Best Classic Movies on TV This Week: December 29-January 4

With the dozens of movie channels included in a standard cable package, your favorite classic movies are surely airing somewhere this week. But how the heck are you supposed to find them?! Nothing is more disappointing than flipping through the channels and finding out your favorite film is airing … and started 45 minutes ago.

Our weekly guide gives you a day-by-day breakdown of some of the best classic movies showing on broadcast networks and cable channels in primetime this week plus other notable programming highlights. Check out the week ahead, and see if you can catch your favorite classic movie!

Classic Movies on TV Sunday, December 29

Courtesy Everett Collection

Special Theme: Sundays With Carol Burnett
TCM, beginning at 8pm

TCM’s final Sunday evening in which it pairs a classic movie with a comedic take on the feature that was performed in a sketch on The Carol Burnett Show offers a double feature. Up first is the Best Picture Oscar-nominated melodrama/film noir Mildred Pierce (1945), led by Best Actress winner Joan Crawford, and Best Supporting Actress nominees Eve Arden and Ann Blyth. The film was parodied in the Nov. 20, 1976, episode of the show as “Mildred Fierce,” with Burnett as the title character and Vicki Lawrence as her daughter. The second part of this double bill is the Best Picture-nominated 1944 film noir Double Indemnity, starring Best Actress nominee Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray. The show spoofed this film as “Double Calamity” in the Nov. 3, 1973, episode, with Burnett stepping into Stanwyck’s femme fatale shoes and guest star Steve Lawrence taking on MacMurray’s role.

Universal/courtesy Everett Collection

6pm King Solomon’s Mines (1950, Adventure) Deborah Kerr, Stewart Granger TCM
6pm Meet the Parents (2000, Comedy) Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller E!
6pm My Husband’s Killer Affair (2024, Suspense) Kyana Teresa, Kirsten Comerford LMN
6:30pm Jerry Maguire (1996, Romance-comedy) Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr. BBCA
7pm The Perfect Storm (2000, Suspense) George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg VICE
7:30pm Happy Gilmore (1996, Comedy) Adam Sandler, Christopher McDonald BRAVO
8pm Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982, Comedy) Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh SUNDANCE
8pm Mildred Pierce (1945, Drama) Joan Crawford, Jack Carson TCM
8pm Monsters, Inc. (2001, Children) John Goodman, Billy Crystal DISNEY
8:30pm The Bodyguard (1992, Drama) Kevin Costner, Whitney Houston VH1
9:30pm A Few Good Men (1992, Drama) Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson BBCA
9:30pm Billy Madison (1995, Comedy) Adam Sandler, Darren McGavin BRAVO
10pm Forrest Gump (1994, Comedy-drama) Tom Hanks, Robin Wright CMT
10pm Sixteen Candles (1984, Comedy) Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall SUNDANCE
10:30pm Double Indemnity (1944, Crime drama) Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck TCM

Classic Movies on TV Monday, December 30

Everett Collection

Editor’s Pick: Ocean’s 11
TCM, 5:45pm

The Rat Pack was at the pinnacle of their film appearances in this very enjoyable 1960 heist comedy about World War II vets Danny Ocean (Frank Sinatra) and Jimmy Foster (Peter Lawford), who recruit nine of their former military comrades to help them rob five Las Vegas casinos on New Year’s Eve. The fun ensemble cast also includes Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop, Angie Dickinson, Cesar Romero, Norman Fell and plenty more.

Everett Collection

6:30pm Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985, Science fiction) Mel Gibson, Tina Turner SYFY
7:30pm First Blood (1982, Action) Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna SUNDANCE
8pm Constantine (2005, Fantasy) Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz AMC
8pm Palm Springs Weekend (1963, Romance-comedy) Troy Donahue, Connie Stevens TCM
8pm Steel Magnolias (1989, Comedy-drama) Sally Field, Dolly Parton POP
9pm Final Destination (2000, Horror) Devon Sawa, Ali Larter SYFY
9:30pm Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985, Action) Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna SUNDANCE
10pm Big Daddy (1999, Comedy) Adam Sandler, Joey Lauren Adams VH1
10pm Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001, Children) Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint BRAVO
10pm The Last of Sheila (1973, Suspense) James Coburn, Dyan Cannon TCM
10:30pm Point Break (1991, Action) Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves AMC
11pm Final Destination 2 (2003, Horror) Ali Larter, A.J. Cook SYFY
11pm Ghost (1990, Fantasy) Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore POP
11:30pm The Replacements (2000, Comedy) Keanu Reeves, Gene Hackman TNT

