mid-century period pieces
by sky-the-infinite | created - 13 Dec 2018 | updated - 27 Jul 2022 | PublicSome of these I have seen, some of them I haven't. I'm on a hunt for 1940's through the early 1960's period dramas that were created at another time. Trying to recover memories of movies (mostly on HBO) that I saw when I was a kid in the 80's and 90's. Feel free to send suggestions, I'd actually greatly appreciate it. (These are in no particular order)
- Instant Watch Options
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. Mulholland Falls (1996)
R | 107 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
In 1950's Los Angeles, a special crime squad of the LAPD investigates the murder of a young woman.
Director: Lee Tamahori | Stars: Nick Nolte, Melanie Griffith, Jennifer Connelly, Chazz Palminteri
Votes: 18,996 | Gross: $11.50M
2. Chinatown (1974)
R | 130 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A private detective hired to expose an adulterer in 1930s Los Angeles finds himself caught up in a web of deceit, corruption, and murder.
Director: Roman Polanski | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Perry Lopez
Votes: 350,091
3. The Sandlot (1993)
PG | 101 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
In the summer of 1962, a new kid in town is taken under the wing of a young baseball prodigy and his rowdy team, resulting in many adventures.
Director: David Mickey Evans | Stars: Tom Guiry, Mike Vitar, Art LaFleur, Patrick Renna
Votes: 102,468 | Gross: $32.42M
4. Stand by Me (1986)
R | 89 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
A writer recounts a childhood journey with his friends to find the body of a missing boy.
Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell
Votes: 441,978 | Gross: $52.29M
5. Cry-Baby (1990)
PG-13 | 85 min | Comedy, Musical
In 1950s Baltimore, a bad boy with a heart of gold wins the love of a good girl, whose boyfriend sets out for revenge.
Director: John Waters | Stars: Johnny Depp, Ricki Lake, Amy Locane, Susan Tyrrell
Votes: 64,855 | Gross: $8.27M
6. Forever Young (1992)
PG | 102 min | Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
During a cryogenics test, a pilot frozen in 1939 awakes in 1992 but time is running out, as his body starts to age rapidly.
Director: Steve Miner | Stars: Mel Gibson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Elijah Wood, Isabel Glasser
Votes: 50,098 | Gross: $55.96M
7. A Perfect World (1993)
PG-13 | 138 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A kidnapped boy strikes up a friendship with his captor, an escaped convict on the run from the law, while the search for him continues.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Kevin Costner, Clint Eastwood, Laura Dern, T.J. Lowther
Votes: 86,991 | Gross: $31.16M
8. A Bronx Tale (1993)
R | 121 min | Crime, Drama
An intense drama about a boy torn between his tough, hard-working father and a violent yet charismatic crime boss.
Director: Robert De Niro | Stars: Robert De Niro, Chazz Palminteri, Lillo Brancato, Francis Capra
Votes: 161,332 | Gross: $17.27M
Definitely *not* a waste of talent. Classic ~
9. Radio Flyer (1992)
PG-13 | 114 min | Drama
A father recounts a dark period of his childhood when he and his little brother lived in the suburbs.
Directors: Richard Donner, David Mickey Evans | Stars: Lorraine Bracco, John Heard, Adam Baldwin, Elijah Wood
Votes: 14,216 | Gross: $4.65M
Loved this movie growing up! Still moving.
10. Quiz Show (1994)
PG-13 | 133 min | Biography, Drama, History
A young lawyer, Richard Goodwin, investigates a potentially fixed game show. Charles Van Doren, a big time show winner, is under Goodwin's investigation.
Director: Robert Redford | Stars: Ralph Fiennes, John Turturro, Rob Morrow, Paul Scofield
Votes: 73,370 | Gross: $24.82M
11. Great Balls of Fire! (1989)
PG-13 | 108 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The life and career of wildly controversial rock 'n' roll star Jerry Lee Lewis.
Director: Jim McBride | Stars: Dennis Quaid, Winona Ryder, John Doe, Stephen Tobolowsky
Votes: 18,900 | Gross: $13.74M
12. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
PG | 104 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
When a cartoon rabbit is accused of murder, he enlists the help of a burnt out private investigator to prove his innocence.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Joanna Cassidy, Charles Fleischer
Votes: 216,997 | Gross: $156.45M
13. The Notebook (2004)
PG-13 | 123 min | Drama, Romance
An elderly man reads to a woman with dementia the story of two young lovers whose romance is threatened by the difference in their respective social classes.
