Barbara Stanwyck‘s film noir, suspense, and crime dramas from last night will carry on all day today. The Two Mrs. Carrolls (1947) is a true classic and will be shown at 9:00 am. Humphrey Bogart co-stars as an artist who has already killed one wife after painting her as the Angel of Death. His second wife (Stanwyck) registers varying degrees of horror as she realizes that she is to be his next victim. Richard Schnickel’s 1991 documentary Barbara Stanwyck: Fire and Desire is hosted by Sally Field and will be on at 8:00 am. At 3:30 pm you can catch one of Stanwyck’s early pre-code pictures, The Purchase Price (1932), about a nightclub singer who becomes a mail-order bride for a farmer out west.
Barbara Stanwyck in The Two Mrs. Carrolls (1947)
Primetime will be a bit lighter with a set of films devoted to the theme “Christmas in New York.” My favorite Katharaine Hepburn/Spencer Tracy Christmas in New York film, Desk Set (1957), won’t be on TCM today, but it is definitely worth renting. However, tonight you can catch some great Christmas comedy/romances including:
Holiday Affair (1950)
Directed by Don Hartman
Starring Janet Leigh and Robert Mitchum
A widow with a young son accidentally becomes romantically involved with a store clerk she managed to get fired. Her son is happy, but only because he doesn’t like her current boyfriend. The traditional complications ensue.
The Lemon Drop Kid (1951)
Directed by Sidney Lanfield
Starring Bob Hope, Marilyn Maxwell, and Lloyd Nolan
The Lemon Drop Kid (Hope) must find a way to pay back a gangster after giving his girlfriend rotten advice about a horse race.
Bachelor Mother (1939)
Directed by Garson Kanin
Starring Ginger Rogers, David Niven, and Charles Coburn
When single working girl Polly finds an abandoned baby, she must work hard to keep her acquaintances from getting the wrong impression! One of my personal favorite Ginger Rogers movies.
Never Say Goodbye (1946)
Directed by James V. Kern
Starring Erroll Flynn, Eleanor Parker, and Lucille Watson
On the one year anniversary of her parents’s divorce, eight-year-old Flip tries to get them back together with a little help from a pen-pal marine.
For a full schedule of TCM‘s line-up for today, be sure to check out their website. I can also recommend investing in a subscription to their “Now Playing” guide. In it you get all the showtimes, plus articles about the special features. But my favorite part is the crossword puzzle at the back! I look forward to hearing what you watched and what you loved today on TCM!
The Cinematic Katzenjammer 