The Battle Of Midway And All That

Jesse Walker has now reached back four score years, to 1942.

https://jessewalker.blogspot.com/2023/01/we-are-entering-war-zone-we-have.html

America had just entered the war, but Hollywood was working at full speed.  Europe wasn't doing quite so well.  Here are his top ten films of that year:

1. Cat People

2. The Magnificent Ambersons

3. The Talk Of The Town

4. Casablanca

5. The Man Who Came To Dinner

6. The Palm Beach Story

7. The Major And The Minor

8. La Nuit Fantastique

9. To Be Or Not To Be

10. The Male Animal

In previous lists this year, I often note I haven't seen the films since they were originally released.  Now that we're in an area well before I was born, I can't help but notice I rewatched most of these films in the past few months.  Maybe it's the TCM effect.

Cat People isn't at the top of my list, but it's an excellent B movie (and the start of a series of other fine B movies).

Ambersons has an amazing start but, of course, an ending that was butchered by the studio.  Though rewatching it (just last week) I could see why the studio did what it did.  This is a dark film that was never going to make money.

The Talk Of The Town is a good film, though it's already starting to get the sense of self-importance that would mar a lot of Stevens' post-war work.

Casablanca should be rated higher.

The Man Who Came To Dinner (also watched last week) is very enjoyable, but mostly for capturing the performance of Monty Woolley, who originated the title role (and was hardly the first choice for the film).

I consider The Palm Beach Story second-tier Sturges, though that's good enough for the top ten.

The Major And The Minor is the first film directed by Billy Wilder, so he made sure to make an extra-charming confection.  If anything, I'd rank it higher.

Never seen La Nuit Fantastique.

To Be Or Not To Be is a Lubitsch masterpiece--maybe the top film of the year.

The Male Animal is enjoyable enough, I suppose, but nothing that special. (I don't think much of the play, either.)

Here are Jesse's honorable mentions:

11. The Road To Morocco

12. The Murderer Lives At Number 21

13. Random Harvest

14. This Gun For Hire

15. Holiday Inn

16. Went The Day Well?

17. The Early Bird Dood It

18. The Hare-Brained Hypnotist

19. Symphony Hour

20. Headlights In The Fog

11 is the best of the Road pictures (and I just watched it last week).  Should be top ten (almost is). Haven't seen 12.  13 is considered a Hollywood classic, which I guess is okay.  14 is pretty good. 15 should probably be top ten. 16 is a pretty special film.  17, 18 and 19 are animated shorts.  Haven't seen 20.

Other films that would make my top ten or twenty:

Bambi

For Me And My Gal

Saboteur

You Were Never Lovelier

Other films I like:

I Married A Witch, It's All True, Jungle Book, Larceny, Inc., My Favorite Blonde, Yankee Doodle Dandy

Other films of note;

A-Haunting We Will Go, Across The Pacific, The Affairs Of Martha, Alibi, Andy Hardy's Double Life, Arabian Nights, The Battle Of Midway, Cairo, Cowboy Serenade, Flying Tigers, Four Jacks And A Jill, Gentlemen Jim, George Washington Slept Here, The Ghost Of Frankenstein, The Glass Key, I Married An Angel, In Old California, In This Our Life, In Which We Serve, Johnny Eager, Journey For Margaret, Kings Row, Lady For A Night, The Magnificent Dope, Manpower, Miss Annie Rooney, The Moon And Sixpence, Mr. And Mrs. North, Mrs. Miniver, My Gal Sal, My Sister Eileen, Now, Voyager, Once Upon A Honeymoon, Orchestra Wives, Panama Hattie, Pardon My Sarong, Pittsburgh, The Pride Of The Yankees, Reap The Wild Wind, Ride 'Em Cowboy, Rio Rita, Roxie Hart, Springtime In The Rockies, Star Spangled Rhythm, Tales Of Manhattan, Tarzan's New York Adventure, Tennesse Johnson, There's One Born Every Minute, Tomorrow We Live, Tortilla Flat, The Tuttles Of Tahiti, Wake Island, We Are The Marines, What's Cookin'?, White Cargo, Woman Of The Year, The Young Mr. Pitt