AndyM108

Next to the Louvin Brothers, the Everlys had perhaps the most perfectly harmonizing voices of any country-based duo I can think of. It's only fitting that they were one of the original inductees to the R&R Hall of Fame. BTW if anyone hasn't heard the Sweet Inspriations' version of "Let It Be Me", he shouldn't deny himself or herself the pleasure. It was one of many Everly Brothers songs that were covered by other groups in a splendid fashion. At one point the Sweet Inspirations were one of Elvis Presley's backup groups, but they went on to have quite a career on their own on the R&B circuit.

I'll post my 1949 list a bit later, but I did want to say that I see your points about both All My Sons and A Foreign Affair, though I don't think the genetic dissimilarity between Robinson and Lancaster was really that important. But I agree that both Arthur and Dietrich have had better roles, even though I think the standard issue Dietrich made a perfect fit for this particular movie. What I really liked about A Foreign Affair was its graphic location in the rubble of postwar Berlin, and also the sublime role of Colonel Plummer as played by Millard Mitchell. The sardonic guided tour of Berlin that he gave to the visiting delegation upon their arrival was one of the highlights of the film. Mitchell has always been one of my favorite character actors, and this was one of my favorite roles of his.

1948 is also loaded, and once you get past the first 3, they're again almost in random order. 1. Bicycle Thieves 2. The Search 3. Drunken Angel 4. Treasure of the Sierra Madre 5. Road House 6. I Walk Alone 7. The Big Clock 8. All My Sons 9. A Foreign Affair 10. Cry of the City Best of the rest: Naked City, Homecoming, He Walked By Night, A Letter to Three Wives, Canon City, Northside 777, Red River, Key Largo, Whiplash Underrated: All My Sons Overrated: Rope; Sorry, Wrong Number Have to see: Letter From An Unknown Woman Best actor: Toshiro Mifune (Drunken Angel) Best actress: Jarmila Novotn? (The Search) Best supporting actor: Walter Huston (Treasure of the Sierra Madre) Best supporting actress: Marlene Dietrich (A Foreign Affair) Films viewed: About 60 *EDIT:* I couldn't edit my 1946 list after 24 hours, but I just realized I'd forgotten *Shoeshine,* which I'd place at #3, just below The Killers and It's A Wonderful Life, and just above No Regrets For Our Youth. Edited by: AndyM108 on Jan 4, 2014 10:54 AM

If Edward Brophy's car had been driven at today's highway speeds, I doubt if he would have averaged any 30 MPG. Even the dropoff in fuel economy between 55 MPH and 75 MPH is 23%. And of course as you point out, all that extra horsepower is what eats up the fuel.

To show just how great 1947 was, very few of those movies on your top 10 list are on mine, and yet with the exception of your #1, I liked all of the others on your list that I've had the fortune to see.

Andy, we?re in total agreement about something else: 1947 was one of the great years for Hollywood films. That is, if you like film noir, 1940s romances, and women?s films?and I do, I do. Trying to make a top 10 is all but impossible with so many splendid movies to choose from. Until I began assembling these lists by year, I've never quantified my suspicions, but my gut instinct has always been that the true "Golden Era" of Hollywood in terms of quantity and quality was roughly between 1946 and 1951. Noirs were the obvious leaders, but then you get some non-noir dramas like The Search, Three Came Home, Tomorrow Is Forever, Homecoming, and the Rossellini war trilogy, all of which are on a level that makes you realize just what film can be in the hands of a good storyteller and actors. Maybe it was just the memory of war that took a lot of the fluff out of the average film, and introduced a touch of seldom-before seen realism. Here's another IMO special: The overall quality of films diminished at first with the advent of color. Not for any inherent flaw in color films, but simply because it seemed so new and spectacular that filmmakers often would shape the story around the technology, rather than the other way around. Once color became the default mode, then after awhile the balance became better restored. Of course here I'm not thinking about the idiotic special effects movies that form the staples of Hollywood blockbusters today; those are an entirely different matter altogether.

