Your Favorite,1950's Movie Recommendations
 

Now that the Top 100 Documentary Countdown is up and running, it's a great time to start watching some 1950's movies for the upcoming Top 100 1950's Countdown, hosted by Raul. There's still many months until it starts, so plenty of time to discover some great 50s movies:)

So post your favorite 50s movie recommendations.

Here's mine:
Compulsion (1959) based on a true life murder trial.
A Christmas Carol (1951)
The Three Faces of Eve (1957)
Sunset Boulevard (1950)
The Man with the Golden Arm (1955)
Mon Oncle (1958)
The Fly (1958)
The Bad Seed (1956)
The Weapon (1956)
Pickup on South Street (1953)
In a Lonely Place (1950)
Sweet Smell of Success (1957)


What do you guys recommend?

I really haven't watched enough 50s movies to suggest anything other than films everyone already knows about but this thread will be useful.

Can i ask for some lesser known 50s Westerns that i should check out?

Re: Your Favorite,1950's Movie Recommendations
 

Ok this is the link to the entire thread, but there's 1950-1960 sci-fi in here :D
http://www.movieforums.com/community...ad.php?t=38189


1950
The Flying Saucer
1951
The Day The Earth Stood Still
1952
Untamed Women
1953
Invaders From Mars
1954
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea
1955
The Quatermass Xperiment
1956
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers
1957
Invasion Of The Saucer-Men
1958
The Blob
1959
Journey To The Center Of The Earth

The Furies and The Baron of Arizona

Re: Your Favorite,1950's Movie Recommendations
 

The only one i've seen there is The Day the Earth Stood Still, which i thought was pretty great. It is in the mix for my list right now but after i've finished watching i'm not sure if it still will be.

My dad loves the 50s Body Snatchers, he says it is alot better than the 70s one which i thought was ok.

Camo, let me check out, lesser know 50s westerns and post them, I can think of a few of the top of my head but my memory isn't what it use to be, (actually it was never that good;))

Rodent of your list I've seen and think highly of these:

The Day The Earth Stood Still 1951...awesome film that even none sci fi fans can appreciate. This is a classic and a statement on humanity.

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers 1956 I just watched this one, much better movie than I would have guessed, great choice.

Journey To The Center Of The Earth 1959...one of my guilty pleasures, I love this one and it has a duck and Pat Boone!

Thanks JJ. I'll check both of them out. I watched Winchester '73 by Mann and thought it was excellent. It is crazy that he made that, The Furies and two other films in the same year.

C'mon it's not that bad :p

I've seen these and thought they were top notch.

Broken Arrow (1950)
The Bravado's (1958)
JJ mentioned, The Furies (1950) good one!
Forty Guns (1957)
Warlock (1959)
Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)...this one is well known.
Stars in my Crown (1950)...this is a favorite
Winchester '73 (1950) just for James Stewart and Dan Duryea.

My 50's list is pretty long, but these are some of the highlights:

Cinderella (Disney-1950)
Sunset Blvd. (1950)
All About Eve (1950)
Harvey (1950)
D.O.A. (1950)
In a Lonely Place (1950)
Annie Get Your Gun (1950)
Summer Stock (Gene Kelly-1950)
The Jackpot (James Stewart-1950)
Tea for Two (Doris Day, Gordon MacRae-1950)
Champagne for Caesar (1950)

Alice in Wonderland (Disney-1951)
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
Strangers on a Train (1951)
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
The African Queen (1951)
An American in Paris (1951)
People Will Talk (Cary Grant-1951)
When Worlds Collide (1951)
Ace in the Hole (1951)
Show Boat (1951)
Royal Wedding (Fred Astaire-1951)
No Highway in the Sky (1951)
On Moonlight Bay (Doris Day, Gordon MacRae-1951)
I'll See You in My Dreams (Doris Day-1951)
Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951)
The Red Badge of Courage (1951)
Detective Story (Kirk Douglas-1951)
Storm Warning (Ginger Rogers, Ronald Reagan, Doris Day-1951)
Fourteen Hours (Noir-1951)

Singin' in the Rain (1952)
High Noon (1952)
Monkey Business (Cary Grant-1952)
The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)
Hans Christian Andersen (1952)
Pat and Mike (Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn-1952)
The Jazz Singer (Danny Thomas-1952)

Peter Pan (Disney-1953)
The War of the Worlds (1953)
Calamity Jane (Doris Day-1953)
The Band Wagon (1953)
By the Light of the Silvery Moon (Doris Day, Gordon MacRae-1953)
Pickup on South Street (1953)
Walking My Baby Back Home (Donald O'Connor-1953)
Call Me Madam (Ethel Merman, Donald O'Connor-1953)
Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953)
The Hitch-Hiker (Noir-1953)

