List of American films of 1951

A list of American films released in 1951.

Danny Kaye hosted the 24th Academy Awards ceremony on March 20, 1952, held at the RKO Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. The winner of the Best Motion Picture category was Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's An American in Paris.

The other nine nominated pictures were Decision Before Dawn, A Place in the Sun, Quo Vadis and A Streetcar Named Desire.

Vivien Leigh won the Oscar for Best Actress for her role as Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire. Leigh had also played Blanche in the London stage production that had been directed by her then-husband Laurence Olivier. Other Best Actress nominees that year were Katharine Hepburn for The African Queen (Hepburn's 5th Best Actress Nomination), Eleanor Parker for The Detective Story, Shelley Winters for A Place in the Sun and Jane Wyman for The Blue Veil.

Humphrey Bogart won his only Oscar for his portrayal of Charlie Allnut in The African Queen. Other Best Actor nominees for that year were Marlon Brando for A Streetcar Named Desire, Montgomery Clift for A Place in the Sun, Arthur Kennedy for Bright Victory and Fredric March for Death of a Salesman.

The 9th Golden Globe Awards also honored the best films of 1951. That year's Golden Globes also marked the first time that the Best Picture category was split into Musical or Comedy or Drama. A Place in the Sun won Best Motion Picture - Drama, while An American in Paris won Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. Fredric March won Best Actor, Drama for Death of a Salesman, while Danny Kaye won Best Actor, Musical or Comedy for On the Riviera. Jane Wyman won Best Actress, Drama, for her role in The Blue Veil, while June Allyson won Best Actress, Musical or Comedy for Too Young to Kiss.

1951 also saw the film debut of Grace Kelly and Carroll Baker.

A

Title	Director	Cast	Genre	Notes
The 13th Letter	Otto Preminger	Linda Darnell, Charles Boyer	Film noir
Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man	Charles Lamont	Bud Abbott, Lou Costello	Comedy–Horror
Ace in the Hole	Billy Wilder	Kirk Douglas, Jan Sterling, Porter Hall, Ray Teal	Drama	aka The Big Carnival
Across the Wide Missouri	William A. Wellman	Clark Gable, Ricardo Montalbán, Adolphe Menjou, Maria Elena Marques	Western	Based on the novel
The African Queen	John Huston	Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn	Drama	Academy Award for Bogart
Alice in Wonderland	Clyde Geronimi	Kathryn Beaumont	Animation	Walt Disney
Along the Great Divide	Raoul Walsh	Kirk Douglas	Western
An American in Paris	Vincente Minnelli	Leslie Caron, Gene Kelly	Musical	Academy Award: Best Picture
Angels in the Outfield	Clarence Brown	Paul Douglas, Janet Leigh	Comedy	Remade in 1994
Anne of the Indies	Jacques Tourneur	Louis Jourdan, Jean Peters	Adventure
Apache Drums	Hugo Fregonese	Stephen McNally, Coleen Gray	Western
Appointment with Danger	Lewis Allen	Alan Ladd, Phyllis Calvert	Film noir
As Young as You Feel	Harmon Jones	Constance Bennett, Monty Woolley	Comedy	Marilyn Monroe in a small role

B

Title	Director	Cast	Genre	Notes
Baby Sitters Jitters	Jules White	Three Stooges	Comedy
Ballot Box Bunny	Friz Freleng	Looney Tunes	Animation
A Bear For Punishment	Chuck Jones	Looney Tunes	Animation
Bedtime for Bonzo	Fred de Cordova	Ronald Reagan	Comedy	Sequel is Bonzo Goes to College
Behave Yourself!	George Beck	Farley Granger, Shelley Winters	Comedy
The Best is Yet to Come	Kroger Babb	-	Exploitation
The Big Lie			War	Cold War propaganda
The Big Night	Joseph Losey	John Drew Barrymore	Film noir
Big Top Bunny	Robert McKimson	Looney Tunes	Animation
Bird of Paradise	Delmer Daves	Debra Paget, Louis Jourdan, Jeff Chandler	Drama
The Blue Veil	Joseph Losey	Jane Wyman	Drama	Currently still in litigation
A Bone for a Bone	Friz Freleng	Looney Tunes	Animation
The Brave Bulls	Robert Rossen	Mel Ferrer, Anthony Quinn, Miroslava	Drama	Based on the 1949 novel
Bride of the Gorilla	Curt Siodmak	Raymond Burr, Lon Chaney, Jr., Barbara Payton	Horror	Pre-release title The Face in the Water.
Bright Victory	Mark Robson	Arthur Kennedy, Peggy Dow, Julia Adams	Drama	Based on Lights Out by Baynard Kendrick
The Bullfighter and the Lady	Budd Boetticher	Robert Stack, Joy Page	Drama
Bunny Hugged	Chuck Jones	Looney Tunes	Animation	Remake of the short Rabbit Punch

