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Overview of the events of 1953 in film
Overview of the events of 1953 in film
The year 1953 in film involved some significant events.
Top-grossing films (U.S.)
The top ten 1953 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:
Highest-grossing films of 1953
Rank
Title
Distributor
Domestic rentals
1
The Robe
20th Century Fox
$17,500,000
[1]
2
From Here to Eternity
Columbia
$12,200,000
[1]
3
Shane
Paramount
$8,000,000
[1]
4
How to Marry a Millionaire
20th Century Fox
$7,300,000
[1]
5
Peter Pan
RKO /
Walt Disney
$6,000,000
[1]
6
House of Wax
Warner Bros.
$5,500,000
[2]
7
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
20th Century Fox
$5,100,000
[1]
8
Salome
Columbia
$4,750,000
[2]
9
Mogambo
MGM
$4,576,000
[3]
10
Knights of the Round Table
$4,518,000
[3]
Events
January 16 – A new
Warner Bros. Pictures Inc. is incorporated following a Consent Judgment to divest their Stanley Warner Theaters.
February 5 –
Walt Disney 's production of
J.M. Barrie 's
Peter Pan , starring
Bobby Driscoll and
Kathryn Beaumont , premieres to astounding acclaim from critics and audiences and quickly becomes one of the most beloved Disney films. This is the last Disney animated movie released in partnership with
RKO Pictures , becoming the last ever smash hit movie of the later company before it bankrupted in 1959.
July 1 –
Stalag 17 , directed by
Billy Wilder and starring
William Holden , premieres and is considered by the critics and audiences to be one of the greatest
WWII
Prisoner of War films ever made. Holden wins the
Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in the film.
August 5 –
Fred Zinnemann 's romantic and war masterpiece
From Here to Eternity , starring
Burt Lancaster ,
Montgomery Clift ,
Deborah Kerr ,
Frank Sinatra , and
Donna Reed , premieres.
August 27 –
William Wyler 's immortal romantic tale of
Roman Holiday , starring
Gregory Peck and
Audrey Hepburn , premieres and propels Hepburn to super stardom.
September 16 – Religious epic
The Robe , starring
Richard Burton and
Jean Simmons , debuts as the first widescreen anamorphic film in cinema history, filmed in
CinemaScope grossing a record $36,000 for a single theatre in its first day. It went on to gross a record (for a single theater) $264,428 in its first week.
November 21 –
Monogram Pictures , which had stopped releasing pictures under that banner from the start of the year, changes its name to
Allied Artists Pictures Corporation .
Awards
Notable films released in 1953
United States unless stated
#
A
Abbott and Costello Go to Mars
Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Act of Love (Un acte d'amour), starring
Kirk Douglas – (
US /
France )
The Actress , starring
Spencer Tracy and
Jean Simmons
Albert R.N. , directed by
Lewis Gilbert , starring
Anthony Steel ,
Jack Warner ,
Robert Beatty ,
William Sylvester – (
GB )
The All-American , starring
Tony Curtis
All I Desire , starring
Barbara Stanwyck
All the Brothers Were Valiant , starring
Ann Blyth
Anarkali – (
India )
Appointment in Honduras , directed by
Jacques Tourneur , starring
Ann Sheridan and
Glenn Ford
Arrowhead , starring
Charlton Heston and
Jack Palance
B
Baaz , directed by and starring
Guru Dutt – (
India )
The Band Wagon , starring
Fred Astaire ,
Cyd Charisse ,
Jack Buchanan ,
Nanette Fabray ,
Oscar Levant
The Bandit of Brazil (O Cangaceiro) – (
Brazil )
Barabbas , directed by
Alf Sjöberg – (
Sweden )
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms , starring
Paula Raymond and
Cecil Kellaway
Beat the Devil , directed by
John Huston , starring
Humphrey Bogart ,
