Turner Classic Movies celebrates 2024 Memorial Day Weekend starting May 24 with dozens of classic war films including The Great Escape, The Dirty Dozen and The Bridge on the River Kwai.
Here are the movies in the TCM Memorial Day Marathon starting Friday, May 24, 2024, and running until Tuesday morning, May 28. All times are ET.
Friday, May 24, 2024
- 8:00 PM The Caine Mutiny (1954). Naval officers begin to suspect their captain of insanity. Director Edward Dmytryk, Cast Humphrey Bogart, Jose Ferrer, Van Johnson, Fred Macmurray. IMDB: 7.7
- 10:15 PM Platoon (1986). A rookie soldier struggles under the unbearable conditions of the Vietnam War while being subjected to a ruthless commander. Director Oliver Stone, Cast Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Willem Dafoe. IMDB: 8.1
Saturday, May 25, 2024
- 12:30 AM Men in War (1957). Two enemies join forces to save their men during a retreat from the North Koreans. Director Anthony Mann, Cast Robert Ryan, Aldo Ray, Robert Keith. IMDB: 7.1
- 2:15 AM The Steel Helmet (1951). Americans trapped behind enemy lines fight off Communists during the Korean War. Director Samuel Fuller, Cast Robert Hutton, Steve Brodie, James Edwards. IMDB: 7.4
- 4:00 AM Go For Broke! (1951). The true story of World War II’s all Japanese-American unit. Director Robert Pirosh, Cast Van Johnson, Lane Nakano, George Miki. IMDB: 6.6
- 5:45 AM The Human Comedy (1943). TA small-town telegraph boy deals with the strains of growing up during World War II. Director Clarence Brown, Cast Mickey Rooney, Frank Morgan, James Craig. IMDB: 7.0
- 7:45 AM Merrill’s Marauders (1962). A grizzled U.S. general leads his men against the Japanese in Burma during World War II. Director Samuel Fuller, Cast Jeff Chandler, Ty Hardin, Peter Brown. IMDB: 6.6
- 9:30 AM They Were Expendable (1945). After a demonstration of new PT boats, Navy brass are still unconvinced of their value to the war effort. Director John Ford, Cast Robert Montgomery, John Wayne, Donna Reed. IMDB: 7.2
- 12:00 PM Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943). An Eddie Cantor look-alike organizes an all-star show to help the war effort. Director David Butler, Cast Humphrey Bogart, Eddie Cantor, Bette Davis. IMDB: 6.8
- 2:15 PM Onionhead (1958). An irresponsible student enlists in the Navy expecting to sit out World War II. Director Norman Taurog, Cast Andy Griffith, Felicia Farr, Walter Matthau. IMDB: 6.0
- 4:15 PM The Story of G. I. Joe (1945). War correspondent Ernie Pyle joins an Army platoon during World War II. Director William A. Wellman, Cast Burgess Meredith, Robert Mitchum, Freddie Steele. IMDB: 7.2
- 6:15 PM A Farewell to Arms (1932). An American soldier falls in love with a British nurse. Based on the novel by Ernest Hemingway. Director Frank Borzage, Cast Helen Hayes, Gary Cooper, Adolphe Menjou. IMDB: 6.4
- 8:00 PM Attack (1956). A cowardly captain leads his men into danger in WWII Belgium. Director Robert Aldrich, Cast Jack Palance, Eddie Albert, Lee Marvin. IMDB: 7.4
- 10:00 PM Captains of the Clouds (1942). A mail flyer joins the Canadian air force for fun but has to prove his worth when he goes to war. Director Michael Curtiz, Cast James Cagney, Dennis Morgan, Brenda Marshall. IMDB: 6.4
- 10:30 PM The Red Badge of Courage (1951). A young Union soldier fights to atone for a moment of cowardice during the Civil War. Director John Huston, Cast Audie Murphy, Andy Devine, Robert Easton Burke, Douglas Dick. IMDB: 7.1
Sunday, May 26, 2024
- 12:00 AM Bad for Each Other (1954). A doctor returns from the Korean War and must choose between setting up a glamorous practice and helping the poor. Director Irving Rapper, Cast Charlton Heston, Lizabeth Scott, Dianne Foster. IMDB: 5.8
- 1:45 AM Men of the Fighting Lady (1954). Men on a U.S. aircraft carrier fight to survive the Korean War. Director Andrew Marton, Cast Van Johnson, Walter Pidgeon, Louis Calhern. IMDB: 6.2
- 3:15 AM. The Red Badge of Courage (1951). A young Union soldier fights to atone for a moment of cowardice during the Civil War. Director John Huston, Cast Audie Murphy, Andy Devine, Robert Easton Burke, Douglas Dick. IMDB: 7.1
- 4:45 AM Wings for the Eagle (1942). Dedicated aircraft workers compete for the same girl. Director Lloyd Bacon, Cast Ann Sheridan, Dennis Morgan, Jack Carson. IMDB: 5.8
- 6:15 AM The Fighting 69th (1940). A braggart soldier learns the true meaning of heroism when he joins World War I’s all-Irish regiment. Director William Keighley, Cast James Cagney, Pat O’brien, George Brent. IMDB: 6.6
- 7:45 AM Mister Roberts (1955). A naval officer longing for active duty clashes with his vainglorious captain. Director John Ford, Cast Henry Fonda, James Cagney. IMDB: 7.6
- 10:00 AM Bad for Each Other (1954). A doctor returned from the Korean War must choose between setting up a glamorous practice and helping the poor. Director Irving Rapper, Cast Charlton Heston, Lizabeth Scott, Dianne Foster. IMDB: 5.8
- 11:45 AM The Naked and the Dead (1958). A green lieutenant comes up against incompetent officers and a sadistic sergeant during World War II. Director Raoul Walsh Cast Aldo Ray, Cliff Robertson, Raymond Massey. IMDB: 6.3
- 2:15 PM The Dirty Dozen (1967). During World War II, an American Major is given the task of recruiting 12 soldiers from military prison for an impossible mission behind German lines. Director Robert Aldrich, Cast Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson. IMDB: 7.7
- 5:00 PM The Great Escape (1963). Drama based on the efforts of Allied prisoners to escape from a German prison camp. Director John Sturges, Cast Steve McQueen, James Garner. IMDB: 8.2
- 8:00 PM Memphis Belle (1944). Footage of actual bombing missions highlights William Wyler’s account of the U.S. Air Force’s bombing missions in World War II. Director Lt. Col. William Wyler, Cast Eugene Kern, Corp. John Beal, Capt. Robert K. Montgomery. IMDB: 7.3
- 9:00 PM The Cold Blue (2018). A tribute to one of the world’s great filmmakers and the men of the 8th Air Force who flew mission after suicidal mission in the Second World War. IMDB: 7.7
- 10:45 PM The Cold Blue: The Making of a War Documentary (2018).
