As is tradition, TCM celebrates the Summer of Stars this month, highlighting one of Hollywood’s biggest legends each day this month. Luckily we get a few musical stars in there, like Fred Astaire and Debbie Reynolds, to round out the party.
Monday August 3 – Adolphe Menjou
4:15pm / Broadway Gondolier (1935)
American taxi driver Dick Powell takes up as a Venetian gondolier while trying to land a job as a singer.
4:30am / New Moon (1930)
Pre-Code Hammerstein/Rosberg operetta in which an engaged Russian princess falls for an army lieutenant.
Wednesday August 5 – Fred Astaire
Pretty much all of Astaire’s films are easily available, but today’s a very good day to hunker down in front of TCM nonetheless, starting at 6am: Flying Down to Rio, The Gay Divorcee, Roberta, Top Hat, Follow the Fleet, Swing Time, The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle, Shall We Dance, You Were Never Lovelier, The Band Wagon, Silk Stockings, and Royal Wedding
Tuesday August 11 – Rex Ingram
4:00am / Your Cheatin’ Heart (1964)
Biopic of country-western singer Hank Williams, played by George Hamilton, and his struggles with alcoholism.
Sunday August 23 – Debbie Reynolds
7:30am / Give a Girl a Break (1953) [my review]
Debbie Reynolds, Marge Champion, and Helen Wood compete for a role on Broadway in this cutesy musical.
6:00pm / Hit the Deck (1955) [my review] Snappy musical in which Debbie, Jane Powell, and Ann Miller entertain sailors on leave, including Tony Martin, Vic Damone, and Russ Tamblyn.
4:15am / The Singing Nun (1966)
Debbie plays the titular Belgian nun who made the hit parade with “Dominique.”
Tuesday August 25 – Virginia Bruce
11:00pm / Born to Dance (1936) [my review]
Jimmy Stewart as a sailor on leave woos dancer Eleanor Powell, with fun support from Virginia, Una Merkel, and Buddy Ebsen and songs by Cole Porter.
Thursday August 27 – Monty Woolley
7:30am / Everybody Sing (1938)
The Bellaire family (including a young Judy Garland and Billie Burke, aka Glinda the Good Witch) puts on a show, with help from real-life Ziegfeld comedian Fanny Brice.
6:00pm / Kismet (1955)
Arabian Nights-style musical from Vincente Minnelli, starring Howard Keel, Ann Blyth, Vic Damone, and Dolores Grey.
3:45am / The Girl of the Golden West (1938)
MacDonald and Eddy together again, this time with MacDonald as a frontierswoman who shelters an outlaw.
Can’t miss “Broadway Gondolier”. It is such fun to see The Mills Brothers and Dick Powell singing “Lulu’s Back in Town”!