Here are the mystery movies I was able to glean from TCM’s Now Playing for September 2013. (TCM stands for the Turner Classic Movie channel.) Alfred Hitchcock is being highlighted on Sundays, which is a great thing for those of us who enjoy his work. I know that his movies are thought of as “thrillers” of sorts, but they are also mysteries.
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 September 2013, please post a comment.
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – September 1, 2013
MURDER! (1930) 9:00 AM (Central)
A juror who had voted to convict a murder suspect tries to prove someone else did it before the execution date.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Herbert Marshall, Nora Baring, Miles Mander
BW-100 mins, TV-PG
ROPE (1948) 11:00 AM (Central)
Two wealthy young men try to commit the perfect crime by murdering a friend.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Dick Hogan, John Dall, Farley Granger
C-81 mins, TV-14, CC
SPELLBOUND (1945) 12:30 PM (Central)
A psychiatrist tries to help the man she loves solve a murder buried in his subconscious.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck, Michael Chekhov
BW-111 mins, TV-PG, CC
THE BIRDS (1963) 4:45 PM (Central)
In a California coastal area, flocks of birds unaccountably make deadly attacks on humans.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren, Jessica Tandy
C-119 mins, TV-14, CC, Letterbox Format
SHADOW OF A DOUBT (1943) 7:00 PM (Central)
A young girl fears her favorite uncle may be a killer.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Teresa Wright, Joseph Cotten, MacDonald Carey
BW-108 mins, TV-PG, CC
PSYCHO (1960) 9:00 PM (Central)
A woman on the run gets mixed up with a repressed young man and his violent mother.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin
BW-109 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
Monday – September 2, 2013
FRENZY (1972) 2:30 AM (Central)
When a temperamental man’s ex-wife falls victim to a serial killer, he becomes the number one suspect.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Jon Finch, Barry Foster, Barbara Leigh-Hunt
C-116 mins, TV-MA, CC, Letterbox Format
THE PITFALL (1948) 3:15 PM (Central)
A married insurance man falls for a criminal’s girlfriend.
Dir: Andre DeToth Cast: Dick Powell, Lizabeth Scott, Jane Wyatt
BW-86 mins, TV-PG
***** ***** ***** *****
Thursday – September 5, 2013
VERTIGO (1958) 8:00 PM (Central)
A detective falls for the mysterious woman he’s been hired to tail.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes
C-130 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
Friday – September 6, 2013
PUSHOVER (1954) 1:30 AM (Central)
A police detective falls for the bank robber’s girlfriend he is supposed to be tailing.
Dir: Richard Quine Cast: Fred MacMurray, Phil Carey, Kim Novak
BW-88 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – September 8, 2013
STAGE FRIGHT (1950) 11:00 AM (Central)
An acting student goes undercover to prove a singing star killed her husband.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Jane Wyman, Marlene Dietrich, Michael Wilding
BW-110 mins, TV-PG, CC
I CONFESS (1953) 1:00 PM (Central)
A priest suspected of murder can only clear himself by violating the sanctity of the confessional.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Montgomery Clift, Anne Baxter, Karl Malden
BW-95 mins, TV-PG, CC
THE WRONG MAN (1956) 3:00 PM (Central)
A musician is mistaken for a vicious thief, with devastating results.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Henry Fonda , Vera Miles , Anthony Quayle .
BW-105 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format
SABOTEUR (1942) 5:00 PM (Central)
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, TV-PG, CC
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT (1940) 7:00 PM (Central)
An American reporter covering the war in Europe gets mixed up in the assassination of a Dutch diplomat.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Joel McCrea, Laraine Day, Herbert Marshall
BW-120 mins, TV-PG, CC
NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959) 9:15 PM (Central)
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, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
Wednesday – September 11, 2013
I CONFESS (1953) 1:00 AM (Central)
A priest suspected of murder can only clear himself by violating the sanctity of the confessional.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Montgomery Clift, Anne Baxter, Karl Malden
BW-95 mins, TV-PG, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Thursday – September 12, 2013
OUT OF THE PAST (1947) 4:30 PM (Central)
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 – September 14, 2013
SKY MURDER (1940) 9:45 AM (Central)
Detective Nick Carter tries to prove a beautiful immigrant innocent of murder.
