This year marks the 30th anniversary of Summer Under the Stars (SUTS) on Turner Classic Movies (TCM). The month-long festival is a favorite of mine, the perfect opportunity not only to see favorite featured actors, but to be introduced to actors and movies not previously seen for 24 hours at a clip. I could not count the numbers of movies SUTS has introduced me to in its years of tributes.
This year has the fewest TCM movie debuts I can remember, but the list of first-time Summer Under the Stars honorees is impressive.
2024 SUTS premiere stars
Julie Andrews – August 4
Jean-Paul Belmondo – August 13
Ossie Davis – August 27
Jose Ferrer – August 21
Leo Gorcey – August 29
Grace Kelly – August 24
Jerry Lewis – August 17
Gordon MacRae – August 5
Anita Page – August 12
Eleanor Powell – August 8
Robert Shaw – August 23
Meryl Streep – August 10
Peter Ustinov – August 7
TCM programmer, Stephanie Thames, sends me tidbits on Summer Under the Stars early every year. A huge thank you to her for taking the time to do that, but of course I wait for TCM to publish their official announcement before I dive in for this yearly post. I try my best to stick to tradition and (maybe) enlighten with a recommendation or two. I admit, however, it is not always easy. As you will see in the following roll call, some days pose difficult if not impossible movie decisions. Let’s get to it.
Thursday August 1 – William Powell
If I may say, that kicking off this year’s SUTS with the sophisticated charms of Bill Powell is fantastic. I have yet to see this actor in a movie where I did not enjoy him and his shenanigans. That said, I’ll be a big girl and narrow it down to the following on his day:
2:00 PM Libeled Lady (1936)
4:00 PM The Thin Man (1934)
5:45 PM Life With Father (1947)
9:45 PM My Man Godfrey (1936)
11:30 PM Love Crazy (1941)
4:30 AM Jewel Robbery (1932)
Friday, August 2 – Ida Lupino
There are tough, tough choices to make on Ida Lupino day. These are movies Ida acts in, not directs, and the entire day offers lots of delicious darkness and great actors. You really cannot go wrong by setting your DVR for the entire 24 hours on August 2. If I had to choose, however, these are the five I would highlight:
3:15 PM The Sea Wolf (1941)
6:30 PM On Dangerous Ground (1952)
8:00 PM High Sierra (1940)
10:00 PM They Drive By Night (1940)
12:00 AM While the City Sleeps (1956)
Saturday, August 3 – John Wayne
Some of my favorite John Wayne movies are not scheduled on his SUTS day, but there is plenty on tap to entertain. This is particularly true of you are one of those people who says they don’t like Westerns. I used to be one and later fell in love with the genre. In any case, my recommendations are listed below. I am particularly interested in the four 1930s offerings that kick off Wayne’s day, my Wayne discoveries this year. In three of those his character’s name is John, which tickles me for some reason.
12:00 PM Stagecoach (1939)
1:45 PM Fort Apache (1948)
5:45 PM McLintock! (1963)
10:15 PM Red River (1948)
Sunday, August 4 – Julie Andrews
There are a few surprising premiere SUTS stars this year and Julie Andrews is one of them. It is hard to believe she has never been so honored. Still, 24 hours of the ultra-talented Ms. Andrews is a treat, and her day brings you two TCM premieres, The Tamarind Seed (1974) and The Man Who Loved Women (1983) both directed by Blake Edwards who was married to Julie from1969 until his death in 2010. I look forward to both of those in addition to the following recommendations on Andrews day:
6:00 AM That’s Life (1986)
8:00 AM The Americanization of Emily (1964)
3:00 PM Torn Curtain (1966)
8:00 PM Victor/Victoria (1982)
Monday, August 5 – Gordon MacRae
My favorite pictures starring newcomer to SUTS Gordon MacRae are slated for prime time and beyond with an earlier Doris Day bonus. My recommendations follow. I admit that anything with Doris Day in it is worth your while and the two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, MacRae’s most popular movies, are fantastic. I look forward to a day of this star’s gorgeous baritone voice and some of the greatest songs ever written for stage or screen.
