The year 1944 in film involved some significant events, including the wholesome, award-winning '' Going My Way'' plus popular murder mysteries such as ''

Double Indemnity ''Double Indemnity'' is a 1944 American crime film noir directed by Billy Wilder, co-written by Wilder and Raymond Chandler, and produced by Buddy DeSylva and Joseph Sistrom. The screenplay was based on James M. Cain's 1943 novel of the same t ...

'', '' Gaslight'' and ''

Laura Laura may refer to: People * Laura (given name) * Laura, the British code name for the World War I Belgian spy Marthe Cnockaert Places Australia * Laura, Queensland, a town on the Cape York Peninsula * Laura, South Australia * Laura Bay, a bay on ...

''.

Top-grossing films (U.S.)

The top ten 1944 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

Events

*March 10 – MGM's '' A Guy Named Joe'', starring Spencer Tracy and Irene Dunne, is released nationally in the United States. *May 3 – The film '' Going My Way'', directed by Leo McCarey and starring

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

and Barry Fitzgerald, premieres in New York City. The highest-grossing picture of the year, it goes on to win a total of seven

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

, including Best Picture, Best Director for McCary,

Best Actor Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play. The term most often refers to th ...

for Crosby and Best Original Song for " Swinging on a Star". *May 13 – Dale Evans appears in her first film with future husband, Roy Rogers – ''

Cowboy and the Senorita '' Cowboy and the Senorita '' is a 1944 American Western film directed by Joseph Kane and starring Roy Rogers. The film marked the first appearance together of Rogers and his future wife, Dale Evans. Plot Roy and his sidekick Teddy Bear are m ...

''. *July 20 – '' Since You Went Away'' is released. *August 16–September 11 – Nazi propaganda documentary '' Theresienstadt'' is filmed in the Theresienstadt Ghetto. Following completion of filming, co-director Kurt Gerron and many of those featured are transported to Auschwitz concentration camp and murdered; although completed in 1945, the film is never released. *September 6 – ''

'' is released. *September – Around 640 motion picture actors, writers and directors are included on the ''Gottbegnadeten'' list in

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

, protecting them from military conscription. *November 22 – MGM's '' Meet Me in St. Louis'', starring

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in ''The ...

and Margaret O'Brien premieres. Hugely popular with both audiences and critics, the film is nominated for four Academy Awards.

Awards

Top Ten Money Making Stars

1944 film releases

January–March

*January 1944 **7 January ***'' Standing Room Only'' **11 January ***'' Career Girl'' **14 January ***'' Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves'' ** 28 January ***'' Lifeboat'' ***'' Phantom Lady'' *February 1944 **3 February ***'' None Shall Escape'' ***'' The Fighting Sullivans'' **5 February ***''

Captain America Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1 ( cover dated March 1941) from T ...

'' **10 February ***''

Lady in the Dark ''Lady in the Dark'' is a musical with music by Kurt Weill, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and book and direction by Moss Hart. It was produced by Sam Harris. The protagonist, Liza Elliott, is the unhappy female editor of a fictional fashion magazine w ...

'' **11 February ***''

The Bridge of San Luis Rey ''The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' is American author Thornton Wilder's second novel. It was first published in 1927 to worldwide acclaim. The novel won the Pulitzer Prize in 1928, and was the best-selling work of fiction that year. Premise ''The B ...

'' **22 February ***'' Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' (re-issue) *March 1944 **2 March ***'' The Curse of the Cat People'' **10 March ***'' A Guy Named Joe'' **17 March ***''

Knickerbocker Holiday ''Knickerbocker Holiday'' is a 1938 musical written by Kurt Weill (music) and Maxwell Anderson (book and lyrics); based loosely on Washington Irving's '' Knickerbocker's History of New York'' about life in 17th-century New Netherland (old New ...

'' **22 March ***'' Cover Girl'' **23 March ***'' The Heavenly Body''

April–June

*April 1944 **9 April ***'' ''Rosie the Riveter'' (film)'' **17 April ***'' The Lady and the Monster'' **25 April ***'' Pin Up Girl'' ***'' And the Angels Sing'' **26 April ***'' The Hitler Gang'' *May 1944 **5 May ***'' Follow the Boys'' **8 May ***'' Time Flies'' – ( GB) **11 May ***''

The White Cliffs of Dover The White Cliffs of Dover is the region of English coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. The cliff face, which reaches a height of , owes its striking appearance to its composition of chalk accented by streaks of black flint, deposi ...

'' **13 May ***''

'' **27 May ***'' The Tiger Woman'' *June 1944 **1 June ***'' Address Unknown'' **8 June ***'' Days of Glory'' **27 June ***'' Bathing Beauty''

July–September

*July 1944 **2 July ***'' The Hairy Ape'' **6 July ***''

'' **7 July ***'' The Mummy's Ghost'' **8 July ***''

Johnny Doesn't Live Here Any More ''Johnny Doesn't Live Here Anymore'' is a 1944 American comedy/romance film starring Simone Simon, James Ellison, William Terry, and featuring Robert Mitchum in an early role. Produced by King Brothers Productions, it was co-written by Philip Yo ...

'' **12 July ***'' The Invisible Man's Revenge'' **14 July ***'' Summer Storm'' **20 July ***'' Since You Went Away'' **22 July ***'' The Adventures of Mark Twain'' **24 July ***''

The Seventh Cross ''The Seventh Cross'' (german: Das siebte Kreuz) is a novel by Anna Seghers, one of the better-known examples of German literature circa World War II. It was first published in Mexico by ''El Libro Libre'' In 1942. The English translation came o ...

'' *August 1944 **12 August ***'' Mr. Skeffington'' **16 August ***'' Going My Way'' **17 August ***'' Cry of the Werewolf'' ***'' The Soul of a Monster'' **23 August ***'' Marriage Is a Private Affair'' **30 August ***'' Till We Meet Again'' *September 1944 **2 September ***'' Our Hearts Were Young and Gay'' **9 September ***'' Crime by Night'' **12 September ***'' Strangers in the Night'' **20 September ***'' Frenchman's Creek'' **23 September ***'' Arsenic and Old Lace''

October–December

*October 1944 **11 October ***'' To Have and Have Not'' **17 October ***'' Fiddlers Three'' – ( GB) ***'' None but the Lonely Heart'' *November 1944 **1 November ***'' Something for the Boys'' **3 November ***'' The Woman in the Window'' **10 November ***''

Enemy of Women ''Enemy of Women'' is a 1944 American anti-Nazi propaganda film directed by Alfred Zeisler. The lead character is Joseph Goebbels, played by Paul Andor. Plot Paul Joseph Goebbels, a down-on-his-luck playwright, boards with German military pens ...

