Top 11 Movies From the 1960s or Earlier

By CJ Tiernan

I haven't seen a lot of movies from this range of time. I was born in 1988, so movies from 1969 on back weren't regularly ones I would stumble upon. In fact, a majority of the movies on this list were ones I did see as a kid as five of them are animated. I'd say they're all rated G or PG but some of them came out so long ago they predate the MPAA. That may not be true, but the rating system back in the day was crazy. Have you seen "Splash"? That movie is rated PG, came out in 1984, and Daryl Hannah is naked for like half the movie (It was great!). Anyways, this is a list of my Top 11 movies that were released during or before the '60s.

1. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)

This movie is only 26 minutes long, and yet it is not the shortest movie on my list (stay tuned for #8). It is based upon the same Dr. Seuss story as the Ron Howard/Jim Carrey movie from 2000. It is fantastic and one of the best Christmas movies of all time. It features Boris Karloff as the sinister Grinch (and the woman that played Cindy Lou Who, June Foray, is the same woman that played Rocky from Rocky and Bullwinkle). He didn't do the singing, though. That was done by a man named Thurl Ravenscroft (which is perhaps the only name that is even more ominous than Boris Karloff). Remember that moment where the heart grows three sizes that day and breaks the frame of the x-ray machine? I love cartoon math like that.

2. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)

John, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Part musical, part horror story, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" is a classic. I loved this movie as a kid. I've said this before, but I'm a huge fan of inventors in movies. The movie starts with a robust Rube Goldberg machine designed for breakfast use. If you haven't seen the movie, do yourself a favor. It has a flying car, a beach scene where they all wear old timey bathing suits, and the main character of the bulk of my nightmares as a kid. If you are a young, do not watch this movie: the Child Snatcher is what comes for you when you don't eat your vegetables.

3. 12 Angry Men (1957)

This is a fantastic law/courtroom movie. It is in black and white, which is a down vote for me because, you know, they'd invented color already. Nevertheless, the story is great. It features the titular human beings deliberating on a hot summer afternoon in the jury room about the guilt or innocence of a teenager. Stakes are high, as a guilty verdict = the electric chair. We learn about biases and the backstories of the men as we swelter in the heat alongside them. It starts as a seemingly cut-and-dry case and devolves into anything but. You simply must see this one at least once. The first time I watched it was in Careers class in 8th grade. It was our last class before winter break. I love when they show movies instead of teaching you stuff (or maybe, we learned more than we ever could have imagined...).

4. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)

Stop-Motion Animation alert! This movie checks so many boxes. Christmas movie. Check. Musical. Check. Underdog reindeer marooned on an island of misfit toys. Check. Plus, if I ever create a Top 11 best character names list, Yukon Cornelius will have a seat at the table. Is an elf that pines to be a dentist not the most delightfully unexpected back story in a Christmas movie? When every Christmas movie is based on Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," it can be difficult to find new ground but here you go. Pure gold! Or, as sung by Burl Ives: "Silver and Gold."

5. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

Wikipedia refers to this movie as a "screwball black comedy crime film." I thought about it for a second and couldn't come up with a better classification. Cary Grant's brother is under the impression that he is Teddy Roosevelt while his aunts are big time serial killers in their old age, dishing out a dose of the titular element on the periodic table (with a dash of strychnine and cyanide sprinkled in). The aunts are soon joined in the residence by another serial killer and you simply must watch to find out what happens next.

6. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)

Kirk Douglas (who has the most magical of butt chins) stars in this movie based on the book by Jules Verne. He is party to a quest to find a mythical sea monster, which results in an alternate discovery. Disney actually made this movie and it has a dark and brooding vibe that doesn't mesh with the bright and shiny vibe you associate with them today. Captain Nemo is especially haunted. Worth a peek if you've got Disney+. (Seriously, that butt chin is almost more of a bullet hole chin).

7. Alice in Wonderland (1951)

There have been a lot of adaptations of Alice in Wonderland. This is the best one. It is crazy trippy in a delightful way. A lot of references hail from this source material, including "down the rabbit hole," "I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date," "off with their heads," and the unsettling smile of the Cheshire Cat (to which I frequently liken the moon whilst it waxes and wanes). Some people may not know this, but the Lewis Caroll book upon which this movie is based is called "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." I don't fault you if you didn't know, because the book was written in 1865, which is even longer ago than the 1950s.

8. Frosty the Snowman (1969)

Here it is. The shortest movie on my list. In fact, it was probably referred to in its day as a "TV Special." Nope, not for me, dawg. I'm going with movie. A measly 25 minute movie. It is the tale of a snowman that comes to life courtesy of the hat of a magician on a blustery day. Who hasn't been there? This snowman has more sense than the one in Frozen, as he is well aware that a lack of winter will inherently bring a lack of snowmen. The cookie duster on that magician is dwarfed only by his 10-gallon chin.

9. Singin' in the Rain (1952)

Oh, yeah, I know this one. This is the original source of the song from which this movie is named (FALSE: it was a 1929 movie called "The Hollywood Revue of 1929"). Do you know anything else about this one? The title song is aptly sung in the rain, but to allow the rain to appear on film, they used milk instead (FALSE: They actually used water. That myth, however skin curdling, is untrue). It IS a musical that follows three actors during Hollywood's transition from silent films to "talkies." It features delightful song and dance numbers. As we all know, no one has ever felt threatened when their industry went in an entirely different direction (FALSE: Black Bears).

10. The Wizard of Oz (1939)

You've seen this one. We've all seen this one. It's impossible to not have seen this one. This is one of the most magical films of all time. In a year that featured such films as "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" and the Academy Award winner for Best Picture (called Outstanding Production back then) "Gone with the Wind," "The Wizard of Oz" has proven to be the most enduring. With themes of going home, Heart, Courage, and Brains, this movie has universal appeal. Plus, (Spoiler Alert) I bet in the 30's that transition from black and white to color really slapped.

11. The Jungle Book (1967)

This animated Disney movie musical is based on the book by Rudyard Kipling. It is in place to answer the question, what happens when a person is raised by wolves? The answer, as it turns out, is they become a sensitive man-cub that likes to sing along with musically talented animals. My favorite song from this one is "I Wan'na Be Like You," sung to righteous perfection by Louis Prima, but this movie is full of bops like "The Bare Necessities" and "Trust in Me."

Final Thoughts

You know, we harp on movies these days as nothing being original. People will rail on all the prequels, sequels, reboots and remakes and wonder where the original ideas lie. However, in pouring through my Top 11 movies from pre-1970, we have a slew of movies based on books and stage productions. Me thinks, perhaps, originality died with Billy Shakespeare. Alas, whatcha gonna do. I haven't seen many movies that came out this long ago, so it is very possible I have some holes in my game. Please let me know in the comments if I missed any of your favorites. Thanks!