The Golden Age of Hollywood was a time period in the American film industry like no other. Starting just before the Great Depression in roughly 1927 and lasting through the entirety of the ’60s, the Golden Age was a period of technical advancement and superb storytelling in Hollywood. Movies went from silent pictures to the talking pictures we know today, filmmaking transitioned from black and white to color with the improvement of Technicolor, and movie star status was at an all-time high thanks to the star system the studios introduced. Going to the movies was also a form of escapism during the Great Depression in the 1930s becausethe price of a movie ticket was less than a ticket to theatreproductions. The regulations that studios had to follow regarding censorship also changed throughout the Golden Age as the strict Hays Code was established in 1934 and lasted until 1968, resulting in movies from early and late years of the Golden Age feeling a bit different from the films from the middle years.
Hollywood’s Golden Age also created some of the biggest movie stars of all time and produced some of the best films of all time. This era of Hollywood saw an abundance of creative storytelling, impeccable acting, and innovative filmmaking technology. The era was so influential that Hollywood and other film industries are still making use of it today. Look up any “best movies of all time” list, and you are guaranteed to find at least a few films from the Golden Age there. So, here are 15 of the greatest movies to come out of the Hollywood Golden Age:
Related:Underrated Films From Hollywood’s Golden Age
15It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
Frank Capra’s classic Christmas taleIt’s a Wonderful Lifefollows a small-town man from Bedford Falls named George Bailey (James Stewart). He has spent his entire life giving of himself to the people of Bedford in order to keep wealthy cheapskate Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore) from taking over the town. George’s modest loan company is the only company standing in Potter’s way, but when George’s uncle loses the $8,000 deposit meant to go to the bank on Christmas Eve, Potter intercepts it. Realizing that he will be held responsible and promptly sent to jail, George thinks his family would be better off without him and contemplates suicide. However, his guardian angel Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers) comes to Earth to help him and show him what life would be like if he were never born. It’s a Wonderful Life is a treasured film that both celebrates the magic of the holiday season and emphasizes the importance that each individual person has on this planet. We are all important in our own ways, and the film encourages us to embrace the lives we lead.
14Bringing Up Baby (1938)
Starring comedic duo Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn,Bringing Up Babyrevolves around a bewildered paleontologist named David Huxley (Grant) who is looking to secure a one million dollar grant for his museum to complete his brontosaurus skeleton. David needs to make a good impression on wealthy dowager Mrs. Random and her lawyer in order to secure the grant. The only problem is that every time he tries to make a good impression on them, the same flighty heiress, Susan Vance (Hepburn) keeps making him look bad. The more David tries to get rid of her, the more Susan seems unable or unwilling to go away. To top it all off, Susan’s brother sent her a pet leopard named Baby, and her aunt’s dog has a penchant for burying bones. It isa hilarious screwball comedythat sees Grant and Hepburn perform some of the best comedic work of their careers. They have excellent chemistry with each other and have likable personalities that keep you rooting for both of their characters.
13Singin' in the Rain (1952)
One of the most famous musicals of all time,Sining' in the Rainactually takes place in the beginning of the Golden Age and shows the incredible transformations the film industry went through in its early years. The film takes place in the 1920s during the transitions from silent films to talkies and details the struggle that silent stars faced when trying to adapt to the new form of filmmaking. It follows silent film star Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) and his publicity stunt girlfriend Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) as they fail to make the transition to speaking in movies. By the time Don’s studio gets the proper sound equipment to make talkies, he started secretly dating chorus girl Kathy Seldan (Debbie Reynolds) and Lina becomes jealous and willing to do anything to secure her spot in these new talking pictures. The film features some of the most famous songs and choreography of all time, making it a staple in both film and musical theatre.
12City Lights (1931)
Charlie Chaplin’sCity Lightsis a real silent film and perhaps one of the most endearing. The film also stars Chaplin as “the Tramp” who falls in love with a blind girl. The girl’s family faces financial troubles, so the Tramp uses his on-and-off-again friendship with a wealthy alcoholic to become the girl’s benefactor and suitor. The Tramp’s goal in collecting money from his wealthy acquaintance is to earn enough money for the girl to undergo a life-changing eye procedure that could help with her blindness. The movie is just as funny as it is heartwarming between Chaplin’s physical comedy and his character’s genuine love for the girl. It will make you laugh and maybe even tear up.
