CITY LIGHTS
TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET
Charlie Chaplin wrote, produced, directed and starred in this silent movie classic in 1931 – four years after the sound era was ushered in by The Jazz Singer. By the Thirties, few filmmakers continued to dabble in silent films, but Chaplin, as one of the owners of United Artists, could dictate his own terms, and did. Good thing, because City Lights – which stars Chaplin as his Little Tramp character, and Virginia Cherrill as a blind girl who is touched by his kindness – is a lovely film, and considered one of Chaplin’s best, which is high praise indeed. And as a Saturday night prime time feature, City Lights becomes the first movie to be saluted by TCM in 2021 as one of “The Essentials.”