Golden Age of Hollywood

Well, it’s January.  And unlike those days of yesteryear when I was gainfully employed, as a retiree, nothing much is going on.  So I thought I would take the opportunity of this lull in my normally hectic life to impart to you some essential, though non-critical, knowledge.  In discussions with younger acquaintances, I am learning that there is not much effort on their part to explore the cultural proclivities of their ancestors.  Now I’m not writing here of ancient tribal rites or medieval mores.  I do not dwell on the history of our nation’s founding.  I will not inundate you with facts, names and dates.  My purpose is to fill some gaps in the appreciation of the preeminent art form of the Twentieth Century, movies.

You may say, “But Dale, I’ve seen movies.  I go to the cinema often.” To which I retort, “There are more plot lines on heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your cinematic experience, Horatio!” (Apologies to the Bard).  In a recent conversation, someone who will remain nameless but will know of whom I speak (I speak of thee), pointed to a picture and declared the subject, “Rick from the movie Casablanca!” When I agreed, adding, “Yes, Humphrey Bogart.” They seemed astonished by the notion that this actor had any other identity than, Rick.

This may not seem odd to you, but I cannot understand how a person could achieve adulthood and not been exposed to the icons of The Golden Age of Hollywood (that’s the mythical land where they used to make movies, youngin’). It’s not that I expect everybody to be versed in my life’s experiences.  The movies of which I write predate my birth by one, two or maybe three generations.  Yet as I navigated the travails of childhood, I was constantly exposed to the movies which shaped, (or reflected depending on your own theory about life imitating art, etc.) my parents’ cultural consciousness.  When I stayed home from school with some malingering illness, after the soap operas and before the cartoons, came the afternoon movie: Cary Grant skipping merrily through a mad-cap romp with Irene Dunn.  Saturday morning following cartoons we were presented the history of manifest destiny as John Wayne cleansed the West of Comanche.  On non-school nights, we stayed up really late and witnessed Jimmy Stewart battle for the little guy against all reasonable hope, Donna Reed faithfully by his side!  Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn!!! (Oh my God, I can’t believe you don’t recognize these names.)

If these words do not strike a chord of nostalgic recognition in you, you are the target of this missive.  Today, I give you a gift; a list of thirty must-see movies.  The Golden Age of Hollywood is generally understood to be the years 1930 to 1959.  The list below offers one film from each of these years… and yes; if it’s on the list I have seen it. 

For you old hats out there; don’t be offended if your favorite movie is not on the list.  This is not intended to be a “best of” list.  There were no comparative value judgments involved.  In choosing these entries, I intend only to endorse any included movie as enjoyable, memorable and exemplary of the movies that taught me to appreciate movies.  You youngsters out there may consider this a primer.  Each listing gives the year of release - title, studio; director and (one principal actor).  Enjoy!

1.      1930 – Little Caesar  Warner Bros.;  Mervyn LeRoy  (Edward G. Robison)

2.      1931 – Frankenstein  Universal; James Whale (Boris Karloff)

3.      1932 – Shanghai Express  Paramount; Josef von Sternberg (Marlene Dietrich)

4.      1933 – Duck Soup  Paramount; Leo McCarey (The Marx Brothers)

5.      1934 – It Happened One Night   Columbia; Frank Capra (Claudette Colbert)

6.      1935 – Mutiny On the Bounty  MGM; Frank Lloyd (Clark Gable)

7.      1936 – Mr. Deeds Goes to Town  Columbia; Frank Capra (Gary Cooper)

8.      1937 – Captains Courageous  MGM; Victor Fleming (Spencer Tracy)

9.      1938 – The Adventures of Robin Hood  Warner Bros.; William Keighley (Errol Flynn)

10.  1939 – Stagecoach  United Artists; John Ford (John Wayne)

11.  1940 – The Philadelphia Story    MGM; George Cukor (Cary Grant)

12.  1941 – The Maltese Falcon    Warner Bros.; John Huston (Humphrey Bogart)

13.  1942 – Casablanca     Warner Bros.; Michael Curtiz (Ingrid Bergman)

14.  1943 – The Oxbow Incident     20^th Century-Fox; William Wellman (Henry Fonda)

15.  1944 – Arsenic and Old Lace    Warner Bros.; Frank Capra (Cary Grant)

16.  1945 – The Lost Weekend    Paramount; Billy Wilder (Ray Milland)

17.  1946 – It’s a Wonderful Life    RKO Studios; Frank Capra (Jimmy Stewart)

18.  1947 – Life with Father    Warner Bros.; Michael Curtiz (William Powell)

19.  1948 – The Treasure of the Sierra Madre    Warner Bros.; John Huston (Walter Houston)

20.  1949 – Adam’s Rib    MGM; George Cukor (Katherine Hepburn)

21.  1950 – Sunset Boulevard    Paramount; Billy Wilder (William Holden)

22.  1951 – A Streetcar Named Desire    Warner Bros.; Elia Kazan (Marlon Brando)

23.  1952 – High Noon    United Artists; Fred Zinnemann (Gary Cooper)

24.  1953 – Shane    Paramount; George Stevens (Alan Ladd)

25.  1954 – The Cain Mutiny    Columbia; Edward Dmytryk (Fred McMurray)

26.  1955 – Mister Roberts    Warner Bros.; John Ford, Mervyn LeRoy (Henry Fonda)

27.  1956 – The Searchers    Warner Bros.; John Ford (John Wayne)

28.  1957 – An Affair to Remember    20^th Century-Fox; Leo McCarey (Deborah Kerr)

29.  1958 – Vertigo   Paramount; Alfred Hitchcock (Kim Novak)

30.  1959 – Some Like it Hot    United Artists; Billy Wilder (Marilyn Monroe)