LISTS

[fxreyman]

Now for something a little more akin to what this thread is all about......

 

Okay movie fans...... As Frank and I am sure others here about have been patiently waiting for a long time for, here then is my first installment of eight decades of my listing in numerical order, my favorite films of all time. And as Frank has suggested to me, a favorite list is much more telling for others to look over because it gives the other person a chance to see what kind of films the person likes more than any other films, i.e., greatest films. And I have to say this as well. All of these films listed here I have seen multiple times. Some I have seen over 100 times. These are the films I can watch repeatedly, over and over again. I can also come in to the film more than half way through and still enjoy it.

 

I decided to pick the 1960s as the first decade since while I was growing up I saw many of these films on regular television in the mid to late 60s and up through the 1970s. So these are the films I grew up watching. I will select other decades and more films soon. Enjoy!

 

1960


1. Sink the Bismarck!


2. Spartacus


3. The Magnificent Seven


4. The Alamo

5. Swiss Family Robinson

6. From the Terrace


7. The Grass is Greener

8. Elmer Gantry

9. The Sundowners


10. The Apartment


 

1961


1. Judgement at Nuremberg


2. The Guns of Navarone


3. Breakfast at Tiffany's


4. A Raisin in the Sun


5. The Hustler


6. The Comancheros

7. 
The Parent Trap


8. The Absent-Minded Professor

9. Two Rode Together


10. One-Eyed Jacks

 

1962


1. The Longest Day


2. Ride the High Country


3. Hatari!

4. Lawrence of Arabia


5. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance


6. To Kill a Mockingbird

7. Lonely Are the Brave


8. How the West Was Won

9. Cape Fear


10. The Music Man


 

1963


1. McLintock!


2. The Great Escape


3. Charade


4. Donovan's Reef

5. Lilies of the Field


6. Hud


7. PT 109

8. The Courtship of Eddie's Father

9. The Birds

10. Captain Newman, M.D.

 

1964


1. Seven Days in May


2. The Americanization of Emily


3. Fail-Safe


4. The Best Man


5. Goldfinger


6. The Train


7. Zulu

8. Dr. Strangelove or:

How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

9. Mary Poppins


10. Crack in the World




1965


1. In Harm's Way


2. The Sound of Music


3. The Bedford Incident


4. The Agony and the Ecstasy


5. The Flight of the Phoenix


6. Shenandoah

7. Mirage

8. 
Battle of the Bulge

9. The Sons of Katie Elder

10. 36 Hours


 

1966


1. The Professionals


2. The Sand Pebbles


3. Nevada Smith

4. Fantastic Voyage


5. A Man for All Seasons


6. Follow Me, Boys!

7. Born Free


8. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly


9. Torn Curtain

10. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolfe?

 


1967


1. El Dorado


2. The Dirty Dozen


3. In the Heat of the Night



4. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

5. You Only Live Twice


6. In Cold Blood

7. Hotel

8. Point Blank

9. 
Hour of the Gun

10. The Graduate



 

1968


1. Bullitt


2. Will Penny

3. Ice Station Zebra

4. The Devil's Brigade

5. The Green Berets

6. 2001: A Space Odyssey


7. The Thomas Crown Affair



8. The Lion in Winter

9. Coogan's Bluff

10. Planet of the Apes



 

1969


1. Support Your Local Sheriff!


2. True Grit


3. Where Eagles Dare


4. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

5. The Wild Bunch

6. The Undefeated

7. Marooned

8. Downhill Racer


9. If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium

10. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie


 

As with any list of films in numerical order, the listings could and probably can change quite often. Although in this case as far as this list is concerned, most of the top five films from each year are probably my favorites for each year, overall.

[JackFavell]

Hey rey! I think I like 1961 and 1962's choices the best.

[movieman1957]

No disagreement here but 1963 is right there.

[FrankGrimes]

Good to see you around, Rey -- Your lists are terrific. These are my kind of lists: personal favorites. Your list is definitely "you." I think that's great.

 

What your lists tell me is that you're a John Wayne fan, a westerns fan, and a fan of war films from the decade.

 

The big surprises for me were:

 

 

*Sink the Bismarck!* as your favorite film of 1960.

 

 

*Swiss Family Robinson* ranking highly.

 

 

*Breakfast at Tiffany's* ranking highly.

 

 

*Hatari!* placing higher than *The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance*.

 

 

*McLintock!* topping 1963. I would have never guessed that.

 

 

The presence of *Mary Poppins*.

 

 

I continue to struggle with the 60s. It's a decade that just doesn't captivate me all that much. I'm not sure what it is. I do like the westerns of the decade, though. I believe my best bet with the decade will ultimately be foreign-language flicks.

 

 

I have seen only 99 films from the decade, so I will include them all in my rankings. I'm gonna rank the actual years in order of preference.

 

 

1964

 

 

1. The Night of the Iguana (9/decade ranking)

2. The Naked Kiss (10)

3. Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (14)

4. Lady in a Cage (17)

5. Fate is the Hunter (26)

6. A Fistful of Dollars (27)

7. The Americanization of Emily (38)

8. Dr. Stangelove (42)

9. Seven Days in May (45)

10. Marnie (46)

11. Blood and Black Lace (60)

12. Send Me No Flowers (81)

13. Cheyenne Autumn (90)

14. Nightmare (95)

 

 

1968

 

 

1. Once Upon a Time in the West (2)

2. 2001: A Space Odyssey (12)

3. Firecreek (24)

4. Rosemary's Baby (32)

5. The Boston Strangler (35)

6. The Odd Couple (36)

7. Targets (50)

8. Hour of the Wolf (57)

9. Danger: Diabolik (62)

10. Hang 'Em High (71)

11. The Detective (73)

12. Planet of the Apes (74)

13. The Love Bug (82)

14. Bandolero! (92)

15. The Producers (97)

 

 

1960

 

 

1. Psycho (3)

2. Inherit the Wind (4)

3. The 1000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse (28)

4. The World of Suzie Wong (29)

5. The Sundowners (30)

6. The Apartment (41)

7. Elmer Gantry (47)

8. Strangers When We Meet (52)

9. Where the Boys Are (66)

10. The Magnificent Seven (69)

11. Eyes Without a Face (76)

12. 13 Ghosts (83)

13. Sergeant Rutledge (86)

14. Home from the Hill (98)

 

 

1962

 

 

1. Cape Fear (1)

2. The Manchurian Candidate (5)

3. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (7)

4. Carnival of Souls (34)

5. Two for the Seesaw (53)

6. Lolita (54)

7. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (64)

8. To Kill a Mockingbird (65)

9. Advise and Consent (77)

10. That Touch of Mink (79)

11. Hatari! (84)

 

 

1966

 

 

1. Batman (13)

2. The Professionals (18)

3. The Shooting (19)

4. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (39)

5. The Sand Pebbles (40)

6. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (58)

7. Seconds (68)

8. Torn Curtain (72)

9. 7 Women (78)

10. El Dorado (88)

1963

 

