Everett Collection
April is an exciting month for TCM as they will be celebrating the state of Texas with a month-long tribute to the Lone Star State and its role as the setting for some of the greatest films ever made on Thursday nights. Friday nights will commemorate the 100th birthday of legendary B-movie producer and director Roger Corman with some of his most popular films and the directors he influenced. In April, TCM will honor Italian Actress Sophia Loren as its Star of the Month on Mondays.
Other highlights at the beginning of the month include a night of Doris Day‘s top films in honor of the star’s birthday, a birthday tribute to James Garner, who would be turning 98, and Easter-related classics, including Judy Garland in Easter Parade.
So settle in for some of your favorite classic films, and be sure to download the full schedule of times.
Just looking for the full April calendar for the month? Scroll to the bottom to download.
Wednesday, April 1
Birthday Tribute Starring Doris Day
Beginning at 8/7c
Everett Collection
In celebration of the anniversary of her birthday on April 3, 1922, TCM spotlights the singing and acting career of Doris Mary Anne Kappelhoff, aka Doris Day. Up first is 1955’s Love Me or Leave Me, in which Day delivers one of her most dramatic performances as a fictionalized version of Ruth Etting, the “singing sweetheart of the roaring ’20s,” opposite James Cagney. Next, the actress shines as the titular 19th-century sharpshooter in the 1953 musical comedy Calamity Jane, with Day channeling Jane’s romantic sentiments in “Secret Love,” which won the Oscar for Best Original Song.
Three more Day performances complete tonight’s lineup, starting with 1949’s My Dream Is Yours, a lighthearted musical comedy featuring a cameo by cartoon icon Bugs Bunny. In 1960’s Please Don’t Eat the Daisies, Day wins hearts as the girl next door opposite David Niven, while 1952’s April in Paris showcases Day as chorus girl Ethel “Dynamite” Jackson opposite Ray Bolger.
Thursday, April 2
TCM Spotlight: Deep in the Heart of Texas
Beginning at 7:45/6:45c
Everett Collection
The Lone Star State takes center stage in tonight’s lineup of classic films set in Texas. It starts playfully with the Looney Tunes short Oily Hare (1952), where Bugs Bunny tries to thwart an oil tycoon who wants to drill in his rabbit hole.
The tone shifts dramatically with the 1956 feature Giant, starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, and James Dean (who died before the movie’s release). In the epic drama, which clocks in at more than three hours, a poor ranch hand (Dean) strikes it rich when he discovers oil, spurring a decades-long rivalry with a wealthy rancher (Hudson) and his socialite wife (Taylor). Following is 1971’s star-studded The Last Picture Show, a black-and-white portrait of adolescence in a decaying Texas town that won Academy Awards for Ben Johnson and Cloris Leachman.
Next, in late-night, is the TCM premiere of 1998’s Dancer, Texas Pop. 81, chronicling a group of high school friends living in a tiny Texas town who make a pact to move to Los Angeles after graduation. Then, Robert Altman‘s absurdist 1970 comedy Brewster McCloud finds the titular character living under the Houston Astrodome and dreaming of creating wings that will let him fly. Finally, in the 1964 political thriller Seven Days in May, an Army colonel (Kirk Douglas) races to subvert a general’s (Burt Lancaster) plan to overthrow the president from a secret base in El Paso.
Friday, April 3
Special Theme: Roger Corman
Beginning at 8/7c
Everett Collection
A themed night spotlights the work of cult director Roger Corman — the “King of the B-movies” — to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his birth on April 5, 1926. The lineup kicks off with the TCM premiere of the 2021 documentary Roger Corman: Pope of Pop Cinema, which not only celebrates his work in the low-budget genre but also reveals a more serious side of the filmmaker: as a mentor to directors such as Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and Ron Howard. But the evening is mostly about Corman classics, starting with 1959’s horror/comedy A Bucket of Blood, about a lowly busboy who, after accidentally killing a cat and covering it in clay to hide the crime, ends up a murderer who creates “sculptures” from his victims.
