The Latest on TV: Fall Has Fell

Notable movies and other programs on TV for Monday September 24 to Sunday September 30:

The fall TV season is upon us, with the networks busy airing the premiere episodes of most of their new and returning series this week. Still, there are a few movies of interest to watch out for in the next seven days.

Turner Classic Movies concludes this month's look at the breakthrough roles of our favorite stars on Tuesday, with Michael Caine in Alfie, Lee Marvin in Cat Ballou, Kirk Douglas in Champion and Edward G. Robinson in Little Caesar.

On Monday, the channel will air the second part of its salute to the lost Warner Bros. First National Teddington Studios films, including three more American premieres.

Other films not yet on DVD for the week include Cary Grant in None But the Lonely Heart (TCM, Monday; featuring Ethel Barrymore's Oscar-winning supporting performance), Henry Fonda and Olivia de Havilland in The Male Animal (TCM, Wednesday), Alice Brady and Cesar Romero in Metropolitan (Fox Movie Channel, Wednesday), Tyrone Power and Joan Fontaine in This Above All (FMC, Friday) and Claude Raines in They Won't Forget (TCM, Saturday).

Bravo will rerun AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies 10th Anniversary Edition on both Tuesday and Wednesday this week.

Over at LOGO: Gay pastors fight to keep their jobs in the documentary Call to Witness (Monday); looks like we're not the only ones who have a little something For the Love of Dolly (Monday and Sunday); and Thursday serves up Second Serve, the Renee Richards story starring Vanessa Redgrave, as well as the GLAAD Media Award-nominated The Opposite Sex: Rene's Story.

And finally: George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola are among the directors profiled in Fog City Mavericks: The Filmmakers of San Francisco on Starz Monday.

Click on the network links to find the show times in your area. All programming is subject to change.

Links via TCM.com, FoxMovieChannel.com, BravoTV.com, AFI.com, LOGOOnline.com and Starz.com.

The Latest on TV: A Hitch in Time

Notable movies and other programs on TV for Monday September 17 to Sunday September 23:

AMC continues their "7 Nights of Hitchcock" this week, with several of the master's best, including The Birds, Rope, Vertigo, Psycho and Shadow of a Doubt. To get you in the mood, the channel's website has a list of his ten most famous onscreen murders. Gee, I wonder what #1 is?

Over at Turner Classic Movies, they serve up their second batch of lost Warner Bros. First National classics from London's famed Teddington Studios on Monday. Three of the titles have never been seen in the United States in any way, shape or form.

Tuesday on the channel brings more "A Star is Born" films, movies that gave big stars their big break. Lana Turner, Ava Gardner, Bette Davis and Patricia Neal are spotlighted this week; Neal's The Founthead will be followed by her own Private Screenings one-on-one with Robert Osborne.

On Saturday, TCM presents a look at the first "talkies" of several silent greats, including Harold Lloyd in Welcome Danger and Lon Chaney in The Unholy Three, both not available on DVD.

Other classic movies on TV but not DVD for the week include Anne Bancroft in The Pumpkin Eater (Monday, TCM), Jennifer Jones in Tender is the Night (Tuesday, Fox Movie Channel), Greta Garbo in The Kiss (Tuesday, TCM), Tyrone Power in Lloyd's of London, Susan Hayward in The President's Lady and Bette Davis in The Virgin Queen (all Saturday, FMC) and Mickey Rooney in Young Tom Edison (Sunday, TCM).

If you ever wanted to learn more about the exciting world of location scouts, then be sure to catch one of the screenings this week of IFC's Action Indies: Extraordinary Location Scouts.

And on LOGO this week, Monday brings No Dumb Questions, a documentary about how three small children come to terms with their uncle becoming their aunt. M. Butterfly, David Cronenberg's film version of the Tony Award-winning play starring Jeremy Irons and John Lone (which is surprisingly not on DVD) airs Tuesday. More docs on Thursday (When Ocean Meets Sky takes a look at the notorious gay hotspot, Fire Island) and Saturday (100% Woman concerns a transsexual mountain bike champion), and, just for fun, be sure to catch the light-hearted look at gay TV faves, from Wonder Woman to The Golden Girls, in Inside TV Land: Tickled Pink on Sunday.

