Did You Know?!: Classic Movies

In the October edition of "Did You Know?" Sales and Leasing Consultant, Tim H., takes a look at one of the most memorable years for the film industry: 1939. Enjoy!

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Film historians consider 1939 to be the greatest year in cinema since it had the most classic movies and blockbuster hits released. The two most famous films from 1939 are Gone With The Wind and The Wizard of Oz. 

Did you know that seven generations of families have seen these two movies?

Those who were born in 1875 were 64 years old when these classic films first premiered. My mom was actually 9 years old when she first saw these films and now she is getting ready to celebrate her 84th birthday.

Other classic films that were released in 1939 include:

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - starring Mickey Rooney

Beau Geste - starring Gary Cooper

Destry Rides Again - starring James Stewart

Dodge City - starring Errol Flynn

Golden Boy - starring William Holden

Goodbye, Mr. Chips - starring Robert Donat

Gulliver's Travels - cartoon movie

The Hound of the Baskervilles - the first Sherlock Holmes film

The Hunchback of Notre Dame - starring Maureen O'Hara

Jesse James - starring Tyrone Power

Mr. Smith Goes To Washington - starring James Stewart

Son of Frankenstein - Boris Karloff

Union Pacific - starring Joel McCrea

Stage Coach - starring John Wayne

There were also several film series that were popular in 1939:

Andy Hardy - starring Mickey Rooney
Blondie - starring Penny Singleton
Charlie Chan - starring Warner Oland 
Dr. Kildare - starring Lew Ayers
Nancy Drew - starring Bonita Granville
The Saint - starring George Sanders 
Tarzan - starring Johnny Weismuller
The Thin Man - starring William Powell

Flash forward 75 years and Hollywood is still making movies about Jesse James, Sherlock Holmes and Frankenstein. Stage Coach has been remade twice, while Beau Geste, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Destry Rides Again have been remade once. The Turner Classic Movie channel still plays many of these original movies today.

Did you know that the movie Love Affair, originally released in 1939, was loosely remade in 1957 as An Affair to Remember (starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr), then again in 1993 as Sleepless In Seattle (starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan), and again in 1994 as Love Affair (starring Waren Beatty and Annette Benning)?

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Stay tuned for next month's edition...