Jennifer Jones ,
Gina Lollobrigida – (
Italy /GB/
US )
The Beggar's Opera , starring
Laurence Olivier and
Dorothy Tutin – (
GB )
Belinsky – (
U.S.S.R. )
Ben and Me , featuring the voices of
Sterling Holloway and
Charles Ruggles
Beneath the 12-Mile Reef , starring
Robert Wagner
Bienvenido Mr. Marshall , directed by
Luis García Berlanga , starring
Fernando Rey – (
Spain )
The Big Heat , directed by
Fritz Lang , starring
Glenn Ford ,
Gloria Grahame ,
Lee Marvin
Big Leaguer , starring
Edward G. Robinson
The Bigamist , directed by and starring
Ida Lupino , with
Joan Fontaine ,
Edmond O'Brien
Black Ermine – (
Argentina )
Blowing Wild , starring
Gary Cooper and
Barbara Stanwyck
The Blue Gardenia , starring
Anne Baxter and
Raymond Burr
A Blueprint for Murder , starring
Joseph Cotten and
Jean Peters
Bread, Love and Dreams (Pane, amore e fantasia), starring
Vittorio De Sica and
Gina Lollobrigida – (
Italy )
Bright Road , the first feature-film appearance of
Harry Belafonte (
US )
The Brute (El Bruto), directed by
Luis Buñuel , starring
Pedro Armendáriz and
Katy Jurado – (
Mexico )
By the Light of the Silvery Moon , starring
Doris Day and
Gordon MacRae
C
The Caddy , starring
Dean Martin and
Jerry Lewis
Calamity Jane , starring
Doris Day
Call Me Madam , starring
Ethel Merman
The Captain's Paradise , starring
Alec Guinness – (
GB )
Cease Fire
The Charge at Feather River , starring
Guy Madison
City Beneath the Sea , starring
Robert Ryan ,
Anthony Quinn ,
Mala Powers
City That Never Sleeps , starring
Gig Young ,
William Talman ,
Paula Raymond ,
Mala Powers
The Clown , starring
Red Skelton
Confidentially Connie , starring
Van Johnson and
Janet Leigh
The Conquest of Everest – (documentary) – (GB)
The Cruel Sea , starring
Jack Hawkins and
Denholm Elliott – (
GB )
Cry of the Hunted , starring
Vittorio Gassman ,
Barry Sullivan ,
Polly Bergen
D
Dangerous Crossing , starring
Jeanne Crain and
Michael Rennie
Dangerous When Wet , starring
Esther Williams
Decameron Nights , starring
Joan Fontaine and
Louis Jourdan
The Desert Rats , starring
Richard Burton and
James Mason
Desperate Moment , starring
Dirk Bogarde and
Mai Zetterling – (
GB )
Devdas – (
India )
Do Bigha Zamin (Two Acres of Land), directed by
Bimal Roy – (
India )
Donovan's Brain , starring
Lew Ayres and
Nancy Davis
Down Among the Sheltering Palms , starring
Mitzi Gaynor ,
Gloria DeHaven ,
Jane Greer
Dream Wife , starring
Cary Grant and
Deborah Kerr
E
The Earrings of Madame de... , directed by
Max Ophüls , starring
Charles Boyer – (
France /
Italy )
East of Sumatra , starring
Anthony Quinn and
Jeff Chandler
Easy to Love , starring
Esther Williams
Easy Years (Anni facili), directed by
Luigi Zampa – (
Italy )
The Eddie Cantor Story , starring
Keefe Brasselle
Él (Him), directed by
Luis Buñuel , starring
Arturo de Córdova – (
Mexico )
Entotsu no mieru basho (The Four Chimneys) – (
Japan )
Esa pareja feliz (That Happy Couple), directed by
Juan Antonio Bardem and
Luis García Berlanga – (
Spain )
Escape By Night , starring
Bonar Colleano and
Sid James – (
GB )
Escape from Fort Bravo , directed by
John Sturges , starring
William Holden ,
Eleanor Parker ,
John Forsythe
F
Fair Wind to Java , starring
Fred MacMurray and
Vera Ralston
The Farmer Takes a Wife , starring
Betty Grable
Fast Company , starring
Howard Keel and
Polly Bergen
Fear and Desire , directed by
Stanley Kubrick
The Final Test , directed by
Anthony Asquith , starring
Jack Warner (GB)
Folly to Be Wise , directed by
Frank Launder , starring
Alastair Sim – (
GB )
Footpath , starring
Dilip Kumar – (
India )
From Here to Eternity , directed by
Fred Zinnemann , starring