Click on the network links to find the show times in your area. All programming is subject to change.

Links via AMCTV.com, TCM.com, FoxMovieChannel.com, IFC.com and LOGOOnline.com.

The Latest on TV: Whatever Happened to Fay Wray?

"That delicate satin draped frame. As it clung to her thigh, how I started to cry, 'cause I wanted to be dressed just the same ..."

Frank-N-Furter had it right when he sang about the willowy starlet that was Fay Wray, whose 100th Birthday salute is one of the many notable programs on TV for this week (Monday September 10 to Sunday September 16).

TCM will celebrate the actress who was beauty to King Kong's beast on Saturday. In addition to her most famous film, other movies include The Mystery of the Wax Museum and The Most Dangerous Game.

The channel continues its month long look at the breakthrough roles of our favorite stars Tuesday, spotlighting Errol Flynn, Laurence Olivier, John Wayne and James Cagney.

Norman Jewison is in the Private Screenings seat Thursday, followed by a selection of his films, including my personal fave, Moonstruck ("Ya got a love bite on your neck ... You're life's going down the toilet!").

Miyoshi Umeki, the Oscar-winning actress who recently passed away, is remembered on Tuesday with Flower Drum Song.

Recommended TCM movies not on DVD for the week include one of guest programmer Barry Levinson's picks, Some Came Running (Frank Sinatra, Shirley MacLaine) on Monday, plus The Human Comedy (Mickey Rooney) and The Corn is Green (Bette Davis, both on Wednesday) and City for Conquest (Cagney, Thursday). Meanwhile, you can catch King of Burlesque (Alice Faye, Wednesday) and Sunrise (Janet Gaynor, Friday) over at Fox Movie Channel.

AMC kicks off their "Seven Nights of Hitchcock" Sunday with a Grace Kelly double feature: Rear Window and Dial M for Murder.

On LOGO this week: Dress Gray, written by Gore Vidal, is a military murder mystery starring Alec Baldwin, Lloyd Bridges and hunky Melrose Place alum Jason Beghe (Tuesday); And the Band Played On author Randy Shilts is the subject of Reporter Zero (Thursday); and Camp Out is the first summer camp for gay Christian youth (Saturday).

MUST SEE OF THE WEEK: Broadway babes Cheyenne Jackson and Kerry Butler will perform a number from the hit musical Xanadu on ABC's The View Wednesday.

If you missed it in June, Bravo will rerun AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movies: 10th Anniversary Edition on both Monday and Tuesday.

And finally: if you're jonesing for an award show, how about the Emmys on Fox Sunday, hosted by ... Ryan Seacrest? Uh, maybe you should wait for the Globes ...

Click on the network links to find the show times in your area. All programming is subject to change.

Links via TCM.com, SFGate.com, FoxMovieChannel.com, AMCTV.com, LOGOOnline.com, Playbill.com, ABC.go.com, BravoTV.com, AFI.com, Emmys.com and Fox.com.

The Latest on TV: Oscar Wild

Notable movies and other programs on TV for Monday September 3 to Sunday September 9:

Turner Classic Movies will run a mini-marathon of movies on Saturday based on the works of Oscar Wilde, including The Importance of Being Earnest, An Ideal Husband and The Picture of Dorian Gray. Meanwhile, Stephen Fry stars as Wilde himself on LOGO Wednesday.

TCM will air a 24-hour tribute to the Telluride Film Festival Monday, with films ranging from 1941's Babes on Broadway to 1965's Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

Plus, each Tuesday this month TCM will present the movies that made our favorite stars, well, stars. This week's spotlight shines on the breakthrough roles of Greta Garbo, Elizabeth Taylor, Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers, Rita Hayworth and Rosalind Russell.

