This is a list of notable Hollywood* movies released in the 1950s, with GEMs highlighted. Note that the list is sortable by each column. (Multiple levels of sorting are possible by sorting more than one column in succession, from lowest to highest.)
Most of the listed movies can be borrowed from your local public library in DVD form and are also available for streaming. Watching these movies online usually requires a small fee or a subscription to streaming platforms such as YouTube, Amazon Prime, Disney+ or Netflix. The ‘Video at’ column in the list below indicates one preferred streaming option to watch these movies online, though it may also be available on other platforms. A ‘$’ sign indicates a small fee (usually $3.99 or less) for viewing the film. In a few cases, the movie is available for free online viewing, and in these cases the direct link to watch the movie is provided in a separate column. [Note: the availability of movies on various platforms (especially the free ones) is constantly changing: the information is current as of mid-2023, but it is quite possible that the listed streaming option for a particular film could be outdated at a later time.]
Please share any comments or suggestions on this list by filling out this form. You can use the same form to express interest in becoming a contributor to the site.
* Some non-Hollywood movies are also included.
Year
Movie
GEM!
Director
Selected Cast
Video at
Link (free)
Wikipedia
More
1950
All About Eve
Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Celeste Holm
YouTube $
1950
Asphalt Jungle, The
John Huston
Sterling Hayden, Louis Calhern, Jean Hagen, James Whitmore, Sam Jaffe, John McIntire
YouTube $
1950
Born Yesterday
George Cukor
Judy Holliday, William Holden, Broderick Crawford
YouTube $
1950
Gunfighter, The
Henry King
Gregory Peck, Helen Westcott, Millard Mitchell, Karl Malden
Tubi (free)
1950
Sunset Boulevard
Billy Wilder
William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim
PlutoTV (free)
1950
Trio (Maugham stories II)
Ken Annakin / Harold French
Nigel Patrick, Jean Simmons, Michael Rennie
YouTube (free)
1951
Day the Earth Stood Still, The
Robert Wise
Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe
YouTube (free)
1951
Encore (Maugham stories III)
Various
Nigel Patrick, Roland Culver, Kay Walsh, Noel Purcell, Glynis Johns
1951
Place in the Sun, A
George Stevens
Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, Shelley Winters
PlutoTV (free)
1951
Strangers on a Train
Alfred Hitchcock
Farley Granger, Robert Walker, Ruth Roman
YouTube $
1951
Streetcar Named Desire, A
Elia Kazan
Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh, Kim Hunter, Karl Malden
YouTube $
1952
Bad and the Beautiful, The
Vincente Minnelli
Lana Turner, Kirk Douglas, Walter Pidgeon, Dick Powell, Barry Sullivan, Gloria Grahame
YouTube $
1952
High Noon
Fred Zinnemann
Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Lloyd Bridges
YouTube $
1952
Singin' in the Rain
Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen
Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen
YouTube $
1953
Big Heat, The
Fritz Lang
Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame, Jocelyn Brando, Lee Marvin
YouTube $
1953
From Here to Eternity
Fred Zinnemann
Burt Lancaster, Deborah Karr, Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra, Donna Reed, Ernest Borgnine
YouTube $
1953
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Howard Hawks
Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell, Charles Coburn, Elliott Reid
YouTube $
1953
House of Wax
Andre de Toth
Vincent Price, Frank Lovejoy, Phyllis Kirk, Carolyn Jones, Paul Picerni, Charles Bronson (as Charles Buchinsky)
YouTube $
1953
I Confess
Alfred Hitchcock
Montgomery Clift, Anne Baxter, Karl Malden, Brian Aherne, O. E. Hasse
YouTube $
1953
Robe, The
Henry Koster
Richard Burton, Jean Simmons, Victor Mature, Michael Rennie
YouTube $
1953
Roman Holiday
William Wyler
Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn
Prime Video $
1953
Shane
George Stevens
Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin, Brandon deWilde, Jack Palance
PlutoTV (free)
1953
Stalag 17
Billy Wilder
William Holden, Don Taylor, Otto Preminger, Robert Strauss