More murders are on the menu in 1960’s The Little Shop of Horrors, where a plant with an insatiable appetite for blood forces a floral assistant to begin killing humans to feed it. Things get more serious in 1957’s Teenage Doll, a brooding film noir where a member of the teen girl gang, the Black Widows, is killed, prompting them to seek revenge on the leader of the rival Vandals, who they believe is responsible for the murder. Up next is Corman’s directorial debut — not a horror film, but a Western set during the Civil War, 1955’s Five Guns West. The lineup concludes with 1955’s The Beast With a Million Eyes.
Saturday, April 4
Godspell
If you’re in the mood for an uplifting musical matinee, TCM has you covered with 1973’s classic dramedy Godspell. Set in modern-day New York City, this retelling of the Gospel of St. Matthew tracks a group of youthful disciples summoned by John the Baptist to join Jesus in preparing for the coming of the Lord. Through song and dance, they act out biblical parables at locations such as Central Park and the Brooklyn Bridge. Based on the 1971 musical by John-Michael Tebelak, Godspell features enduring musical favorites including “Prepare Ye (The Way of the Lord)” and “By My Side,” and the classic “Day by Day,” which reached No. 13 on the Billboard singles chart.
Sunday, April 5
“Happy Easter”
Beginning at 8/7c
Everett Collection
Celebrate the holiday with a pair of Easter-related classics: 1948’s Easter Parade, starring Judy Garland and Fred Astaire, and the 1961 religious epic King of Kings. In Easter Parade, Broadway star Don Hewes (Astaire) scrambles to salvage his career after his dance partner, Nadine Hale (Ann Miller), ditches him just before the annual Easter parade. Determined to continue his act, Hewes randomly selects Hannah Brown (Garland) from a bar, vowing to turn her into a star by next year’s parade. Astaire, who had surprisingly retired two years earlier, took the role when Gene Kelly, the original choice to play Hewes, broke his ankle. After that comes King of Kings, a sweeping tale of faith and redemption chronicling the life of Jesus Christ from his birth to his teachings, crucifixion and resurrection. The film, with a running time of nearly three hours, commands attention with its grand scale, opulent sets and expansive location shots. (The landmark Sermon on the Mount scene famously employed a staggering 7,000 extras!) The film’s narration, read by Orson Welles, was written by Fahrenheit 451 author Ray Bradbury; neither of them received screen credit.
Monday, April 6
Star of the Month: Sophia Loren
Beginning at 8/7c
Italian screen goddess Sophia Loren (born Sofia Scicolone) grew up in poverty in the slums of Naples, where she was nicknamed “Toothpick” by her friends due to her waif-thin stature. Her early affirmation — she once scribbled in her schoolbook “Sofia Scicolone will be a great actress” — would start coming true at the age of 14 when she won a beauty contest and headed to Rome. There she met producer Carlo Ponti, who would assist her in her career and eventually marry her. “I have been very lucky, because I never thought I was going to reach the heights I’ve reached,” she told Interview Magazine. “I was just dreaming of a little money and a little career and a marriage. That’s all you dream of when you live in a little town. I don’t know if I deserve it, but I had more, more, more, more, more, more than that.”
TCM celebrates Loren and all her “mores” every Monday this month starting tonight. The Star of the Month tribute fittingly begins with the 2016 interview special Sophia Loren: Live From the TCM Classic Film Festival, where Loren’s youngest son, Edoardo Ponti, engages in an intimate conversation with his mother about her life and long career.
Tuesday, April 7
TCM Birthday Tribute: James Garner
Beginning at 6am/5c
Everett Collection
The charismatic James Garner, who would have turned 98 today, was known for his easygoing manner, sly humor, toughness and versatility across both the big and small screen. TCM’s birthday tribute starts with the 1962 comedy Boys’ Night Out, featuring Garner as one of four bored friends who rent an apartment and hire a blond woman as a “companion.” Next up is another romantic comedy, 1968’s How Sweet It Is!, in which photographer Grif (Garner) takes his family to Paris, where he and his wife must both resist romantic temptations. The 1960 romantic drama Cash McCall sees entrepreneur McCall (Garner) finding love with Lory Austen (Natalie Wood) during his business dealings.
