Memorial Day weekend offers holiday concert, classic movies and more must-see TV
Memorial Day weekend is upon us, and there will be no shortage of powerful and entertaining programming on a small screen near you.
This weekend, numerous TV channels will air patriotic specials, concerts and movies commemorating those who served in uniform. More than a few marathons of shows or film series are also on tap.
Even if your Memorial Day plans include spending time outdoors, firing up the barbecue or attending an event to honor veterans, you’ll likely be home for some portion of the weekend — and won’t want to miss some of what will be on the air.
Here's a selection of top TV picks for the weekend.
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• Memorial Day movie marathon, Friday to Monday, Turner Classic Movies: Starting at 8 p.m. Friday with the World War II drama “Twelve O’Clock High,” starring Gregory Peck, the classic movie channel will commemorate the sacrifice of veterans with airings of war movies. Highlights include “Attack!,” starring Jack Palance (6 p.m. Saturday), “From Here to Eternity,” starring Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr (8 p.m. Saturday), John Ford’s documentary about the bombing of Pearl Harbor, “December 7th” (6:30 p.m. Sunday), and “Sergeant York,” starring Gary Cooper as real-life Army soldier Alvin York (5:30 p.m. Monday).
• “Yellowstone” marathon, starting 10 a.m. Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Paramount Network: If you want to catch up with the series starring Kevin Costner as a Montana rancher, here’s your chance. Paramount Network is airing daylong blocks of episodes of the hugely popular series during the holiday weekend.
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• “Vacation” movie marathon, 7 p.m. Saturday, AMC: We can all agree that the unofficial start of summer is the perfect time to binge-watch the exploits of Clark W. Griswold, right? Watch Chevy Chase as the luckless vacationer in “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (7 p.m.), “Vegas Vacation” (9 p.m.), “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (11 p.m.) and “National Lampoon’s European Vacation” (1:15 a.m.). (The four films show again starting at 11:41 a.m. Sunday.)
• Indianapolis 500, 12:30 p.m. Sunday, WCMH-TV (Channel 4): Top racecar drivers will compete in the 106th edition of the Indy 500. (Pre-race coverage kicks off at 11:30 a.m.)
• Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, 3:30 p.m. Sunday, WSYX-TV (Channel 6): The F1 race will be rebroadcast from earlier in the day.
• National Memorial Day Concert, 8 p.m. Sunday, WOSU-TV (Channel 34):
Hosts Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise will introduce a musical lineup scheduled to include Rhiannon Giddens, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Pia Toscano. Also performing will be the National Symphony Orchestra and numerous Armed Forces ensembles, including the US Army Chorus and US Navy Band Sea Chanters.
• “Men in Black” marathon, 2 p.m. Monday, TNT: The complete supernatural comedy series, starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, will be shown, with “Men in Black” at 2 p.m., “Men in Black II” at 4 and “Men in Black III” at 5:45.
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• “Saving Private Ryan,” 3 p.m. Monday, AMC: Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning World War II drama, starring Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore and Edward Burns, will be shown on Memorial Day afternoon. Shown earlier in the day on AMC is Michael Bay’s “Pearl Harbor,” starring Ben Affleck (noon), and later, Clint Eastwood’s “American Sniper,” starring Bradley Cooper (10 p.m.).
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Memorial Day weekend offers many holiday-themed TV viewing options
