TCM Celebrates MGM’s 100th Anniversary Throughout April 2024
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, one of Hollywood’s most legendary studios, was founded by Marcus Loew, Samuel Goldwyn and Louis B. Mayer a century ago, on April 17, 1924.
During April 2024, Turner Classic Movies — in addition to celebrating its own 30th anniversary (the network launched on April 14, 1994) — will celebrate the 100th anniversary of MGM by devoting each Monday of the month to daylong lineups of the studio’s classic films from the past 100 years. Some highlights follow below.
Remind “TCM Spotlight: MGM 100th” Highlights (All Times Eastern)
Monday, April 1, 2024, Beginning at 6am
Today’s 24-hour-plus schedule focuses on the studio’s early years, beginning with the 1925 silent movie Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ and concluding early tomorrow morning with The Thin Man (1934), the beloved mystery/comedy starring William Powell and Myrna Loy.
In between are several other titles from MGM’s silent and early “talkie” days, including The Broadway Melody (1929), which was the studio’s first full-fledged talkie production and its first Best Picture Oscar winner; Flesh and the Devil (1926), a silent led by Greta Garbo and John Gilbert; Grand Hotel (1932), another Best Picture winner, led by a legendary ensemble including Garbo, John Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery and Lionel Barrymore; Dinner at Eight (1933), a comedy with another great ensemble, including the Barrymores, Beery, Marie Dressler and Jean Harlow; and more.
Airing in between the movies later this evening is Part 1 of the Emmy-winning 1992 documentary MGM: When the Lion Roars, a history of the studio narrated by Patrick Stewart.
Monday, April 8, 2024, Beginning at 6am
Today’s 24-hour lineup features MGM classics from the late 1930s and early ’40s.
The day begins with Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), the Best Picture Oscar-winning drama starring Clark Gable, Charles Laughton and Franchot Tone, all of whom earned Best Actor nominations (this three-way nomination led to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences introducing the Best Supporting Actor category the following year). The schedule concludes early tomorrow morning with Cabin in the Sky (1943), a musical headlined by an all-Black cast including Ethel Waters, Eddie “Rochester” Anderson and Lena Horne. It was also the first feature film directed by Vincente Minnelli.
In between these are several other popular and/or acclaimed MGM titles from this era, including Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938), one of the titles that helped turn Mickey Rooney into the top box office star of the late ’30s; Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939), the drama led by Best Actor winner Robert Donat; another legendary production from Hollywood’s memorable year of 1939, The Wizard of Oz; Lassie Come Home (1943), the first entry in MGM’s seven-film franchise starring the titular collie; the iconic 1940 screwball comedy The Philadelphia Story, starring Cary Grant, Best Actress nominee Katharine Hepburn and Best Actor winner James Stewart; and more.
Airing in between the movies later this evening is Part 2 of the Emmy-winning 1992 documentary MGM: When the Lion Roars, a history of the studio narrated by Patrick Stewart.
Monday, April 15, 2024, Beginning at 6am
Today’s 24-hour lineup focuses mostly on MGM classics from the 1940s and ’50s, including a few of the beloved musicals for which the studio became famous.
The day begins with the 1943 war movie Bataan and concludes early tomorrow morning with Ben-Hur (1959), the religious epic that won 11 of the 12 Oscars for which it was nominated, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Charlton Heston and Best Director for William Wyler (only Titanic and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King have matched Ben-Hur in the number of Oscar wins).
In between these are several other popular and/or acclaimed MGM titles from this era, including The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), the legendary film noir led by Lana Turner and John Garfield; Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), the famed musical starring MGM staple Judy Garland; Father of the Bride (1950), the original comedy featuring Best Actor nominee Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor; another iconic musical, Singin’ in the Rain (1952), led by Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds; and more.
Airing in between the movies later this evening is the third and final part of the Emmy-winning 1992 documentary MGM: When the Lion Roars, a history of the studio narrated by Patrick Stewart.
Monday, April 22, 2024, Beginning at 6am
Today’s 24-hour lineup of MGM favorites features titles from the late 1950s through the ’60s and into the ’70s, a time of great change when the old studio system that MGM helped pioneer was on its way out and the “New Hollywood” was dawning.
The day begins with the 1956 sci-fi classic Forbidden Planet, starring Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen and Robbie the Robot, and concludes early tomorrow morning with Network (1976), the brilliant, Best Picture Oscar-nominated satire led by Best Actor winner Peter Finch, Best Actor nominee William Holden, Best Actress winner Faye Dunaway, Best Supporting Actress winner Beatrice Straight and Best Supporting Actor nominee Ned Beatty.
Remind In between these are several other popular and/or acclaimed MGM titles from this era, including two epic Westerns: Cimarron (1960), starring Glenn Ford and Maria Schell, and How the West Was Won (1962), featuring a large ensemble of stars; Doctor Zhivago (1965), the epic, Best Picture-nominated historical romance led by Omar Sharif and Julie Christie; Viva Las Vegas (1964), the fun Elvis Presley musical costarring Ann-Margret; another iconic sci-fi production, 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968); Shaft (1971), the action film that helped usher in the “blaxploitation” film genre; and more.
Monday, April 29, 2024, Beginning at 6am
The final day features a 24-hour-plus lineup of MGM favorites mostly from the 1970s and ’80s.
The day begins with the 1964 documentary The Big Parade of Comedy, which features hilarious scenes from classic comedy films produced by MGM during the silent and early “talkie” eras, including A Night at the Opera and The Thin Man. The lineup concludes early tomorrow morning with Hollywood: The Dream Factory (1972), a short documentary that looks at the studio’s history.
In between these docs are several other popular and/or acclaimed MGM titles from this era, including a couple of sci-fi/fantasy titles: Westworld (1973) and Clash of the Titans (1981); musicals like Pennies From Heaven (1981), Fame (1980) and Victor/Victoria (1982); That’s Entertainment! (1974), a compilation film featuring some of MGM’s greatest musical moments produced for the studio’s 50th anniversary, with segments introduced by legends including Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds; the Oscar-winning 1987 romantic comedy/drama Moonstruck; and more.