 

1. The Birds (21)

2. Charade (23)

3. Shock Corridor (43)

4. The Haunting (48)

5. Soldier in the Rain (49)

6. Dementia 13 (51)

7. Paranoiac (59)

8. Love with the Proper Stranger (85)

9. Donovan's Reef (91)

10. McLintock! (99)

 

 

1961

 

 

1. The Hustler (8)

2. The Misfits (15)

3. The Innocents (16)

4. The Deadly Companions (33)

5. One-Eyed Jacks (55)

6. Breakfast at Tiffany's (70)

7. Two Rode Together (89)

8. Lover Come Back (93)

9. Goodbye Again (94)

1965

 

 

 

 

1. For a Few Dollars More (11)

2. Bunny Lake is Missing (22)

3. Planet of the Vampires (56)

4. The Flight of the Phoenix (61)

5. Von Ryan's Express (67)

 

 

1967

 

 

1. Point Blank (20)

2. Hombre (25)

3. The Incident (37)

4. In Cold Blood (44)

5. Wait Until Dark (75)

6. The Taming of the Shrew (80)

7. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (96)

 

 

1969

 

 

1. The Wild Bunch (6)

2. Mississippi Mermaid (31)

3. Topaz (63)

4. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (87)

[butterscotchgreer]

OH MY GOODNESS! Rey and Frankie! You two will never stop outdoing each other, will you? Heehee! It's okay, I love to watch it.

 

Rey, Your list is so diverse from he decade of the 60's! Its so inspiring to see that! I am quite surprised to see Sound of Music so high on your list for the year of 1965. I would have thought that CAT BALLOU would be on there!

[butterscotchgreer]

Okay, so I tried my hand at putting together a list of my favorite movies from the decade of the

1960s. I must say there is a big combination of all sorts of movies in there. Of course, I know it won't live up to Frank's or Rey's lists, but it looked like so much fun, I just couldn't resist.

 

In the order of likeness for my favorites!....Holy Joe, I just realized that its in a different font again.. Heehee! I sill haven't figured out how to change it back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

{font:Calibri}1960{font}

 

{font:Calibri}1. Please Don’t Eat the Daisies

{font}{font:Calibri}2. Ocean’s 11

3. Let’s Make Love

{font}4. {font:Calibri}The Millionairess{font}

5. Sunrise at Campobello

6. {font:Calibri}The Sundowners

7. A Breath of Scandal{font}

{font:Calibri}8. Blood and Roses

{font}{font:Calibri}9. The Apartment

{font}{font:Calibri}10. Cimarron

{font}{font:Calibri}11. Elmer Gantry

{font}{font:Calibri}12. Who Was That Lady?{font}

 

 

 

 

 

 

{font:Calibri}1961{font}

 

 

 

 

 

 

{font:Calibri}1. Breakfast at Tiffany’s

2. On the Double

3. Lover Come Back

4. The Commancheros

5. West Side Story

6. Bachelor in Paradise

{font}{font:Calibri}7. The Sins of Rachel Cade

{font}{font:Calibri}8. Dagger of Blood

{font}{font:Calibri}9. Flower Drum Song

{font}{font:Calibri}10. The Misfits

{font}{font:Calibri}11. Fanny{font}

 

 

 

{font:Calibri}1962{font}

 

 

 

 

 

 

{font:Calibri}1. Billy Rose’s Jumbo

2. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

3. The Manchurian Candidate

4. Hatari!

5. Gypsy

6. To Kill a Mockingbird

7. Sergeants 3

{font}{font:Calibri}8. Cape Fear

 

{font}

 

 

 

{font:Calibri}1963{font}

 

 

 

 

 

 

{font:Calibri}1. Donovan’s Reef

2. McClintock!

3. I Could Go On Singing

4. Charade

5. The Birds

{font}{font:Calibri}6. The Thrill of It All

{font}{font:Calibri}7. Bye Bye Birdie

8. Irma La Douce

 

{font}

 

 

 

{font:Calibri}1964{font}

 

 

 

 

 

 

{font:Calibri}1. Mary Poppins

2. The Americanization of Emily

{font}{font:Calibri}3. Send Me No Flowers

{font}{font:Calibri}4. Marnie

{font}{font:Calibri}5. Kiss Me, Stupid

{font}{font:Calibri}6. My Fair Lady

{font}{font:Calibri}7. Night of the Iguana

{font}{font:Calibri}8. Paris When it Sizzles{font}

 

 

 

{font:Calibri}1965{font}

 

 

 

 

 

 

{font:Calibri}1. The Sound of Music

2. Father Goose

3. Cat Ballou

{font}{font:Calibri}4. Marriage on the Rocks{font}

 

 

 

{font:Calibri}1966{font}

 

 

 

 

 

 

{font:Calibri}1. Arabesque

{font}{font:Calibri}2. Glass Bottom Boat

{font}{font:Calibri}3. The Sand Pebbles

{font}{font:Calibri}4. Texas Across the River

{font}{font:Calibri}5. Walk, Don’t Run

{font}{font:Calibri}6. Torn Curtain{font}

 

 

 

{font:Calibri}1967{font}

 

 

 

 

 

 

{font:Calibri}1. Thoroughly Modern Millie

2. The Happiest Millionaire

3. The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin

{font}{font:Calibri}4. The Deadly Affair

{font}{font:Calibri}5. El Dorado

{font}{font:Calibri}6. More Than a Miracle

{font}{font:Calibri}7. The War Wagon{font}

 

 

 

{font:Calibri}1968{font}

 

 

 

 

 

 

{font:Calibri}1. Funny Girl

2. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

{font}{font:Calibri}3. Hellfighters

4. The Lion in Winter

5. Once Upon a Time in the West

{font}{font:Calibri}6. The Thomas Crown Affair

{font}{font:Calibri}7. Yours, Mine & Ours

{font}{font:Calibri}8. The Boston Strangler

{font}{font:Calibri}9. Don’t Just Stand There

10. Dance of Death

 

{font}{font:Calibri}1969{font}

 

 

 

 

 

 

{font:Calibri}1. Hello Dolly!

2. True Grit

3. Support Your Local Sheriff!

4. Cactus Flower

{font}{font:Calibri}5.{font}{font:Calibri}Heaven with a Gun

{font}{font:Calibri}6. The Sterile Cuckoo

{font}{font:Calibri}7. Topaz

{font}{font:Calibri}8. The Italian Job

{font}

 

 

 

{font:Calibri}9. Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates

{font}

 

Edited by: butterscotchgreer on Oct 9, 2011 2:39 PM

[JackFavell]

Oh my goodness! Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Boston Strangler in the same section...

[CineMaven]

Our Baby T is a diverse young lady. < Gulp! > :^0

[MissGoddess]

That is super, butterscotch! I could never do a list like this, it would drive me batty. I love the mix of serious and fun you have. And you have several movies on there I've never even heard of let alone seen!

 

I see *Cape Fear* was last on the list one year...I wonder why.

