Top 10 Underrated Classic Movies of 1946

[@noneofurbusiness5223]

Loved Clifton Webb in Laura. Its noir, but no violence.

[@Angelo_Manuel]

Pretty great compilation. I need to add The Snow of Kilimanjaro with Peck, Gardner and Hayworth. After all was the second big moneymaker of 1952. Cheers 🥂

[@robertwalker5521]

Hayward?

[@Prince.15306]

Canyon Passage (1946) is one of my favourite Western movies of all time. I absolutely enjoyed this film, I’ve watched this film like a 100 times in my whole life wow just never ever gets boring. If you like beautiful towns or mountain then this film is for you. The Cast All the Actors and Actress are wonderful especially Hoagy Carmichael, Dana Andrews, Susan Hayward, Brian Donlevy, Ward Bond, and Andy Devine are Awesome. This film NEVER EVER gets old I can watch this film every weekend, One thing I LOVED about this film is the soundtrack, Hoagy Carmichael was a wonderful singer I love the Ole Mutter Sky and Silver Saddle song what a fantastic film I’m giving this film 10/10 credit.

[@dab505279]

Great video. And I know this took a lot of work on your part and it's obvious you know your stuff. I'm going to write all of these down and do my best to watch them. Much respect to you from Larry.

[@randyacuna5643]

I don't know how many movies are released in 1946 but I do know that you could pick so many for a overlooked top 10. Your list has great movies that I would not called underrated but popular such as the stranger. Many had Oscar nominations.

[@classiccinema9490]

Yes thats true. Was really hard to pick 10. What I mean by overrated is that usually these movies get pushed by the wayside in favor of the more well-known by the general public. But it doesn't mean they are not great movies.

[@randyacuna5643]

@@classiccinema9490 then pick movies from PRC or Monogram or Republic, those would qualify as overlooked movies. Many of these film are not too bad. Instead you still pick excellent movies.

[@audreydaleski1067]

I remember dual in the sun, watching it as a younger preteen.

[@fabiengerard8142]

Me too, still on a b&w TV….and the final sequence was just overwhelming all the same!

[@lynxoffinland]

I jsut watched "The Black Mirror", and got to admire the acting work done there!

[@classiccinema9490]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@robertamartinez152]

loved it! great recommendations!!

[@classiccinema9490]

Gracias, mi amor! ❤

[@leoinsf]

Ah, Burt Lancaster! Did he make any movie that didn't become great because of him? This quiet actor who transformed every movie he made because of his presence!

[@classiccinema9490]

One of my favorite actors of all time!

[@mockmonkey1]

"Green for Danger" is a wonderful movie with a twist ending.

[@classiccinema9490]

Totally agree! Very underrated.

[@noneofurbusiness5223]

When you mentioned Dragnet I thought of the comedy remake 😅

[@classiccinema9490]

😂 A classic for sure!

[@ashroskell]

BTW, I should have thanked you for your efforts, as you were so right about Green For Danger, for instance, which I found a full copy of here on KZbin. Everything you said about it was spot on. Alister Sim’s narration, describing himself as being, “idiotically pleased with myself,” as he spins around on a hospital stool, actually made me lol. He’s so great in this and makes the movie. Thanks so much for these recommendations.

[@classiccinema9490]

You're welcome! Thanks for watching and your comments.

[@noneofurbusiness5223]

@ ashroskell I'll have to check that out 😊

[@michelleyoung731]

Green for danger was very entertaining and had charming performances. I just love these classic movies, especially film noir.

[@xbubblehead]

I enjoyed recognizing the faces of actors who were integral to the motion pictures of the time but have faded with time except for us older fans. Van Heflin, William Bendix, and John Garfield always delivered.

[@mlbrooks4066]

William Conrad from The Killers was also the narrator of all the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons.

[@richardcutts196]

He also played Mat Dillion on the radio version of Gunsmoke and Cannon in the tv show of the same name in the 70's.

[@hiramnoone]

"Green for Danger" is the most obscure and thus surprising among your picks. It's everything you say it is, and Sim's quirky detective is superb. A presage of Peter Faulk's Columbo.

