Welcome to December, y’all! It’s been quiet here for the past couple months, but I think things have settled down a bit for me, so I should be around more starting now… with hopefully some fun stuff coming on the horizon. I can never miss one of my rare musical posts though, and TCM has some fun stuff this month, courtesy a couple of spotlights on musical directors like Don Weis and Charles Walters. Let’s see what’s in store for December!
Tuesday December 2
8:00am / Night and Day (1946)
TCM celebrates Star of the Month Cary Grant with this biopic of Cole Porter.
Wednesday December 3
3:45pm / Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964) [my review]
Take a musical break among the daytime “Crime Time” offerings with Frank, Dean, Sammy, and Bing in a Vegas-based retelling of the Robin Hood legend.
Thursday December 4
10:15am / I Love Melvin (1953)
Donald O’Connor promised to make chorus girl Debbie Reynolds a star. Directed by Don Weis.
1:00pm / Looking for Love (1964)
Another by Don Weis, this time Connie Francis has to decide between love and fame.
Friday December 5
11:45pm / The Barkleys of Broadway (1949) [my review]
Late-era Fred and Ginger entry—mature, heart-breaking, and refined. Part of TCM’s Friday night focus on Charles Walters films.
Saturday December 6
8:30am / Broadway Rhythm (1944)
George Murphy tries to put on a show, as those in movies about Broadway are wont to do.
6:00pm / Annie Get Your Gun (1950)
Betty Hutton famously took over for Judy Garland in this role as sharpshooter Annie Oakley, starring alongside Howard Keel with classic songs by Irving Berlin.
Friday December 12
10:00pm / Lili (1953)
Another night of Charles Walters, including this whimsical film featuring Leslie Caron as a French orphan.
Sunday December 14
12:00pm / Bundle of Joy (1956)
Debbie Reynolds is mistaken as the mother of a found baby, and gets into all sorts of mishaps alongside Eddie Fisher. Remake of Ginger Rogers’ earlier film, Bachelor Mother (my review).
Friday December 19
10:00pm / The Glass Slipper (1955)
TCM adds to your choices for Cinderella adaptations, including this one by Charles Walters starring Leslie Caron.
Wednesday December 24
7:30am /Bundle of Joy (1956)
Friday December 26
6:00am / I Dream Too Much (1935)
Ambitious Henry Fonda pushes his opera singer wife (Lily Pons, in her screen debut) into a career on the stage.
4:45am / Summer Holiday (1948)
One more Walters, with this Technicolor remake of Ah, Wilderness! starring Mickey Rooney.
I love “Ah, Wilderness!” to distraction, but I cannot get into “Summer Holiday”. It has a charming cast and the work of my beloved Harry Warren, and yet it does nothing for me. Maybe I’ll give it another shot.
Heh, I haven’t seen it yet—but the reviewers on the TCM boards at least seem to agree with your original assessment :)