[butterscotchgreer]

Our Baby T is a diverse young lady. < Gulp! > :^0

Hey Cinie-T!

Why thank you! It took me like an hour to put the silly thing together. The 60's aren't my most favorite decade...that would be the 40's, but I still have a special place in my heart for the 60's, especially with my musicals and thrillers...odd combo. Heehee!

Have you made a list yet?

[butterscotchgreer]

{font:arial, helvetica, sans-serif}

 

Oh my goodness! Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Boston Strangler in the same section...

 

YUPPERS!! The best kind of combo...didn't you know? Oooh!! Fantabulous idea for a movie...a ostentatious musical with a Hitch plot of murder, romance, and mayhem....muwahahaa!! The perfect movie!

{font}

[butterscotchgreer]

{font:arial, helvetica, sans-serif}

 

That is super, butterscotch! I could never do a list like this, it would drive me batty. I love the mix of serious and fun you have. And you have several movies on there I've never even heard of let alone seen!

 

OOOOH please try! I would LOVE to see your list from the 60's! Which movies have you not heard of? that's so hard to believe. you know EVERYTHING! Heehee!

 

I see *Cape Fear* was last on the list one year...I wonder why.

 

ppffttt! Cape Fear can't outdo my musicals! I mean, its an awesome movie, but really...Only in the Dutch Boy's mind is that a reality....meanwhile we should hide the devil's food cake just in case. Heehee!

{font}

[FrankGrimes]

I'm thoroughly impressed by your taking the time to list your favorites for each year of the 60s, Invisible Woman! Wow!

 

But your taste is another story! Are you some kind of sappy girl or something?!

 

You and your Bullwhip Griffin!

 

I never heard of quite a few of your favorites. Are you sure you're not just making movies up in your mind?

[butterscotchgreer]

Hey Dutch White Boy!

 

I'm thoroughly impressed by your taking the time to list your favorites for each year of the 60s, Invisible Woman! Wow!

 

HA!!! You are impressed with me! I'm making progress! Joe got mad at me, because I didn't list any James Bond films on my list. I told him that they were a given. heehee!

 

But your taste is another story! Are you some kind of sappy girl or something?!

 

oh like you never noticed that before.....pfftt!

 

You and your Bullwhip Griffin!

 

Hey, He's a cutie!! And he and Suzanne Pluschette got together at the end! NEWSFLASH! Happy ending alert! Those are the best kind! Heehee!

 

I never heard of quite a few of your favorites. Are you sure you're not just making movies up in your mind?

 

which ones have you not heard of?

[Bronxgirl48]

Zowie, butterscotch, what a great list! I can tell you are going to love THE SHRIKE, lol.

[butterscotchgreer]

Zowie, butterscotch, what a great list! I can tell you are going to love THE SHRIKE, lol.

 

Oh I have been waiting to see that movie since I was a little girl....well littler. Heehee! Its the only Junie movie I don't have! Yikes, i'm kinda nervous. Thanks for your compliments! I love my mayhem/whimsical movies!

[Bronxgirl48]

"Mayhem/whimsey" - a girl after my own heart, LOL

 

[butterscotchgreer]

I would like to reciprocate the notion!

[MissGoddess]

Favorite Female TV Characters:

 

1. Laura Petrie (Mary Tyler Moore, The Dick Van Dyke Show)

2. Kitty Russell (Amanda Blake, Gunsmoke)

3. Pepper Anderson (Angie Dickinson, Police Woman)

4. Samantha Stevens (Elizabeth Montgomery, Bewitched)

5. Ann Marie (Marlo Thomas, That Girl)

6. Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball, I Love Lucy)

7. Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore, The Mary Tyler Moore Show)

8. Jeannie (Barbara Eden, I Dream of Jeannie)

9. Rhoda Morgenstern (Valerie Harper, The Mary Tyler Moore Show)

10. Fran Fein (Fran Drescher, The Nanny)

11. Sally Rogers (Rose Marie, The Dick Van Dyke Show)

12. Milly Helper (Ann Morgan-Guilbert, The Dick Van Dyke Show)

13. Flo/Florence Jean Castleberry (Polly Holliday, Alice)

14. Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance, I Love Lucy)

15. Phyllis Lindstrom (Cloris Leachman, The Mary Tyler Moore Show)

 

Favorite Male TV Characters:

 

1. Rob Petrie (Dick Van Dyke, The Dick Van Dyke Show)

2. Paladin (Richard Boone, Have Gun, Will Travel)

3. Morse (John Thaw, Inspector Morse)

4. Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith, The Andy Griffith Show)

5. Lucas McCain (Chuck Connors, The Rifleman)

6. Matthew Dillon (James Arness, Gunsmoke)

7. Barney Fife (Don Knotts, The Andy Griffith Show)

8. Lou Grant (Ed Asner, The Mary Tyler Moore Show)

9. Anthony Nelson (Larry Hagman, I Dream of Jeannie)

10. Pete Malloy (Martin Milner, Adam-12)

11. Jerry Helper (Jerry Paris, The Dick Van Dyke Show)

12. Seth Adams (Ward Bond, Wagon Train)

13. Chuck Wooster (Frank McGrath, Wagon Train)

14. Columbo (Peter Falk, Columbo)

15. Adam Cartwright (Pernell Roberts, Bonanza)

16. Hoss Cartwright (Dan Blocker, Bonanza)

17. Buddy Sorrel (Morey Amsterdam, The Dick Van Dyke Show)

 

Special mention for Variety-Talk Show Personalities because they were so much fun:

 

1. Johnny Carson, The Tonight Show

2. Carol Burnett The Carol Burnett Show

3. Tim Conway, The Carol Burnett Show

4. Vicki Lawrence, The Carol Burnett Show

[fxreyman]

> Good to see you around, Rey -- Your lists are terrific. These are my kind of lists: personal favorites. Your list is definitely "you." I think that's great. What your lists tell me is that you're a John Wayne fan, a westerns fan, and a fan of war films from the decade.

The big surprises for me were:

 

> Sink the Bismarck! as your favorite film of 1960.

 

Yes, I was surprised about this selection as well. And thanks for the nice compliment!! 1960 is sort of one of those years where to me, the year was dominated by big adventure type films along with smaller more quaint films. Obviously by now you have figured out that I am a big western and war-historical film fan. So it is not surprising that my top four films fall into these two categories. Bismarck has always been a favorite of mine. From the stiff upper-lip reactions of the superb British cast to the fine model ship effects. It tells the story with an almost documentary feel to it. And I like this. I also like the interaction between Kenneth More who plays Commander Shepard and his WREN officer played by the lovely Dana Wynter.

 

> Swiss Family Robinson ranking highly.

 

Well, this is a sentimental favorite of mine. Just being born in 1960, I had no chance to see this when it first came out in the theaters. But in 1967, Disney re-released this film and I got to see it on my birthday that year! Along with two of my closest grammer school friends. It was so cool! The thing I remembered the most about the film wasn't really so much about the film but it was the fact that this was the first time in my young life that I attended a movie without one of my parents escorting me. We sat about half way down the theater and I don't recall even getting up to go to the bathroom. We just sat there transfixed looking at the screen. To be honest, I don't recall too much about the film from that day. I would see the film again years later and I fell in love with it all over again. Just a wonderful story and for it's time, really good film-making.