12:00 PM Tea For Two (1950)
8:00 PM Oklahoma! (1955)
10:30 PM Carousel (1956)
12:45 AM On Moonlight Bay (1951)
2:30 AM By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953)
Tuesday, August 6 – Jean Harlow
I am not going to recommend any pictures on Harlow day because she is essential. That’s not to say that others on the SUTS schedule are not. However, Jean Harlow is so unique that she has the power to make classics fans of anyone who watches her in action. There are a couple of new-to-me movies scheduled for Harlow day, George W. Hill’s 1931 gangster picture, The Secret Six and The Girl from Missouri (1934), a comedy directed by Kack Conway. Both have terrific casts. Also included in the line-up is Tom McQuade’s 1993 documentary, Harlow: The Blonde Bombshell. So, sit back and enjoy an unforgettable, influential talent on August 6.
Wednesday, August 7 – Peter Ustinov
Another SUTS first-timer and a day replete with history. I will make a point of recording the three new-to-me offerings on Ustinov day, the biopic Lola Montes (1955) directed by Max Ophüls, Billy Budd (1962), which was directed and co-written by Peter Ustinov, and Guy Hamilton’s Evil Under the Sun (1982). Of the scheduled movies I have seen and recommend the following:
8:00 AM Beau Brummel (1954)
2:30 PM The Sundowners (1960)
8:00 PM Spartacus (1960)
4:00 AM Logan’s Run (1975)
Thursday, August 8 – Eleanor Powell
Gosh. How does one choose from a list of golden moments on film? That is what premiere Summer Under the Stars honoree Eleanor Powell delivered, magic. One of the greatest dancers to ever grace the silver screen, Powell was magnificent. I am recommending the few pictures I consider must-sees, but you owe it to yourself to watch every moment of Powell if you can. We have waited thirty years for this tribute.
2:30 PM Lady Be Good (1941)
8:00 PM Broadway Melody of 1936 (1936)
10:00 PM Broadway Melody of 1938 (1938)
12:00 AM Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940)
2:00 AM Born to Dance (1936)
Robert Z. Leonard’s Duchess of Idaho (1950) is not a favorite of mine and features Eleanor Powell only in a cameo performance, but it is her final movie appearance so you may want to pay attention to it.
Friday, August 9 – Montgomery Clift
I would venture to say that Montgomery Clift’s SUTS day will be among the most popular. The handsome, emotionally charged Clift delivers performances that linger and several of his best are on tap this year. There is one new-to-me picture scheduled, which is also a TCM premiere, John Huston’s Freud from 1962 with Susannah York, Larry Parks, and Susan Kohner. Otherwise, I recommend the following:
6:00 AM I Confess (1953)
2:00 PM The Young Lions (1967)
8:00 PM A Place in the Sun (1951)*
10:15 PM The Heiress (1949)*
12:30 AM The Search (1948)*
Saturday, August 10 – Meryl Streep
Some TCM fans may balk at new honoree Meryl Streep getting a SUTS day because she is too recent a star, but I am not one of them. Ms. Streep is one of the greatest actors of her generation and has appeared in numerous films that should be seen and they are offered on her SUTS day, including her heartbreaking turn in Alan J. Pakula’s Sophie’s Choice (1982), her hilarious portrayal in Defending Your Life (1991) directed by Albert Brooks, is hauntingly stunning in Mike Nichols’s Silkwood (1983), and because you get to see Meryl alongside two other acting powerhouses Philip Seymour Hoffman and Viola Davis who ultimately steals the movie in a relatively small role, John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt (2008). There are other notable movies scheduled on Streep day, including her film debut, Fred Zinnemann’s Julia (1977), Robert Benton’s Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), and three TCM premieres: Pat O’Connor’s Dancing at Lughnasa (1998) and Florence Foster Jenkins (2016) directed by Stephen Frears, and Hector Babenco’s Ironweed (1987).
