Thrills! Drama! Mystery! Suspense! Part 3: The 1950's...
While the noir elements are quite evident in the 50's, there's an increasingly different feel to these films. The evolution / influence of the "youth market" can clearly be seen as the decade goes on...
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76 titles
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsWilliam HoldenGloria SwansonErich von StroheimA screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return.
- DirectorFritz LangStarsLouis HaywardLee BowmanJane WyattA deranged writer murders a maid after she resists his advances. The writer engages his brother's help in hiding the body, causing unexpected problems for both of them.
- DirectorBasil DeardenStarsJack WarnerDirk BogardeJimmy HanleyThe daily routine of two London Policemen is interrupted by a killer.
- DirectorMax NosseckStarsLawrence TierneyGeorge CoulourisMarissa O'BrienA man falsely accused of murder hides out in the South American jungle.
- DirectorJoseph PevneyStarsCharles LaughtonBoris KarloffSally ForrestNoble-born cad Denis (Stapley) has been tricked into a forced stay at the eerie manor of the Sire de Maletroit (Laughton), an evil madman who can't get over the death of his beloved, 20 years after she married his brother (Cavanagh) instead, then passed away during childbirth. Maletroit is determined to have his revenge: the brother has been stowed away in the dungeon for two decades, while he's convinced his disreputable house guest will make a suitably hellish husband for his niece. As luck would have it, the young couple manage to fall in love, and with the help of manservant Voltan (Karloff), they try to make their escape, but not before a final confrontation with Maletroit in the dungeon's crushing deathtrap.
- DirectorMaurice ElveyStarsDavid FarrarGeraldine FitzgeraldRoland CulverAfter a sickly Victorian woman dies suddenly, a postmortem reveals that her body contains a fatal dose of arsenic. Suspicion falls on her husband and her companion, who are lovers. Inspector Martin of Scotland Yard solves the mystery of her death, over a cup of tea.
- DirectorCharles LedererStarsJoan EvansMelvyn DouglasLynn BariShunned by her self-absorbed parents, a teenage girl's need for love and attention drives her to delinquency and a suicide attempt - an act that finally brings her parents to their senses.
- DirectorJohn GuillerminStarsPeter ReynoldsLeslie DwyerEdward LexyA bizarre attempt at a humorous murder mystery. A fat rich man snoozing on a balcony is bludgeoned to death while the Smart Alec of the title has one of the dumbest alibis ever. Antics from Kynaston Reeves and young Charles Hawtrey involve lots of shouting.
- DirectorNathan JuranStarsRichard GreeneBoris KarloffStephen McNallyMan investigates the disappearance of two of his friends who were the guests of a sinister Austrian count.
- DirectorRalph ThomasStarsRichard ToddEva BartokJohn GregsonTravelling to Venice to locate an ex-partisan on behalf of a French insurance company, a British private detective gets mixed-up in a political assassination conspiracy.
- DirectorMichael McCarthyStarsDonald HoustonNatasha ParryPatricia Owens1952. Drama. Directed by Michael McCarthy. Starring Natasha Parry & Donald Houston. In a spooky mansion, one of three sinister spinsters tries to poison her nephew's wife to steal a large inheritance.
- DirectorArthur J. BeckhardJoseph LernerStarsRichard CooganRosemary PettitFrank AlbertsonPolice investigate a murder that occurred in a burlesque theater.
- DirectorGodfrey GraysonStarsDennis O'KeefeColeen GrayHugh WilliamsOn loan to the Tate Gallery in London, Da Vinci's 'Madonna and Child' is stolen and replaced with a fake but the American security expert working for Tate aims to recover the original painting and catch the culprits.
- DirectorCharles SaundersStarsRonald HowardOlga EdwardesJohn BentleyA doctor's ex-wife dies of nicotine poison.
- DirectorNathan JuranStarsRichard ConteJoan BennettWanda HendrixWrongly accused of killing a bar-girl he was seen with earlier, a Korean War vet flees from the police in the company of a woman photographer and her young female model.
- DirectorDon SiegelStarsIda LupinoSteve CochranHoward DuffWhen 2 detectives steal $80,000 from a dead robber, one of them suffers from a guilty conscience which could lead to murder.
- DirectorRobert C. DertanoStarsGloria VictorTimothy FarrellHarry KeatonA sleazy gangster has a gang of young girls commit robberies and prostitution for him by getting them hooked on drugs.
