Ten Oscar Recs From My Favorite Film Decade
Who’s watching the Oscars? I’m not, although I am rooting for Austin Butler, plus everyone connected with Elvis and Top Gun: Maverick, so it seems odd that I’m writing anything about them.
(On a side note, has anyone asked Mother Delores what she thinks of Elvis, seeing as she worked with him and all? I’ve been wanting to know since I saw it back in June, and she is on the Oscar committee, but I digress.)
I might not be watching the ceremony, but looking back on past winners is always fun. In my opinion the 1940s were a great decade for film (There are one hundred forty-two reviews of 40s movies and counting on Taking Up Room) because sound films had more than found their footing, and in terms of current events it was unusually busy, so Hollywood had to get extra creative.
Here are just a few of the great movies that were either nominees or winners during that decade (See a complete list here), and most of them have links to full reviews if anyone’s interested. Off we go:
The Philadelphia Story (1940) ~Winner of Best Actor. Nominated for Best Actress, Supporting Actress, Director, Screenplay~
Wealthy socialite Tracy Lord is about to remarry, but lo and behold, her ex-husband shows up with a reporter and a photographer in tow, the latter of whom promise not to make trouble. Yep. Famous last words. Anyone who hasn’t seen this film, which was adapted from the highly successful play by Philip Barry, is in for a treat. Read more here.
Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941) ~Nominated for Best Picture, Actor, Supporting Actor, Director, Story, Screenplay~
This rather unusual film is rife with “What the heck?” moments. It’s about Joe Pendleton, a boxer who dies by mistake in a plane crash, and since his manager had Joe’s body cremated he has to find a new one. Claude Rains plays the title character, who mentors Joe on his journey and James Gleason plays Max Corkle, Joe’s manager. The film was later remade into the 1978 movie, Heaven Can Wait, which stars Warren Beatty. Read my review here.
Wake Island (1942) ~Nominated for Best Picture, Supporting Actor, Director, and Original Screenplay~
One of the first movies made about the Second World War, Wake Island tells the story of a group of Marines and civilians holding off invading Japanese forces on a tiny Pacific atoll at the same time as the Pearl Harbor attack. Based on actual dispatches from the island and produced while the battle was still going on, it’s not terribly accurate nowadays but still a touching example of how Hollywood handled the war when America was still newly involved. Click here for further reading.
Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) ~Winner of Best Actor, Original Score, and Sound Recording. Nominated for Best Picture, Writing, Supporting Actor, Editing, and Director)
Cagney is an absolute powerhouse in his portrayal of George M. Cohan. Well, he was a powerhouse throughout his career, but this movie is one of the special ones because Cagney loved being a song-and-dance man and he was so often typecast as a tough guy. Amazingly enough, the real Cohan, who suffered from abdominal cancer toward the end of his life, is rumored to have sneaked into a movie theater with his nurse just before his death to see how the audience reacted to the film. Read my review here.
The More the Merrier (1943) ~Winner of Best Supporting Actor, Nominated for Best Picture, Actress, Director, Original Story, Screenplay~
World War Two’s housing shortage was the impetus for The More the Merrier, in which single woman Connie Milligan sublets her apartment to an older gentleman named Mr. Dingle, who soon inquires why she doesn’t marry some high-type, clean-cut, nice young fellow. Connie isn’t interested, but Mr. Dingle takes matters into his own hands. This wildly funny button-pusher of a comedy was the last film made by director George Stevens before he went overseas with the Signal Corps. Read more here.
Watch On the Rhine (1943) ~Winner of Best Actor, Nominated for Best Picture~
A wartime drama starring Bette Davis and Paul Lukas, Watch On the Rhine is the story of American Sara Muller, who comes home to Virginia for a visit with her family and supposedly a rest for her husband, who is very active in the Resistance. To their dismay they find the fight they thought they left in Europe has made its way to America, and they will have to act fast to protect Sara’s family and their friends in occupied countries. Read more about the film here.
Since You Went Away (1944) ~Winner of Best Original Score, Nominated for Best Picture, Actress, Supporting Actress, Supporting Actor, Production Design, Cinematography, Editing, and Visual Effects~
Yeah, I’ve talked about Since You Went Away before, but it’s one of my favorite movies and it did very well at its time of release. It’s definitely a must-see for anyone who might be interested in Shirley Temple’s later career, the World War Two period, and David O. Selznik’s attempt to recapture his Gone With the Wind prestige. While he didn’t quite get there, he came pretty close. Click here for further reading.
Double Indemnity (1944) ~Nominated for Best Picture, Director, Actress, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Original Score and Sound.~
Another favorite, this movie is partially based on a true story and follows an insurance salesman who’s bewitched by a client and gets caught up in a plot to bump off the client’s husband. It’s not only a different kind of movie for Fred MacMurray, but Barbara Stanwyck and Edward G. Robinson give rat-a-tat performances. Read my full review here.
The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946) ~Winner of Best Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, Adapted Screenplay, Editing, Original Score, Academy Honorary Award, and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. Nominated for Best Sound. ~
The only film on this list that I haven’t reviewed (yet), The Best Years Of Our Lives is about three former servicemen from diverse backgrounds and incomes who become friends while trying to adjust to life at home after the war. It was one of William Wyler’s first after his own return from overseas and doesn’t gloss over anything.
The Heiress (1949) ~ Winner of Best Actress. Nominated for Best Picture, Supporting Actor, Production Design, Costume Design, and Original Score. Nominated for Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actor, and Cinematography.~
This immensely satisfying film, also directed by William Wyler, is based on a play by Augustus and Ruth Goetz and tells the story of Catherine Sloper, a shy, almost reclusive New York City woman who has a chance to elope with the handsome, dashing gold digger Morris Townsend. I won’t spoil the story, and believe me, it’s better this way. For those who don’t mind a few spoilers, here’s my review.
What are your favorite Oscar-worthy films? Feel free to leave a comment below. :-)