By Raquel Stecher
1945 was an important year in history: the final battles of World War II, the liberation of the concentration camps, the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the start of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s fourth term followed months later by his death, etc.
In Hollywood, the actors and directors who served their country overseas were coming back to work and ready to make movies again. The films they made both celebrated and grappled with postwar life in direct and indirect ways. It was a great year for movie-making, as the industry was still a few years away from the proliferation of home television and the inevitable decline in business as a result.
Musicals were still in fashion, Technicolor was all the rage, and the new style of crime drama filmmaking, later referred to as film noir, was making its mark. It was a great year for some great movies. Here are some of my favorite films from 1945, plus a whole bunch more that are available to rent on DVD Netflix.
Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
This is one of my favorite movies of all-time and, although it’s become a part of my annual Christmas movie-watching ritual, I can watch it at any time of the year. This Warner Bros. film stars Barbara Stanwyck as Elizabeth Lane, a Martha Stewart-like journalist who writes elaborate recipes and stories about her Connecticut home. But really, it’s all fiction as Elizabeth is really a city girl. When her boss Alexander Yardley (Sydney Greenstreet) wants to bring war hero Jefferson Jones (Dennis Morgan) to her place for Christmas, she has to develop a ruse to fool everyone. My favorite member of the cast is S.Z. Sakall who plays Felix Bassenak, the loveable restaurateur who helps her with the ruse and prevents her from making a major life mistake. The 1992 remake starring Dyan Cannon and Kris Kristofferson is also available to rent.
Mildred Pierce (1945)
Directed by Michael Curtiz for Warner Bros, Mildred Pierce was Joan Crawford’s comeback role. And what a comeback it was! This film noir follows the saga of Mildred Pierce, a housewife who suffers a great tragedy and the dissolution of her marriage. She transforms herself into a strong, independent businesswoman. Her daughter Veda (Ann Blyth) wants nothing to do with her mom’s new lifestyle and the two butt heads as they both vie for the same man. One of the film’s iconic moments is the slap heard ‘round the world. Crawford and Blyth’s performances breathe passion into the toxic relationship between Mildred and Veda. Crawford won an Academy Award for Best Actress (tied with Ingrid Bergman), which she accepted bedside while she was supposedly convalescing. Mildred Pierce was remade in 2011 as an HBO miniseries starring Kate Winslet and is also available to rent.
The Lost Weekend (1945)
This poignant drama about the realities of alcoholism will gut you. Directed by Billy Wilder, The Lost Weekend stars Ray Milland as tortured writer Don Birnam. He plans on a having a dry weekend, but a chance encounter with some money and access to a nearby bar sends him on a bender. Jane Wyman plays Helen, Don’s long-suffering girlfriend. The film is gripping, powerful, and will make you think twice about having that second drink. The Lost Weekend won four Oscars at the Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Actor in a Leading Role.
Leave Her to Heaven (1945)
When I think of femme fatales, the first person I think of is Gene Tierney as Ellen Berent Harland in Leave Her to Heaven (1945). That iconic shot of Tierney on the boat, with her white trim cat-eye sunglasses and an emotionless expression on her face as she waits for her young brother-in-law Danny (Darryl Hickman) to drown sends shivers up my spine every time. Her other victims include her husband, the novelist Richard Harland (Cornel Wilde), her ex-fiancee Russell (Vincent Price), and her adoptive sister Ruth Berent (Jeanne Crain). Shot in glorious Technicolor, this is a fascinating crime drama and one of the best films 20th Century Fox produced during that decade.
Anchors Aweigh (1945)
This MGM Technicolor musical is pure confection. It’s the first in a trio of films Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra made together (the other two are On the Town (1949) and Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949)). Professional dancer Kelly’s star was on the rise and in the mid-1940s, Sinatra was a musical sensation. The story follows two sailors on leave in Hollywood when they meet Susan (Kathryn Grayson), a singer who dreams of making it big. Kelly did all the choreography himself and the movie features an iconic dance sequence with Kelly and Jerry the Mouse.
The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945)
Sequels usually don’t live up to the originals, but that’s not the case with The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945). Audiences first met Father O’Malley, played by Bing Crosby, in Going My Way (1944). In The Bells of St. Mary’s, he returns as the new priest in charge of a parish/inner-city Catholic school also run by Sister Mary Benedict (Ingrid Bergman). Henry Travers, best known for his role in It’s a Wonderful Life, plays the businessman who can’t help but take pity on the plight of the school which is in danger of shutting down. This is a sweet heartwarming film (with a slightly saucy side plot) and based on a true story. It was the top grossing film of the year and earned Ingrid Bergman a Best Actress Academy Award (tied with Joan Crawford).
Detour (1945)
This low-budget film noir is one of the grittiest and most captivating ever made. Tom Neal plays Al Roberts, a piano player who hitchhikes to California in search of his girlfriend who abandoned him for Hollywood. Along the way, he hitches a ride with a bookie who winds up dead and he picks up another hitchhiker Vera (Ann Savage). Al takes on the bookie’s identity, but once Vera catches on, the two lowlives realize they’ve met their match. Detour is a perfect example that you don’t need a big budget or a big studio to make a good crime drama. Tom Neal is a problematic figure in his own right with a record of spousal abuse, battery, and murder under his belt. His son Patrick Neal went on to play his dad’s role in a 1992 remake of the film.
Hangover Square (1945)
Hangover Square is a film noir that doesn’t get enough love in my honest opinion. Set in the Edwardian era, it follows the story of George Harvey Bone (Laird Cregar), a composer who suffers from psychotic episodes that sends him into murderous rages. While his friends try to get him help by way of a psychiatrist (played by George Sanders), George falls into the snare of Netta (Linda Darnell) a beautiful lounge singer who will forever be out of his reach. His downward spiral leads to an explosive finale that must be seen to be believed! The film features an amazing score by composer Bernard Herrmann. The role of George Harvey Bone was Cregar’s final performance. He died in 1944 at the age of 31.
Raquel Stecher has been writing about classic films for the past decade on her blog Out of the Past. She attends the TCM Classic Film Festival as well as other events where old movie fanatics get together to geek out. Raquel has been a devoted DVD Netflix member since 2002! Follow her on her blog Out of the Past or find her on Twitter @RaquelStecher and @ClassicFilmRead, Facebook, and Instagram.