1112 Angry Men (1957)
Sidney Lumet’s12 Angry Menis one of the quintessential courtroom dramas in cinema. Its influence has trickled down to every courtroom drama that has followed in its footsteps in the last 66 years. The crime drama focuses on a group of New York City men on the jury bench for a murder trial. The men become increasingly frustrated by a single juror whose skepticism forces them to more carefully analyze the evidence before making a hasty verdict. As they are forced to closely research the evidence, each jurors' own prejudices and preconceptions about both the trial and each other come to light. The film almost feels like a thriller with the intensity of the heated discussion between the men. It was even nominated for three Oscars, including Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Another Medium.
10A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
Aristocratic high school English teacher Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh) decides to move in with her sister and brother-in-law Stella (Kim Hunter)and Stanley Kowalski (Marlon Brando)and take a break from teaching. Knowing little about the life her sister leads, she is relatively shocked to discover that they live in a cramped first-floor apartment and that Stanley is not the gentleman she is used to experiencing in men. Blanche starts dating Stanley’s friend Mitch (Karl Malden), who intends to get married, and Stella’s early pregnancy starts to further affect the tumultuous relationship between the three.A Streetcar Named Desiredetails the complicated, difficult relationship between a small group of people that feel both attraction and distrust toward each other. The performances are riveting, earning each of the four main actors an Oscar nomination, with Vivien Leigh and Kim Hunter winning for their respective categories.
9The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Starring one of the Golden Age’s biggest stars, Humphrey Bogart, John Huston’sThe Maltese Falconis a film noir that has Bogart play private detective Sam Spade, who gets caught up with a mysterious woman and two criminals after his partner and another man are murdered. The woman, Brigid O’Shaughnessy (Mary Astor), only hope in protection comes from Sam, who is suspected of at least one of the murders. More murders are sure to come at the hands of these criminal men, driven by their lust for a statuette of a bird - the Maltese Falcon. The film a classic murder mystery that features many twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Plus, the ending featuresone of the most timeless lines in movie history.
8The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Beginning in a sepia-infused black and white before transforming into the vibrant Technicolor world of Oz,The Wizard of Ozis undoubtedly one of the most instantly recognizable films of all time, if not the most recognizable. Even if you haven’t seen the movie, which is rare, you at least know what it is about and can recognize the iconic characters. References to the film are scattered all over film and television, most recently in Greta Gerwig’s mega-successful Barbie film, and the movie is quoted frequently. Numerous adaptations of the story have been made over the 94 years since its release, as it is one of the most influential films to come out of the Golden Age. The yellow brick road, the Wicked Witch, Glinda the Good Witch, the flying monkeys, the projection of the great and powerful Oz, and so much more about this magical film have made it one of the most beloved in cinema.
Related:13 Classic Black and White MoviesThat Still Hold Up
7Sunset Blvd. (1950)
Another movie about movies,Sunset Blvd.takes place in ’50s Hollywood and follows struggling screenwriter Joe Gillis (William Holden) who is unable to sell his work to the studios. While attempting to move back to his hometown to flee his increasing debts and escape his creditors, he gets a flat tire and pulls over in front of a mansion on Sunset Boulevard. There, he meets former silent movie star Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) who is delusional about her return to cinema and is protected from the world by driver and former husband, Max Von Mayerling (Erich von Stroheim). Norma convinces Joe to move in to help her write a new screenplay, and he eventually becomes her lover. When he meets an aspiring young writer and falls in love, Norma becomes absurdly jealous. The film does an excellent job of portraying different sides of Hollywood, from the glamor we see on screen to the tragedies that occur offscreen. It can be seen as both an ode to filmmaking and a commentary on the negative implications of a life lived in the spotlight.
6Rear Window (1954)
One of the most prolific directors to emerge during Hollywood’s Golden Age is the one and only Alfred Hitchcock. His 1954 masterpieceRear Windowis an expert blend of mystery and thriller that keeps the viewer completely engrossed from start to finish. The film takes place in one room in the apartment of wheelchair-bound photographer L.B Jefferies (James Stewart). Confined to his New York City apartment, he spends his time looking out his rear window into the courtyard to people watch. When he grows suspicious of a man in the apartment complex across the yard, he enlists the help of his fashion consultant girlfriend Lisa Fremont (Grace Kelly) to investigate whether this man murdered his wife. Completely engrossing and wholly entertaining, Rear Window is a rare mystery that still manages to invoke the same emotions no matter how many times you have seen it.