Classic Movies on TV Tuesday, December 31

Everett Collection

“Thin Man” Movies Marathon
TCM, beginning at 9:15am

TCM, as it has frequently done on recent New Year’s Eves, is airing all six of the movies in the classic Thin Man series of comedy/mystery films led by William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles — the witty, hard-drinking, fun-loving, high-society couple who, along with their lovable dog, Asta, often find themselves embroiled in solving mysteries. The titles are airing in order of their release, beginning with the 1934 original, The Thin Man, followed by After the Thin Man (1936), Another Thin Man (1939), Shadow of the Thin Man (1941), The Thin Man Goes Home (1944) and Song of the Thin Man (1947).

Dance in the New Year With Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers
MOVIES!, beginning at 11:25am

Everett Collection

MOVIES! is continuing a New Year’s Eve tradition of its own by once again offering a toe-tapping marathon of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers’ classic big-screen pairings. The network will air The Gay Divorcee (1934), Top Hat (1935), Shall We Dance (1937) and Carefree (1938), followed by encores of all four movies.

Everett Collection

6:30pm Point Break (1991, Action) Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves IFC
7pm Footloose (1984, Drama) Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer VH1
7:30pm Caddyshack (1980, Comedy) Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield AMC
8pm Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002, Children) Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint BRAVO
8pm The Apartment (1960, Comedy-drama) Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine TCM
9pm Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971, Children) Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson TNT
9:30pm Grease (1978, Musical) John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John VH1
9:30pm Speed (1994, Action) Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper IFC
9:30pm Trading Places (1983, Comedy) Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy AMC
10pm The Breakfast Club (1985, Comedy-drama) Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald CMT
10pm Tomorrow Never Dies (1997, Action) Pierce Brosnan, Jonathan Pryce MGM
10:15pm Bundle of Joy (1956, Musical comedy) Eddie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds TCM
11pm Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005, Children) Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore TNT

Classic Movies on TV Wednesday, January 1

TOMMY, Elton John, 1975.

New Year’s Rockin’ Day on TCM
TCM, beginning at 6:15am

Even if you spent New Year’s Eve rockin’ it, you can continue the party well into New Year’s Day as Turner Classic Movies presents a morning and afternoon of rock ’n’ roll movies and concert films. The lineup begins with Monterey Pop (1969) and continues with Don’t Look Back (1967), A Hard Day’s Night (1964), The Song Remains the Same (1976), Jimi Hendrix (1973), Tommy (1975) and Shine a Light (2008). After all this, if you are still in a dancing mood, you can shift to a different vibe with an evening of all three That’s Entertainment! films (the 1974 original, 1976’s second installment and 1994’s third installment), each of which looks back at some of Hollywood’s most legendary movie musicals.

6:15pm Rocky III (1982, Drama) Sylvester Stallone, AMC
6:30pm Face/Off (1997, Action) John Travolta, Nicolas Cage SHO
6:30pm Ocean’s Eleven (2001, Comedy-drama) George Clooney, Matt Damon VICE
8pm That’s Entertainment! (1974, Documentary) Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby TCM
8:30pm National Lampoon’s European Vacation (1985, Comedy) Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo CMT
8:45pm Rocky IV (1985, Drama) Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire AMC
10:30pm That’s Entertainment, Part 2 (1976, Documentary) Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly TCM

Classic Movies on TV Thursday, January 2

Everett Collection

Editor’s Pick: Bringing Up Baby
TCM, 4:45pm

Director Howard Hawks’ classic 1938 screwball comedy is one of the pinnacles of that movie genre prevalent during the 1930s and early ’40s, truly living up to the “screwball” descriptor with its series of wild situations delivered with impeccable comic timing by Hawks, and stars Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant. Grant plays stodgy paleontologist David Huxley, who is attempting to find the last bone for a brontosaurus skeleton while also looking for a large grant for his museum. Huxley catches the eye of flighty, fun-loving heiress Susan Vance (Hepburn), who proceeds to undo his well-ordered existence in hilariously irritating (and, ultimately, endearing) ways, with the assistance of her pet leopard, Baby.

