TVSquad

Of course, every week is a great week to watch Turner Classic Movies. If you're not a regular viewer of TCM, you're really missing out.

But looking over their schedule for tomorrow, I noticed several movies are playing that you really must see, especially if you haven't seen them before. In fact, two of the movies are ones I haven't seen before myself, though I've always wanted to. Many of these movies aren't shown on TV that often, and when they are it's only on TCM, another reason to watch the channel regularly.

Tomorrow at 6am (I know, it's early, but that's why God made DVRs) they'll have The Man From Planet X, a classic sci-fi from 1951. I've never seen it, but I can't resist this synopsis: "A space visitor uses hypnotic powers to enslave a Scottish island." Not sure why they would want to enslave a Scottish island, but I'm there!

Right after that, at 7:30, is 1954's Riders To The Stars, about astronauts that try to capture a meteor. That sounds really dangerous. It stars Richard Carlson, who starred in several sci-fi flicks in the 50s. At 9am get your recording devices ready for Plan 9 From Outer Space! It's often called the worst film of all-time, but that's only by people who've never seen Batman & Robin. No film this entertaining can be the worst film of all-time. After Plan 9, at 10:30, comes It Came From Beneath The Sea, where a giant octopus attacks San Francisco. Special effects by Ray Harryhausen.

At 2pm, a switch from sci-fi to noir, with Kiss Me Deadly. It stars Ralph Meeker as private eye Mike Hammer. He's sarcastic and rather violent, but he's the hero and he has a phone in his car and an answering machine at home, which must have been something in 1955. Cloris Leachman plays one of the dames he gets involved with. It was directed by Robert Aldrich.

At 4pm they have The Naked City, the classic 1948 procedural that led to the TV series of the same name and (arguably) shows like Law and Order.

On Friday at 12:30pm, TCM has one of the Bogart/Bacall flicks To Have And Have Not. At 10pm they have Lassie Come Home, where you get to see Roddy McDowell as a kid.

On Saturday afternoon at 12:30, the channel has a bunch of great westerns, including Western Union, The Naked Spur, Ride The High Country, and Hour of the Gun. Then at 8pm comes an amazing line-up of films: The Bad and the Beautiful, The Sweet Smell of Success, All The King's Men, Rope, and Citizen Kane!

If you haven't seen these movies in a while, or if you've heard about them but haven't seen them at all, my advice to get all of your errands done later today so you can sit in front of the TV and watch these for the next few days.