.
Dir: Peter Godfrey Cast: Alexis Smith, Eleanor Parker, Sydney Greenstreet.
BW- 109 mins, CC
8:15 PM
GILDERSLEEVE’S BAD DAY (1943)
A small-town politician is the jury hold-out in a sensational murder case.
Dir: Gordon Douglas Cast: Harold Peary, Jane Darwell, Nancy Gates.
BW- 63 mins, CC
11:30 PM
MASTERSON OF KANSAS (1954)
Sheriff Bat Masterson joins forces with Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday to save a rancher framed for murder.
Dir: William Castle Cast: George Montgomery, Nancy Gates, James Griffith.
C- 73 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Tuesday – November 5
1:00 PM
BUREAU OF MISSING PERSONS (1933)
A police chief helps a young bride find her missing husband or at least his corpse.
Dir: Roy Del Ruth Cast: Lewis Stone, Pat O’Brien, Glenda Farrell.
BW- 73 mins
10:00 PM
THE BIG SHAKEDOWN (1934)
A racketeer breaks into black-market medicine.
Dir: John Francis Dillon Cast: Charles Farrell, Bette Davis, Ricardo Cortez.
BW- 61 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Wednesday – November 6
2:30 AM
SPECIAL AGENT (1935)
A government agent poses as a newspaperman to get the goods on a mobster.
Dir: William Keighley Cast: Bette Davis, George Brent, Ricardo Cortez.
BW- 76 mins, CC
11:00 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
***** ***** ***** *****
Friday – November 8
12:45 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
***** ***** ***** *****
Saturday – November 9
7:31 AM
A FUGITIVE FROM JUSTICE (1940)
An insurance investigator gets caught between cops and crooks when he hides the beneficiary of a million-dollar policy.
Dir: Terry Morse Cast: Roger Pryor, Lucile Fairbanks, Eddie Foy Jr..
BW- 53 mins
1:15 PM
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
11:00 PM
JOHNNY EAGER (1942)
A handsome racketeer seduces the DA’s daughter for revenge, then falls in love.
Dir: Mervyn LeRoy Cast: Robert Taylor, Lana Turner, Edward Arnold.
BW- 107 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – November 10
9:00 AM
JOHNNY EAGER (1942)
A handsome racketeer seduces the DA’s daughter for revenge, then falls in love.
Dir: Mervyn LeRoy Cast: Robert Taylor, Lana Turner, Edward Arnold.
BW- 107 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Tuesday – November 12
12:30 PM
THE PETRIFIED FOREST (1936)
An escaped convict holds the customers at a remote desert cantina hostage.
Dir: Archie L. Mayo Cast: Leslie Howard, Bette Davis, Genevieve Tobin.
BW- 82 mins, CC
2:00 PM
SATAN MET A LADY (1936)
In the second screen version of The Maltese Falcon, a detective is caught between a lying seductress and a lady jewel thief.
Dir: William Dieterle Cast: Bette Davis, Warren William, Alison Skipworth.
BW- 74 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Thursday – November 14
12:30 PM
THE TALL TARGET (1951)
A detective tries to prevent the assassination of President Lincoln during a train ride.
Dir: Anthony Mann Cast: Dick Powell, Paula Raymond, Adolphe Menjou.
BW- 78 mins, CC
2:00 PM
STATION WEST (1948)
A federal agent takes on a gang of gold thieves.
Dir: Sidney Lanfield Cast: Dick Powell, Jane Greer, Agnes Moorehead.
BW- 80 mins, CC
3:30 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
5:15 PM
MURDER, MY SWEET (1944)
Detective Philip Marlowe’s search for a two-timing woman leads him to blackmail and murder.
Dir: Edward Dmytryk Cast: Dick Powell, Claire Trevor, Anne Shirley.
BW- 95 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Friday – November 15
2:15 AM
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
***** ***** ***** *****
Saturday – November 16
7:29 AM
TEAR GAS SQUAD (1940)
A brave young policeman single-handedly takes on a vicious criminal gang.
Dir: Terry Morse Cast: Dennis Morgan, John Payne, Gloria Dickson.
BW- 55 mins, CC
11:00 PM
THE HITCH-HIKER (1953)
A dangerous madman kidnaps two businessmen on a hunting trip.