 

> Breakfast at Tiffany's ranking highly.

 

This is a personal favorite of mine. Actually my wife Annie loves this films as well. Although I think she has only seen it twice. I have seen it many times over the years. I can never tire of watching this film. Hepburn, so lovely and Peppard just then starting to show his promise as a film actor. Its really too bad that his film career did not amount to much. But at least he had some good roles later on in television as Hanibal on the A-Team. And of course his marvelous Polish Banacek with those wacky proverbs:

 

When your sleigh is being chased by wolves, throw them a raisin cookie, but don't stop to bake a cake.

Just because a dress is red satin doesn't mean it comes off easily.

Read the whole library, my son, but the cheese will still smell after four days.

A wise man never tries to warm himself in front of a painting of a fire.

No matter how warm the smile on the face of the sun, the cat still has her kittens under the porch.

If you're not sure that it's potato borscht, there could be orphans working in the mines.

 

> Hatari! placing higher than The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.

 

When I first saw Liberty Valance, I found it to be a very unusual film. I think I may have been in my early twenties or so and my appreciation for early 1960 films especially those films that were photographed in black and white were less than appealing to me. Especially those films that tried to show outdoor scenes on a sound stage. I had yet to discover the true essence of B/W films. Flash forward twenty years and my fondness for B/W films had increased to the point that most of the films I was adding to my collection were the old B/Ws.

 

But somewhere I found Hatari! And I loved it!! The movie transcends several levels for me. Oh, sure it is really an adventure movie filmed in a faraway place, but I look at it as an early example of the buddy picture. Although in it's case it is really more of an ensemble piece. And I really like ensemble pieces, especially the ones that throw all sorts of different characters together and they have to work together to solve some sort of mission or job. That is why I love The Professionals (1966).

 

But Hatari! is a film that tries to be a comedy but also shows (in my view) the humanity of those men and women who were trying to do their job without killing. Their job was to collect animals for the world's zoos. How noble. The dialogue was interesting as well. I mean first of all you would expect that from Howard Hawks. The overlapping dialogue common to his films. Plus the strong female parts. Although Brandy was not a central character so much as Dallas was. Dallas was brought in to show the Duke that someone COULD stand up to his masculinity and survive. Of course with this script, Leigh Brackett continued to write strong female characters, and I would say that at least for this film the two major female characters more than held their own against not only the backdrop of the beautiful scenery but also against the strong male leads.

 

The film is a comedy and adventure thrown in along with some danger (Hatari!). As I get older I feel more fond for Liberty Valance and I love the characters, especially the supporting characters as much as the three big stars. But in reality, since this is a list that shows my favorites, Hatari! I enjoy more than Valance.

 

> McLintock! topping 1963. I would have never guessed that.

 

Well, 1963 is not a great year for films as far as I am concerned. I mean by that that except for a few blockbusters the year was not that memorable. One could argue that half the films I chose could have been replaced by another five films that were equally as average as the five that I chose for my bottom five. I love the Great Escape and Charade as well as Donovan's Reef, but after those three in addition to McLintock! any film could have been chosen. Just not a great year. More like a great year for picking average favorites.

 

> The presence of Mary Poppins.

 

I love Mary Poppins. I remember my mother taking me to see Mary Poppins. It was just me and her going. What a thrill! I could have my mother all to myself! Without my older brother tagging along. He wouldn't have gone anyhow. 1964 was a great year! Just the opposite of 1963. Just so many films to choose from. Poppins was going to be on the list someplace, unfortunately it fell to number 9. All the other films I saw much later than Poppins. In fact I would say that I saw every other film almost twenty years or later. And that is why Poppins fell all the way to number 9.

 

The other films are just so much better as far as story and plot. When you get right down to it, there are four politically themed films from 1964 that are on my list. Seven Days in May, Fail-Safe, The Best Man and Dr. Strangelove all could be considered political in nature, although Strangelove is definitely a black comedy. And even The Train and Emily have political undertones in them. Just a great year for favorites.

 

> I continue to struggle with the 60s. It's a decade that just doesn't captivate me all that much. I'm not sure what it is. I do like the westerns of the decade, though. I believe my best bet with the decade will ultimately be foreign-language flicks.

 

Well, the 60's were an interesting decade. Mainly from the standpoint that it is the decade that really saw the final collapse of the studio system and the rise of independent producers and directors. The abolishment of the Hays Code also influenced many filmmakers. Although I really think that most filmmakers were already pushing the envelope early on in the decade. There was a sense that the standard Hollywood film was on its last gasp of air then, especially when you consider many of the "light" fare of films that I chose to include on my list of favorites were in fact throwbacks to an early era of film making. You compare your list to mine and you know what I am talking about here.

 

> I have seen only 99 films from the decade, so I will include them all in my rankings. I'm gonna rank the actual years in order of preference.

 

So we agree on 33 films from the 1960s. You selected 99 films for your list where as my list totaled 100. Your list has more films in certain years where as my list has ten films from each year. I could have picked many more films for all the years of the sixties and in some ways my numerical rankings would have changed. But to do that would really show how much of an cinephile I am of the sixties. Going forward I hope to list my top ten for each year. Any more than that and the lists start to get unruly. Although I do have another list that does just that. It includes all the films I have seen from a particular year.

 

*Now, let me take a look at your lists for each year and I will make some comments about the lists afterwards.......*

 

*1964*

1. The Night of the Iguana (9/decade ranking)


2. The Naked Kiss (10)


3. Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (14)


4. Lady in a Cage (17)


5. Fate is the Hunter (26)


6. A Fistful of Dollars (27)


7. The Americanization of Emily (38)


8. Dr. Stangelove (42)


9. Seven Days in May (45)


10. Marnie (46)


11. Blood and Black Lace (60)


12. Send Me No Flowers (81)


13. Cheyenne Autumn (90)


14. Nightmare (95)

 

Okay so you have listed 14 films here ranked as they would be ranked in the decade of the sixties. That is an even more daunting task than just picking which film ranks higher than the next film on the list. As far as 1964 is concerned, as I wrote earlier, this is probably the best year of the sixties to choose from. Don't know why that is, but just looking at the politically themed films maybe the death of JFK had a lot to do with this. Lets face it. The death of JFK which was eventually seen with the Zapruder film as was other films that were taken that fateful day all had a lasting impact on the general public as much as it did with filmmakers of the day. And a lot of this I think led to a faster withdrawal of the Hays Code in 1968.

 

Getting back to your list as it compares to my 1964 list..... We have three films that we share. Seven Days in May, The Americanization of Emily and Dr. Strangelove. Of the other films you have listed I have seen the following: The Night of the Iguana, A Fistful of Dollars, Marnie, and Cheyenne Autumn.

