Turner Classic Movies celebrates 2026 Memorial Day weekend with dozens of classic war films including The Great Escape, The Guns of Navarone, and The Best Years of Our Lives.
Here is the film schedule for the TCM Memorial Day Marathon starting Friday, May 22, 2026, and running until early Tuesday morning, May 25. All times are ET. Also included in the list below is the IMDB rating for each film and a link to the IMDB article for each film, with details on the cast, critical reviews and more.
Friday, May 22, 2026 – War Films Starring Gregory Peck
8:00 PM MacArthur (1977). Gregory Peck stars as General Douglas MacArthur, following his leadership in the Pacific during World War II, his controversial command in the Korean War, and the dramatic circumstances that led to his dismissal. IMDB: 6.5
10:30 PM The Guns of Navarone (1961). Stars Gregory Peck, David Niven and Anthony Quinn as an Allied commando team tasked with destroying massive German guns on a fortified Greek island, blending wartime tension with a high‑stakes sabotage mission that tests loyalty and endurance. IMDB: 7.5
1:15 AM 9:45 PM Pork Chop Hill (1959). Americans take a vital hill in Korea but have trouble holding it. Director Lewis Milestone, Cast Gregory Peck, Harry Guardino, Rip Torn. IMDB: 7.1
3:00 AM The Purple Plain (1954). Follows a grief‑stricken RAF pilot in Burma whose will to live is rekindled after a crash forces him to fight for survival. IMDB: 6.5
4:45 AM Days of Glory (1944). portrays a group of Soviet partisans resisting the Nazi invasion. IMDB: 6.1
6:15 AM The Sea Wolves (1980). dramatizes a covert British mission to destroy German spy ships off India’s coast. IMDB: 6.3
8:30 AM Captain Newman, M.D. (1963). blends drama and dark humor in its portrait of a compassionate Army psychiatrist treating traumatized airmen during World War II. IMDB: 6.9
Saturday, May 23, 2026
10:45 AM The Red Badge of Courage (1951). A young Union soldier fights to atone for a moment of cowardice during the Civil War. Director John Huston, Cast Audie Murphy, Andy Devine, Robert Easton Burke, Douglas Dick. IMDB: 7.1
12:00 PM Skirts Ahoy! (1952). (Musical Matinee) follows three women who join the WAVES and navigate friendship, romance, and Navy life. IMDB: 5.7
2:00 PM The Steel Helmet (1951). Americans trapped behind enemy lines fight off Communists during the Korean War. Director Samuel Fuller, Cast Robert Hutton, Steve Brodie, James Edwards. IMDB: 7.4
3:45 PM Darby’s Rangers (1958). An Army Major leads his men behind enemy lines during World War II. Director William A. Wellman, Cast James Garner, Etchika Choureau, Jack Warden. IMDB: 6.3
6:00 PM Take the High Ground! (1953). Centers on two tough sergeants pushing raw recruits through the emotional and physical trials of basic training during the Korean War. Stars Richard Widmark, Karl Malden. IMDB: 6.0
8:00 PM Looney Tunes: Wacky Blackout (1942), Falling Hare (1943), Draftee Daffy (1945)
8:30 PM Midway (1976). Recounts the pivotal 1942 naval battle through intersecting American and Japanese perspectives. Stars Charlton Heston, Henry Fonda. IMDB: 6.8
11:00 PM Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944). Tells the story of the Doolittle Raid and the airmen who risked everything in America’s first strike on Japan. Stars James Cagney. IMDB: 7.2
1:30 AM The Hook (1963). Follows three soldiers grappling with a morally fraught execution order during the Korean War. Stars Kirk Douglas. IMDB: 6.5
3:15 AM The Hasty Heart (1949). Depicts a wounded Scottish soldier whose emotional walls begin to crack as he bonds with fellow patients in a wartime hospital. Stars Ronald Reagan. IMDB: 7.3
5:00 AM Imitation General (1958). Uses comedy to show a low‑ranking soldier impersonating a fallen general to rally demoralized troops. Stars Glenn Ford. IMDB: 6.5
Sunday, May 24, 2026
8:00 PM MGM Cartoons: The Flying Bear (1941), The Rookie Bear (1941), Little Johnny Jet (1953)
8:30 PM The Best Years of Our Lives (1946). Upon returning to small-town America, three World War II veterans have difficulty readjusting to life in post-war America. Director William Wyler, Cast Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews. IMDB: 8.1
11:30 PM The Naked and the Dead (1958). A green lieutenant comes up against incompetent officers and a sadistic sergeant during World War II. Director Raoul Walsh Cast Aldo Ray, Cliff Robertson, Raymond Massey. IMDB: 6.3
1:45 AM The Big Parade (1925). Follows an American everyman whose naïve enthusiasm for World War I gives way to trauma and hard‑won camaraderie on the front lines. Stars John Gilbert, Renée Adorée. IMDB: 7.9
4:30 AM Westfront 1918 (1930). Presents a stark, unvarnished look at German soldiers enduring the futility and devastation of trench warfare. Stars Fritz Kampers, Gustav Diessl. IMDB: 7.3
Monday, May 25, 2026
8:00 PM Looney Tunes: Rookie Revue (1941), Conrad the Sailor (1942), The Weakly Reporter (1944)
8:30 PM The Great Escape (1963). Drama based on the efforts of Allied prisoners to escape from a German prison camp. Director John Sturges, Cast Steve McQueen, James Garner. IMDB: 8.2
11:30 PM Seven Days in May (1964). Depicts a tense political thriller in which a military coup threatens to overthrow the U.S. government. Stars Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Fredric March. IMDB: 7.8
1:45 AM A Walk in the Sun (1946). A platoon of American soldiers captures an Italian farmhouse. Director Lewis Milestone, Cast Dana Andrews, Richard Conte, George Tyne. IMDB Rating: 6.9
4:00 AM The Wings of Eagles (1957). Dramatizes the life of naval aviator‑turned‑screenwriter Frank “Spig” Wead as he rebuilds his purpose after a crippling injury. Stars John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara. IMDB: 6.6
Memorial Day War Film Previews
Below are film trailers for The Great Escape, The Guns of Navarone, and The Best Years of Our Lives, all showing on TCM during the Memorial Day film festival.
For TCM schedules and more information see the links below.
More About TCM
- TCM Schedule
- TCM Star of the Month for May: Gregory Peck
- Tuesdays in May: Yasujiro Ozu
- Wednesdays in May: Hollywood Biopics
- Saturdays in May: Two For One
- TCM Highlights for May
- TCM Alphabetical List of May Films
- TCM Newsletter Signup
- TCM YouTube Channel
- TCM Facebook Page.
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