Watch 5 classic movies I've never seen

One summer, several years ago, my cousin Jeni and I watched as many classic films as we could get our hands on. I say several years ago because several is an ambiguous word. I used an ambiguous word because I can’t remember exactly what summer it was. It was a summer when we were both living at home, and I’m pretty sure I was finished with college. That would make it, most likely, the summer of 2003. (I’m a little perturbed that I’m getting old enough for these things to have gotten so fuzzy in my memory).

Jeni and I would rent a video from a local video store that had a variety of old films. This was before Netflix or Redbox. Blockbusters were still open. A couple of times a week, we would meet at her parents’ house to watch together. We started with the most famous films like Casablanca, An Affair to Remember, Some Like It Hot, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. We looked for films with Cary Grant (a favorite of ours), Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn, Katherine Hepburn, Deborah Kerr, and Paul Newman (swoon). 

I loved watching these movies and have seen many since that summer with Jeni. I decided this year to continue growing my repertoire of classic films. I searched my channels for movies to record on my DVR. The movies I found aren’t extraordinarily famous, but they were gems nonetheless.

1. Small Town Girl - 1936 A man and a woman, after drinking a little too much, accidentally become married. They agree to pretend to stay married for 6 months then get a quiet divorce. Over the course of the 6 months, however, they fall in love.

2. I Could Go on Singing -1963 Judy Garland plays a famous singer who had an illegitimate son when she was younger. The boy was raised by his father, but they come in contact with one another some 13 years later.

3. The Philadelphia story -1940 Katherine Hepburn is a socialite who is about to marry when her ex-husband comes to visit with a tabloid reporter.

4. Move Over, Darling -1963 Doris Day is a woman who is stranded on a desert island for 5 years. She returns to find her husband (James Garner…hubba hubba) is having her declared legally dead so he can remarry. She meets her daughter for the first time and fights for her husband.

5. Listen, Darling -1938 A much younger Judy Garland is a teenager whose widowed mother is planning to marry a man no one likes just to support their family. Judy, her boyfriend, and her little brother, kidnap their mother in their travel trailer and hit the road to keep her from marrying. Along the way, in a campground, they meet someone they believe would be a better fit for their mother.

After watching dozens of classic films over the past 10 years, I’ve compiled a list of my favorites. If you love romance, handsome, chivalrous men, beautiful clothes, and intelligent dialogue, you should watch them!

My All Time Favorites

1. An Affair to Remember (Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr)

2. Sabrina (Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn)

3. Desk Set (Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy)

4. How to Marry a Millionaire (Marilyn Monroe)

5. The Long, Hot Summer (Paul Newman)

6. Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Audrey Hepburn)

7. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Marilyn Monroe)

8. The Philadelphia Story (Katherine Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant)

9. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Paul Newman, Elizabeth Taylor)

10. The Sound of Music (Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer)

Happy Watching!