Burt Lancaster ,
Montgomery Clift ,
Deborah Kerr ,
Frank Sinatra ,
Donna Reed – winner of 8
Oscars
G
Gate of Hell (Jigokumon) – (Japan)
A Geisha (Gion Bayashi), directed by
Kenji Mizoguchi – (
Japan )
Genevieve , starring
Dinah Sheridan ,
John Gregson ,
Kay Kendall – (
GB )
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes , directed by
Howard Hawks , starring
Jane Russell and
Marilyn Monroe
The Girl Next Door , starring
June Haver and
Dan Dailey
The Girl Who Had Everything , starring
Elizabeth Taylor ,
William Powell ,
Fernando Lamas ,
Gig Young
Give a Girl a Break , directed by
Stanley Donen , starring
Debbie Reynolds ,
Marge Champion ,
Gower Champion
The Glass Wall , starring
Vittorio Gassman and
Gloria Grahame
The Golden Blade , starring
Rock Hudson and
Piper Laurie
The Great Adventure (Det stora äventyret), directed by
Arne Sucksdorff – (
Sweden )
The Great Sioux Uprising , starring
Jeff Chandler
Gun Fury , starring
Rock Hudson and
Donna Reed
H
The Heart of the Matter , starring
Trevor Howard – (
GB )
The Hitch-Hiker , directed by
Ida Lupino , starring
Edmond O'Brien and
William Talman
Hondo , starring
John Wayne and
Geraldine Page in her film debut
Houdini , starring (husband and wife)
Tony Curtis and
Janet Leigh
House of Wax , starring
Vincent Price
How to Marry a Millionaire , starring
Marilyn Monroe ,
Betty Grable ,
Lauren Bacall (Grable, Fox's top star of the 1940s, with Monroe, Fox's top star of the 1950s)
I
I Confess , directed by
Alfred Hitchcock , starring
Montgomery Clift and
Anne Baxter
The I Don't Care Girl , starring
Mitzi Gaynor
I Love Lucy , starring
Lucille Ball and
Desi Arnaz
I, the Jury , starring
Biff Elliot and
Peggie Castle
Inferno , starring
Robert Ryan
Interim , directed by
Stan Brakhage , short film (25 ½ minutes); music by
James Tenney )
The Intruder , starring
Jack Hawkins – (
GB )
Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary? , starring
Bonar Colleano and
Diana Dors – (
GB )
Island in the Sky , starring
John Wayne
It Came from Outer Space , directed by
Jack Arnold , starring
Richard Carlson
J
Jennifer , starring
Ida Lupino and
Howard Duff
Jeopardy , starring
Barbara Stanwyck ,
Barry Sullivan ,
Ralph Meeker
Julius Caesar , directed by
Joseph L. Mankiewicz , starring
Marlon Brando ,
James Mason ,
John Gielgud ,
Louis Calhern ,
Greer Garson ,
Deborah Kerr
K
L
The Lady Without Camelias (La signora senza camelie), directed by
Michelangelo Antonioni – (
Italy )
The Landowner's Daughter (Sinhá Moça), starring
Anselmo Duarte – (
Brazil )
Lagu Kenangan (
L. Inata [
id ] ), starring
Titien Sumarni and AN Alcaff (Indonesia)
Latin Lovers , starring
Lana Turner
Law and Order , a western starring
Ronald Reagan
The Lawless Breed , starring
Rock Hudson
Lili , starring
Leslie Caron
The Limping Man , starring
Lloyd Bridges – (GB)
A Lion Is in the Streets , starring
James Cagney ,
Barbara Hale ,
Anne Francis
Little Boy Lost , starring
Bing Crosby
Little Fugitive
The Living Desert , winner of
Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature
Love in the City (L'Amore in Città), an anthology film directed by
Michelangelo Antonioni ,
Dino Risi ,
Federico Fellini and others – (
Italy )
Love Letter (Koibumi) – (
Japan )
M
Malta Story , directed by
Brian Desmond Hurst , starring
Alec Guinness ,
Jack Hawkins ,
Anthony Steel ,
Muriel Pavlow – (
GB )
Man in the Attic , starring
Jack Palance and
Constance Smith
The Man Between , starring
James Mason and
Claire Bloom – (
GB )
Man in the Dark , starring
Edmond O'Brien and
Audrey Totter
Man on a Tightrope , starring
Fredric March and
Gloria Grahame
Martin Luther – (
