Here is the list of the mystery movies that I have been able to find for the month of September 2014. I have gone through the Turner Classic Movies channel, as well as the PBS Masterpiece Mystery shows, and the Hallmark Movie channel mystery movies. I hope there are a few that you enjoy!
As usual, if you know of any other mystery movie that will be airing during the month (September), please post a comment. We’d all love to know about it. Thank you!
September 2014 Turner Classic Movies Channel Mystery Movies (Central time zone):
Monday – September 1, 2014
3:00 PM
THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME (1932)
A big game hunter decides to stalk human prey.
Dir: Ernest B. Schoedsack Cast: Joel McCrea, Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong.
BW-63 mins, CC
9:30 PM
PORTRAIT OF JENNIE (1948)
An artist discovers his gift when he falls for a beautiful ghost.
Dir: William Dieterle Cast: Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten, Ethel Barrymore.
C-86 mins, C
***** ***** ***** *****
Wednesday – September 3, 2014
7:00 AM
ADAM’S RIB (1949)
Husband-and-wife lawyers argue opposite sides in a sensational women’s rights case.
Dir: George Cukor Cast: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Judy Holliday.
BW-101 mins, CC
*****I think this movie is terrific. How could it not be with Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, and Judy Holliday >>> not to mention George Cukor at the helm?
***** ***** ***** *****
Thursday – September 4, 2014
3:30 PM
OBSESSION (1949)
A jealous husband plots to dispose of his wife’s lover in an acid bath.
Dir: Edward Dmytryk Cast: Robert Newton, Sally Gray, Naunton Wayne.
BW-98 mins
***** ***** ***** *****
Friday – September 5, 2014
12:30 PM
FRISCO JENNY (1932)
A district attorney prosecutes his own mother for murder.
Dir: William A. Wellman Cast: Ruth Chatterton, Louis Calhern, Helen Jerome Eddy.
BW-71 mins, CC
THOU SHALT NOT: SEX, SIN, AND CENSORSHIP IN PRE-CODE HOLLYWOOD (2008)
This documentary looks at how the social, financial and moral forces all helped shape one of the most intriguing periods in Hollywood history.
C-68 mins, CC
*****Not a mystery. I think this is the documentary I saw a few years ago (?) that was pretty interesting to me. They’re airing this again on Saturday, Sept. 20.*****
***** ***** ***** *****
Saturday – September 6, 2014
5:00 AM
HOW TO MURDER YOUR WIFE (1965)
After marrying while drunk, a cartoonist puts his murderous fantasies into his work.
Dir: Richard Quine Cast: Jack Lemmon, Virna Lisi, Terry-Thomas.
C-119 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
*****I’m not sure if this is a mystery or a comedy.*****
4:45 PM
ROLLERCOASTER (1977)
A terrorist spreads a climate of fear by attacking amusement parks across the U.S.
Dir: James Goldstone Cast: George Segal, Richard Widmark, Timothy Bottoms.
C-118 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – September 7, 2014
1:45 AM
HOUSE OF WOMEN (1962)
A young woman is wrongly implicated in a crime and sent to prison for five years.
Dir: Walter Doniger Cast: Shirley Knight, Andrew Duggan, Constance Ford.
BW-85 mins, Letterbox Format
3:15 AM
CAGED (1950)
A young innocent fights to survive the harsh life in a women’s prison.
Dir: John Cromwell Cast: Eleanor Parker, Agnes Moorehead, Ellen Corby.
BW-97 mins, CC
11:00 AM
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, CC
5:00 PM
THE THRILL OF IT ALL (1963)
A doctor tries to cope with his wife’s newfound stardom as an advertising pitch woman.
Dir: Norman Jewison Cast: Doris Day, James Garner, Arlene Francis.
C-108 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
*****Not a mystery. Doris Day and James Garner: How can you go wrong?
***** ***** ***** *****
Tuesday – September 9, 2014
8:15 AM
THE MOUTHPIECE (1932)
A crusading DA goes into private practice and succumbs to the temptations of corruption.
Dir: James Flood Cast: Warren William, Sidney Fox, Aline MacMahon.
BW-86 mins
9:45 AM
HEAT LIGHTNING (1934)
A lady gas station attendant gets mixed up with escaped murderers.
Dir: Mervyn LeRoy Cast: Aline MacMahon, Ann Dvorak, Preston Foster.
BW-64 mins
12:15 PM
KIND LADY (1935)
A con artist and his criminal colleagues move in on a trusting old lady.
Dir: George B. Seitz Cast: Aline MacMahon, Basil Rathbone, Mary Carlisle.