Dir: George B. Seitz Cast: Walter Pidgeon, Donald Meek, Karen Verne
BW-72 mins, TV-PG
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – September 15, 2013
NUMBER SEVENTEEN (1932) 9:00 AM (Central)
A detective sets out to recover a necklace lifted by jewel thieves.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Leon M. Lion, Anne Grey, Donald Calthrop
BW-61 mins, TV-PG
THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (1956) 2:30 PM (Central)
International spies kidnap a doctor’s son when he stumbles on their assassination plot.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: James Stewart, Doris Day, Brenda de Banzie
C-120 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format
VERTIGO (1958) 4:45 PM (Central)
A detective falls for the mysterious woman he’s been hired to tail.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes
C-130 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format
REAR WINDOW (1954) 7:00 PM (Central)
A photographer with a broken leg uncovers a murder while spying on the neighbors in a nearby apartment building.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey
C-114 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
Wednesday – September 18, 2013
THE HOUSEKEEPER’S DAUGHTER (1939) 5:00 AM (Central)
A gangster’s moll runs home to mother, with reporters and amateur detectives hot on her tail.
Dir: Hal Roach Cast: Joan Bennett, Adolphe Menjou, John Hubbard
BW-80 mins, TV-G, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Saturday – September 21, 2013
DETECTIVE KITTY O’DAY (1944) 9:45 AM (Central)
An amateur sleuth drives her boyfriend and the police crazy when she butts into a murder investigation.
Dir: William Beaudine Cast: Jean Parker, Peter Cookson, Tim Ryan
BW-61 mins, TV-G,
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – September 22, 2013
THE LADY VANISHES (1938) 12:15 PM (Central)
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, TV-G, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Tuesday – September 24, 2013
BLACK WIDOW (1954) 4:00 PM (Central)
The murder of a scheming female writer throws a group of theatrical friends into turmoil.
Dir: Nunnally Johnson Cast: Ginger Rogers, Van Heflin, Gene Tierney
C-95 mins, TV-14, CC, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
Saturday – September 28, 2013
ADVENTURES OF KITTY O’DAY (1944) 9:45 AM (Central)
A perky switchboard operator investigates murders that baffle the police.
Dir: William Beaudine Cast: Jean Parker, Peter Cookson, Tim Ryan
BW-63 mins, TV-G
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – September 29, 2013
EYES OF LAURA MARS (1978) 3:00 AM (Central)
A fashion photographer develops the ability to see through the eyes of a serial killer.
Dir: Irvin Kershner Cast: Faye Dunaway, Tom Lee Jones, Brad Dourif
C-103 mins, TV-14, Letterbox Format
THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS (1946) 5:00 AM (Central)
Years after a murder drove them apart, an heiress tries to win back her lost love.
Dir: Lewis Milestone Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, Lizabeth Scott
BW-116 mins, TV-PG, CC
(*** Not a mystery, but one of my favorite Barbara Stanwyck movies. She is absolutely wonderful in it.***)
DEAD RECKONING (1947) 7:00 AM (Central)
A tough veteran sets out to solve his war buddy’s murder.
Dir: John Cromwell Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Lizabeth Scott, Morris Carnovsky
BW-100 mins, TV-PG, CC
SUSPICION (1941) 1:00 PM (Central)
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
STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (1951) 3:00 PM (Central)
A man’s joking suggestion that he and a chance acquaintance trade murders turns deadly.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Farley Granger, Ruth Roman, Robert Walker
BW-101 mins, TV-PG, CC
DIAL M FOR MURDER (1954) 5:00 PM (Central)
A straying husband frames his wife for the murder of the man he’d hired to kill her.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings
C-105 mins, TV-PG, CC
REBECCA (1940) 7:00 PM (Central)
A young bride is terrorized by the memories of her husband’s glamorous first wife.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders
BW-130 mins, TV-PG, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
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.