Director: Nick Cassavetes | Stars: Gena Rowlands, James Garner, Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling
Votes: 620,751 | Gross: $81.00M
14. La Bamba (1987)
PG-13 | 108 min | Biography, Drama, Music
Biographical story of the rise from nowhere of early rock and roll singer Ritchie Valens who died at age 17 in a plane crash with Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper.
Director: Luis Valdez | Stars: Lou Diamond Phillips, Esai Morales, Rosanna DeSoto, Elizabeth Peña
Votes: 36,459 | Gross: $54.22M
15. That Thing You Do! (1996)
PG | 108 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
A local Pennsylvania band scores a one-hit wonder in 1964 and rides the star-making machinery as long as they can, with lots of help from their manager.
Director: Tom Hanks | Stars: Tom Hanks, Liv Tyler, Charlize Theron, Tom Everett Scott
Votes: 73,624 | Gross: $25.81M
16. Now and Then (1995)
PG-13 | 102 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Four 12-year-old girls grow up together during an eventful small-town summer in 1970.
Director: Lesli Linka Glatter | Stars: Christina Ricci, Demi Moore, Rosie O'Donnell, Thora Birch
Votes: 32,455 | Gross: $27.40M
17. Telling Lies in America (1997)
PG-13 | 101 min | Drama, Music
A loner befriends a local celebrity, Billy Magic, but he soon begins to tell lies in order to maintain the friendship and the newfound status.
Director: Guy Ferland | Stars: Kevin Bacon, Brad Renfro, Maximilian Schell, Calista Flockhart
Votes: 2,427 | Gross: $0.25M
18. The Cotton Club (1984)
R | 129 min | Crime, Drama, Music
Meet the jazz musicians, dancers, owner, and guests (like gangster Dutch Schultz) of The Cotton Club in 1928-1930s Harlem.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Richard Gere, Gregory Hines, Diane Lane, Lonette McKee
Votes: 19,561 | Gross: $25.93M
19. Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988)
PG | 110 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
The story of Preston Tucker, the maverick car designer and his ill-fated challenge to the auto industry with his revolutionary car concept.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Jeff Bridges, Joan Allen, Martin Landau, Frederic Forrest
Votes: 21,866 | Gross: $19.65M
20. Radio Days (1987)
PG | 88 min | Comedy
A nostalgic look at radio's golden age focusing on one ordinary family and the various performers in the medium.
Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Mia Farrow, Dianne Wiest, Mike Starr, Paul Herman
Votes: 36,352 | Gross: $14.79M
21. That Night (1992)
PG-13 | 89 min | Drama, Romance
Long Island, NY, summer 1961: Preteen Alice follows, from across the street, the glamorous love life of Sheryl, 17, with bowling alley Rick. A friendship develops as Alice helps Sheryl see Rick.
Director: Craig Bolotin | Stars: C. Thomas Howell, Juliette Lewis, Helen Shaver, Eliza Dushku
Votes: 3,166 | Gross: $0.02M
22. I.Q. (1994)
PG | 100 min | Comedy, Romance
A mechanic romances the mathematician niece of physicist Albert Einstein, with help from him and his friends.
Director: Fred Schepisi | Stars: Tim Robbins, Meg Ryan, Walter Matthau, Lou Jacobi
Votes: 26,642 | Gross: $26.37M
23. Corrina, Corrina (1994)
PG | 115 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
In 1959, a widower hires a kindly housekeeper/nanny to care for his seven-year-old daughter.
Director: Jessie Nelson | Stars: Ray Liotta, Whoopi Goldberg, Tina Majorino, Noreen Hennessey
Votes: 14,176 | Gross: $20.16M
24. This Boy's Life (1993)
R | 115 min | Biography, Drama
The story about the relationship between a rebellious 1950s teenager and his abusive stepfather, based on the memoirs of writer and literature Professor Tobias Wolff.
Director: Michael Caton-Jones | Stars: Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Barkin, Jonah Blechman
Votes: 58,381 | Gross: $4.10M
25. Inventing the Abbotts (1997)
R | 110 min | Drama, Romance
Two working class brothers court three wealthy and beautiful sisters in a small Illinois town.