 

Of these four I would say that Cheyenne would be my least favorite. By this time in his illustrious career, Ford should have just retired. This is not one of his finest films, in MHO it is actually quite average. And I understand the cultural or historical significance of the film, being John Ford's feeling that he needed to pay respect to the Indians after so many other cowboy/indian films were made. Marnie was very well made. Sort of an intellectual Hitchcock film. Iguana was interesting due to the casting and Dollars being the first of a trilogy wasn't too bad.

 

The other films that I left off my list were the following:

Becket, A Hard Day's Night, Zulu, The Fall of the Roman Empire, My Fair Lady, Father Goose, The Carpetbaggers, Man's Favorite Sport, Marnie, A Shot in the Dark, The Killers, Zorba the Greek, and Robinson Crusoe on Mars

 

*1968
*

1. Once Upon a Time in the West (2)


2. 2001: A Space Odyssey (12)


3. Firecreek (24)


4. Rosemary's Baby (32)


5. The Boston Strangler (35)


6. The Odd Couple (36)


7. Targets (50)


8. Hour of the Wolf (57)


9. Danger: Diabolik (62)


10. Hang 'Em High (71)


11. The Detective (73)


12. Planet of the Apes (74)


13. The Love Bug (82)


14. Bandolero! (92)


15. The Producers (97)

 

So in 1968 we have two films that we share: 2001 and Planet of the Apes. See the other films that I left off my list and you will see that I have five of your selections that I ultimately did not select for my list. 1968 was a weird year. In one way because of the Hays Code going away it really was a year in which many films were still being made as if the Hollywood power brokers were still in charge.

 

But with Kubrick's 2001, things changed significantly for all time. Although 2001 is number 6 on my list, and I would consider it the :best" film of 1968, on my list of favorites it falls considerably back. Most of that is because my list includes several distinct character studies. Bullitt and The Thomas Crown Affair both with McQueen, Will Penny and Coogan's Bluff all were in MHO very well made character films. The focus on all four were on the title characters. The best character driven film that year was Will Penny which was Heston's favorite role. Bullitt is ahead of Penny mainly due to the superbly filmed action sequences.

 

The other films could be considered World War II films masquerading as Cold War and Vietnam films. I especially like Ice Station Zebra. All male cast, Hudson must have been besides himself! I just like the way the film takes it time getting to the ice cap. You actually get a sense much like Destination Tokyo about the claustrophobic nature of living and working on a submarine.

 

The Green Berets are here too. I know its not a very well made film, especially the final scene of the sun setting in the east. But as far as I am concerned, the 1960s/1970s John Wayne stock company was in fine form. The scene where the helicopters fly into the camp near the beginning of the film really reminded me of a Popular Mechanics cover of helicopters being flown in Vietnam.

 

Other films left off my list include: The Odd Couple, Once Upon a Time in the West, 5 Card Stud, Charly, Hang 'em High, Madigan, The Scalphunters, Targets, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ( which even now sounds like some sort of porn movie ), Day of the Evil Gun, Faces, Firecreek, Hell in the Pacific, The Stalking Moon, The Subject Was Roses, Yours, Mine and Ours.

 

*1960
*

1. Psycho (3)


2. Inherit the Wind (4)


3. The 1000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse (28)


4. The World of Suzie Wong (29)


5. The Sundowners (30)


6. The Apartment (41)


7. Elmer Gantry (47)


8. Strangers When We Meet (52)


9. Where the Boys Are (66)


10. The Magnificent Seven (69)


11. Eyes Without a Face (76)


12. 13 Ghosts (83)


13. Sergeant Rutledge (86)


14. Home from the Hill (98)

 

Here we have four films that we share: The Magnificent Seven, Elmer Gantry, The Sundowners, and The Apartment. 1960 was a pretty good year for favorites. In fact it is almost as good a year as 1964 was. About the four films we share, The Apartment is probably my least favorite of mine. It is number 10 on my list and could have been replaced by at least five of the films that I did select for my top ten (see below). Don't get me wrong, there is a lot to like about The Apartment, including the performances. I just found the scenes between Lemmon and McLaine to be somewhat boring.

 

Like you had indicated before you were surprised to see Sink the Bismarck! at the top of my list. However, any one of my top six could have exchanged the top spot with Bismarck. My voting was that close. I see where you chose Psycho as your number one film. I could never have done that. Of all of Hitchcock's films, I have always felt that Psycho was a little out of character when you place all of his other films up against it. It is just my belief that Hitchcock was always better at telling suspense tales. And even though Psycho has suspense, it really is a horror film, one of my least favorite genres. Inherit the Wind is a fine film. I think that if I tried harder this film would have replaced The Apartment. Of course I was limited to ten films per year. If I had allowed for an additional five films, both would have made the cut. Some of your other selections I have never heard of.

 

The other films that did not make my top ten but that were considered were: BUtterfield 8, Commanche Station, The Entertainer, Exodus, The Gallant Hours, Home From the Hill, Inherit the Wind, Pollyanna, Psycho, Sergeant Rutledge, Sunrise at Campobello, Tunes of Glory, and The Time Machine.

 

 

*1962
*

1. Cape Fear (1)


2. The Manchurian Candidate (5)


3. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (7)


4. Carnival of Souls (34)


5. Two for the Seesaw (53)


6. Lolita (54)


7. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (64)


8. To Kill a Mockingbird (65)


9. Advise and Consent (77)


10. That Touch of Mink (79)


11. Hatari! (84)

 

Now if we were going to select a year from this decade to pick as the best year, then I would have to say that 1962 would be right up there alongside 1939, and 1946. Just a superb year for films. And those blockbusters! This year we share four films. Hatari!, Liberty Valance, Mockingbird and Cape Fear. I seem to recall that a lot of film fans enjoyed the remake better than the original of Cape Fear. Well, count me as not a fan of the remake. This film was a great film and it was shot in B/W. Unfortunately, it fell all the way to number nine on my list. Manchurian almost made my cut as well. In fact Advise and Consent was one I really have enjoyed over the years.

 

Looking back, I would have to say that if I could change anything it would be that How the West Was Won, and The Music Man would not have made the cut in the first place. But that is how the old ball bounced on this one. My personal favorite of the year probably should have been Ride the High Country. An almost religious experience for me. One of the most beautifully written and photographed films of all time. With two great performances, Randolph Scott and Joel McCrea. They knew how to go out with a classic bang! But The Longest Day was just as powerful and more importantly a history lesson.

 

Other films not making the top ten cut were: The Manchurian Candidate, The Miracle Worker, The 300 Spartans, Advise and Consent, Birdman of Alcatraz, Dr. No, Billy Budd, Days of Wine and Roses, Long Day's Journey Into Night, Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation, and That Touch of Mink.

 

*1966
*

1. Batman (13)


2. The Professionals (18)


3. The Shooting (19)


4. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (39)


5. The Sand Pebbles (40)


6. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (58)


7. Seconds (68)


8. Torn Curtain (72)


9. 7 Women (78)


10. El Dorado (88)

 

Note to editor: El Dorado was released in 1967. Although in some data bases it shows that the film was released in 1966. It is definitely a 1967 release. It was released in June of 1967 to American audiences.