'' **11 November ***''

Bluebeard "Bluebeard" (french: Barbe bleue, ) is a French folktale, the most famous surviving version of which was written by Charles Perrault and first published by Barbin in Paris in 1697 in '' Histoires ou contes du temps passé''. The tale tells the ...

'' **15 November ***''

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo ''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' is a 1944 American war film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The screenplay by Dalton Trumbo is based on the 1943 book of the same name by Captain Ted W. Lawson. Lawson was a pilot on the historic Doolittle Raid, ...

'' **28 November ***'' Meet Me in St. Louis'' *December 1944 **1 December ***'' House of Frankenstein'' **5 December ***'' Blonde Fever'' **6 December ***'' Nothing but Trouble'' **15 December ***'' Hollywood Canteen'' **18 December ***'' Dangerous Passage'' **22 December ***''

Winged Victory The ''Winged Victory of Samothrace'', or the ''Nike of Samothrace'', is a votive monument originally found on the island of Samothrace, north of the Aegean Sea. It is a masterpiece of Greek sculpture from the Hellenistic era, dating from the ...

'' ***'' The Mummy's Curse'' **23 December ***'' Lake Placid Serenade'' **24 DecemberMichael D. Gambone, ''The Greatest Generation Comes Home: The Veteran in American Society'', Texas A&M University Press, 2005 p 152 ***'' I'll Be Seeing You'' **29 December ***''

Tomorrow, the World ''Tomorrow, the World!'' is a 1944 black-and-white film directed by Leslie Fenton and starring Fredric March, Betty Field, and Agnes Moorehead, about a young German boy ( Skip Homeier) who had been active in the Hitler Youth who comes to live ...

!''

Notable films released in 1944

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

unless stated

A

*'' The Adventures of Mark Twain'', starring

Fredric March Fredric March (born Ernest Frederick McIntyre Bickel; August 31, 1897 – April 14, 1975) was an American actor, regarded as one of Hollywood's most celebrated, versatile stars of the 1930s and 1940s.Obituary '' Variety'', April 16, 1975, ...

*'' Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves'', starring Maria Montez and Jon Hall *'' And Now Tomorrow'', starring Alan Ladd and Loretta Young *'' And the Angels Sing'', starring Fred MacMurray and Dorothy Lamour *''

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

'' (陸軍, ''Rikugun''), directed by

Keisuke Kinoshita was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Ronald Berganbr>"A satirical eye on Japan: Keisuke Kinoshita" ''The Guardian'', 5 January 1999. While lesser-known internationally than contemporaries such as Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Mizoguchi and ...

, starring Chishū Ryū and Kinuyo Tanaka – ( Japan) *'' Arsenic and Old Lace'', directed by

Frank Capra Frank Russell Capra (born Francesco Rosario Capra; May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was an Italian-born American film director, producer and writer who became the creative force behind some of the major award-winning films of the 1930s ...

, starring

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one o ...

, Priscilla Lane, Raymond Massey, Peter Lorre; filmed in 1941 but not released until 1944

B

*'' Bathing Beauty'', starring Esther Williams and Red Skelton *''

Between Two Worlds Between Two Worlds may refer to: Music * ''Between Two Worlds'' (I album), 2006 * ''Between Two Worlds'', a 2009 album by Paul McKenna Band * ''Between Two Worlds'' (Trip Lee album), 2010 * '' Between II Worlds'', a 2015 album by Nero * ''Bet ...

'', starring

John Garfield John Garfield (born Jacob Julius Garfinkle, March 4, 1913 – May 21, 1952) was an American actor who played brooding, rebellious, working-class characters. He grew up in poverty in New York City. In the early 1930s, he became a member of ...

Eleanor Parker Eleanor Jean Parker (June 26, 1922 – December 9, 2013) was an American actress. She was nominated for three Academy Awards for her roles in the films '' Caged'' (1950), '' Detective Story'' (1951), and '' Interrupted Melody'' (1955), the fir ...

and Sydney Greenstreet *'' The Black Pirate'' (El corsario negro), starring

Pedro Armendariz Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for ''Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter. The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, meaning " ...

– (

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

) *''

'', starring Lynn Bari *'' Buffalo Bill'', starring

Joel McCrea Joel Albert McCrea (November 5, 1905 – October 20, 1990) was an American actor whose career spanned a wide variety of genres over almost five decades, including comedy, drama, romance, thrillers, adventures, and Western film, Westerns, for ...

and

Maureen O'Hara Maureen O'Hara (; 17 August 1920 – 24 October 2015) was a native Irish and naturalized American actress and singer, who became successful in Hollywood from the 1940s through to the 1960s. She was a natural redhead who was known for pl ...

*''

A Bullet in the Heart ''A Bullet in the Heart'' ( arz, رصاصة في القلب, Transliteration, translit. Rossassa Fel Qalb) is a 1944 Egyptian drama film directed by Mohammed Karim starring Egyptian actor, actresses Raqiya Ibrahim, Faten Hamama, musician Moha ...

'' (Rossassa Fel Qalb) – (

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Med ...

)

C

*''

Candlelight in Algeria ''Candlelight in Algeria'' is a 1944 British war film directed by George King and starring James Mason, Carla Lehmann and Raymond Lovell. The story is loosely based on an October 1942 secret conference in Cherchell, Algeria between American gener ...

'', starring

James Mason James Neville Mason (; 15 May 190927 July 1984) was an English actor. He achieved considerable success in British cinema before becoming a star in Hollywood. He was the top box-office attraction in the UK in 1944 and 1945; his British films inc ...

– ( GB) *'' Can't Help Singing'', starring

Deanna Durbin Edna Mae Durbin (December 4, 1921 – April 17, 2013), known professionally as Deanna Durbin, was a Canadian-born actress and singer, who moved to the USA with her family in infancy. She appeared in musical films in the 1930s and 1940s. With th ...

*'' A Canterbury Tale'', written and directed by

Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger The Cinema of the United Kingdom, British film-making partnership of Michael Powell (1905–1990) and Emeric Pressburger (1902–1988)—together often known as The Archers, the name of their production company—made a series of influential fi ...

, starring Eric Portman – ( GB) *'' The Canterville Ghost'', starring

Charles Laughton Charles Laughton (1 July 1899 – 15 December 1962) was a British actor. He was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and first appeared professionally on the stage in 1926. In 1927, he was cast in a play with his future ...

Robert Young Robert, Rob, Robbie, Bob, or Bobby Young may refer to: Academics * R. A. Young (Robert Arthur Young, 1871–1959), British physician * Robert J. C. Young (born 1950), British cultural critic and historian * Robert J. Young (born 1942), Canadian h ...

and Margaret O'Brien *'' Casanova Brown'', starring

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, a ...

