Well, here we are again, preparing ourselves for yet another countdown. This time it is the 1940’s. This is a decade countdown that I have been anxiously awaiting.


The 1940’s was a time of world war and, ultimately, the post-war era. The films are very reflective of those two things. There seemed to be a variety of movies in every genre. From the light-hearted comedy to the serious drama. From westerns to musicals. From dark noirs to films that have a more nostalgic feeling to them. And, of course, films about war. Just the various names of the directors (i.e. Ford, Hitchcock, Welles, Capra, Kurosawa, Hawks, etc.) lets you know that this period produced some of the best quality and most well-made movies in film history.


I really started to become interested in older films when I was about 12 years old. I wasn’t entirely ignorant of the “classics”, though. I come from a family where movies of all sorts were widely watched by them. So I knew of such people as Spencer Tracy, Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Gene Kelly, Katharine Hepburn, Alan Ladd, John Garfield, Gary Cooper, Veronica Lake, and so on. But, for whatever reason, during that time in my life (I really couldn’t tell you why), I would watch a black and white movie, or a colorful musical, on TV whenever the opportunity was there. I would “discover” someone “new” like Ray Milland or Joel McCrea or Greer Garson, and then if I saw one movie with them, I would then have to see another. And it was because of this that I began my obsession with films from that era. The 1940’s are my favorite decade when it comes to movies, and it is because of that fact that I was interested in running the 1940’s countdown. I thought that it would be a lot of fun for me, and I really hope that it will be fun for all of you, too.


Rules and Other Important Stuff to Remember

-Any film is eligible that was released from 1940 to 1949
-All lists should be PM’d to me, of course
-You must be a member for one month in order to submit a list
-If you are new to this sort of thing, you are asked to submit a list of what you consider to be your top 25 films from the 1940’s, with your top favorite being #1 and least favorite #25
-Partial lists will be accepted after Monday, July 31st
-The deadline for all lists will be Sunday, September 3rd
-All lists are final
-Please don’t share any part of your list until the films have been revealed on the countdown so that none of your votes will be disqualified
-The countdown will begin on Sunday, September 10th



For help regarding films to watch, and to consider for your lists, the following ones have been nominated in the various Hall of Fames:
Blithe Spirit
Foreign Correspondent
Late Spring
Letter From an Unknown Woman
The Shop Around the Corner
The Magnificent Ambersons
Brief Encounter
Leave Her to Heaven
The Best Years of Our Lives (won)
The Great Dictator
Nightmare Alley
Out of the Past
The Third Man
Double Indemnity
The Lady from Shanghai
The Set-Up
Pinocchio
So Proudly We Hail
Red River
The Big Sleep (won)
The Maltese Falcon
Scarlet Street
The Killers


And, of course, the films that were nominated in both of the 1940’s HoFs are an excellent way to find more to consider:
Waterloo Bridge
The Suspect
Murderers Among Us
Shadow of a Doubt
How Green Was My Valley
Rope
Arsenic and Old Lace
The Little Foxes
Laura (won)
The Thief of Bagdad
Pursued
Fantasia
I Remember Mama
His Girl Friday
Odd Man Out
Gentleman Jim
Mr. Lucky
Beauty and the Beast
Day of Wrath
Body and Soul
The Sea Wolf
Ride the Pink Horse
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir


Don’t forget the 1940’s Recommendations thread that Camo created for us.


And if there is a film that I missed, and should now be added to the list of HoF films, please let know.


So, in conclusion, there will be 5 months of film-watching. Let’s try for an excellent turnout for this because it is a very worthy decade to have its own countdown, and it should definitely not be ignored.