- DirectorCharles LaughtonStarsRobert MitchumShelley WintersLillian GishA self-proclaimed preacher marries a gullible widow whose young children are reluctant to tell him where their real dad hid the $10,000 he'd stolen in a robbery.
- DirectorHenri-Georges ClouzotStarsSimone SignoretVéra ClouzotPaul MeurisseThe wife and mistress of a loathed school principal plan to murder him with what they believe is the perfect alibi.
- DirectorPaul GuilfoyleStarsAngela LansburyKeith AndesDouglass DumbrilleAn unemployed architect meets a married woman with a business proposition. The architect soon suspect her interest isn't just financial - and might be deadly.
- DirectorCharles SaundersStarsPaul CarpenterJune ThorburnMarla LandiIn this comedy adventure, a jewel thief hides his latest goods in a deserted barge, but ends up in jail. Two young models then buy the barge, and with the help of two little old ladies, find the jewels and claim the reward.
- DirectorGerd OswaldStarsRobert WagnerJeffrey HunterVirginia LeithA ruthless college student resorts to murder in an attempt to marry an heiress.
- DirectorDon McDougallStarsJohn BromfieldJoi LansingMark DanaA salt-of-earth family man needs money for his sick son, and decides to keep a job at a used car lot despite realizing it is selling stolen cars.
- DirectorW. Lee WilderStarsJohn BromfieldLon Chaney Jr.Victor JoryThree deep sea divers get involved in murder while searching for a lost treasure.
- DirectorIrving RapperStarsEdmund PurdomIda LupinoAnn HardingWhen a soldier is killed in action during the Korean War, his best friend returns home to fulfill his dying wish that he kill his two children if they are being raised by another man.
- DirectorLee SholemStarsJohn BromfieldJulie LondonHenry CalvinA disreputable Korean War veteran is suspected of murder.
- DirectorDennis VanceStarsAlastair SimGeorge ColeAdrienne CorriA doctor employs two men to dig up graves in order for him to have bodies on which to perform experiments, but the men begin to get their own ideas of where to get bodies.
- DirectorCharles EdwardsIrvin S. Yeaworth Jr.StarsNoel ReyburnEthel BarrettJerry FranksA small town boy heads for the lights of the big city and discovers the delights of hard liquor and fast women. Ere long, he becomes an addict, a dope peddler and a shop-lifter to obtain money for drugs.
- DirectorWilliam J. Hole Jr.StarsJohn RussellJune BlairStuart WhitmanAfter World War II, a Los Angeles crime ring uses a complex scheme, involving a freight ship, a junkie, and a corrupt health officer, to smuggle drugs into the USA.
- DirectorWilliam F. ClaxtonStarsLili GentleMark DamonEdward BinnsTommy Price (Mark Damon) is the leader of a gang of young thugs interested in thrills, hot rods, and girls. His friends bet him he can't make it with 17-year-old Rosemary Clinton (Lili Gentle). Their date turns out badly and her parents (Dabbs Greer, Ann Doran) forbid her to see him again. They keep meeting, and the relationship changes him to the extent that he plans to go to college and change his life, which delights his parents (Eddie Binns, Frances Mercer).
- DirectorHubert CornfieldStarsMarshall ThompsonWillard ParkerJoan VohsSimon Lute ekes out a modest living chartering his skiff to tourists and guiding them through the labyrinthine bayou. When a mysterious stranger asks him to take them deep into the swamp, Simon is curious, particularly when the man requests to make part of the journey alone. After the man's corpse is discovered the following day, Simon learns that the stranger had robbed a bank and that hiding the loot in the inhospitable bayou was the man's objective. But what should Simon do with this newfound knowledge?
- DirectorOrson WellesStarsCharlton HestonOrson WellesJanet LeighA stark, perverse story of murder, kidnapping and police corruption in a Mexican border town.
- DirectorLew LandersStarsJohn AshleyJody FairGene VincentKid who wants to enter his car in the drag races joins a rock band to make enough money to do it.
- DirectorEdward BerndsStarsYvonne LimeBrett HalseyJana LundA good girl is forced to join a dangerous all-girl high school gang, and only her waiter boyfriend and a caring female teacher can possibly help her before it may become too late.
