10 of My Favorite Couples From Classic Movies From the 30s - 50s

Hello, dear readers!

This month has so many wonderful events going for it, and one of them is focused on all the things we love about couples. (Which, speaking of, happy late Valentine's Day. I spent my day coding on Python while listening to a musical (and maybe crying because it is so beautiful and sad. I hadn't listened to it in years but was reminded of it again thanks to Olivia). I don't know if those things go together, but it describes me in an uncanny way). This event is Cordy's annual Lovely Blog Party, which runs all of February!

I wanted to write a movie review, but decided why should I talk about one couple when I could talk about many? This afternoon I looked at my gigantic list of favorite fictional couples and tried to find a way to narrow it down. I realized that I've missed talking about old movies (which are some of my favorites!), so I would do a list centered around couples found in those movies. When I say "old" here, I'm talking about any movie made between the 30s and 50s (I would talk about 1920s and 1910s, too, but I haven't seen enough of them. Yet!). I originally was including the 60s, but all those movies were in the late 60s so they didn't seem that "classic". I also just wanted to talk about more black and white movies, so I narrowed it down to the 50s.

This is not a ranking, just 10 couples from old movies that are adorable. My goal with this post is that you all will want to watch some old movies then talk about them with me. Because I love these couples a lot, you will see more posts on them in the future. You can't escape it!

I don't know what to say in the way of spoilers. Sometimes I think of knowing a couple as being a spoiler, but I won't tell you if these characters end up together or not. I'll be talking about their meetings and interactions, but not what happens. Some of these characters might start out together, or the story is about them coming together, or it is all made up in my head. I guess you won't know which is which until you watch the movies. These will be listed chronologically of when the movies were made and the titles of the movie will be first, so you can skim past movies you don't know if you want.

Let's get into it! First up:

From The Thin Man (1934) 

(we're using the first one because I haven't seen all of the others yet):

Nick and Nora

These two. are. hilarious. Is there ever a time that they are not making fun of each other? I guess that is when Nora is serious about Nicky's work. She is so supportive. She knows he's absolutely brilliant and wants him to help people and he...just doesn't. And when she wants to help he comes up with ways to trick her, which isn't nice, but Nora always finds her way back. I don't really know what to say, as they love each other, but are also super frivolous? As I say, I just laugh when I see them.

For those of you who know them, don't you think this gif describes them perfectly?

From Seventh Heaven (1937): 

Chico and Diane

MY HEART. I CAN'T HANDLE IT. These two are some of the most darling characters that I've ever come across in the universe. Diane came from a horrible background and is scared and hurt, and Chico resents a priest for tricking him into helping her. These two seem like polar opposites when we first meet them. Chico is ambitious, a people person, and not afraid to say what he thinks to anyone. Diane is tired of the burden of life. As I said in my review of this movie, something I love is how as Chico finds there are things to fear in the world, Diane blossoms into being the most courageous soul.

'"One day you'll be yourself."

"Myself? What would that be? Myself?"'

They learn so much from each other and grow so much. One of my all time favorite movies and they are the reason why.

From Bringing Up Baby (1938):

Susan and David

These two are such silly ducks. I love them to pieces. And Susan loves David, but David can't seem to get rid of Susan and still can't figure out how he got tangled up in her messes. They are such opposites of each other. David is very focused on his work and Susan makes everything exciting. Terrifying. Whichever word fits better. David needs a plan while Susan will improvise on the spot. I don't know what to say about them besides that they crack me up. This is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen.

From The Son of Monte Cristo (1940): 

Edmond and Zona

I'm sorry that this is such a horrible picture.

Guys, this movie is one of my weaknesses (to the chagrin of my dad, mom, and younger sister. They just don't get it. But, I'm not alone as my older sister loves it, too! Do any of you know it??). I often say I don't like romances, but plop me down in front of this movie and I won't stop smiling. I wouldn't object to watching it on repeat. The reason? Mainly Edmond and Zona. I don't even mind the fact that Edmond falls in love with Zona basically from the minute he sees her. He's such a flirt but deep down he cares. He has to maintain a very particular outward appearance, and that is his disguise for fighting injustice. As for Zona, she is mostly annoyed with him. She cares about her people and wants to help and this fop is just a bother. (Guys, I can't even type this up without stopping and laughing maniacally because I love it so much). Both of them are so brave in their different ways. Do I really know why I love them so much? No, no I don't. I just do, and that's all there is to say about it.

