1940s Movies List By Genre - From Westerns to Comedies
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1940s Movie List by Genre, including 1940s westerns, 1940s suspense movies, 1940s dramas, 1940s film noirs, and 1940s comedies
The 1940s were dominated by the second world war, as the nation recovered from the Great Depression in the ‘30s.
One industry that still thrived was the movie industry, and Hollywood produced some all time classic movies during this time period.
Popular film genres in the 1940s included screwball comedies, film noir, dramas, suspense and westerns.
Here are some of the best movies of the 1940s, sorted by genre, but in no particular order.
1940s Movies List: Westerns
Western films were popular in the 1940s.
John Wayne was popular in the 1940s and was already filming a number of westerns, before reaching a staggering 83 westerns before his death!
The 1940s was also the beginning of what is known as the "Golden Age of Westerns" which was the decades of the 1940s-1960s.
Prominent directors like John Ford and actors like John Wayne created western classics that popularized and defined the genre.
Fun fact!
The popularity of westerns films in the 1930s and 1940s influenced mainstream culture to start adopting jeans.
Before the 1930s, these denim pants were limited to workers that needed the hardy pants to do their job, like ranchers and farmers.
For more on 1930s and 1940s casual fashion and pants styles:
My Darling Clementine (1946)
Directed by John Ford, starring Henry Fonda, Linda Darnell, and Victor Mature
Wyatt Earp and his brothers are out for revenge when their brother is killed and their cattle stolen.
Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
Directed by John Huston, starring Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, and Tim Holt
The old tale of the greed of gold...two men meet up with a prospector and join him to search for gold. However, once they find it, their troubles are far from over.
The Man from Colorado (1948)
Directed by Henry Levin, starring Glenn Ford, William Holden and Ellen Drew
After the civil war, two friends return home, but one has mental issues from the horrors of war.
You might be able to guess from the picture below which one it is.
Mark of Zorro (1940)
Directed by Rouben Mamoulian, starring Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, Basil Rathbone
A vigilante by night, and a gentlemen by day, “Zorro” seeks justice while romancing the beautiful Lolita.
Great sword fighting, lighthearted fun in this one.
The Paleface (1948)
Directed by Norman Z. McLeod, starring Bob Hope, Jane Russell, Robert Armstrong
A slapstick comedy with a cult following. Jane Russell stars as an undercover agent and winds up married to a dentist that doesn't have a clue.
Bob Hope in his usual comedic role is offset by Jane Russell’s tougher personality.
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)
Directed by John Ford, starring John Wayne, Joanna Dru, John Agar
A captain on patrol after an Indian attack has to escort women.
This film won an Oscar for best cinematography, color for Winton C. Hoch.
Angel and the Badman (1947)
Directed by James Edward Grant, starring John Wayne, Gail Russell, Henry Carey
A gunman falls for a quaker girl who nurses him back to health.
The question is, once he’s recovered, which world will he decide to return to?
Duel in the Sun (1946)
Directed by King Vidor, Otto Brower, William Dieterle, starring Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotton, Gregory Peck
A biracial Indian/white young woman is taken in by relatives and has to decide between two men that love her—one good, one bad.
Duel in the Sun was nominated for academy awards for best actress for Jennifer Jones and Lillian Gish.
1940s Movies List: Suspense movies
The suspense genre in the 1940s was greatly influenced by the English director Alfred Hitchcock.
In 1940 he transitioned from the British film industry to Hollywood productions and gave us a number of suspense classic in the 1940s.
Rebecca (1940)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders
A shy young woman marries a wealthy aristocrat, but is haunted by his former wife's presence in the house.
Rebecca won an Oscar for best picture in 1941.
Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, and Judith Anderson were also nominated for their stellar performances in this classic film.
Lifeboat (1944)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Tallulah Bankhead, John Hodiak, Walter Slezak
Survivors of ship sank in World War II find themselves on a lifeboat together. The suspense begins when everyone turns out to be not who they seem to be.
Lifeboat was nominated for several Academy Awards including best director for Alfred Hitchcock.
Suspicion (1941)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Joan Fontaine, Cedric Hardwicke
A self-conscious woman juggles her love for her new charming husband with her fear that he is trying to kill her.
Again, Alfred Hitchcock used Joan Fontaine to play the role of a shy, insecure woman.
This time she won the Oscar for best actress for her role as the timid heiress.
The film was also nominated for best picture.
If you love Cary Grant movies you might also like:
Gaslight (1944)
Directed by George Cukor, starring Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotten
A woman returns to her childhood home with her new husband. When a series mysterious events connected to the past begin to happen, she begins to question her sanity.
Notorious (1946)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains
An agent is recruited to spy on Germans in South America. She falls in love with the agent that recruited her, but then has to marry a nazi to get information.
Claude Rains was nominated for best supporting actor for his role as the nazi in Notorious.
If you love Cary Grant Hitchcock movies, you might like:
Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Teresa Wright, Joseph Cotten, Macdonald Carey
A teenage girl begins to suspect her adored uncle is a serial killer, putting her own life into jeopardy.
1940s Movies List: Drama
This category is small, because of lot of dramas have an overlap with another category.
For instance a suspense drama might've gotten placed in the suspense category.
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)
Directed by Joseph L Mankiewicz, starring Gene Tierney, Rex Harrison, George Sanders
A widow moves into a new house and falls in love with the ghost of the place, a ship captain. Will she let her relationship with the ghost prevent her from having a real relationship?
Citizen Kane (1941)
Directed by Orson Welles, starring Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore
Reporters try to figure out the last words of dying newspaper tycoon.
Now Orson Welles’ most famous movie, Citizen Kane was actually a flop on it's release.
Casablanca (1942)
Directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey bogart and Ingrid Bergman
An american cafe owner in Casablanca has to decide if he wants to help his former lover and her husband escape from the Nazis.
