TCM Schedule for Thurs, May 8, 2025: Louis Armstrong / Special Theme: Westerns
Westerns theme tonight: "Rugged Individualists"
Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo," "Satch," and "Pops," was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz.
His career spanned five decades and several eras in the history of jazz. Armstrong received numerous accolades including the Grammy Award for Best Male Vocal Performance for Hello, Dolly! in 1965, as well as a posthumous win for the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1972. His influence crossed musical genres, with inductions into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame, among others.
Armstrong was born and raised in New Orleans. Coming to prominence in the 1920s as an inventive trumpet and cornet player, he was a foundational influence in jazz, shifting the focus of the music from collective improvisation to solo performance.
Around 1922, Armstrong followed his mentor, Joe "King" Oliver, to Chicago to play in Oliver's Creole Jazz Band. Armstrong earned a reputation at "cutting contests", and his fame reached band leader Fletcher Henderson.
Armstrong moved to New York City, where he became a featured and musically influential band soloist and recording artist. By the 1950s, Armstrong was an international musical icon, appearing regularly in radio and television broadcasts and on film. Apart from his music, he was also beloved as an entertainer, often joking with the audience and keeping a joyful public image at all times.
FULL BIO: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Armstrong
DAYTIME: (EST)
6:30 AM | Glory Alley (1952)
A boxer's drinking problem threatens his career and his love life.
Dir: Raoul Walsh | Cast: Ralph Meeker, Leslie Caron, Kurt Kaszner
8:00 AM | Pillow to Post (1945)
A girl pretends to be a war bride to get a hotel room in Washington.
Dir: Vincent Sherman | Cast: Ida Lupino, Sydney Greenstreet, William Prince
9:45 AM | Going Places (1938)
A sporting-goods salesman poses as a jockey to stimulate sales.
Dir: Ray Enright | Cast: Dick Powell, Anita Louise, Allen Jenkins
11:15 AM | Cabin in the Sky (1943)
God and Satan battle for the soul of a wounded gambler.
Dir: Vincente Minnelli | Cast: Ethel Waters, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Lena Horne
1:00 PM | The Strip (1951)
A jazz drummer fights to clear his name when he's accused of killing a racketeer.
Dir: Leslie Kardos | Cast: Mickey Rooney, Sally Forrest, William Demarest
2:30 PM | High Society (1956)
An ex-husband has 48 hours to convince his former wife that she really still loves him.
Dir: Charles Walters | Cast: Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra
4:30 PM | Satchmo: The Life of Louis Armstrong (1989) PBS American Masters
Home movies, film clips, and interviews of the life and career of jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong.
6:00 PM | New Orleans (1947)
A gambling-hall owner goes straight when he discovers the market for Chicago jazz.
Dir: Arthur Lubin | Cast: Arturo de Córdova, Dorothy Patrick, Marjorie Lord
PRIME TIME, LATE NIGHT, EARLY MORNING
8:00 PM | The Man from Laramie (1955)
A wandering cowboy gets caught in the rivalry between an aging rancher's sons.
Dir: Anthony Mann | Cast: James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Donald Crisp
10:00 PM | Ride Lonesome (1959)
A bounty hunter tries to bring a murderer to justice through perilous territory.
Dir: Budd Boetticher | Cast: Randolph Scott, Karen Steele, Pernell Roberts
11:30 PM | Forty Guns (1957)
A showdown in Arizona ensues over territor.
Dir: Samuel Fuller | Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Barry Sullivan, Dean Jagger
1:00 AM | High Plains Drifter (1973)
A mysterious stranger forces citizens to prepare a garish welcome for escaped convicts.
Dir: Clint Eastwood | Cast: Clint Eastwood, Verna Bloom, Russ McCubbin
3:00 AM | Hang 'Em High (1968)
A cowboy drifter survives a hanging by a band of thugs and then swears vengeance.
Dir: Ted Post | Cast: Clint Eastwood, Inger Stevens, Ed Begley
5:00 AM | The Oklahoma Kid (1939)
A cowboy sets out to avenge his father's lynching.
Dir: Lloyd Bacon | Cast: James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, Rosemary Lane