Also on LOGO, Daphne Du Maurier, the author of Rebecca and The Birds, gets the biopic treatment in the TV movie Daphne, airing Tuesday. The channel explores the Butch Mystique of African-American lesbians in a documentary on Saturday, followed by Rock the Boat, another doc centering on 11 HIV-positive sailors in a 2200-mile yacht race.

AMC kicks off the month with a John Wayne marathon Monday, airing such classics as Sands of Iwo Jima, The Quiet Man and Rio Bravo. Saturday on the channel brings an hour-long Backstory of Halloween, while Sunday has another edition of Movies That Shook the World.

And finally: Fox Movie Channel will air the Oscar-winning Cavalcade (not on DVD) on Thursday, and Friday's "Fox Legacy" takes a look at Tom Hanks' Big.

Click on the network links to find the show times in your area. All programming is subject to change.

Links via TCM.com, LOGOOnline.com, TellurideFilmFestival.com, AMCTV.com and FoxMovieChannel.com.

The Latest on TV: Watch It, Buster!

Notable movies and other programs on TV for Monday August 27 to Sunday September 2:

Turner Classic Movies brings this year's "Summer Under the Stars" to a close this week, highlighted by the films of the incomparable Buster Keaton on Thursday. The day's classics include The Cameraman, The General and (my personal favorite, one of the funniest movies ever made) Sherlock Jr. (pictured).

Closing out the month long film festival, here are my picks for each day:

• Monday - Loretta Young: She won the Oscar for 1947's The Farmer's Daughter (not yet on DVD), but The Bishop's Wife from the same year holds up better.
• Tuesday - Roy Rogers: The Cowboy and the Senorita was Rogers' first film with long-time leading lady and, later, wife Dale Evans. Also showing: The all-star Hollywood Canteen, wherein he crooned his other signature song, "Don't Fence Me In".
• Wednesday - Mary Astor: The Maltese Falcon. Also showing: The early Oscar-winner, Two Arabian Nights, plus Astor's own Oscar-winning performance in The Great Lie.
• Thursday - In addition to the films listed above, the documentary Buster Keaton: So Funny It Hurt! will air.
• Friday - Sean Connery: No Bond or The Man Who Would Be King leaves us with the underappreciated The Hill.

Tuesday brings AMC's Backstory on The Boston Strangler, followed by the movie itself, while Movies That Shook the World takes a look at The China Syndrome on Friday.

Also on Friday, Bravo takes a peek at the Sexiest Moments on Film (narrated by Kathleen Turner), followed by a four-hour look at the 100 Funniest Movies.

And finally: LOGO celebrates with Out Magazine their Out 100, honoring the top 100 gay and lesbian success stories of 2006, this Wednesday.

Click on the network links to find the show times in your area. All programming is subject to change.

Links via TCM.com, AMCTV.com, BravoTV.com and LOGOOnline.com.

The Latest on TV: Summer Doldrums

Notable movies and other programs on TV for Monday August 20 to Sunday August 26:

Just like in theaters, there's not a lot going on this week on TV - thank goodness for Turner Classic Movies. Their "Summer Under the Stars" series continues, with Rosalind Russell as Auntie Mame (pictured) kicking off the week (Monday). Here are my picks for the rest of the week, plus other notable programming for each day.

• Tuesday - Gary Cooper: Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. Plus: The documentary Gary Cooper: American Life, American Legend.
• Wednesday - Ann Miller: Easter Parade.
• Thursday - Jane Fonda: The day starts with her film debut, Tall Story, and also includes a "Private Screenings", but for a summer afternoon, I'll pick Barefoot in the Park.
• Friday - Ronald Reagan: Let's go with his least screen time - Knute Rockne, All American.
• Saturday - Broderick Crawford: Born Yesterday.
• Sunday - Kirk Douglas: Lazy Sunday = 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

Elsewhere, AMC has a slew of movie-based documentaries on this week: Bond Girls Are Forever (Tuesday), Movies That Shook the World: The Exorcist (Wednesday), Dial H for Hitchcock (Thursday) and Hollywood Vietnam (Sunday).

Kenneth Branagh's new version of William Shakespeare's As You Like It, starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Kevin Kline and Alfred Molina, premieres Tuesday on HBO.

