TCM Star of the Month May 2018: Marlene Dietrich

We're a bit late into a new month to get a new TCM Star of the Month, but that's because TCM decided to spend last Thursday night honoring Robert Osborne. That, and they picked a star where getting enough movies for five nights might have been an issue. At any rate, tonight's the first night for that star, Marlene Dietrich. Her movies show up tonight and the rest of the Thursdays in May.

This being the first night of the salute, it's unsurprising that we get five of her earlier movies. The photo above is from Blonde Venus, airing overnight at 3:30 AM, which may be more interesting for the costumes than for the story. Oh, it's not bad, it's just the sort of creaky story that was a thing in the 30s but wouldn't work today.

I wouldn't say that The Scarlet Empress (10:00 PM) is a favorite of mine by any stretch, but the photography is stunning, making the movie worth one watch. I rather preferred Shanghai Express (midnight).