BW-76 mins, CC
7:00 PM
THE STRANGER (1946)
A small-town schoolteacher suspects her new husband may be an escaped Nazi war criminal.
Dir: Orson Welles Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Loretta Young, Orson Welles.
BW-95 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Wednesday – September 10, 2014
1:00 AM
JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG (1961)
An aging American judge presides over the trial of Nazi war criminals.
Dir: Stanley Kramer Cast: Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark.
BW-179 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
*****Not a mystery. William Shatner as Capt. Harrison Byers before he became Capt. James T. Kirk. What a cast!*****
5:00 AM
STRANGE ALIBI (1941)
An undercover cop finds himself on the wrong side of the law when the mob discovers his true identity.
Dir: D. Ross Lederman Cast: Arthur Kennedy, Joan Perry, Jonathan Hale.
BW-63 mins
6:15 AM
THE GET-AWAY (1941)
A jailed cop befriends a mob chieftain and stages a breakout with him.
Dir: Edward Buzzell Cast: Robert Sterling, Charles Winninger, Donna Reed.
BW-89 mins, CC
8:45 AM
I WAS FRAMED (1942)
A news man’s political investigations land him in prison.
Dir: D. Ross Lederman Cast: Michael Ames, Julie Bishop, Regis Toomey.
BW-62 mins
11:00 AM
THE BRIGHTON STRANGLER (1945)
An actor playing a notorious killer begins to live the part.
Dir: Max Nosseck Cast: John Loder, June Duprez, Michael St. Angel.
BW-67 mins
12:15 PM
THE HIDDEN EYE (1945)
Blind detective Duncan Maclaine uses his other senses to piece together confusing clues behind a murder.
Dir: Richard Whorf Cast: Edward Arnold, Frances Rafferty, Ray Collins.
BW-69 mins
1:30 PM
THEY MADE ME A FUGITIVE (1947)
After being framed for a policeman’s murder, a criminal escapes prison and sets out for revenge.
Dir: [Alberto] Cavalcanti Cast: Sally Gray, Trevor Howard, Griffith Jones.
BW-101 mins, CC
3:15 PM
FOLLOW ME QUIETLY (1949)
Police track a mysterious killer nicknamed “The Judge.”
Dir: Richard O. Fleischer Cast: William Lundigan, Dorothy Patrick, Jeff Corey.
BW-59 mins, CC
4:15 PM
STRANGE BARGAIN (1949)
A young bookkeeper is framed for his boss’s murder.
Dir: Will Price Cast: Martha Scott, Jeffrey Lynn, Henry Morgan.
BW-68 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Thursday – September 11, 2014
6:45 AM
ARSENE LUPIN RETURNS (1938)
A reformed jewel thief helps detectives track down a criminal.
Dir: Geo. Fitzmaurice Cast: Melvyn Douglas, Virginia Bruce, Warren William.
BW-81 mins
***** ***** ***** *****
Friday – September 12, 2014
10:15 AM
FOR THE DEFENSE (1930)
An attorney, who specializes in springing criminals out of prison, is faced with a moral dilemma when his girlfriend drunkenly kills a pedestrian with her car and another man takes the blame.
Dir: John Cromwell Cast: William Powell, Kay Francis, Scott Kolk.
BW-63 mins, CC
11:30 AM
UNION DEPOT (1932)
An out-of-luck con artist discovers a suitcase full of money at a train station.
Dir: Alfred E. Green Cast: Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Joan Blondell, Guy Kibbee.
BW-67 mins
***** ***** ***** *****
Saturday – September 13, 2014
1:30 AM
THE STORY OF TEMPLE DRAKE (1933)
A society girl gets mixed up with blackmail and murder after a vicious sexual assault.
Dir: Stephen Roberts Cast: Miriam Hopkins, William Gargan, Jack La Rue.
BW-71 mins, CC
11:15 PM
FRISCO JENNY (1932)
A district attorney prosecutes his own mother for murder.
Dir: William A. Wellman Cast: Ruth Chatterton, Louis Calhern, Helen Jerome Eddy.
BW-71 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – September 14, 2014
1:00 AM
MADHOUSE (1974)
A horror star’s attempted comeback is complicated by a string of murders.
Dir: James Clark Cast: Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, Robert Quarry.
C-91 mins, Letterbox Format
*****This may be a bit “campy”, >>> I’m pretty sure I have it, but can’t remember. I like to watch Vincent Price movies during the Halloween season.*****
8:15 AM
SCARED TO DEATH (1947)
A beautiful murder victim recalls how she met her untimely end.