Rear Window (1954)
Dial M for Murder (1954)
White Christmas (1954)
Brigadoon (1954)
Magnificent Obsession (1954)
It Should Happen to You (Jack Lemmon-1954)

To Catch a Thief (Hitchcock, Cary Grant-1955)
Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
Lady and the Tramp (1955)
East of Eden (1955)
Oklahoma! (1955)
The Court Jester (1955)
Mister Roberts (1955)
My Sister Eileen (Jack Lemmon-1955)
It's Always Fair Weather (Gene Kelly-1955)
Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955)
Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops (1955)

The King and I (1956)
Forbidden Planet (1956)
The Man Who Knew Too Much (Hitchcock-1956)
High Society (1956)
Carousel (1956)

12 Angry Men (1957)
Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
An Affair to Remember (1957)
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957)
Desk Set (Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Gig Young-1957)
The Pajama Game (Doris Day-1957)
The Three Faces of Eve (1957)

Vertigo (Hitchcock-1958)
Damn Yankees! (1958)
Indiscreet (Cary Grant-1958)

North by Northwest (Hitchcock-1959)
Sleeping Beauty (Disney-1959)
Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
Pillow Talk (Rock Hudson, Doris Day, Tony Randall-1959)
Operation Petticoat (Blake Edwards, Cary Grant, Tony Curtis-1959)
The Shaggy Dog (1959)
Compulsion (Orson Welles-1959)
The Gazebo (Glenn Ford, Debbie Reynolds, Carl Reiner-1959)
It Happened to Jane (Doris Day, Jack Lemmon-1959)

Watched Winchester and Broken Arrow was already on my radar. Thanks for the rest :)

Re: Your Favorite,1950's Movie Recommendations
 

Damn, gbg thanks for that.

o_O

*picks up nearby VHS tape*

Oh.

I have that.

I got it for free at a giveaway. Haven't watched it yet.

Just to let you know, those are all movies that I've seen, that are being considered for my list. That list does NOT include my watchlist of movies that I haven't seen yet.

Glad to see quite a few of them there. The one that stands out is Witness For the Prosecution, i can't remember who it was Daniel or Cobpyth i think that really didn't like it which disappointed me since i loved it.

I wonder how many Hitchcock films will make the list. I have seen 6/11 he made in the 50s, two are locks for my list, two have a very good chance and the other two wont because they are among my least favourite Hitchs. One of those i dislike has a good shot at #1 on the list though. The Wrong Man is the 50s HItchcock i want to see next.

Re: Your Favorite,1950's Movie Recommendations
 

Witness For the Prosecution, is one of the great 50s films and is a nomination in the 50s HOF
There's a lot of great 50s films there, and anyone can post and commit on that thread, so click on the link and check it out.

The Wrong Man was a nomination in the Film Noir HOF and a damn fine film. I believe it was based on a true story too.

I think i said that exact thing in the 50s thread when the noms were announced actually. Thanks for reminding me that i always talk the same bs Citizen :p

The Wrong Man was good, but it's not one of my favorite Hitchcock movies. It's definitely worth watching, but it won't make my list.

How many of his 11 Fifties movies have you seen gbg?

I've seen all 11 of Hitchcock's 1950's movies.


These are all being considered for my list, and some of them are locks to make it:
Strangers on a Train (1951)
Dial M for Murder (1954)
Rear Window (1954)
To Catch a Thief (1955)
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
Vertigo (1958)
North by Northwest (1959)


These won't make my list:
Stage Fright (1950)
I Confess (1953)
The Trouble with Harry (1955)
The Wrong Man (1956)

Also, just to put it into perspective for you, Psycho didn't make my 1960's list, so keep that in mind when considering my opinions. I like Psycho, but it's not a favorite Hitchcock movie for me.

My favorite 50s director is Elia Kazan and some of his films will be on my 50s list.

This is all of the films he did in the 50s.
1957 A Face in the Crowd
1956 Baby Doll
1955 East of Eden
1954 On the Waterfront
1953 Man on a Tightrope
1952 Viva Zapata!
1951 A Streetcar Named Desire
1950 Panic in the Streets

I've seen some of those. I haven't seen Baby Doll, Man on a Tightrope, Viva Zapata!, and Panic in the Streets. But I like the ones that I've seen, so I'll add the rest to my watchlist, (if they're not on there already).

