Patrick's 50 Most-Classic Hollywood Movies of the 20th Century

For as long as I can remember I have loved two things, watching movies and making lists. Since over the past few years just about everyone has compiled ‘Greatest Movies of All-Time’ lists, I decided to add my two cents. I tried to include movies from the three distinct 20th Century periods in Hollywood history: The Silent Era (1900-1929), the Classic Era (1930-1959) and the Modern Era (1960-1999).

This is a compilation of the Most-Classic movies. Not at all a scientific term but one that any movie fan with an imagination can easily understand. In short, I placed entertainment value over art value, star-wattage over subject matter, and memorable scenes and dialogue over technique. The few rules I used to narrow the field were simply this: no foreign movies, no animated ones, no sequels and all the movies had to be at least one hour in length.

50 - MALE AND FEMALE-1919

Gloria Swanson under the direction of Cecil B. DeMille. This early silent movie about a wealthy British family shipwrecked on a deserted island, where the butler easily makes himself king, is gloriously over-the-top. The shipwreck scene features primitive yet still effective special effects but the highlight of the movie has to be the ancient Babylonian flashback sequence where little Gloria gets sacrificed to the lions and winds up with a huge lion's paw on her bare back! Silent movie extravagance at its finest.

49 - Forrest Gump-1994

"Hi my name is Forrest, Forrest Gump." One sure sign of a classic movie is quotable dialogue and this one has that in spades. Tom Hanks is perfect in the title role of the slow-witted but completely lovable Forrest, who somehow manages to be at the center of nearly every major pop cultural event from the 1950's to the 1980's. After all, "Life is like a box of chocolates.You never know what you're gonna get." With this movie what you get is old-fashioned Hollywood storytelling.

48 - A Fool There Was-1915

Theda Bara (the Vamp herself) in her most famous role. She chews men up and spits them out. The oldest movie on the list it also features one of the most famous subtitles ever written for a silent movie. On the deck of a luxury liner she orders her hapless paramour to... "Kiss me, my fool!" Made at the dawn of the Hollywood era it remains a priceless celluloid time capsule.

47 - Bringing Up Baby-1938

The zaniest screwball comedy of them all has a madcap Katharine Hepburn pursuing a befuddled Cary Grant. The story involves a buried dinosaur bone, a scientific grant, and two leopards that get mixed up. The hilarious antics never let up in this sparkling comedy gem.

46 - The Sheik-1921

Rudolph Valentino put on a turban and flared his nostrils and women all over the world swooned. This archetypal silent romantic adventure made him a household name and started a popular fashion trend. Today it plays like camp but this classic still has the power to evoke feelings, thanks to the magnetism of its star.

45 - Safety Last-1923

Harold Lloyd dangling precariously from that Big Ben looking clock is an image that is at once terrifying and hilarious. The entire movie leads up to that incredibly famous finale as Harold climbs floor by floor up the side of that building in order to win the money and get the girl.

44 - The General-1926

Buster Keaton's silent Civil War masterpiece about a boy and his train remains as riveting and authentic a bit of entertainment as you will ever see. The train crashing off the exploding bridge is one of the most impressive shots ever conceived and executed and it was done nearly a century ago.

43 - The Mark of Zorro-1920

The first - and definitive - screen version of the swash-buckling hero starred Douglas Fairbanks. His cocky grin and acrobatic flair were made for the silent screen and they make his Zorro unforgettable as he fights against the 'Sentinels of Oppression' in 19th Century California.

42 - Breakfast at Tiffany's-1961

Based on Truman Capote's bestseller, this offbeat romance gave the world the classic song "Moon River" with its wistful lyric about what lies around the next bend. Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in that iconic little black dress is an image for the ages.

41 - The Adventures of Robin Hood-1938

Hollywood's first big-budget Technicolor action/adventure movie. Errol Flynn created his most famous role as Sir Robin of Locksley who robs from the rich and gives to the poor. The supporting cast includes Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marian and Claude Rains as Prince John. The colors in this fast-paced classic are the most vibrant you'll see in any movie.

40 - It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World-1963

Director Stanley Kramer put every funny cliche in the book into this star-studded comedy epic. From Jimmy Durante 'kicking the bucket' to Ethel Merman's pratfall on a banana peel it never lets up or disappoints. Just about every comic in showbiz lined up for a part and the results speak for themselves.

39 - The Poseidon Adventure-1972

The best disaster movie ever made. Period. This story of a handful of survivors working their way 'up' to the hull of a capsized ocean liner is nearly perfect. The cast of characters are unforgettable, especially Shelley Winters, "...in the water I'm a very skinny lady."

38 - Planet of the Apes-1968

An eerily intriguing opening sequence that gives way to a shocking statement on one possible future of mankind makes this a great movie. The costumes and score are brilliant and it contains the single best twist ending in the history of film.

