1950s Movies The top films and actors from the 1950s

1951 “A Streetcar Named Desire”A Streetcar Named Desire Disturbed Blanche DuBois moves in with her sister in New Orleans and is tormented by her brutish brother-in- law while her reality crumbles around her. stars: Vivien Leigh & Marlon Brando Won 5 Academy awards “Showboat” a musicalShowboat The daughter of a riverboat captain falls in love with a charming gambler, but their fairytale romance is threatened when his luck turns sour. Stars: Kathryn Grayson, Ava Gardner, Howard Keel

1951 John Wayne: the top money making actor of the 1950s. Starred in 20 films during the 1950s. 140 films in his career “Operation Pacific”Operation Pacific WWII movie about a sub commander Stars: John Wayne & Patricia Neal “Flying Leathernecks”Flying Leathernecks Major Kirby leads The Wildcats squadron into the historic WWII battle of Guadalcanal. Stars: John Wayne, Robert Ryan, Janis Carter

1952 “Singin’ in the Rain”: wins a Golden GlobeSingin’ in the Rain A silent film production company and cast make a difficult transition to sound. Stars: Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor & Debbie Reynolds “The Quiet Man”The Quiet Man A retired American boxer returns to the village where he was born in Ireland, where he finds love. Stars: John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara

1953 “Peter Pan” animatedPeter Pan Wendy and her brothers are whisked away to the magical world of Neverland with the hero of their stories, Peter Pan. “Roman Holiday”Roman Holiday A bored and sheltered princess escapes her guardians and falls in love with an American newsman in Rome. Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn

1954 “Rear Window” an Alfred Hitchcock movie.Rear Window Hitchcock is one of the great directors of the 1950s & 60s A wheelchair bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder. Stars: James Stewart, Grace Kelly Grace Kelly: very talented actress, lots of films in the 1950s. Becomes Princess Grace when she marries Prince Rainer III of Monaco

1955 “Rebel Without a Cause”Rebel Without a Cause A rebellious young man with a troubled past comes to a new town, finding friends and enemies. James Dean & Natalie Wood “East of Eden”East of Eden In the Salinas Valley, in and around World War I, Cal Trask feels he must compete against overwhelming odds with his brother Aron for the love of their father Adam. James Dean & Julie Harris

James Dean: rising star of the 1950s. Acting career was cut short when he died in a car crash

1956 “Giant”Giant Sprawling epic covering the life of a Texas cattle rancher and his family and associates. Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, & James Dean. (Dean’s last movie) “Bus Stop”Bus Stop A naive but stubborn cowboy falls in love with a saloon singer and tries to take her away against her will to get married and live on his ranch in Montana. Marilyn Monroe

1956 “The Searchers”The Searchers A Civil War veteran embarks on a journey to rescue his niece from an Indian tribe. Stars: John Wayne “The Ten Commandments”The Ten Commandments The Egyptian Prince, Moses, learns of his true heritage as a Hebrew and his divine mission as the deliverer of his people. Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner

1957 “12 Angry Men”12 Angry Men A dissenting juror in a murder trial slowly manages to convince the others that the case is not as obviously clear as it seemed in court. – Henry Fonda “Funny Face”Funny Face An impromptu fashion shoot at a book store brings about a new fashion model discovery in the shop clerk. – Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astraire

Audrey Hepburn: one of the most talented actresses of the 1950s. Multiple movies and Oscar nominations & 1 Best Actress win

1958 “Vertigo”Vertigo A retired San Francisco detective suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend's wife, all the while becoming dangerously obsessed with her. – James Stewart Kim Novak “King Creole”: 1 st movie for Elvis as the starKing Creole Having flunked graduation for a second time and needing cash to support his crabby (and thus unemployed) father... – Elvis Presley & Carolyn Jones

1959 “Sleeping Beauty”Sleeping Beauty After being snubbed by the royal family, a malevolent fairy places a curse on a princess which only a prince can break, along with the help of three good fairies. Disney movie “Ben-Hur”: gladiator filmBen-Hur – Charlton Heston “ Some Like It Hot” Some Like It Hot When two musicians witness a mob hit, they flee the state in an all female band – Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon