Topic: Your favorite movies: 1934 - 1959

[Curly4444]

In no particular order. As you can see im a big monster fan, as old movies go.


1-King Kong
2-Frankenstein
3-ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN
4-THE WIZARD OF OZ
5-REAR WINDOW
6-The Blob
7-IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE
8-Bride of Frankenstein
9-Gone with the Wind
10-SON OF FRANKENSTEIN

[metaldams]

THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER (1940)
THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946)

Love both of these films.

As far as the THIN MAN series goes, believe it or not, I've only seen the first one.

[metaldams]

....and while we're getting picky on years (Who was the jerk who set those parameters?  Oh wait, I'M the jerk.), KING KONG is 1933 and FRANKENSTEIN 1931.  Both great films, but pre code and pre Columbia Stooges.

[Curly4444]

Ah, crap. Was trying to come up with 10 and didn't look up the dates on all of them.

Mighty Joe Young

Are you serious? Big King Kong rip off.

[pipboytaylor]

CITIZEN KANE I love.  I think the problem most people have with it is they go in expecting the greatest movie of all-time and those expectations are generally impossible to meet.  I had the same somewhat disappointed feeling after the first viewing.  It was with subsequent viewings I began to appreciate CITIZEN KANE more.

Yeah, I watched CITIZEN KANE a few years back. I have been on a personal quest to watch every film on the AFI Top 100 List. Both the old list and the new list. Anyway, I knew prior that KANE had the rep for being boring but I really got into what the film was trying to tell me and followed along intently. I felt the impact of the ending and really understood the film's message which made it all worthwhile. If the viewer can't sit back and take it all in, people won't like it. I look for films with "impact" or food for thought and for that I would rate KANE very high, yet not a film I would watch often. [/color]

[Liz]

1) Bride of Frankenstein....1st by a mile

Dwight Frye = THE BEST.  And the ultimate object of my desire. 

[Dog Hambone]

As far as the THIN MAN series goes, believe it or not, I've only seen the first one.

That's the only one that is based directly on the Dashiell Hammett book. The rest are Hollywood variations. Somehwere, I read that the series declined in quality as more were made. I don't recall who wrote that, but obviously, I do not agree. Maybe he just got tired of the Nick & Nora shtick.

Also, if you never see another one, try to check out ANOTHER THIN MAN, the 3rd in the series. Shemp Howard has a speaking role in it, but is not credited.

[Boid Brain]

Ah, crap. Was trying to come up with 10 and didn't look up the dates on all of them.

Are you serious? Big King Kong rip off.

Can't be a rip off if it's by the same producer/director can it? Would you call the "Caine Mutiny" a ripoff of "Bounty" because of the similar subject matter?

Kong was a 50 foot homicidal maniac and Joe was a 12 foot house pet. The stop action was better in "Joe" and the story was just as good, with Robt. Armstong anchoring both films. Don't forget that I was a little kid when I saw it....makes a big impression.

Shemps pointed out that 2 of my films were too late. My bad. So I will add 2 that have not been mentioned. (I don't think)

Both are Noir: "Laura" and "Double Indemnity". Fred McMurrey was pretty good in that one, as in "Caine". Too bad he later became a buffoon for Walt Disney.

May I add one more honerable mention? 12 Angry Men was an awfully good film, my Fonda fave with all those great charactor actors!

That's all from me.

[falsealarms]

Here are some of my favorites from that era, tough to just limit to 10 -

TWENTIETH CENTURY - 1934
IT'S A GIFT - 1934
IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT - 1934
THE MAN ON THE FLYING TRAPEZE - 1935
LIBELED LADY - 1936
THE AWFUL TRUTH - 1937
EASY LIVING - 1937
THE WIZARD OF OZ - 1939
GOLDEN BOY 1939
HIS GIRL FRIDAY - 1940

Shockingly, I've never seen seen CITIZEN KANE. That'll change once the Blu-Ray hits later this year. Hell, until the past couple years, I hadn't seen just about everything listed here. Except OZ.

[Boid Brain]

Rereading the lists and noticed 2 glaring omissions....Bogart films, Maltese Falcon and multiple Oscar winner Treasure of the Sierra Madres. I would think the latter would be on a few lists. I totally spaced 'em. Maybe it's a John Houston slight? I don't think anybody even had "Chinatown" on their list.

Maybe a list of only 10 favorite movies is just too small?

[BeAStooge]

Rereading the lists and noticed 2 glaring omissions.... Bogart films, Maltese Falcon and multiple Oscar winner Treasure of the Sierra Madres.

All are represented at least once in the replies.

I don't think anybody even had "Chinatown" on their list.

A 1974 release, not relevant to the title of this topic.

[Boid Brain]

All are represented at least once in the replies.


A 1974 release, not relevant to the title of this topic.

I'll take your word for it. I guess I scanned too quickly. As for Chinatown I realized later that it was too lately made for the topic parameters, but decided not to edit. What the Hell, you guys already know my flaws. 

[falsealarms]

Something I just saw today worth adding... a Columbia movie, THE MORE THE MERRIER (1943)

IMDB: "During the WW2 housing shortage in Washington, two men and a woman share a single apartment and the older man plays Cupid to the other two."

I always like Jean Arthur and she was great in this. Charles Coburn was also terrific -- damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead! He was as good as Arthur was -- it seemed like they found the perfect actor to play Benjamin Dingle. Stooge supporting players Bruce Bennett and Frank Sully appear as FBI agents. I figured I'd like this movie and I wasn't disappointed. This was every bit as good as the other comedies I listed.

Airing Monday, May 9 @ 11:30 AM EST on TCM.

[Boid Brain]

I saw that movie for the 1st time last year. Quite good. But who played the younger man? I'm thinking Bob Cummings, but not sure.

[falsealarms]

I saw that movie for the 1st time last year. Quite good. But who played the younger man? I'm thinking Bob Cummings, but not sure.

Joel McCrea.

[Boid Brain]

Joel McCrea.

Ah yes....was I thinking of a movie with the old man that owned a dept. store got a job as a clerk in it? Ring a bell?