C-D

Title	Director	Cast	Genre	Notes
Callaway Went Thataway	Melvin Frank, Norman Panama	Fred MacMurray, Dorothy McGuire	Comedy	Also known as The Star Said No
Call Me Mister	Lloyd Bacon	Betty Grable, Dan Dailey	Musical	Based on the Broadway Musical
Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N.	Raoul Walsh	Gregory Peck, Virginia Mayo	Adventure	Based on Horatio Hornblower novels
Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere	Spencer Gordon Bennet	Judd Holdren, Larry Stewart	Serial
Casanova Cat	Hanna-Barbera	Tom and Jerry	Animation
Cat Napping	Hanna-Barbera	Tom and Jerry	Animation
Cattle Drive	Kurt Neumann	Joel McCrea, Dean Stockwell	Western
Cause for Alarm!	Tay Garnett	Loretta Young, Barry Sullivan, Bruce Cowling	Film noir
Chained for Life	Harry L. Fraser	Hilton Twins	Exploitation
Cheese Chasers	Chuck Jones	Looney Tunes	Animation
China Corsair	Ray Nazarro	Jon Hall, Ernest Borgnine	Adventure
Chow Hound	Chuck Jones	Looney Tunes	Animation
Close to My Heart	William Keighley	Gene Tierney, Ray Milland	Drama
Come Fill the Cup	Gordon Douglas	James Cagney, Gig Young	Drama	Oscar nomination for Young
Comin' Round the Mountain	Charles Lamont	Abbott and Costello	Comedy
Cruise Cat	Hanna-Barbera	Tom and Jerry	Animation
Cry Danger	Robert Parrish	Dick Powell, Rhonda Fleming	Film noir	Shot in 22 days
Darling, How Could You!	Mitchell Leisen	Joan Fontaine, John Lund, Mona Freeman	Comedy
David and Bathsheba	Henry King	Gregory Peck. Susan Hayward	Historical	from 2nd Old Testament book of Samuel
Day of the Fight	Stanley Kubrick	Walter Cartier	Documentary	First picture directed by Kubrick
The Day the Earth Stood Still	Robert Wise	Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal	Science Fiction	Remade in 2008
Death of a Salesman	László Benedek	Fredric March, Mildred Dunnock	Drama	Based on Arthur Miller play
Decision Before Dawn	Anatole Litvak	Richard Basehart, Gary Merrill	War	From the novel Call It Treason
The Desert Fox	Henry Hathaway	James Mason, Cedric Hardwicke	Biographical	Based on the book Rommel
Destination Meatball	Walter Lantz	Woody Woodpecker	Animation
Detective Story	William Wyler	Kirk Douglas, William Bendix, Eleanor Parker, Joseph Wiseman, Lee Grant	Film noir	Based on Sidney Kingsley play
Distant Drums	Raoul Walsh	Gary Cooper, Richard Webb	Western
Don Daredevil Rides Again	Fred C. Brannon	Ken Curtis, Aline Towne	Serial
Don't Throw That Knife	Jules White	Three Stooges	Comedy
Double Dynamite	Irving Cummings	Frank Sinatra, Jane Russell	Musical Comedy
Drip-Along Daffy	Chuck Jones	Looney Tunes	Animation
Duck and Cover	Anthony Rizzo		Propaganda