Well, I did mention almost every movie scheduled on August 10, didn’t I?
Sunday, August 11 – Cary Grant
My absolute favorite and one of the most popular stars to ever grace the silver screen. He is also the movie star of movie stars, legend, and style icon who excelled at comedy, drama, adventure, thrills, and romance. It is Cary Grant, and you shouldn’t miss a minute of him. If you have time for only for a few, I recommend the following from the scheduled movies:
4:00 PM Charade (1963)
6:00 PM Notorious (1946)
10:15 PM My Favorite Wife (1940)
12:00 AM Room For One More (1952)
1:45 AM Penny Serenade (1941)
Monday, August 12 – Anita Page
One of the days I am most excited about in this year’s SUTS is Anita Page’s. Not as well remembered as other actors of her era, new SUTS honoree Page was nicknamed “The Girl With the Most Beautiful Face in Hollywood,” but she was much more than that. A delight to watch on screen, it helps that Anita’s most popular era in movies followed the advent of sound, or the fabulous era when pre-codes were made. If you want to learn a bit more about Page, visit Shadows and Satin and this terrific tribute. Otherwise, get a load of all the movies scheduled on Anita Page day. I cannot wait for the few new-to-me offerings, especially Charles Reisner’s Reducing (1931) starring the great Marie Dressler, but I also cannot wait to spend a day with fun and sin. OK, I will recommend the following but don’t cheat yourself:
9:00 AM Navy Blues (1929)*
10:30 AM Our Dancing Daughters (1928)*
12:00 PM Our Modern Maidens (1929)*
4:45 PM Skyscraper Souls (1932)*
8:00 PM The Broadway Melody (1929)*
Tuesday, August 13 – Jean-Paul Belmondo
The day dedicated to premiere SUTS star Jean-Paul Belmondo has the most new-to-me movies scheduled. In fact, I think I’ve only seen three Belmondo movies, Vittorio De Sica’s gut-wrenching Two Women (1960), Jacques Deray’s Borsalino (1970), and Philippe de Broca’s That Man from Rio (1964). All three are scheduled on August 13 and they are worth your time. As for the rest, I will be recording or watching the entire day.
By the way, the following three movies on Belmondo day will be TCM premieres:
2:15 PM Seven Days…Seven Nights (1960)
4:00 PM A Monkey in Winter (1965)
1:45 AM Borsalino (1970)
Wednesday, August 14 – Anne Bancroft
Who doesn’t love Anne Bancroft? It is thrilling to have 24 hours of her work available to enjoy. There are a few movies slated for the Bancroft tribute that are dear to me, if not necessarily her best work. These are: The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1974), To Be or Not To Be (1983), and Torch Song Trilogy (1988). Then there are a few standout performances scheduled like The Miracle Worker (1962), The Pumpkin Eater (1965), and 84 Charing Cross Road (1987). For historical significance, watch John Ford’s final theatrical film, 7 Women (1965) and, if you want iconic, look no further than Bancroft’s Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate (1968). The ones I am most looking forward to, however, are the two movies that are kicking off Bancroft day because I have never seen them, Maxwell Shane’s The Naked Street (1955) and Jesse Hibbs’s Walk the Proud Land (1956). You really cannot ask for a better movie day than that.
Thursday, August 15 – Joseph Cotten
Tall with a soft, deep voice, a purposeful look, and electricity just beneath the surface made Joseph Cotten impossible to typecast. Due to that Cotten played all types of roles in all types of movies and sold them all. The best thing about the Cotten SUTS day is that you’ll get a taste of why Joseph Cotten may be one of the most underrated actors of his time. I pick these for the best taste of his charms:
4:00 PM Citizen Kane (1941)
6:15 PM The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
8:00 PM Portrait of Jennie (1948)
9:45 PM Duel in the Sun (1947)
12:15 AM Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
Friday, August 16 – Jane Russell
Unlike my oft indecisive recommendations for SUTS stars, I have a sure-fire way of recommending enjoyable Jane Russell movies. I simply use this formula:
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes + anything co-starring Robert Mitchum + anything co-starring Bob Hope = Jane Russell movie recommendations.
