Monday, March 16, 2015

Favorite Black and White Movies

Note: Some titles may not be appropriate for family viewing.


Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Michael Curtiz (director)


The Artist (2011) Jean Dujardin

The Bells of St. Mary's (1945) Bing Crosby, Ingrid Bergman




Boys Town (1938) Spencer Tracy, Mickey Rooney


Bringing Up Baby (1938) Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant


Captains Courageous (1937) Spencer Tracy, Lionel Barrymore



Casablanca (1942) Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Michael Curtiz (director)


Christmas in Connecticut (1945) Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan


Come to the Stable (1949) Loretta Young, Celeste Holm, Elsa Lanchester



Edison the Man (1940) Spencer Tracy



High Noon (1952) Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly


Holiday (1938) Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant



Holiday Affair (1949) Robert Mitchum, Janet Leigh



I Confess (1953) Montgomery Clift, Ann Baxter, Alfred Hitchcock (director)


 Ikiru (1952) Akira Kurosawa, director


I Remember Mama (1948) Irene Dunne, Barbara Bel Geddes


It Happened One Night (1934) Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Frank Capra (director)


It's a Wonderful Life (1946) Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, Frank Capra (director)


Lilies of the Field (1963) Sidney Poitier


The Major and the Minor (1942) Ginger Rogers, Ray Milland, Billy Wilder (director)



Meet John Doe (1941) Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Frank Capra (director)



Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) Gary Cooper, Jean Arthur, Frank Capra (director)



Miracle on 34th Street (1947) Edmund Gwenn, Maureen O'Hara


The Miracle Worker (1962) Anne Bancroft, Patty Duke



Monkey Business (1931) The Marx Brothers


The More the Merrier (1943) Jean Arthur, Joel McCrea, Charles Coburn, George Stevens (director)


Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) Jimmy Stewart, Jean Arthur, Frank Capra (director)



On the Waterfront (1954) Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Elia Kazan (director)



Penny Serenade (1941) Cary Grant, Irene Dunne, George Stevens (director)



The Philadelphia Story (1940) Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart


 The Pride of the Yankees (1942) Gary Cooper, Teresa Wright, Babe Ruth



Roman Holiday (1953) Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, William Wyler (director)


Sabrina (1954) Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn, William Holden, Billy Wilder (director)


Safety Last (1923) Harold Lloyd (silent) (click here to watch on YouTube)
I should note, after a recent re-watch, that there is a scene involving an ugly stereotyping that should be discussed with your children, and in fact is a good opportunity to do so. Crazy to think that some people once saw such things as funny.



The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934) Leslie Howard, Merle Oberon



Sergeant York (1941) Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan



The Seven Samurai (1954) Akira Kurosawa, director


Song of Bernadette (1943) Jennifer Jones



The Stratton Story (1949) Jimmy Stewart, June Allyson




To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) Gregory Peck


Twelve Angry Men (1957) Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb




Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) James Cagney, Michael Curtiz (director)


You Can't Take it With You (1938) Jean Arthur, Jimmy Stewart, Lionel Barrymore, Frank Capra (dir)


Young Tom Edison (1940) Mickey Rooney



Please share your favorites in the comments. I'm sure I'm forgetting some and am always interested in discovering more oldies-but-goodies. There are also lots that I've seen, but too far in the past to include until I get a chance to watch them again, such as Modern Times, Mutiny on the Bounty and Harvey.

This page is dedicated to my dear friend Katrina Louise Underwood, who died of Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS) in 2012. I credit her with introducing me to the joys of old movies. (picture of us circa 1986)

4 comments:

M.E. said...

Alicia, we love the same movies! But I am "shocked, shocked!" to find that you haven't listed "Arsenic and Old Lace". It's one of the funniest movies ever made, by one of my favorite directors, Frank Capra. I bet you know it but just forgot to list it. And if you don't - you are in for a huge treat!

love2learnmom said...

LOL M.E.! I haven't seen it in decades AND for some reason I was picturing that it was in color. I may have to check it out again. Frank Capra is the best! :)

M.E. said...

Yes, love Capra's work! And I knew you would know that one. You'll have to watch it again with the family. Such a dark comedy, but absolutely hilarious!

Karen Edmisten said...

Oh, Alicia, what a wonderful list! You've hit on so many favorites!