5 Iconic Films of the '50s

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Billy Wilder's classic drama stars Gloria Swanson as reclusive silent movie queen Norma Desmond. Sharing a mansion with her live-in butler/former director Max (Erich von Stroheim), Norma dreams of making a comeback. But when she begins a relationship with a young hack screenwriter (William Holden), her desire to return to the spotlight quickly leads to madness and tragedy. With Jack Webb, Nancy Olson. 110 min. BW/Rtg: NR

A Place In The Sun (1951)

Aimless WWII veteran George Eastman (Montgomery Clift) takes a factory job and becomes involved with underprivileged co-worker Alice Tripp (Shelley Winters), who becomes pregnant. After George falls for gorgeous socialite Angela Vickers (Elizabeth Taylor), Alice learns of their romance and threatens to expose him, setting in motion a series of tragic events. Based on Theodore Dreiser's "An American Tragedy," director George Stevens' Oscar-winning drama also stars Anne Revere, Fred Clark, Raymond Burr. 121 min. BW/Rtg: NR

The Greatest Show On Earth (1952)

Ladies and gentlemen...Welcome to Cecil B. DeMille's Best Picture Oscar-winning look at life under the big top. See lion-tamers and acrobats! Be amazed at death-defying stunts and incredible train wrecks! Charlton Heston stars as the manager of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus who has his hands full dealing with feuding trapeze artists (one of whom is his girlfriend), crooked midway games, a clown with a mysterious past, and more. With Betty Hutton, Cornel Wilde, James Stewart, Dorothy Lamour. 152 min. C/Rtg: NR

Sabrina (1954)

Billy Wilder helmed and co-wrote this spry romantic comedy starring Audrey Hepburn as Sabrina Fairchild, the shy daughter of the wealthy Larrabee family's chauffeur. When a trip to Paris transforms Sabrina into a beautiful and elegant young woman, she catches the attention of both of the blueblood clan's sons--workaholic Linus (Humphrey Bogart) and carefree playboy David (William Holden). Walter Hampden, John Williams also star. 112 min. BW/Rtg: NR

Gunfight At The O.K. Corral (1957)

Director John Sturges’ ("The Magnificent Seven") superbly mounted, landmark western authentically depicts the famous 1881 Tombstone showdown between Wyatt Earp and "Doc" Holliday and the Clanton Gang, while exploring the friendship between the rugged marshal (Burt Lancaster) and the dentist-turned-gunfighter (Kirk Douglas). Co-stars Rhonda Fleming, John Ireland, Jo Van Fleet, Dennis Hopper, DeForest Kelley; written by Leon Uris. 122 min. C/Rtg: NR