TCM September 2026 Schedule Celebrates Ricardo Montalbán as Star of the Month
TCM this September is celebrating Star of the Month, Ricardo Montalban, on the network all month, starting with an all-day marathon on Monday, September 7, then airing on Monday nights at 8 pm ET.
Ricardo is best known to many for playing the suave and mysterious Mr. Roarke on the hit TV series Fantasy Island (1978-84), captivating audiences with his charm, exotic style (the “Latin lover”), and unmistakable voice long before he partnered up with his sidekick Tattoo (Hervé Villechaize).
Montalban got his start in Mexican films before signing with MGM, where he worked under contract with the studio, making movies like 1948’s The Kissing Bandit, which kicks off a full-day celebration of his films on Sept. 7, as well as 1947’s Fiesta, 1949’s Neptune’s Daughter, 1949’s Battleground, and others.
The award-winning actor was an advocate for eradicating typical Latin stereotypes and finding new opportunities for his fellow thespians. Montalban earned lasting fame as the unforgettable villain Khan in an episode of Star Trek and in the 1982 motion picture Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (airing Sept. 28). Montalban passed away in 2009 at age 88 from congestive heart failure.
The full September TCM schedule and air times of Ricardo Montalban’s films follow. Just looking for the full month calendar? Scroll to the bottom to download.
Monday, Sept. 7 – Beginning at 6am ET
Everett Collection
Today’s lineup includes Montalban’s official MGM debut, Fiesta (1947), which costarred Esther Williams and launched his career in America by showcasing his heartthrob appeal and flair for dance; Neptune’s Daughter (1949), a box office hit that re-teamed Montalban and Williams, with the pair singing the Oscar-winning song “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”; Border Incident (1949), a gritty film noir that’s widely considered one of Montalban’s finest dramatic performances; Mystery Street (1950), a police procedural with Montalban as Lt. Peter Morales, a prominent portrayal of a Hispanic detective as a capable, respected professional rather than a stereotype; and Battleground (1949), an Oscar-winning World War II masterpiece demonstrating Montalban’s versatility among a prestige ensemble cast.
6 am The Kissing Bandit (1948)
8 am Love Is a Ball (1963)
10 am The Singing Nun (1966)
12 pm Fiesta (1947)
2 pm On an Island With You (1948)
4 pm Neptune’s Daughter (1949)
6 pm Two Weeks With Love (1950)
8 pm Border Incident (1950)
10 pm Mystery Street (1950)
12 am Battleground (1949)
2:15 am My Man and I (1952)
4:15 am Right Cross (1950
Monday, Sept. 14 – Beginning at 8pm ET
Everett Collection
In the colorful MGM romance 1953’s Latin Lovers, he charms Lana Turner as a wealthy Brazilian rancher. He reunites with Turner in the glossy melodrama 1966’s Madame X, followed by the romantic drama 1957’s Sayonara. These films, as well as the others featured tonight, offer a look at Montalban as a romantic leading man and dramatic actor long before later generations knew him best as Mr. Roarke on Fantasy Island or Khan in Star Trek.
8 pm Latin Lovers (1953)
10 pm Madame X (1966)
12 am Sayonara (1967)
2:45 am The Reluctant Saint (1962)
4:45 am Sombrero (1953)
Monday, Sept. 21 – Beginning at 8pm ET
Everett Collection
Ricardo Montalban heads west for the third night of his Star of the Month tribute. The sweeping frontier drama Across the Wide Missouri (1951) opens the lineup, where Montalban starred as a Blackfoot chief opposite Clark Gable, who played a rugged mountain man navigating cultural differences after he marries a Native American woman (María Elena Marqués). This is followed by the California-set adventure Mark of the Renegade (1951) and The Saracen Blade (1954). He also appears in John Ford‘s beloved Cheyenne Autumn (1964).
8 pm Across the Wide Missouri (1951)
9:30 pm Mark of the Renegade (1951)
11 pm The Saracen Blade (1954)
12:30 am Cheyenne Autumn (1964)
Monday, Sept. 28 – Beginning at 8pm ET
20th Century Fox Film Corp.
Courtesy: Everett Collection
The final night of Ricardo Montalban’s Star of the Month tribute showcases some of his best-known later work. The drama Let No Man Write My Epitaph (1960) begins the evening, a story about a group of marginalized residents in a run-down urban neighborhood struggling with poverty, addiction and shattered ambitions. Montalban plays sinister drug dealer Louis Ramponi, who preys on single mother Nellie Romano (Shelley Winters). Next is Escape From the Planet of the Apes (1971), where he stars as a circus owner. Then Montalbán returns to the role of Khan, which he first played on Star Trek, in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982). Also airing are Sol Madrid (1968) and The Train Robbers (1973), with John Wayne.
8 pm Let No Man Write My Epitaph (1960)
10 pm Escape From the Planet of the Apes (1971)
12 am Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
2 am Sol Madrid (1968)
3:4 5am The Train Robbers (1973)
Click here to download or view the full printable September 2026 TCM schedule.
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