Free! Printable Daily Turner Classic Movies April 2025 Schedule! Plus: Star of the Month Red Skelton
Turner Classic Movies celebrates Red Skelton as their April star of the month. Richard Bernard Skelton, better known as Red Skelton, was an all-around entertainer, beginning in the circus, burlesque and vaudeville, and going on to great success in radio, television and movies, not to mention becoming a prolific and sought-after artist whose paintings most often famously featured clowns.
You’ll see some of the great clowning around that Skelton did on the big screen as Turner Classic Movies celebrates the star each Monday night this month. Be sure to download the whole schedule for free to see exact times.
Monday, April 7 – Begins at 8pm
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The first evening, April 7, features eight films, beginning with the three mystery comedies in which he had his first leading roles, playing Wally “The Fox” Benton, a writer/actor in radio murder mysteries who tends to find himself involved in the real thing: Whistling in the Dark (1941), Whistling in Dixie (1942) and Whistling in Brooklyn (1943). Ann Rutherford costars with Skelton in all three. Following those is the romantic film Maisie Gets Her Man (1942), the sixth of the 10 Maisie films featuring Ann Sothern as the title character; the musical Panama Hattie (1942), also led by Skelton and Sothern; Having Wonderful Time (1938), a romantic comedy led by Ginger Rogers and Douglas Fairbanks Jr., which marked Skelton’s film debut (as a character named “Itchy”); and two 1941 entries in the Dr. Kildare series of movies, with Skelton portraying Vernon Briggs: The People vs. Dr. Kildare and Dr. Kildare’s Wedding Day.
Monday, April 14 – Begins at 8pm
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The April 14 lineup also features eight titles, mostly the musicals and comedies in which Skelton appeared during the ’40s, beginning with Ship Ahoy (1942), also featuring Eleanor Powell. The lineup continues with I Dood It (1943), also costarring Powell, and whose title was based on the popular phrase Skelton introduced with his “Mean Widdle Kid” character on his radio show; Du Barry Was a Lady (1943), also featuring Lucille Ball and Gene Kelly; Merton of the Movies (1947); The Show-Off (1946), costarring Marilyn Maxwell; Lady Be Good (1941), also featuring Powell and Ann Sothern; and Ziegfeld Follies (1946). Airing just before Ziegfeld, a war film is thrown into the mix: Flight Command (1940), a drama about Navy pilots.
Monday, April 21 – Begins at 8pm
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Among the highlights of the six-film April 21 lineup, it kicks off with three musicals that paired Skelton with Esther Williams: Bathing Beauty (1944), which was Williams’ first musical and also features the film debut of Janis Paige; Neptune’s Daughter (1949), which costars Ricardo Montalbán and Betty Garrett, and introduced the Oscar-winning song “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” (in a musical number performed by the four leads); and Texas Carnival (1951), also featuring Howard Keel. After those, see Skelton alongside Fred Astaire in the musical biopic Three Little Words (1950), leading the comedic Western A Southern Yankee (1948), and starring with Arlene Dahl and Ann Miller in the comedy Watch the Birdie (1951).
Monday, April 28 – Begins at 8pm
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The seven movies that end the Skelton salute on April 28, feature some of his last big-screen leading appearances before he began focusing on television. The lineup begins with the comedies The Fuller Brush Man (1948) and The Yellow Cab Man (1950), followed by the musical comedies Excuse My Dust (1951) and Lovely to Look At (1952), costarring Kathryn Grayson and Howard Keel. Following those is The Clown (1953), which features one of Skelton’s few dramatic performances. The lineup then concludes with two more comedies: Half a Hero (1953) and The Great Diamond Robbery (1954).
TCM Star of the Month Red Skelton movies will be shown on Mondays in April Beginning at 8pm ET
Click here to download the full April 2025 TCM schedule.
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