Rear Window is one of my least favourite Hitchcock films while Saboteur is one of my favourites, so i don't think i fit the normal Hitch fan status either. ;)

Thanks alot Mark, i was waiting for you to post :)

Re: Your Favorite,1950's Movie Recommendations
 

There's still so many films from the 50's that I still need to see. I've seen a few but not nearly enough.

However, one that I do think is essential viewing that hasn't been mentioned yet is Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

I don't like war movies, but I've seen Bridge on the River Kwai, (only because my father-in-law bought the DVD, but he said it locked up on him so I had to watch it to test it). It's been a while since I saw it, so I don't remember it very well, but from what I remember of it, I think the war movie fans will like it.

Already very high on my watchlist. Only seen Lawrence, Dr Zhivago, and his version of Oliver which will make my 40s list more than likely.

The best part was the whistling!

From those who weren't mentionend yet, I can recommend the following:

The Hitch-Hiker
Les diaboliques
Los Olvidados
The Big Combo
La strada
Le notti de Cabiria
Die Brücke
Du rififi chez le hommes

Re: Your Favorite,1950's Movie Recommendations
 

I really haven't watched many 50s films at all, so I shall be following this thread with interest in the lead up to the countdown.

I see the 1951 Scrooge has been mentioned, that's a classic, I watch it every Christmas. This year I watched a colorized version, but I think I prefer the black and white.

I love 12 Angry Men, The Sweet Smell of Success and Some Like It Hot, also High Society.

I'm also a big fan of The African Queen - adventure, romance, humour ("I pronounce you man and wife. Proceed with the execution.")

Re: Your Favorite,1950's Movie Recommendations
 

I don't think anybody has mentioned The 400 Blows yet, but I hope everybody checks it out. Truffaut was shut out of the 60s countdown, but The 400 Blows deserves at least to be a top 20 movie for the 50s countdown.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i89oN8v7RdY

Re: Your Favorite,1950's Movie Recommendations
 

I already have The 400 Blows ready to watch Kaplan.

Re: Your Favorite,1950's Movie Recommendations
 

Max - I also love Les Diaboliques and Rififi.

A few British films - we made quite a few WW2 action films in the 1950s which I think deserve to be included. A personal favourite is Ice Cold in Alex which I think is a cracking film, but there's also The Dam Busters, Reach for the Sky, Dunkirk, The Wooden Horse and The Cruel Sea.
The Blue Lamp is a 1950 crime film that introduced one of Britain's most loved coppers George Dixon played by Jack Warner. He was the star of a long running spin off series called Dixon of Dock Green which ran from 1955 to 1976 with Warner playing Dixon for all those years.

Ealing Studios were in their classic comedy era in the 40s and 50s. Some of their great 1950s films are The Man in the White Suit, The Ladykillers, The Lavender Hill Mob.

the late 1950s were the very beginning of the so called 'kitchen sink' dramas, the more realistic portrayal of post war Britain that was still stifled by class. Look Back in Anger and Room at the Top were made just as the 1950s came to an end

Not lesser known, but people shouldn't forget High Noon or 3:10 to Yuma, which is much, much better (IMO) than the awful remake.

I haven't seen many, but I'll echo Mark with Friendly Persuasion and The Big Sky, and I would add Day of the Outlaw.

Re: Your Favorite,1950's Movie Recommendations
 

Thanks guys. Kaplan i love High Noon, haven't seen either version of 3:10 to Yuma will check the 50s version out now.

Re: Your Favorite,1950's Movie Recommendations
 

some fantastic lists here, thanks all!!

In a Lonely Place (1950)
Los Olvidados (1950)
Rashomon (1950)
Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Wagon Master (1950)
Diary of a Country Priest (1951)
Early Summer (1951)
The Lavendar Hill Mob (1951)
The River (1951)
Casque d'Or (1952)
The Flavor of Green Tea over Rice (1952)
Ikiru (1952)
Singin' in the Rain (1952)
The Earrings of Madame de... (1953)
Roman Holiday (1953)
Tokyo Story (1953)
Wages of Fear (1953)
La Strada (1954)
On the Waterfront (1954)
Rear Window (1954)
Sansho the Bailiff (1954)
Seven Samurai (1954)
Voyage in Italy (1954)
The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz (1955)
Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
Night and Fog (1955)
The Night of the Hunter (1955)
Pather Panchali (1955)
Smiles of a Summer Night (1955)
Aparajito (1956)
A Man Escaped (1956)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
The Searchers (1956)
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Nights of Cabiria (1957)
Paths of Glory (1957)
The Seventh Seal (1957)
Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
Throne of Blood (1957)
The Sun Legend of the End of the Tokugawa Era (1957)
Moi un noir (1958)
Mon oncle (1958)
The Music Room (1958)
Touch of Evil (1958)
Vertigo (1958)
The 400 Blows (1959)
Hiroshima mon amour (1959)
The Human Condition Trilogy (1959)
North by Northwest (1959)
Pickpocket (1959)
The World of Apu (1959)

