Favorite Movies 1940s
AMC Movie List

Favorite Movies 1940s

Bogart, Stewart, Grant. What more could you ask for? Which movie from Hollywood's golden age is most memorable?

rank title points votes your vote
1 Casablanca
In WWII Morocco, a world-weary nightclub owner (Humphrey Bogart) is reunited with a former flame (Ingrid Bergman). 265 445
2 It's a Wonderful Life
An indebted banker (James Stewart), considering suicide, is given a sobering glimpse at what the world would be like without him. 244 462
3 The Maltese Falcon
In John Huston's debut, a San Francisco private eye (Humphrey Bogart) tails jewelry thieves intent on stealing a gem-encrusted falcon statue. 172 362
4 Miracle on 34th Street
A Macy's Santa Claus (Edmund Gwenn) helps a co-worker's daughter (Natalie Wood) rediscover the Christmas spirit. 158 376
5 Citizen Kane
A reporter (William Alland) is charged with uncovering the facts of the life of an enigmatic newspaper magnate (Orson Welles). 116 360
6 The Philadelphia Story
Philadelphia socialite C.K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant) is determined to undermine the marriage ceremony of his ex-wife (Katharine Hepburn). 115 321
7 The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Ragtag duo Fred C. Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) and Curtin (Tim Holt) team up for an ill-fated prospecting mission in California. 110 298
8 Sergeant York
Howard Hawks's biopic of WWI hero Alvin York (Gary Cooper) includes a bolt from the blue that sets the ne'er-do-well on the path to greatness. 102 306
9 The Grapes of Wrath
Ex-con Oklahoman Tom Joad (Henry Fonda) and his mother (Jane Darwell) set out for California in search of a better life, via John Steinbeck. 102 282
10 Double Indemnity
An insurance man (Fred MacMurray) kills for a woman (Barbara Stanwyck), but private eye Barton Keyes (Edward Robinson) is onto them. 92 288
11 The Pride of the Yankees
Sam Wood's biopic on the rise and stoical fall of Yankee great Lou Gehrig (Gary Cooper) also stars, playing himself, Babe Ruth. 81 253
12 Sands of Iwo Jima
Recently divorced WWII sargeant John Stryker (John Wayne) takes his anger out on his recruits, who will go on to fight in Japan. 80 280
13 His Girl Friday
A star reporter (Rosalind Russell), considering retirement, is given a last assignment by her ex-husband editor (Cary Grant). 78 270
14 Yankee Doodle Dandy
The life of Broadway entertainer George M. Cohan (James Cagney) is told through flashbacks that include his hit songs. 73 269
15 The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
Lucy Muir (Gene Tierney) moves to a house on the English coast haunted by the ghost of a seaman (Rex Harrison). 62 262
16 The Bells of St. Mary's
Father O'Malley (Bing Crosby) hopes to save cash-strapped St. Mary's Academy, which is led by fiesty Sister Benedict (Ingrid Bergman). 51 251
17 Meet Me in St. Louis
Alonzo Smith (Leon Ames) considers moving his family from St. Louis to New York thereby interfering with the romance of his daughter (Judy Garland). 45 261
18 How Green Was My Valley
John Ford's 50-year history of Welsh mining family the Morgans is told from the perspective of their youngest son, Huv (Roddy McDowall). 37 231
19 Laura
In the course of an investigation, New York detective Mark McPherson (Dana Andrews) falls for murder victim Laura Hunt (Gene Tierney). 36 252
20 National Velvet
Ex-jockey Mike Taylor (Mickey Rooney) forms a bond with his employer's horsing-loving young daughter, Velvet (Elizabeth Taylor). 16 240
21 All the King's Men
An adaptation of the novel by Robert Penn Warren about the gradual corruption of a lawyer turned governor (Broderick Crawford). -7 203
22 The Lost Weekend
A drama by Billy Wilder about the destructive achoholism of New York scribe Don Birnam (Ray Milland). -12 210
23 Our Town
An adaptation from Thornton Wilder about the marriage of Grover's Corners sweethearts Emily (Martha Scott) and George (William Holden). -23 197
24 Leave Her to Heaven
Suspicious of her husband (Cornel Wilde), Ellen Berent Harland (Gene Tierney) commits suicide, framing another woman (Jeanne Crain). -31 209
25 The Razor's Edge
WWI vet Larry Darrell (Tyrone Power) struggles to find love after the death of an unstable paramour (Anne Baxter). -33 195