1948 in film explained
The year 1948 in film involved some significant events.
Top-grossing films (U.S.)
The top ten 1948 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:
Highest-grossing films of 1948| Rank | Title | Distributor | Domestic rentals |
|---|
| 1 | The Red Shoes | General Film | $5,000,000[1] |
|---|
| 2 | Red River | United Artists | $4,506,825[2] |
|---|
| 3 | The Paleface | Paramount | $4,500,000[3] |
|---|
| 4 | Johnny Belinda | Warner Bros. | $4,266,000[4] |
|---|
| 5 | Easter Parade | MGM | $4,144,000[5] |
|---|
| 6 | The Three Musketeers | $4,124,000 |
|---|
| 7 | The Snake Pit | 20th Century Fox | $4,100,000 |
|---|
| 8 | The Emperor Waltz | Paramount | $4,000,000 |
|---|
| 9 | Homecoming | MGM | $3,699,000 |
|---|
| 10 | Sitting Pretty | 20th Century Fox | $3,550,000[6] | |
|---|
Events
Awards
Top ten money making stars
Notable films released in 1948
United States unless stated
A
- Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello
- Act of Violence, starring Van Heflin, Robert Ryan, Janet Leigh
- Adventures of Don Juan, starring Errol Flynn
- Albuquerque, starring Randolph Scott and Barbara Britton
- The Amazing Mr. X, starring Turhan Bey and Lynn Bari
- L'Amore, directed by Roberto Rossellini, starring Anna Magnani – (Italy)
- Anna Karenina, starring Vivien Leigh and Ralph Richardson – (GB)
- Another Part of the Forest, starring Fredric March
- April Showers, starring Ann Sothern and Jack Carson
- Arch of Triumph, starring Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer, Charles Laughton, Ruth Warrick
B
- B.F.'s Daughter, starring Barbara Stanwyck
- Berlin Express, directed by Jacques Tourneur, starring Merle Oberon and Robert Ryan
- The Berliner (Berlin Balade), starring Gert Fröbe – (Germany)
- Bicycle Thieves (Italian: Ladri di biciclette), directed by Vittorio De Sica – (Italy)
- The Big Clock, starring Ray Milland, Charles Laughton, Elsa Lanchester, Maureen O'Sullivan
- Blanche Fury, starring Valerie Hobson and Stewart Granger – (GB)
- Blonde Ice, starring Leslie Brooks
- Blood on the Moon, starring Robert Mitchum
- Bodyguard, starring Lawrence Tierney and Priscilla Lane
- The Boy with Green Hair, directed by Joseph Losey, starring Dean Stockwell and Robert Ryan
- The Bride Goes Wild, directed by Norman Taurog, starring June Allyson and Van Johnson
C
D
E
F
- The Fallen Idol, written by Graham Greene and directed by Carol Reed, starring Ralph Richardson – (GB)
- Fighter Squadron, directed by Raoul Walsh, starring Edmond O'Brien and Robert Stack
- Force of Evil, starring John Garfield
- A Foreign Affair, directed by Billy Wilder, starring Jean Arthur and Marlene Dietrich
- Fort Apache, directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Shirley Temple
- Four Faces West, starring Joel McCrea and Frances Dee
G
H
- Half Past Midnight, starring Kent Taylor and Peggy Knudsen
- Hamlet, directed by and starring Laurence Olivier, with Basil Sydney and Jean Simmons – (GB)
- He Walked by Night, starring Richard Basehart and Jack Webb
- A Hen in the Wind (Kaze no naka no mendori), directed by Yasujirō Ozu – (Japan)
- Hollow Triumph, starring Paul Henreid and Joan Bennett
- Homecoming, starring Clark Gable, Lana Turner, Anne Baxter, John Hodiak
I
J
K
L
- La Terra Trema, directed by Luchino Visconti (Italy)
- Ladies of the Chorus, starring Marilyn Monroe
- Lal Dupatta, starring Madhubala (India)
- The Lame Devil (Le Diable boiteux), directed by and starring Sacha Guitry – (France)
- Letter from an Unknown Woman, directed by Max Ophüls, starring Joan Fontaine and Louis Jourdan
- London Belongs to Me, starring Richard Attenborough and Alastair Sim – (GB)
- Louisiana Story, documentary by Robert J. Flaherty
- The Loves of Carmen, starring Rita Hayworth
- The Luck of the Irish, starring Tyrone Power and Anne Baxter
- Luxury Liner, starring Jane Powell and George Brent
M
- Macbeth, directed by and starring Orson Welles
- The Mating of Millie, starring Evelyn Keyes and Glenn Ford
- Mela, starring Dilip Kumar – (India)
- Melody Time, starring Roy Rogers & Trigger and The Andrews Sisters
- Mexican Hayride, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello
- Michurin, directed by Alexander Dovzhenko – (U.S.S.R.)
- Miranda, directed by Ken Annakin, starring Glynis Johns – (GB)
- Miss Tatlock's Millions, starring Wanda Hendrix, Barry Fitzgerald, John Lund
- The Monkey's Paw, starring Milton Rosmer – (GB)
- Moonrise, directed by Frank Borzage, starring Gail Russell and Dane Clark
- Morituri – (Germany)
- Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, starring Cary Grant and Myrna Loy
- My Dear Secretary, starring Kirk Douglas, Laraine Day
- Myriad of Lights (Wanjia denghuo) – (China)
- The Mysterious Apartment (Den hemmelighetsfulle leiligheten) – (Norway)
N
O
P
- The Paleface, starring Bob Hope and Jane Russell
- Les Parents terribles, directed by Jean Cocteau, starring Jean Marais – (France)
- The Pirate, starring Gene Kelly and Judy Garland
- Pitfall, starring Dick Powell, Lizabeth Scott, Jane Wyatt, Raymond Burr
- Port of Call (Hamnstad), directed by Ingmar Bergman – (Sweden)
- Portrait of Jennie, directed by William Dieterle, starring Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotten
Q
R
- Race Street, starring George Raft and William Bendix
- Rachel and the Stranger, starring Loretta Young, William Holden, Robert Mitchum
- Raw Deal, directed by Anthony Mann, starring Dennis O'Keefe, Claire Trevor, Marsha Hunt, Raymond Burr
- Red River, directed by Howard Hawks, starring John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, Walter Brennan, Joanne Dru, John Ireland
- The Red Shoes, directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, starring Moira Shearer and Anton Walbrook – (GB)
- Relentless, starring Robert Young
- The Return of October, starring Glenn Ford
- Road House, starring Ida Lupino
- Rogues' Regiment, directed by Robert Florey and starring Dick Powell, Märta Torén, Vincent Price
- Romance on the High Seas, starring Jack Carson, Janis Paige, Doris Day (film debut)
- Rope, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring James Stewart
- Ruthless, starring Zachary Scott and Diana Lynn
S
- Saigon, the final of 4 films starring Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake
- The Sainted Sisters, starring Veronica Lake and Joan Caulfield
- Saraband for Dead Lovers, starring Stewart Granger and Joan Greenwood – (GB)
- Scott of the Antarctic, starring John Mills – (GB)
- Sealed Verdict, starring Ray Milland
- The Search, directed by Fred Zinnemann, starring Montgomery Clift – (US/Switzerland)
- Secret Beyond the Door, directed by Fritz Lang, starring Joan Bennett and Michael Redgrave
- Senza pietà (Without Pity) – (Italy)
- Shaheed, starring Dilip Kumar – (India)
- Silver River, starring Errol Flynn and Ann Sheridan
- Sitting Pretty, starring Robert Young and Maureen O'Hara
- Sleep, My Love, starring Claudette Colbert
- Sleeping Car to Trieste, starring Jean Kent – (GB)
- Smart Girls Don't Talk, starring Virginia Mayo
- The Snake Pit, starring Olivia de Havilland
- So Evil My Love, starring Ray Milland, Ann Todd, Geraldine Fitzgerald – (GB)
- A Song Is Born, starring Danny Kaye
- Sorry, Wrong Number, starring Barbara Stanwyck and Burt Lancaster
- Spring in a Small Town (Xiǎochéng zhī chūn), directed by Fei Mu – (China)
- Spring in Park Lane, starring Anna Neagle and Michael Wilding – (GB)
- State of the Union, starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn
- Station West, starring Dick Powell and Jane Greer
- The Street with No Name, starring Richard Widmark
T
U
V
W
Y
Serials
Short film series
Births
- January 7 - Kenny Loggins, American singer-songwriter
- January 10 – William Sanderson, American actor
- January 12 - Anthony Andrews, English actor
- January 13 - Malcolm Storry, British actor
- January 14 – Carl Weathers, American actor and football player (d. 2024)
- January 16 – John Carpenter, American director, producer and screenwriter
- January 18 - M. C. Gainey, American character actor
- January 20 - Geno Silva, American actor (d. 2020)
- January 21 - Trey Wilson, American character actor (d. 1989)
- January 25 - Emily Richard, British actress
- January 28 - Mikhail Baryshnikov, Latvian-American actor
- January 29 – Marc Singer, Canadian actor
- February 3 - Thomas Rosales Jr., American actor and stuntman
- February 5