Re: Your Favorite,1950's Movie Recommendations
 

The Wayward Wife (1953) hidden gem

http://i380.photobucket.com/albums/o...vinciale03.jpg

Excellent list Harry. Like a must see 1950s world cinema list :)

Well here's my big list of 50s films. I can't say which will be on my ballot for the Countdown, but I know some of them well;)

In no particular order.

12 Angry Men (1957)
Rear Window (1954)
Vertigo (1958)
Dial M for Murder (1954)
An Affair to Remember (1957)
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
The Searchers (1956)
On the Waterfront (1954)
All About Eve (1950)
The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)
Sabrina (1954)
Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
East of Eden (1955)
Giant (1956)
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
War and Peace (1956)
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
Sunset Blvd. (1950)
Paths of Glory (1957)
Touch of Evil (1958)
Strangers on a Train (1951)
Forbidden Planet (1956)
Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
High Noon (1952)
The African Queen (1951)
Shane (1953)
The War of the Worlds (1953)
The Bravados (1958)
How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
A Face in the Crowd (1957)
Harvey (1950)
From Here to Eternity (1953)
Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)
To Catch a Thief (1955)
The Night of the Hunter (1955)
The Killing (1956)

Musicals, because I know MoFos love musicals;)
Singin' in the Rain (1952)
Calamity Jane (1953)
An American in Paris (1951)
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)
Gigi (1958)
Guys and Dolls (1955)
Oklahoma! (1955)

Forbidden Planet (1956)
Ulysses (1954)
The Seventh Seal (1957)
Moby Dick (1956)
When Worlds Collide (1951)
Invaders from Mars (1953)
Ben-Hur (1959)
Shane (1953)
Scrooge (1951)
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
The Ladykillers (1955)
The Vikings (1958)
The Flame and the Arrow (1950)
The Crimson Pirate (1952)
Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. (1951)
Lust for Life (1956)
Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)
An Inspector Calls (1954)
The Gunfighter (1950)
Hell Drivers (1957)

Re: Your Favorite,1950's Movie Recommendations
 

I can't remember who recommended this, but I watched Die Brucke (The Bridge) (1959), a film about a group of young schoolboys who are drafted into the army at the end of WWII and sent to defend a bridge. I thought it was really excellent and I would definitely recommend it.

Re: Your Favorite,1950's Movie Recommendations
 

I recommended it - glad you enjoyed it!

Re: Your Favorite,1950's Movie Recommendations
 

Am I the only person watching some 50s films for the upcoming Countdown?

Re: Your Favorite,1950's Movie Recommendations
 

No.^^

I would definitely recommend
On The Waterfront (1954), that's a great one.
Bridge on the River Kwai (1958 I believe)
And 12 Angry Men (1956 I think).

I need to watch more. Being in the fifties HOF will help. Even if I didn't though, a top 25 is easy for me since its my favorite decade other than the 2000s.

Re: Your Favorite,1950's Movie Recommendations
 

Yup, there's a lot of choice 50s films in the Hof. I really need to knock off a few more of those. Well hopefully soon I'll get back to it. I love the 50s! 40s and 30s too, those are my fav decades for films.

Nope. I started my 50's movie watching right after the 60's countdown ended. :D

Re: Your Favorite,1950's Movie Recommendations
 

Seen any good ones lately?

Fourteen Hours (1951)
The Steel Trap (1952)

Re: Your Favorite,1950's Movie Recommendations
 

Neither heard of either of those, I see they're Film Noir I will try to check them out.

I hadn't heard of either of them before I watched them, but they were on TV, and they sounded good, so I watched them. I liked both movies.

I looked to see what else has already been mentioned and I may be wrong, but I don't think I saw any mention of The Band Wagon, Pillow Talk, or Bus Stop.