*'' Champagne Charlie'', directed by

Alberto Cavalcanti Alberto de Almeida Cavalcanti (February 6, 1897 – August 23, 1982) was a Brazilian-born film director and producer. He was often credited under the single name "Cavalcanti". Early life Cavalcanti was born in Rio de Janeiro, the son of a p ...

, starring Tommy Trinder and Stanley Holloway – ( GB) *''

The Children Are Watching Us ''The Children Are Watching Us'' ( it, I bambini ci guardano) is a 1943 Italian drama film directed by Vittorio De Sica. Plot Pricò is a young Italian boy who lives with his parents in a middle-class household. His mother, Nina, takes him to a l ...

'' (I bambini ci guardano), directed by Vittorio De Sica – (

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

) *'' Christmas Holiday'', starring Gene Kelly *'' The Climax'', starring

Susanna Foster Susanna Foster (born Suzanne DeLee Flanders Larson, December 6, 1924 – January 17, 2009) was an American film actress best known for her leading role as Christine in the 1943 film version of ''Phantom of the Opera''. Early life Foster was ...

and

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established ...

*'' Cobra Woman'', starring Maria Montez *''

The Conspirators In the English language, a conspirator is a party to a conspiracy. In a criminal conspiracy, each alleged party is a "co-conspirator". Conspirator(s) may refer to: Books * ''The Conspirators'' (novel), 1843 French historical novel by Alexandre D ...

'', starring Paul Henreid and

Hedy Lamarr Hedy Lamarr (; born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler; November 9, 1914 January 19, 2000) was an Austrian-born American film actress and inventor. A film star during Hollywood's golden age, Lamarr has been described as one of the greatest movie actress ...

*'' Cover Girl'', starring

Rita Hayworth Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; October 17, 1918May 14, 1987) was an American actress, dancer and producer. She achieved fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars, appearing in 61 films over 37 years. The press coined th ...

and Gene Kelly *''

'', starring Roy Rogers and Dale Evans *'' Crime by Night'', starring

Jane Wyman Jane Wyman ( ; born Sarah Jane Mayfield; January 5, 1917 – September 10, 2007)"Actress, P ...

*'' Cry of the Werewolf'', starring Nina Foch *'' The Curse of the Cat People'', starring Simone Simon

D

*'' Days of Glory'', starring

Gregory Peck Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the 12th-greatest male star of Classic Hollywood ...

*'' Don't Take It to Heart'', directed by Jeffrey Dell, starring Richard Greene – ( GB) *''

'', directed by

Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an Austrian-American filmmaker. His career in Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Classic Holl ...

, starring Fred MacMurray,

Barbara Stanwyck Barbara Stanwyck (; born Ruby Catherine Stevens; July 16, 1907 – January 20, 1990) was an American actress, model and dancer. A stage, film, and television star, during her 60-year professional career she was known for her strong, realistic sc ...

and

Edward G. Robinson Edward G. Robinson (born Emanuel Goldenberg; December 12, 1893January 26, 1973) was a Romanian-American actor of stage and screen, who was popular during the Hollywood's Golden Age. He appeared in 30 Broadway plays and more than 100 films duri ...

*'' Dragon Seed'', starring

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...

*'' Dream of the Red Chamber'' (Hong lou meng) – ( China)

E

*''

'', starring Paul Andor *''

Experiment Perilous ''Experiment Perilous'' is a 1944 melodrama set at the turn of the 20th century. The film is based on a 1943 novel of the same name by Margaret Carpenter, and directed by Jacques Tourneur. Albert S. D'Agostino, Jack Okey, Darrell Silvera, and Cla ...

'', starring

and George Brent

F

*'' Fanny by Gaslight'', directed by Anthony Asquith, starring Phyllis Calvert,

Stewart Granger Stewart Granger (born James Lablache Stewart; 6 May 1913 – 16 August 1993) was a British film actor, mainly associated with heroic and romantic leading roles. He was a popular leading man from the 1940s to the early 1960s, rising to fame thr ...

– ( GB) *'' Fiddlers Three'', starring Tommy Trinder ( GB) *''

The Fighting Seabees ''The Fighting Seabees'' is a 1944 war film, directed by Edward Ludwig and starring John Wayne and Susan Hayward. The supporting cast includes Dennis O'Keefe, William Frawley, Leonid Kinsky, Addison Richards and Grant Withers. ''The Fight ...

'', starring John Wayne and Susan Hayward *'' The Fighting Sullivans'', directed by

Lloyd Bacon Lloyd Francis Bacon (December 4, 1889 – November 15, 1955) was an American screen, stage and vaudeville actor and film director. As a director he made films in virtually all genres, including westerns, musicals, comedies, gangster films, an ...

, starring Anne Baxter and Thomas Mitchell *'' For Those in Peril'', directed by

Charles Crichton Charles Ainslie Crichton (6 August 1910 – 14 September 1999) was an English film director and editor. Born in Wallasey, Cheshire, he became best known for directing many comedies produced at Ealing Studios and had a 40-year career ed ...

– ( GB) *'' Frenchman's Creek'', starring Joan Fontaine and Basil Rathbone *'' Die Feuerzangenbowle'' (The Punch Bowl) – (

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

)

G

*'' Gaslight'', starring

Ingrid Bergman Ingrid Bergman (29 August 191529 August 1982) was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films, television movies, and plays.Obituary '' Variety'', 1 September 1982. With a career spanning five decades, she is ofte ...

, Charles Boyer and

Joseph Cotten Joseph Cheshire Cotten Jr. (May 15, 1905 – February 6, 1994) was an American film, stage, radio and television actor. Cotten achieved prominence on Broadway, starring in the original stage productions of '' The Philadelphia Story'' and '' Sa ...

*'' Going My Way'', directed by Leo McCarey, starring

and Barry Fitzgerald – winner of 7 Oscars *'' The Great Moment'', starring

and Betty Field *''

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

'', starring

Carmen Miranda Carmen Miranda, (; born Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha, 9 February 1909 – 5 August 1955) was a Portuguese-born Brazilian samba singer, dancer, Broadway actress and film star who was active from the late 1920s onwards. Nicknamed "The Br ...

and

Don Ameche Don Ameche (; born Dominic Felix Amici; May 31, 1908 – December 6, 1993) was an American actor, comedian and vaudevillian. After playing in college shows, stock, and vaudeville, he became a major radio star in the early 1930s, which l ...

