Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 100th Anniversary 1950s Movies
by urbanemovies | created - 2 weeks ago | updated - 4 days ago | PublicIn 2024, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) celebrates the 100th anniversary of its founding on April 17, 1924. MGM was formed by combining three existing studios: Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures and Louis B. Mayer Pictures into one major studio. Louis B. Mayer was tapped to lead the newly formed MGM, with 24-year-old wunderkind Irving Thalberg appointed as its head of production. MGM quickly established itself as one of Hollywood's most prestigious studios, known for the quality of their film offerings, their commercial success and for having "more stars than there are in heaven.".
Which of these select Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer* produced by and/or presented by films released between 1950 and 1959 is MGM's greatest accomplishment during this period?
* answer pool may include 1950s titles from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer aka MGM (1950-1959), MGM-British Studios (1950-1959), a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer subsidiary and MGM Cartoons, a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer division (1950-1957)
Discuss the topic here.
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1. North by Northwest (1959)
Approved | 136 min | Action, Adventure, Mystery
A 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.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, Jessie Royce Landis
Votes: 346,271 | Gross: $13.28M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
2. Singin' in the Rain (1952)
G | 103 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
A silent film star falls for a chorus girl just as he and his delusionally jealous screen partner are trying to make the difficult transition to talking pictures in 1920s Hollywood.
Directors: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly | Stars: Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen
Votes: 260,736 | Gross: $8.82M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
3. Ben-Hur (1959)
G | 212 min | Adventure, Drama
After a Jewish prince is betrayed and sent into slavery by a Roman friend in 1st-century Jerusalem, he regains his freedom and comes back for revenge.
Director: William Wyler | Stars: Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd, Haya Harareet
Votes: 253,715 | Gross: $74.70M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
4. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
Not Rated | 108 min | Drama
Brick is an alcoholic ex-football player who drinks his days away and resists the affections of his wife. A reunion with his terminal father jogs a host of memories and revelations for both father and son.
Director: Richard Brooks | Stars: Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, Burl Ives, Jack Carson
Votes: 53,431 | Gross: $17.57M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) co-production
5. Forbidden Planet (1956)
G | 98 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi
A starship crew in the 23rd century goes to investigate the silence of a distant planet's colony, only to find just two survivors, a powerful robot, and the deadly secret of a lost civilization.
Director: Fred M. Wilcox | Stars: Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen, Warren Stevens
Votes: 53,228 | Gross: $3.00M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
6. An American in Paris (1951)
Passed | 114 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
Three friends struggle to find work in Paris. Things become more complicated when two of them fall in love with the same woman.
Director: Vincente Minnelli | Stars: Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Oscar Levant, Georges Guétary
Votes: 36,893 | Gross: $4.50M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
7. The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
Passed | 112 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A major heist goes off as planned, but then double crosses, bad luck and solid police work cause everything to unravel.
Director: John Huston | Stars: Sterling Hayden, Louis Calhern, Jean Hagen, James Whitmore
Votes: 29,967
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
8. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)
Approved | 102 min | Musical, Romance, Western
When a backwoodsman in 1850s Oregon brings a wife home to his farm, his six brothers decide that they want to get married too.
Director: Stanley Donen | Stars: Jane Powell, Howard Keel, Jeff Richards, Russ Tamblyn
Votes: 27,107 | Gross: $9.40M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
9. Gigi (1958)
G | 115 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
Weary of the conventions of Parisian society, a rich playboy and a youthful courtesan-in-training enjoy a platonic friendship which may not stay platonic for long.
Directors: Vincente Minnelli, Charles Walters | Stars: Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jourdan, Hermione Gingold
Votes: 24,507
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) co-production
10. Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)
Passed | 81 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A one-armed stranger comes to a tiny town possessing a terrible past they want to keep secret, by violent means if necessary.
Director: John Sturges | Stars: Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Anne Francis, Dean Jagger
Votes: 24,267
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
11. High Society (1956)
Not Rated | 111 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
With socialite Tracy Lord about to remarry, her ex-husband - with the help of a sympathetic reporter - has 48 hours to convince her that she really still loves him.