[@classiccinema9490]

Sims was phenomenal.

[@audreydaleski1067]

We don't consider movies to be underrated. They are loved movies, great.

[@ashroskell]

Some of them, remain famous among film buffs to this day. While some of them, like Green For Danger, are somewhat obscure these days and pretty unknown, even by fans of old classics, like me. So, while you make a good point, there will be lots of young film goers who will be delighted to discover many of these titles for the first time. As none of the films on this list will be among the first that people mention when they talk of classics from the western or noir eras, this type of list is well worth making and raising people’s awareness of. You can find several of them here on KZbin, but they are often buried in rather indiscriminate collections from which it would be hard to pick out the diamonds from among all that dross.

[@classiccinema9490]

@@ashroskell Thank you, very well said. That is what I am trying to do with this channel.

[@ashroskell]

@@classiccinema9490 : Tis a worthy artistic endeavour, sir. I applaud and support it, 100%.

[@mchapman132]

I’ve seen all of them. Fabulous films.

[@marstondavis]

The Killers is timeless. It's a great flick.

[@mlbrooks4066]

Very young Richard Long in support roles in both Dark Mirror and The Stranger (at 29:05). He went on to Ma and Pa Kettle films, then TV in many shows, most notably 77 Sunset Strip and The Big Valley.

[@GladysAlicea]

Barbara Stanwyck played the Grand Mama, head of the family in "The Big Valley." She looked beautiful with silver hair. Long was easy on the eyes, too. They don't make tv series or movies like they once dd; no substitute for greatness. Wow.

[@RanBlakePiano]

Especially good in Tomorrow is forever with surprise quiet performence by Orson W

[@slc2466]

Loved your ". . .it's fun and entertaining, which is what a movie should be" comment regarding "Duel in the Sun." Completely agree, concerning "Duel" and many other classics that are deemed of lesser importance than some more highly-regarded films, but take a backseat to none of them as far as entertainment value goes.

[@classiccinema9490]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. Hollywood seems to have forgotten that lately. Too many self-important films.

[@slc2466]

@@classiccinema9490 Yep, I'll take the entertainment films over many a Best Picture Oscar winner (both in the classic era and now). Also, you mentioned your girlfriend hasn't seen a lot of classics. I'd highly recommend watching "The Shop Around the Corner" with her during Christmastime if you haven't- it's my favorite Christmas movie and one of the great movies period, IMO.

[@classiccinema9490]

@@slc2466 Thanks! I will add that to the list!

[@slc2466]

@@classiccinema9490 I've never had someone dislike "Corner," and I've shown it to anyone I know with a pulse. I think it has James Stewart's best performance and I would've given him the Oscar that year for this over his excellent winning performance in "The Philadelphia Story." The rest of the cast, direction, script, etc. is also perfection. Also, I think it's great at the beginning of your videos you mention some films you feel were higher-profile. This gives viewers a chance to understand your viewpoint regarding some of the top films of the year, before you go into your list.

[@kennethhorney7614]

Very good my friend!

[@classiccinema9490]

Many thanks!!

[@TheTerryGene]

The Blue Dahlia was not the only screenplay written by Raymond Chandler: he also co-wrote the screenplay of the Hitchcock classic Strangers on a Train and Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity.

[@TheSaltydog07]

Don't forget Chandler and Billy Wilder adapted James M. Cain's book, "Double Indemnity," which garnered seven Oscar nominations.

[@classiccinema9490]

Yes, thank you for the correction. I missed that one.

[@noneofurbusiness5223]

@TheT . . . Strangers on a Train excellent movie

[@kitkeller5831]

What a great post! It's good to see respect paid to both "Green for Danger" and Susan Hayward.

[@TheTerryGene]

Brit films don’t often get the recognition they deserve on this side of the pond. Green for Danger is wonderful, as is Cottage to Let (also with Alastair Sim).

[@janzamojski5051]

"Canyon Passage" has been released on blu-ray by Kino Lorber and looks absolutely stunning. Such a wonderfully layered and surprisingly subtle film in many ways.

