Although I adore all the decades of Old Hollywood, I think the 1950s will always have a special place in my heart. Obviously, with Marilyn being my favourite she first brought my attention to Old Hollywood and the 1950s and is one of the main reasons I know so much about the films from that iconic decade. To me, there is something so special about The Golden Age Of Cinema; the luminous Technicolor, the beautiful faces, iconic moments and incredible talents on film.
Therefore, I decided to make a list of my favourite films from this decade and I shall bold my ultimate must watch movies. I’m often asked this question on my tumblr and thought it was an important post to be made as Old Hollywood Movies are such a huge passion of mine. My other two favourite decades are the 1940s and the 1960s and I will probably do a post on my favourite films from there also.
I have a lot of Old Hollywood books in my collection and think these books are great for fellow enthusiasts of the 40s/50s/60s too! Please note, this is in no particular order, it’s simply which comes into my head first. Also, I will separate the films into catergories.
- Monkey Business (1952)
- Don’t Bother To Knock (1952)
- Niagara (1953)
- Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
- How To Marry A Millionaire (1953)
- River Of No Return (1954)
- There’s No Business Like Show Business (1954)
- The Seven Year Itch (1955)
- Bus Stop (1956)
- The Prince and The Showgirl (1957)
- Some Like It Hot (1959)
- And God Created Woman (1956)
- Une Parisienne (1957)
- The Night Heaven Fell (1958)
- Come Dance With Me! (1959)
- Dial M For Murder (1954)
- Rear Window (1954)
- To Catch A Thief (1955)
- Vertigo (1958)
- North By Northwest (1959)
- Sunset Boulevard (1950)
- Sabrina (1954)
- The Seven Year Itch (1955)
- Some Like It Hot (1959)
Musicals/Comedies
- Singin’ In The Rain (1952)
- Roman Holiday (1953)
- White Christmas (1954)
- The Girl Can’t Help It! (1956)
- High Society (1956)
- Pal Joey (1957)
- Funny Face (1957)
- Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957)
- An Affair To Remember (1957)
- Bell Book And Candle (1958)
Dramas
- In A Lonely Place (1950)
- A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
- The African Queen (1951)
- His Kind Of Woman (1951)
- A Place In The Sun (1951)
- Macao (1952)
- Affair In Trinidad (1952)
- Mogambo (1953)
- From Here To Eternity (1953)
- Miss Sadie Thompson (1953)
- On The Waterfront (1954)
- The Barefoot Contessa (1954)
- Rebel Without A Cause (1955)
- The Night Of The Hunter (1955)
- Picnic (1955)
- Fire Down Below (1957)
- Peyton Place (1957)
- Imitation Of Life (1959)
- On The Beach (1959)
This is only a fraction of the amount of films that were released in the 1950s and I still have so many to see, but these are definitely worth watching! I will definitely do a 1940s and 1960s post similar to this style and if you have any film recommendations, please share!
Here’s a few 1950s films I have on DVD, but have yet to watch;
- Bride Of Gorilla (1951)
- Viva Zapata! (1952)
- Oklahoma! (1955)
- The Big Country (1956)
- The King and I (1956)
- Jailhouse Rock (1957)
- Sayonara (1957)
- The Young Lions (1958)
- South Pacific (1958)
- The Nun’s Story (1959)
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