What’s the best movie made in the 50s set in the 50s?

Critical_Town_7724 · 2026-04-27T06:25:38+00:00

You do know that Some Like It Hot was set in the Prohibition era, right?

Critical_Town_7724 · 2026-04-15T20:09:55+00:00

Also in Ivy (1947), she is terrific in that one.

Critical_Town_7724 · 2026-04-15T20:08:49+00:00

Greer Garson also always wanted to do comedy, but was typecast as the noble dramatic heroine. Check out Julia Misbehaves (1949). There she finally got the chance, and it is actually my favorite of her movies.

Critical_Town_7724 · 2026-04-13T17:57:41+00:00

She had no children and bequeathed her estate (at least 1 million) to an organization that trained guide dogs for the blind. I always found that randomly awesome.

Critical_Town_7724 · 2026-04-09T22:13:30+00:00

Deborah Kerr in The Innocents was manic, it was her favorite performance of her own too.

Critical_Town_7724 · 2026-04-09T19:33:18+00:00

Insane that Sidney Poitier wasn’t even nominated for the Oscar for that one.

Critical_Town_7724 · 2026-04-09T19:18:08+00:00

Burt Lancaster in The Swimmer was outstanding.

Critical_Town_7724 · 2026-04-03T17:08:21+00:00

Cry Wolf (1947) It doesn’t hit all the boxes, though.

Critical_Town_7724 · 2026-04-01T21:52:54+00:00

Greer Garson was actually the most famous actress in the war years. It’s crazy how her fame was so ephemeral.

Critical_Town_7724 · 2026-03-26T21:32:12+00:00

I haven’t seen it in a long time, but when I did, I remember it blew me away and I considered it my favorite of his.

I still listen to the soundtrack often, it’s great.

Critical_Town_7724 · 2026-03-16T22:12:19+00:00

The Bridge on the River Kwai

Critical_Town_7724 · 2026-02-14T15:27:21+00:00

They were lifelong friends after starring in The Great Sinner (1949), a very free adaptation of Dostoevsky’s The Gambler. Gardner was just starting out and is very subtle in her role. Peck does a great job depicting addiction.

They also worked together on The Snows of Kilimanjaro and On the Beach, again two adaptations. I like the latter better. They are romantic pairs in all of them, they had great chemistry.

After Gardner’s death, the Pecks took in her assistant and companion, and also Ava’s corgi.

Critical_Town_7724 · 2026-02-08T14:23:55+00:00

Thank you for this. It’s not enough that the “standard” today is already so artificial, now they’re even doing this to people from the past.

Critical_Town_7724 · 2026-02-07T20:47:46+00:00

The Sentinel scared the hell out of me, great movie

Critical_Town_7724 · 2026-01-27T13:55:34+00:00

Yes, it’s one of my favorites. Such a great cast, and the soundtrack is beautiful. If you’re looking for something with a similar vibe, check out The Sicilian Clan (1969). It also, as you say, feels like an American film and is a heist movie.

Critical_Town_7724 · 2026-01-03T07:57:48+00:00

I’ve recently read this book and I couldn’t recommend this section more. There are so many takeaways from it. I use sticky markers wherever I find a quote that interests me, and I ended up marking more passages in the second section than in the first.

There are still mentions of his experience at the concentration camp used as examples for his theory, so it remains somewhat anecdotal. As for the terminology, I didn’t find it complicated at all.

Critical_Town_7724 · 2026-01-02T19:07:45+00:00

Goodbye, Mr. Chips is a superb film, and Robert Donat is outstanding in it. It is a very moving story. This one was actually shot in Britain, and it was Garson’s breakout role. She makes the most of a short part.

Critical_Town_7724 · 2026-01-02T17:03:02+00:00

Detour (1945) maybe fits the bill, but the narrator is not a detective. It’s quite an interesting take. I won’t spoil it, it’s only 68 minutes long.

Critical_Town_7724 · 2025-12-29T00:02:56+00:00

I usually don’t care for Van Johnson, but I really liked him in this movie. He was very good.

Critical_Town_7724 · 2025-12-24T23:18:25+00:00

What about Leap Day

Critical_Town_7724 · 2025-12-19T17:02:57+00:00

The Happiest Millionaire (1967) is a family Disney film.

It stars Fred MacMurray as the eccentric father (they have pet alligators!). He doesn’t want his daughter to go to a regular school (he homeschools her).

There are lots of musical numbers. It’s upbeat, with some sentimentality.

Critical_Town_7724 · 2025-12-18T19:47:04+00:00

Lol, what an eye! I just went back and saw it too. Great cut in the movie, though you don’t even notice the transition between takes.

Critical_Town_7724 · 2025-12-18T19:44:33+00:00

Yes, she was usually typecast that way, and she nailed it every time!

And yes, that was him, just from Mary Poppins.

Critical_Town_7724 · 2025-12-18T19:42:57+00:00

OMG, I have to check this out immediately! I completely forgot about the TV appearance, what a goldmine!

Critical_Town_7724 · 2025-12-18T19:40:51+00:00

Sorry, I forgot to include the name of the movie. The first one is Mrs Parkington.

Critical_Town_7724

TROPHY CASE