- DirectorBernard GirardStarsConnie StevensBobby DriscollMark DamonAn unruly teenage gang led by Mark Damon gets their kicks by crashing square teen parties around town. At an innocent teen gathering, Damon charms rich spoiled brat Connie Stevens into accompanying him to a motel party and she drags along her decent young date (ex-child star Bobby Driscoll). While there, Damon discovers his alcoholic mother (Doris Dowling), who falls down a flight of stairs while struggling to get away from her son. Along the way, the kids' parents provide the viewer with insight about their children's troubled lives. The final film of both Farmer and Driscoll before they moved to television work.
- DirectorBernard GirardStarsRobert HarlandPippa ScottMajel BarrettScandal erupts in a small town when a high school teacher is romantically linked with one of her male students.
- DirectorWilliam WitneyStarsCorey AllenRebecca WellesRichard BakalyanA planned kidnapping goes awry when the gang leader falls for the victim.
- DirectorMontgomery TullyStarsLex BarkerCarole MathewsLisa GastoniA man, awakening with no memory, is told he is an heir to millions, but he suspects he is an heir to trouble instead.
- DirectorWilliam WitneyStarsGene EvansScott MarloweCarolyn KearneyCrime drama about juvenile delinquency, society's view of it and law enforcement's response to it in 1950s America.
- DirectorWilliam BerkeStarsKent SmithNan MartinJames FranciscusA police psychiatrist attempts to find a mugger obsessed with the need to seek out lonely women and slash their faces.
- DirectorEdward MontagneStarsBarry NelsonCarole MathewsLynn AinleyA man arrives home one night to find that a look- alike has taken over his life completely.
- DirectorCrane WilburStarsVincent PriceAgnes MooreheadGavin GordonA crazed killer known as "The Bat" is on the loose in a mansion full of people.
- DirectorNorman FosterStarsAnn SheridanDennis O'KeefeRobert KeithFrank Johnson becomes an eyewitness to a murder. He's pursued around San Francisco by his wife, the police, and the killer.
- DirectorBudd BoetticherStarsJoseph CottenRhonda FlemingWendell CoreyAn unhinged, deceptively mild-mannered bank robber escapes prison, seeking revenge on the cop who accidentally killed his wife during a gun battle.
- DirectorHoward W. KochEdmond O'BrienStarsEdmond O'BrienJohn AgarMarla EnglishWhen a brutal police detective Lt. murders a bookmaker's runner for $25,000 in cash, a deaf mute sees him do it and now he finds he must kill again to cover his tracks.
- DirectorJoel NewtonStarsIda LupinoHoward DuffRobert NicholsAgnes Langsley gets a job, through Jim Hollis, as caretaker of an old and vacated estate. The owner's cousin, Jennifer, was the last occupant and mysteriously disappeared. Agnes soon begins to believe that Jennifer was murdered and that Jilm, whom she has fallen in love with, is responsible.
- DirectorMervyn LeRoyStarsNancy KellyPatty McCormackGage ClarkeRhoda Penmark seems like your average, sweet eight-year-old girl. After her rival at school dies in mysterious circumstances at the school picnic, her mother starts to suspect that Rhoda was responsible.
- DirectorRoberto Bianchi MonteroStarsBoris KarloffFranca MarziRenato VicarioAn Italian government agent is assigned to break up a drug smuggling ring on the island of Ischia but his daughter is kidnapped by the gang.
- DirectorIda LupinoStarsEdmond O'BrienFrank LovejoyWilliam TalmanTwo fishermen pick up a psychopathic escaped convict who tells them that he intends to murder them when the ride is over.
- DirectorHall BartlettStarsDana AndrewsLinda DarnellSterling HaydenIn 1950s Canada, during a commercial flight, the pilots and some passengers suffer food poisoning, thus forcing an ex-WWII fighter pilot (Dana Andrews) to try to land the airliner in heavy fog.
- DirectorHugo FregoneseStarsJack PalanceConstance SmithByron PalmerAfter an enigmatic, self-described pathologist rents the attic room of a Victorian house, his landlady begins to suspect her lodger is Jack the Ripper.
- DirectorJulian RoffmanStarsBarbara LordJack BettsPeter FalkTwo beatniks get their kicks by dealing drugs and violence.
- DirectorRoger CormanStarsMarie WindsorCarole MathewsBeverly GarlandAn undercover policewoman helps three female convicts escape from prison so that they can lead her to a stash of stolen diamonds hidden in a swamp.