E-H

Title	Director	Cast	Genre	Notes
The Enforcer	Bretaigne Windust	Humphrey Bogart, Zero Mostel	Film noir	Based on the Murder, Inc. trials
FBI Girl	William A. Berke	Cesar Romero, George Brent, Audrey Totter	Crime drama
The Family Secret	Henry Levin	John Derek, Lee J. Cobb	Drama
Father's Little Dividend	Vincente Minnelli	Spencer Tracy, Joan Bennett, Elizabeth Taylor	Comedy	Sequel to Father of the Bride
The Fighting Seventh	Charles Marquis Warren	Lloyd Bridges, John Ireland	Western
Flight to Mars	Lesley Selander	Cameron Mitchell, Arthur Franz	Science Fiction
The Flying Cat	Hanna-Barbera	Tom and Jerry	Animation
Flying Leathernecks	Nicholas Ray	John Wayne, Robert Ryan	Action
Flying Padre	Stanley Kubrick	Fred Stadmueller	Documentary	Kubrick's second film
Follow the Sun	Sidney Lanfield	Anne Baxter, Glenn Ford	Biographical	Based on life of Ben Hogan
Fort Worth	Edwin L. Marin	Randolph Scott, David Brian	Western
Fourteen Hours	Henry Hathaway	Paul Douglas, Richard Basehart	Drama
French Rarebit	Robert McKimson	Looney Tunes	Animation
The Frogmen	Lloyd Bacon	Richard Widmark, Dana Andrews	War	First film about scuba diving
Gerald McBoing-Boing	Robert Cannon	Marvin Miller	Animation	Academy Award: Best Animated Short
Go for Broke!	Robert Pirosh	Van Johnson, Lane Nakano	War
Golden Girl	Lloyd Bacon	Mitzi Gaynor, Dale Robertson, Una Merkel	Musical
The Golden Horde	George Sherman	Ann Blyth, David Farrar	Historical
Goodbye, My Fancy	Vincent Sherman	Joan Crawford, Robert Young	Romantic–Comedy	Based on 1948 play
Government Agents vs Phantom Legion	Fred C. Brannon	Walter Reed, Mary Ellen Kay	Serial	12-chapter serial
The Great Caruso	Richard Thorpe	Mario Lanza, Ann Blyth	Biographical	Based on life of Enrico Caruso
Grounds for Marriage	Robert Z. Leonard	Van Johnson, Kathryn Grayson	Romantic comedy
The Guy Who Came Back	Joseph M. Newman	Paul Douglas, Joan Bennett, Linda Darnell	Drama
Half Angel	Richard Sale	Loretta Young, Joseph Cotten	Comedy
He Ran All the Way	John Berry	John Garfield, Shelley Winters	Film noir	Garfield's last film
Here Comes the Groom	Frank Capra	Bing Crosby, Jane Wyman	Musical
His Kind of Woman	John Farrow, Richard Fleischer	Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell, Vincent Price, Jim Backus, Raymond Burr	Film noir	Howard Hughes production
His Mouse Friday	Hanna-Barbera	Tom and Jerry	Animation
Home Town Story	Arthur Pierson	Jeffrey Lynn, Marilyn Monroe	Drama
The House on Telegraph Hill	Robert Wise	Richard Basehart, Valentina Cortese	Film noir
Hula-La-La	Edward Bernds	Three Stooges	Comedy

I-M

Title	Director	Cast	Genre	Notes
I Can Get It for You Wholesale	Michael Gordon	Susan Hayward, Dan Dailey	Romance
I Want You	Mark Robson	Dana Andrews, Dorothy McGuire	Romance
I Was a Communist for the FBI	Gordon Douglas	Frank Lovejoy, Dorothy Hart	Film noir
I'll See You in My Dreams	Michael Curtiz	Doris Day, Danny Thomas	Biographical	Based on life of Gus Kahn
Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison	Crane Wilbur	Steve Cochran, David Brian	Drama	Inspired Johnny Cash song
Jerry and Jumbo	Hanna-Barbera	Tom and Jerry	Animation
Jerry and the Goldfish	Hanna-Barbera	Tom and Jerry	Animation
Jim Thorpe -- All-American	Michael Curtiz	Burt Lancaster, Charles Bickford	Biographical	star of 1912 Olympic Games
Journey into Light	Stuart Heisler	Sterling Hayden, Viveca Lindfors	Drama
Just Ducky	Hanna-Barbera	Tom and Jerry	Animation
Kind Lady	John Sturges	Ethel Barrymore, Angela Lansbury	Comedy
The Lady from Boston	Bernard Vorhaus	Paul Henreid, Merle Oberon	Comedy	Co-production with France
Lambert the Sheepish Lion	Jack Hannah		Animated short
The Last of Mrs. Cheyney	Edwin H. Knopf	Greer Garson, Michael Wilding	Comedy	aka The Law and the Lady
The Last Outpost	Lewis R. Foster	Ronald Reagan, Rhonda Fleming	Western
The Lemon Drop Kid	Sidney Lanfield	Bob Hope, Marilyn Maxwell, William Frawley	Comedy	Remake of 1934 film; Introduced the song Silver Bells
Let's Make It Legal	Richard Sale	Claudette Colbert, MacDonald Carey	Comedy
Lightning Strikes Twice	King Vidor	Ruth Roman, Richard Todd	Drama
Little Egypt	Frederick de Cordova	Rhonda Fleming, Mark Stevens	Biography
Lost Continent	Sam Newfield	Cesar Romero, Chick Chandler	Science Fiction
Love Nest	Joseph Newman	June Haver, William Lundigan, Marilyn Monroe	Drama
Lullaby of Broadway	David Butler	Doris Day	Musical
M	Joseph Losey	David Wayne, Howard Da Silva	Drama	Remake of 1931 film
The Magnificent Yankee	John Sturges	Louis Calhern, Ann Harding	Biographical	Based on life of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
The Man from Planet X	Edgar G. Ulmer	Robert Clarke, Margaret Field	Science fiction
The Man with My Face	Edward Montagne	Barry Nelson, Carole Mathews	Film noir	Jack Warden film debut
The Man with a Cloak	Fletcher Markle	Joseph Cotten, Barbara Stanwyck	Drama	Based on the short story The Gentleman from Paris
The Mating Season	Mitchell Leisen	Gene Tierney, John Lund	Comedy
Merry Mavericks	Edward Bernds	Three Stooges	Comedy
The Mob	Robert Parrish	Broderick Crawford, Betty Buehler	Film noir
The Model and the Marriage Broker	George Cukor	Jeanne Crain, Scott Brady, Thelma Ritter	Romantic comedy
Mr. Imperium	Don Hartman	Lana Turner, Ezio Pinza, Marjorie Main	Romance
My Outlaw Brother	Elliott Nugent	Mickey Rooney, Wanda Hendrix	Western
Mysterious Island	Spencer Gordon Bennett	Richard Crane, Marshall Reed	Serial	Based on the Jules Verne novel