Dir: Christy Cabanne Cast: Bela Lugosi, George Zucco, Nat Pendleton.
C-68 mins
9:45 AM
THE SMILING GHOST (1941)
A newswoman investigates a haunted house.
Dir: Lewis Seiler Cast: Wayne Morris, Brenda Marshall, Alexis Smith.
BW-71 mins, CC
7:00 PM
THE OLD MAID (1939)
An unmarried mother gives her illegitimate child to her cousin.
Dir: Edmund Goulding Cast: Bette Davis, Miriam Hopkins, George Brent.
BW-95 mins, CC
*****Not a mystery. One of the Bette Davis/Miriam Hopkins movies I love to watch.*****
9:00 PM
OLD ACQUAINTANCE (1943)
Two writers, friends since childhood, fight over their books and lives.
Dir: Vincent Sherman Cast: Bette Davis, Miriam Hopkins, Gig Young.
BW-110 mins, CC
*****Not a mystery. Another treat with Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins.*****
***** ***** ***** *****
Monday – September 15, 2014
1:45 PM
GALLANT SONS (1940)
When a man is charged with murder, his son’s schoolboy friends set out to solve the case.
Dir: William Ryan Cast: Jackie Cooper, Bonita Granville, Gene Reynolds.
BW-76 mins
7:00 PM
PRIVATE SCREENINGS: LAUREN BACALL (2005)
Lauren Bacall discusses her life and career with host Robert Osborne.
C-50 mins, CC
*****Not a mystery.*****
10:00 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
***** ***** ***** *****
Tuesday – September 16, 2014
1:45 am
PRIVATE SCREENINGS: LAUREN BACALL (2005)
Lauren Bacall discusses her life and career with host Robert Osborne.
C-50 mins, CC
*****Not a mystery.*****
2:45 AM
HARPER (1966)
A broken-down private eye sets out to find a rich woman’s missing husband.
Dir: Jack Smight Cast: Paul Newman, Lauren Bacall, Julie Harris.
C-121 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
9:00 AM
DARK PASSAGE (1947)
A man falsely accused of his wife’s murder escapes to search for the real killer.
Dir: Delmer Daves Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Bruce Bennett.
BW-106 mins, CC
5:00 PM
DESIGNING WOMAN (1957)
A sportswriter and a fashion designer have a lot of adjusting to do when they marry in haste.
Dir: Vincente Minnelli Cast: Gregory Peck, Lauren Bacall, Dolores Gray.
C-118 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
*****Not a mystery. Gregory Peck and Lauren Bacall!
***** ***** ***** *****
Wednesday – September 17, 2014
10:30 AM
THE BLUE GARDENIA (1953)
A telephone operator kills in self-defense but can’t remember the details of the encounter.
Dir: Fritz Lang Cast: Anne Baxter, Richard Conte, Ann Sothern.
BW-88 mins, CC
1:30 PM
POSTMARK FOR DANGER (1955)
When a journalist dies, his brother takes up his investigation of a smuggling ring.
Dir: Guy Green Cast: Terry Moore, Robert Beatty, William Sylvester.
BW-78 mins, Letterbox Format
***** ***** ***** *****
Thursday – September 18, 2014
12:30 AM
FAST COMPANY (1938)
Married book-dealers Joel and Gerda Sloane try to clear a friend in the murder of a rival book-seller .
Dir: Edward Buzzell Cast: Melvyn Douglas, Florence Rice, Claire Dodd.
BW-75 mins
3:45 AM
DANGEROUS CORNER (1935)
Friends uncover a dark secret when they compare notes about a theft and suicide.
Dir: Phil Rosen Cast: Virginia Bruce, Conrad Nagel, Melvyn Douglas.
BW-66 mins
6:15 AM
TELL NO TALES (1939)
In search of a big scoop for his failing paper, an editor tries to solve a kidnapping case that’s turned into murder.
Dir: Leslie Fenton Cast: Melvyn Douglas, Louise Platt, Gene Lockhart.
BW-69 mins
***** ***** ***** *****
Saturday – September 20, 2014
1:15 AM
THOU SHALT NOT: SEX, SIN, AND CENSORSHIP IN PRE-CODE HOLLYWOOD (2008)
This documentary looks at how the social, financial and moral forces all helped shape one of the most intriguing periods in Hollywood history.
C-68 mins, CC
*****Not a mystery. I think this is the documentary I saw a few years ago (?) that was pretty interesting to me. They aired this on Friday, Sept. 5.*****
***** ***** ***** *****
Monday – September 22, 2014
10:45 AM
JEZEBEL (1938)
A tempestuous Southern belle’s willfulness threatens to destroy all who care for her.