That formula gives you fantastic films noir and memorable comedies every single time. From the Russell SUTS day, here they are:
2:30 PM Macao (1952)
4:00 PM His Kind of Woman (1951)
8:00 PM Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
10:00 PM The Paleface (1948)
PS – you may also want to see The Las Vegas Story (1952)
Saturday, August 17 – Jerry Lewis
I will be thinking a lot about my mother on Jerry Lewis day. The first-time SUTS honoree was a favorite of hers. That’s especially true of Jerry’s earlier movies. The more shenanigans he got into, the more she loved him. Those would be movies like The Nutty Professor (1963) and The Disorderly Orderly (1964) both of which are fun and on the Lewis day schedule. Although not considered Jerry Lewis’s best movies, I lean more toward the movies he made with Dean Martin primarily because I love Dean Martin and because I love them together. For those reason alone I recommend this happy group:
8:00 AM At War With the Army (1950)
10:00 AM Sailor Beware (1951)
12:00 PM Scared Stiff (1953)
2:00 PM You’re Never Too Young (1955)
4:00 PM The Caddy (1953)
Sunday, August 18 – Katharine Hepburn
The great Kate whose career spanned seven decades. Katharine Hepburn is an essential and she made many essential films. That said, I find it quite easy to choose my recommendations here, which are not the only great movies slated on Hepburn day, but they are among my favorites.
9:30 AM Little Women (1933)
11:30 AM The Philadelphia Story (1940)
1:30 PM Bringing Up Baby (1938)
In addition to those gems, I am extremely excited to be introduced to two movies on August 18: John Cromwell’s spitfire (1934) and Philip Moeller’s Break of Hearts (1935).
Monday, August 19 – John Gilbert
Following the great Kate is the Great Lover. John Gilbert’s day promises to be extraordinary for me with five new-to-me offerings and most silent pictures. Gilbert did not make many talkies. I am particularly excited about seeing Erich von Stroheim’s The Merry Widow (1925) and Tod Browning’s The Show (1927). Anyway, I can offer no recommendations here except to say that the following are must-sees.
4:30 PM Queen Christina (1933)
6:15 PM A Woman of Affairs (1928)
9:30 PM Flesh and the Devil (1926)
11:30 PM The Big Parade (1925)
Tuesday, August 20 – Jeanne Crain
I do not know much about Jeanne Crain except that she had seven children, she was beautiful, and that I enjoy her movies. I recommend the following and the TCM premiere of Jack Arnold’s The Tattered Dress (1957) with Jeff Chandler, Jack Carson, and Gail Russell in addition to Crain.
4:00 PM State Fair (1945)
6:00 PM A Letter to Three Wives (1949)
8:00 PM Pinky (1949)
12:00 AM Model and the Marriage Broker (1951)
2:00 AM People Will Talk (1951), an essential if you did not get enough Cary Grant on his day.
Wednesday, August 21 – Jose Ferrer
Another first-time SUTS honoree, Joe Ferrer had a solemnity of manner and a powerful presence he brought to every role I have ever seen in him play. His SUTS day offers two of Ferrer’s three Academy Award-nominated roles, John Huston’s Moulin Rouge (1952) and Michael Gordon’s Cyrano de Bergerac (1950) for which he took home the statuette. Both of those are recommended as are Richard Brooks’s Crisis (1950) with more Cary Grant, Curtis Bernhardt’s Miss Sadie Thompson (1953), Edward Dmytryk’s The Caine Mutiny (1954).
