TCM Schedule for Tuesday, October 21: Historical Dramas/Boris Karloff Horror/Bandleader Kay Kyser

[CBHagman]

'Tis the season for films about history and horror, and TCM has some real rarities on today. Check out an early Hamilton biopic, a Pre-Code look at Mata Hari, films dealing with two British prime ministers, and more. And be sure to keep the lights on for a night of cinematic horror!

Tuesday, October 21, 2025

12:45 AM Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains (1982)
An obsessed young woman launches an all-girl rock band. After early struggles the band becomes a national sensation and must deal with the problems that go along with success.
Dir: Lou Adler Cast: Peter Donat, Diane Lane, Marin Kanter
Runtime: 88 mins Genre: Drama Rating: TV-MA CC:


2:30 AM The Last Waltz (1978)
Legendary back-up group The Band teams with rock greats for a farewell concert.
Dir: Martin Scorsese Cast: Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell
Runtime: 117 mins Genre: Documentary Rating: TV-MA CC: Y


4:30 AM Monterey Pop (1969)
Featuring performances by popular artists of the 1960s, this concert film highlights the music of the 1967 California festival. Although not all musicians who performed at the Monterey Pop Festival are on film, some of the notable acts include the Mamas and the Papas, Simon & Garfunkel, Jefferson Airplane, the Who, Otis Redding, and the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Hendrix's post-performance antics like lighting a guitar on fire, breaking it and tossing a part into the audience are also captured.
Dir: D. A. Pennebaker Cast: Lou Adler, Sam Andrew, Marty Balin
Runtime: 78 mins Genre: Documentary Rating: TV-14 CC: Y

TCM Daytime: Historical Dramas

6:00 AM Disraeli (1929)
The noted British statesman plays matchmaker for a pair of young lovers.
Dir: Alfred E. Green Cast: George Arliss, Joan Bennett, Florence Arliss
Runtime: 90 mins Genre: Drama Rating: TV-G CC: Y

7:45 AM Juarez (1939)
True story of a revolutionary leader who causes the downfall of Emperor Maximilian of Mexico.
Dir: William Dieterle Cast: Bette Davis, Paul Muni, Brian Aherne
Runtime: 132 mins Genre: Epic Rating: TV-G CC: Y

10:00 AM Mata Hari (1931)
Romantic biography of World War I's notorious lady spy.
Dir: George Fitzmaurice Cast: Greta Garbo, Ramon Novarro, Lionel Barrymore
Runtime: 89 mins Genre: Romance Rating: TV-PG CC: Y

11:30 AM Alexander Hamilton (1931)
The American patriot's political career is threatened when he falls in love with a married woman.
Dir: John G. Adolfi Cast: George Arliss, Doris Kenyon, Dudley Digges
Runtime: 73 mins Genre: Drama Rating: TV-G CC: Y

1:00 PM Mission to Moscow (1943)
True story of U.S. Ambassador Joseph E. Davies' attempts to forge a wartime alliance with the Soviet Union.
Dir: Michael Curtiz Cast: Walter Huston, Ann Harding, Oscar Homolka
Runtime: 123 mins Genre: Drama Rating: TV-PG CC: N

3:15 PM Bridge to the Sun (1961)
An American woman marries a Japanese diplomat on the eve of World War II.
Dir: Etienne Périer Cast: Carroll Baker, James Shigeta, James Yagi
Runtime: 112 mins Genre: Drama Rating: TV-PG CC: Y

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5:15 PM Young Winston (1972)
Young Winston Churchill overcomes a bad family life and early military mistakes to launch his political career.
Dir: Richard Attenborough Cast: Simon Ward, Peter Cellier, Ronald Hines
Runtime: 157 mins Genre: Drama Rating: TV-PG CC: Y

TCM Primetime: Boris Karloff Horror

8:00 PM The Black Cat (1934)
A Satanist faces off with the vengeful man whose wife and daughter he has stolen.
Dir: Edgar G. Ulmer Cast: Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, David Manners
Runtime: 65 mins Genre: Horror/Science-Fiction Rating: TV-PG CC: Y

9:15 PM Son of Frankenstein (1939)
Baron Wolf von Frankenstein is determined to prove the legitimacy of his father's scientific work, thus rescuing the family name from disgrace. With the help of Ygor, a grave robber, Wolf successfully reanimates the monster his father originally brought back from the dead. But when several villagers are killed mysteriously, Wolf must find the culprit to vindicate his creation, or face the possibility that he may be responsible.
Dir: Rowland V. Lee Cast: Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi
Runtime: 95 mins Genre: Horror/Science-Fiction Rating: TV-PG CC: Y

11:00 PM The Body Snatcher (1945)
To continue his medical experiments, a doctor must buy corpses from a grave robber.
Dir: Robert Wise Cast: Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Henry Daniell
Runtime: 77 mins Genre: Horror/Science-Fiction Rating: TV-PG CC: Y

12:30 AM The Invisible Ray (1936)
A scientist comes in contact with a meteorite composed of an element known as "Radium X". After exposure to its rays begins to make him glow in the dark, his touch becomes deadly, and he begins to be slowly driven mad.
Dir: Lambert Hillyer Cast: Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Frances Drake
Runtime: 80 mins Genre: Horror/Science-Fiction Rating: TV-PG CC: N

TCM Late Night: Bandleader Kay Kyser

2:00 AM You'll Find Out (1940)
Kay Kyser and his band fight to save a young girl trapped in a haunted mansion.
Dir: David Butler Cast: Kay Kyser, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff
Runtime: 97 mins Genre: Musical Rating: TV-G CC: Y

4:00 AM Playmates (1941)
A bandleader enlists a down-on-his-luck actor to teach him Shakespeare.
Dir: David Butler Cast: Kay Kyser, John Barrymore, Lupe Velez
Runtime: 96 mins Genre: Comedy Rating: TV-G CC: Y

[Auggie]

1. I love "Son of Frankenstein"

My father would often recount that he saw it upon its release when he was 11 -- and how it sacred the crap out of him. Probably why I love it. I think of dad when it airs.

IMO it's the most complete film of the Universal Frankenstein franchise. More suspenseful than the original and way superior than the hokey "Bride" sequel.