If you turn to Turner Classic Movies for entertaining, inspiring and family-friendly fare, here are 20 recommendations for June.
Here are 20 recommendations for entertaining and inspiring fare on Turner Classic Movies in June, including the entire Andy Hardy series of family comedies, an Alfred Hitchcock marathon and much more.
1 of 20 Brigadoon (1954)
Tuesday, June 1, at 10:15 p.m. ET
Gene Kelly, Van Johnson and Cyd Charisse, TCM’s Star of the Month for June, shine in Vincente Minnelli’s musical that tells the story of a pair of New Yorkers who, while on a hunting trip in Scotland, come upon the legendary village of Brigadoon, which magically appears every 100 years.
2 of 20 The Music Box (1932)
Wednesday, June 2, at 9:45 p.m. ET
If there are kids in your life who have yet to experience the comedic genius of Laurel and Hardy, this classic half-hour short makes the perfect introduction. Stan and Ollie are tasked with delivering a piano, only to discover that a long, steep set of stairs stands between them and their destination. Hijinks, as you might expect, ensue.
Sidney Poitier stars as Mark Thackeray, an engineer who takes a temporary teaching job while seeking a position in his field. His students are a rowdy, undisciplined bunch, many of whom come from troubled families. Thackeray sets out to uplift and enrich his students’ lives, teaching them the value of mutual respect, acceptance and hard work. Lulu’s recording of the film’s theme song was a big hit and is one of the film’s highlights.
4 of 20 Sister Kenny (1946)
Friday, June 4, at 4 p.m. ET
Beginning at 7:45 a.m. ET, TCM is screening six Rosalind Russell pictures in a row today to celebrate her 114th birthday. They’re all worth watching, but we especially like this biopic in which Russell stars in the true story of an Australian nurse who discovered an effective treatment for polio but struggled to get the medical establishment to adopt it. Dean Jagger costars.
5 of 20 Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
Sunday, June 6, at 12 p.m. ET
Frank Capra’s classic romantic comedy (or is it a drama?) tells the tale of the owner (Gary Cooper) of a small-town tallow works—he also plays the tuba and writes poetry for greeting cards—whose life is turned upside down when he inherits $20 million. Douglass Dumbrille, Lionel Stander and Jean Arthur costar. This film was nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor (Cooper); Capra took home the statuette for Best Director.
6 of 20 Married Before Breakfast (1937)
Monday, June 7, at 9:30 p.m. ET
Robert Young is best remembered his work on television shows such as Fathers Knows Best and Marcus Welby, M.D., but he enjoyed a successful film career in the 1930s and ’40s. This little-known screwball comedy finds Young portraying an inventor who’s come up with a cream that makes shaving unnecessary (it dissolves the whiskers). A razor company pays him big bucks not to market the cream, which would ruin their business, and that’s when the fun begins. Florence Rice and June Clayworth costar.
7 of 20 Interrupted Melody (1955)
Tuesday, June 8, at 8:45 a.m. ET
Eleanor Parker shines in her Oscar-nominated portrayal of Australian-born opera singer Marjorie Lawrence in this biopic that details Lawrence’s battle with polio and her career comeback afterward. Glenn Ford and Roger Moore costar.
We’re very fond of MGM’s Andy Hardy series of films, and if you are, too (or if you’re unfamiliar with these beloved family comedies), you’ll want to tune in to TCM today (or perhaps set your DVR) as they air the first nine Andy Hardy films back to back, beginning with this, the initial entry in the series. Don’t be thrown to see Lionel Barrymore portraying Andy’s father, Judge Hardy, in this picture. Lewis Stone takes over the role for good in the second film.
9 of 20 For Me and My Gal (1942)
Thursday, June 10, at 9 a.m. ET
In this classic musical, set in the 1910s, Gene Kelly and Judy Garland play vaudevillians who dream of playing the Palace, the height of achievement in vaudeville, and then tying the knot. Unfortunately, their plans, their act and their relationship are thrown off track by the United States’ entry into the First World War (it won’t surprise you to learn that things work out in the end). This film features many delightful songs of the vaudeville era, including the title song, After You’ve Gone and Pack Up Your Troubles, among others.
