On my schedule this week? Great movies and great drugs.

Hi, people. It’s 9 a.m. Monday morning and I can’t think of anything to do aside from eating, sleeping and maybe taking the next dose of my prescription painkiller (Norco) half an hour early because I love my drugs.

This is a terrific week for movies on TCM and I’m recording all of the following. The ones with red stars [★] are my personal favorites for the following reasons: I Confess is a really good but little-known Hitchcock suspense film set in Québec; Esther Williams’ wardrobe in Thrill of a Romance is a jaw-dropper; as an added bonus Dangerous When Wet features William Demarest dancing and singing IN A BATHING SUIT; and Saratoga mixes horse racing, a fun script and a terrific cast. (Plus it was Jean Harlow’s last film.)

TUESDAY, JUNE 23: MONTGOMERY CLIFT

The Big Lift (1950) with Paul Douglas
A Place in the Sun (1951) with Elizabeth Taylor
I Confess (1953) with Anne Baxter and Karl Malden ★

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24: ESTHER WILLIAMS

Bathing Beauty (1944) with Red Skelton and Basil Rathbone
Thrill of a Romance (1945) with Van Johnson ★
Neptune’s Daughter (1949) with Ricardo Montalban and Betty Garrett
Dangerous When Wet (1953) with Fernando Lamas and Jack Carson ★
Million Dollar Mermaid (1952) with Walter Pidgeon and Victor Mature

THURSDAY, JUNE 25

Soylent Green (1973) starring Charlton Heston and Edward G. Robinson
Saratoga (1937) starring Jean Harlow, Clark Gable and Walter Pidgeon ★

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The Confederate flag is in the news this week so I’d like to make the following statement for your possible interest.

Count on an arrogant jerk like Kanye West to think the “stars and bars” are an appropriate fashion statement for African-Americans. (Note to African-Americans: IT MAKES YOU LOOK EXTREMELY STUPID.) I suppose we shouldn’t expect anything better from the Einstein who married Kim Kardashian, right?

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It’s 6:30 p.m. now and I spent most of the day SUFFERING MY BRAINS OUT. My primary kvetch du jour was shortness of breath, which absolutely drives me nuts. I HATE IT WHEN I CAN’T BREATHE. I also had to contend with waves of nausea, dizziness and not feeling motivated to do anything except complain about waves of nausea and dizziness. At this point I might try a nice nap in the family room followed by foraging for leftovers. I believe there’s a container of Szechwan String Beans somewhere in the fridge. Also braunschweiger.

Thank you for reading this!