*1. Johnny Eager* *2. The Hard Way* *3. In This Our Life* I didn't put them in that exact order, but nevertheless congratulations on your impeccable taste for 1942. Continuing along the decade, here's my top 10 for *1947,* a year that had so many great movies that once you get past the top 5 or so, the order is almost random. 1. Out of the Past (tied with The Killers for best noir ever) 2. Germany: Year Zero (IMO the best of Rossellini's war trilogy) 3. Nightmare Alley (another top 10 noir) 4. Framed 5. Kiss of Death 6. The Unsuspected 7. Nora Prentiss 8. The Long Night 9. Possessed 10. High Wall Best of the Rest: The Hucksters, Born to Kill, The Unfaithful, Dead Reckoning, Crossfire, Dark Passage, The Sin of Harold Diddlebock, Lady in the Lake, Brute Force, New Orleans (with Billie Holiday), Deep Valley, They Don't Believe Me Best Actor: Tyrone Power (Nightmare Alley) Best Actress: Jane Greer (Out of the Past) Best Supporting Actor: Vincent Price (The Long Night) Best Supporting Actress: Helen Walker (Nightmare Alley) Underrated: High Wall Way Overrated: Monsieur Verdoux Films viewed: About 70, with almost no true clinkers

1946 is more like it. What a year for movies! 1. The Killers 2. It's A Wonderful Life 3. No Regrets For Our Youth 4. Open City 5. The Best Years of Our Lives 6. Deception 7. Gilda 8. The Blue Dahlia 9. Paisan 10. Tomorrow Is Forever Best of the Rest: The Dark Corner, The Locket, Shock, Somewhere in the Night, Till the End of Time, 13 Rue Madeleine, Undercurrent, The Postman Always Rings Twice, The Big Sleep Underrated: Till the End of Time Overrated: The Stranger; Humoresque Best Actor: Aldo Fabrizi (Open City) Best Actress: Rita Hayworth (Gilda) Supporting Actor: Harold Russell (The Best Years of Our Lives) Supporting Actress: Anna Magnani (Open City) Greatest Depth in Casting: The Killers, The Best Years of Our Lives Titles viewed: About 70

How did this thread become one about the whole friggin 40s. It buries the intent and message of the original poster. ...that this year had.some amazing movies. TopBilled originally suggested expanding it to the rest of the 40's, and then when I took him up on it he and I have been exchanging lists. I'll continue with 1946 later today, so you might want to consider putting me and TopBilled on ignore if you only want to read about 1940. I can't speak for anyone else, but my reasoning behind not starting a new thread for each year is simple: It would clutter up the General Discussions list to have 10 different threads on what would essentially be variants on the same subject. And anyway, *every* year has some amazing movies, not just 1940. (Well, 1943 was pretty much of a clinker, but that's the exception that proves the rule. )

I Could Go On Singing played in June of 2012 and again last May, so I think there's a fair chance we'll see it again this year. I completely agree that it's a terrific movie, second only to A Star Is Born for Garland's dramatic roles.

This is fun, but after 1945 I've got to take a break and gear up for Crawford night. Most of my 1940's favorites are towards the end of the decade. 1945 Top 10 1. Children of Paradise (serious candidate for all time top 10) 2. Roughly Speaking (God, do I love Rosalind Russell in this one) 3. Mildred Pierce (top 10 noir) 4. Detour (most appropriately named leading actress) 5. Leave Her to Heaven 6. The Lost Weekend 7. The Clock 8. Conflict 9. Danger Signal 10. Christmas in Connecticut Best of the rest: The House on 92nd Street, Scarlet Street, Hangover Square, Fallen Angel, Power of the Whistler, Voice of the Whistler Underrated: Roughly Speaking - I can't think of a better representation of the best of the American spirit, and Russell and Carson are perfectly matched Worst Movie: Murder, He Says - one of the lamest attempts at comedy ever placed on celluloid Have to Watch: Brief Encounter Best Actor: Ray Milland (The Lost Weekend) Best Actress: Rosalind Russell (Roughly Speaking) Supporting Actor: Sidney Greenstreet (Christmas in Connecticut) Supporting Actress: Ann Blyth (Mildred Pierce) Titles watched: About 50

WHOA! One second there, Andy. What's with this whole "1943/Rock Bottom" thing here? The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp Shadow of a Doubt Sahara Heaven Can Wait The Ox-Bow Incident ...aren't exactly "rock bottom" in MY book, ol' buddy! Find any year in the studio era (or any year, for that matter) where you *can't* find more good to great movies than in 1943. Can't be done.