Thursday, August 22 – Bette Davis
The essential Bette Davis. Even in lesser movies she makes her mark. I think anyone wanting to learn about movies or classic Hollywood must be planted in front of a screen watching TCM on August 22. If you are unable to, here are a few highlights of those on the schedule:
9:00 AM Dangerous (1935)*
10:30 AM Marked Woman (1937)*
2:00 PM Dark Victory (1939)*
6:00 PM The Little Foxes (1941)*
10:00 PM The Letter (1940)*
2:00 AM Dead Ringer (1964)*
Friday, August 23 – Robert Shaw
The classically trained Robert Shaw, another first-time Summer Under the Stars honoree, is rough, tough and menacing. At least to me. All makes him perfect for his most memorable roles, a few of which are scheduled on his day: Fred Zinnemann’s A Man For All Seasons (1966), George Roy Hill’s The Sting (1973), and Joseph Sargent’s The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three (1974). I also enjoy The Deep (1977) directed by Peter Yates and playing in the afternoon on Shaw day. Also slated is Guy Hamilton’s Force 10 From Navarone (1978), which has a terrific cast and will be a TCM premiere.
Saturday, August 24 – Grace Kelly
It is surprising that the popular Grace Kelly has never been honored with a SUTS day until now. I suspect this will be a popular day indeed. Kelly made only a handful of features, but most are keepers. TCM will air every single one of Grace Kelly’s movies starting with her film debut, Henry Hathaway’s Fourteen Hours (1951) through her final turn in Charles Walters’s High Society (1956). For me, the standouts are the three Hitchcock movies, Dial M for Murder (1954), Rear Window (1954), and To Catch a Thief (1955) (more Cary Grant). I also like John Ford’s Mogambo a lot. I am not a particular fan of George Seaton’s The Country Girl (1952) for which Kelly won a Best Actress Academy Award, but it is certainly worth watching.
Sunday, August 25 – Fred MacMurray
This is exciting. Handsome and wholesome, Fred MacMurray was beloved by audiences for decades thanks to his romantic comedies, melodramas, and Television. Yet, MacMurray’s best pictures had him playing cads and murderous schmucks in memorable fashion. You will get to see him in that vein with Billy Wilder’s The Apartment (1960) and Double Indemnity (1944) on his day. Those are essentials, but they are not the only entertaining pictures on the schedule. I also recommend the following:
6:00 AM Alice Adams (1935)*
3:30 PM The Egg and I (1947)*
10:00 PM Murder, He Says (1945)*
12:00 AM Above Suspicion (1943)*
You would have also seen Fred MacMurray in The Caine Mutiny on Ferrer day.
Monday, August 26 – Donna Reed
Like Fred MacMurray, the lovely Donna Reed was a favorite of audiences mostly due to her popular “The Donna Reed Show,” which ran from 1958 to 1966. People remember Reed also for Capra’s Christmas classic, It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), but that will not air on her SUTS day. What will air is a line-up of entertaining fare from Shadow of the Thin Man (1941) to Reed’s Oscar-winning performance in Fred Zinnemann’s From Here to Eternity (1953). Watch those and these:
11:00 AM The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)
8:00 PM From Here to Eternity (1953)
10:15 PM Ransom! (1956)
2:15 AM They Were Expendable (1945)
Honorable mentions to Richard Thorpe’s Apache Trail (1942) to see Donna Reed in a Western that used discarded footage from Ford’s Stagecoach (1939), and Michael Curtiz’s Trouble Along the Way (1953) for its memorable cast, including SUTS honoree, John Wayne.
There are two new-to-me pictures on Donna Reed day that I look forward to, Fred Zinnemann’s Eyes in the Night (1942) starring Edward Arnold and Ann Harding, and Sidney Salkow’s Faithful in My Fashion, which boasts an extraordinary line-up of supporting players, Edward Everett Horton, Spring Byington, Harry Davenport, Sig Ruman, and Margaret Hamilton. In addition, Barbara Billingsley, another of TV’s most popular mothers makes an appearance.