N-R

Title	Director	Cast	Genre	Notes
New Mexico	Irving Reis	Lew Ayres, Marilyn Maxwell, Andy Devine	Western
Nit-Witty Kitty	Hanna-Barbera	Tom and Jerry	Animation
No Smoking	Jack Kinney	Goofy	Animation
On Moonlight Bay	Roy Del Ruth	Doris Day, Gordon MacRae	Musical	Followed by By the Light of the Silvery Moon
On the Riviera	Walter Lang	Danny Kaye, Gene Tierney	Musical	Based on the play The Red Cat.
Only the Valiant	Gordon Douglas	Gregory Peck, Barbara Payton, Ward Bond	Western
Operation Pacific	George Waggner	John Wayne, Patricia Neal	War
Painting the Clouds with Sunshine	David Butler	Dennis Morgan, Virginia Mayo, Gene Nelson	Musical	Remake of Gold Diggers of 1933.
Pandora and the Flying Dutchman	Albert Lewin	Ava Gardner, James Mason	Drama
Payment on Demand	Curtis Bernhardt	Bette Davis, Barry Sullivan	Drama	Originally titled The Story of a Divorce
Peking Express	William Dieterle	Joseph Cotten, Corinne Calvet	Adventure	Second remake of Shanghai Express
The People Against O'Hara	John Sturges	Spencer Tracy, Pat O'Brien	Film Noir
People Will Talk	Joseph L. Mankiewicz	Cary Grant, Jeanne Crain, Sidney Blackmer, Hume Cronyn, Walter Slezak, Finlay Currie	Romantic Comedy
Pest Man Wins	Jules White	Three Stooges	Comedy
A Place in the Sun	George Stevens	Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Clift, Shelley Winters, Raymond Burr, Anne Revere	Drama	based on a book by Theodore Dreiser; won 6 Academy Awards
The Prize Pest	Robert McKimson	Looney Tunes	Animation	Final screwball Daffy Duck cartoon
The Prowler	Joseph Losey	Van Heflin, Evelyn Keyes	Film Noir
Quebec	George Templeton	John Drew Barrymore, Corinne Calvet	Historical Drama
Quo Vadis	Mervyn LeRoy	Robert Taylor, Deborah Kerr, Peter Ustinov	Historical Epic	8 Oscar nominations
Rabbit Fire	Chuck Jones	Looney Tunes	Animation
The Racket	John Cromwell	Robert Mitchum, Lizabeth Scott	Film Noir	Remake of the 1928 film
The Raging Tide	George Sherman	Shelley Winters, Richard Conte, Stephen McNally	film noir
Rawhide	Henry Hathaway	Tyrone Power, Susan Hayward	Western
The Red Badge of Courage	John Huston	Audie Murphy, Bill Mauldin	War	Based on Stephen Crane novel
Red Mountain	William Dieterle	Alan Ladd, Lizabeth Scott, Arthur Kennedy	Western
Rhubarb	Arthur Lubin	Ray Milland, Jan Sterling, Gene Lockhart	Comedy
Rich, Young and Pretty	Norman Taurog	Jane Powell, Wendell Corey, Danielle Darrieux	Musical
The River	Jean Renoir	Nora Swinburne, Esmond Knight	Romance
Roadblock	Harold Daniels	Charles McGraw, Joan Dixon	Film Noir
Royal Wedding	Stanley Donen	Fred Astaire, Jane Powell, Peter Lawford	Musical	Donen's first solo film

