Defining Films of the Decades - The 40's

Here is Part 2 in this 8-part series:

Runners Up

The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
Henry Fonda’s moving portrayal as beaten but not bowed Tom Joad reflected the plight of millions of Americans in the forties who were still suffering the effects of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl.

Citizen Kane (1941)

Quite simply, a textbook for modern, expressionistic filmmaking. Director Orson Welles innovative work in cinematography (including his use of deep focus and low angle and crane shots) was daringly bold, as there was no way to know what critics and audiences would make of it. Welles broke similar ground in the art of film editing (using it to compress time) and sound mixing (as a way to provide continuity and demonstrate contrast.) The end result was a film of unmatched technical achievement that presented its characters and story in ways audiences had never experienced prior.

Double Indemnity (1944)

Billy Wilder’s classic was one of the most critically acclaimed and influential of the film noir (“dark film”) genre that turned the movie industry on its ear by challenging Hollywood's Production Code and presenting stories that explored murder, sex, adultery, and other elements of society that until that time, had either been romanticized or ignored by filmmakers.

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

This movie’s theme and storyline has been borrowed for dozens of subsequent films (Mr. Destiny, The Family Man, Click) and TV shows (episodes of Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Cheers, Married With Children, and Moonlighting) and it’s been a beloved holiday classic for decades.

THE Defining Film of the 1940's:

Casablanca (1942)
One of the most overrated films of all time that’s still somehow left an indelible impression on our popular culture -- in part due to Humphrey Bogart’s iconic characterization of boozy, cynical club owner Rick Blaine; the classic Herman Hupfeld composition “As Time Goes By”; and the film’s enduring quotability (“Of all the gin joints…”, “Here’s looking at you kid”, “This looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship”, etc.)

Related Posts:

Defining Films of the Decades - The 60's

Defining Films of the Decades - The 50's

Defining Films of the Decades - The 30's

Family Guy's Funniest Pop Culture References

One of the things that makes Family Guy so great are the hilarious references to other TV shows, classic movies, hit songs, TV commercials, toys, games and other pop culture phenomena.

Whether they're imagining Optimus Prime as a Jew, the dad from Eight is Enough as an abusive father, or Stewie rocking out to Scandal's "The Warrior" in his own iPod commercial, Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane and his writing team consistently come up with the most creative parodies and send ups ever. That being said, here are some of Family Guy's funniest pop culture references.

Meg dates The Count from Sesame Street.

Darth Vader is a meter maid and is having a very bad day.

Peter stumbles upon a different type of Breakfast Club

Peter creates his own sitcom with an intro reminiscent of Laverne & Shirley, Family Ties, Three's Company, Bosom Buddies, and more.

Chris wanders into a-ha's "Take On Me" video.

Why ghosts choose Jennifer Love Hewitt to be their whisperer.

Peter joins The Electric Company.

Defining Films of the Decades - The 30's

Was listening to Bill Simmons' podcast recently, as he spoke with writer/reporter Chris Connelly. The two were debating what they believed to be "the defining film of this decade", with the criteria being excellence, re-watchability, and creativity. Simmons mentioned Almost Famous -- which is positively ridiculous. Think about it, the defining movie of this decade is set in the 1970's?...  

I'm hereby adding new criteria to the mix -- to "define" a decade, a film needs to be in some way inherently "in and of" that particular decade. In some way, it needs to reveal or reflect the decade's current events, social issues, trends, tastes, mores, creative sensibilities or significant artistic styles. Don't get me wrong, I'm not specifically excluding historical dramas, period pieces, or any other films, but come on... a decade's "defining" film should have qualities that identify or represent the prevailing nature, qualities and characteristics of that decade (or at least the prevailing nature, qualities and characteristics of filmmaking during that decade.)

With this in mind, I'm starting a new series with my own list of the defining films of the decades, beginning with the 1930's.

Runners Up 

King Kong (1933) 

The giant ape on top of the Empire State Building is one of the most enduring film images in all of early cinema. King Kong pioneered the use of special effects (including miniatures, rear projection, and the stop-motion animation) that would eventually evolve into today’s CGI and dazzled audiences in the process. The film was also one of the very first to feature a completely original score.

