TCM again presents its annual Summer Under the Stars franchise, where each day in August is devoted to 24 hours of movies featuring one beloved movie star. This year our returning favorites include such superstars as Ingrid Bergman, James Cagney, Jane Fonda, Bette Davis, Judy Garland, Katharine Hepburn, Robert Mitchum, Gregory Peck, Tyrone Power, Esther Williams and Jane Wyman.
Also spotlighted are a baker’s dozen of performers who are new to the yearly programming list. Shown below are the lucky 13, along with selected film highlights.
Monday, August 2: Richard Burton (1925-1984) was a beautifully spoken, classically trained actor whose dramatic intensity enriched many films and stage productions from the 1940s into the ’80s. During his movies of the 1960s, he often played opposite his second wife and great love Elizabeth Taylor. Highlights of our tribute include Look Back in Anger (1959), The Night of the Iguana (1964), The Taming of the Shrew (1967), Anne of the Thousand Days (1969) and Equus (1977).
Tuesday, August 3: Kim Novak (1933-), a blonde beauty with a wistful persona, was an ideal choice for romantic heroines of the 1950s and ’60s. She struck sparks with such leading men as William Holden, Frank Sinatra and James Stewart. Highlights of her day include Picnic (1955), The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), Bell, Book and Candle (1958), Vertigo (1958) and The Legend of Lylah Clare (1968).
Wednesday, August 4: Louis Armstrong (1901-1971) is celebrated on what would have been his 120th birthday. Nicknamed “Satchmo,” this performer was beloved for his exuberant trumpet playing, his expressive delivery as a vocalist and his irrepressible high spirits. His day’s highlights include Cabin in the Sky (1943), High Society (1956), Jazz on a Summer’s Day (1957), The Five Pennies (1959) and the documentary Satchmo: The Life of Louis Armstrong (1989).
Thursday, August 5: Margaret Rutherford (1892-1972) was a British character actresses who made her name playing eccentric characters created by Noël Coward and Oscar Wilde. Later, in a series of films featuring “Murder” in the title, she carved a niche for herself as the delightful amateur sleuth Miss Marple. Highlights include Blithe Spirit (1945), The Importance of Being Earnest (1952), Murder She Said (1961), The V.I.P.s (1963) and Murder Most Foul (1964).
Saturday, August 7: Abbott and Costello were the comedy team formed by Bud Abbott (1897-1974) and Lou Costello (1906-1959). The pair, who also worked in radio and TV, made a series of popular movies during the 1940s and ’50s. They were particularly adored by younger audiences of the period. Highlights include Buck Privates (1941), Lost in a Harem (1944), Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), Africa Screams (1949) and Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (1952).
Tuesday, August 10: George Segal (1934-2021) is remembered by TCM following his death in March of this year. He rose to fame as a leading man who could handle both comedy and drama and also hold his own with such dynamic female stars as Elizabeth Taylor and Barbra Streisand. He later developed into a colorful character actor. His day includes Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), Bye Bye Braverman (1968), The Owl and the Pussycat (1970), Blume in Love (1973) and Fun with Dick and Jane (1977).
Thursday, August 12: Ramon Novarro (1899-1968) was a stunningly handsome Mexican-American actor who succeeded Rudolph Valentino as a matinee idol/sex symbol in the era of silent films and early talkies. He had his greatest success playing a silent Ben-Hur. Highlights during his day include The Prisoner of Zenda (1922), Scaramouche (1923), Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925), Mata Hari (1931) and The Barbarian (1933).
Monday, August 16: Robert Young (1907-1998) began his film career in the 1930s and worked his way up to his status as an all-purpose leading man in movies of the 1940s and ’50s. Later, on television, he became everyone’s favorite dad in Father Knows Best and doctor in Marcus Welby, M.D. His highlights include Northwest Passage (1940), H.M. Pulham, Esq. (1941), Journey for Margaret (1942), The Enchanted Cottage (1945) and They Won’t Believe Me (1947).
Wednesday, August 18: Robert Redford (1936-) is celebrated on his 85th birthday. The Golden Boy of Hollywood movies of the past several decades, he has continued to make occasional appearances as an actor but has also distinguished himself as a director. He was memorably paired onscreen with Jane Fonda, Barbra Streisand, Meryl Streep – and, oh, yes, Paul Newman. Highlights include Inside Daisy Clover (1965), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), The Candidate (1972), The Way We Were (1973) and Out of Africa (1985).
Thursday, August 19: Setsuko Hara (1920-2015) was a Japanese actress who was beloved in her native country and has also developed an international fanbase. Usually cast as a devoted daughter, wife or mother, she earned the nickname “the Eternal Virgin.” She is best remembered for her roles in the films of Yasujirô Ozu. Her highlights include: No Regrets for Our Youth (1946), Late Spring (1949), Early Summer (1951), Tokyo Story (1953) and Late Autumn (1960).
Monday, August 23: Eve Arden (1908-1990) was a sophisticated character actress with superb comic timing and a “seen it all” attitude that made her the perfect onscreen pal of leading ladies in the 1940s and ’50s. She developed her own fanbase by portraying schoolteacher Connie Brooks on radio, TV and film. Highlights include: Stage Door (1937), The Doughgirls (1944), Mildred Pierce (1945), Tea for Two (1950) and Our Miss Brooks (1956).
Tuesday, August 24: Maurice Chevalier (1888-1972) was a suave French actor and musical-comedy star who found a second home in Hollywood. He played romantic roles in his younger years and enjoyed a second career in the 1950s and ’60s as a seasoned man of the world. Highlights include: The Smiling Lieutenant (1931), The Merry Widow (1934), Love in the Afternoon (1957), Gigi (1958) and Fanny (1961).
Thursday, August 26: Tony Randall (1920-2004) was an accomplished comic actor who played both leads and secondary roles, finding particular success as the righthand man to Rock Hudson in a series of sex comedies that starred Doris Day. Highlights include Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957), Pillow Talk (1959), The Mating Game (1959), Lover Come Back (1961) and 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964).
