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John Mellencamp curating two evenings of programming on Turner Classic Movies this month

By Matt Friedlander Sep 17, 2021 | 11:00 AM


Credit: Marc Hauser

In August, it was announced that John Mellencamp would be serving as a guest programmer on Turner Classic Movies this month, and now details have been revealed about the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s programming contributions to the network.

Mellencamp has curated two special nights of films that will be shown on TCM — airing tonight, September 17, and Friday, September 24. The heartland rocker will appear alongside TCM host Ben Mankiewicz to introduce the movies, which are some of his favorites.

For tonight, Mellencamp has chosen Tortilla Flat, Cool Hand Luke and The Misfits, and his picks for September 24 are The Fugitive Kind, On the Waterfront and East of Eden.

Back in July, the 69-year-old singer/songwriter lent his voice to a Turner Classic Movies interstitial segment called “From Hollywood to the Heartland” that looked at how small towns were portrayed in select vintage movies and featured him reflecting on his own experience growing in a small Indiana town.

Also, on August 27, Mellencamp’s new documentary The Good Samaritan Tour 2000 got its premiere on TCM’s YouTube channel, and you can still watch it on the website.

As previously reported, the film focuses on John’s 2000 trek of the same name, which featured a series of free, unannounced acoustic concerts held at public parks and on street corners in select major cities in the Midwest and on the East Coast.

The doc is narrated by Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey, and includes special contributions from Nora Guthrie, daughter of late folk legend Woody Guthrie.

A companion live album also was released the same day.

Meanwhile, Mellencamp is working with Turner Classic Movies on various other projects, including sponsoring his next tour.

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