Top Hat (1935) 

The 30's were the golden age of the grand Hollywood musical. Top Hat was the classiest of these and introduced the song "Cheek to Cheek" by legendary composer Irving Berlin. 

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) 

Taking a stand against government corruption and bureaucracy, Jimmy Stewart, as in many of his films, was the personification of the 1930's everyman. 

Gone With the Wind (1939) 

When you adjust for inflation, remarkably, this 70 year old epic is still the highest grossing movie of all time. 

THE Defining Film of the 1930's:

The Wizard of Oz (1939) 

A nearly perfect film in every respect, from the casting, to the costumes, to the score, and it’s lasting moral –- no matter where you go in life, there’s no place like home. 

Related Posts:

Defining Films of the Decades - The 60's 

Defining Films of the Decades - The 50's 

Defining Films of the Decades - The 40's

"The Ultimate 80's Movie Quiz"

Sorry I've been away from the blog so long, but in my defense, it was my first lapse in over six months. Anyway, now that I'm back, prepare to take the Ultimate 80's Movie Quiz! 

A word of warning, this Q&A is not for the faint of heart. None of these questions are easy, so unless you've seen the movie in question multiple times, you're gonna have a tough time. And while some of the answers can be found by Googling, for others, the internet won't help you at all. Lastly, for questions marked with an asterisk, the answer can be found somewhere in a post on this blog (browse the site or use the search tool if you like.) Good luck! And now:

The Pop Culture Fiend's Ultimate 80's Movie Quiz

1. What high school do the guys in Porky’s attend?

A) Jefferson High

B) Cocoa Beach High

C) Rydell High

D) Angel Beach High

2. While presenting at the Oscars, actress Kim Basinger scolded the Academy for failing to nominate this 1989 film for Best Picture:

A) Driving Miss Daisy

B) Batman

C) Do the Right Thing
D) Field of Dreams

3. Which co-star of The Legend of Billie Jean is best known for voice characterizations on a popular animated TV series?

4. “Two dollars!” is a line repeated in which 1985 teen comedy?

5. “The Sorels” are a fictional singing group in this movie:*

A) Streets of Fire

B) Eddie and the Cruisers

C) Grease 2

D) The Blues Brothers

6. In All the Right Moves, Brian (Christopher Penn) gets a scholarship to play football at what college?

7. This guitarist in a popular 80's band had a cameo delivering a singing telegram in a 1986 comedy. Name the guitarist and the movie.

8. Laurence Fishbourne plays the same character in the movie Hoodlum as he does in this 1984 film.

9. On the TV show Chuck, Tony Hale plays the Buy More’s efficiency expert Emmett Milbarge, which is a mash-up of two characters’ names from this 1985 film.*

10. Complete these character pairings from Top Gun:

Maverick and __________ 

Iceman and ____________ 

__________ and Wolfman

11. In Die Hard, what does Chief Robinson (Paul Gleason) say after the two Agent Johnsons’ helicopter is shot down?

12. In Back to School, Thornton Mellon (Rodney Dangerfield) recites a poem by this author:

A) Dylan Thomas

B) Longfellow

C) Robert Frost

D) Kurt Vonnegut

13. This film featured Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez and Meg Tilly and was based on a book by S.E. Hinton.*

14. This mid-80s film had the same title as a Beatles song and starred Keanu Reeves:

A) "Can't Buy Me Love"

B) "I Wanna Hold Your Hand"

C) "Lovely Rita"

D) "The Night Before"

15. This actress was originally cast as Vicki Vale in Tim Burton’s Batman, then later feuded with the director when she was passed over for the role of Catwoman in the sequel.

16. At the beginning of Back to the Future, this rocker has a cameo as the faculty member that rejects Marty’s band because they’re “too darn loud.”

