Movies by Decade: 70s

Moving onto the 70s.

Ugh.  

A lot of critics claim that the 70s is the greatest decade for movies.  It’s not.  In fact, I think it’s the worst.  It’s certainly the most overrated.  And that goes for music, too.  We see an influx of sex, drugs, and profanity, thanks in large part to “gritty” “urban” movies.  New York is all over.  Disaster movies are another big thing.  Oh, and Disney animation has probably its worst decade, but a solid decade with “live-action” movies (most of which are unknown today: The London Connection, Snowball Express, The World’s Greatest Athlete, The North Avenue Irregulars, and even Freaky Friday, which I finally watched, was pretty good).  Bond also has his worst decade by a mile (I can’t stand Roger Moore).  But…we have the first blockbusters, the rise of Spielberg, and some massive franchises are born, so there is some good among all the drivel.

Before my list (remember this is “best,” not necessarily “favorite”), a few notable movies not mentioned, because I have not seen them: MASH, A Clockwork Orange, The Last Picture Show, Cabaret, Chinatown, Barry Lyndon, Network, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, Kramer vs. Kramer, Apocalypse Now. You also won’t see any Scorsese (most I haven’t seen, if I have seen it, it’s not worth mentioning) and you definitely won’t see The Godfather (the single most overrated movie of all time, it’s really, really bad).  Also, I finally watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail.  People actually find that funny?  I didn’t even chuckle once.

 

Honorable Mentions: The Muppet Movie, Big Jake, The Wind and the Lion, Robin Hood, Tora! Tora! Tora!, The Andromeda Strain, American Graffiti, The North Avenue Irregulars

Top 10 (counting down):

10. The Thirty Nine Steps (1978)

            This isn’t a bad movie, obviously, but you can tell how little regard I have for the decade when this is in the top ten.  I’m guessing few people today have seen it.  It stars Robert Powell, i.e. Jesus from Jesus of Nazareth (which, if I were considering miniseries, would definitely be on this list).

 

9. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

            Again, it’s a good movie, but probably not in the top half of Spielberg movies.  Thanks to it, however, I did go out of my way to visit Devil’s Tower when I went to Mount Rushmore (it’s pretty cool to see in person).

 

8. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)

            Here I am blatantly cheating, because it’s actually a collection of short Winnie cartoons that were originally released in the 60s but packed together in 1977.  But it is wonderfully fun.

 

7. Fiddler on the Roof (1971)

            Now we get into movies that deserve at least consideration for any decade’s Top 10.  One of the greatest musicals of all time, and it’s even more beautiful when you know the historical context.  A timeless (at least for recent generations) struggle over tradition vs. change.

 

6. Patton (1970)

            George C. Scott is nothing like the real Patton, but he’s an amazing cinematic Patton.  And it gets the disdain for “Monty” right, he was a loser.

 

5. Alien (1979)

            The top 5 is almost impossible to pick between.  Here we have the greatest scifi horror film of all time, introducing us to one of the greatest creatures of all time.  When Ridley Scott is on, he is amazing.

 

4. Superman (1978)

            The greatest superhero movie of all time.  There’s no debate.  Don’t even try to argue for any of the recent movies.  The whole sequence from saving Lois in the chopper through his first night of heroics is perfect.  And the entire movie is elevated by a perfect score by John Williams (no surprise there).  Christopher Reeve will always be Superman.  The only knock on it: Marlon Brando, who is clearly phoning it in for a paycheck (not even trying to pronounce Krypton correctly).

 

3. Star Wars (1977)

            To watch the original cut of this movie is to fall in love with movies.  George Lucas was a genius of story telling (dialogue…maybe not).  Darth Vader is the greatest villain of all time.  Jaws created the blockbuster, but this created the cinematic event with all the tie-ins.  It remains the most important movie ever made.

 

2. Jaws (1975)

            Speaking of the movie that created the blockbuster.  Some people today knock it because “the shark looks fake.”  Talk to audiences in 1975.  But it’s also much more than just the shark.  It is the perfect example of slowly introducing the monster, horror through inference, and a perfect payoff.  And, of course, it truly introduced the world to Spielberg and Williams, the greatest director/composer combo of all time.