- February 9 - David Hayman, Scottish actor and director
- February 15 – Tino Insana, American actor, producer, writer, voice artist and comedian (d. 2017)
- February 16 - Troy Evans, American actor
- February 17 - Anne Lonnberg, American actress and singer of Swedish descent
- February 18 - Sinéad Cusack, Irish actress
- February 20 – Jennifer O'Neill, American actress
- February 22 – John Ashton, American actor
- February 23 - Dennis Waterman, English actor and singer (d. 2022)
- February 25 - K. P. A. C. Lalitha, Indian actress (d. 2022)
- February 28
- Mike Figgis, English director and screenwriter
- Bernadette Peters, American actress and singer
- Mercedes Ruehl, American actress
- February 29 - Ken Foree, American actor
- March 1 - Karl Johnson, Welsh actor
- March 4 - Brian Cummings, American voice actor
- March 5 - Annette Charles, American actress and dancer (d. 2011)
- March 6 - Anna Maria Horsford, American actress
- March 14 – Billy Crystal, American actor and comedian
- March 16 - James Otis, American actor (d. 2020)
- March 20 – Helene Vannari, Estonian actress (d. 2022)
- March 25 – Bonnie Bedelia, American actress
- March 26 - Steven Tyler, American singer, songwriter, musician and actor
- March 28
- Matthew Corbett, English television personality, actor, writer, puppeteer and comedian
- March 29 – Bud Cort, American actor
- March 31 - Rhea Perlman, American actress and writer
- April 5 - Carlos Carrasco, American actor
- April 6 - Patrika Darbo, American actress
- April 9 – Jaya Bachchan, Indian actress
- April 20 - Gregory Itzin, American character actor (d. 2022)
- April 25 – Freda Foh Shen, American film, television and theatre actress
- April 28 - Marcia Strassman, American actress and singer (d. 2014)
- May 3
- May 11 - Pam Ferris, Welsh actress
- May 12
- May 15 - Malcolm Stewart, Canadian actor
- May 18 - Jesper Christensen, Danish actor
- May 19 - Bruce Jarchow, American actor
- May 21 – Jonathan Hyde, Australian-born English actor
- May 24 - James Cosmo, Scottish actor
- June 1 - Powers Boothe, American actor (d. 2017)
- June 7 - Xavier Saint-Macary, French actor (d. 1988)
- June 11 - Michael Swan, American actor
- June 19 - Phylicia Rashad, American actress, singer and director
- June 21 - Ian McEwan, English author
- June 22 - Steve Eastin, American character actor
- June 28
- Kathy Bates, American actress
- J. Michael Riva, American production designer (d. 2012)
- July 2 - Saul Rubinek, German-born Canadian actor, director and producer
- July 5 - William Hootkins, American actor (d. 2005)
- July 6 - Nathalie Baye, French actress
- July 7 - Lori Tan Chinn, American actress and comedian
- July 9 - Ray Baker, American actor
- July 12
- Susan Blu, American voice actress, voice director and casting director
- Ben Burtt, American sound designer
- July 13 – Catherine Breillat, French director
- July 20 - Muse Watson, American actor
- July 26 - Leon Vitali, English actor (d. 2022)
- July 28 - Georgia Engel, American actress (d. 2019)
- July 30 – Jean Reno, French actor
- August 5 - Barbara Flynn, English actress
- August 13 - Peter Iacangelo, American actor (d. 2021)
- August 14 - Joseph Marcell, British actor and comedian
- August 18 - Grainger Hines, American actor, writer, producer and director
- August 19 - Jim Carter, English actor
- August 20 - John Noble, Australian actor
- August 30 – Lewis Black, American actor and comedian
- September 1 - James Rebhorn, American character actor (d. 2014)
- September 4 - Michael Berryman, American character actor
- September 7 – Susan Blakely, American actress
- September 11 - Philip Alford, former American actor
- September 15 - Kathryn Kates, American actress (d. 2022)
- September 17 - John Ritter, American actor (d. 2003)
- September 19
- September 24
- Gordon Clapp, American actor
- Phil Hartman, Canadian-American actor (d. 1998)
- September 26 - Olivia Newton-John, British-born Australian actress and singer (d. 2022)
- September 27 - A Martinez, American actor and singer
- October 2 – Persis Khambatta, Indian actress and model (d. 1998)
- October 5 - Sal Viscuso, American actor
- October 8 - James Harper, American actor
- October 11
