For further background on the year in film, please refer to the Some Other Movies From 1940-1949 entry.
- Harry S. Truman was sworn in as President of the U.S.
- Mahatma Gandhi agitated against the British government in India.
- The Cold War began.
- World War II ended.
- U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt died.
- The Nazis took power in Germany.
All of the movies below can be viewed on YouTube and are linked accordingly. The ones I liked more are near the top, and the ones I didn't like as much are near the bottom.
1. Nightmare Alley (1947)
I think the original is a lot more to the point that Guillermo del Toro's recent remake. It draws a clearer line between ego, guilt and addiction. Star Tyrone Power was an excellent choice for the lead, and the touches del Toro added to the story were, in my opinion, unnecessary.
Fun Fact: This movie had a relatively large budget for the time period, and many of the stars were already established names. A working carnival was created as part of the production, and actual carnival people were hired to make the setting more authentic.
2. Pinky (1949)
I'd like to say this movie was pushing boundaries, but the sad fact is that in many parts of the world this movie is still pushing boundaries. Some might say we've come a long way, while others might say we still have a long way to go.
In Pinky Jeanne Crain stars as a racially mixed woman coming to terms with the Southern town where she grew up. For Crain taking the role was a risky proposition, but under Elia Kazan's direction her character's personal struggle rings true. Kazan wasn't that happy with Crain's performance, but this movie did very well financially.
3. The Song of Bernadette (1943)
There are two great performances at the center of this movie. On the one hand you've got Jennifer Jones, who'd go on to win an Oscar for Best Actress. On the other hand you've got Vincent Price, who commands every scene he's in. The Song of Bernadette follows the trials of a young woman who witnesses The Virgin Mary near the town of Lourdes. It's a very Catholic movie, but thought-provoking nonetheless.
Fun Fact: Jennifer Jones' last movie was The Towering Inferno in 1974.
4. Our Town (1940)
Life and death in rural New Hampshire. It was adapted from the play, and composer Aaron Copland wrote the score. I don't know that the theological bits near the end would say as much to modern audiences, but certain characters breaking the fourth wall anticipates more modern approaches to storytelling.
5. The Way Ahead (1944)
David Niven leads a platoon of British infantrymen to battle in North Africa. It gets (if you'll excuse the slight pun) a bit bogged down in the details of their training, but the characters are compelling and the production values were high.
6. Young Widow (1946)
Jane Russell plays a woman mourning her husband near the end of WWII, with Louis Hayward as a serviceman trying to stalk his way into her heart. Given the delayed release of The Outlaw this was Russell's first wide release movie. I can't say that she was a good actress, but Young Widow an interesting look at almost-postwar America.
7. The Man Who Wouldn't Die (1942)
Detective story in which a mysterious assailant seeks revenge on a wealthy family. This movie is very short but very well written.
Fun Fact: This movie is part of a series featuring the same detective. There were seven in all, and this was the fifth.
8. And Then There Were None (1945)
A group of strangers, each accused of murder, face justice on a remote island. It was adapted from an Agatha Christie novel. It's not bad overall, even if the people on the island seem both unnaturally calm and weirdly slow on the uptake in the face of grave danger.
Fun Fact: This is one of five film adaptations of Christie's story.
9. Forty Little Mothers (1940)
Eddie Cantor teaches a class of 40 free spirited young ladies. In 2022 about 40% of this movie's plot would be a setup for porn, and about 20% would be grounds for numerous sexual harassment complaints. Even so I'll be darned if the ending didn't bring a smile to my face.
Fun Fact: Veronica Lake appears briefly in this movie. The following year's I Wanted Wings (below) brought her to the public's attention.
10. I Wanted Wings (1941)
Like The Way Ahead, not just a movie but also a recruitment advertisement for its particular branch of the service. It was a very popular movie at the time, and also won an Academy Award for special effects, but I never found the characters that engaging. For what it's worth William Holden is in both this and Our Town. It was very early in his career.
11. The Undying Monster (1942)
Horror/murder mystery in which those frequenting an old spooky mansion are attacked by a mysterious assailant. Never mind the Inspector's American accent, and never mind the solution to the mystery. Contemplating such things will give you a headache.
12. Something for the Boys (1944)
Carmen Miranda. She's annoying in every scene she's in. I think it's safe to say that her appeal is lost on modern audiences.
I feel like this movie was made more for servicemen stationed overseas. Pretty girls, songs, general zaniness. The best I can say about it is that the redhead is very pretty and the songs are inoffensive.
13. The Iron Curtain (1948)
Soviet spies infiltrate Canada. This movie was based on a real incident, and great pains were taken to film on location, but it's on the slow side for sure. In 1948 Russia wasn't quite the bogeyman it is today, but sentiment against that country was certainly growing within the U.S. and Canada. The Iron Curtain's existence is owed in part to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities, which accused Hollywood of failing to make any anti-Communist movies.
14. The Jolson Story (1946)
Al Jolson! Just a Jewish boy who wanted to wear blackface and become a star! And why blackface, you ask? Because black people, when they're not missing their mammies and eating watermelons, love to sing and dance! Yeah, 1946 was a long time ago, and this movie really, really hasn't aged well. I made it about halfway through and had to give up.
This movie, by the way, was a huge hit, a fact which says a lot about both Jolson's popularity and where race relations were in the late 40s. This movie also bears some striking similarities to The Jazz Singer, a play which was adapted for film and television several times. The most recent adaptation, which appeared in 1980 and starred Neil Diamond, thankfully did away with the blackface.
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