Friday nights are family movie night at our house, and lately, we've been especially enjoying old movies. In my newsletter last week, I asked readers for recommendations of their favorite movies from the 1970s and earlier, and they came through in a big way! I got so many great suggestions that I just had to share them here. I hope you'll find some to enjoy as well!
(Just a note that there are newer remakes of many of these movies, but for the purposes of this list, I'm looking at the originals. I tried to stick with movies that are rated G, although of course, some older movies and musicals don't have ratings.)
101 Dalmatians
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
2001: A Space Odyssey
A Boy Named Charlie Brown
A Hard Day's Night
A Patch of Blue
A Star Is Born
Across the Great Divide
Alice in Wonderland
Angels in the Outfield
Anne of Avonlea
Anne of Green Gables
Around the World in 80 Days
Auntie Mame
Bachelor Mother
Bad News Bears
Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Bells are Ringing
Benji
Big Red
Black Beauty
Blossoms in the Dust
Brigadoon
Bringing up Baby
Calamity Jane
Camelot
Can-Can
Candleshoe
Carousel
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlotte's Web
Cheaper by the Dozen
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Cinderella
Daddy Long Legs
Dancing in the Rain
Darby O'Gill and the Little People
Dumbo
Easter Parade
Escape to Witch Mountain
Father Goose
Fiddler on the Roof
Finian's Rainbow
Flipper
Flubber
Follow Me, Boys!
Francis the Talking Mule
Freaky Friday
Funny Girl
Funny Lady
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Gidget
Guys and Dolls
Gypsy Colt
Hans Christian Andersen
Harvey
Heidi
Herbie Rides Again
Holiday Inn
Houseboat
How to Marry a Millionaire
In the Good Old Summertime
It Happened on 5th Avenue
It's a Wonderful Life
Knock on Wood
Lady and the Tramp
Lassie
Leave It to Beaver
Life with father
Little House on the Prairie
Little Men
Little Women
Maltese Falcon
Mary Poppins
Meet Me in St. Louis
Miracle on 34th Street
Monkey Business
Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation
Mrs. Miniver
My Fair Lady
My Three Sons
Napoleon and Samantha
Oklahoma
Old Yeller
Oliver Twist
Once Upon A Mattress
Peter Pan
Pippi Longstocking
Please Don’t Eat The Daisies
Pollyanna
Ride the Wild Surf
Robin Hood
Rock a Bye Baby
Roman Holiday
Romance on the High Seas
Royal Wedding
Second Chorus
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Show Boat
Singin' In The Rain
Son of Flubber
Sound of Music
Sounder
South Pacific
State Fair
Summer Holiday
Support Your Local Sheriff
Swiss Family Robinson
Tammy and the Bachelor
Ten Commandments
That Darn Cat
The Absent-Minded Professor
The Adventures of the Wilderness Family
The Apple Dumpling Gang
The Band Wagon
The Barefoot Executive
The Bells of St Mary's
The Black Stallion
The Blue Bird
The Court Jester
The Diary of Anne Frank
The Family Jewels
The Ghost and Mr. Chicken
The Grapes of Wrath
The Greatest Show on Earth
The Greatest Story Ever Told
The Green Berets
The Happiest Millionaire
The Harvey Girls
The Incredible Journey
The Incredible Mr. Limpet
The Jungle Book
The King and I
The Little Princess
The Long, Long Trailer
The Love Bug
The Muppet Movie
The Music Man
The Nutty Professor
The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band
The Parent Trap
The Rescuers
The Robe
The Shaggy D.A.
The Shaggy Dog
The Singing Nun
The Waltons
There's No Business Like Show Business
Thoroughly Modern Millie
To Kill a Mockingbird
Top Hat
True Grit
White Christmas
Wizard of Oz
Wonder Man
Yours, Mine and Ours