- October 14 - Gerard Murphy, Irish actor (d. 2013)
- October 16 – Hema Malini, Indian actress and politician
- October 17
- October 21 - Tom Everett, American actor
- October 28 - Telma Hopkins, American actress and singer
- October 29 – Kate Jackson, American actress
- October 30 - Don Creech, American actor
- October 31 - Michael Kitchen, English actor and producer
- November 11 – Vincent Schiavelli, American actor (d. 2005)
- November 13 – Adelle Lutz, American model, actress and costume designer
- November 14 – Robert Ginty, American actor and producer (d. 2009)
- November 18 – Dom Irrera, American actor and stand-up comedian
- November 20 - Richard Masur, American character actor
- November 26 - Marianne Muellerleile, American actress
- November 28 – Agnieszka Holland, Polish director and screenwriter
- November 30 - Larry Bishop, American actor, screenwriter and director
- December 6 – JoBeth Williams, American actress and director
- December 14
- December 15
- December 21 – Samuel L. Jackson, American actor and producer
- December 22 - Lynne Thigpen, American actress (d. 2003)
- December 27 – Gérard Depardieu, French actor and filmmaker
- December 31 - Donna Summer, American singer and songwriter (d. 2012)
Deaths
- January 7 – Charles C. Wilson, 53, American actor, It Happened One Night, The Hell Cat, Waterfront Lady, Legion of Terror
- February 11 – Sergei Eisenstein, 50, Russian film director, Battleship Potemkin, Alexander Nevsky, Ivan the Terrible, Part One, Ivan the Terrible, Part Two
- February 14 – James Baskett, 44, American actor, Song of the South
- February 23 – Patricia Farr, 35, American actress, Lady Luck, Criminals of the Air, Girls Can Play, Lady Behave!
- March 25 – Warren Hymer, 42, American actor, Up the River, She's Dangerous, The Lady and the Mob
- May 3 – Gideon Wahlberg, 58, Swedish actor, writer and film director
- May 12 – Dante Cappelli, 82, Italian actor, Macbeth, Love Everlasting, The Mysterious Mirror
- May 26 – Torsten Bergström, 51, Swedish actor and director, The Pilgrimage to Kevlaar, Trollebokungen, Ungdom
- May 29 – May Whitty, 82, English actress, Lassie Come Home, Gaslight, My Name Is Julia Ross
- July 5 – Carole Landis, 29, American actress, Topper Returns, I Wake Up Screaming, One Million B.C., Four Jills in a Jeep
- July 15 – William Selig, 84, American pioneer studio builder
- July 23 – David Wark Griffith, 73, American film director, The Birth of a Nation, Intolerance, Broken Blossoms, Orphans of the Storm
- August 13 – Elaine Hammerstein, 51, American actress, Paint and Powder, The Midnight Express
- August 13 – Edwin Maxwell, 62, American actor, Duck Soup, Cleopatra, His Girl Friday
- September 24 – Warren William, 53, American actor, Gold Diggers of 1933, The Wolf Man, Lady for a Day, Imitation of Life
- September 28 – Gregg Toland, 44, American cinematographer, Citizen Kane, The Best Years of Our Lives, The Long Voyage Home, , Wuthering Heights, The Grapes of Wrath, Song of the South, The Little Foxes
- October 10 – Mary Eaton, 47, American actress, Glorifying the American Girl, The Cocoanuts
- October 13 – Samuel S. Hinds, 73, American actor, It's a Wonderful Life, Buck Privates
- October 16 – Nora Lane, 43, American actress, The Cisco Kid, Six-Gun Trail
- October 21 – Elissa Landi, 43, Austrian-American actress, The Count of Monte Cristo, After the Thin Man
- November 9 - Edgar Kennedy, 58, American actor, Duck Soup, A Star Is Born
- December 20 – C. Aubrey Smith, 85, English actor, A Bill of Divorcement, Madame Curie
Film debuts
External links
Notes and References
- All-Time Top-Grossers. Variety. January 13, 1954. 193. 6. 10. 0042-2738. 2022-07-20. Archive.org.
- Book: Andreychuk, Ed . 1997 . The Golden Corral: A Roundup of Magnificent Western Films . McFarland & Company Inc. . 0-7864-0393-4 . 24–25.
- All-Time Top-Grossers. Variety. January 13, 1954. 193. 6. 10. 0042-2738. 2022-07-20. Archive.org.
- Warner Bros financial information in The William Schaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1-31 p 29 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551
- .
- https://archive.org/stream/variety173-1949-01#page/n45/mode/1up "Top Grossers of 1948."