This classic movie won several oscars, including Best Picture in 1944, best Actor for both Humphrey Bogart and Claude Rains, and Best Director for Michael Curtiz.
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Directed by Frank Capra, starring James Steward, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore
A classic Christmas film about a man who thinks his family would be better off without him. He’s visited by an angel who shows him how things would've been without him.
1940s Movies List: Film Noir
The 1940s and 1950s was the "classic period" of film noirs.
In their gritty world filled with smoke, femme fatales, and some sort of crime, film noir or "black film" have a cult following, and for good reason!
Below are just a few of the classic film noirs to come out of the 1940s.
For a more extensive list of film noirs, you might like:
The Killers (1946)
Directed by Robert Siodmak, starring Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, Edmond O'Brien
A man becomes the fall guy after he falls in love with a femme fatale who sets him up.
The story is mostly told through a series of flashbacks, with part of the ending shown first.
Dark Passage (1947)
Directed by Delmer Daves, starring Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Bruce Bennett
An escaped convict tries to clear his name with the help of a woman while dodging the authorities and trying to find the real killer.
For more on Dark Passage:
Leave Her to Heaven (1945)
Directed by John M. Stahl, starring Gene Tierney, Cornel Wilde, Jeanne Crain
A jealous woman will go to any lengths to keep the people she loves close to her.
Gene Tierney is stunning in her role as the as "bad girl." For fans of 1940s fashion, it's worth the watch just to see the gorgeous fashion in technicolor.
For more on her fashion in the movie:
Gene Tierney Leave Her to Heaven - Her Lethal Femme Fatale Style.
Laura (1944)
Directed by Otto Preminger, starring starring Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb
As a Police detective investigate a murder, he begins to become smitten with the murder victim. But like other film noirs, there are twists along the way.
This is a witty film noir, that has many elements of film noir like flashbacks, beautiful dames, and snappy dialogue.
For more on Gene Tierney in Laura:
To Have and Have Not (1944)
Directed by Howard Hawks, starring Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Walter Brennan
An American falls in love with a singer while helping transport a french resistance leader and his wife during WWII.
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Directed by John Huston starring Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Gladys George
Film noir flick with a private detective who is trying to solve the murder of his partner while tracking down a priceless statue.
This one has a lot of twists, and is a bit hard to follow.
If you can keep up with all the characters and twists, good for you!
Double Indemnity (1944)
Directed by Billy Wilder, starring Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson
An insurance investigator plans a crime with a femme fatale to kill her husband and collect the insurance. Are they able to pull off the perfect crime?
The legendary costume designer Edith Head designed Barbara Stanwyck’s costumes for this film.
For more Barbara Stanwyck movies, you might like:
Mildred Pierce (1945)
Directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Joan Crawford, Jack Carson, Zachary Scott
Joan Crawford at her best. A mother spoiling her daughter leads down a road of destruction.
Joan Crawford won a well-deserved Oscar for Best Actress for her role in this film.
Gilda (1946)
Directed by Charles Vidor, starring Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford, George Macready
A man finds out his boss's new wife is his ex-girlfriend and sparks begin to fly.
1940s Movies List: Comedies
Comedies during the 1940s were a form of escapism from the realities of World War II.
Fun, screwball comedies with with playful antics and snappy dialogue were popular.
For those days when you're tired and want an escape for an hour, there's nothing better than a good, laugh-out-loud 1940s comedy.
These are just a handful of the great 1940s comedies, for more 1940s comedies:
27 Best Comedy Movies 1940s - Find Your New Favorite Classic!
My Favorite Wife (1940)
Directed by Garson Kanin, starring Cary Grant, Irene Dunne, Randolph Scott
A woman presumed dead returns home on the day her husband is getting married to another woman.
Cary Grant and Irene Dunne were a popular comedic couple during the 1940s.
If you watch this movie you'll see why.
Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
Directed by Frank Capra starring Cary Grant, Priscilla Lane, Raymond Massey
A bachelor gets married and finds out his "sweet old aunts" are serial killers.
Mr & Mrs Smith (1941)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Carole Lombard, Robert Montgomery, and Gene Raymond
A couple find out they are not legally married, then question if they still want to be.
A rare comedy from the great suspense director Alfred Hitchcock.
Miss Grant Takes Richmond (1949)
Directed by Lloyd Bacon, starring Lucille Ball, William Holden, Janis Carter
A bookie with a realtor front, hires a ditzy secretary, who stirs up trouble as she tries to do more than her job.
His Girl Friday (1940)
Directed by Howard Hawks, starring Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell, Ralph Bellamy
A man tries every trick in the book to keep his ex-wife from remarrying.
This one has a lot of fast talking dialogue and witty one-liners.
Make sure your volume is turned up, or you have your subtitles on :)
Mr Blandings Builds his Dream House (1948)
Directed by H.C. Potter, starring Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, Melvyn Douglas
A couple building their dream house in the country are met with multiple complications.
The Palm Beach Story (1942)
Directed by Preston Sturges, starring Claudette Colbert, Joel McCrea, Mary Astor
A woman trying to divorce her husband goes to Palm Beach, but her husband has other ideas and follows her.
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
Directed by George Cukor, starring Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, James Stewart
A society girl who is about to get married, has her ex-husband and a newspaper reporter show up before the wedding, complicating things.
James Stewart took home the Oscar for best actor for his role in the film.
The film also won an Oscar for Best Writing for Donald Ogden Stewart.
This popular movie was remade into High Society, which was Grace Kelly's final film.
For more on Grace Kelly and her 1950s fashion in High Society:
Grace Kelly High Society - Her Insanely Feminine 1950s Fashion
This post was all about 1940 movies
What is your favorite 1940s movie?