Re: Your Favorite,1950's Movie Recommendations
 

That's because there's at least three threads with '50s recs. :)

Testing Mofo's new custom lists, here are my favorite 1950's movies (almost in order, still editing) but the top 30 titles are highly recommended.

https://www.movieforums.com/lists/custom/130

Wow, now that was a bump. I had totally forgotten about this thread...So anyways I just looked at your 1950s list, some good stuff on there! Though I hate your 1st choice:p but everyone else loves that movie. Overall a very solid list and I see there's some movies there that I still need to watch:yup:

Re: Your Favorite,1950's Movie Recommendations
 

I'll go with The Day the Earth Stood Still, Sunset Boulevard, The African Queen, Moby Dick, Ben Hur and The Forbidden Planet for starters, but it WAS a long decade with lots of movies, so this seems like a list that could go on and on.

H-8... (1958) is a hidden gem that should be considered. I also second North by Northwest and The day the Earth Stood Still

All About Eve (1950) was rather a landmark film. Davis and Baxter, of course, but I enjoy George Sanders at his bastardly best. MM had a notable role, but it really wasn't anything special.

A Summer Place 1959
Blue Denim 1959
Three Coins In The Fountain 1954
An Affair To Remember 1957
White Christmas 1954
The Asphalt Jungle 1950
Rebel Without A Cause 1955
Sayonara 1957
The Bridge on the River Kwai 1957
I Was An American Spy 1951

Some good choices there!

A Summer Place was shockingly frank for the 1950s. I liked it and I've seen a number of Sandra Dee films.

White Christmas is always a favorite, love the one...the dance number with Danny Kaye and Vera-Ellen is my favorite number. But geez she was really, really thin in that film. I read that she suffered from anorexia.

Sayonara surprised to see that one mentioned. I liked it but I never hear the film talked about. It was quite ground breaking for interracial dating for the 1950s.

The Asphalt Jungle I'm a big fan of John Huston and Sterling Hayden, love that film. It was a nomination in our Noir Hall of Fame that I hosted.

It's been a long time since I seen Three Coins In The Fountain, An Affair To Remember, The Bridge on the River Kwai & Rebel Without A Cause I really need to rewatch them all as I loved all of them!

Blue Denim & I Was An American Spy, I've not seen those, actually I don't recall hearing about that. But as you seem to have really good taste in films, I'll add them to my watch list.

I love An Affair To Remember. I can never get through the last scene without crying. The last time I watched it, Hubby walked in at the end of the movie and he didn't believe me when I told him that I was crying because of the movie.

Blue Denim & I Was An American Spy, I've not seen those, actually I don't recall hearing about that. But as you seem to have really good taste in films, I'll add them to my watch list.[/quote]

Blue Denim (Carol Lynley and Brandon De Wilde) wasn't that great a movie but the subject matter (teen pregnancy) for the era caused more communication of an otherwise avoided subject.

----
I Was An American Spy was riveting. I have one of her (signed) books, Manila Espionage. This film really kept the viewer's interest.

Re: Your Favorite,1950's Movie Recommendations
 

In a Lonely Place (1950)
Shane (1953)
The Big Heat (1953)
The Band Wagon (1953)
The Barefoot Contessa (1954)
Smiles of a Summer Night (1955)
The Seventh Seal (1957)
The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)
Time Without Pity (1957)
Mother India (1957)
Vertigo (1958)
North by Northwest (1959)
Sapphire (1959)
Rio Bravo (1959)

Re: Your Favorite,1950's Movie Recommendations
 

Well,let's see...The Thing[1951]James Arness long before Gunsmoke...The African Queen[1951]Bogie an Hepburn...Spartacus[1955]Kirk in sandels...The Ten Commandments[1956]Chuck Heston's signature role.

My favorite films of the 1950's (No particular order):

All About Eve
A Streetcar Named Desire
The Band Wagon
Born Yesterday
Auntie Mame
A Star is Born
Rear Window
The King & I
Oklahoma!
Love Me Or Leave Me
Singin in the Rain
Summer Stock
King Creole
Sabrina
Desk Set
The Pajama Game
An Affair to Remember
Cat on a Hit Tin Roof
Rebel Without a Cause
12 Angry Men
East of Eden
Giant
Suddenly Last Summer
Some Came Running
Bus Stop
Peyton Place
How to Marry a Millionaire
A Face in the Crowd
Damn Yankees
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Re: Your Favorite,1950's Movie Recommendations
 

You can't go too far wrong with these


12 Angry Men
Witness for the prosecution
Rear Window
Sunset Boulevard
Paths of Glory
Singin' in the rain
North by Northwest
Vertigo
All about Eve
Some like it hot
The Browning Version
Ace in the hole
Limelight
The Big heat
Dial M for murder
Night of the hunter
The Killing
A face in the crowd
Bridge on the river Kwai
Anatomy of murder