10. Born Yesterday
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A delightful romantic dramedy starring Judy Holliday, in an Academy Award-winning role, Broderick Crawford, and the incredibly handsome Bill Holden. Judy Holliday's character here---Billlie Dawn---is one of my favorite female film characters. (Reviewed HERE)
9. Pillow Talk
Adorable romantic comedy starring Doris Day and Rock Hudson. Rock is drop-dead gorgeous here, and his "Rex Stetson" Texas accent puts me in stitches. (Reviewed HERE)
8. About Mrs. Leslie
My beloved Robert Ryan stars with Shirley Booth in this tearjerker romantic drama. While "bad boy" Ryan isn't usually thought of as a romantic leading man, this touching films bears out that he well could have been one. This is my absolute favorite Robert Ryan film. (Reviewed HERE)
7. Ten North Frederick
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A total sobber, this romantic drama explores the May-December romance theme. Starring my beloved Gary Cooper and Suzy Parker, this little-known gem is right up there with Mr. Deeds Goes to Town as my favorite Cooper film. (Reviewed HERE)
6. An Affair to Remember
A beautiful, touching Cary Grant/Deborah Kerr romantic drama. This one always brings me to tears at the very same moment every time. (Reviewed HERE)
5. The Breaking Point
My favorite film of my beloved John Garfield, The Breaking Point is the truest film adaption of Ernest Hemingway's To Have and Have Not. According to Mr. Garfield's biography, Body and Soul: the Story of John Garfield, Mr. Hemingway "thought The Breaking Point was the best screen adaption of any of his novels. He said that Harry Morgan as written had never become anything beyond an idea, but that John Garfield made Harry a person." And to think that I very nearly skipped out on this movie because I don't care for the Bogey/Bacall version!! (Reviewed HERE)
4. Stalag 17
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My darling Bill Holden's Academy Award-winning role. With barely a woman in this film, this may seem very much like a man's war movie, but I completely and totally love it and can pretty much recite every line verbatim...I've watched it that much. (Reviewed HERE)
3. Middle of the Night
A touching romantic drama which explores the May-December romance theme. Starring Fredric March, in what I think is perhaps the best performance of his career, and Kim Novak. (Reviewed HERE)
2. Sunset Boulevard
The favorite film of my beloved William Holden...and one for which I think he ought to have won the Best Actor Academy Award...definitely, his finest hour (and he had man fine hours!). A romantic drama also starring Gloria Swanson, in an Oscar-nominated performance. (Reviewed HERE)
and my favorite movie of the 1950's...
1. A Place in the Sun
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Not only my favorite film of the 1950's, but perhaps my favorite film of all-time, A Place in the Sun is a romantic drama, starring my beloved Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, and Shelley Winters. It is one of those films which I always wish had a different ending than the one it has. (Reviewed HERE)
Runner-up films for the 1950's are From Here to Eternity, All About Eve, Ben-Hur, Roman Holiday, Sabrina, and Singin' in the Rain.
Next up, the 1960's.
Next up, the 1960's.
All great choices! I really wouldn't be able to order my favourites into a top 10 list!
ReplyDeleteI know...it's hard. Without question, #1 and #2 are in the right order, but I have to admit, it gets a bit fuzzy after that. I feel disloyal to Bette putting "All About Eve" as a runner-up, and ranking "An Affair to Remember" in 6th position just seems wrong. But, as of now, this is how they stand. Could be different a month from now, though "A Place in the Sun" is in no danger of toppling.
DeleteI'm really loving reading your lists by decade. And it reminds me there are so many films I haven't seen yet! :-D
ReplyDeleteDeb, given that I've gotten to know your movie tastes a bit, I don't think you would enjoy most of my 1950's faves. Of course, I know you've seen and love all the Holden ones, but of the other movies, I think the one you'd most like is "The Breaking Point." Actually, I think you would LOVE that one.
DeleteAnd if you've never seen "A Place in the Sun," definitely do see it. While it may not be your cup of tea as far as genre, it is a completely fantastic film. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!
Great list of films!! I plan on watching "Sunset Boulevard" sometime today..
ReplyDeleteDawn, I am in need of a "Sunset Boulevard" fix...haven't watched it in about a year. Actually, to be honest, I'm in need of a William Holden fix...haven't watched anything of his since April, and I am going into withdrawals!
DeleteGreat picks! I'm glad to see Stalag 17 on the list. Such a great film.
ReplyDeleteMy 20-something kids also love Stalag 17...and one of those kids is a girl. It is definitely not just a man's film.
DeleteOur internet has been down most of the past 4 days but finally got fixed...it was taunting me, popping on and then popping off!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, this is a wonderful list Patti! A Place in the Sun and Sunset Blvd. absolutely amazing films! I adored Mrs. Leslie, that will be one I watch over and over. I was never a big Doris Day fan, there was always something so Un-feminine about her to me...I know that's horrible to say about such a beloved actress but she just never struck me. Funny, she was, but in romantic parts I had a hard time.
Ten North Fredric was one (of the many, many classic films!) I discovered via you Patti and I do recall liking it very much! The rest, I'll have to backtrack on, because you know how horrible I am with names...which is only one of the many reasons I love your blog!
When our internet was out back in July, I nearly went out of my mind! Unless I took my laptop to a coffee shop, I was "offline" for 4 days, and I hated it. It's amazing how we can barely live without the internet anymore, isn't it?
DeleteYou know, it's not horrible to say that you don't care for Doris Day. Everyone has different tastes and preferences. You know that I cannot stand Katharine Hepburn, yet she's a beloved actress. Some might think that is insane or horribly wrong, but it's how I feel, so I can relate to the fact that Doris Day is not your cup of tea.
I'm so glad I opened your eyes to "About Mrs. Leslie" and "Ten North Frederick." I feel that spotlighting some of those "little-known" movies and bringing them to the attention of others is part of the reason my blog exists.
You know me, Patti....I agree with all your choices!! Except for those movies I've never seen or heard of: About Mrs. Leslie, The Breaking Point, or Middle of the Night.
ReplyDelete(Sorry about that! I know you're probably saying..."WHAT????"
No, Becky, I am not saying "WHAT?" Those 3 movies are not well-known. I only discovered them because I was searching for films of those particular actors (Robert Ryan, John Garfield, Fredric March).
DeleteAs I said in response to Victoria's comment, part of the reason I started this blog is to have an opportunity to showcase the little-known movies. After all, the "famous" movies don't really need much exposure, but the unknown ones do.
Born Yesterday is my fav Judy Holiday movie and William Holden is adorable in it. An Afair To Remember is such a great movie that I've never felt the urge to see the original with Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer.
ReplyDeleteBorn Yesterday is my favorite Judy Holliday film too. That movie is one of the most quoted movies in my family. There are SO many great lines in it.
DeleteI did see "Love Affair," but only one time, and that was not long after I saw "Gaslight," in which Charles Boyer is a murderous husband. Needless to say, it was beyond difficult to accept him as a romantic lead in "Love Affair." All I could see was him driving wife Ingrid Bergman crazy.