Tuesday, August 27 – Ossie Davis
The day dedicated to Ossie Davis and his commanding voice promises several new-to-me movies and two TCM premieres, David Lowell Rich’s The Sheriff (1971) and Mario Van Peebles’s Baadasssss! (2003), the latter being one of his best. Of the movies I’ve seen, I recommend the following:
8:00 PM Do The Right Thing (1989)*
10:15 PM Get on the Bus (1996)*
12:30 AM The Scalphunters (1968)*
My DVR will be working overtime on Ossie Davis day.
Wednesday, August 28 – Marlene Dietrich
A day spent with the sultry and glamorous Marlene Dietrich is a day spent well. A day spent with a few of Dietrich’s essential films is glorious. Enjoy these:
6:30 PM Shanghai Express (1932)*
8:00 PM Blonde Venus (1932)*
10:00 PM Morocco (1930)*
2:00 AM The Blue Angel (1930)*
4:00 AM Stage Fright (1950)*
Plus, Raoul Walsh’s Manpower (1941) because who could resist the Dietrich-Robinson-Raft-Hale combination?
Thursday, August 29 – Leo Gorcey
I am excited about Leo Gorcey’s debut as a Summer Under the Stars honoree. Gorcey’s Slip Mahoney, the leader of the Bowery Boys is a favorite of mine. To me they have always been the Bowery Boys, not the Dead End Kids Kids or East Side Kids or any other name for the group of tough New York City teens who always had a scheme going. I often joke that I learned the English language despite listening to Mahoney mangling the language in Bowery Boys movies on TV every week. Anyway, Leo Gorcey made movies on his own as well, but the ones with the gang are my favorites. My recommendations are…the entire Gorcey schedule. Bad, good, or indifferent, I think everyone should see these movies. Since that seems like a bit of a cheat, here are a few highlights:
6:00 AM Crime School (1938)*
5:15 PM Live Wires (1946)*
11:45 PM Ghost Chasers (1951)*
1:00 AM Private Eyes (1953)*
3:30 AM High Society (1955)*
Friday, August 30 – Ginger Rogers
By now I’m sure it’s gotten old that I say this is a SUTS day replete with tough choices. This time it is because Ginger Rogers is one of my favorites, a quadruple threat. So, I decided to approach this is a unique way by skipping the four movies Rogers made with Fred Astaire that are on the schedule assuming everyone has seen them. They are essential. With those put aside, I recommend the following:
6:00 AM Rafter Romance (1933)
7:15 AM Professional Sweetheart (1933)
12:00 AM The Major and the Minor (1942)
2:00 AM Primrose Path (1940)
4:00 AM Storm Warning (1951)
Saturday, August 31 – Tony Curtis
The final star of this year’s SUTS festival is Tony Curtis, who made for a simple task. Although I like many of the movies scheduled for Curtis day, three favorites of his performances are my recommendations:
10:15 PM The Defiant Ones (1958)
12:00 AM The Boston Strangler (1968)
2:15 AM Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
There are two new-to-me movies on Toy Curtis day, Blake Edwards’s The Perfect Furlough (1958) and Rudoph Mate’s The Black Shield of Falworth (1954), both co-starring Janet Leigh so I am looking forward to seeing those.
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There you have it, an August full of bright stars and memorable performances. Enjoy the festival and I will see you on social media.
Once upon a screen... 
Thank you!
Aurora, thank you so much for this! I enjoy and rely on your guides every year and truly appreciate the time and care you put into them.
Thank you so much for the shout-out on my Anita Page post, Aurora! I think she’s the star I’m most looking forward to — I plan to plant myself in front of the TV all day!!!
— Karen
Thanks for the recs! I’m starting with My Man Godfrey!
Find me on Letterboxd @ felicereviews