Dir: Ida Lupino Cast: Edmond O’Brien, Frank Lovejoy, William Talman.
BW- 71 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – November 17
9:00 AM
THE HITCH-HIKER (1953)
A dangerous madman kidnaps two businessmen on a hunting trip.
Dir: Ida Lupino Cast: Edmond O’Brien, Frank Lovejoy, William Talman.
BW- 71 mins, CC
9:15 PM
THIS GUN FOR HIRE (1942)
A hired killer dodges police while tracking down the enemy agents who tried to frame him.
Dir: Frank Tuttle Cast: Veronica Lake, Robert Preston, Laird Cregar.
BW- 81 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Monday – November 18
7:00 PM
SCARAMOUCHE (1952)
In 18th-century France, a young man masquerades as an actor to avenge his friend’s murder.
Dir: George Sidney Cast: Stewart Granger, Eleanor Parker, Janet Leigh.
C- 115 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Tuesday – November 19
5:00 AM
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
***** ***** ***** *****
Wednesday – November 20
1:30 AM
A STOLEN LIFE (1946)
A twin takes her deceased sister’s place as wife of the man they both love.
Dir: Curtis Bernhardt Cast: Bette Davis, Glenn Ford, Dane Clark.
BW- 107 mins, CC
9:15 PM
KLUTE (1971)
A small-town detective searches for a missing man linked to a high-priced prostitute.
Dir: Alan J. Pakula Cast: Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, Charles Cioffi.
C- 114 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
Thursday – November 21
5:15 PM
BLUEBEARD’S TEN HONEYMOONS (1960)
A gold digger persuades her older lover to murder for her.
Dir: W. Lee Wilder Cast: George Sanders, Corinne Calvet, Jean Kent.
BW- 93 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Friday – November 22
1:15 PM
DINKY (1935)
A military school cadet’s mother is framed and sent to prison.
Dir: D. Ross Lederman Cast: Jackie Cooper, Mary Astor, Roger Pryor.
BW- 65 mins, CC
2:30 PM
I AM A THIEF (1935)
A man dodges jewel thieves while carrying a fortune in diamonds on the Orient Express.
Dir: Robert Florey Cast: Mary Astor, Ricardo Cortez, Dudley Digges.
BW- 64 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Saturday – November 23
2:45 AM
STOP ME BEFORE I KILL (1961)
After surviving an accident, a race car driver begins to suffer violent impulses.
Dir: Val Guest Cast: Claude Dauphin, Diane Cilento, Ronald Lewis.
BW- 108 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
11:00 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
11:00 PM
KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL (1952)
To commit the perfect crime, a former detective keeps his colleagues’ identities secret from each other.
Dir: Phil Karlson Cast: John Payne, Coleen Gray, Preston Foster.
BW- 99 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – November 24
9:00 AM
KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL (1952)
To commit the perfect crime, a former detective keeps his colleagues’ identities secret from each other.
Dir: Phil Karlson Cast: John Payne, Coleen Gray, Preston Foster.
BW- 99 mins, CC
5:15 PM
THE LATE SHOW (1977)
An aging private eye hooks up with a Hollywood eccentric to investigate his partner’s murder.
Dir: Robert Benton Cast: Art Carney, Lily Tomlin, Bill Macy.
C- 93 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Monday – November 25
6:30 AM
DOCTOR X (1932)
A reporter investigates a series of cannibalistic murders at a medical college.
Dir: Michael Curtiz Cast: Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Lee Tracy.
C- 76 mins, CC
8:00 AM
THE MURDER OF DR. HARRIGAN (1936)
A doctor investigates the murder of a colleague involved in experimental surgery.
Dir: Frank McDonald Cast: Ricardo Cortez, Kay Linaker, John Eldredge.
BW- 67 mins
9:15 AM
THE PATIENT IN ROOM 18 (1938)
A hospitalized detective probes the murder of a fellow patient.
Dir: Bobby Connolly Cast: Patric Knowles, Ann Sheridan, Eric Stanley.
BW- 59 mins, CC
10:30 AM
GREEN FOR DANGER (1946)
A police inspector investigates an operating room death that may be murder.
Dir: Sidney Gilliat Cast: Leo Genn, Alastair Sim, Trevor Howard.