Director: Charles Walters | Stars: Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Celeste Holm
Votes: 17,534 | Gross: $13.00M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) co-production
12. Quo Vadis (1951)
Not Rated | 171 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
After fierce Roman commander Marcus Vinicius becomes infatuated with beautiful Christian hostage Lygia, he begins to question the tyrannical leadership of the despotic emperor Nero.
Directors: Mervyn LeRoy, Anthony Mann | Stars: Robert Taylor, Deborah Kerr, Leo Genn, Peter Ustinov
Votes: 16,746 | Gross: $24.29M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
13. The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)
Passed | 118 min | Drama, Romance
An unscrupulous movie producer uses an actress, a director and a writer to achieve success.
Director: Vincente Minnelli | Stars: Lana Turner, Kirk Douglas, Walter Pidgeon, Dick Powell
Votes: 16,464
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
14. Julius Caesar (1953)
Not Rated | 120 min | Drama, History
The growing ambition of Julius Caesar is a source of major concern to his close friend Brutus. Cassius persuades him to participate in his plot to assassinate Caesar but they have both sorely underestimated Mark Antony.
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz | Stars: Louis Calhern, Marlon Brando, James Mason, John Gielgud
Votes: 12,885
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
15. The Naked Spur (1953)
Passed | 91 min | Drama, Thriller, Western
A bounty hunter trying to bring a murderer to justice is forced to accept the help of two less-than-trustworthy strangers.
Director: Anthony Mann | Stars: James Stewart, Janet Leigh, Robert Ryan, Ralph Meeker
Votes: 12,665
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
16. The Band Wagon (1953)
Passed | 112 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
A pretentiously artistic director is hired for a new Broadway musical and changes it beyond recognition.
Director: Vincente Minnelli | Stars: Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Oscar Levant, Nanette Fabray
Votes: 12,580
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
17. Father of the Bride (1950)
Not Rated | 92 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
The father of a young woman deals with the emotional pain of her getting married, along with the financial and organizational trouble of arranging the wedding.
Director: Vincente Minnelli | Stars: Spencer Tracy, Joan Bennett, Elizabeth Taylor, Don Taylor
Votes: 12,537 | Gross: $8.84M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
18. Lust for Life (1956)
Approved | 122 min | Biography, Drama
The life of brilliant but tortured artist Vincent van Gogh.
Directors: Vincente Minnelli, George Cukor | Stars: Kirk Douglas, Anthony Quinn, James Donald, Pamela Brown
Votes: 12,510 | Gross: $3.48M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
19. Ivanhoe (1952)
Approved | 106 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance
A knight seeks to free the captive King Richard and put him back on the throne.
Director: Richard Thorpe | Stars: Robert Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders
Votes: 10,231
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
20. Blackboard Jungle (1955)
Approved | 101 min | Crime, Drama
A new English teacher at a violent, unruly inner-city school is determined to do his job, despite resistance from both students and faculty.
Director: Richard Brooks | Stars: Glenn Ford, Anne Francis, Louis Calhern, Margaret Hayes
Votes: 9,884
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
21. Jailhouse Rock (1957)
Not Rated | 96 min | Drama, Music, Musical
After serving time for manslaughter, young Vince Everett becomes a teenage rock star.
Director: Richard Thorpe | Stars: Elvis Presley, Judy Tyler, Mickey Shaughnessy, Vaughn Taylor
Votes: 9,833 | Gross: $4.00M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) co-production
22. Brigadoon (1954)
Passed | 108 min | Fantasy, Musical, Romance
Two Americans on a hunting trip in Scotland become lost. They encounter a small village, not on the map, called Brigadoon, in which people harbor a mysterious secret, and behave as if they were still living two hundred years in the past.
Director: Vincente Minnelli | Stars: Gene Kelly, Van Johnson, Cyd Charisse, Elaine Stewart
Votes: 9,373
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
23. Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956)
Passed | 113 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Boxer Rocky Graziano's biopic, based on his autobiography, from childhood to his World Middleweight Championship title win at age 28 in 1947.
