20 From 40: My Favorite Movies of The 40's
Ā Now, that last sentence that I just typed down in the form of a question isnāt really a question. Itās a joke. And if you donāt get the joke, then thatās most likely because you are one of those younger fans that I've been mentioning throughout this entry. And if thatās the case, rather than further mansplaining the joke (because the instant a joke has to be explained, it is automatically rendered as unfunny), I suggest that you just move on to the next entry on this list.Ā Because speaking honestly, I'm getting tired, not to mention, a little depressed, at how old all these explanations are making me feel.
Ā And while it seems like it's the werewolf who experiences more development as a character, it's still pretty cool to see that the creatures who have become staples in legendary lore of the scare flick are now sharing terrorizing tactics together in the same world.


Ā When it comes to racism in Hollywood, it seems that the best course of action to hide it with a gentlemen's agreement.
Which, for those of you who haven't seen this classic flick, pretty much explains the title here.
And being that racism was even an more delicate issue for the cinema of the 40's as it is now. Therefore, the theme of bigotry in this particular agreement was centered more on the aspect anti-semitism than on a more generally spread racism like that is based more tightly on skin-color or language.
Either way, G.A. was a pivotal early step on addressing the whole idea discrimination towards anyone outside of the W.A.S.P.'s nest.
But, as far as I'm concerned,
Hell can wait even longer.

Ā The first to get a āHouseā was Frankensteinās Monster in House of Frankenstein. The second was Dracula in, of course, House of Dracula. And wouldnāt you know it, before the Wolfman got a chance to get a place of his own, the whole series ended there. What makes this even sadder is that of the three scare-based stars, Larry Talbot, the Wolfmanās alter ego, is the most central character in both of these houses. Therefore, despite having neither house named after him, he most likely had the most screen time than the other two.

Ā In this particular adventure, Larry Talbot, the Wolf Man's human alter ego, comes aāknockinā to the front door of the castle of one Dr. Endlemann, hoping that the good doctor can find a cure to his lycanthropy. Not long after, Dracula flies in, also looking for a cure, but in his case, itās for his addiction to human blood. Particularly because there was no BA (Bloodsuckers Anonymous) back then (come to think of it, there still isnāt) so that vampires of the time were forced to suffer silently. Eventually, the fiend of Frankenstein would be discovered in a cave underneath Endelmanās castle (the āHouse ā in this movieās title is more metaphorical that literal). Now with the big guys back all together, this allows the plot's rogue gallery to be rounded out with the addition of the doctor who undergoes a Jekyll and Hyde type of transformation into a stereotypical evil scientist, and who has a lovely Igor type of side kicking assistant that doesnāt let her non-stereotypical gender as a female get in the way of her hunched back. Put all these characters together in the same "house" and they will all be ready to do the Mash... the Monster Mash.Ā However, with the novelty of this kind of graveyard smash beginning to wear thin with movie goers at the time, this is one of the last times we get to see the monsters mashing it up in one film. Thus marking it as the last nail into the coffin of an era that begot a group of horror headliner acts that would forever be Universally known the classic icons of the genre.
Ā Then there was the sequel, The Bride of Frankenstein.
Ā Which naturally led to The Son of Frankenstein.
Ā Followed by this flick, the House of Frankenstein.
Ā Based on the titles of these movies, it looks like ol' Frankie did a pretty good job of following the formula that would constitute the American Dream.
Not bad for a guy made outta spare parts.Ā

Ā Actually, truthfully speaking, while I'm a big fan of Universal's Frankenstein franchise, this is the first of the sequels where the decline in quality begins. A big sign of Hollywood's slacking off on the series can be seen on the make-up job of the monster's head and face. The attention to detail of stitches and scarring is barely evident and comes off much less gruesome, not to mention, not as fearsome as the movies that precede this one.
Not until they began getting more three dimensional with their graphics did I find myself seeing the three dimensional quality in their stories. And when it comes to computer generated films, I obviously prefer Pixar over Disney.
However, I do enjoy some of Uncle Walt's very early efforts in the area of cartoon cinema. Including the original Fantasia from the year 1940.

This is a film that managed to successfully integrate classical music with animation in eight featurettes with each medium complimenting the other. The power of the music was enhanced by the visuals of each short (with various degrees of success of course) while at the same time, the hand crafted artwork of each cell seemed to be powered by the notes and melodies of each time tested arrangement.
Thus ensuring, that as someone who more often than not, tends to end up on the naughty list, my stockpile supply of coal lumps will never run low.

Of all the courtroom dramas that have been made so far, Miracle On 34th Street stands alone as the one movie that is successfully able to merge the trial genre with that of the Christmas genre. Which makes it not just a landmark piece of cinema, but also, makes it, excuse the pun, pretty damn cool.

One of the things I noticed as I was making these lists of early cinema is that there aren't many of the old skool westerns on this list.
It's not because I have anything against any of the early B&W gunslingers or any of the John Wayne classics. It's just that it's been such a long time since I watched any of them, that I can barely remember which ones, let alone how any of 'em would rank on my list.
One of the few that I have watched recently is Yellow Ribbon, and that's why it's one of the few cowboy flix that managed to make a mark on this list.
As time goes on, and I familiarize myself with those early shoot-em-ups, hopefully, I'll be able to update this list by including more of the western classics.
combined with a Dali-esque dream sequence by the painter who mastered that particular genre in the world of art.

And that's just about all that needs to be said about one of the most famous movies in American film history.
Because, if you don't know know about this film, then you obviously are from another planet. And if you are, then lemme just say,

Which is alien for "What? They don't have Google where you come from?"

