Shadowy and Satiny: What to Watch on TCM in January 2024

Another year, another 365 days of quality stuff on TCM! And January 2024 is no different – I have two must-see winners to recommend to you for this month. And they’re coming up near the start of January, so mark your calendars!

Shadowy Pick: The Locket (1946)

I’ve mentioned The Locket on this blog before – it’s the one that a friend described to me in detail, years before I ever saw it, and when I finally did, it instantly became a favorite. It’s not your run-of-the-mill noir: it features the most affable and poised femme fatale you’d ever want to encounter, and while Robert Mitchum plays a featured role, it’s not the noir Mitchum you’re accustomed to seeing. And you want flashbacks? This movie has ‘em in spades – a flashback within a flashback within a flashback. It’s a real kick.

You’d better listen to Brian, Gene. He knows what he’s talkin’ about.

But I haven’t mentioned what it’s about! Believe me, that’s not an easy tale to tell. Let me just say that it stars Laraine Day as Nancy, who we first meet on the day she is preparing to wed the very wealthy John Willis (Gene Raymond). Before the ceremony begins, though, Willis gets a visit from a man (Brian Aherne) who not only claims to be Nancy’s ex-husband, but – more importantly – serves up quite a cautionary series of stories about the lovely bride-to-be. Beyond that, you’ll just have to take my word for it: check it out. January 3rd. You won’t be sorry.

Other Stuff:

Notorious. The Locket. Same house?

The screenplay was originally purchased by actor Hume Cronyn, who planned to produce and direct the film with his wife Jessica Tandy in the role of Nancy. He later sold the rights to RKO.

You might recognize the interior of the house belonging to the Willis family. It’s believed that it’s the same as the house where Alex Sebastian (Claude Rains) lived with his mother in Notorious, released by RKO in the same year as The Locket.

Satiny Pick: Man’s Castle (1933)

This is one of those movies that I started watching several times, but never made it past the first few minutes. I’m not sure why, but it’s probably because Spencer Tracy’s role is so different from anything I’d ever seen him play, and it was hard for me to get past it. But I was determined to check out this film and see if it could make the grade as my recommendation for the month – and it sure did!

Glenda Farrell’s in it, too!

Directed by Frank Borzage (which, honestly, should have been reason enough for me to have watched this long ago), Man’s Castle stars Loretta Young as Trina, who’s very much down-on-her-luck and all alone in the big city. We’re introduced to her as she’s seated on a park bench, hungrily watching a tuxedo-clad gent (Tracy) feeding popcorn to a flock of lucky pigeons. When the man – Bill is his name – learns that Trina is starving, he treats her to an enormous meal in a swanky restaurant; it’s not until the end of the meal that we, along with Trina, discover that Bill is just as broke as his dining companion. The rest of the film explores the (rather unusual) relationship between Bill and Trina, as well as the lives of the others living in the shanty town where Bill and Trina make their home. It’s an absolutely fascinating film, with a story and characters unlike any I’ve ever encountered. I hope you’ll feel the same – you can find out on January 4th (in the wee hours of the morning).

They weren’t just acting, if you get my drift.

Other Stuff:

Loretta Young and Spencer Tracy began an affair during filming that lasted more than a year.

The film was re-released in 1938, with numerous scenes and dialogue edited out due to the Production Code, cutting the running time from 75 minutes to 66. The film was restored in recent years by Sony/Columbia to its original version – this is the version you’ll see on TCM.

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Start your year off right and tune into TCM on the 3rd and 4th for these first-rate flicks!

~ by shadowsandsatin on January 1, 2024.