If you are talking about the 1940s, there are two movies that have to get mentioned: Citizen Kane and Casablanca. If you look at the AFI Top 100 Movies, they are #1 & #3. Once you watch either of them, it is easy to see why. I watched Casablanca with my dad. I was probably in high school and like so many movies that we watched together, it was coming on one night and Dad was like “oh, this is a great movie, you have to watch it!” It ended late, and I was tired the next day, but it was worth it.
Ready for a random fact about Casablanca? The writers of the movie, Julius & Philip Epstein, went to Penn State. In fact, they graduated in 1931, and they were boxers. I believe Julius won the NCAA bantamweight championship. They are the only PSU alumni to win an Oscar! Julius was buried in a Penn State polo. Also, even more random fact: Theo Epstein, the former GM of the Red Sox and President of the Cubs, is Philip Epstein’s grandson.