37 - Rebel Without a Cause-1955

James Dean, Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo star in THE quintessential movie about adolescence. Made the year rock-n-roll was born it changed cinema and teenagers forever. The fact that all three stars died tragically young only adds to the legend.

36 - The Phantom of the Opera-1925

This silent gothic masterpiece is the first true American horror classic. Beautifully shot in various sepia shades it includes a Technicolor masked ball scene that is one of the screen's earliest uses of color. Lon Chaney's horrific visage still has the power to frighten.

35 - Yankee Doodle Dandy-1942

James Cagney won an Oscar for his impersonation of flag-waving, music-man George M. Cohan in this most patriotic of all Hollywood musicals. His performance of 'Yankee Doodle Boy' stands as one of the great song and dance numbers and his dramatic delivery of the movie's most famous line is heartbreaking. "My mother thanks you, my father thanks you , my sister thanks you, and I assure you, I thank you."

34 - Broken Blossoms-1919

D. W. Griffith's answer to the justified complaints of racism in his monumental Birth of a Nation. This is an intimate look at the relationship between a poor flower girl (Lillian Gish) and a Chinaman (Richard Barthelmess) in a rundown neighborhood in London. Donald Crisp plays her evil father in this tragic yet ultimately uplifting story.

33 - Bonnie and Clyde-1967

The first Hollywood movie to show violence in such a graphic manner. It changed movies forever and gave us one of the most famous death scenes in the history of Hollywood. Who can forget Faye Dunaway as Bonnie Parker stating matter-of-factly, "We rob banks."

32 - Wings-1927

The spectacular aerial battle scenes in this silent WWI classic are breathtaking. Clara Bow shines as the vivacious girl-next-door but it is the doomed friendship between flyboys Buddy Rogers and Richard Arlen that we remember. The first movie to win the Best Picture Academy Award.

31 - Grease-1978

The most successful blend of the old-fashioned Hollywood musical with rock-n-roll. From start to finish this is a sing-along, dance-along, feel-good classic. John Travolta exudes charisma and became the last great musical star in Hollywood.

30 - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof-1958

Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman are the hottest screen couple ever in this Tennessee Williams' drama. Maggie-the-cat in that form-fitting white slip and Brick on crutches with an ever-present drink in his hand created an iconic image for the ages.

29 - Notorious-1946

Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman star in this romantic Hitchcock spy thriller. Among its many memorable scenes is the longest kiss in screen history. Claude Rains plays a Nazi with an overbearing mother in this Brazilian set Film Noir classic.

28 - To Kill a Mockingbird-1962

Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch embodies all that is noble and honorable in the human spirit. This searing courtroom drama about racism in a sleepy Alabama town during the depression, as seen through the eyes of a young girl, remains as powerful now as the day it was released, and Boo Radley is one of the screen's most original characters.

27 - Stagecoach-1939

Director John Ford's first foray into Monument Valley created the mold for every great western that followed. John Wayne as the Ringo Kid gave his first classic performance and became a bonafide star after years of toiling in B-pictures.

26 - The Maltese Falcon-1941

The movie that turned Bogie into a leading man is also the purest example of Film Noir ever made. Amazingly this is the very first movie ever helmed by Director John Huston. The result is "The stuff that dreams are made of."

25 - From Here to Eternity-1953

Set in Hawaii on the eve of Pearl Harbor this movie boasts an all-star cast. Montgomery Clift plays an enigmatic soldier who refuses to box and Frank Sinatra won a Best Supporting Oscar as the tragic Maggio, but it is the image of Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr making love in the surf that truly elevates this movie to icon status.

24 - The Graduate-1967

"...and here's to you Mrs. Robinson" Has a song ever more perfectly represented a movie or a generation? The soundtrack, with songs by Simon & Garfunkel, changed the industry. Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft are perfect in their roles and the ending is one of the most romantic moments in movie history.

23 - City Lights-1931

This movie represents the summit for Chaplin's Little Tramp character. And although the movie has its share of laughs, it is the famous ending where the formerly blind flower girl realizes her benefactor is actually Charlie that is the most remembered. It absolutely defines the word pathos.

22 - The Ten Commandments-1956

DeMille's last and most famous movie. THE biblical epic stars Charlton Heston as Moses. When the available technology is taken into account the parting of the Red Sea remains the greatest special effect in movie history.

21 - The Way We Were-1973

Streisand and Redford together! Simply put they represent the greatest screen couple of their generation in the most sentimental romance ever made. Who doesn't want to revisit those "misty water-color mem'ries..."?

20 - Grand Hotel-1932

The epitome of 30's Hollywood glamour. Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, John and Lionel Barrymore and Wallace Beery all staying at Berlin's most opulent art deco hotel. Garbo as a ballerina utters her signature line, "I vant to be alone."