[@classiccinema9490]

I need to get that one. It was well ahead of its time.

[@Michaela1942]

The Dark Corner has long been one of my most favorite films. We have the DVD and play it at least once a year. To me, it's perfect Film Noir. The Stranger is also a big favorite.

[@classiccinema9490]

I agree. And people forget how beautiful Lucille Ball was.

[@steveneardley7541]

Very tautly written noir. Lucille Ball playing a wonderful and very original character. She has a sort of edgy humor in this film, but is surprisingly effective in the more dramatic scenes.

[@Jasper7182009]

I agree with you re The Dark Corner and The Stranger. Both are on my top five favorite list. They are underrated yet perfect movies. However, I do watch the Dark Corner a little more often than once a year.

[@TheTerryGene]

Surprisingly, The Postman Always Rings Twice was the THIRD version of James M. Caine’s novel: Le Dernier Tournant, the 1939 French film adaptation of the novel. Ossessione ("Obsession"), the 1943 Italian film adaptation of the novel.

[@shastaham7630]

Life has come full cycle. I remember Michael Douglas being hailed as the son of Kirk Douglas. Today I heard Kirk Douglas referred to as the father of Michael Douglas. Extraordinary!

[@hiramnoone]

Chandler actually worked on "Double Indemnity" as well, and in fact appears briefly in the film.

[@classiccinema9490]

Yes, I remember that. Loved his work.

[@darrenhoskins8382]

Lots of excellent films that are shown quite often on British tv on the list 👍👍👍another brilliant 1946 film is A Matter of life and Death (Stairway to Heaven in the States)

[@audreydaleski1067]

Martha Iverson. Great movie.

[@richardmcleod1930]

William Conrad also created the role of Marshall Matt Dillon in Gunsmoke, also naming Chester and Doc Adams. William Conrad;s role on radio led to Conrad's directing the first 2 years of the television show of Gunsmoke (in Sept. of 1955) with James Arness. William Conrad was in probably more than 8000 radio shows!

[@classiccinema9490]

Good points! Great actor and was always underrated imo.

[@richardmcleod1930]

@@classiccinema9490 Way, way, way underrated!

[@randyacuna5643]

See Conrad as a wonderful bad guy in the frank Sinatra western 1958s Johnny Concho. That voice!

[@richardmcleod1930]

William Conrad had an amazing voice. His long standing radio work attests to such, especially his work on the radio show "ESCAPE" to name just one show.@@randyacuna5643

[@mgman6000]

I sat in Conrad/Cannons seat on the Cannon set at Goldwyn studios when I worked for the gas company in Hollywood We had to restore the gas to the studio after a fire, it took about 3 days to restore service but it was a blast seeing behind the scenes We watched a scene being filmed with Robert Stack

[@audreydaleski1067]

Love Joseph cotton.

[@minimaker5600]

I heard a funny story a long time ago about how short Alan Ladd was. He was starring in the film "Boy on a Dolphin" with Sofia Loren, who was taller than him. They solved the problem by digging a trench for Sofia to walk in when they were to be filmed walking side by side. Since they were filming in Greece, tourists started to ask if there was a new archeologic dig in the area because of all the trenches O). I remember seeing it in a theater when it came out . . . filmed in the Greek islands . . . . GORGEOUS!!!

[@TheSaltydog07]

Same with Claude Rains and Ingrid Bergman in "Notorious." Hitchcock had to make adjustments. Rains would fluff his hair to give the illusion of tallness.

[@audreydaleski1067]

Stawick never became ungreat.

[@63mckenzie]

That contempt Stanwyck and Douglas had for each other in Strange Love Of Martha Ivers was real. They couldn't stand each other.

[@classiccinema9490]

Yeah it showed in the movie. But Douglas wasn't intimidated. I actually met him in Vegas. He was a lot shorter than I expected, but a very humble and charming man.

[@63mckenzie]

@@classiccinema9490 The story goes Stanwyck ignored Douglas because he was a new comer. When she realised how good he was, she tried to be more friendly but apparently Douglas said, 'Ah ah, too late.' Both great stars and a wonderful movie!

