Shrieks from the boudoir...it can only mean one thing: a damsel in distress. Sometimes, in the movies, Prince Charming is close by, ready to save the day. Sometimes, it's that handsome hunk who got her into trouble in the first place. Damsels in distress have enthralled audiences for generations, from the girl who chanced the forbidden forest in "Little Red Riding Hood" to the woman who risked the forbidden pleasures in "The Story of O." It's a night of chivalry and courtesy and dastardly, immoral villains when TCM look at Damsels in Distress in the movies.

Three years after being kidnapped by Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), Maureen O'Hara found herself at the mercy of rogue pirates in The Black Swan (1942). Stolen away from her Caribbean colonial home, O'Hara is tied up, imprisoned, abused and manhandled, while still managing to remain ravishingly beautiful. Gallant, square-jawed Tyrone Power plays a profiteer who falls for his captive; he's a Prince Charming-in-the-rough. Stealing her away from the scurrilous Redbeard (George Sanders), Power absconds with his Irish beauty and sails off into the Technicolor sunset. The Black Swan has the swashbuckling skill and robust libido to rival the likes of Robin Hood, Don Juan and Sinbad--all rolled into one good-looking champion. List of films Today! on TCM The Princess Bride (1987) The Black Swan (1942) A Damsel in Distress (1937) A Damsel in Distress by P.G. G. Wodehouse Not One Damsel in Distress: World Folktales for Strong Girls by Jane Yolen Damsel in Distress (A Daisy Dalrymple Mystery) Carola Dunnby Carola Dunn He might not be a knight in shining armor, but director Roman Polanski casts himself as the hero of the day in The Fearless Vampire Killers, or Pardon Me but Your Teeth Are in My Neck (1967). As Alfred, Polanski plays the most unlikely vampire hunter; still he sets out to liberate a small European village. The bloodthirsty Count Von Krolock has intimidated the region's peasants and keeps a busty blonde beauty in his lair. Against all odds, Alfred comes bumbling to the rescue, saving the day and when the cameras stopped rolling, he married his leading lady, Sharon Tate, in real life. It would be only two years later when Tate would find herself a true-life damsel in distress as a victim of the Manson Family's murderous rampage. One hero who rescues his lady without resorting to violence is Fred Astaire, in George Stevens' musical screwball comedy, A Damsel in Distress (1937). In his first film apart from Ginger Rogers, Astaire plays an American in London who tries his luck at delivering a pretty Lady of the Court from her father's arranged marriage. Although Joan Fontaine couldn't dance a step, her hero led the way, making her appear graceful on the dance floor. Supporting players George Burns and Gracie Allen supply rapid-fire comic quips. Substituting tap dancing for swashbuckling, Fred Astaire saves the day and rescues the girl with a style that any film buff will want to commit to memory. Protect the virtue of our starlets! Don't miss a night-long celebration of Damsels in Distress. 4 Sunday 6/04/00 8:00 PM - The Black Swan (1942) When he’s named governor of Jamaica, a former pirate sets out to clean up the Caribbean. Tyrone Power, Maureen O’Hara, Anthony Quinn. D: Henry King. C 85 m. 6/04/00 10:00 PM - A Damsel in Distress (1937) An American dancer on vacation in England falls for a sheltered noblewoman. Fred Astaire, George Burns, Gracie Allen. D: George Stevens. BW 101m.