Welcome to this week’s installment of What to Watch!

This week, and from here on out until the end of June, I will only be including TCM and streaming recommendations in these posts. I’m taking a four-day-a-week Spanish class that requires a lot of my attention, and even though these posts are simple lists they take quite a while to whip up each week. Languages are not my strong suit, so I’m going to have to put in a lot of extra study time. And I can’t graduate unless I pass Spanish I & II, so it’s pretty important that I do well in the class.

I didn’t think I’d have to cut back anything on the blog due to this class (especially considering the fact that I usually blog with a full course schedule rather than a single course), but after starting the class and already having a few problems retaining the material, I decided this was the easiest place to scale back without changing the blog’s daily schedule. Please bear with me as I struggle through la clase de español.

Now, on to the good stuff! All times are listed in EST and subject to change, so please check your local listings or the TCM schedule for updates. Items I hope to record (if I can ever remember to do so) are marked with an asterisk.

May 8

9:15 am – Babes on Broadway (1941) – starring Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney

12:45 pm – I Could Go On Singing (1963) – starring Judy Garland

6:30 pm – So Long at the Fair (1950)* – Maltin describes this one was “worth a look for fans of the offbeat,” so I’m going to give it a look.

May 9

1:15 am – Cocoon (1985) – starring Don Ameche, Steve Guttenberg, Wilford Brimley, etc.

3:30 am – Compulsion (1959) – I feel like I may have seen this before, but I’m not entirely sure so I’m going to watch it. Orson Welles stars, and it’s based on the Leopold-Loeb trial, which also served as the inspiration for Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope.

6:00 am – Rocco and His Brothers (1960) – starring Alain Delon, Renato Salatori, Annie Girardot

11:00 am – Have I the Right to Kill (1963)* – I’m interesting in seeing more of Alain Delon’s films, so I’m going to give this one a shot.

3:00 pm – Once a Thief (1965)* – Also going to give this one a shot because Alain shares the screen with Van Heflin

5:00 pm – Spirits of the Dead (1969) – Vincent Price + Poe… can’t go wrong with that combination. Plus, Jane and Peter Fonda are in it!

8:00 pm – There’s Always Tomorrow (1956)* – One more step in completing the Barbara Stanwyck Filmography Project!

9:30 pm – A Summer Place (1959) – starring Sandra Dee, Dorothy McGuire, Richard Egan and Troy Donahue

11:45 pm – Our Very Own (1950)* – This one sounds pretty soapy but look at that cast: Ann Blyth, Farley Granger, Jane Wyatt, Ann Dvorak, Natalie Wood, etc., etc.

May 10

9:30 am – Captains Courageous (1937) – starring Spencer Tracy, Lionel Barrymore, Freddy Bartholomew, Melvyn Douglas, John Carradine, etc., etc.

11:30 am – Boys Town (1938) – starring Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney

3:15 pm – The Philadelphia Story (1940) – starring Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart and Katharine Hepburn

11:00 pm – Under Capricorn (1949) – starring Ingrid Bergman and Joseph Cotten, directed by Alfred Hitchcock (Not Hitch’s best, but just about every Hitch fan I know aims to see all of his films, so tune in if you’ve never seen it.)

May 11

1:15 am – Above and Beyond (1952)* – Choosing this one based on plot. Follows a pilot involved in the Hiroshima bombing.

6:00 am – Indestructible Man (1956) – starring Lon Chaney Jr.

2:00 pm – Dead Ringer (1964) – Bette Davis plays a sneaky twin plotting against her soon-to-be-dead twin once again. PAUL HENREID DIRECTED THIS!

8:00 pm – How Green Was My Valley (1941)* – This was recommended to me ages ago by a reader of TMP and I keep missing it. Going to try my best to catch it this time!

10:15 pm – A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945) – starring Dorothy McGuire and Joan Blondell, directed by Elia Kazan

May 12

2:15 am – The Twonky (1953)* – Maltin only gives this one 1.5 and calls it a misfire, but I’m a sucker for a sci-fi with a great name (“the twonky” is apparently a possessed television?), so I’ll be tuning in for this one.

6:00 am – Lady By Choice (1934)* – Somewhat of a sequel to Frank Capra’s Lady for a Day, from what I can gather. Carole Lombard and May Robson star.

7:30 am – The Reckless Moment (1949)* – James Mason! Joan Bennett! Suspense! Murder!

9:00 am – Stella Dallas (1932) – starring Barbara Stanwyck

11:00 am – So Big (1932)* – Finally going to get this one out of the way. Another little stepping stone in the BSFP!

2:30 pm – Gypsy (1962) – starring Rosalind Russell and Natalie Wood

5:15 pm – Peyton Place (1957) – starring Lana Turner and a bunch of other people

May 13

4:45 am – The Swan (1956)* – I love Grace Kelly and Louis Jourdan. Haven’t heard too much about this one, but if nothing else those two will be fun to watch. Remake of One Romantic Night, which I didn’t love but I loved Lillian Gish in.

Ironically this is the day of my first Spanish exam and TCM is showing a bunch of Spanish  stuff. In hopes that this is a good omen, I will be taping them all:
7:45 am – Ladrones (1930)
8:30 am – La Vida Nocturna (short, 1930)
9:15 am – Tiembla y Titubea (short, 1930)
9:45 am – Noche de Duendes (1930)
10:45 am – Politiquerias (short, 1931)
1:00 pm – Los Calaveras (1931)

10:15 pm – Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) – starring James Cagney

May 14

8:30 am – Giant (1956) – starring Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean, Rock Hudson

2:15 pm – Stage Door (1937) – starring Katharine Hepburn and Ginger Rogers

4:00 pm – Show Boat (1936)* – I’ve only seen the remake, so I’ll give this one a watch.

8:00 pm – The Kiss of Death (1947)* – Film debut of Richard Widmark + it sounds like a great noir.

10:00 pm – Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950) – starring Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney

Streaming recommendations on Netflix

COMEDY: Nothing Sacred starring Carole Lombard
DRAMA: Gentleman’s Agreement starring Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and John Garfield
HORROR: Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde (I actually haven’t seen this one but it looks strange so I’ll be watching it soon)
MUSICAL: Tell It to a Star (I recently enjoyed this one and will be reviewing it soon)