Here is the list for the Best Movie Stunts for the Decade 1950-1959 as listed in the book, 100 Years of the Best Movie Stunts!
1950: The Flame and the Arrow
Burt Lancaster met Nick Cravat when they worked in the circus as acrobats, early in their careers. This movie highlights some great acrobatics from the two of them, along with some great fighting sequences.
1951: The Thing From Another World
I loved this movie and the remake that followed with Kurt Russell, but this one has a very cool fire burn done Tom Steele that just has to be seen to be believed.
1952: Ivanhoe
Paddy Ryan was in a group of some of the finest stuntmen to ever come out of England. In this film he does a real gasping fall from a castle, which was held as the highest fall from a castle for many years.
1953: Code Two
Motorcycles were really starting to come into their own. This movie was one of the first one to introduce motorcycle stunts and chase scenes, with many movies following after.
1954: The Seven Samurai
This film was probably the most mentioned movie to ever influence a slew of filmmakers, before Star Wars. It’s an incredible film with a great story, great characters and especially great action. Most of the actors were hired because they could really fight. Let’s imagine this as the very first Expendables, where some real action masters were at work here.
1955: To Hell and Back
The real life story, played by the real person himself, Audie Murphy, the highest decorated soldier of World War II. Quite a war film!
1956: Trapeze
So I mentioned Burt Lancaster was in the circus, right? Well, here is the movie where he really shows his chops! You just thought he was a great actor, but he was a really accomplished acrobat, that could have had an amazing career as a stuntman!
1957: The Curse of Frankenstein
Hammer Films, out of Great Britain were making some of the most interesting genre films ever made with some of the finest actors like Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing and with fantastic stuntmen like Jock Easton. Some really great stuff!
1958: The Vikings
So I fell in love with Vikings movies when I saw this one (another great one is the 13th Warrior!). With that in mind, Kirk Douglas blows my mind when I see him, “running the oars” with such ease as he does in this film!
1959: Ben Hur
A stunt that goes wrong is not an “accident” when no one gets hurt…I just consider it an improvised stunt. In this one the results were so cool they added it to the film.
Check out our new Book, 100 Years of the Best Movie Stunts!