 

1. Rocky (1976)

            All that being said about Jaws, it doesn’t take the top spot because Rocky is the perfect underdog tale.  Again, people knock it because of Stallone, but if you really pay attention he is incredible in this movie.  And don’t forget that he wrote it, too.  It is one of the few examples of the gritty 70s movie done right.  All of the top 5 created franchises, some bigger than others, and most of them work.  And again, any one of the them could take the top spot, but Rocky and its triumph through adversity, the true American story of grinding to the top, and the genius move to have him win without winning, puts it just over the top.

 

Extra fun: the best movie scores of the decade (John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith absolutely dominate this decade, so rather than listing theirs individually, because it would only be them, I’m listing theirs collectively)

 

John Williams (Star Wars, Superman, Jaws, Close Encounters, Midway, Towering Inferno…)

Jerry Goldsmith (Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Alien, Patton, MacArthur, The Wind and the Lion…)

King Kong (John Barry)

Robin and Marian (Barry)

Big Jake (Elmer Bernstein)

 

Other music from the decade: Again, the music is so overrated, and not just terrible disco.  I like a little bit of classic rock, the problem is a little bit of classic rock means roughly two songs for 15 minutes. 

52 in 25: #29 - Public Bonehead, Private Hero

Next up, returning to baseball with Public Bonehead, Private Hero: The Real Legacy of Baseball’s Fred Merkle by Mike Cameron (not the former baseball player).

At one point in time, Fred Merkle was the most (in)famous player in baseball history, though today only hardcore fans know his story.  The pennant race in 1908 is one of the closest in baseball history (American League too, but that’s not part of this story).  On September 23, two of the leaders, the New York Giants and Chicago Cubs, met in an important match.  Merkle was a 19-year-old rookie, though many regarded him as an extremely intelligent player.  He had played in about 40 games that season, but this would be only his second start of the season.

The game was tied 1-1 in the bottom of the ninth.  With one out, Art Devlin singled.  Moose McCormick followed with a ground ball, but the Cubs were only able to get the force out at second.  Merkle was up next, and he his a sharp single to the right-field line.  McCormick stopped at third.  In most other situations, Merkle could have easily had a double, but, being smart, he knew his run didn’t matter so he stayed at first to not risk making the third out.  Al Bridwell came up next, and hit a single into center field.  Giants win the game!  The fans storm the field (much more common in those days)!  Except…

In those days, it was common practice that in this case, with a clear game-winning hit, the winning run would touch home and the other runners would make their way to the clubhouse.  By the rules, however, the run does not count until all other runners have safely reached their next base to avoid a force out.  Again, this was not enforced at that time until about a week earlier when the Cubs attempted to catch another team.  That time the out was not called, but the league sent a warning to the umpires and a few clubs that the rule would be enforced going forward.  The Cubs knew this, the Giants didn’t, so Merkle didn’t.  As mentioned, he did wanted dozens of others had done up to that point.  The Cubs ran down the ball, stepped on second, and though the umpires said the game was over, the Cubs appealed to the league president, and the game was officially ruled a “tie” to be made up later.

Again, this is a difficult situation to understand if you’re not a baseball fan.  At the time, however, newspapers all over started calling Merkle a “bonehead,” and so fans followed suit.  To make matters worse, the game was replayed at the end of the season, October 8.  The Giants and Cubs were tied for first (the Pirates were just a half-game back, but it was too late for them).  The Cubs won the makeup 4-2, and went on to win the World Series.  Again, the newspapers blamed it all on Merkle.

To his credit, Merkle hung on, including through a disastrous 1909 campaign, to play 16 seasons and play in 5 World Series (though not winning one).  The “Bonehead” epitaph stayed with him throughout, even if players and coaches knew he was one of the smartest players in the game.

The book itself is interesting, I just wish there was more about Merkle himself.  Maybe the author used all that was available.  The final chapter he basically presents him as a saint, a heroic figure, but with little evidence to back that up outside of “he was unfairly branded a loser but he forged on.”

Finally, just a little background on why I read this book.  My first assignment as a priest was in Watertown, WI.  Somehow I noticed a baseball field there named after him.  Knowing his story already, I had to search it out, and came to this book.  He is honored there because he was born there, the son of a Lutheran school teacher, but they moved away only 15 months after he was born (interestingly, about as long as I lasted there).  So while he’s “from” Watertown, he certainly would not have considered it home.  And, I promise this is my final note, my parents gave me the book on my 1 year anniversary as a priest.  Mom and Dad, it only took me 4 years to read it!