Next up is a string of World War II movies beginning with 1964’s The Americanization of Emily, which Garner said was his favorite role. Shot in black-and-white, this dark and gritty anti-war comedy/drama about a cynical Navy officer who falls in love with a British combat widow (Julie Andrews) earned Oscar nominations for art direction and cinematography. (The film was a dramatic shift for Andrews, whose previous movie was Mary Poppins.) Following that is 1959’s Up Periscope, with Garner portraying a Navy submarine officer sent on a dangerous mission to steal Japanese codes.
Darby’s Rangers (1958) follows William Darby (Garner) and the formation of the U.S. Army’s 1st Ranger Battalion. Rounding out the lineup is 1969’s Marlowe, a neo-noir thriller based on Raymond Chandler’s novel The Little Sister that follows a streetwise detective in seedy 1960s Los Angeles.
Wednesday, April 8
Directed by George Cukor
Beginning at 8/7c
Everett Collection
TCM shines the spotlight on Academy Award-winning director George Cukor, known for creating hilariously sophisticated comedies and play-to-film adaptations. The evening starts with Cukor’s Born Yesterday (1950), a romantic comedy inspired by the 1946 stage play of the same name. The film follows the unscrupulous Harry Brock (Broderick Crawford), a wealthy con artist whose goal is to go to Washington, D.C., to “buy” a congressman. Harry brings along his former-showgirl girlfriend Billie Dawn (Judy Holliday in an Oscar-winning performance), who lacks political savvy along with manners. When Harry hires journalist Paul Verrall (William Holden) to build up Billie’s intelligence, things really take an interesting twist.
The night continues with Pat and Mike (1952), Travels With My Aunt (1972), The Women (1939) and Dinner at Eight (1933). All have strong female leads who bring a conversational wit and chemistry to the films, a testament Cukor’s strong directing.
Thursday, April 9
TCM Spotlight: Deep in the Heart of Texas
Beginning at 8/7c
Bonnie and Clyde (1967): Everett Collection
Lone Star (1996) is a fitting title to start this marathon based on our Southern state of Texas. This small-town murder mystery finds a sheriff (Chris Cooper) back on an old case when the skeleton of his murdered predecessor is found. The Texas hits continue with No Country for Old Men (2007) and Blood Simple (1984). Texas’ most prized film, however, is reserved for a late-night airing: Bonnie and Clyde (1967). The film marked a turning point for American cinema, as it was one of the highest-grossing titles of 1967, earning around $70 million worldwide. Following is The Getaway (1972), which ends the marathon.
Friday, April 10
Directed by Roger Corman
Beginning at 8/7c
Courtesy Everett Collection
Tonight’s TCM takeover is with “the Pope of Pop Cinema,” Roger Corman, a visionary director of independent films. The night begins with The Masque of the Red Death (1964), starring Corman’s muse Vincent Price, one of eight films of Corman directed based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe. The New York Times described the film as “vulgar, naive and highly amusing, and it is played with gusto by Mr. Price, Hazel Court and Jane Asher. As for Mr. Corman, he has let his imagination run riot.” The film follows a troubled prince who terrorizes a disease-stricken village while he lives within a castle full of servants.
The evening continues with The Wild Angels (1966), The Trip (1967), Gas-s-s-s (1970) and Bloody Mama (1970). These works all focus on the rebellion, drugs and counterculture that pay homage to Corman’s low-budget yet cinematically adored work.
Saturday, April 11
Starring Michael Caine
Beginning at 8/7c
Everett Collection
Combining a calm charm with a cynical yet witty nature, Michael Caine‘s nearly eight-decade career in film is hard to match. Two of Caine’s films fill the primetime slot tonight beginning with Get Carter (1971), a cult classic that focuses on British gangster Jack Carter (played by Caine), who returns to his hometown to investigate the death of his brother. Following is the comedy-thriller Deathtrap (1982), where Caine stars as Sidney Bruhl alongside Christopher Reeve as Clifford Anderson and Dyan Cannon as Myra Bruhl. The plot follows Sidney, a famous yet struggling playwright who wants to take credit for a play written by his former student Clifford and is willing to do almost anything to achieve it. Greed, envy and just plain quirkiness make this one a must-see.
Click here to download the full printable April 2026 TCM schedule.
Lauren Novak, Brian Bishop, T’Neil Gooden and Miriam Norwitz wer all contributing writers.