*'' The Great Sacrifice'' (Opfergang) – (

)

H

*''

Hail the Conquering Hero ''Hail the Conquering Hero'' (1944) is a satirical comedy-drama film written and directed by Preston Sturges, starring Eddie Bracken, Ella Raines and William Demarest, and featuring Raymond Walburn, Franklin Pangborn, Elizabeth Patterson, Bill ...

'', written and directed by Preston Sturges, starring Eddie Bracken and Ella Raines *'' The Halfway House'', directed by Basil Dearden, starring Mervyn Johns and Glynis Johns *'' The Heavenly Body'', starring William Powell and

*'' To Have And Have Not'', directed by

Howard Hawks Howard Winchester Hawks (May 30, 1896December 26, 1977) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter of the Classical Hollywood cinema, classic Hollywood era. Critic Leonard Maltin called him "the greatest American director who is ...

, starring Humphrey Bogart and

Lauren Bacall Lauren Bacall (; born Betty Joan Perske; September 16, 1924 – August 12, 2014) was an American actress. She was named the 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the American Film Institute and received an Academy Honorary Aw ...

*'' Henry V'', directed by and starring

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage o ...

– ( GB) *'' The Hitler Gang'', starring Robert Watson *'' Hollywood Canteen'', starring Joan Leslie *''

Home in Indiana ''Home in Indiana'' is a 1944 Technicolor film directed by Henry Hathaway. The film, that stars Walter Brennan, Lon McCallister, Jeanne Crain, June Haver and Charlotte Greenwood, is based on the novel ''The Phantom Filly'' by George Agnew Chamber ...

'', starring Walter Brennan *''

The Hour Before the Dawn ''The Hour Before the Dawn'' is a 1944 American drama war film directed by Frank Tuttle starring Franchot Tone and Veronica Lake. It was based on the 1942 novel by W. Somerset Maugham. Plot In 1923 in England, General Hetherton is instructing h ...

'', starring Veronica Lake *'' House of Frankenstein'', starring

and Lon Chaney Jr.

I

*'' I'll Be Seeing You'', starring

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starring role in ''Kitty Foyle'' ...

and Shirley Temple *'' In Our Time'', starring Ida Lupino and Paul Henreid *'' In Society'', starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello *'' It Happened Tomorrow'', starring Dick Powell *''

Ivan the Terrible Ivan IV Vasilyevich (russian: Ива́н Васи́льевич; 25 August 1530 – ), commonly known in English as Ivan the Terrible, was the grand prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547 and the first Tsar of all Russia from 1547 to 1584. Iv ...

'' (Ivan Grozniy), by director

Sergei Eisenstein Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein (russian: Сергей Михайлович Эйзенштейн, p=sʲɪrˈɡʲej mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪtɕ ɪjzʲɪnˈʂtʲejn, 2=Sergey Mikhaylovich Eyzenshteyn; 11 February 1948) was a Soviet film director, scre ...

, starring Nikolai Cherkasov – ( U.S.S.R.)

J

*''

Janie Janie may refer to: * Janie (given name) * ''Janie'' (1944 film), an American romantic comedy * ''Janie'' (2006 film), a short *Janie, West Virginia Janie is an unincorporated community and former coal town known as Mordue in Boone County, We ...

'', directed by

Michael Curtiz Michael Curtiz ( ; born Manó Kaminer; since 1905 Mihály Kertész; hu, Kertész Mihály; December 24, 1886 April 10, 1962) was a Hungarian-American film director, recognized as one of the most prolific directors in history. He directed cla ...

, starring Joyce Reynolds *'' Jwar Bhata'' – (

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

)

K

*'' The Keys of the Kingdom'', starring

, Cedric Hardwicke, Vincent Price and Roddy McDowall *''

'', starring Nelson Eddy *'' Kismet'', starring Ronald Colman and

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

L

*''

'', starring

and

Ray Milland Ray Milland (born Alfred Reginald Jones; 3 January 1907 – 10 March 1986) was a Welsh-American actor and film director. His screen career ran from 1929 to 1985. He is remembered for his Academy Award and Cannes Film Festival Award-winning ...

*''

Lady, Let's Dance ''Lady, Let's Dance'' is a 1944 black-and-white film directed by Frank Woodruff that was nominated for two Oscars. Produced by Monogram Studios, the film is unique as an ice skating musical. ''Lady, Let's Dance'' stars ice skater Belita as herse ...

'', ice skating musical starring Belita and comedy ice team Frick and Frack *'' Lake Placid Serenade'', starring Vera Ralston *''

'', directed by

Otto Preminger Otto Ludwig Preminger ( , ; 5 December 1905 – 23 April 1986) was an Austrian-American theatre and film director, film producer, and actor. He directed more than 35 feature films in a five-decade career after leaving the theatre. He first gai ...

, starring Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb and Vincent Price *'' Lifeboat'', directed by

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

, starring

Tallulah Bankhead Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 – December 12, 1968) was an American actress. Primarily an actress of the stage, Bankhead also appeared in several prominent films including an award-winning performance in Alfred Hitchcock's ''Lif ...

, John Hodiak, William Bendix, Walter Slezak, Henry Hull and Hume Cronyn *'' The Lodger'', starring Merle Oberon and George Sanders *'' Lost in a Harem'', starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello

M

*'' Man from Frisco'' directed by

Robert Florey Robert Florey (14 September 1900 – 16 May 1979) was a French-American director, screenwriter, film journalist and actor. Born as Robert Fuchs in Paris, he became an orphan at an early age and was then raised in Switzerland. In 1920 he worked a ...

, starring Michael O'Shea and

Anne Shirley Anne Shirley is a fictional character introduced in the 1908 novel '' Anne of Green Gables'' by L. M. Montgomery. Shirley is featured throughout the classic book series, which revolve around her life and family in 19th and 20th-century Prince ...

*'' Marie-Louise'' directed by

Leopold Lindtberg Leopold Lindtberg (born in Vienna on 1 June 1902; died in Sils im Engadin/Segl on 18 April 1984) was an Austrian Swiss film and theatre director. He fled Austria due to the Machtergreifung in Germany and ultimately settled in Switzerland. H ...

and an uncredited Franz Schnyder *'' The Mask of Dimitrios'', starring Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet and Zachary Scott *'' Meet Me in St. Louis'', directed by

Vincente Minnelli Vincente Minnelli (born Lester Anthony Minnelli; February 28, 1903 – July 25, 1986) was an American stage director and film director. He directed the classic movie musicals '' Meet Me in St. Louis'' (1944), '' An American in Paris'' (1951), ' ...

, starring

*'' Meet the People'', starring

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedienne and producer. She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Gold ...

*'' Melody of Murder'' (Mordets Melodi) – (

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establishe ...