[@classiccinema9490]

Yeah, I mentioned that in the video. Classic Douglas.@@63mckenzie

[@63mckenzie]

@@classiccinema9490 Oops!

[@classiccinema9490]

😁@@63mckenzie

[@nicolabuono8442]

I have seen The Stranger on the italian TV and it is really an underrated masterpiece.

[@classiccinema9490]

Orson Welles and Edward G. Robinson? Great combo!

[@mlbrooks4066]

Scariest movie I ever saw.

[@audreydaleski1067]

Douglas, great actor. Love van heflin.

[@audreydaleski1067]

Orson, genius.

[@classiccinema9490]

Absolutely.

[@richardcutts196]

The 44 version of the Big Sleep, while having less Bogart & Bacall banter, was a better movie since the story was more complete.

[@bethanypheneger5796]

Sorry, buddy. There may be plot holes in THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS, but why Sam returned to Iverstown isn't one of them. He has a road accident and when he looks at the road sign it reads "Iverstown." He's pretty much, "Well, what do you know. . ." and he's stuck there until his car is repaired.

[@classiccinema9490]

Yes, you are correct. What I was wondering was why he was traveling that way in the first place. Just my opinion. Thanks for the comment!

[@williamsnyder5616]

"The Stranger" was not the first film to deal with a Holocaust theme. In 1944, Columbia released a B film called "None Shall Escape" which starred Alexander Knox who played a Nazi officer who supervised the murder of Polish Jews as he was herding them into a boxcar. The film is on KZbin.

[@gordonhaire9206]

I preferred the 1964 adaption of The Killers with Lee Marvin and Clu Gulager as the killers

[@classiccinema9490]

I've never seen that one, going to have to check it out. I'm partial to the film noirs made in the 40's, they just have a distinct feel.

[@audreydaleski1067]

Love The Third Man.

[@fabiengerard8142]

Wasn’t it made in 1949, though?!?

[@bookmouse2719]

Dark Mirror had a remake with Jane Seymour that was pretty good 1984. The Stranger was good, that ending.

[@lw1343]

No comedies? Old b/w movies are nice escapism from today. Lovely feminine women, macho men and clean.

[@classiccinema9490]

Don't worry, I'll have some coming in future videos!

[@classiccinema9490]

Thanks for stopping by and watching, everyone! Would love to see your comments below! Where to watch these movies is located in the description.

[@classiccinema9490]

And a big shoutout to @Thelon for all the advice! Thanks bro!

[@ROMMELEARLDIGO]

I also didnt like Loretta Young in The Stranger

[@audreydaleski1067]

Yes.

[@georgegoodyear9631]

I very much enjoyed your reviews of these films. However, you mentioned that, to your knowledge, Kirk Douglas never played a “weak” character, after 1946. Have you ever seen the mid-1950s’ film “Lust For Life”; where he portrayed the very-psychologically damaged artist Vincent Van Gogh? It is a finely-woven melodrama.

[@classiccinema9490]

Yes, and I understand your point. By weak, I meant a weak-willed character. With Van Gogh, I think of his portrayal as more of a psychologically damaged man.

[@audreydaleski1067]

Garfield, Calloway, Lana!

[@ashroskell]

Yes, you are, “nit picking,” over The Stranger. I loved that movie. And Loretta Young’s apparent obtuseness was a deliberate character trait, as a challenge to the dismissive attitudes of people who said the idea of escaped Nazis hiding out in respectable society was silly. They wanted to make the point that thousands of Nazi war criminals remained unaccounted for, so her reluctance to accept the truth was meant to represent many in the audience, who would need hard evidence before being persuaded that elements of evil still lurked under the shadows of their garden parties and booming domestic bliss.

[@eronavbj]

Been watching films for a long time-saw SHANE in the theater when it first came out. I don’t consider many of these films understated. On what did you base your criteria? Was it strictly box-office driven?

