I like Ike

well not really, but I would take Ike over the current resident. Then again Ike gave us another “president to be proud of.”

I need another break from politics and news — I have been watching too much MSNBC.

1950’s – the post war boom of America — the birth of commercial television, rockets into space and the perfect American society. No sex, No drugs, No rock ‘n roll (well until 1955 no Rock ‘n Roll). Just perfect furniture.

Well there was plenty of sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll — it just was on the underside and a lot of it showed up in movies.

The Oscars picked the following movies as the best of the 1950’s

1950 – All About Eve
1951 – An American in Paris
1952 – The Greatest Show on Earth
1953 – From Here to Eternity
1954 – On The Waterfront
1955 – Marty
1956 – Around the World in Eighty Days
1957 – The Bridge on the River Kwai
1958 – Gigi
1959 – Ben-Hur

7 classics (IMHO), 2 almost, and 1 not-so-great movie. 2 musicals. Definitely not the best of the best from that decade. I am not a fan of Ben-Hur – it is really long, I think it drags, and if you need to see a biblical Charlton Heston, then stick with The Ten Commandments. I also think Around the World in Eighty Days is not that great of a movie — it has lots of cameos and is sort of fun at times, but it definitely doesn’t hold your attention (maybe when Shirley MacLaine shows up) and it is a mediocre flick at best. While I can appreciate An American in Paris – I am not a ballet fan and seeing once was enough. The real sore thumb is The Greatest Show on Earth — an homage to the circus and to Cecil B. DeMille. Other than the animals, even the big train wreck doesn’t make this one worthy at all. The rest I can watch over and over.

So here is my choice for the 25 best movies of the 1950s (rules – they had to be released from 1950-59 and I had to have seen them). Again since I do not like Westerns – that eliminates a lot of good ones (Shane, High Noon, The Searchers). I’ll put my Franklin half on these:

26. A Place in the Sun (1951) – Because Elizabeth Taylor is so gorgeous and Shelley Winters is so frumpy – and she gets tossed overboard.
25. It Should Happen to You (1954) – I am a both a Judy Holliday fan and a fan of billboards.
24. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) – A science fiction movie that makes you think
23. Peyton Place (1957) – OK, it is a soap opera, but it is actually quite entertaining and it holds up really well. And it is a good story.
22. The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) -The Holocaust — somber, telling and intense with no Nazis
21. The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) – Hollywood trashes itself and Kirk Douglas was great
20. Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) – One of the best war movies and a great ending
19. On The Beach (1959) – Proving there is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide
18. From Here to Eternity (1953) – Another great war movie, with some of the best acting
17. Rififi (1955) – King of the crime movies
16. Sweet Smell of Success (1957) – JJ Hunsecker, don’t miss this one
15. Touch of Evil (1958) – The best of the ‘noir’ genre and I think Welles’ best
14. The Caine Mutiny (1954) – Strawberries anyone?
13. The Asphalt Jungle (1950) – Another noir classic and Huston’s best (or one of)
12. Twelve Angry Men (1957) – Because anything with Henry Fonda in it is usually great
11. A Face in the Crowd (1957) – If you want to see where Jerry Falwell learned his trade
10. Paths of Glory (1957) – Soldiers in WW1 refuse to continue with an impossible attack from Stanley Kubrick
9. The African Queen (1951) – Hepburn and Bogart and a river — doesn’t get any better.
8. Singin’ In The Rain (1952) – The best musical ever (a genre I don’t like, a movie I really like). Jean Hagen in the most under-rated role ever.
7. All About Eve (1950) – One of the best scripts ever and a ton of great lines.
6. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) – Perfect allegory for the red scare of the 50s
5. Some Like It Hot (1959) – Perfect script, perfectly shot and still hysterically funny. best closing line
4. On The Waterfront (1954) – I wish I could have been a contender
3. Vertigo (1958) – Many consider this Hitchcock’s best..
2. Rebel Without A Cause (1955) – The movie that made James Dean, James Dean
1. North by Northwest (1959) – But I consider this one his best. My favorite Hitchcock movie

Honorable Mention
Born Yesterday (1950), War of the Worlds (1953), To Catch A Thief (1955), Sunset Boulevard (1950), The Seven Year Itch (1955), The High and the Mighty (1954), The Bad Seed (1956), Member of the Wedding (1953), The Ten Commandments (1956), Roman Holiday (1953), A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), Rear Window (1954), The Seven Samurai (1954), The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958). Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

Like you did in the 1960’s – argue, criticize and add