- 11:00 PM The Best Years of Our Lives (1946). Upon returning to small-town America, three World War II veterans have difficulty readjusting to life in post-war America. Director William Wyler, Cast Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews. IMDB: 8.1
Monday, May 27
- 2:00 AM The Flying Fleet (1929). A naval cadet braves a perilous trans-Pacific flight for love. Director George Hill, Cast Ramón Novarro, Ralph Graves, Anita Page. IMDB: 6.5
- 3:45 AM The Burmese Harp (1956). A Japanese musician keeps up the spirits of his fellow soldiers as they flee Burma during World War II. Director Kon Ichikawa, Cast Rentaro Mikuni, Tanie Kitabayashi, Shoji Yasui. IMDB: 8.0
- 6:00 AM The Cranes Are Flying (1957). A Russian woman is tormented by fears that her boyfriend has been killed in World War II. Director Mikhail Kalatozov, Cast Tatyana Samoilova, Alexei Batalov. IMDB: 8.3
- 7:45 AM Appointment in Tokyo (1946). Military documentary about the U.S.’s recapture of the Philippines. Director Maj. Jack Hively, Cast Col. Emmanuel Cohen, Capt. Jack Handley. IMDB: 6.5
- 8:45 AM The McConnell Story (1955). The true story of Korean war hero Captain Joseph McConnell, Jr. Director Gordon Douglas, Cast Alan Ladd, June Allyson, James Whitmore. IMDB: 6.3
- 10:45 AM War Nurse (1930). A nurse fights to survive when she’s caught behind enemy lines during World War I. Director Edgar Selwyn, Cast Robert Montgomery, Anita Page, June Walker. IMDB: 6.1
- 12:15 PM Cry ‘Havoc’ (1944). A group of war nurses fight to survive the siege of Bataan. Director Richard Thorpe, Cast Margaret Sullavan, Ann Sothern, Joan Blondell. IMDB: 6.9
- 2:00 PM Bataan (1943). Thirteen U.S. soldiers risk their lives to hold a bridge against the Japanese. Director Tay Garnett, Cast Robert Taylor, George Murphy, Thomas Mitchell. IMDB: 6.9
- 4:00 PM The Rack (1956). A Korean War veteran is accused of cracking under enemy torture. Director Arnold Laven, Cast Paul Newman, Wendell Corey, Walter Pidgeon. IMDB: 6.8
- 5:45 PM Darby’s Rangers (1958). An Army Major leads his men behind enemy lines during World War II. Director William A. Wellman, Cast James Garner, Etchika Choureau, Jack Warden. IMDB: 6.3
- 8:00 PM Three Came Home (1950). A woman fights to survive as a prisoner of the Japanese during World War II. Director Jean Negulesco, Cast Claudette Colbert, Patric Knowles. IMDB: 7.3
- 10:00 PM The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957). The Japanese Army forces World War II POWs to build a strategic bridge in Burma. Director David Lean, Cast William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins. IMDB: 8.1
Tuesday, May 28
- 2:00 AM Assignment in Brittany (1943). A French Resistance fighter discovers he’s a dead ringer for a Nazi official. Director Jack Conway, Cast Pierre Aumont, Susan Peters, Richard Whorf. IMDB: 6.6
- 3:45 AM Sergeant York (1941). True story of the farm boy who made the transition from religious pacifist to World War I hero. Director Howard Hawks, Cast Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, Joan Leslie. IMDB: 7.7
Memorial Day War Film Previews
Below are film trailers for The Great Escape, The Dirty Dozen and The Bridge on the River Kwai, all showing on TCM during the Memorial Day film festival.
For schedules and more information see the links below.
Complete TCM Schedule, Highlights
For TCM schedules and more information see the links below.
- TCM Schedule Today
- TCM Home Page
- TCM Highlights for May 2023
- TCM Alphabetical List of May 2023 Films
- This Month on TCM
- TCM YouTube Channel
- TCM Facebook Page (latest posts are below).
How to Watch TCM
Turner Classic Movies is available on every cable and satellite TV provider, including:
- DirecTV: Channel 256
- Dish: Channel 132
- Spectrum: Channel varies by location; to find yours visit Spectrum Channel Guide
If you have TCM on your cable, you can also stream it free on your smartphone or PC: Streaming TCM
Recent Comments