Director: Pat O'Connor | Stars: Liv Tyler, Jennifer Connelly, Joaquin Phoenix, Billy Crudup
Votes: 14,026 | Gross: $5.94M
26. Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)
R | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A Black war hero is hired to find a mysterious woman, and gets mixed up in a murderous political scandal in 1948 Los Angeles.
Director: Carl Franklin | Stars: Denzel Washington, Tom Sizemore, Jennifer Beals, Don Cheadle
Votes: 24,272 | Gross: $16.03M
Killer film. Literally.
27. Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999 TV Movie)
R | 120 min | Biography, Drama, Music
Dorothy Dandridge's way to fame and fortune as a dancer, singer and actress.
Director: Martha Coolidge | Stars: Halle Berry, Brent Spiner, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Obba Babatundé
Votes: 3,922
28. The Five Heartbeats (1991)
R | 121 min | Drama, Music
The story of the rise and fall of an African American vocal group.
Director: Robert Townsend | Stars: Robert Townsend, Michael Wright, Leon, Harry Lennix
Votes: 4,902 | Gross: $8.75M
29. The Josephine Baker Story (1991 TV Movie)
R | 130 min | Biography, Drama, History
Born poor in St. Louis, Missouri, Josephine Baker achieved fame and fortune through her sizzlingly exotic, erotic performances. Starting life on the American Vaudeville circuit, success ... See full summary »
Director: Brian Gibson | Stars: Lynn Whitfield, Rubén Blades, David Dukes, Louis Gossett Jr.
Votes: 1,591
I want to note that this is mainly set in an earlier era of the 20s-30s but it does edge on the timeline I'm going for and I believe ends up in the 40s or so. Josephine Baker is a legend in her own right, how could I exclude her? Let alone the lovely Miss Halle Berry ~
30. Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1998)
R | 116 min | Biography, Drama, Music
Three women each claim to be the widow of 1950s doo-wop singer Frankie Lymon, claiming legal rights to his estate.
Director: Gregory Nava | Stars: Halle Berry, Vivica A. Fox, Lela Rochon, Larenz Tate
Votes: 4,550 | Gross: $12.41M
31. The Temptations (1998)
TV-PG | 88 min | Biography, Drama, Music
Biography of the singers who formed the hit Motown musical act, The Temptations.
Stars: Charles Malik Whitfield, D.B. Woodside, Terron Brooks, Christian Payton
Votes: 5,276
32. Little Richard (2000 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 120 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The story of Little Richard Penniman, from his poor Southern upbringing to dealing with the trials and tribulations of being a black singer in the 1950s, to his born-again phase and brief "retirement" from rock and roll.
Director: Robert Townsend | Stars: Leon, Jenifer Lewis, Carl Lumbly, Tamala Jones
Votes: 991
33. A Raisin in the Sun (2008 TV Movie)
PG-13 | 131 min | Drama
An African-American family struggles with poverty, racism, and inner conflict as they strive for a better way of life. Based on the play by Lorraine Hansberry.
Director: Kenny Leon | Stars: Sean 'Diddy' Combs, Sanaa Lathan, Audra McDonald, Phylicia Rashad
Votes: 2,145
LOL, I'm sorry - I've not seen this - I'm not sure that Sean "P-Diddy//Puff Daddy" Combs does this film justice or not. I saw the 1961 original and really loved it, well more like empathized with the frustration and was moved by the quality of the script, acting, and film production. Highly recommend the original. Because this was filmed in another era about this time period (1959) though, it counts and I've added it.
34. Eve's Bayou (1997)
R | 108 min | Drama
What did little Eve see--and how will it haunt her? Husband, father and womanizer Louis Batiste is the head of an affluent family, but it's the women who rule this gothic world of secrets, lies and mystic forces.
Director: Kasi Lemmons | Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Jurnee Smollett, Meagan Good, Lynn Whitfield
Votes: 11,621 | Gross: $14.82M
The subject matter of this movie is FkD up. Just a warning. But it is well-worth watching, at least once.
35. Mad Men (2007–2015)
TV-MA | 45 min | Drama
A drama about one of New York's most prestigious ad agencies at the beginning of the 1960s, focusing on one of the firm's most mysterious but extremely talented ad executives, Donald Draper.
Stars: Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, January Jones
Votes: 260,771
36. Fargo (2014–2024)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Various chronicles of deception, intrigue, and murder in and around frozen Minnesota. All of these tales mysteriously lead back one way or another to Fargo, North Dakota.