BW- 92 mins, CC
12:15 PM
WHILE THE PATIENT SLEPT (1935)
A nurse investigates murder at a mysterious mansion.
Dir: Ray Enright Cast: Aline MacMahon, Guy Kibbee, Lyle Talbot.
BW- 66 mins, CC
1:30 PM
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
2:45 PM
THE NURSE’S SECRET (1941)
When her patient is murdered, a private-duty nurse investigates the crime.
Dir: Noel M. Smith Cast: Lee Patrick, Regis Toomey, Julie Bishop.
BW- 64 mins
4:00 PM
WHERE DANGER LIVES (1950)
A psychopath draws her doctor into her murderous schemes.
Dir: John Farrow Cast: Robert Mitchum, Faith Domergue, Claude Rains.
BW- 80 mins, CC
5:30 PM
HYSTERIA (1965)
An amnesiac stumbles on to a murder plot.
Dir: Freddie Francis Cast: Robert Webber, Anthony Newlands, Jennifer Jayne.
BW- 85 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Tuesday – November 26
2:45 PM
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
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
DEAD RINGER (1964)
A woman murders her rich twin and tries to take her place.
Dir: Paul Henreid Cast: Bette Davis, Karl Malden, Peter Lawford.
BW- 116 mins, CC
11:30 PM
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
***** ***** ***** *****
Friday – November 29
7:00 AM
GAMBIT (1967)
A man dreams of the perfect robbery but can’t seem to pull it off.
Dir: Ronald Neame Cast: Shirley MacLaine, Michael Caine, Herbert Lom.
C- 108 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
9:00 AM
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
11:00 AM
A SHOT IN THE DARK (1964)
Inspector Clouseau tries to clear a beautiful woman accused of shooting her husband.
Dir: Blake Edwards Cast: Peter Sellers, Elke Sommer, George Sanders.
C- 102 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
1:00 PM
THE RETURN OF THE PINK PANTHER (1975)
Dir: Blake Edwards Cast: Peter Sellers, Christopher Plummer, Catherine Schell.
BW- 113 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
3:00 PM
THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN (1976)
After driving his boss to insanity, Inspector Clouseau has to stop him from destroying the world.
Dir: Blake Edwards Cast: Peter Sellers, Herbert Lom, Colin Blakely.
C- 103 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
5:00 PM
REVENGE OF THE PINK PANTHER (1978)
Inspector Clouseau fakes his own death so he can track the mystery man who’s been trying to kill him.
Dir: Blake Edwards Cast: Peter Sellers, Herbert Lom, Robert Loggia.
C- 99 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Saturday – November 30
11:15 PM
THE MASK OF DIMITRIOS (1944)
A meek novelist investigates the mysterious death of a notorious scoundrel.
Dir: Jean Negulesco Cast: Sydney Greenstreet, Zachary Scott, Faye Emerson.
BW- 96 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
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 2019 television mystery movies schedule:
Upcoming Television Mystery Movies for October 2019 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.
(All of the movie descriptions were taken off their respective websites.)
Susy S says
Looks like black Friday is a good day to stay home and get a laugh with Peter Sellers and the Pink Panther.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Susy, that certainly seems like the case! Personally I do most of my holiday shopping online anyway.
Karen Notbusch says
I just read in today’s paper that Comcast will be removing TCM from their basic package and including it with their higher priced sports package instead. That is terrible for fans of classic mysteries and subscribes need to complain.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Karen, yes, that’s very disappointing – I don’t have Comcast, but it’s unfortunate that TCM is being removed from basic cable. Putting it into a sports package seems especially strange.
Susy S says
I agree Danna. I also do a lot well before Thanksgiving as I will spend much of that week, and possibly the week before decorating my trees. I have an over-the-top collection of ornaments and I want them to be on the trees in just the right way.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Susy, we usually wait until the beginning of December for our tree, though it varies a bit.
Susy S says
I used to do that as well, but now my sweet hubby has to build his Christmas village around my trees after they are set up. Since I have a ton of ornaments and he has a bunch of buildings, it can take a while….
Davey says
There’ quit a few good movies. Bogart’s Sam Spade and the Pink Panther. Looking forward to watching.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Davey, sounds like a good combination!