" The Fuller Brush Man" with Red Skelton
In my opinion yes but I am no expert.
And another Fred MacMurray connection.
1 Like
The Thin Man - first date at a b/w retrospective with the man who would become my husband.
It can’t be anything else!
3 Likes
A great movie is always about the story. Old movies in black and white survive because of the story not the medium.
Mildred Pierce - my favorite Joan Crawford movie, I must have watched it half a dozen times - she was amazing.
2 Likes
I don’t disagree, but I think the medium (in this case, B&W) is sometimes integral to the feel of the movie. I’ve seen some classic examples with and without background music to a video, and there is a huge difference.
Movie editing is a true art. There are some occasions where B&W helps the viewer concentrate on the story itself rather than the colors.
Stated another way,at least IMO, it all depends.
2 Likes
Saw it at the Toronto International Film Festival when it was released. Wow.
1 Like
La Jetée.
2 Likes
Seven Samarai. At some point, you actually stop reading the subtitles because the characters and their relationships to each other have been so exquisitely established that all you have to do is watch their faces.
1 Like
My husband’s absolute favorite movie of all times. I love it, too, but I was reluctant to post because it is a well-known movie (at least I think it is). 
Notoriety has an entirely different meaning in the era of Netflix and Hulu than it did when I was younger. Back in the day, a film wasn’t considered well-known until it had been shown to death on television and interrupted by commercials. Nowadays, I have to ask myself whether knowing about a film counts, if no one has actually seen it?
All the Hepburn/Tracy movies are great. One that doesn’t get much love is “Desk Set.” Making the romantic heroine of a Hollywood movie a research librarian is arguably ahead of where we are today.
2 Likes
Also, Wait Until Dark, starting Audrey Hepburn.
2 Likes
I’m pretty sure “Desk Set” is in color, though I second your observation about the movie’s prescience on many levels. Speaking of Hepburn/Tracy b/w movies that don’t get much love, you might try the rarely seen “Without Love”.
Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing had a short run in theaters when it came out in 2012. I can’t say it’s my favorite B&W film, but I liked this scene.
2 Likes
My Favorite Wife. It holds up remarkably well considering it was made 80 years ago. If you haven’t seen it the plot is that Cary Grant’s wife ( the amazing Irene Dunne) disappears at sea while working on a scientific expedition (!…again this was 80 years ago) and he has her declared dead and remarries. Hilarity ensues when she comes back while he’s on his honeymoon. There are some Cary Grant lines which are apparently improvised that feel so fresh they could appear in a script today. Really it’s just great.
Better known but also just great His Girl Friday with once again Grant improvising lines as a newspaper editor and he tries too woo back his ex wife (Rosalind Russel)….who is also his former employee/reporter….both personally and professionally in the midst of a big story.
6 Likes
Point of information: Does anyone know if there is a complete copy of the b&w version of “Rebel Without a Cause”? My understanding is that it was filmed once in b&w then all over again in color with the same cast when James Dean’s star rose suddenly with the release of East of Eden. The older film would be incredible to watch, if it exists.
The Ghost & Mrs. Muir.
Also, count me in with all the Thin Man fans. Is the dog’s name Astor or Asta? Is there a definitive answer on that?
1 Like
3 Likes