Dir: William Wyler Cast: Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, George Brent.
BW-104 mins, CC
*****Not a mystery. Bette Davis at her best!*****
***** ***** ***** *****
Tuesday – September 23, 2014
2:15 PM
JUDGE HARDY’S CHILDREN (1938)
A small-town judge’s Washington trip lands his son in hot water with a diplomat’s daughter.
Dir: George B. Seitz Cast: Lewis Stone, Mickey Rooney, Cecilia Parker.
BW-77 mins, CC
*****Not a mystery. I had never sat through an Andy Hardy movie before, but after watching the Nancy Drew movies last month, I watched a few that I had DVR-ed. I wanted to watch some more good, old, black and white family-fare movies. I truly enjoyed them. Now I look forward to the Andy Hardy movies!*****
3:45 PM
THE HARDYS RIDE HIGH (1939)
A small-town family inherits a fortune but has trouble adjusting to society life.
Dir: George B. Seitz Cast: Lewis Stone, Mickey Rooney, Cecilia Parker.
BW-81 mins, CC
*****Not a mystery.*****
5:15 PM
LOVE LAUGHS AT ANDY HARDY (1946)
A small-town boy returns to college after the war only to find his sweetheart engaged to another.
Dir: Willis Goldbeck Cast: Mickey Rooney, Lewis Stone, Sara Haden.
BW-93 mins, CC
*****Not a mystery.*****
11:15 PM
CROSSFIRE (1947)
A crusading district attorney investigates the murder of a Jewish man.
Dir: Edward Dmytryk Cast: Robert Young, Robert Mitchum, Robert Ryan.
BW-86 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****
Thursday – September 25, 2014
11:15 AM
LADY OF VENGEANCE (1957)
When he hires a killer to avenge an innocent girl’s death, a man gets caught up in a string of killings.
Dir: Burt Balaban Cast: Dennis O’Keefe, Ann Sears, Anton Differing.
BW-75 mins
12:45 PM
COVER-UP (1949)
An insurance investigator smells something wrong when he looks into a small-town suicide.
Dir: Alfred E. Green Cast: William Bendix, Dennis O’Keefe, Barbara Britton.
BW-82 mins
***** ***** ***** *****
Friday – September 26, 2014
10:15 PM
PENTHOUSE (1933)
The mob frames a lawyer for murder, so he enlists a call girl’s help in finding the real killer.
Dir: W. S. Van Dyke Cast: Warner Baxter, Myrna Loy, Charles Butterworth.
BW-89 mins
***** ***** ***** *****
Saturday – September 27, 2014
2:30 PM
STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (1951)
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, CC
4:30 PM
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, Letterbox Format
7:00 PM
LAURA (1944)
A police detective falls in love with the woman whose murder he’s investigating.
Dir: Otto Preminger Cast: Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb.
BW-88 mins, CC
11:00 PM
AUNTIE MAME (1958)
An eccentric heiress raises her nephew to be a free spirit.
Dir: Morton DaCosta Cast: Rosalind Russell, Forrest Tucker, Coral Browne.
C-143 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
*****Not a mystery. Delightful movie.*****
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday – September 28, 2014
5:00 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
*****Not a mystery. Delightful movie.*****
***** ***** ***** *****
Monday – September 29, 2014
4:45 PM
PHANTOM KILLER (1942)
A district attorney investigates a crook who seems to be in two places at the same time.
Dir: William Beaudine Cast: Dick Purcell, Joan Woodbury, John Hamilton.
BW-61 mins
6:00 PM
THE MYSTERY OF THE 13TH GUEST (1943)
An heiress experiences a variety of strange goings on when she goes to collect her inheritance.
Dir: William Beaudine Cast: Helen Parrish, Dick Purcell, Tim Ryan.
BW-61 mins
(All of the above TCM descriptions were copied from the TCM site.)
***** ***** ***** *****
***** ***** ***** *****
***** ***** ***** *****
PBS Masterpiece Mystery! (Central time zone)
Sundays – August 24 to Sundays -September 7, 2014
8:00 PM
BREATHLESS
This is a “medical drama” set in 1960s London.
*****
Sunday – September 21 & Sunday – September 28, 2014
8:00 PM
MISS MARPLE
Agatha Christie‘s Miss Marple returns in three mysteries: A Caribbean Mystery, Greenshaw’s Folly and Endless Night. (Since this is only slated for two nights, I’m not sure if they will be consolidating the novels, or if two of them will only run one hour.)