52 in 25: #28 - Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar

The problem with Tarzan is you can’t read just one.  So I continued on with the next book, Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar.  I was particularly wanting to read this because I can remember really liking Tarzan going to Opar, but I quickly realized I was thinking of his first excursion there in The Return of Tarzan.

This is the fifth Tarzan book, originally appearing in a weekly in 1916 and published as a book in 1918.  Lord and Lady Greystoke (Tarzan and Jane) are hurting for money, so Tarzan decides to return to Opar to bring back gold that he had seen there before.  He is followed by an outlaw Belgian army office, Albert Werper, who is working with an Arab, Achmet Zek, to try to destroy Tarzan.  While recovering the gold, an earthquake strikes, and Tarzan is buried in the treasure room.  Worse, he is hit in the head by falling debris and loses his memory.  While he is away, Achmet Zek destroys the Greystoke farm and kidnaps Jane.  The adventure goes from there.  Tarzan eventually regains his memory, largely by coming across Jane, and they live happily ever after (sort of) while the bad guys get their comeuppance.

The memory loss gimmick is basically a way to revert Tarzan to his more beastly form, and to help the story go on a bit longer (it would have been much shorter if he knew who he was and how to resolve the kidnapping).  Opar and the Oparians are barely in it (La, the high priestess in love with Tarzan, returns), the title refers to some jewels that Tarzan came across and they become a secondary device for the characters to fight over.  In the end, it’s another solid story in the Tarzan line.  Part of me wants to keep going, but I will be going elsewhere for my next book(s).

Movies by Decade: 60s

Here come the 60s.

My biggest problem with the 60s is that there are so many epics, it becomes a bit tiresome to try to get through them.  A good chunk of them could lose 30+ minutes and be just as good if not better.  The catalog for the decade is quite diverse, though Westerns are still all over.  Spy movies are definitely on the rise, thanks in large part to James Bond (and the Cold War in general).  There’s plenty of sandal epics, war movies, some musicals, some solid comedies, and some science fiction, particularly towards the latter half.  I would also say fewer Disney animated movies, but plenty of Disney live action movies (not in the way we think of today, of course). One last weird note, an odd number of movie titles included exclamation points!

Before my list (remember this is “best,” not necessarily “favorite”), a few notable movies not mentioned, because I have not seen them: The Apartment, Tom Jones, Becket, Doctor Zhivago, A Man for All Seasons, In the Heat of the Night, Bonnie and Clyde, Oliver!, Midnight Cowboy, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Hustler. Breakfast at Tiffany’s is terrible.  2001: A Space Odyssey is bad and boring.

Honorable Mentions: Hatari!, Lilies of the Field, McLintock!, Those Calloways, The Agony and the Ecstasy, The Jungle Book, The Odd Couple, The Shoes of the Fisherman, True Grit, Goldfinger, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Hello, Dolly!, The Alamo, Psycho, The Magnificent Seven, The Longest Day, Charade

Top 10 Countdown:

10. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966)

            Until I just rewatched it, I would have had this higher, as most people do.  Unfortunately, I think it’s a perfect example of this decade having movies that are much longer than they need to be.  Yes, the end showdown is classic, but it gets to be a chore getting there. 

9. It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)

            Quite possibly the funniest movie ever made, which is why it has to be in this top 10.  It does get a bit long, especially for a comedy, but the craziness of all the different story lines keeps it going.  It’s impossible to pick out a best scene or actor.  “Except you lady, may you just…DROP DEAD!”

8. Planet of the Apes (1968)

            It’s not perfect, there are a few plot holes, but it remains an incredibly important movie, especially for its commentary on race relations during that time.  As usual, Charlton Heston is great.

7. The Sound of Music (1965)

            I might get in trouble with someone for having this so low, but the competition is fierce.  Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer are great.  A few points docked for the music used during the wedding.

 6. The Great Escape (1963)

            Another movie with a great ensemble cast.  It’s thrilling, especially starting with the escape.  Steve McQueen really shines, even with so many other great actors.

5. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

            Jimmy Stewart might be a touch old for the part, but that doesn’t really take away from this unconventional Western.  John Wayne, Vera Miles, and Lee Marvin are great as usual.

4. West Side Story (1961)

            It’s certainly in the running for best musical ever made, something I never thought I would have said even 10 years ago.  The dancing is particularly remarkable (the gym dance is probably second only to the barn razing in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers).

