If we had a nickel for every time there was a film nominated for Best Picture in 1958 that was based on a play that dealt with the trauma of a man hiding his homosexuality in a post-WWII world, but rewrote the script so the gay character was straight in the film, we’d have 2 nickels. It’s not a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.
Year Eligible: 1958 (Nominated)
Additional audio from Separate Tables (1958)
(Explicit language, as always)
A perfect balance of zany and clever, Auntie Mame is deceptively thoughtful, though not without some glaring failures at the Screen Test of Time.
Year Eligible: 1958 (Nominated)
Additional audio from Auntie Mame (1958)
(Explicit language, as always)
Tennessee Williams hated this adaptation of his play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof so much that he went up to people standing in line for it and said, “This movie will set the industry back 50 years. Go home!” Our episode won’t do that, but we agree with him on the movie. It’s been awhile since we had a flick where the Hays Code made it completely pointless to even try, but rarely with such incredibly good looking people as Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor.
Year Eligible: 1958 (Nominated)
Additional audio from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
(Explicit language, as always)
Sidney Poitier makes his Screen Test of Time debut in this message movie, co-starring Tony Curtis, that's actually good. Two escaped chain gang convicts, one Black and one white, have to learn to work together to escape the law. Sounds like a simple, cheesy premise, but a nuanced story and incredible performances make this better than more recent movies with similar setups.
Year Eligible: 1958 (Nominated)
Additional audio from The Defiant Ones (1958)
(Explicit language, as always)