*****
Sundays – October 5 to Sundays – October 19, 2014
8:00 PM
INSPECTOR LEWIS: Season 7
Inspector Lewis nad his sidekick, Hathaway will be returning. Remember that at the end of last season, Lewis was retiring, and Hathaway was working on being promoted to Inspector. (Based on Colin Dexter‘s Inspector Morse mysteries.)
*****
Sundays – October 26 to Sundays – November 2, 2014
8:00 PM
DEATH COMES TO PEMBERLEY
Remember when I told you that P.D. James had ventured into a Jane Austen novel? Well this will bring that novel to life. Elizabeth and Darcy will be holding a ball at Pemberley, and what do you suppose happens?
***** ***** ***** *****
***** ***** ***** *****
***** ***** ***** *****
Here are the mystery shows I found on the Hallmark Movie channel:
Hallmark Movie Channel (Central Time Zone)
Sunday – August 31, 2014
10:00 AM
Murder, She Wrote marathon begins.
Monday – September 01, 2014
2:00 AM
Murder, She Wrote marathon ends.
***** ***** ***** *****
Wednesday September 3, 2014
08:00 AM
Dear Prudence – Prudence Macintyre is a humorous Martha Stewart-like advice columnist and TV personality, who escapes on a much needed vacation from her work-driven life. While on her vacation, she finds herself embroiled in solving a murder mystery by using her own quick wit and good housekeeping tips. Stars Jane Seymour and Jamey Sheridan.
***** ***** ***** *****
Friday September 5, 2014
10:00 AM
After All These Years – When a woman is wrongly accused of the death of her ex-husband, she sets out to solve the murder mystery and find the real killer before the day of the funeral, when she is to be taken into custody. Based on the book by best-selling author Susan Isaacs. Stars Wendie Malick Gregory Harrison.
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday September 7, 2014
10:00 AM
Perry Mason marathon begins.
Monday September 8, 2014
4:00 AM
Perry Mason marathon ends.
08:00 AM
Recipe For Murder – Fed up with the system, Murray Maguire, Chief Medical Examiner for the City of New York, decides to personally investigate the death of his goddaughter. Stars Gary Basaraba.
***** ***** ***** *****
Thursday September 11, 2014
10:00 AM
My Gal Sunday – A newlywed couple must prove their crime-solving prowess when their politically-tied parents are taken hostage by a vengeful kidnapper looking for justice for the wrongful murder conviction of his brother. Based on the book by Mary Higgins Clark. Stars Jack Wagner, Cameron Mathison and Rachel Blanchard.
06:00 PM
My Gal Sunday – A newlywed couple must prove their crime-solving prowess when their politically-tied parents are taken hostage by a vengeful kidnapper looking for justice for the wrongful murder conviction of his brother. Based on the book by Mary Higgins Clark. Stars Jack Wagner, Cameron Mathison and Rachel Blanchard.
***** ***** ***** *****
Sunday September 14, 2014
10:00 AM
Matlock marthon begins.
Monday September 15, 2014
2:00 AM
Matlock marathon ends.
(The Hallmark Movie channel guide currently ends to Sept. 20, so I am not able to check beyond that date for any more mystery movies.)
(All of the above Hallmark Movie channel descriptions were copied from the Hallmark Movie channel site.)
***** ***** ***** *****
If you know of any other mystery movies that are going to be aired on television during September 2014, please post a comment.
If you would like to see more Television and Movies ideas, click on this link.
Amy says
Thank you for this list!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Amy, you are most welcome!
Anne says
I’ve seen “The old Maid” several times. I think it’s what called “a 3 hanky weepy!” Great stuff.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Anne, I love this movie!
Cynthia says
This is a wonderful list; since TV Guide stopped I miss having a printed list of the listings so this is great. Thank you so much.
And thank you to Duffy Brown for putting this on her FB page as I had not yet checked my e-mail updates to find this personally.
Cynthia
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Cynthia, we had a VCR Plus way back when VCRs were the mode to tape. I remember combing through the TV Guide to find movies/shows that looked like something we would enjoy. (TV Guide had the number codes I needed to program the VCR Plus.) Now I find myself combing through the TCM Now Playing guide.
SueAnn says
GREAT list!! Thanks for all the work! And to Duffy too….she gave a heads up on FB!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
SueAnn, you’re welcome. I hope you find a few mystery movies this month that you think you might enjoy watching.
Denise says
Thank you so much! I always look forward to this list to see what is on for the month. Can’t wait to watch Laura – one of my favorites.