After reaching rock bottom in 1943, things begin to pick up a *LOT* in *1944* . 1. Laura 2. Double Indemnity 3. Murder My Sweet 4. Arsenic and Old Lace 5. Ministry of Fear 6. Phantom Lady 7. To Have and Have Not 8. The Woman In The Window 9. The Lodger 10. The Whistler - first entry in my all time favorite series, with Richard Dix in the title role Best of the rest: Since You Went Away, Meet Me In St. Louis, The Missing Juror, Crime By Night, Mr. Skeffington Underrated: Ministry of Fear, The entire Whistler series Overrated: Gaslight Winner of the Reefer Madness award: The Last Ride (with bootleg tires in the place of "marihuana") Best Actor: Dick Powell (Murder, My Sweet) Best Actress: Barbara Stanwyck (Double Indemnity) Supporting Actor: Clifton Webb (Laura) Supporting Actress: Josephine Dunn and Jean Adair (Arsenic and Old Lace) Titles watched: About 50

They ought to raise Mahalia Jackson from the dead so she can sing at the funeral. Indeed. R.I.P. Ms. Moore.

OTOH, it's often the cheezy effects that make those old sci-fi flicks fun to watch! Exactly. You can't improve on those giant ants in Them!, or the Walks Under Mushrooms-sized character in The Incredible Shrinking Man. And if you get into the related realm of monster movies, how can modern technology ever top the lumbering hulk of the ape in King Kong ?

You listed many films I like and would probably add to my honorable mentions-- IN THIS OUR LIFE especially. I am surprised you didn't include THE BIG STREET, since it definitely has noir elements. It does, but the Lucille Ball character was so offputting that I couldn't really enjoy it. Here's my 1943 list, which may be the weakest for any year in the studio era. If you don't go for cookie cutter Hollywood war movies, there isn't much to choose from. 1. Old Acquaintance - the only movie of 1943 I'd have put on a top 10 list in any other year. 2. Crime Doctor - the first of the highly enjoyable Warner Baxter series 3. Mr. Lucky 4. Stormy Weather - a piece of fluff, but what a cast! 5. Frank Capra's Why We Fight series - propaganda, but at least it was up front about it and hence much more interesting 6. The Dark Tower 7. After Midnight With Boston **** - another great comic detective series, featuring one of my favorite B-movie actors (Chester Morris) 8. Heaven Can Wait - damn, did Laird Cregar ever die way too young! 9. Thank Your Lucky Stars - no plot whatever, but of course that wasn't the point for this all-star cast 10. What a Woman! - only because of Roz Russell's performance Best of the rest: none Underrated: none Overrated: Shadow of a Doubt Creepiest: The Nazi production of Titanic Have to Watch next: Sanshiro Sugata Best Actor: Cary Grant (Mr. Lucky) Best Actress: Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins (Old Acquaintance) Supporting Actor: Fats Waller (Stormy Weather) Supporting Actress: can't think of any that stood out Titles watched: About 40. 1943 really was the nadir of the movie industry.