) *'' Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress'', a documentary by

William Wyler William Wyler (; born Willi Wyler (); July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a Swiss-German-American film director and producer who won the Academy Award for Best Director three times, those being for '' Mrs. Miniver'' (1942), '' The Best Years o ...

*'' Ministry of Fear'', starring

*'' The Miracle of Morgan's Creek'', directed by Preston Sturges, starring Eddie Bracken and Betty Hutton *'' Mr. Skeffington'', starring

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her p ...

and Claude Rains *'' Mrs. Parkington'', starring

Greer Garson Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson (29 September 1904 – 6 April 1996) was an English-American actress and singer. She was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer who became popular during the Second World War for her portrayal of strong women on the h ...

*'' The Mummy's Curse'', starring Lon Chaney Jr. *'' The Mummy's Ghost'', starring Lon Chaney Jr. *'' Murder, My Sweet'' (aka Farewell My Lovely), directed by Edward Dmytryk, starring Dick Powell and Claire Trevor *'' Music for Millions'', starring Margaret O'Brien

N

*'' The Nail'' (El clavo) – (

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

) *'' National Velvet'', starring

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...

and

Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last surviving stars of the ...

*'' None but the Lonely Heart'', starring

and Ethel Barrymore *'' None Shall Escape'', starring Alexander Knox

O

*'' On Approval'', starring Clive Brook and

Googie Withers Georgette Lizette Withers, CBE, AO (12 March 191715 July 2011), known professionally as Googie Withers, was an English entertainer who was a dancer and actress with a lengthy career spanning some nine decades in theatre, film, and television. ...

– ( GB) *'' Once Upon a Time'', starring

, Ted Donaldson, Janet Blair *'' Our Hearts Were Young and Gay'', starring Gail Russell and Diana Lynn

P

*'' Pardon My Rhythm'', starring Gloria Jean *'' Passage to Marseille'', starring Humphrey Bogart, Claude Rains, Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet *'' The Pearl of Death'', a Sherlock Holmes mystery directed by Roy William Neill, starring Basil Rathbone as Holmes, and Nigel Bruce as Watson; co-starring Rondo Hatton and Evelyn Ankers *'' Phantom Lady'', starring Franchot Tone and Ella Raines *'' Pin Up Girl'', starring Betty Grable *'' Port of Freedom'' (Große Freiheit Nr. 7) – (

) *'' Possession'' (Besættelse) – (

) *''

The Princess and the Pirate ''The Princess and the Pirate'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by David Butler and starring Bob Hope and Virginia Mayo. Based on a story by Sy Bartlett, the film is about a princess who travels incognito to elope with her true love ins ...

'', starring

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...

and Virginia Mayo *'' The Purple Heart'', starring Dana Andrews, Richard Conte and Farley Granger

R

*''

Rainbow A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows ...

'' (Raduga) – ( U.S.S.R.) *'' Rationing'', starring

Wallace Beery Wallace Fitzgerald Beery (April 1, 1885 – April 15, 1949) was an American film and stage actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Bill in '' Min and Bill'' (1930) opposite Marie Dressler, as General Director Preysing in '' Grand Hotel'' (1 ...

and Marjorie Main *'' The Rats of Tobruk'' (aka The Fighting Rats of Tobruk), starring Peter Finch and Chips Rafferty – ( Australia) *'' The Respectable Ladies of Pardubice'' (Počestné paní pardubické), directed by Martin Frič – (

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

)

S

*'' The Scarlet Claw'', a Sherlock Holmes mystery directed by Roy William Neill, starring Basil Rathbone as Holmes, and

Nigel Bruce William Nigel Ernle Bruce (4 February 1895 – 8 October 1953) was a British character actor on stage and screen. He was best known for his portrayal of Dr. Watson in a series of films and in the radio series '' The New Adventures of Sherloc ...

as Watson *''

'', directed by Fred Zinnemann, starring Spencer Tracy *''Sherlock Holmes and The Spider Woman'', a Sherlock Holmes mystery directed by Roy William Neill, starring Basil Rathbone as Holmes and

as Watson; co-starring Gale Sondergaard *'' Since You Went Away'', starring Claudette Colbert, Jennifer Jones and Shirley Temple *'' Something for the Boys'' starring

, Michael O'Shea and Vivian Blaine *'' Song of Russia'', starring Robert Taylor *'' The Soul of a Monster'', starring George Macready *''

Storm Over Lisbon ''Storm Over Lisbon'' is a 1944 American thriller film produced and directed by George Sherman and starring Vera Ralston. The screenplay concerns a nightclub owner who attempts to gain secret information. The film's sets were designed by the art ...

'', starring Vera Ralston *''

The Story of Dr. Wassell ''The Story of Dr. Wassell'' is a 1944 American World War II film set in the Dutch East Indies, directed by Cecil B. DeMille, and starring Gary Cooper, Laraine Day, Signe Hasso and Dennis O'Keefe. The film was based on a book of the same name by ...

'', starring

*'' Sunday Dinner for a Soldier'', starring Anne Baxter and John Hodiak *'' The Suspect'', starring

T

*'' Tall in the Saddle'', starring John Wayne *''

Thirty Seconds over Tokyo ''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' is a 1944 American war film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The screenplay by Dalton Trumbo is based on the 1943 book of the same name by Captain Ted W. Lawson. Lawson was a pilot on the historic Doolittle Raid, ...

'', starring Spencer Tracy and

Van Johnson Charles Van Dell Johnson (August 25, 1916 – December 12, 2008) was an American film, television, theatre and radio actor. He was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during and after World War II. Johnson was described as the embodiment o ...

*'' This Happy Breed'', directed by

David Lean Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Widely considered one of the most important figures in British cinema, Lean directed the large-scale epics '' The Bridge on the Rive ...

, starring John Mills and Celia Johnson – ( GB) *'' The Three Caballeros'', a

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

animated film starring

Donald Duck Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic American Pekin, white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit, sailor shi ...

and Dora Luz (released in South America in 1944, but was released in 1945 in the U.S.) *'' Time Flies'', starring Tommy Handley ( GB) *'' Torment'' (Hets), directed by Alf Sjoberg – ( Sweden) *'' The Tower of the Seven Hunchbacks'' (''La Torre de los Siete Jorobados'') – (

) *''

Tunisian Victory ''Tunisian Victory'' is a 1944 United Kingdom, Anglo-United States, American propaganda film about the victories in the North Africa Campaign. The film follows both armies from the planning of Operation Torch and Operation Acrobat (the latter of ...

'', directed by

, Hugh Stewart and

John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter, actor and visual artist. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered ...

