TCM Schedule for Thurs, Dec 25, 2025: Christmas Marathon/Divine Intervention

[Auggie]

DAYTIME (EST)

6:00 AM Boys Town (1938)
True story of Father Flanagan's fight to build a home for orphaned boys.
Dir: Norman Taurog Cast: Spencer Tracy, Mickey Rooney, Henry Hull

8:00 AM The Great Rupert (1950)
A squirrel becomes the guardian angel for an impoverished family.
Dir: Irving Pichel Cast: Jimmy Durante, Terry Moore, Tom Drake

9:30 AM Little Women (1933)
Four sisters fight to keep their family together while their father fights the Civil War.
Dir: George Cukor Cast: Katharine Hepburn, Joan Bennett, Paul Lukas

11:30 AM Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
Young love and childish fears highlight a year in the life of a turn-of-the-century family.
Dir: Vincente Minnelli Cast: Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brien, Mary Astor

1:30 PM Pocketful of Miracles (1961)
A bootlegger tries to turn a street beggar into a society lady to impress her daughter's rich fiance.
Dir: Frank Capra Cast: Glenn Ford, Bette Davis, Hope LangeY

4:00 PM The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942)
An acerbic critic wreaks havoc when a hip injury forces him to move in with a Midwestern family.
Dir: William Keighley Cast: Bette Davis, Ann Sheridan, Monty Woolley

6:00 PM In the Good Old Summertime (1949)
Musical remake of The Shop Around the Corner (feuding co-workers are secret romantic pen pals).
Dir: Robert Z. Leonard Cast: Judy Garland, Van Johnson, S. Z. "Cuddles" Sakall



PRIME TIME, LATE NIGHT, EARLY MORNING

8:00 PM A Matter of Life and Death (1947)
An injured aviator argues in celestial court for the chance to go on living.
Dir: Michael Powell Cast: David Niven, Kim Hunter, Robert Coote

10:00 PM Angels in the Outfield (1951)
The short-tempered manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates reforms in return for a little divine assistance.
Dir: Clarence Brown Cast: Paul Douglas, Janet Leigh, Keenan Wynn

12:00 AM A Guy Named Joe (1943)
A dead World War II bomber pilot becomes the guardian angel of another pilot.
Dir: Victor Fleming Cast: Spencer Tracy, Irene Dunne, Van Johnson

2:00 AM Heaven Only Knows (1947)
An angel lands in the Wild West to save a gambler's soul.
Dir: Albert S. Rogell Cast: Robert Cummings, Brian Donlevy, Marjorie Reynolds

4:00 AM The Horn Blows at Midnight (1945)
A musician dreams he's an angel deputized to blow a trumpet at midnight, marking the end of the world.
Dir: Raoul Walsh Cast: Jack Benny, Alexis Smith, Dolores Moran

5:30 AM Time Bandits (1981)
A boy joins a band of time travelling dwarves as they look for treasure to steal.
Dir: Terry Gilliam Cast: John Cleese, Sean Connery, Shelley Duvall

[CBHagman]

1. Well done on the wicked Christmas picture...

Before there was the Grinch, there was Peter Lorre! But Monty Woolley will do nicely for the daytime schedule.

As for the evening schedule, I wholeheartedly recommend A Matter of Life and Death.

And by the way, I had to go back and look to see whether I had made a mistake on a previous day's schedule. Surely TCM wouldn't run Meet Me in St. Louis and In the Good Old Summertime twice in the same week. But that's what's happening.

[Auggie]

2. Thanks ...

I'd love to know the story behind that photo.

I'm noticing repetition in the schedule too. In some ways it's not a bad idea for viewers who work odd hours. On the other hand, just how many times do we need to see Now Voyager or Mildred Pierce? Both films are coming up January 2nd ... again.

[CBHagman]

3. I don't have a problem with repetition, but...

...I do wish there were even more titles available. The January preview suggests there are a bunch of TCM premieres coming in the first month of 2026, which means we start the year with some good news.