 

Now here is the one year in this decade where we have five of the same films selected: The Professionals, The Sand Pebbles, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Torn Curtain, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolfe? Who would have thunked?

 

Well I think you are aware of my love for The Professionals. One of the best ensemble films that was ever made. Just had it all, story, acting, photography, music and action. Really one of the finest films of all time. Easily my favorite film of the 1960's. I have never seen 7 Women, or The Shooting so I can not comment on those two films. The others I have seen.

 

Batman for not so obvious reasons could be similar to my pick of McLintock for 1963. A sentimental favorite film if there ever was one, would you not agree? Not a great film, but a film that you enjoy. And that is what these favorite lists are all about.

 

I am sure if you really loved Japanese films from the sixties, a few Godzilla films might have made it. Sand Pebbles was another blockbuster that did not do too well at the box office, but still did nothing to dampen McQueens' career. In fact McQueen had to take a long rest (a year) before returning to acting with Thomas Crown and Bullitt. Woolfe was an acting tour de force by Burton and Taylor. In fact I thought Burton was robbed of what should have been his Oscar that year due to Scofield's magnificent portrayal of Thomas More in A Man For All Seasons. Burton I thought was actually better in Woolfe than Scofield was in Seasons.

 

Seconds was very good as well. I really liked Hudson's portrayal in the film. Also it is worth noting that Salome Jens who played his character's girlfriend, Nora years later would play the female shapeshifter from the group known as the Founders in Star Trek Deep Space Nine opposite Odo (Rene Auberjonois).

 

And as has been indicated before, many other films did not make my final top ten and those included: Arabesque, The Bible: In the Beginning, Blow Up, Farenheit 451, The Fortune Cookie, Harper, The Naked Prey, Our Man Flint, The Rare Breed, and Seconds.

 

*
1963
*

1. The Birds (21)


2. Charade (23)


3. Shock Corridor (43)


4. The Haunting (48)


5. Soldier in the Rain (49)


6. Dementia 13 (51)


7. Paranoiac (59)


8. Love with the Proper Stranger (85)


9. Donovan's Reef (91)


10. McLintock! (99)

 

1963 we have four films in common as well. McLintock!, Charade, Donovan's Reef, and The Birds. As I said in my opening statement 1963 was not my favorite year to choose from. I mean there are a lot of films to choose from but I guess as far as I am concerned, there just wasn't that many that I really liked. Simple as that.

 

Although if you look at the films that I could have chosen, there are 13 other films that did not make the cut. You have The Birds at number one where as I have the film at number ten. This film could have easily been replaced by one of the films I list below, the films that did not make my cut. The Birds has never been one of my favorite Hitchcock films. I like the performances like Rod Taylor and Tippi Hedren and one of my faves from the seventies, Suzanne Pleshette, but overall the film does not do anything for me. I have never seen Shock Corridor, Dementia 13, Paranoiac, or Love With the Proper Stranger.

 

Charade is a really "light" type of film. Light on it's feet so to speak. The scene on the rooftop with Grant and the bad guys almost feels as though it belongs in another film. But overall I love the chemistry between Grant and Hepburn. Matthau turns in another fine performance. Donovan's Reef and McLintock! are personal faves of mine of the Duke. He was very good at light comedy. A lot of people don't realize this. Always thing of him as this giant of a man of action in westerns, war movies and such. But he was quite good in these two films.

 

Some other 1963 releases that did not make my final top ten were: Billy Liar, 81/2, 55 Days at Peking, From Russia With Love, A Gathering of Eagles, The Haunting, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Jason and the Argonauts, The Nutty Professor, The Pink Panther, Soldier in the Rain, Sunday in New York, and Tom Jones.

 

*1961
*

1. The Hustler (8)


2. The Misfits (15)


3. The Innocents (16)


4. The Deadly Companions (33)


5. One-Eyed Jacks (55)


6. Breakfast at Tiffany's (70)


7. Two Rode Together (89)


8. Lover Come Back (93)


9. Goodbye Again (94)


 

Another year with four films that we both listed: Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Hustler, Two Rode Together, and One-Eyed Jacks. Of these four we share I really like Tiffany's the best. One of the few Capote books brought to the screen that worked well (in addition to In Cold Blood). In the film, I really liked the shyness of Peppard's role, in that he seemed to be genuinely torn between Neal's character and Hepburn's. Just a wonderful film.

 

One-Eyed Jacks is not your ordinary western. In fact I think brooding in westerns came to life with this film, all thanks to Brando. Malden is especially creepy here. Another fine turn by Ben Johnson. The Hustler is one of the best sports films. Is pool a sport? Well anyway I think Gleason really shines in this. Scott is menacing as usual and Laurie is really beautiful in this. My least favorite fave is Two Rode Together. Although the best scene in the film is when Stewart and Widmark are sitting by the river talking. Just a beautiful scene between the two. I have not seen The Deadly Companions, The Innocents, or Goodbye Again.

 

Other 1961 releases that did not make the cut were: The Absent-Minded Professor, The Children's Hour, The Day the Earth Caught Fire, El Cid, Lover Come Back, The Misfits, One Hundred and One Dalmations, One, Two, Three', Paris Blues, Pocketful of Miracles, The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone, Splendor in the Grass, and West Side Story.

 

*1965
*

1. For a Few Dollars More (11)


2. Bunny Lake is Missing (22)


3. Planet of the Vampires (56)


4. The Flight of the Phoenix (61)


5. Von Ryan's Express (67)

 

Well, this is interesting. Only five films for 1965. We share one film and boy is it a doosy!

 

Flight of the Phoenix. Just a great adventure film with a lot of dialogue and the action is somewhat toned down for this type of film. In fact I would venture to say that it is really a film for the thinking man and not for the action fan. Not many action sequences, but the two or three that exists are really only to move the story forward. The plane crash, the take off of the new plane and the the ambush by the Arabs. The exciting parts of the film is the rebuilding of the plane and the great dialogue between Stewart, Kruger, Attenborough and Duryea.

 

I am not a big fan of Von Ryan's Express. I much prefer 1964's The Train which was much better. For a Few Dollars More is pretty good entertainment, though I prefer The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. I have never seen Bunny Lake is Missing, or Planet of the Vampires.

 

Other 1965 releases that did not make the cut were: Boeing, Boeing, Cat Ballou, Chimes at Midnight, The Cincinnati Kid, Darling, Doctor Zhivago, For a Few Dollars More, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Help!, The Hill, The Ipcress File, Major Dundee, Operation Crossbow, A PAtch of Blue, Repulsion, The Rounders, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, and Thunderball.

 

*1967*


1. Point Blank (20)


2. Hombre (25)


3. The Incident (37)


4. In Cold Blood (44)


5. Wait Until Dark (75)


6. The Taming of the Shrew (80)


7. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (96)

 

Another year where we have four films together: El Dorado (which you listed for having been a 1966 release), Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, In Cold Blood, and Point Blank.