And the MUST-SEE OF THE WEEK comes from LOGO on Wednesday with Execution of Justice. The TV movie (not yet on DVD) recounts the 1978 assassination of San Francisco City Supervisor Harvey Milk by Dan White (played by, respectively, Peter Coyote and Tim Daly). Based on the play by Emily Mann.

Click on the network links to find the show times in your area. All programming is subject to change.

Links via TCM.com, AMCTV.com, HBO.com, LOGOOnline.com and Imdb.com.

The Latest on TV: Zac is Back and More

Notable movies and other programs on TV for Monday August 13 to Sunday August 19:

- MUST-SEE OF THE WEEK: Drama tweens and musical queens alike will be tuning in to The Disney Channel Friday night for the premiere of High School Musical 2. Kenny Ortega returns as director/choreographer, leading his cast, headlined by current "It" boy Zac Efron (pictured) in the sure to be successful next chapter in HSM mania.

For more on the movie, LaughingPlace.com has a complete viewer's guide, Entertainment Weekly gives a behind-the-scenes look and Playbill.com has a full rundown of the weekend's schedule, which includes special sing-along airings and more.

And to get you in the mood a little early, the soundtrack albumgoes on sale Tuesday. (Click the link to pre-order the CD from Amazon.com.)

- AMC will air a couple of interesting documentaries this week: Dial H for Hitchcock on Tuesday and Rated R: Republicans in Hollywood on Friday. The latter seeks to answer the question "could Hollywood be more conservative than we think?"

- Gore Vidal, author of Myra Breckinridge and Caligula, is scheduled to appear on Monday's Henry Rollins Show on IFC.

- Turner Classic Movies continues their "Summer Under the Stars" with a week's worth of star-a-day salutes. Following is my pick for the day's best bet, along with other notable programming.

• Monday - June Allyson: The Opposite Sex. Yep, it's the musical remake of The Women in all its letterboxed glory - plus Joan Collins and Delores Gray!
• Tuesday - Ernest Borgnine: From Here to Eternity.
• Wednesday - Joan Bennett: Father of the Bride.
• Thursday - Elvis Presley: Viva Las Vegas (with a red-hot Ann-Margret).
• Friday - Maureen O'Hara: The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
• Saturday - Spencer Tracy: Inherit the Wind.
• Sunday - Errol Flynn: The Adventures of Robin Hood. Plus: the documentary The Adventures of Erroll Flynn.

Click on the network links to find the show times in your area. All programming is subject to change.

Links via Disney.go.com, Imdb.com, LaughingPlace.com, EW.com, Playbill.com, AMCTV.com, IFC.com and TCM.com.

The Latest on TV: Flash x 2 and More

Notable movies and other programs on TV for Monday August 6 to Sunday August 12:

- The Sci Fi Channel hopes for another Battlestar Galactica with their new reboot of Flash Gordon premiering Friday. The series will star Smallville's Eric Johnson as Flash and, in a nod to the campy 1980 movie (coming to DVDthis Tuesday), Sam J. Jones (pictured) is set for an upcoming guest appearance. I'm sure I'm not the only one looking forward to see how Jones looks nowadays.

- Currently in Hairspray and the upcoming Stardust, Michelle Pfeiffer drops by Monday for Inside the Actor's Studio on Bravo. On Friday, look for "The Making of The Nanny Diaries".

- Alice Faye fans will want to tune into Fox Movie Channel Tuesday for Hello Frisco, Hello. This is the one, set in old San Francisco, where Alice sings the Oscar-winning "You'll Never Know".

Rise early on Thursday for F.W. Murnau's Sunrise. I watched this silent classic the last time it aired, and it's worth waking up early for, believe me.

The "Fox Legacy" series takes a look at The French Connection on Friday, followed by the French Connection II and the 1986 TV movie Popeye Doyle, starring Ed "Al Bundy" O'Neill in the title role.