Capturing not just a moment in film history as the master of silent stunt work utters his first words onscreen, but also that his words are an uncharacteristic (and for the time, risky) serious reflection of the status of a moment in world history.


At first glance, this seems like a typical Hollywood picture of this era: the insanely attractive couple of Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant, both looking at their most perfect, in a lush looking film, centered around a plot that is filled with espionage and international intrigue, plus the added feature of a small cadre of Nazi's thrown in for good measure.
Yet, the characters' personalities and their dialogue towards each other as they try to embitterly mask the feelings of love and longing that they must fight thru in order to complete their respective missions, reveals that this is an atypical film (for it's time, at least) with a feeling of cold cinematic bite that can only be the signature of Alfred Hitchcock. Add to the fact, that Cary Grant, usually a more of a comedic lead with skills of perfect timing, is able to pull through this serious, and uncharacteristically, bitter role with a result that leads the viewer to sincerely sympathize with his character just because we know that deep down inside, there is some good within him.

And yet, it is still one of those classics that is so widely considered as a recommendable mustsee for young filmmakers looking to leave a distinct mark. Which makes it a prime example of why, for the purposes of this subject, ol' Hitchy is the name that dominates this list 40's era personal cinema faves.

Because of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.
So, play it again Sam,
cuz here's looking at you, kid.

What else can I say other than, when it comes to famous movies quotes, particularly of the romantic genre, this is the classic of all classics (and in case you haven't noticed yet, the 1940s is a decade that is full of seminal classics).
And if you agree with me,
well then,
this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

There was once a time when when crime-noir movies were big. And that bigness practically began with the not-so-noble hero, hard-nosed archetype private detective Sam Spade. Particularly this version played by Bogey himself and featuring that infamous MacGuffin of all MacGuffins, the Maltese Falcon.
And as a kid who loved horror-related material, the spine-tingling sense of kick-assery that emanated from the Headless Horseman is what it was all about.

No, seriously.....
he was.
But a bit more dashing. Not to mention that he tended to speak with a much more hispanic accent.

The adventures of a masked vigilante back when the concept of the genre was more akin to the noble art of swashbuckling than it was to the grit and dark-ridden quest of vengeance that it is today.
And one must never underestimate the abilities of Zorro. He may not be the big blockbusting franchise that most masked crimefighters on film are today, but in the pre-superheroing days of black and white cinema, his sword was one that definitely left it's mark.

While the first two of Universal's mainstay monsters, Dracula and Frankenstein, were based off of books, the Wolf Man, like the Mummy, was not. It was strictly based off of the loose legend of the werewolf. And, Lon Chaney Jr's was not the first onscreen werewolf since six years earlier, Universal had released Werewolf of London. However, because of it's subpar performance at the box office, this British version of the lupine two-legger never got the chance to rise to the iconic status that Chaney's was able to achieve. Which I'm okay with despite the love that I do have for WoL.
And even though there have been many werewolves depicted on the silver screen over the years, this Wolf Man, made famous by the son of a thousand faces, will always be, in my eyes, the true face of the wolf that walks like a man. With his much furrier demeanor, more animalistic attitude, and his link to the legendary lore (although, much of that lore was made up for this flick and the ones that followed), this one fits much more effectively into the hairy toed shoes and the kind of long lasting image that befits a luna lauding lycanthrope.

An era when Hollywood was experienced enough to showcase it's seasoned ability to create some of the most famous staples that are eternally a part of the highest tier of movie history, but still young enough to capture the energy that fuels that longevity of those films.
Obvious examples from this list are Casablanca, His Girl friday, &, of course, Citizen Kane.
Updated Entries:
Life Boat
Grapes Of Wrath
Gaslight
Samson And Delilah
Lists from other time periods:
The 20's:
www.listal.com/list/10-20-my-fvaorite-films/edit
30's:
www.listal.com/list/19301939-my-top-ten-favorite
50's:
www.listal.com/list/my-top-20-favorite-movies-thecelestial
60's:
www.listal.com/list/30-60s-my-favorite-films
70's:
www.listal.com/list/seventy-movies-70s
80's:
www.listal.com/list/my-favorite-100-films-80s
90's:
www.listal.com/list/films-from-the-1990s
00's
www.listal.com/list/200-first-decade-new-millennium
Of all time:
www.listal.com/list/150-favorite-movies
Other lists by The Mighty Celestial:
My Top 60 Favorite "Horror"-Themed Movies www.listal.com/list/my-top-ten-favorite-horror
My Top 20 Female Movie Bad-Asses www.listal.com/list/my-top-10-female
Yep. When It Comes To Comicbook Movies .... www.listal.com/list/yep-am-huge-comicbook
10 Movies That Feature A Dancin' Travolta In 'Em www.listal.com/list/my-list-9158
My Top 15 Guilty Pleasure Movies www.listal.com/list/guilty-pleasures-thecelestial
WAATAAAH!! My Top 10 Favorite Martial Arts Flix! www.listal.com/list/my-list-thecelestial
My Top 50 Favorite Sci-Fi Movies.... Of Like, Ever www.listal.com/list/scifi-movies
My Top Ten Favorite Movies By Year
www.listal.com/list/2000-my-top-ten-favorite
www.listal.com/list/2001-my-top-ten-favorite
www.listal.com/list/2002-my-top-ten-favorite
www.listal.com/list/2003-my-top-ten-favorite
www.listal.com/list/2004-my-top-ten-favorite
www.listal.com/list/2005-my-top-ten-favorite
www.listal.com/list/2007-my-top-ten-favorite
Added to
People who voted for this also voted for
More lists from The Mighty Celestial