– ( US/ GB) *''

Two Thousand Women ''Two Thousand Women'' is a 1944 British comedy-drama war film about a German internment camp in Occupied France which holds British women who have been resident in the country. Three RAF aircrewmen, whose bomber has been shot down, enter the ca ...

'', starring

Flora Robson Dame Flora McKenzie Robson (28 March 19027 July 1984) was an English actress and star of the theatrical stage and cinema, particularly renowned for her performances in plays demanding dramatic and emotional intensity. Her range extended from q ...

and Phyllis Calvert – ( GB)

U

*'' The Uninvited'', starring

*'' Up in Arms'', starring

Danny Kaye Danny Kaye (born David Daniel Kaminsky; yi, דוד־דניאל קאַמינסקי; January 18, 1911 – March 3, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, singer and dancer. His performances featured physical comedy, idiosyncratic pantomimes, an ...

and Dinah Shore

W

*'' The Way Ahead'' (''

Immortal Battalion Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life. Immortal or Immortality may also refer to: Film * ''The Immortals'' (1995 film), an American crime film * ''Immortality'', an alternate title for the 1998 British film ''The Wisdom of ...

''), directed by

Carol Reed Sir Carol Reed (30 December 1906 – 25 April 1976) was an English film director and producer, best known for '' Odd Man Out'' (1947), '' The Fallen Idol'' (1948), '' The Third Man'' (1949), and '' Oliver!'' (1968), for which he was awarded th ...

, starring

David Niven James David Graham Niven (; 1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983) was a British actor, soldier, memoirist, and novelist. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Major Pollock in '' Separate Tables'' (1958). Niven's other role ...

and Stanley Holloway – ( GB) *'' Weird Woman'', starring Lon Chaney, Jr. and Anne Gwynne *'' When Strangers Marry'', starring Dean Jagger, Kim Hunter,

Robert Mitchum Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He rose to prominence with an Academy Award nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actor for ''The Story of G.I. Jo ...

*''

'', starring Irene Dunne *'' Wilson'', a biopic of President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of P ...

, starring Alexander Knox and Charles Coburn *'' Wing and a Prayer'', directed by

Henry Hathaway Henry Hathaway (March 13, 1898 – February 11, 1985) was an American film director and producer. He is best known as a director of Westerns, especially starring Randolph Scott and John Wayne. He directed Gary Cooper in seven films. Backgro ...

, starring Dana Andrews and

*'' The Woman in the Window'', directed by

Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), known as Fritz Lang, was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety'', August 4, 1976, p. 6 ...

, starring

and

Joan Bennett Joan Geraldine Bennett (February 27, 1910 – December 7, 1990) was an American stage, film, and television actress. She came from a show-business family, one of three acting sisters. Beginning her career on the stage, Bennett appeared in more t ...

Y

*'' The Yellow Rose of Texas'', starring Roy Rogers and Dale Evans

Serials

*''

Black Arrow Black Arrow, officially capitalised BLACK ARROW, was a British satellite carrier rocket. Developed during the 1960s, it was used for four launches between 1969 and 1971, all launched from the Woomera Prohibited Area in Australia. Its final fl ...

'' *''

'', starring

Dick Purcell Richard Gerold Purcell Jr. (August 6, 1905 – April 10, 1944) was an American actor best known for playing Marvel Comics' Captain America in the 1943 film serial, co-starring with Lorna Gray and Lionel Atwill. Purcell also appeared in fil ...

*'' The Desert Hawk'', starring Gilbert Roland and Charles Middleton *'' The Great Alaskan Mystery'' *''

Haunted Harbor ''Haunted Harbor'' (1944) is a Republic serial, based on the novel by Ewart Adamson. Plot Sea captain Jim Marsden is about to be hanged for a murder he didn't commit, and is rescued from the gallows by two of his crewmen. To clear the captai ...

'', starring Kane Richmond *'' Mystery of the River Boat'' *'' Raiders of Ghost City'' *'' The Tiger Woman'', starring Linda Stirling *''

Zorro's Black Whip ''Zorro's Black Whip'' is a 1944 12-chapter film serial by Republic Pictures starring Linda Stirling. The film was made after the 1940 20th Century-Fox remake of '' The Mark of Zorro'' in order to capitalize on it. Republic was not able to ...

'', starring Linda Stirling

Short film series

*''

Our Gang ''Our Gang'' (also known as ''The Little Rascals'' or ''Hal Roach's Rascals'') is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, also the ...

'' ( 1922-1944) *''

The Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical farce and slapstick. Six Stooges appear ...

'' (

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 Nepal–Bihar earthquake strikes Nepal and Bihar with a max ...

– 1959)

Animated short film series

*'' Mickey Mouse'' ( 1928– 1953) *''

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series '' Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation. ...

'' (

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...

– 1969) *''

Terrytoons Terrytoons was an American animation studio in New Rochelle, New York, that produced animated cartoons for theatrical release from 1929 to 1973 (and briefly returned between 1987 and 1996 for television in name only). Terrytoons was founded by ...

'' (

–

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...

) *''

Merrie Melodies ''Merrie Melodies'' is an American animation, animated series of comedy short films produced by Warner Bros. starting in 1931, during the golden age of American animation, and ending in 1969. Then some new cartoons were produced from the late 197 ...

'' (

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

– 1969) *'' Scrappy'' (

–

1941 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January– August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar E ...

) *''

Popeye Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by E. C. Segar, Elzie Crisler Segar.1933–

1957 1957 (Roman numerals, MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday, common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, t ...

) *'' Color Rhapsodies'' (

–

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – ...

) *''

'' (

– 1956) *''

Goofy Goofy is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. He is a tall, anthropomorphic dog who typically wears a turtle neck and vest, with pants, shoes, white gloves, and a tall hat originally designed as a rumpled fedora. Goofy is a ...

'' (

1939 This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Third Reich *** Jews are forbidde ...

– 1955) *'' Andy Panda'' (

–

) *''

Tom and Jerry ''Tom and Jerry'' is an American animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series centers on the ...

'' ( 1940– 1958) *'' Bugs Bunny'' ( 1940– 1962) *''

Woody Woodpecker Woody Woodpecker is an animated character that appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz Productions, Walter Lantz Studio and distributed by Universal Pictures, Universal Studios between 1940 and 1972. Woody, an anthropom ...

'' (

–

) *''Swing Symphonies'' (

– 1945) *'' The Fox and the Crow'' (

– 1950) *'' Red Hot Riding Hood'' (

1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 – ...

–

) *''

Droopy Droopy is an animated character from the golden age of American animation. He is an anthropomorphic white Basset Hound with a droopy face; hence his name. He was created in 1943 by Tex Avery for theatrical cartoon shorts produced by the Metr ...