Everett Collection

6pm Black Hawk Down (2001, War) Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor BBCA
6:30pm My Favorite Wife (1940, Comedy) Irene Dunne, Cary Grant TCM
8pm Cast Away (2000, Drama) Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt USA
8pm Jerry Maguire (1996, Romance-comedy) Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr. VH1
8pm The Incredibles (2004, Children) Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter DISNEY
8pm To Sir With Love (1967, Drama) Sidney Poitier, Judy Geeson TCM
9:30pm 10 Things I Hate About You (1999, Comedy) Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles E!
10pm Georgy Girl (1966, Comedy-drama) James Mason, Lynn Redgrave TCM
10:57pm Aliens (1986, Science fiction) Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn SYFY
11pm Cast Away (2000, Drama) Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt USA
11:45pm Gaslight (1940, Suspense) Anton Walbrook, Diana Wynyard TCM

Classic Movies on TV Friday, January 3

Everett Collection

It Was All a Dream? TCM Celebrates Dream-Themed Films
TCM, beginning at 8pm

Almost since their start, movies have incorporated dreams into their stories in various ways, and filmmakers have continued to work on finding innovative methods for recapturing the look and feel of those little nighttime films that show each night in our own minds and presenting them onscreen. Each Friday night this month, you’ll see several notable examples of movies that have used dream sequences, or where the entire story ended up being just a dream, or otherwise featuring dreams, daydreams or nightmares. Up first tonight is a particularly classic example: Alfred Hitchcock’s psychological thriller Spellbound (1945), starring Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck, and with a memorable dream sequence conceived in part by surrealist artist Salvador Dalí. Other highlights tonight include John Frankenheimer’s political thriller The Manchurian Candidate (1962) and Nightmare (1956), a film noir/psychological thriller led by Edward G. Robinson and Kevin McCarthy, and more.

5pm Braveheart (1995, Historical drama) Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau SHO
8pm A Few Good Men (1992, Drama) Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson BBCA
8pm Old School (2003, Comedy) Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell IFC
8pm Spellbound (1945, Mystery) Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck TCM
8pm The Lost Boys (1987, Horror) Jason Patric, Corey Haim AMC
8:20pm Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005, Children) Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore FREEFORM
9:32pm The Day After Tomorrow (2004, Action) Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal SYFY
10pm Ghostbusters (1984, Comedy) Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd AMC
10pm Starsky & Hutch (2004, Comedy) Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson IFC
10:30pm The Mask (1994, Comedy) Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz BRAVO

Classic Movies on TV Saturday, January 4

Everett Collection

TCM Celebrates Director John Cassavetes
TCM, beginning at 8pm

A Woman Under the Influence director John Cassavetes was not only a well-regarded actor but also a filmmaking pioneer. Tonight, TCM will be airing two of the lesser-known films he directed. First, the Oscar-nominated drama Faces (1968), in which a middle-aged man (John Marley) leaves his wife (Gena Rowlands) for a younger woman, and shortly thereafter, his ex-wife also gets involved with a younger partner. Following that is Cassavetes’ jazzy improvisational film about race relations among New York’s Beat generation, Shadows (1958), which follows an aimless Manhattan hipster, his romantic sister and their musician older brother during two weeks of their lives.

Everett Collection

6pm The Mummy (1999, Adventure) Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz IFC
6:15pm Sapphire (1959, Mystery) Nigel Patrick, Yvonne Mitchell TCM
6:22pm Top Gun (1986, Action) Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis PARMT
7pm Grumpy Old Men (1993, Comedy) Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau CMT
7pm The Day After Tomorrow (2004, Action) Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal SYFY
7:35pm Sweet Home Alabama (2002, Romance-comedy) Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas FXM
8pm 50 First Dates (2004, Romance-comedy) Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore COMEDY
8pm Crocodile Dundee II (1988, Comedy) Paul Hogan, Linda Kozlowski SUNDANCE
8pm Faces (1968, Drama) John Marley, Gena Rowlands TCM
8pm Gladiator (2000, Historical drama) Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix AMC
8pm My Cousin Vinny (1992, Comedy) Joe Pesci, Marisa Tomei BRAVO
9pm The Patriot (2000, War) Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger BBCA
9:32pm Armageddon (1998, Science fiction) Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton SYFY
10:15pm Shadows (1958, Drama) Hugh Hurd, Lelia Goldoni TCM
10:30pm Uncle Buck (1989, Comedy) John Candy, Amy Madigan SUNDANCE
11:05pm Road House (1989, Action) Patrick Swayze, Kelly Lynch PARMT