19 - King Kong-1933

The story of a giant ape, a beautiful girl and a tall building remains one of Hollywood's most original and famous movies. The special effects may seem cheesy today but they blew audiences away when it was released during the depths of the Great Depression.

18 - A Streetcar Named Desire-1951

"Stella!" With that primal scream Marlon Brando launched himself into screen immortality. His brutish Stanley Kowalski pushes Vivien Leigh's fragile Blanche du Bois over the brink of insanity in director Elia Kazan's riveting screen version of Tennessee Williams' play.

17 - Raiders of the Lost Ark-1981

A rollercoaster joyride of a movie that pays homage to the adventure serials of the 30's and 40's. Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones created not only a screen icon but an entire cottage industry in the early 1980's.

16 - Jaws-1975

The movie that launched the modern summer blockbuster season and made people afraid to go swimming. The set-up builds suspense like classic Hitchcock. The driving theme music perfectly underscores the movements of the Great White Shark.

15 - The African Queen-1951

Bogie and Hepburn go down a river in Africa. Along the way they battle leeches, insects, white-water rapids, German soldiers and each other, only to fall in love in this most successful of all romantic adventures.

14 - It Happened One Night-1934

Director Frank Capra and stars Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert created the single greatest romantic comedy in the history of the motion picture. The hitchhiking scene is the funniest battle-of-the-sexes moment ever captured on film.

13 - Psycho-1960

Hitchcock's masterpiece and probably the single scariest movie ever. In place of his trademark style of slowly-building-suspense, this time around he comes out of left field with the nerve jolting shower scene. The movie's not even halfway over and the star's dead. Only Hitchcock could get away with that.

12 - Singin' in the Rain-1952

The single most joyous movie celebration. This Technicolor musical tribute to an earlier era of Hollywood has it all: great songs and dances, funny lines, romance, glamour, drama. The title number is Gene Kelly's finest moment.

11 - All About Eve-1950

"Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night." The wittiest most acerbic screenplay ever written with Bette Davis in her greatest role as Margo Channing. If that isn't enough this movie also features a radiant young Marilyn Monroe in a bit part.

10 - Sunset Boulevard-1950

"Have they forgotten what a STAR looks like?!" Gloria Swanson perfectly evokes the misty madness of Norma Desmond, living out her life in her decaying Hollywood mansion, "Still proudly waving to a parade that has long since passed her by."

9 - Some Like it Hot-1959

Scene for scene the funniest comedy ever made. Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis in drag, running from the Chicago mob, having hilarious antics on a Florida bound train. Monroe as Sugar Kane at her most vulnerable and sexiest. Not to mention the funniest last line in movie history.

8 - The Sound of Music-1965

Those songs! That scenery! What else need I say about what is hands down the most beloved movie musical ever made.

7 - E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial-1982

Spielberg's masterpiece about a lost alien is second only to The Wizard of Oz as the greatest family movie. The shot of E.T. and Elliot flying past the moon is the greatest cheer-along scene ever.

6 - It's a Wonderful Life-1946

THE American fable. This one's a classic because Capra shows so clearly the impact one man's life has had on his world. Plus the fact that Jimmy Stewart gives one of the greatest performances ever committed to film. And that ending, "To my big brother George. The richest man in town."

5 - Star Wars-1977

The greatest adventure movie is also the greatest science fiction movie. And those immortal characters! Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Obi-wan Kenobi, See Threepio, Artoo Detoo, Chewbacca. George Lucas saved all that was great about old-time Hollywood adventure movies, placed it "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..." and the rest is history.

4 - The Godfather-1972

The perfect blending of old Hollywood with new. THE American gangster saga brought Marlon Brando his second Academy Award and spawned a thousand imitations. "Leave the gun. Take the cannoli."

3 - Gone With the Wind-1939

By far the greatest Hollywood epic ever made featuring the two most famous lovers in American literature. From the opening shot and throughout its nearly four hour run time this movie never disappoints. The seige and burning of Atlanta represent the high point in a movie filled with iconic moments. Rhett may not give a damn but we sure as hell do.

2 - The Wizard of Oz-1939

The most seen movie in history, for decades it was a major annual television event for millions of people who never tired of taking one more trip down the Yellow Brick Road with Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin-man, the Cowardly Lion "and Toto, too".

1 - Casablanca-1942

The Mount Olympus of Hollywood movie magic started out as just another Warner Bros. production. Today it is the Hamlet of movies. Line for line and shot for shot this is the Most-Classic movie of them all and the final five minutes is the Most-Classic scene. No matter what happens in this crazy world, thanks to Rick and Ilsa, "We'll always have Paris."