From Holiday Inn (1942):

Jim and Linda 

Never had my sisters and I watched a movie where we didn't like Fred Astaire. His character here was so annoying! But, it was okay because Bing Crosby was great as Jim. Jim goes through a lot. He's scared of trusting people, which is why it's funny that when Jim and Linda initially meet they tell each other a lot of lies. Jim is sweet and quiet as he does not want to cause trouble, but gets tired of his friend Ted messing everything up all the time. Linda is charmed by Jim. She has a strong balance between being ambitious and dependable. She doesn't like it when people try to make decisions for her, as she is perfectly capable and makes great choices on her own. Together, they are sugary sweet. I've only seen this movie once, and though there are problematic aspects, this couple has stuck with me.

From It’s a Wonderful Life (1946): 

George and Mary

I debated taking this one off because it's a Christmas movie, but it's also the best movie ever made so I left it on. George wants nothing more than to up and explore the world, and Mary is something to tie him to home. Yet there's something about her... She's hardworking, caring, creative, and fun. She is such a role model for me. George does not know how to process his feelings, and we can't really blame him. He's a jokester and charismatic, willing to do anyone for the people he cares about. Even lasso the moon.

From Royal Wedding (1951): 

Ellen and John

My family went through a phase of watching this movie basically every day for about a month. It was an old movie that we would watch with our grandma and she seemed to like it. It got old really quickly, but do you know what never got old? Watching Ellen and John. They are so similar: carefree, warm, and welcoming, and can't get people to stop falling in love with them. They think of them as good chums, but can't figure out what the big deal is. Put the two of them together? Adorable! I mean, it's Peter Lawford. You can't go wrong. I love the song "Too Late Now" and only wish that Peter Lawford would sing, because I know he can...

From Singin’ in the Rain (1952): 

Don and Kathy

I don't know how many of you know this, but this movie holds the place for my favorite movie of all time. It is a movie about making movies. You can't get much better than that (but, MC, didn't you say It's A Wonderful Life is "the best movie ever made"? Yes, I did say that, and I stand by it. This is just my personal favorite. Not everyone needs to see it, but everyone should see It's a Wonderful Life). Anyway. I love Don and Kathy so much. I once wrote a whole post about their meet-cute because I love their banter. (I mean, Cosmo Brown is the best thing about this movie, but they are a close second). They both work in the same profession so I love their similarities and differences, and how they can support each other. They are just one of my tippy top favorites, okay? It's hilarious to me that Don falls into the category of, "Whoa, this girl doesn't like me. I love that." Then there's Lina, causing all kinds of problems. I love it.

From Roman Holiday (1953): 

Joe and Ann

Feat. Joe thinking this out carefully.

The first time I saw this movie, I was just annoyed. I'd heard so much hype about how relatable it was then...I didn't feel any of that. For years afterwards I just thought of it as disappointing. That is, until I rewatched it in Oct. 2020. I had so many happy feelings because I loved every single interaction between Joe and Ann. If I would use one word to describe Joe's feelings for most of this movie, it would be, "Huh." Not quite a word, but you get what I'm going for. He's trying to earn some money and has the prime opportunity for a reporter thrown at him. Ann is ready to try anything and everything. She does not follow the standards which puzzles Joe to no end. It takes her a while to appreciate how much Joe is helping her.

Ah, I love these two.

From Sabrina (1954): 

Sabrina and Linus

Vote time: how many of you like this version compared to the 1995 remake? I LOVED this movie, then watched the remake and was not impressed, but for my sister it was the opposite. She did not like this one at all, but really enjoyed the remake. For the first part of this movie it is easy to get annoyed with Sabrina and tell her to "Get a life". Then she does. Linus is the typical, all business and no play who apparently needs to learn to live. He and Sabrina are such opposites, that Linus's plan seems terrible from the start. This movie shows that personalities are more important that looks and don't manipulate people because it will backfire. I love Linus's growth through this movie and I can tell what he is thinking every second that he is on screen. Sabrina is reluctant to grow because she wants to hold on to the dream she's had for years, so her growth can be really fast or really slow. They balance each other out, though.

(Then I nearly put a picture of Sabrina and David. Whoops.)

Hey, Jimmy Stewart and Audrey Hepburn are in two different couples. It tells you that I love watching them. But, guys, I just realized that they never made a movie together. Now I am sad about that! Ah! Where's my time machine?

There you have it! Some of my favorite couples from older movies. What about you? Tell me all of your favorites! Have you seen any of these? Check out all the other fun happening at Cordy's Lovely Blog Party HERE!

Happy weekend, everyone! Thanks for reading!

Chloe the MovieCritic