Stars: Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Freeman, Allison Tolman, Colin Hanks
Votes: 422,351
37. The Last Emperor (1987)
PG-13 | 163 min | Biography, Drama, History
Bernardo Bertolucci's Oscar-winning dramatisation of the life story of China's last emperor, Pu Yi.
Director: Bernardo Bertolucci | Stars: John Lone, Joan Chen, Peter O'Toole, Ruocheng Ying
Votes: 111,569 | Gross: $43.98M
38. The Godfather (1972)
R | 175 min | Crime, Drama
The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Diane Keaton
Votes: 2,014,351 | Gross: $134.97M
39. The Godfather Part II (1974)
R | 202 min | Crime, Drama
The early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York City is portrayed, while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on the family crime syndicate.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton
Votes: 1,365,245 | Gross: $57.30M
40. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
R | 142 min | Drama
Over the course of several years, two convicts form a friendship, seeking consolation and, eventually, redemption through basic compassion.
Director: Frank Darabont | Stars: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, William Sadler
Votes: 2,891,191 | Gross: $28.34M
41. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
PG-13 | 135 min | Biography, Drama, Mystery
A mathematical genius, John Nash made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a harrowing journey of self-discovery.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Christopher Plummer
Votes: 987,660 | Gross: $170.74M
42. Dead Poets Society (1989)
PG | 128 min | Comedy, Drama
Maverick teacher John Keating returns in 1959 to the prestigious New England boys' boarding school where he was once a star student, using poetry to embolden his pupils to new heights of self-expression.
Director: Peter Weir | Stars: Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke, Josh Charles
Votes: 546,799 | Gross: $95.86M
43. Catch Me If You Can (2002)
PG-13 | 141 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Barely 17 yet, Frank is a skilled forger who has passed as a doctor, lawyer and pilot. FBI agent Carl becomes obsessed with tracking down the con man, who only revels in the pursuit.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen
Votes: 1,096,775 | Gross: $164.62M
44. The Man in the Moon (1991)
PG-13 | 99 min | Drama, Romance
A coming of age story set in the south of the U.S. when Elvis was King.
Director: Robert Mulligan | Stars: Sam Waterston, Tess Harper, Gail Strickland, Reese Witherspoon
Votes: 18,480 | Gross: $2.85M
45. Pleasantville (1998)
PG-13 | 124 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Two 1990s teenage siblings find themselves transported to a 1950s sitcom where their influence begins to profoundly change that colorless, complacent world.
Director: Gary Ross | Stars: Tobey Maguire, Jeff Daniels, Joan Allen, William H. Macy
Votes: 136,378 | Gross: $40.57M
46. Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)
PG | 93 min | Biography, Drama, History
Broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow looks to bring down Senator Joseph McCarthy.
Director: George Clooney | Stars: David Strathairn, George Clooney, Patricia Clarkson, Jeff Daniels
Votes: 101,324 | Gross: $31.56M
47. Strike! (1998)
PG-13 | 97 min | Comedy
In the 1960s, a group of friends at an all girls school learn that their school is going to be combined with a nearby all boys school. They concoct a plan to save their school while dealing with everyday problems along the way.
Director: Sarah Kernochan | Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Lynn Redgrave, Gaby Hoffmann, Rachael Leigh Cook
Votes: 7,606 | Gross: $0.97M
48. Blast from the Past (1999)
PG-13 | 112 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A naive man comes out into the world after spending 35 years in a nuclear fallout shelter.
Director: Hugh Wilson | Stars: Brendan Fraser, Alicia Silverstone, Christopher Walken, Sissy Spacek
Votes: 71,784 | Gross: $26.49M
49. School Ties (1992)
PG-13 | 106 min | Drama
In 1959, a star quarterback from a working-class family is given an opportunity to attend an elite New England preparatory school, but he is conflicted about whether or not to tell his Evangelical classmates that he is Jewish.
Director: Robert Mandel | Stars: Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon, Chris O'Donnell, Randall Batinkoff
Votes: 27,413 | Gross: $14.72M
50. A League of Their Own (1992)
PG | 128 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
Two sisters join the first female professional baseball league and struggle to help it succeed amid their own growing rivalry.
Director: Penny Marshall | Stars: Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Madonna
Votes: 121,154 | Gross: $107.53M
Tell Your Friends