3. Spartacus (1960)

            Apparently it was a difficult shoot, to say the least, but the end product is great.  Once again, the casts for some of these movies are unbelievable: Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Jean Simmons, Peter Ustinov winning an Oscar, Charles Laughton, and, oh yeah, Laurence Olivier.

2. My Fair Lady (1964)

            Audrey Hepburn is wonderful (though I wish they let her sing).  Rex Harrison is amazing.  The music is top-notch.  Everything about it is great.

1. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

            The most beautiful cinematography of all time, and it’s not a competition.  The desert truly is a character in this movie.  Peter O’Toole is Lawrence.  Omar Sharif and Anthony Quinn are awesome.  You can’t really find anything negative to say about this epic.  This movie is why theaters were made.

Extra fun: the best movie scores of the decade

The Alamo (Dimitri Tiomkin)

El Cid (Miklós Rózsa)

Goldfinger (John Barry)

The Great Escape/The Magnificent Seven (Elmer Bernstein)

Jason and the Argonauts (Bernard Herrmann)

Spartacus (Alex North)

 

Other music from the decade: It’s a very interesting decade for music, dominated by rock and roll.  Elvis, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Monkees, folk bands like The Mamas & the Papas, Simon & Garfunkel, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix… There’s also a good dash of R&B with Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, The Righteous Brothers, etc.  And, of course, some of the best music is war protest songs.  For some reason, “Summer in the City” has always been my favorite song of the decade.

52 in 25: #27 - Son of Tarzan

When I was a teenager, I read a bunch of the Tarzan books.  I loved them.  Edgar Rice Burroughs has a great way of having multiple stories occurring concurrently and in the end they all come together.  A couple of years ago I started to reread them, but then put them down to read others things.  I decided I wanted to tread back into Tarzan.

The next up for me was Son of Tarzan, which I know I read before, but I didn’t remember at all.  This was the 4^th of the 24 Tarzan books, published in 1915.  Of course, the funny thing of wanting to return to Tarzan is that I picked up with the only novel where he is not the main character.

Essentially, one of the apes from the previous story, Akut, is brought to London and Tarzan’s son Jack (who is around 11) befriends him.  He helps Akut escape to Africa, and then reluctantly joins Akut in the jungles of Africa until he becomes Korak, or The Killer.  Then, the story really gets going when he rescues a young Arab girl named Meriem.  By the end of the story, Korak has been in the jungle for 5-6 years.

While the story is fun, my biggest problem with it is that Tarzan and Jane (we find out towards the end of the story) have been in Africa for years but never went looking for their son.  I have a hard time believing, knowing his character, that Tarzan would not have hunted him down relatively early on.  But it has to be that way for the story to happen, so you just kind of have to go with it.

It's not the best of the Tarzan novels, but it’s still pretty good.  It definitely keeps the reader engaged and is fun, which is what it’s supposed to do.  Tarzan isn’t for everyone, but for those who like Burroughs, it’s hard to go wrong.

Movies by Decade: 50s

Continuing my march through the decades with the 50s.

With the 1950s, we see some shifts in movies.  Swashbucklers are basically out, replaced by Medieval epics.  One of the biggest changes seems to be in the epic department – numerous movies over 3 hours, which becomes almost the norm in the 60s.  Musicals are also big in the 50s.  And while Westerns are still prominent, science fiction begins its push.  The 50s also stands out for the introduction of Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly.  Honestly, this decade’s list is almost impossible, because there are so many great, and I mean GREAT, movies.  There’s close to 10 movies in the “Honorable Mentions” that could be top 10 in just about any other decade.

 

Before my list (remember this is “best,” not necessarily “favorite”), a few notable movies not mentioned, because I have not seen them: All About Eve, The Greatest Show on Earth, On the Waterfront, Marty, Around the World in 80 Days, Gigi, Sunset Boulevard, East of Eden, Touch of Evil, Witness for the Prosecution.  Also, I recently watched From Here to Eternity, which I would not have watched had I known what it was about.  And I love Hitchcock, but Vertigo is highly overrated.

 

Honorable Mentions: Ivanhoe, Shane, Stalag 17, Prince Valiant, The Seven Samurai, Sabrina, Godzilla, Rio Grande, Oklahoma!, The Court Jester, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, High Society, The Ten Commandments, Heaven Knows Mr. Allison, An Affair to Remember, Paths of Glory, The Nun’s Story, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Singin’ in the Rain, Peter Pan, Dial M for Murder, I Confess, High Noon, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Father of the Bride

 

Top 10 Countdown:

10. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

            Pretty tough to start a top ten with this movie.  It’s a classic look at the dehumanization of war.  You can’t help but hate Alec Guinness, which means he does a great job of playing the role.  There’s a reason why he won seven of the Oscars the movie won, including Best Picture.