'' (

– 1958) *'' Screwball Squirrel'' (1944– 1946) *''

Sylvester the Cat Sylvester Pussycat, Sr. is a fictional character, an anthropomorphic tuxedo cat in the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons. Most of his appearances have him often chasing Tweety, Speedy Gonzales, or Hippety Hopper. He ...

'' (1944– 1966)

Births

*January 5 –

Franco Ferrini Franco Ferrini (born 5 January 1944) is an Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom * ...

, Italian screenwriter *January 9 – Harun Farocki, German filmmaker (died 2014) *January 10 – William Sanderson, American actor *January 20 – Margaret Avery, American actress *January 23 – Rutger Hauer, Dutch actor (died 2019) *February 3 – Trisha Noble, Australian singer and actress (died 2021) *February 8 - Roger Lloyd-Pack, English actor (died 2014) *February 13 **

Stockard Channing Stockard Channing (born Susan Antonia Williams Stockard; February 13, 1944) is an American actress. She is known for playing Betty Rizzo in the film '' Grease'' (1978) and First Lady Abbey Bartlet in the NBC television series '' The West Wing' ...

, American actress ** Michael Ensign, American actor *February 14 –

Alan Parker Sir Alan William Parker (14 February 1944 – 31 July 2020) was an English filmmaker. His early career, beginning in his late teens, was spent as a copywriter and director of television advertisements. After about ten years of filming adverts ...

, English director, producer and screenwriter (died 2020) *February 22 –

Jonathan Demme Robert Jonathan Demme ( ; February 22, 1944 – April 26, 2017) was an American filmmaker. Beginning his career under B-movie producer Roger Corman, Demme made his directorial debut with the 1974 women-in-prison film '' Caged Heat'', befo ...

, American director, producer and screenwriter (died 2017) *February 29 – Dennis Farina, American actor (died 2013) *March 5 – Peter Weibel, Ukrainian-born Austrian experimental filmmaker *March 6 - Harold Hopkins (actor), Australian actor (died 2011) *March 10 – Richard Gant, American actor *March 14 –

Steve Daskewisz Steve Daskewisz (March 14, 1944 – December 18, 2018), also known as Steve Dash or Steve Daskawisz, was an American actor and stunt double from New York City, New York. Dash was known for his role as a stunt double for the serial killer Jason Vo ...

, American actor and stunt double (died 2018) *March 24 –

R. Lee Ermey Ronald Lee Ermey (March 24, 1944 – April 15, 2018) was an American actor and U.S. Marine drill instructor. He achieved fame for his role as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in the 1987 film '' Full Metal Jacket'', which earned him a Golden Glob ...

, American film, television and voice actor (died 2018) *March 26 –

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...

, American singer and actress *April 4 – Craig T. Nelson, American actor *April 6 –

Anita Pallenberg Anita Pallenberg (6 April 1942 – 13 June 2017) was a German-Italian actress, artist, and model. A style icon and " It Girl" of the 1960s and 1970s, Pallenberg was credited as the muse of the Rolling Stones: she was the romantic partner of the ...

, Italian-born actress and model (died 2017) *April 13 – Charles Burnett, American director *April 30 – Jill Clayburgh, American actress (died 2010) *May 4 –

Russi Taylor Russi Taylor (May 4, 1944 – July 26, 2019) was an American voice actress. She is best remembered as the official voice of Minnie Mouse from 1986 to 2019, and was notably married to voice actor Wayne Allwine, the voice of Mickey Mouse, until h ...

, American voice actress (died 2019) *May 5 ** Roger Rees, Welsh actor and director (died 2015) **

John Rhys-Davies John Rhys-Davies (born 5 May 1944) is a Welsh actor best known for portraying Sallah in the ''Indiana Jones'' franchise and Gimli in ''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy. His other roles include Michael Malone in the 1993 series ''The Untouch ...

, English actor *May 10 – Jim Abrahams, American director, producer and screenwriter *May 14 –

George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the ''Star Wars'' and '' Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chai ...

, American director, producer and screenwriter *May 16 – Danny Trejo, American actor and voice actor *May 19 ** Peter Mayhew, English actor (died 2019) **

Frank Pellegrino (actor) Frank Joseph Pellegrino (May 19, 1944 – January 31, 2017) was an American actor and restaurateur. Early life and education Born in East Harlem on May 19, 1944, to father Frank, a truck driver, and mother, Ida (née Puccillo), a seamstress, ...

, American actor (died 2017) *May 25 – Frank Oz, American actor, filmmaker and puppeteer *May 26 ** Olga Bisera, Yugoslav-born Italian actress and producer ** Andre Stojka, American voice actor and singer *May 28 – Sondra Locke, American actress (died 2018) *May 29 - Helmut Berger, Austrian actor *June 11 – Roscoe Orman, American actor *June 20 - Oliver Cotton, English actor, comedian and playwright *June 21 -

Tony Scott Anthony David Leighton Scott (21 June 1944 – 19 August 2012) was an English film director and producer. He was known for directing highly successful action and thriller films such as ''Top Gun'' (1986), ''Beverly Hills Cop II'' (1987), ''Day ...

, British director and producer (died 2012) *June 23 –

Ingrīda Andriņa Ingrīda Andriņa (23 June 1944 – 17 September 2015) was a Latvian stage and film actress. Biography Born in Riga, Andriņa graduated from the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography in Moscow in 1967 and began working at the Latvian Nat ...

, Latvian actress (died 2015) *June 24 - Julian Holloway, British actor *June 29 – Gary Busey, American actor *July 1 – Wahid Hamed, Egyptian screenwriter (died 2021) *July 2 –

Viiu Härm Viiu Härm (born 3 July 1944) is an Estonian poet, author, photographer, translator, and former actress. Härm's career as an actress began as a teenager in the early 1960s. After appearing onstage and in several films, she retired from acting i ...

, Estonian actress *July 8 – Jeffrey Tambor, American actor *July 17 – Catherine Schell, Hungarian-born British actress *July 22 - Peter Jason, American character actor *July 28 – Frances Lee McCain, American actress *July 30 – Yoon Jeong-hee, South Korean actress *July 31 – Geraldine Chaplin, American actress *August 2 – Joanna Cassidy, American actress *August 7 – John Glover, American actor *August 9 – Sam Elliott, American actor *August 11 – Ian McDiarmid, Scottish actor *August 19 – John Roselius, American actor (died 2018) *August 21 – Peter Weir, Australian director, producer and screenwriter *August 30 –

Wolf Roth Wolf Roth (born August 30, 1944) is a German theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a liv ...

