My biggest fear with TCM is that they will start showing "Classic" films from the 90s or 00s or go with commercials as AMC did. I bet there are some of you who don't remember that AMC used to show only OLD movies and with no commercials. It was hosted by Nick Clooney (George's Uncle) and showed great old films like BATMAN (1943) and the GILDERSLEEVE series.
How's that compare to it's programming now? Of course we're knee deep in my least favorite months of TCM when they show a lot of snotty former Oscar junk;
Tomorrow at 10pm is LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING (1955) which is the kind of movie they would show on Sunday afternoon's when I was a kid on Channel 56 in Boston-- along with DON'T EAT THE DAISIES it's a wonder I ever became an old movie buff.
Wednesday is Cary Grant's birthday so daytime programming features some of his movies, at 10am is a great Cary Grant/Katherine Hepburn film that looks at the class system and makes you realize people are people and maybe, just maybe, we should put our differences aside.
12 hours later you can watch THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962) which is a tight little political thriller.
Thursday at 8pm is Alfred Hitchcock's possibly weakest film, UNDER CAPRICORN (1949) with Ingrid Bergman. Still, ANY movie directed by Hitchcock and featuring Bergman is going to be better than almost anything else on TV.
Midnight on Friday is THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE (1974) which is possibly the greatest crime film of the 1970s (which is really saying something). Robert Shaw leads a band of hijackers on the 6 train in New York and he's up against action hero Walter Matthau! Walter Matthau? Yup. And Matthau's sidekick in this film is Jerry Stiller-- George's Dad on SENFIELD! This one is worth staying up for or DVR'ing.
Saturday's ESSENTIALS showing is A LETTER TO THREE WIVES (1948) which I've never seen but again, if it's an ESSENTIAL you won't be sorry you watched it. Some good movies later that night too-- sleep in on Sunday and stay up for 1940's THE LETTER at midnight and THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE (1946) at 3:45am.