 

9. 12 Angry Men (1957)

            A really well acted look at human nature.  The ambiguity at the end makes it a classic.  It’s a reminder that perception is often more important to people that reality, which is sad.

 

8. To Catch a Thief (1955)

            This is Hitchcock’s decade, as will become quite clear.  Most people would not have this so high, but it’s great fun, and Cary Grant and Grace Kelly really shine.

 

7. White Christmas (1954)

            You can’t watch this movie and not smile the whole time.  Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye are great together, almost as good as Crosby and Hope, while Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen hold their own.

 

6. The Quiet Man (1952)

            Anyone who says John Wayne had no versatility, I always point to this movie, which must be watched every St. Patrick’s Day.  Maureen O’Hara is the perfect counter to The Duke, and the end fight is classic.

 

5. North by Northwest (1959)

            In contention for the best of Hitchcock, though there’s at least one more to come here.  It’s a true thriller, and with To Catch a Thief, proof that Cary Grant was the actual first James Bond.

 

4. Roman Holiday (1954)

            The movie that put Audrey Hepburn on the map, and what an introduction!  Fun, romantic, charming, and even some great absurdist humor with the cops going after her.

 

3. Rear Window (1954)

            Basically a perfect movie, and it’s only #3 due to the strength of the two to come.  Movies are most thrilling when they are in confined spaces, and it doesn’t get much more confined than James Stewart stuck in a wheelchair.  No matter how many times I watch it, certain parts still make me tense.

 

2. The Searchers (1956)

            The greatest Western of all time.  Similar to The Quiet Man, anyone who says Wayne cannot act have never watched this.  It could possibly be #2 on the all-time list, if not for…

 

1. Ben-Hur (1959)

            Charlton Heston absolutely shines.  Haya Harareet is a perfect match for Heston.  Stephen Boyd is easy to hate.  Epic.  Iconic.  The greatest score of all time.  The perfect movie.  There’s not much more to say.

 

Extra fun: the best movie scores of the decade

Ben-Hur (Miklós Rózsa)

North by Northwest (Bernard Herrmann)

Ivanhoe (Rózsa)

The Searchers (Max Steiner)

The Ten Commandments (Elmer Bernstein)

 

Other music from the decade: Elvis and rock and roll hit the scene, though jazz is very big as well.  Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and Julie London are some of my favorite singers.  While the movie came out in the 80s, the Stand By Me soundtrack is the perfect “sound of the 50s.”  Finally, a little shout-out to the musicals that made the decade great: An Affair to Remember, Brigadoon, Carousel, Guys & Dolls, High Society, The King and I, Oklahoma!, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Singin’ in the Rain, and South Pacific.

52 in 25: #26 - Pride and Prejudice

A few years ago, I decided to read Sense and Sensibility since it is one of my favorite movies (yep). Honestly, I didn’t like it.  I thought a lot of the characters’ decisions just kind of happened without good reason.  Emma Thompson did a much better job of explaining and giving motives for decisions in the movie.  Thus, I was not exactly rushing to read anything else by Jane Austen.  That being said, many places said that Pride and Prejudice is her best work, one of the best novels of all time, so I figured I would give it a shot (and I am much less familiar with the story, though I have watched the recent movie and the mini-series that everyone loves).

 

It's…fine.  It’s not my style of story.  Way too much gossip, female intrigue, etc.  There are some humorous parts, but many more frustrating parts.  I also really don’t like how Austen tends to have long paragraphs describing what people said to each other rather than actual dialogue like a normal novel.  And, again, I find some characters’ decisions to be irrational (though perhaps that’s because it’s written by a woman – that’s a joke).  For instance, I get why Elizabeth finally falls in love with Darcy, but I don’t see how Darcy falls for her, even after it’s explained.  And Mrs. Bennet…

I get why it’s beloved.  I get why some people consider it one of the greatest novels of all time.  It’s just not my cup of tea.  I think I can safely say my Jane Austen reading days are behind me.

Ms. Austen, not happy with me

Movies by Decade: 40s

Continuing my march through the decades with the 40s.

