It's my favorite month on TCM. The month before the Oscars is almost nothing but pictures that won an Oscar. Billed as 31 DAYS OF OSCAR, at least about 90% of the films shown all month are worth watching. The following are a VERY few of my picks and are very subjective. My real advice. Glue yourself in front of the TV all month and TiVo the ones you can't keep your eyes open for.
Feb 1
11:00pm Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
A British military officer enlists the Arabs for desert warfare in World War I.
Cast: Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins Dir: David Lean C-227 mins, TV-14
An epic that should be seen on the big screen. Hopefully you have a home theater to watch this masterpiece on. If not sit Very, Very close to the TV screen.
3:00am (really feb 2nd) Becket (1964)
England's King Henry II appoints his best friend Archbishop of Canterbury then turns on him.
Cast: Richard Burton, Peter O'Toole, John Gielgud, Donald Wolfit Dir: Peter Glenville C-148 mins, TV-PG
It really should be followed by THE LION IN WINTER. But Becket does stand alone as a true classic. I'm not really sure who I think is better Burton or O'Toole.
FEB 2
9:15am Dam Busters, The(1955)
8:00pm Thin Man, The (1934)
1:00am Inherit The Wind (1960) 
In the twenties, a schoolteacher creates a national furor when he breaks the law against teaching evolution.
Cast: Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, Gene Kelly, Dick York Dir: Stanley Kramer BW-128 mins, TV-PG
3:15am Sergeant York (1941)
Four great films in one day but If pressed I would have to pick Inherit the Wind just to watch Tracy and March go head to head.
Feb 3
10:45am Public Enemy, The (1931)
An Irish-American street punk tries to make it big in the world of organized crime.
Cast: James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Edward Woods, Joan Blondell Dir: William A. Wellman BW-84 mins, TV-PG
12:15pm Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
Spirited musical biography of the song-and-dance man who kept America humming through two world wars.
Cast: James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, Richard Whorf Dir: Michael Curtiz BW-126 mins, TV-G
The two sides of Jimmy Cagney back to back. From the “I ain't so tough” tough guy to the consummate song and dance man. If some one put a gun to my head and made me choose I guess I would have to go with the musical. But it's a tough choice.
Feb 4
7:15am Captain Blood(1935)
After being unjustly sentenced to prison, a doctor escapes and becomes a notorious pirate.
Cast: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Lionel Atwill, Basil Rathbone Dir: Michael Curtiz BW-119 mins, TV-G
12:00am (that's midnight, not noon) Adventures of Robin Hood, The (1938)
The bandit king of Sherwood Forest leads his Merry Men in a battle against the corrupt Prince John.
Cast: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, Claude Rains Dir: Michael Curtiz C-102 mins, TV-G
How the hell do you choose between Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone in B&W and Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone in Technicolor . Simple answer, you don't... watch them both.
Feb 5
8:00pm True Grit(1969)
A young girl recruits an aging U.S. marshal to help avenge her father's death.
Cast: John Wayne, Glen Campbell, Kim Darby, Jeremy Slate Dir: Henry Hathaway C-128 mins, TV-14
10:15pm Shootist, The (1976)
A dying gunfighter tries to set his affairs in order.
Cast: John Wayne, Lauren Bacall, Ron Howard, James Stewart Dir: Don Siegel C-99 mins, TV-14
John Wayne's two greatest film roles back to back. I love TCM
Feb 6
4:30am Bad Day At Black Rock (1955)
A one-armed veteran uncovers small-town secrets when he tries to visit an Asian-American war hero's family.
Cast: Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Anne Francis, Dean Jagger Dir: John Sturges C-82 mins, TV-PG
“That's big talk for a one a one eyed fat man.” No wait that was TRUE GRIT. This is Spencer Tracy's one ARMED bad ass. What do you want it's 4:30 in the morning. Just TiVo it you won't be sorry.
9:30am How the West Was Won (1962)
12:30pm Magnificent Seven, The (1960)
8:00pm Bullitt (1968)
10:00pm French Connection, The (1971)
Oh, Lord. Another full day eaten by Television. I hate you TCM (no I don't)
Feb 7
3:15am On the Beach (1959) After a nuclear war, U.S. sailors stationed in Australia deal with the end of civilization.
Cast: Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire, Anthony Perkins Dir: Stanley Kramer BW-134 mins, TV-PG
This movie scared the hell out of us in 1959 and still leaves chills today. And who knew Fred Astaire could act without his dance shoes.
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