 

Of these films we share, I really like El Dorado the best. Without going into much detail here, since I have written about this film before over on the Western Rambles thread suffice it to say that in many ways this loose remake of Rio Bravo is actually better than Bravo, IMHO.I also like Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Even though many here on the boards claim that this film was dated even before it was released, I still think it is one powerful film. A very well written social and character piece if there ever was one. In fact put this alongside In the Heat of the Night and I think you'd have a great pair. The central figure in this film is not Poitier but Tracy. Tracy anchors the film in a way that Poitier does In the Heat of the Night (even though that was really Steiger's film). He is powerful here especially his last speech he gives. It is a real shame that he was denied an Academy Award for this film. At least they could have given him one of those special awards. But he still would not have been there to receive it.

 

In Cold Blood was at one time my favorite film for this year. It eventually was surpassed by El Dorado and others, but it still remains a powerful film about murder and the eventual capture of the two criminals. I really liked Forsythe's role as the dogged police pursuer Alvin Dewey. A really wonderful film told in flashback. The novel was even better. Point Blank is your number one here where as on my list it is ranked number nine. Blank is what I like to refer as part of the coming of age of the crime thriller that along with Bonnie and Clyde (which was released two weeks prior to this film) started the whole business of reinvigorating the genre. Actually taking it form the noir stage to the modern crime stage. All other modern (post 1967) crime films can legitimately state that these two films got the ball rolling as far as the modern crime film is concerned.

 

I have never seen The Incident or Taming of the Shrew so I can not comment on those two.

 

Other films not making the grade for this year were: Barefoot in the Park, Belle de jour, Bonnie and Clyde, Casino Royale, Cool Hand Luke, Divorce American Style, Doctor Doolittle, Hombre, Hotel, In Like Flint, The Jungle Book, The Night of the Generals, The President's Analyst, To Sir, With Love, Two for the Road, Wait Until Dark, The War Wagon, 


 

*1969
*

1. The Wild Bunch (6)


2. Mississippi Mermaid (31)


3. Topaz (63)


4. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (87)

 

Finally we come to 1969 which just so happens to be your least watched year of the decade. We share two films here, The Wild Bunch and Butch Cassidy. Interesting in that these two were westerns, and more importantly a different type of western that had never been produced before.

 

Of these two, I like Cassidy better but just slightly better. Probably because I have seen this movie so many time on Encore western channel. But in reality The Wild Bunch IS the better of the two by a country mile. Cassidy is very well noted for it's humor and the wonderful script by William Goldman. Plus the chemistry that exists between the two main stars. It is really too bad that Redford and Newman did not make anymore than two films together.

 

The Wild Bunch was the film that set the western genre on it's ear. Although when I look at the film I think of it not really as a western but as a tale of a changing western landscape in the early 20th century, before World War I. It pretty much did for the western genre what Bonnis and Clyde and Point Blank did for the crime genre, setting it on it's tail and spinning it. I have it half way through my list just after Cassidy.I have seen Topaz, but do not remember much about it since its been more than twenty years since I have seen the whole film. I have never seen Mississippi Mermaid.

 

Other films from 1969 that did not make the final cut were: Age of Consent, Anne of the Thousand Days, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, The Chairman, Easy Rider, Joe, The Love Bug, Marooned, Midnight Cowboy, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, The Rievers, The Sterile Cuckoo, They Shoot Horses Don't They, and Topaz.

 

Edited by: fxreyman on Oct 26, 2011 12:49 PM

[FrankGrimes]

Wow! What a sensational post, Rey! I've got a lot to reply to. I hope to do so later this evening. I should be around.

 

I also want to reply to Fordy Guns' post on favorite TV characters. It's been a while since I tried doing such a list.

[movieman1957]

How interesting you put "Inspector Morse" on your list. I agree.

[FrankGrimes]

I'm not going to include animated shows, such as The Simpsons. I know better with you. And I won't include my favorite horse, either.

 

Favorite Female TV Characters:

 

1. Janet Wood (Joyce DeWitt in Three's Company )

2. Daisy Duke (Catherine Bach in The Dukes of Hazzard )

3. Chrissy Snow (Suzanne Somers in Three's Company )

4. Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson in The X-Files )

5. Laura Petrie (Mary Tyler Moore in The Dick Van Dyke Show )

6. Samantha Stephens (Elizabeth Montgomery in Bewitched )

7. Jeannie (Barbara Eden in I Dream of Jeannie )

8. Ann Marie (Marlo Thomas in That Girl )

9. Florence Johnston (Marla Gibbs in The Jeffersons )

10. Sally Rogers (Rose Marie in The Dick Van Dyke Show )

11. Jennifer Hart (Stefanie Powers in Hart to Hart )

12. Sabrina Duncan (Kate Jackson in Charlie's Angels )

13. Sonny Lumet (Donna Dixon in Bosom Buddies )

14. Helen Roper (Audra Lindley in Three's Company )

15. Wonder Woman (Lynda Carter in Wonder Woman )

16. Aunt Esther (LaWanda Page in Sanford and Son )

17. Laverne DeFazio (Penny Marshall in Laverne & Shirley )

18. Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore in The Mary Tyler Moore Show )

19. Miss Kitty Russell (Amanda Blake in Gunsmoke )

20. Colonel Wilma Dearing (Erin Gray in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century )

21. Vera Louise Gorman (Beth Howland in Alice )

22. Florence "Flo" Jean Castleberry (Polly Holliday in Alice )

23. Jill Munroe (Farrah Fawcett in Charlie's Angels )

24. Carol Brady (Florence Henderson in The Brady Bunch )

25. Rhoda Mergenstern (Valerie Harper in The Mary Tyler Moore Show )

 

 

Favorite Male TV Characters:

 

 

1. Jack Tripper (John Ritter in Three's Company )

2. Fox Mulder (David Duchovny in The X-Files )

3. Batman (Adam West in Batman )

4. MSgt. Ernest G. Bilko (Phil Silvers in The Phil Silvers Show )

5. Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane (James Best in The Dukes of Hazzard )

6. Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke in The Dukes of the Hazzard )

7. Detective Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen in Police Squad! )

8. Fred G. Sanford (Redd Foxx in Sanford and Son )

9. George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley in The Jeffersons )

10. Stanley Roper (Norman Fell in Three's Company )

11. Ralph Furley (Don Knotts in Three's Company )

12. The Joker (Cesar Romero in Batman )

13. Bo Duke (John Schneider in The Dukes of Hazzard )

14. Kip/Buffy Wilson (Tom Hanks in Bosom Buddies )

15. Luke Duke (Tom Wopat in The Dukes of Hazzard )

16. Rob Petrie (Dick Van Dyke in The Dick Vany Dyke Show )

17. Gil Favor (Eric Fleming in Rawhide )

18. Larry Dallas (Richard Kline in Three's Company )

19. Henry/Hildegard Desmond (Peter Scolari in Bosom Buddies )

20. Uncle Jesse Duke (Denver Pyle in The Dukes of Hazzard )

21. Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli (Henry Winkler in Happy Days )

22. Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce (Alan Alda in M*A*S*H )

23. Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor in All in the Family )

24. Pvt. Duane Doberman (Maurice Gosfield in The Phil Silvers Show )

25. Sheriff Matt Dillon (James Arness in Gunsmoke )

[FrankGrimes]

Hey there, FXReyman -- *Well, this is a sentimental favorite of mine. Just being born in 1960, I had no chance to see this when it first came out in the theaters. But in 1967, Disney re-released this film and I got to see it on my birthday that year! Along with two of my closest grammer school friends. It was so cool! The thing I remembered the most about the film wasn't really so much about the film but it was the fact that this was the first time in my young life that I attended a movie without one of my parents escorting me. We sat about half way down the theater and I don't recall even getting up to go to the bathroom. We just sat there transfixed looking at the screen. To be honest, I don't recall too much about the film from that day. I would see the film again years later and I fell in love with it all over again. Just a wonderful story and for it's time, really good film-making.*

 

I really like that story. I like hearing about childhood memories. Many of my favorite films from the late-70s and 80s are all about my childhood. I still love them.

 

*When I first saw Liberty Valance, I found it to be a very unusual film. I think I may have been in my early twenties or so and my appreciation for early 1960 films especially those films that were photographed in black and white were less than appealing to me. Especially those films that tried to show outdoor scenes on a sound stage. I had yet to discover the true essence of B/W films. Flash forward twenty years and my fondness for B/W films had increased to the point that most of the films I was adding to my collection were the old B/Ws.*

 

I completely understand that. It took me until my late-20s before I could begin to appreciate older films, particularly those shot in black and white.

 

*But somewhere I found Hatari! And I loved it!! The movie transcends several levels for me. Oh, sure it is really an adventure movie filmed in a faraway place, but I look at it as an early example of the buddy picture. Although in it's case it is really more of an ensemble piece. And I really like ensemble pieces, especially the ones that throw all sorts of different characters together and they have to work together to solve some sort of mission or job. That is why I love The Professionals (1966).*

 

What I liked most about *Hatari!* was the scenes of the "hunt." I thought Howard Hawks did an exceptional job of capturing the speed and adrenaline of such pursuits.

 

*Well, the 60's were an interesting decade. Mainly from the standpoint that it is the decade that really saw the final collapse of the studio system and the rise of independent producers and directors. The abolishment of the Hays Code also influenced many filmmakers. Although I really think that most filmmakers were already pushing the envelope early on in the decade. There was a sense that the standard Hollywood film was on its last gasp of air then, especially when you consider many of the "light" fare of films that I chose to include on my list of favorites were in fact throwbacks to an early era of film making. You compare your list to mine and you know what I am talking about here.*

 

The kind of films made and the tone of the 60s is what pushes me away. I always think of epics and musicals with the decade, and those are two of my least favorite kind of films. I also think of the beach flicks, Elvis, Hammer/Corman/Castle horror, and social-conscience films of the era that tend to turn me off more so than on. I also seem to be cold on the stars of the time. The old guard was leaving or losing their virility and the actresses of the 60s just don't do it for me like those of the 40s and 50s. Having said all of that, I will say that I'm still very early on in my exploration of the decade.

 

*You selected 99 films for your list where as my list totaled 100. Your list has more films in certain years where as my list has ten films from each year.*

 

Yeah, comparing my list to yours is going to be off because I have only seen 99 films from the entire decade.

 

*Okay so you have listed 14 films here ranked as they would be ranked in the decade of the sixties. That is an even more daunting task than just picking which film ranks higher than the next film on the list.*

 

It's definitely a challenge. Since I'm in the process of watching these movies, I'm always looking to see where my latest viewing ranks within its decade. Almost all of my classic film viewing has occurred in the past ten years, so all of this is very new to me.

 

*I see where you chose Psycho as your number one film. I could never have done that. Of all of Hitchcock's films, I have always felt that Psycho was a little out of character when you place all of his other films up against it. It is just my belief that Hitchcock was always better at telling suspense tales. And even though Psycho has suspense, it really is a horror film, one of my least favorite genres.*

 

You're right, *Psycho* is definitely a horror film. And I love that. I definitely like horror films. It's one of my favorite genres.

 

*Now if we were going to select a year from this decade to pick as the best year, then I would have to say that 1962 would be right up there alongside 1939, and 1946. Just a superb year for films.*

 

I completely agree. It's a terrific year for film.

 

*Batman for not so obvious reasons could be similar to my pick of McLintock for 1963. A sentimental favorite film if there ever was one, would you not agree? Not a great film, but a film that you enjoy. And that is what these favorite lists are all about.*

 

You've got it. Batman is one of my all-time favorite television shows and I really enjoy the film. It's a lot of fun. It's very much a personal choice for me.

 

*The Birds has never been one of my favorite Hitchcock films. I like the performances like Rod Taylor and Tippi Hedren and one of my faves from the seventies, Suzanne Pleshette, but overall the film does not do anything for me.*

 

When I joined the board, I mostly liked *The Birds*. Then when I watched it again for analysis, I ended up really liking it. I love that it's a mother-in-law film disguised as a horror film. It's ingenious. Only Hitch.

 

*Donovan's Reef and McLintock! are personal faves of mine of the Duke. He was very good at light comedy. A lot of people don't realize this. Always thing of him as this giant of a man of action in westerns, war movies and such. But he was quite good in these two films.*

 

This is another thing I have learned thanks to this board. John Wayne is a fantastic comedic actor. He's just an underrated actor, overall. Before this board, I would have never said such a thing.

 

*In Cold Blood was at one time my favorite film for this year. It eventually was surpassed by El Dorado and others, but it still remains a powerful film about murder and the eventual capture of the two criminals. I really liked Forsythe's role as the dogged police pursuer Alvin Dewey. A really wonderful film told in flashback. The novel was even better. Point Blank is your number one here where as on my list it is ranked number nine. Blank is what I like to refer as part of the coming of age of the crime thriller that along with Bonnie and Clyde (which was released two weeks prior to this film) started the whole business of reinvigorating the genre. Actually taking it form the noir stage to the modern crime stage. All other modern (post 1967) crime films can legitimately state that these two films got the ball rolling as far as the modern crime film is concerned.*

 

*In Cold Blood* is one of the better looking black-and-white films that I have seen. It's visually strong in many ways. And I definitely agree with you about *Point Blank* being an important film that helped to usher in the new kind of crime film, a "genre" that the 60s sorely lacks after the death of film noir in the late-50s.

 

So do you look to watch the films you haven't seen or have you pretty much stopped watching "new" classics? For example, what are the most recent 60s films you have seen for the very first time?

 

[MissGoddess]

I didn't think you were such a fan of "Jennifer Hart". And where is "Rowdy"?

 

P.S. Matt was a U.S. Marshal.