We covered two movies for the first seven days of October earlier; see the post here:  https://www.kansasww1.org/wwi-movies-on-turner-classics-october-1-7/

Of particular note is a silent classic, Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921), which focuses on an Argentinian gentleman off to fight for his father’s homeland of France.  It stars Rudolph Valentino and Alice Terry, and airs at 7:00 p.m. Central on October 30.

In a bit of clever programming, on October 25 and 26, TCM observes “Red October:  The 100th Anniversary of the Russian Revolution.”  Ten films will be shown that use the Russian Revolution as a plot device.  In order of appearance (all times Central):

-Probably to no surprise, first up is the epic, Doctor Zhivago (1965).  We’ve mentioned this before, so let’s just say it airs at 7:00 p.m. on October 25.

-Next up is another epic, Nicholas and Alexandra (1971), with Michael Jayston and Janet Suzman.  10:30 p.m. on October 25.

–Rasputin and the Empress (1932) may be better known as the only time the three Barrymore siblings–John, Ethel, and Lionel–appear in the same film together, although all three are rarely on screen at the same time.  2:00 a.m. on October 26.

–Rasputin, the Mad Monk (1966) brings Christopher Lee to the role of the monk.  4:30 a.m. on October 26.

–Strike (1925) is the first of two Sergei Eisenstein films from the Soviet Union to appear.  Czarist rulers try to break a workers’ strike.  6:30 a.m. October 26.

-The second Eisenstein film follows:  the classic The Battleship Potemkin (1925), set against a 1905 mutiny and has the classic scene on the Odessa steps.  8:00 a.m October 26.

–Mockery (1927) stars the Man of a Thousand Faces, Lon Chaney, a s a peasant who saves a countess during the revolution.  9:30 a.m. October 26.

–Scarlet Dawn (1932) is a tale about a Russian nobleman and his fiancee eloping to live as peasants in Turkey.  Stars Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.  11:00 a.m. October 26.

–Knight Without Armour (1932)  has a British spy trying to get a countess out of the  new Soviet Union.  Stars Marlene Dietrich and Robert Donat.  12:30 p.m. October 26.

-British Agent (1934) has Englishman Leslie Howard falling in love with Russian Spy Kay Francis.  2:30 p.m. October 26.

And finally:

–Balalaika (1939) brings refugees of the Russian Revolution to Paris to start a new life.  Stars Nelson Eddy and Ilona Massey.  4:30 p.m. October 26.

Happy viewing!

Blair Tarr is the Museum Curator of the Kansas State Historical Society. He oversees the three-dimensional collections of the Society, but has special interests in the Civil War, Wichita-made Valentine diners, and Leavenworth's Abernathy Furniture. In the last few years he has also done a lot of cramming on The Great War. He is a past president of the Kansas Museums Association and the Civil War Round Tables of both Kansas City and Eastern Kansas. He is currently a board member of the Heritage League of Greater Kansas City.