One random day over the COVID-19 pandemic, I decided to start watching classic movies from 1940s, 50s, and 60s Hollywood. I have always thought that there was a comfort in these movies that I can’t quite explain. Something about the way that they are shot, the soundtracks, the acting, the costuming, the sets, EVERYTHING is enjoyable to me. Most people my age hate watching old movies for some reason that I can’t quite explain, but for those of you that are interested in watching, here are some of my suggestions.
It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)
To start off I have the Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed. This is a personal favorite of my family and we even named our dog after Stewart’s character, George Bailey. Bailey is a small-town boy who dreams of traveling the world. The night before he is supposed to leave, his father suddenly dies and he cancels his plans and stays to run the family business. His life moves on and he begins to question whether his life is worth living anymore.
Some Like It Hot (1959)
One of Marilyn Monroe’s most famous movies is Some Like it Hot, co-starring Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. Curtis and Lemmon played two jazz performers who get caught up with the mafia and must escape as their lives depend on it. The only way out that they can see is by dressing up as women and joining a women’s traveling choir group, where they meet Monroe. They must keep their disguises up and convince everyone that they really are women.
Rebel Without A Cause (1955)
One of my absolute favorite movies of all time is Rebel Without A Cause starring James Dean, Sal Mineo, and Natalie Wood. Dean (who died at the age of 24 before the movies release) plays rebellious teenager, Jim Stark, who has just transferred to a new school following his expulsion from another. He must face school bullies who don’t want him there as well as facing up to his parents who always want to keep him down. The movie is responsible for a rebellion amongst teenagers in the fifites which cemented Dean as a forever icon of teenage rebellion.
Giant (1956)
Another Dean movie that I love (he only made three and all three are on this list), is the three-hour epic Giant from 1956 where he stars alongside Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson. Focused on an ranching tycoon in Texas (Hudson) who married Taylor and must adapt to the changing times during the 1800s and the success of his former worker Jett Rink (Dean). It is a long watch, but I personally really liked it.
East of Eden (1955)
The final James Dean movie on the list is East of Eden, based on the book by John Steinbeck. It is a play on the Biblical story about brothers Cain and Abel, Dean plays Cal Trask (Cain) and his twin brother Aron is played by Richard Davalos. Cal is a troubled boy who is haunted by the death of his mother and the need to please his father while also competing with his “angel” brother to be the best. I think his acting is at its best in this movie.
Roman Holiday (1953)
Another favorite on this list is Roman Holiday starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. This was Hepburn’s very first movie and she won an Oscar for her performance. She plays Italian Princess Ann who is tired of her life of royalty and craves an escape. Peck plays an American journalist who is sent to Italy to get the story on the Princess. Ann runs away and in the arms of Peck who takes her on a Roman Holiday, hence the title.
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
My absolute favorite Marilyn Monroe movie has got to be Gentlemen Prefer Blondes which she stars alongside Jane Russell. They play two best friends who are looking for love–or so they say. Monroe wants to marry someone with money and thinks she has found one. She takes her best friend, Russell, on a cruise with her to get to her hopeful future husband, but much to their dismay, a private investigator is following them to see if Monroe is worthy of her rich husband.
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
I can’t lie when I say that I did not absolutely love watching A Streetcar Named Desire the first go-around, but it is an iconic movie starring a handsome Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh playing in-laws. Brando and Leigh were two of the most iconic actors during this time, so excluding any of their films from this list felt wrong.
Funny Face (1957)
Another Hepburn classic is Funny Face, where she stars alongside Fred Astaire. The entire movie is a fashion lovers’ DREAM. Hepburn places a girl who is scouted to model in Paris for Astaire. She thinks she has a “funny face” and cannot understand why she is being chosen to model, but embraces it and becomes this fashion icon that everyone wants to be.
Charade (1963)
If you can’t tell, Hepburn is my favorite Old Hollywood actress, and Charade is one of her best movies. Playing widowed Regina Lampert, Hepburn is trying to take possession of her late husband’s inheritance but comes to find out that he was mixed up with a gang of criminals and must evade their attempts to kill her. She stars alongside fellow Hollywood legend, Cary Grant and the movie is plot twist after plot twist and it will keep you guessing until the very end.
Breakfast At Tiffany’s (1961)
My favorite movie on this list is Breakfast At Tiffany’s, starring Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard. The entire movie makes me so happy, and it is truly a love letter to New York. Hepburn plays socialite Holly Golightly who doesn’t know who she is and doesn’t really want to know either. Her new neighbor Paul Varjak (played by Peppard) meets her and falls in love with her, even though she rejects all of his advances.
Psycho (1960)
It would not be Old Hollywood without Alfred Hitchcock’s mention. My favorite Hitchcock movie would have to be 1960’s Psycho starring Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh. Perkins stars as the creepy Norman Bates, owner of the Bates Motel. A string of peculiar events following the motel occurs, making it not the best place to stay, but that doesn’t keep visitors from coming.
Valley of the Dolls (1967)
Declared as one of the most “camp” movies of all time is Valley of the Dolls, starring Sharon Tate, Barbara Parkins, and Patty Duke. The movie surrounds a friend group consisting of three women who live in New York and are trying to achieve fame, however, they all have some sort of dependence on “dolls” which are actually prescription medications. They too are considered “dolls” of the time, so the title is a play on words. The fashion in this movie is peak 60s and the entire film is so bad it’s good.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
A shocking choice for me is definitely Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid starring the handsome Paul Newman and Robert Redford. The movie is a true story about two outlaws who attempt to stage a train robbery. I watched the movie in a film class and really enjoyed it, so I had to include it on my list.
Rear Window (1954)
The final movie on my list is another Hitchcock movie called Rear Window which stars Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly. Stewart is a journalist who has had an accident is confined to his apartment in a wheelchair. While sitting in his apartment, he witnesses a murder in the apartment across the street, or so he thinks. He is visited by Kelly as he tries to figure out if what he witnessed was real, or just an effect of the pain medications that he was on.
Watching old movies is something that I love to do. They never disappoint and it is really cool to see what past generations got to experiemce in the theaters, as well as comparing the technologies and ways of making the movies to today’s advancements.