TopBilled, you're right about Swamp Water. What really hits home with me is that when I start going over these movies, I realize that I never saw the great majority of them until TCM (and to a much lesser extent the FMC) came along. I don't really have lots of favorites until the WW2 glut ends and the noir era begins, but here's what I get for *1942*: 1. The Hard Way (my favorite Lupino movie) 2. The Glass Key 3. This Gun For Hire 4. Casablanca 5. In This Our Life (Bette Davis as pure evil) 6. Johnny Eager 7. Tales of Manhattan (another movie that TCM needs to get from Fox) 8. Moontide (I'll take Gabin and Lupino over any screen couple) 9. Orchestra Wives 10. Rings on Her Finger (another great Laird Cregar performance) Best of the rest: Now, Voyager, Juke Girl, The Man Who Came to Dinner, To Be Or Not To Be, All Through the Night (dirty Nattzis and Fifth Col-yoo-mists!) Underrated: Everything from 5 through 10 on the above list Worst Movie: The sound version of The Gold Rush. What on Earth was Charlie Chaplin thinking? It's as if he took a perfect prime rib and dunked it in cold brine and mayonnaise. Best Actor: Humphrey Bogart (Casablanca) Best Actress: Ida Lupino (The Hard Way) Supporting Actor: Laird Cregar (This Gun For Hire) Supporting Actress: Joan Leslie (The Hard Way) Titles watched: 67 Note: The Hard Way, like Casablanca, wasn't released until early 1943, but until recently I've always seen it listed as a 1942 movie, and that's how I've always thought of it.

Andy, I think we have two titles in common for 1941.... 5. THE DEVIL AND MISS JONES 9. THE LADY EVE The Devil and Miss Jones is one of my favorite romantic screwballs, both for Coburn and for Jean Arthur. But I have to admit that in my pre-AFI days when my knowledge of "classic" movies was limited pretty much to the likes of Casablanca and GWTW, the first time I saw The Devil and Miss Jones listed I thought it was that porno movie, "The Devil *in* Miss Jones". And I don't think I was the only one who made that mistaken connection.

My father came from Norway in 1927, but another branch of his family had emigrated to Texas sometime in the 1870's or 1880's. We used to get a Christmas card from one of them every year, a second cousin once removed or something like that, but until LBJ became president I hadn't realized that the guy who was sending those cards was one of Johnson's major cronies, and the trustee of all of his properties. He lived well into his 80's and didn't die until 2002, but I never got to meet him, let alone to make it into what must have been a rather humongous will. If only his family had settled in DC instead of Texas.

I should have walked out of a film called EL TOPO. Instead I just went to sleep. I never saw that movie, and I doubt if until tonight I've even thought about it since the year (1970) it came out. But I'll never forget the promo line that they used to advertise it on the radio: *"FILMED IN SOUTH AMERICA - - - - WHERE LIFE IS CHEAP"* For me that's always been right up there with the old Mogen David wine ad that claimed that it was *"AS MODERN AS A PEACE DEMONSTRATION".* It's not hard to guess when *that* one was running.

I give up. Just read my original comment and look up "context" in the dictionary. And that's the end of my half of this conversation.

Did Streisand ever wear a beehive?

*"In the Washington neighborhood where I grew up, the "other" Albert Einstein lived two houses up the street, and was a crotchety old geezer who was also a vocal anti-semite. One of life's little ironies."* Only in the most twisted disingenuously applied use of the term. It is used by offended Zionists to besmirch the integrity of prominent voices that dare to differ with them on key -for lack of a better term- "party" platforms, usually involving the establishment or extent of a(n) (the) official Jewish state and recognition and regard of such. Sorry, but although I never heard this "other" Einstein's views on Israel, I heard him spout anti-Jewish comments right and left, using words I won't repeat here. AND- I understand train of thought and everything but really: How the heck did that become a relevant comment in a Red Skelton thread? Sometimes it's just fine to let the engine run out of coal. Pure free association, nothing else. Sorry if I offended you.

OOPS, just re-checked this one Andy, and it appears "High Sierra" was released in '41, not '40) So were all the others on that second list, which was in response to TopBilled's suggestion to list other years of the 40's. I listed my 1940 choices earlier.

*My only criticism of the scheduling changes is that I think there should be a way to sign up for automatic e-mail notifications whenever such changes occur.* I don't mind the fact that Suspicion got aired two days in a row, but it *does* bother me that I didn't know about Blonde Cheat until it was too late to either watch it or record it for later viewing. This is especially true since that's a film that will never likely be shown more than once in a blue moon.