The 40s are somewhat similar to the 30s.  You’ve still got some Universal monster movies, some screwball comedies, and some great swashbucklers.  Bob Hope and Bing Crosby really dominate.  Then, of course, you have the emergence of the patriotic movies during WWII.  There’s also weirdly a lot of Christmas movies.

Before my list (remember this is “best,” not necessarily “favorite”), a few notable movies not mentioned, because I have not seen them: The Big Sleep, Mildred Pierce, Double Indemnity, How Green Was My Valley, Mrs. Miniver, The Lost Weekend, Gentleman’s Agreement, Hamlet, All the King’s Men. Also missing is Citizen Kane, easily one of the most overrated movies of all time.

Honorable Mentions: We’ve Never Been Licked (okay it’s not great, but it’s Texas A&M), Miracle on 34^th Street, The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer, The Bishop’s Wife, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream Home, Holiday Inn, The Shop Around the Corner, Pinocchio, Shadow of a Doubt, The Pride of the Yankees, Meet John Doe, The Sea Hawk, The Mark of Zorro, Fantasia, Arsenic and Old Lace

Top 10 Countdown:

10. Road to Morocco (1942)

            This is really a stand-in for all of the Road movies, which are fantastic, but this one is probably the best.  Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, always a great time.

 

9. Red River (1948)

            Excellent John Wayne Western with a great performance also by Montgomery Clift.

 

8. The Song of Bernadette (1943)

            It’s almost criminal to have this so low, but again it’s a strong decade.  I always find it amazing that there was a time when Hollywood would nominate such a strongly Catholic movie for 11 Oscars, including Best Picture, and it would win 4 (just happened to be the same year as #1).

 

7. Sergeant York (1941)

            This was clearly made as a propaganda movie, to get Americans ready to enter WWII.  It remains an amazing story, and Gary Cooper shines as he usually does.  “Ma wants ya Alvin.”

 

6. Fort Apache (1948)/She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)

            I’m cheating a little bit this decade.  These two movies are so closely related it’s hard to keep them apart.  John Ford, John Wayne, an assembly of great character actors, it doesn’t get much better than this.  If I had to pick one, it would be Fort Apache, especially with Henry Fonda’s ability to make you absolutely hate him.

 

5. The Best of Our Lives (1946)

            Many people would have this higher, but it gets a bit long and extremely depressing.  But it’s also incredibly poignant and shows the horrors of war, something most movies were not ready to do at the time.

 

4. The Philadelphia Story (1940)

            You want to talk about star power?  Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and James Stewart (who won an Oscar)!  It’s witty, fun, everything you want in a romantic comedy.  It’s hard to choose between this and the musical remake High Society with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Grace Kelly.

 

3. Going My Way (1944)/The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945)

            Again, cheating, but these movies are so tied together.  Going My Way is my favorite, and the better one, but both are absolute classics.  Crosby’s Fr. O’Malley is still my favorite movie priest.  To echo Song of Bernadette, it’s incredible that Going My Way won 7 Oscars, including Best Picture, Barry Fitzgerald is the only actor to be nominated for both leading and supporting actor (he won for supporting), and Crosby was the first actor to be nominated for best actor for the same role twice.

 

2. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

            I watch it every year around Christmas, and every year I get emotional.  James Stewart is breathtaking, especially since it was his first role after the war and he wasn’t sure if he could return to acting.  Not only is it one of the great Christmas movies of all time, it’s one of the greatest movies of all time.  It just so happened to come out the same decade as…

 

1. Casablanca (1942)

            The greatest screenplay of all time?  Maybe.  The most memorable dialogue of all time?  Probably.  There’s not much to say about Casablanca that hasn’t been said.  It’s basically perfect.  “I’m shocked, SHOCKED, to find that gambling is going on in here.” So good.

 

Extra fun: the best movie scores of the decade

 

The Sea Hawk (Erich Wolfgang Korngold)

Captain from Castile (Alfred Newman)

The Black Swan (Alfred Newman)

It’s a Wonderful Life (Dimitri Tiomkin)

The Best Years of Our Lives (Hugo Friedhofer)

 

Other music from the decade: Swing/big band is in full bloom.  Glenn Miller is the king: In the Mood, A String of Pearls, Chattanooga Choo-Choo, I’ve Got a Gal in Kalamazoo.  The Andrews Sisters and Bing Crosby are always good.  Some of my favorite music of all time.

