TCM March 2013 Guest Programmer: Joel Grey

You may have seen the promos on TCM announcing this month's Guest Programmer, Joel Grey. Most of the Guest Programmers select four movies, but for whatever reason, Grey will only be presenting three movies. He'll be on with Robert Osborne at 8:00 PM, which is when his first selection, The Best Years of Our Lives, airs. As good of a movie as it is, and even though it won the Best Picture Oscar, it's one that is always worth recommending again.

Grey's second selection is Yankee Doodle Dandy, at 11:00 PM. It's not my favorite mostly because of musicals not being my favorite genre, but I do have to say that it's a very well-made movie and that James Cagney does an excellent job as George M. Cohan. Or, at least, Cagney does an excellent job playing a character. I have no idea what the real life Cohan was like. Grey apparently played Cohan on Broadway in the late 1960s, which is why this movie has personal meaning for him.

Finally, at 1:15 AM, Grey has selected On the Waterfront, a movie whose quality goes without mentioning. I would bet, however, that there are people who aren't movie buffs who don't know much about the movie. It's too bad that it will be on at 1:15 AM, but something has to be on then. The only other bad thing is that it's Joel Grey presenting the movies. He's the sort of person that I don't know if too many people would go out of their way to see present films, unlike an Anthony Bourdain who probably has a fan base all its own that doesn't necessarily know about the movies but might be interested in seeing him present the movies.

The fourth and final movie in Tuesday's prime time lineup, although not presented by Gray, is another one worth wataching: Call Northside 777, at 3:15 AM.