[@classiccinema9490]

My goal is to bring attention to these great movies that are engraved in the general public's mind like the well-known classics are, like say Gone With the Wind. Lots of these movies are well-known by movie buffs, but I find they are overlooked by the average moviegoer. I guess you could say I'm trying to preserve them in people's minds. 🤷‍♂️

[@eronavbj]

My daughter and son-in-law were visiting one rainy afternoon, so I brought out my VHS tape of The Maltese Falcon, which they had never seen. They lasted about 30 minutes before they lost interest. Although they were in their 30s, they found the film tedious, since it lacked “action” ala “Die Hard,” e.g. Today’s films are marketed on their special effects. Modern audiences have been conditioned to need human cartoons (Terminator, Batman, G. I. Joes, Doctor Strange…) God forbid they should have to use their imaginations and follow an interesting plot.@@classiccinema9490

[@noneofurbusiness5223]

@ 17:24 Yes, people still do that. It calms them down (nicotine). It's gross, but understandble.

[@alvinanderson7944]

Definitely rewatching Duel in The Sun. Grateful wr have HD TVS that can stretch the.picture and upgrades the sound track. Oddly, it just struck me after seeing the movie before before years ago and rewatching the trailer a few times, one of the.odder elemrnts waa the woman appearing Natuve American in her clothing and outfir is doing a Spanish Flamingo dance. The Tom-Tom Tappity-Tappity lure of the Torridos number. Gregor Peck mucho macho naughty cowboy.

[@classiccinema9490]

Its definitley a guilty pleasure.

[@stevecaproni9766]

the lady in the lake

[@RobertMollman-bs2ki]

Great.

[@classiccinema9490]

Thanks!

[@1rjbrjb]

Mysterious Stranger has a great cast. It's an interesting ideological fossil in that it reflects pre-McCarthy progressive politics. There is an astonishing dinner table scene where Wells proclaims that Germans have, apparently uniquely, never extolled freedom. An adolescent Peter Long comes up with the example of Karl Marx. Instead of guffawing at the idea of Marx as a defender of freedom, Wells points out that Marx was a Jew. He then goes on to recommend annihilation of the Germans to "the last babe in arms". This actually reassures Robinson until he focuses on the Marx-was-a-Jew line. The scene offers us a glimpse into the immediate post-war progressive mentality. Marx was a prophet of freedom; extermination of the Germans might not be off the table. A good movie made by warped people.

[@julianmarsh8384]

Excellent work....appreciate how you take your time going over each film...not once of those braindead '10 things in 5 min' productions....

[@classiccinema9490]

Thank you so much! 😍

[@audreydaleski1067]

Love Hume!

[@JB-ki2ix]

I think they’re overlooked more than underrated, though I agree The Postman Always Rings Twice is well remembered, and Duel in the Sun is mediocre. A couple not listed here (intro or body) but very deserving are The Spiral Staircase, which is very neglected, and Leave Her to Heaven.

[@classiccinema9490]

Those are really good choices!

[@RanBlakePiano]

Spiral Staircase. Fabulous !

[@TheSaltydog07]

These films are not underrated. Go to Turner Classic Movies where they are celebrated everyday. Classic films have an enormous, loyal following.

[@blackukulele]

The Stranger is a great film.

[@classiccinema9490]

Yes, Orson made a great bad guy.

[@saifonlawrence2044]

I loved when Jennifer Jones from Duel In The Sun became the mother on The Partridge Family.

[@classiccinema9490]

Hahaha. Don't you mean Shirley Jones?

[@audreydaleski1067]

Love lionel.

[@audreydaleski1067]

We learn what Carthaginian Peace is, which isn't a real peace.

[@audreydaleski1067]

Postman!

[@SueProv]

Kirk Douglas was lackluster in A Letter to Three Wives

[@josephsimmons6297]

The films you have listed as underrated are not underrated. Bad title for a video

[@JackReynolds-w7g]

Think of all the classics that came out of 1939.

[@classiccinema9490]

Truly an amazing year.

[@audreydaleski1067]

Good choi e not to go to color. Dutch angles, shadows.

[@audreydaleski1067]

Dw Griffith, spellcheck.