Director: Robert Wise | Stars: Paul Newman, Pier Angeli, Everett Sloane, Eileen Heckart
Votes: 9,023
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
24. Kiss Me Kate (1953)
Passed | 109 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
An ex-husband and wife team star in a musical version of 'The Taming of the Shrew'; off-stage, the production is troublesome with ex-lovers' quarrels and two gangsters looking for some money owed to them.
Director: George Sidney | Stars: Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, Ann Miller, Keenan Wynn
Votes: 6,812 | Gross: $4.38M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
25. Scaramouche (1952)
Approved | 115 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
In France during the late 18th Century, a man sets out to avenge the death of his friend at the hands of a master swordsman.
Director: George Sidney | Stars: Stewart Granger, Janet Leigh, Eleanor Parker, Mel Ferrer
Votes: 6,367
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
26. Pat and Mike (1952)
Not Rated | 95 min | Comedy, Romance, Sport
Pat is a women's sports sensation unless her fiancé is around. Her new shady manager Mike keeps them apart and develops feelings for her.
Director: George Cukor | Stars: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Aldo Ray, William Ching
Votes: 6,163
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
27. Show Boat (1951)
Approved | 108 min | Drama, Family, Musical
The daughter of a riverboat captain falls in love with a charming gambler, but their fairy tale romance is threatened after his luck turns sour.
Director: George Sidney | Stars: Kathryn Grayson, Ava Gardner, Howard Keel, Joe E. Brown
Votes: 5,382
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
28. Annie Get Your Gun (1950)
Passed | 107 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
The story of the great sharpshooter Annie Oakley, who rose to fame while dealing with her love/professional rival, Frank Butler.
Directors: George Sidney, Busby Berkeley | Stars: Betty Hutton, Howard Keel, Louis Calhern, J. Carrol Naish
Votes: 5,277 | Gross: $8.00M
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
29. The Red Badge of Courage (1951)
Passed | 69 min | Drama, War
Truncated adaptation of Stephen Crane's novel about a Civil War Union soldier who stuggles to find the courage to fight in the heat of battle.
Director: John Huston | Stars: Audie Murphy, Bill Mauldin, Douglas Dick, Royal Dano
Votes: 4,839
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
30. Summer Stock (1950)
Approved | 108 min | Musical, Romance
A small-town farmer, down on her luck, finds her homestead invaded by a theatrical troupe invited to stay by her ne'er-do-well sister.
Director: Charles Walters | Stars: Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Eddie Bracken, Gloria DeHaven
Votes: 4,809
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
31. The Catered Affair (1956)
Approved | 94 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
When Jane tells her parents that she is getting married to Ralph Halloran, her mother Agnes starts planning an elaborate wedding, even though Jane does not wish it.
Director: Richard Brooks | Stars: Bette Davis, Ernest Borgnine, Debbie Reynolds, Barry Fitzgerald
Votes: 3,827
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
32. Westward the Women (1951)
Passed | 118 min | Adventure, Drama, Western
A trail guide escorts a group of women from Chicago to California to marry men that have recently begun settling there.
Director: William A. Wellman | Stars: Robert Taylor, Denise Darcel, Hope Emerson, John McIntire
Votes: 3,803
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
33. Executive Suite (1954)
Passed | 104 min | Drama, Romance
When the head of a large manufacturing firm dies suddenly from a stroke, his vice presidents vie to see who will replace him.
Director: Robert Wise | Stars: William Holden, Barbara Stanwyck, June Allyson, Fredric March
Votes: 4,587
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
34. Angels in the Outfield (1951)
Passed | 99 min | Comedy, Family, Fantasy
The Pittsburgh Pirates' brash and abusive manager receives the help of an angel to win games and become a better person in the process.
Director: Clarence Brown | Stars: Paul Douglas, Janet Leigh, Keenan Wynn, Donna Corcoran
Votes: 2,971
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production
35. Stars in My Crown (1950)
Approved | 89 min | Family, Western
In 1865, the small Southern town of Walsburg has become so dangerous that Parson Josiah Doziah Gray gives his sermons while holding a gun.
Director: Jacques Tourneur | Stars: Joel McCrea, Ellen Drew, Dean Stockwell, Alan Hale
Votes: 2,503
Another 1950s Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Production Not Listed
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's (MGM) Stars in My Crown (as the pictured example)
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