, German actor *September 1 – Beau Starr, American actor *September 6 - Swoosie Kurtz, American actress *September 13 –

Jacqueline Bisset Winifred Jacqueline Fraser Bisset ( ; born 13 September 1944) is a British actress. She began her film career in 1965 and first came to prominence in 1968 with roles in '' The Detective'', '' Bullitt'', and ''The Sweet Ride'', for which she re ...

, English actress *September 15 – Pik-Sen Lim, Malaysian-British actress *September 20 – Jeremy Child, British actor (died 2022) *September 21 -

Fannie Flagg Fannie Flagg (born Patricia Neal; September 21, 1944) is an American actress, comedian and author. She is best known as a semi-regular panelist on the 1973–1982 versions of the game show '' Match Game'' and for the 1987 novel '' Fried Green T ...

, American actress and comedian *September 22 – Frazer Hines, English actor *September 25 –

Michael Douglas Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944) is an American actor and film producer. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the ...

, American actor and producer *October 1 – Jean-Pierre Castaldi, French actor *October 8 –

Dale Dye Dale Adam Dye Jr. (born October 8, 1944) is an American actor, technical advisor, radio personality and writer. A decorated Marine veteran of the Vietnam War, Dye is the founder and head of Warriors, Inc., a technical advisory company specializi ...

, American actor, technical advisor, radio personality and writer *October 10 – Lii Tedre, Estonian actress *October 28 –

Dennis Franz Dennis Franz Schlachta (; born October 28, 1944), known professionally as Dennis Franz, is an American retired actor best known for his role as NYPD Detective Andy Sipowicz in the ABC television series '' NYPD Blue'' (1993–2005), a role that ...

, American actor *November 4 –

Linda Gary Linda Gary (born Linda Gary Dewoskin, November 4, 1944 – October 5, 1995) was an American actress. Career Live-action appearances Gary worked as a voice-over artist in animation and also appeared in two live-action films, 1977's ''Joyride T ...

, American actress, voice actress (died 1995) *November 17 ** Danny DeVito, American actor, comedian, producer and director ** Gary Goldman, American animator, producer and director **

Lorne Michaels Lorne Michaels (born Lorne David Lipowitz; November 17, 1944) is a Canadian-American producer, screenwriter, and comedian. He is best known for creating and producing ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1980, 1985–present) and producing the '' La ...

, Canadian-American producer *November 21 – Harold Ramis, American actor, director and screenwriter (died 2014) *November 22 - Paul Brooke, retired English actor *November 25 – Ben Stein, American actor and comedian *December 5 –

Jeroen Krabbe Jeroen () is a Dutch male given name originating from the Greek Hieronymus, and is equivalent to the English name Jerome. In the Netherlands, there are around 52,000 people who are named Jeroen, while in Belgium there are around 11,000 people of th ...

, Dutch actor and director *December 12 – Kenneth Cranham, Scottish actor *December 15 –

Morgan Paull Morgan Paull (December 15, 1944 – July 17, 2012) was an American actor most notable for playing Dave Holden in the Ridley Scott film '' Blade Runner''. Early life Morgan Paull was born to a wealthy family in Wheeling, West Virginia and ...

, American actor (died 2012) *December 17 – Bernard Hill, English actor

Deaths

* January 3 – Aage Hertel, Danish actor (born 1873) * March 14 –

Merta Sterling Merta Sterling (June 13, 1883 – March 14, 1944) was an American film actress of the silent era who predominantly appeared in comedic roles. She appeared in more than 60 films between 1914 and 1927. She was born Manitowoc, Wisconsin and di ...

, American actress (born 1883) * April 10 –

Pat West Pat West (February 21, 1923 – February 7, 1996) was a former fullback in the National Football League. He was drafted in the 28th round of the 1945 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Rams and would play with the team for three seasons and part of anot ...

, American actor (born 1888) * July 14 –

Emil Fjellström Emil Fjellström (24 October 1884 – 14 July 1944) was a Swedish stage and film actor. Early life and stage career Emil Fjellström was born in Näs parish, Östersund Municipality, Jämtland County and grew up in the city of Östersund. Af ...

, Swedish actor (born 1884) * July 18 – Alan Dinehart, American actor (born 1889) * July 20 – Mildred Harris, American actress (born 1901) * September 24 – Hugo Thimig, Austrian actor (born 1854) * October 28 – Kurt Gerron, German film director (born 1897) * December 9 – Laird Cregar, American actor (born 1913) * December 13 – Lupe Vélez, Mexican actress (born 1908) * December 15 – Glenn Miller, American bandleader, actor (born 1904)

Film Debuts

– '' To Have and Have Not'' *

Red Buttons Red Buttons (born Aaron Chwatt; February 5, 1919 – July 13, 2006) was an American actor and comedian. He won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his supporting role in the 1957 film '' Sayonara''. He was nominated for awards for his acting work ...

– ''

'' *

Stan Freberg Stan Freberg (born Stanley Friberg; August 7, 1926 – April 7, 2015) was an American actor, author, comedian, musician, radio personality, puppeteer and advertising creative director. His best-known works include "St. George and the Dragonet", ...

– '' Swooner Crooner'' * Gloria Grahame – '' Blonde Fever'' *

Judy Holiday Judy Holliday (born Judith Tuvim, June 21, 1921 – June 7, 1965) was an American actress, comedian and singer.Obituary ''Variety'', June 9, 1965, p. 71. She began her career as part of a nightclub act before working in Broadway plays and music ...

– ''

'' *

Shashi Kapoor Shashi Kapoor (pronounced �əʃi kəpuːɾ (born Balbir Raj Kapoor; 18 March 1938 – 4 December 2017) was an Indian actor and film producer who is best known for his work in Hindi films. A recipient of several accolades, including four Natio ...

– '' Meena'' *

Angela Lansbury Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022) was an Irish-British and American film, stage, and television actress. Her career spanned eight decades, much of it in the United States, and her work received a great deal ...

– '' Gaslight'' * Janis Paige – '' Bathing Beauty'' *

– '' Days of Glory'' * Jane Powell – '' Song of the Open Road'' * Zachary Scott – '' The Mask of Dimitrios'' *

Jean Simmons Jean Merilyn Simmons, (31 January 1929 – 22 January 2010) was a British actress and singer. One of J. Arthur Rank's "well-spoken young starlets", she appeared predominantly in films, beginning with those made in Great Britain during and afte ...

– ''

Give Us the Moon ''Give Us the Moon'' is a 1944 British comedy film directed and written by Val Guest and starring Vic Oliver, Margaret Lockwood and Peter Graves. Plot Made in 1943-44, the film is set in a future peacetime Britain, after the end of World War I ...

References

{{1944 films Film by year