Movies by Decade: 30s

This year I’m doing something that might seem crazy (besides all the reading).  Each month I am listening to movie and watching movies from specific months.  The basic plan is: January Christmas/Winter; February 30s and 40s; March 50s/St. Patrick’s Day; April 60s; May 70s; June 80s; July 90s; August 00s; September 10s; October Halloween/Fall; November 2020s; December new movies (for me)/Advent

As I’m going through this, I’m definitely seeing patterns in decades of movies I never noticed before.  I also thought it would be fun to do a little decade battle for the best movies.  Basically, come up with a top 10 list for each month, then the winners of the months face off for the best of the best.  So, starting with the 30s.

The 30s are an interesting decade for movies.  There’s the Universal monster movies, a lot of comedies (the rise of Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, and my favorites are the “screwball” comedies), swashbucklers (which are also huge in the 40s), and the first Disney movie.  Another important note of movies from this era, many are around 90 minutes or even less, meaning tight storytelling with nothing wasted.  I like it.

Before my list (remember this is “best,” not necessarily “favorite”), a few notable movies not mentioned, because I have not seen them: Gone with the Wind, It Happened One Night, James Cagney gangster movies, Cimarron, Grand Hotel, Cavalcade, Mutiny on the Bounty, The Great Ziegfeld, The Life of Emile Zola, You Can’t Take It with You

 

Honorable Mentions: All Quiet on the Western Front, Gunga Din, Captain Blood, Dracula (and all Universal monster movies), Holiday, Dodge City

 

Top 10:

10. Alexander Nevsky (1938)

            I haven’t seen this in a long time, but what I remember it was great and more influential than people know.  It’s a Russian movie depicting the Russians defeating the barbarous Germans (sound significant?).  Why it’s important: heavily influenced Star Wars (the main villain is in all black armor…) and a number of other movies (I don’t know if it’s directly copying, but King Arthur’s ice battle scene is basically the same as this movie).  Also, Sergei Prokofiev’s score is phenomenal.

 

9. Stagecoach (1939)

            The movie that made John Wayne a major star.  It remains one of the best, most important Westerns ever made.  If nothing else, the stunt of jumping down the horses on the runaway stagecoach is still amazing to watch.

 

8. A Day at the Races (1937)

            This stands in for all the Marx Brothers movies.  It’s my pick for best because there aren’t a bunch of random musical numbers as some of the earlier ones.  Also, two scenes in particular are some of the funniest ever filmed: Chico and Groucho with the betting guides and the finale with the examination which is genius in its absurdity ending with the horse walking through the flooding doctor’s office.

 

7. The Thin Man (1934)

            The Thin Man movies are fantastic.  William Powell and Myrna Loy are perfect together.  A great combination of detective mystery and comedy.  All of them are worth a watch, but the first is still the best.

 

6. The Wizard of Oz (1939)

            Undoubtedly a classic, with some effects that still astound.  The songs are memorable.  The biggest reason it’s this far down is Judy Garland as well as the strength of the movies above it.

 

5. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

            It pains me to have it this low, but again, it’s a solid decade of movies.  I’ve probably watched this more than any other movie from the decade (maybe close to Wizard of Oz).  You can laugh at the costumes now, but it’s action-packed, a great story, and still one of the greatest movie scores of all time.

 

4. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

            It doesn’t get much more iconic than this.  The art still stands out, especially in 4k.  You can tell it was made with love.  The dwarfs are classic, the songs are great, there’s not much not to like.

 

3. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

            Is it a little communist?  Maybe.  It’s still an important message about corruption and how some naïve idealism can still make a difference.  At least, that’s what we hope.

 

2. Bringing Up Baby (1938)

            Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, a loose leopard, and dinosaur bones.  What’s not to love?  The perfect example of the screwball comedy, which sadly has gone extinct.  Revel in the absurdity and two of the greatest stars of all time.

 

1. King Kong (1933)

            Sometimes we can overstate the importance of pieces of culture.  With this movie, you can’t.  I would argue it is the most influential movie of all time.  It’s effects, which are still great, influenced some of the greatest movie makers of the next 50+ years. 

 

Extra fun: the best movie scores of the decade

 

The Adventures of Robin Hood (Erich Wolfgang Korngold)

Alexander Nevsky (Sergei Prokofiev)

Captain Blood (Korngold)

King Kong (Max Steiner)

The Bride of Frankenstein (Franz Waxman)

 

Other music from the decade: swing/big band (Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman…) which only gets better in the 40s