- DirectorJohn CromwellStarsEleanor ParkerAgnes MooreheadEllen CorbyA gentle, naive, pregnant 19-year-old widow is slowly, inexorably ground down by the hardened criminals, sadistic guards, and matron at a woman's prison. Will she be the same person when her sentence is up?
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJames StewartKim NovakBarbara Bel GeddesA former San Francisco police detective juggles wrestling with his personal demons and becoming obsessed with the hauntingly beautiful woman he has been hired to trail, who may be deeply disturbed.
- DirectorRichard BrooksStarsGlenn FordAnne FrancisLouis CalhernA new English teacher at a violent, unruly inner-city school is determined to do his job, despite resistance from both students and faculty.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsFarley GrangerRobert WalkerRuth RomanA psychopathic man tries to forcibly persuade a tennis star to agree to his theory that two strangers can get away with murder by submitting to his plan to kill the other's most-hated person.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJames StewartGrace KellyWendell CoreyA wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his Greenwich Village courtyard apartment window and, despite the skepticism of his fashion-model girlfriend, becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.
- DirectorJohn SturgesStarsSpencer TracyRobert RyanAnne FrancisA one-armed stranger comes to a tiny town possessing a terrible past they want to keep secret, by violent means if necessary.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsCary GrantEva Marie SaintJames MasonA New York City advertising executive goes on the run after being mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies, and falls for a woman whose loyalties he begins to doubt.
- DirectorPhil KarlsonStarsJohn PayneColeen GrayPreston FosterAn ex-con trying to go straight is framed for a million dollar armored car robbery and must go to Mexico in order to unmask the real culprits.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsRay MillandGrace KellyRobert CummingsA former tennis star arranges the murder of his adulterous wife.
- DirectorRobert WiseStarsSusan HaywardSimon OaklandVirginia VincentA prostitute, sentenced to death for murder, pleads her innocence.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsHenry FondaVera MilesAnthony QuayleIn 1953, an innocent man named Christopher Emanuel "Manny" Balestrero is arrested after being mistaken for an armed robber.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsMarlene DietrichJane WymanRichard ToddA struggling actress tries to help a friend prove his innocence after he's accused of murdering the husband of a high-society entertainer.
- DirectorElia KazanStarsAndy GriffithPatricia NealAnthony FranciosaA female radio reporter turns a folk-singing drifter into a powerful media star.
- DirectorOtto PremingerStarsFrank SinatraKim NovakEleanor ParkerA junkie must face his true self to kick his drug addiction.
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsHenry FondaLee J. CobbMartin BalsamThe jury in a New York City murder trial is frustrated by a single member whose skeptical caution forces them to more carefully consider the evidence before jumping to a hasty verdict.
- DirectorJoseph L. MankiewiczStarsElizabeth TaylorKatharine HepburnMontgomery CliftA surgeon is assigned the case of a young woman whose aunt wants her lobotomized to cover up a family secret.
- DirectorDick PowellStarsStephen McNallyAlexis SmithJan SterlingTwo escaped killers take hostages and hide in a Nevada mining ghost town, knowing that an atom bomb is scheduled to be tested there the next morning.
- DirectorAndrew L. StoneStarsDoris DayLouis JourdanBarry SullivanA terrified wife tries to escape from her insanely jealous husband who is bent on killing her.
- DirectorJohn FarrowStarsRobert RyanAnita EkbergRod SteigerAfter a commercial plane crash lands in a South American jungle, the passengers and pilots must patch up the engines and escape the cannibal-infested area.
- DirectorSamuel FullerStarsVincent PriceEllen DrewVladimir SokoloffMaster swindler James Reavis painstakingly spends years forging documents and land grants that will make his wife and him undisputed owners of the entire territory of Arizona.
- DirectorLewis GilbertStarsDirk BogardeMargaret LockwoodKay WalshEdward "Teddy" Bare is a delusional psychotic with a lust for wealth, older women and murder. Having committed what he thinks is the perfect murder of his elderly wife; Teddy sets his sights on new targets when her fortune goes elsewhere.
- DirectorLouis MalleStarsJeanne MoreauMaurice RonetGeorges PoujoulyA self-assured businessman murders his employer, the husband of his mistress, which unintentionally provokes an ill-fated chain of events.
- DirectorTerence FisherStarsPeter CushingAndré MorellChristopher LeeWhen a nobleman is threatened by a family curse on his newly inherited estate, detective Sherlock Holmes is hired to investigate.