1951-1960

  • William A. Wellman – Westward the Women (1951)

    Drama1951-1960USAWesternWilliam A. Wellman

    Plot:
    In a time when “The West” pretty much ends in Texas and only California is slowly being populated by the white men, there’s a severe lack of women among the workers on Roy Whitman’s farm in the California Valley. So he goes back east to Chicago to recruit 150 women willing to become wives for his employees. From the candidates he selects 138 who seem able to survive a months long journey across “The Great American Desert” and the Rocky Mountains.Read More »

  • Guru Dutt – Aar-Paar aka Across the Heart (1954)

    1951-1960AsianFilm NoirGuru DuttIndia

    Kalu (Guru Dutt), a taxi driver who was sentenced to prison for speeding, is released two months before his term for good behaviour. His old employer refuses to let him drive his taxi again. Wandering the streets, Kalu helps a young woman Nikki (Shyama) to fix her car. Kalu goes home but his brother-in-law will not have a convict in the house so he finds himself on the streets. Kalu visits a club to deliver a message for Captain on behalf of a former jail mate. He gets a job at Nikki’s father’s garage and love blossoms between Nikki and him. When her father finds out, he kicks Kalu out. Kalu asks Nikki to elope with him but she hesitates and by the time she decides to do so, he has already left.Read More »

  • Howard Hawks – Monkey Business (1952)

    1951-1960ClassicsComedyHoward HawksMarilyn MonroeScrewball ComedyUSA

    Description: Barnaby Fulton is a research chemist working on a fountain of youth pill for a chemical company. While trying a sample dose on himself, he accidentally gets a dose of a mixture added to the water cooler and believes his potion is what is working. The mixture temporarily causes him to feel and act like a teenager, including correcting his vision. When his wife gets a dose that is even larger, she regresses even further into her childhood. When an old boyfriend meets her in this state, he believes that her never wanting to see him again means a divorce and a chance for him.Read More »

  • Dino Risi – Il viale della speranza (1953)

    1951-1960ComedyDino RisiItaly

    Synopsis:
    Here is Dino Risi’s second feature film as a director. A film centered around the infatuation with the film industry at the time, and the story of three young women trying to find love and stardom in Cinecitta. Marcello Mastroianni is a cameraman and love interest on the lot.Read More »

  • Joseph Kane – Hoodlum Empire (1952)

    1951-1960CrimeDramaJoseph KaneUSA

    Plot:
    WWII veteran and ex-gangster, Joe Gray (John Russell) is subpoenaed to testify against his uncle and current mob boss, Nick Mancini (Luther Adler). Nick must restrain Charley Pignatalli (Forrest Tucker), his violent second-in-command, from killing Joe before he his court appearance.Read More »

  • Harmon Jones – As Young As You Feel (1951)

    1951-1960ClassicsComedyHarmon JonesMarilyn MonroeUSA

    Based on a story by Paddy Chayefsky, this is the tale of a man, John Hodges, who is being forced to retire from his job, at the age of 65, and decides to fight back. His family can barely stand having him at home, and the traditional pursuits of the aged do not appeal. Impersonating the head of his former company, Hodges sets out to convince them to get rid of their outmoded retirement policy. He arrives at his old plant on an inspection tour where complications ensue. This movie features good performances, but it will probably be remembered more for the bit part played by a young Marilyn Monroe as the boss’ secretaryRead More »

  • Russell Birdwell – The Come On (1956)

    1951-1960CrimeDramaRussell BirdwellUSA

    Plot Summary:
    A manipulative female con artist gets entangled in her own web of deceit.Read More »

  • Elia Kazan – Man on a Tightrope (1953)

    1951-1960ClassicsDramaElia KazanUSA

    Plot Synopsis by Mark Deming:

    Elia Kazan directed this drama inspired by a true story. Karel Cernik (Fredric March) is the leader of a troupe of Czechoslovakian circus performers who have been plying their trade in Eastern Europe for years. When Czechoslovakia falls under Communist rule, the proud and independent Cernik finds that he is no longer free to operate his circus as he sees fit. Many of his performers are conscripted into military service, and his equipment and possessions are declared government property, though the state fails to maintain it properly, or even to give him access to the material to fix it himself. Finally, when Cernik’s remaining performers are ordered to insert pro-Communist messages into their acts, he decides that he can take no more and begins making plans to escape to Bavaria during an upcoming tour. Read More »

  • Henry Hathaway – 23 Paces to Baker Street (1956)

    1951-1960DramaHenry HathawayThrillerUSA

    tvguide wrote:
    Van Johnson plays a blind American writer who is renting an apartment on Baker Street while in London for the opening of his new play. After a row with his former fiancée (Vera Miles), he decamps to the local pub to drown his self-pity with a drink. There, his acute hearing picks up hushed snatches of conversation from the next booth. Convinced that a kidnap plot is in the offing, he rushes to the police, who are polite but refuse to believe him. However, Johnson knows what he heard is true and engages the help of Vera and Cecil Parker, his secretary, to find the kidnappers and save the unknown victim.Read More »

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