TCM’s 31 Days of Oscar

Watch movies. You know you need to do this to learn the craft. Moreover virtually any conversation about a script project with anyone involved in the movie development system will invariably result in multiple references to this movie or that. If you’re sitting there and the exec says, “Hey, it’s like that scene in 12 Angry Men,” or “What I’m talking about is something like that bit of business in Double Indemnity,” as opposed to trying to fake your way through the meeting, much better to know your cinematic shit. Or in the words of the inimitable @MysteryExec:

If you have some gaps in your movie coverage, this is a great time of year because starting February 1, TCM (Turner Classic Movies) runs their annual 31 Days of Oscar series. You can download a PDF of their entire month-long schedule here. For a taste, check out the lineup for just the first two days of the series:

Sunday, February 1
The Old Man and the Sea (1958) 
The Jungle Book (1942)
The Four Feathers (1939)
The Wind and the Lion (1975) 
The Great Race (1965)
Around the World in 80 Days (1956) (best picture winner)
And the Oscar Goes To… (2014)
Wings (27) (Paramount pool title) (best picture winner)
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) (best picture winner) 
Cimarron (1930) (best picture winner)
The Broadway Melody (1929) (best picture winner)

Monday, February 2
Camille (1937)
Random Harvest (1942) 
Humoresque (1946)
The Great Lie (1941) 
Magnificent Obsession (1954) 
Imitation of Life (1959)
Little Women (1933)
42nd Street (1933)
Public Enemy (1931)
Grand Hotel (1932) (best picture winner) 
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932)
The Champ (1931)

I’ve seen a lot of these, but I’ll make a confession: I’ve somehow missed Grand Hotel. Here’s the opening scene of the movie:

Gotta watch that movie. And others. I’ve set my DVR to record several films on TCM’s schedule.

I know professional screenwriters who have TCM on all the time. It’s a tremendous resource.

So do yourself a favor. Check out 31 Days of Oscar on TCM!