US /
West Germany )
The Master of Ballantrae , directed by
William Keighley , starring
Errol Flynn ,
Roger Livesey ,
Anthony Steel ,
Beatrice Campbell – (
U.K. )
Meet Me at the Fair , starring
Dan Dailey and
Diana Lynn
Miss Sadie Thompson , starring
Rita Hayworth
The Mississippi Gambler , starring
Tyrone Power and
Piper Laurie
Mogambo , starring
Clark Gable ,
Ava Gardner ,
Grace Kelly (remake of 1932's
Red Dust which starred Gable with
Jean Harlow )
Money from Home , starring
Dean Martin and
Jerry Lewis
Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot), directed by and starring
Jacques Tati – (
France )
La montaña sin ley
The Moon Is Blue , first U.S. movie to use the words "
pregnant " and "
virgin ", directed by
Otto Preminger , starring
William Holden ,
David Niven ,
Maggie McNamara
The Moonlighter , starring
Barbara Stanwyck and
Fred MacMurray
N
P
R
Remains to Be Seen , starring
June Allyson and
Van Johnson
Report News (Reportaje), starring
Arturo de Córdova and
Dolores del Río – (
Mexico )
Return to Paradise , starring
Gary Cooper
Ride, Vaquero! , starring
Robert Taylor and
Ava Gardner
The Robe , the first movie filmed in
CinemaScope , starring
Richard Burton and
Jean Simmons
Rogue's March , starring
Peter Lawford ,
Janice Rule
Roman Holiday , directed by
William Wyler , starring
Gregory Peck and
Audrey Hepburn in her Oscar-winning first leading role
Rosanna (La Red) – (
Mexico )
S
Salome , starring
Rita Hayworth
Sawdust and Tinsel (Gycklarnas afton), directed by
Ingmar Bergman – (
Sweden )
Scared Stiff , starring
Dean Martin ,
Jerry Lewis ,
Lizabeth Scott and
Carmen Miranda
Sea Devils , starring
Rock Hudson and
Yvonne De Carlo – (
GB /
US )
Seminole , starring
Rock Hudson and
Anthony Quinn
Shane , directed by
George Stevens , starring
Alan Ladd ,
Jean Arthur (in her final film role),
Brandon deWilde ,
Ben Johnson ,
Jack Palance
Siamo Donne (We, the Women), starring
Alida Valli and
Ingrid Bergman – (
Italy )
Small Town Girl , starring
Jane Powell and
Ann Miller
So Big , directed by
Robert Wise , starring
Jane Wyman ,
Sterling Hayden ,
Steve Forrest
So This Is Love , starring
Kathryn Grayson and
Merv Griffin
South Sea Woman , starring
Burt Lancaster and
Virginia Mayo
Split Second , starring
Alexis Smith and
Jan Sterling
Stalag 17 , directed by
Billy Wilder , starring
William Holden (in his Oscar-winning role),
Don Taylor ,
Harvey Lembeck ,
Robert Strauss ,
Otto Preminger ,
Peter Graves
Stars of the Russian Ballet (Mastera russkogo baleta), starring
Galina Ulanova – (
USSR )
The State Department Store (Állami Áruház) – (
Hungary )
The Steel Lady , starring
Rod Cameron and
Tab Hunter
The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan , starring
Robert Morley and
Maurice Evans – (
GB )
The Story of Little Muck (Die Geschichte vom kleinen Muck) – (
East Germany )
The Story of Three Loves , trilogy starring
James Mason ,
Leslie Caron ,
Kirk Douglas
Summer with Monika (Sommaren med Monika), directed by
Ingmar Bergman , starring
Harriet Andersson – (
Sweden )
The Sun Shines Bright , directed by
John Ford , starring
Charles Winninger
T
Take Me to Town , directed by
Douglas Sirk , starring
Ann Sheridan and
Sterling Hayden
Take the High Ground! , starring
Richard Widmark and
Karl Malden
Thérèse Raquin , directed by
Marcel Carné , starring
Simone Signoret – (
France )
Three Perfect Wives (Las Tres perfectas casadas), starring
Arturo de Córdova – (
Mexico )
Thunder Over the Plains , starring
Randolph Scott
Titanic , starring
Barbara Stanwyck ,
Clifton Webb ,
Thelma Ritter ,
Brian Aherne ,
Robert Wagner
The Titfield Thunderbolt , directed by