-MUST-SEE OF THE WEEK: LOGO continues to air a series of gay-themed documentaries that may not be seen otherwise. Bubeh Lee and Me recounts the filmmaker's visit to his supportive grandmother in Florida, while On the Downlow takes a look at the controversial subject of its title. Both air Monday. Liberty: 3 Stories About Life & Death "explores the deep interconnectedness of a lesbian family of friends" (Thursday), Love Lessons follows a group of gay men and women who seek the talents of a professional matchmaker (Saturday), and a transgender gospel choir is the subject of The Believers (also Saturday).

- Turner Classic Movies continues their month long "Summer Under the Stars" special programming, with each day dedicated to a favorite movie star.

The following is this week's daily actor or actress, with my selection for their best of the day, plus any other notable programs (such as movies not yet on DVD):

• Monday - Robert Mitchum: Out of the Past. Also showing: Two for the Seesaw (with Shirley MacLaine).
• Tuesday - Jane Russell: The Outlaw. Also showing: A "Private Screenings" with both Mitchum and Russell.
• Wednesday - Dana Andrews: The Best Years of Our Lives.
• Thursday - Myrna Loy: All six Thin Man movies will be shown consecutively.
• Friday - Vincent Price: The Pit and the Pendulum.
• Saturday - Doris Day: Her stunning debut, Romance on the High Seas. Also showing: It's a Great Feeling, with a hilarious Joan Crawford cameo.
• Sunday - Alan Ladd: Shane.

Click on the network links to find the show times in your area. All programming is subject to change.

Links via SciFi.com, Televisionista.blogspot.com, Amazon.com, SuperHeroHype.com, BravoTV.com, FoxMovieChannel.com, LOGOOnline.com, Imdb.com and TCM.com.

The Latest on TV: Una and More

Notable movies and other programs on TV for Monday July 30 to Sunday August 5:

The Independent Film Channel heats things up in August with the documentary series Indie Sex, presenting the various ways that sex, both straight and gay, has been portrayed in American and international cinema.

The four-part series (starting Wednesday) will focus on such themes as "Censored", "Taboos", "Teens" and "Extremes" and features the typical round-up of filmmakers on the subject, such as Shortbus' John Cameron Mitchell, The Living End's Gregg Araki and John Waters (who seems to enjoy this second career as a talking head).

Films covered range from the classic (Blue Velvet, Last Tango in Paris, Midnight Cowboy) to the reviled (9 ½ Weeks, Porky's, Showgirls), with a few gay-themed works (But I'm a Cheerleader, Chuck and Buck, Edge of Seventeen) to liven things up.

MUST-SEE OF THE WEEK: Once again, Fox Movie Channel comes through for us with Cavalcade, the 1933 Best Picture Oscar-winner that is not available on DVD. The film, based on Noel Coward's play, stars one of my favorite character actresses, Una O'Connor (pictured above, with Herbert Mundin). It will air next Sunday.

Over on LOGO, the "gay Christian teen" documentary Camp Out airs Saturday, followed by another doc on Sunday, Farm Family: In Search of Gay Life in Rural America. Both films are not yet on DVD.

And finally, TCM starts their annual "Summer Under the Stars" programming (each day is dedicated to a different star's films) this week, but before that, be sure to check out Test Pilot on Tuesday. Not only does it star faves Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy and Myrna Loy, but see if you can detect the hidden gay subtext that I'll cover in an upcoming "Out of the Celluloid Closet".

To go along with the month long theme, I'll not only list the "star of the day", but attempt to pick my personal favorite film set to air that day, as well as any rarities (not on DVD) that need mentioning.

• Wednesday - Elizabeth Taylor: A Place in the Sun.
• Thursday - Peter O'Toole: Lawrence of Arabia. Also showing: The musical version of Goodbye, Mr. Chips and Otto Preminger's Rosebud, which Robert Osborne dubs "bizarre".
• Friday - Joan Crawford: Mildred Pierce. Also showing: The doc Joan Crawford: The Ultimate Movie Star (narrated by Anjelica Huston and featuring gay icon Charles Busch), Flamingo Road, Autumn Leaves and Berserk!
• Saturday - William Holden: Stalag 17. Also showing: Executive Suite (with Barbra Stanwyck).
• Sunday - James Stewart: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

UPDATE: All this week is "Movie Week" (with movie-themed questions) on the syndicated Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, plus the celebrity edition of Jeopardy! Check local listings for showtimes in your area.