A) David Bowie

B) Huey Lewis

C) Sting

D) Ringo Starr

17. “Isn't that just like a wop?... Brings a knife to a gun fight.” is a line from this 80's gangster film:

A) The Untouchables

B) Prizzi's Honor

C) Once Upon a Time in America

D) Scarface

18. This film was the first theatrical release from Tri-Star Pictures.*

19. What 80's film starring Carl Weathers was also the name of a popular action figure from the 1970s?

20. In Caddyshack, Ty (Chevy Chase) tells Danny he had a college roommate named:

A) Mitch Cumstein

B) Mike Hunt

C) Dick Hertz

D) Spalding

21. In On Golden Pond, what’s the name of the fish Norman Thayer (Henry Fonda) has been trying to catch for years?

22. In A Fish Called Wanda, Wanda (Jamie Lee Curtis) can’t resist when Otto (Kevin Kline) speaks this language:

A) French 

B) Italian

C) Spanish 

D) Portuguese 

23. In The Natural, what team does Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) play for?*

24. The forgotten 1981 film Neighbors features John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd and what other Saturday Night Live alumnus?

A) Tim Kazurinsky

B) Kevin Nealon

C) Jane Curtin

D) Julia Louis-Dreyfus

25. The "Duke of New York" is a character in this film:

A) The Pope of Greenwich Village

B) Escape from New York

C) Wall Street

D) Desperately Seeking Susan

26. In The Naked Gun, what’s the name of the opera singer Frank Drebbin (Leslie Neilsen) impersonates?

27. Curiously, this martial artist had one of their first onscreen roles in a 1984 breakdancing movie:*

A) Steven Seagal

B) Cynthia Rothrock

C) Jean Claude Van Damme

D) Chuck Norris

28. This 80's comedy was remade years later with the title Love Don’t Cost a Thing.

29. In Diner, Boogie (Mickey Rourke) makes a bet he can get his date to "touch his pecker” in the movie theater. What’s his date’s name and what movie are they watching?

30. In Ferris Beuller’s Day Off, this Buffy the Vampire Slayer actress plays a student who explains to the teacher (Ben Stein) why Ferris is absent.

A) Charisma Carpenter

B) Kristy Swanson

C) Alyson Hannigan

D) Eliza Dushku

31. What was so unusual about the zebra ridden by Tanya Roberts in 1984's Sheena?

32. In Youngblood, how many hockey goals did Dean Youngblood (Rob Lowe) supposedly score in the junior leagues?

33. In Airplane, after someone declares, “The fog is getting thicker," what is Johnny's (Stephen Stucker's) response?

34. List all of the James Bond movies released in the 1980's.

35. In A Christmas Story, what does the secret Little Orphan Annie message turn out to be?

36. In No Way Out, Kevin Costner's character Tom Farrell is actually a Russian operative named ______________.

37. In 48 Hours, what Police song does Reggie (Eddie Murphy) sing in his jail cell?

A) "Every Breath You Take"

B) "Don't Stand So Close To Me"

C) "Message in a Bottle"

D) "Roxanne"

38. In the early 80s this tough guy actor came out of 20+ year retirement to play his final role as a police commissioner in the film Ragtime. 

39. The 1985 film Visionquest featured this #1 hit by Madonna.

40. What's the name of the male stripper in Bachelor Party?

Al Franken Wins Senate Seat (Finally)

I missed a lot of news over the past week or so, including the fact that the Minnesota Senatorial race was finally decided. (Are you kidding -- it took eight months to settle this thing?!... Only in America.) 

Anyway, for those who weren't aware, they've been trying to figure out who won this Senate seat since way back on election day in November. Turns out, it was one of the closest elections in the history of American politics, with less than 300 votes finally separating the two candidates. Then there were recounts, and protests, and more recounts, and then it went to the courts and now, finally, your newest United States Senator is... former Saturday Night Live writer and cast member Al Franken... 

Who?... 

Exactly... I barely remember this guy from SNL but I dug into the Pop Culture Fiend Archives and found this clip from 1988 that refreshed my memory. In it, Franken plays televangelist Pat Robertson -- ironically enough, at a time when Robertson himself was running for office.