Charles Crichton , starring
Stanley Holloway – (
GB )
Tokyo Story (Tōkyō Monogatari), directed by
Yasujirō Ozu – (
Japan )
Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom
Torch Song , starring
Joan Crawford
Treasure of the Golden Condor , directed by
Delmer Daves , starring
Cornel Wilde
Tropic Zone , starring
Ronald Reagan
Trouble Along the Way , starring
John Wayne
Trouble in Store , starring
Norman Wisdom – (GB)
Tumbleweed , starring
Audie Murphy
Twice Upon a Time , directed by
Emeric Pressburger – (
GB )
U
V
W
Y
1953 wide release films
Serials
Short film series
Births
January 1:
January 7:
John Dugan , American actor
January 8:
January 11:
John Sessions , British actor and comedian (died 2020)
January 12:
Phil Reeves , American actor and screenwriter
January 27:
Richard Bremmer , English actor
January 28:
Susan Buckner , American former actress
January 30:
Steven Zaillian , director
February 8:
Mary Steenburgen , American actress
February 9:
February 11:
Philip Anglim , actor
February 12:
Peter Andersson , Swedish actor
February 14:
Brian O'Connor , American actor and comedian
February 15:
Lynn Whitfield , American actress
February 17:
Evan C. Kim , American actor
February 18:
Rocco Sisto , Italian-American actor
February 19:
Massimo Troisi , actor (died
1994 )
February 21:
March 2:
Ezra Swerdlow , film producer (died 2018)
March 4:
March 6:
Jacklyn Zeman , American actress (died 2023)
March 15:
Frances Conroy , American actress
March 16:
Isabelle Huppert , French actress
March 24:
Louie Anderson , American stand-up comedian and actor (died 2022)
April 1:
Barry Sonnenfeld , American filmmaker and television director
April 6:
Patrick Doyle , Scottish film composer
April 13:
Harry Waters Jr. , American actor and singer
April 16:
April 18:
Rick Moranis , Canadian actor & comedian
April 19:
Ruby Wax , American-British actress, comedian, writer and television personality
April 23:
James Russo , American actor
April 24:
Eric Bogosian , American actor
April 25:
Ron Clements , American animator, director, screenwriter and producer
April 26:
Nancy Lenehan , American actress
May 9:
Amy Hill , American stand-up comedian, actress and voice actress
May 16:
Pierce Brosnan , Irish actor
May 21:
Nora Aunor , Filipino actress
May 24:
Alfred Molina , English actor
May 29:
Danny Elfman , American composer
May 30:
Colm Meaney , Irish actor
June 3:
Erland Van Lidth De Jeude , Dutch-American actor (d. 1987)
June 5:
Kathleen Kennedy , American producer
June 7:
June 12:
David Thornton , American actor
June 13:
Tim Allen , American actor
June 15:
Renée Victor , American actress
June 19:
Ken Davitian , American character actor and comedian
June 21:
Michael Bowen , American actor
June 22:
Cyndi Lauper , American singer, songwriter, actress and activist
June 26:
Peng Xiaolian , director (died 2019)
July 1:
David Gulpilil , Indigenous-Australian actor (died 2021)
July 5:
Harish Patel , Indian actor
July 11:
Mindy Sterling , American actress
July 13:
Gil Birmingham , American actor
July 20:
Lee Garlington , American actress
July 26:
Lesli Linka Glatter , American director
August 7:
Lesley Nicol , English actress
August 9:
Alf Humphreys , Canadian actor (died 2018)
August 11:
Hulk Hogan , wrestler
August 12:
Selina Cadell , English actress
August 13:
Victor Colicchio , American actor, screenwriter, musician and songwriter
August 14:
James Horner , American composer (died 2015)
August 18:
Sergio Castellitto , Italian actor, director and screenwriter
August 27:
Peter Stormare , Swedish actor
August 28:
Dee Dee Rescher , American actress
August 30:
Robin Harris , American comedian and actor (died 1990)
September 2:
Keith Allen , British actor
September 6:
September 10:
Amy Irving , American actress
September 16:
September 18:
Anna Thomson , American actress
October 4:
October 9:
October 11:
October 12:
David Threlfall , English actor and director
October 15:
Larry Miller , American comedian, actor, news podcaster and columnist
October 20:
Bill Nunn , American actor (died 2016)
October 26:
October 27:
October 30:
Charles Martin Smith , American actor, writer and director
October 31:
Michael J. Anderson , actor
November 3:
November 6:
Ron Underwood , American director
November 8:
John Musker , American animator, director, screenwriter and producer
November 13:
Tom Villard , American actor (died 1993)
November 18
November 19:
Robert Beltran , American actor
November 20:
Bembol Roco , Filipino actor
November 24:
Glenn Withrow , American actor, director, producer and writer
November 27:
Curtis Armstrong , American actor and singer
November 28:
Pamela Hayden , American actress and voice actress
December 6
December 8
December 9:
John Malkovich , American actor
December 11:
Richard Carter , Australian actor and voice-over artist (died 2019)
December 14:
Vijay Amritraj , Indian sports commentator and actor
December 17:
December 18:
Melanie Kinnaman , American dancer and actress
December 22:
December 23:
John Callahan , actor (died 2020)
December 24:
Timothy Carhart , American actor
December 29:
Charlayne Woodard , American playwright and actress
December 31:
James Remar , American actor
Deaths
January 19:
Arthur Hoyt , 78, American actor,
Her Private Affair ,
Goldie Gets Along
February 2:
Alan Curtis , 43, American actor,
High Sierra ,
Buck Privates
February 27:
Jessie Coles Grayson , 66, African-American contralto and actress,
Cass Timberlane
March 5:
Herman J. Mankiewicz , 55, American screenwriter,
Citizen Kane ,
The Pride of the Yankees ,
Dinner at Eight ,
Man of the World
March 19:
Irene Bordoni , 68, Corsican-American actress and singer,
Paris ,
Louisiana Purchase
April 26:
Rian James , 53, American screenwriter,
42nd Street ,
The Housekeeper's Daughter
May 30:
Dooley Wilson , 67, American actor,
Casablanca ,
Stormy Weather
June 5:
Roland Young , 65, British actor,
Topper ,
Ruggles of Red Gap ,
The Philadelphia Story ,
And Then There Were None
June 27:
Chris-Pin Martin , 59, American actor,
The Gay Caballero ,
Ride on Vaquero ,
Robin Hood of Monterey ,
King of the Bandits
June 30:
Vsevolod Pudovkin , Soviet film director (born 1893)
July 3:
Irving Reis , 47, American director,
The Big Street ,
All My Sons
August 6
August 9:
Henri Étiévant , French actor, director (born 1870)
August 13:
Paul Kemp , German actor (born 1896),
Charley's Aunt
August 17:
Albert Austin , British actor and director (born 1882),
Suds ,
A Prince of a King
September 12:
Lewis Stone , American actor (born 1879),
Andy Hardy film series ,
The Prisoner of Zenda ,
Grand Hotel
October 6:
Porter Hall , American actor (born 1888),
Double Indemnity ,
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington ,
Going My Way ,
Miracle on 34th Street
October 8:
Nigel Bruce , British actor (born 1895),
Sherlock Holmes film series ,
Suspicion ,
Rebecca ,
The Rains Came ,
Treasure Island
October 13:
Millard Mitchell , American character actor (born 1903),
Singin' in the Rain ,
Winchester '73 ,
The Gunfighter ,
The Naked Spur ,
Twelve O'Clock High
November 29:
Sam De Grasse , Canadian actor (born 1875),
Robin Hood ,
Blind Husbands
December 29:
Violet MacMillan , American actress (born 1887),
The Magic Cloak of Oz ,
Violet's Dreams
Debuts
Notes
External links