Click on the network links to find the show times in your area. All programming is subject to change.

Links via IFC.com, FoxMovieChannel.com, LOGOOnline.com and TCM.com.

The Latest on TV: Porkers and More

Notable movies and other programs on TV for Monday July 23 to Sunday July 29:

Remember that spooky story that Robert "Porkers!" Shaw told in Jaws about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the subsequent shark smorgasbord? Well, I always wanted to see a movie of that, and now I can with Ocean of Fear: Worst Shark Attack Ever, part of (naturally) "Shark Week" on The Discovery Channel. The two-hour original documentary (narrated by Shaw's Jaws co-star Richard Dreyfuss) premieres Sunday.

TCM has a mini-musical marathon this Wednesday devoted to tuners of the 1970's, including Godspell, Tommy and Paint Your Wagon. You haven't lived until you see Lee Marvin croaking out his version of "Wanderin' Star".

Other TCM highlights of the week include two movies (not on DVD) featuring Oscar-nominated Best Actress performances: Anne Bancroft in The Pumpkin Eater (Thursday) and Julie Harris in The Member of the Wedding (Saturday).

Over on AMC, their Movies That Shook the World series takes a look at Philadelphia (Monday) and revisit Pussy Galore and company in Bond Girls Are Forever (Tuesday).

MUST-SEE OF THE WEEK: Fox Movie Channel has the hard-to-find-on-DVD silent masterpiece Sunrise airing Wednesday. This Oscar-winning Best Picture (starring Janet Gaynor) was recently named one of the top 100 movies of all-time by the American Film Institute.

LOGO airs The Rock Hudson Story Wednesday, as well as "10 Most Excellent Things: Hairspray" throughout the week.

Click on the network links to find the show times in your area. All programming is subject to change.

Links via DSC.Discovery.com, TCM.com, AMCTV.com, FoxMovieChannel.com, AFI.com and LOGOOnline.com.

The Latest on TV: Stanwyck Centennial and More

Turner Classic Movies celebrates the 100th birthday of Miss Barbara Stanwyck tomorrow with a daylong movie marathon dedicated to this dynamo's career.

Highlights include Ladies They Talk About (her women-in-prison picture), Meet John Doe (as a fast-talking reporter who falls for big lug Gary Cooper), Christmas in Connecticut (she does the whole Martha Stewart thing), Baby Face (as a speakeasy drink-slinger sleeping her way to the top) and Sorry, Wrong Number (as a bed-ridden neurotic who overhears the plot of her own murder). The day is capped off with Barbara Stanwyck: Fire and Desire, a documentary hosted by Sally Field.

Tuesday on the channel, their month long salute to "Aviation in the Movies" turns to a salute to "air hostesses" (I assume that is meant to be ironic, as all the movies came out long before this politically correct term). The night starts off with our fave, Doris Day, as Julie, a stew stalked by her wacko husband.

The non-Westerns of star of the month Randolph Scott will air Thursday. Movies include an early foray into musicals (Roberta, with Fred and Ginger) and My Favorite Wife (co-staring Scott's "roommate", Cary Grant).

Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer airs Friday, followed by a mini-Esther Williams marathon. "Comedies of Manners" are the theme for Saturday, including Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice (starring Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier) and Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest (starring Michael Redgrave).

TCM's full schedule and airtimes is available here.

Links via Imdb.com and TCM.com.

The Latest ...: An Introduction

Nikki Blonsky in Hairspray

"The Latest ..." will bring you, well, the latest news on:

• Movies of note "in Theaters" (posts on Thursdays for the weekend's new movies).
• All the scoop on classic and current releases "on DVD" (posts on Tuesdays for the week's new releases).
• And movie-related specials, documentaries and other programs to watch "on TV", including those hard-to-find films not available on DVD (posts on Sundays for the following week).

Link via Imdb.com.