Lee Ann says
Thank you for the list Hitch is my favourite director. Rear Window is the all time favourite
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Lee Ann, I love Shadow of a Doubt. Joseph Cotton is so good as the girl’s favorite uncle.
Patti S. says
I listen to old time radio shows while I am working at home. I have been listening to Lux Old Time radio shows. I just listened to Shadow of A Doubt the other day and they had William Powell(I love him!) in the Joseph Cotten part. It also had Theresa Wright. It was excellent!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Patti S, that sounds like fun. Do you download them off the internet? (I also love William Powell. He had a way of adding an extra something to everything he was in.
Patti S. says
No, actually, I do not download them, I listen to them on my computer. Go to Old Time Radio Archive.com They have hundreds of old time radio shows.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Thanks for the tip, Patti S. I’m guessing there are more than just a few of us who would be interested in listening to soem of the Old Time Radio shows.
K.D. McCrite says
“Rope” is a lesser known movie, but I thought it was very good … in a creepy way. A little different. At least to me. 🙂
Danna - cozy mystery list says
K.D., I remember reading that Alfred Hitchcock used a non-stop camera, or some such thing when filming Rope. No, actually I just looked it up and see that they edited it to look like it was one non-stopped filming.
Julia says
Oh, oodles and oodles of Hitchcock! And just in time for my birthday! I’d be hard pressed to pick a favorite, although I do wish they were showing the original version of ‘The Man Who Knew Too Much’ instead of the remake (the B&W version has a lot more tension in it). But hey, “Strangers on a Train” AND “Stage Fright” PLUS “Saboteur” AND “The Lady Vanishes” ALL in the same month? Simply an embarrassment of riches. 🙂
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Happy (early) Birthday, Julia! What a way to enjoy the day!
Sharon says
Thanks SO much for the list! I never want to miss an Alfred Hitchcock thriller and I’m new to the Kitty O’Day Mysteries. Looking forward to checking them out. They sound like good comical mysteries! 🙂
Danna - cozy mystery list says
You’re welcome, Sharon. I think those Kitty O’Day mysteries might be fun, too. They sound a little like this month’s (August) Torchy Blane mystery movies. I had never seen one until this month, and I have been enjoying watching them while I work on my beaded needlework.
Donna says
“Pitfall” will be shown today (Sept 2) at 4:15 ET on TCM. I haven’t seen it but I’m planning to watch! It sounds like a good suspense film: “A man’s affair with a blonde leads to guilt and murder.” Starring Dick Powell and Lizbeth Scott.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Donna, I’m glad you caught Pitfall yesterday. I quickly added it to the list of upcoming mysteries. Thanks!
Teressa says
Loved watching the Hitchcock movies yesterday!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Teressa, that’s the only draw back with only watching things I have recorded. They get added to a long list of other things I want to watch. However, I eventually get to them!
Kalena says
I just discovered Death in Paradise on my local PBS station – it’s a thoroughly enjoyable detective show about a British detective who has been assigned to a Caribbean stationhouse and his struggles with island-style living. The give-and-take dialog with the three inspectors who now report to him is excellent. Season 3 will begin in January 2014.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Kalena, thank you for telling us about Death in Paradise. I’m going to go check to see if my local PBS station carries it.
Donna Mc says
Hurrah, look what I found using the new Search feature! I wondered if anyone had previously mentioned this series. It’s excellent! I only wish the first inspector had stayed with the series, however, the new guy looks interesting and seems likable. I don’t want to spill any secrets and risk spoiling it for anyone so that’s all I’m going to say about that. 🙂 Hope your local PBS stations carries it, if not, it’s definitely worth checking out online for those who enjoy cozy mysteries in lovely locations.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Kalena, thank you, again. My husband and I are really enjoying this show. I am in the middle of writing an entry about it…
Donna MC, it’s a wonderful show.
Cindy says
This sounds pretty cozy and it’s airing in September. http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/garagesalemystery
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Thanks, Cindy, for telling us about Garage Sale Mystery. I hope everyone was able to catch it during September. I’m glad you caught this mystery movie.
This is the time of the year when I start looking at the Hallmark channel to find seasonal movies, so I shouldn’t have missed this one. Thanks!