The Art of Artifice on TCM Tuesday Nights in May 2024

A scene from Jason and the Argonauts (1964)

Tuesday nights in May on Turner Classic Movies are devoted to the special theme The Art of Artifice, in which TCM celebrates production design, special effects, and the various techniques used to make the fictional worlds of movies seem real to viewers. Over the four Tuesdays of May, Turner Classic Movies will be showing 24 movies that are remarkable for making the unreal seem real.

While period pieces, science fiction movies, and fantasy films might spring to mind when one thinks of production design to create a whole new world, TCM is showing a wide variety of movies on Tuesdays this month. There is everything from Hitchcock's thriller North to Northwest (1959) to the teen comedy Beach Party (1964) to Dr. Seuss's musical fantasy The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T (1953). What is more there are some truly great films being shown this month in addition to the ones I just named. Forbidden Planet (1956), Citizen Kane (1941),  The Red Shoes (1948), and The Thief of Bagdad (1940) number among the movies they are showing. Tuesday, May 28 may be one of the best nights ever in TCM's 30 year history. That night they are showing Jason and the Argonauts (1964), King Kong (1933), Metropolis (1926), and Eraserhead (1977).

Below is the schedule for the Art of Artifice. All times are Central.

Tuesday, May 7:
7:00 PM North by Northwest (1959)
9:30 A Matter of Life and Death (1957)
11:30 PM Forbidden Planet (1956)

Wednesday, May 8:
1:15 AM Citizen Kane (1941)
3:30 AM The Fountainhead (1949)

Tuesday, May 14:
7:00 PM Rancho Notorious (1952)
8:45 PM Beach Party (1964)
10:30 PM Breathless (1983)

Wednesday, May 15:
12:30 AM Two Weeks in Another Town (1962)
2:30 AM Querelle (1982)
4:30 AM The Boy Friend (1971)

Tuesday, May 21:
7:00 PM The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T (1953)
8:45 PM The Red Shoes (1948)
11:15 PM Donkey Skin (1970)

Wednesday, May 22:
1:00 AM The Glass Slipper (1955)
2:45 AM Brigadoon (1954)
4:45 AM The Thief of Bagdad (1940)

Tuesday, May 28:
7:00 PM Jason and the Argonauts (1964)
9:00 PM King Kong (1933)
11:00 PM Metropolis (1926)

Wednesday, May 29:
1:45 AM Eraserhead (1977)