10 of 20 Buck Privates (1941)
Saturday, June 12, at 1:30 p.m. ET
If you know some youngsters who are not yet familiar with the comedy stylings of Abbott and Costello, this picture would make a terrific introduction. Bud and Lou enlist in the army to avoid trouble with the law, only to learn their drill instructor is the cop who was after them before they entered the military. It’s a classic comedy, and features not only Abbott and Costello, but also the melodic sounds of the Andrews Sisters.
11 of 20 Saboteur (1942)
Monday, June 14, at 8 p.m. ET
Robert Cummings plays a wartime aircraft worker falsely accused of starting a fire at the factory where he is employed as an act of sabotage, a conflagration in which his friend died, so he sets out to find who the saboteur is. This Alfred Hitchcock classic features a very tense scene atop the Statue of Liberty that you won’t soon forget. Priscilla Lane, Otto Kruger and Norman Lloyd costar.
12 of 20 A Raisin in the Sun (1961)
Wednesday, June 16, at 10:15 p.m. ET
This classic film tells the tale of the Youngers, a family in a poor neighborhood on the south side of Chicago that sees a $10,000 life insurance check they are soon to receive as their ticket to a better life. Each family member, though, has a different idea of how the money could best be put to use. This moving film, which stars Ruby Dee, Sidney Poitier and, in his film debut, Louis Gossett Jr., was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
In this classic screwball comedy, Irene Dunne and Cary Grant play a married couple, each of whom suspects (falsely, natch) that their spouse is not being true to them. They file for a divorce but in the 90-day waiting period set by the judge, they come to realize, though a string of comic situations, that they’re not so eager to go their separate ways after all. Ralph Bellamy costars.
14 of 20 Eyes in the Night (1942)
Friday, June 18, at 5:45 a.m. ET
In this classic mystery, Edward Arnold stars as blind detective Duncan Maclain who, while visiting a old friend, stumbles upon an espionage plot involving military secrets. Donna Reed and Ann Harding costar.
15 of 20 Life with Father (1947)
Sunday, June 20, at 4 p.m. ET
William Powell portrays a stern and straitlaced father of four sons in this charming family comedy, set just before the turn of the last century, but it’s really his wife, played by Irene Dunne, who runs the show. Elizabeth Taylor also stars.
Credit: HA.com
16 of 20 The Case of the Velvet Claws (1936)
Thursday, June 24, at 9 a.m. ET
You’re probably familiar with Perry Mason, the popular television series that aired from 1957-66, with Raymond Burr starring as Mason, but did you know there was a popular film series in the 1930s based on the same books? It’s true. Warren William was the first actor to portray Erle Stanley Gardner’s fictional lawyer/detective in the series, after which Ricardo Cortez, who stars in this entry, took over. Claire Dodd and Wini Shaw costar.
Credit: HA.com
17 of 20 The Paleface (1948)
Friday, June 25, at 10:15 p.m. ET
In this comedic western, Calamity Jane (Jane Russell) attempts to find out who is behind a rifle-smuggling ring and ends up married to a cowardly dentist (Bob Hope), who received his training via correspondence course. Robert Armstrong costars.
From 6 a.m. ET on June 26 though 6 a.m. ET on June 28, TCM is airing 48 consecutive hours of Alfred Hitchcock pictures—that’s 24 of his films in a row! We’ll be clearing out space on our DVR for a marathon recording session, and we encourage you to do the same. Many of Hitch’s greatest works are included, but we’re singling out North by Northwest, which airs at 3:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 26. Why? Because if you watch closely, you just might spot a cameo appearance by an issue of Guideposts magazine. (Don’t blink!)
Credit: HA.com
19 of 20 Andy Hardy's Private Secretary (1941)
Tuesday, June 29, beginning at 6:45 a.m. ET
If you enjoyed the first nine Andy Hardy pictures when TCM aired them back on June 9, you won’t want to miss the final seven entries in the popular film series that are airing today, beginning with this, the 10th entry in the series, which finds Andy at risk of not graduating from high school because of a flunked English exam (Oh, Andy—you rascal).
20 of 20 Everything I Have Is Yours (1952)
Wednesday, June 30, at 3 p.m. ET
Gower and Marge Champion were frequently supporting players at MGM, but this picture finds them starring as a married couple whose song-and-dance act is broken up when they learn that she is expecting a child. He continues to perform with a new partner, which, as one might expect, causes problems. Dennis O’Keefe costars.
