Tag: 50s

Favourite Films Of The Fifties.

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.

The Seven Year Itch showing in New York City in 1955.

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.

Marilyn Monroe

  • 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)
Marilyn by Milton Greene for Look Magazine in September 1953.

Brigitte Bardot 

  • And God Created Woman (1956)
  • Une Parisienne (1957)
  • The Night Heaven Fell (1958)
  • Come Dance With Me! (1959)
And God Created Woman (1956)
And God Created Woman (1956)

Alfred Hitchcock

  • Dial M For Murder (1954)
  • Rear Window (1954)
  • To Catch A Thief (1955)
  • Vertigo (1958)
  • North By Northwest (1959)
Rear Window (1954)

Billy Wilder

  • Sunset Boulevard (1950)
  • Sabrina (1954)
  • The Seven Year Itch (1955)
  • Some Like It Hot (1959)
The Seven Year Itch (1955)
The Seven Year Itch (1955)

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)
Singin' In The Rain (1952)
Singin’ In The Rain (1952)

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)
Mogambo (1953)
Mogambo (1953)

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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Niagara.

Hi guys!

So I bought a lovely floral 1950s style dress from Hollister the other week and straight away it reminded me of one of my favourite outfits Marilyn wore in her 1953 film, Niagara. The film was a huge success on it’s first release, made over $6,000,000 at the US Box Office and established Marilyn as the leading lady of 1950s cinema.

Although initially you may be wondering why I think the dress is similar due to the length and colour being different, the style is pretty much the same and a great way to follow Marilyn’s style without splurging too much.

Marilyn’s dress was designed by Dorothy Jenkins, who also worked with her again on the costumes for her 1960 film, Let’s Make Love.  I’ve been very fortunate to have seen quite a few of Marilyn’s dresses at exhibitions, but I have no idea where this one is today. Sadly, in the old days the studios didn’t know the value of their stars costumes and would often reuse them to make others. However, I still hope it will turn up some day!

The dress is worn in the film’s most famous scene. Marilyn’s character, Rose comes out of her lodge dressed in this incredible dress, which was pretty shocking for it’s time and shocks fellow visitors. She then requests a song, “Kiss” which is hers and her lovers favourite and sings it sensually, whilst her husband watches.

In a very witty scene following her entrance, onlooker Ray Cutler says to his wife, Polly, “Why don’t you ever get a dress like that?” and she replies, “Listen. For a dress like that, you’ve got to start laying plans when you’re about thirteen.”

The dress is definitely key to creating her only Femme Fatale role on screen. It establishes her as the, “tantalizing temptress who lures men on to their eternal destruction.” As Niagara was filmed in Technicolor, it appears before us as a shocking hot pink, but, pictures off film have showed it as a vibrant red. Either way, it’s one of her iconic costumes for sure and a firm favourite amongst fans.

Marilyn also wore the dress on numerous occasions after the film finished filming in 1952 and with the way it looks on her, who can be surprised?! I would love the real colour of the dress to be the colour on screen, but I think that’s wishful thinking. Pink or red? You’ll have to decide for yourself.

As I am a huge fan of Marilyn’s, you can understand my excitement when I found the similar styled dress from Hollister. I was a bit worried to try it on at first, as it’s quite revealing and I’m a pretty self conscious person, but it was too beautiful not to be brave and wear it. I also pin curled my hair to complete the Marilyn inspired look and my 1950s style.

I couldn’t have chosen a better place to take the close up photo, my girl was right behind me and in the dress! I can’t wait to wear this in the summer.

I hope this post helps you to be inspired by your favourites and to watch Niagara (1953), it’s Marilyn’s only Film Noir and just a must see for lovers of Old Hollywood and Marilynettes.

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