[@arnepianocanada]

Blue Dahlia lead Veronica Lake sounds like Snow White '23's Rachel Zegler - very talented but a horror to work with. So sad. I suspect Rachel's inconsiderate narcissism will sink her career too.

[@sarahgodwin-xd1wr]

I think that the narrator was a sexist. I did not agree that Loretta Young was terrible in THE STRANGER.

[@classiccinema9490]

That is not what I said. I said the way her character was written and used was terrible. I thought her acting was wonderful.

[@VictorSamuelson-nk5nw]

Sexism is good good good today’s men are wimps ken should kick “ Barbie’s ass

[@Jasper7182009]

Really now, the killers, the blue Dahlia, and postman are not underrated movies at all. They are considered classics and you should rearrange your list and eliminate them.

[@majorneptunejr]

Yes, these are great films and have always been thought of that way.

[@classiccinema9490]

To a lot of us classic movie buffs they are, but thats not the people I am trying to reach. There are many average movie fans that don't know these movies exist, and one of my goals is to reach these people and make them interested enough to watch these films, and fall in love with as we did. I have some younger relatives that I convinced to give some of these classics a try, and they loved them. And they are always asking me for recommendations.

[@Jasper7182009]

@@classiccinema9490 ah … very good!

[@htprimeaux8570]

Took 3 minutes to get to the point of the video. :-(

[@classiccinema9490]

Thanks for the comment! I'm trying to present a historical context for said time period so people can understand why these movies were relative to that era. I want to be informative as well as entertaining. Sorry I wasted your time.

[@Jasper7182009]

Duel in the sun is one of the worst movies I ever watched in my whole life. And I’ve been watching movies on television for 60 years.

[@majorneptunejr]

I don't think this film was ever underrated. It is a classic and was a hit. But it tries too hard to be a western Gone With The Wind. I don't hated but it is a bit over the top.

[@classiccinema9490]

Its so bad its good. I admit its a little over the top, as I mentioned, but its a raucous good time.

[@Jasper7182009]

@@classiccinema9490 …. Agree!

[@robotrix]

They don't say why Sam came back to town??????????? Watch Martha Ivers a second time.

[@classiccinema9490]

Yeah, yeah I know. Its been pointed out several times. My error. I will do better!

[@audreydaleski1067]

At one time, ovies had to make money after the great depression.

[@denroy3]

So 'Duel in the Sun' is bad but entertaining and yet you say "underrated". It sounds like it's appropriately rated, do you know what underrated means?

[@frankramirez8618]

I would not watch any of these ten movies. Would rather see ten episodes of Dragnet.

[@worrywart1311]

A shame the narrator can't correctly pronounce "noir". He makes it sound like "new-are". It only has one syllable.

[@audreydaleski1067]

You know, new movies, don't like many. In today's dollars the made more money? Not really. Mathematically, the gross is lowered due to a now- higher population.

[@majorneptunejr]

But fewer people go to movies now and there are fewer movies made. They primarily make movies now for young people.

[@kennethhorney7614]

:D

[@classiccinema9490]

Thanks buddy! :P

[@jerseymike7946]

"Underrated Classic"? If it's a classic, it's already held in high esteem. NONE of these are "hidden" gems, you didn't somehow discover forgotten films. Your entire premise is flawed and your narration sounds like a first draft. I am sorry to be so blunt, but it appears you just phoned this one in.

[@arnepianocanada]

People who host programs need to *pronounce correctly. PLEASE. Film NOIR - that's just one syllable, definitely not Noo-arr.

[@classiccinema9490]

Sometimes my accent takes over! I appreciate the tip. Always looking to improve!

[@majorneptunejr]

@@classiccinema9490 I have heard others pronounce it that way. I know it is not correct, but unlike others it didn't bother me one bit .

[@classiccinema9490]

😁@@majorneptunejr

[@donnasherwood283]

duel i the sun total hilarity same as scenes from GWTW before Gable a real man got cukor fired. just RIDICULOUS and less entertaining

[@steventhorson4487]

🇺🇲👍👌

[@renzo6490]

Fahm fah tahl