S-Z

Title	Director	Cast	Genre	Notes
Santa Fe	Irving Pichel	Randolph Scott, Janis Carter	Western
Saturday's Hero	David Miller	John Derek, Donna Reed, Sidney Blackmer	Sports drama
Scrambled Brains	Jules White	Three Stooges	Comedy
The Secret of Convict Lake	Michael Gordon	Glenn Ford, Gene Tierney	Western
Show Boat	George Sidney	Howard Keel, Kathryn Grayson, Ava Gardner, Gower Champion, Marge Champion, Joe E. Brown	Musical	Based on novel by Edna Ferber; remake of 1936 film
Silver City	Byron Haskin	Edmond O'Brien, Yvonne De Carlo, Richard Arlen	Western
Sirocco	Curtis Bernhardt	Humphrey Bogart, Märta Torén, Lee J. Cobb	Film Noir	Based on novel Coup de Grace
Sleepy-Time Tom	Hanna-Barbera	Tom and Jerry	Animation
Slicked-up Pup	Hanna-Barbera	Tom and Jerry	Animation
Smart Alec			Silent Porn
Starlift	Roy Del Ruth	Janice Rule, Dick Wesson	Musical
The Steel Helmet	Samuel Fuller	Gene Evans, Steve Brodie	War
Storm Warning	Stuart Heisler	Ronald Reagan, Doris Day, Ginger Rogers	Thriller
The Strange Door	Joseph Pevney	Charles Laughton, Boris Karloff, Sally Forrest	Period drama
Strangers on a Train	Alfred Hitchcock	Farley Granger, Ruth Roman, Robert Walker	Thriller	Based on Patricia Highsmith novel
A Streetcar Named Desire	Elia Kazan	Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Kim Hunter	Drama	written by Tennessee Williams; Oscars for Leigh, Malden, Hunter
Strictly Dishonorable	Melvin Frank	Ezio Pinza, Janet Leigh	Romantic Comedy
The Strip	László Kardos	Mickey Rooney, Sally Forrest, William Demarest	Musical
Sugarfoot	Edwin L. Marin	Randolph Scott, Adele Jergens, Raymond Massey	Western
Superman and the Mole Men	Lee Sholem	George Reeves, Phyllis Coates	Action
Take Care of My Little Girl	Jean Negulesco	Jeanne Crain, Dale Robertson, Mitzi Gaynor	Drama
The Tall Target	Anthony Mann	Dick Powell, Paula Raymond, Adolphe Menjou	Thriller
Teresa	Fred Zinnemann	Pier Angeli, John Ericson, Peggy Ann Garner	Drama
That's My Boy	Hal Walker	Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis	Comedy
The Thing from Another World	Howard Hawks	Kenneth Tobey, Dewey Martin, James Arness	Science fiction	Remade in 1982 as The Thing
Three Arabian Nuts	Edward Bernds	Three Stooges	Comedy
Three Guys Named Mike	Charles Walters	Jane Wyman, Van Johnson, Howard Keel	Drama
Thunder on the Hill	Douglas Sirk	Claudette Colbert, Ann Blyth	Drama
Tomahawk	George Sherman	Van Heflin, Yvonne De Carlo, Preston Foster	Western
The Tooth Will Out	Edward Bernds	Three Stooges	Comedy
Too Young to Kiss	Robert Z. Leonard	June Allyson, Van Johnson, Gig Young	Comedy	Golden Globe for Allyson
Two-Dollar Bettor	Edward L. Cahn	Steve Brodie, Marie Windsor	Drama
Two Lost Worlds	Norman Dawn	James Arness, Bill Kennedy	Science fiction
Two of a Kind	Henry Levin	Edmond O'Brien, Lizabeth Scott	Film noir
Two Tickets to Broadway	James V. Kern	Tony Martin, Janet Leigh, Eddie Bracken	Musical
The Unknown Man	Richard Thorpe	Walter Pidgeon, Ann Harding	Drama
Unknown World	Terry O. Morse	Bruce Kellogg	Science fiction
Vengeance Valley	Richard Thorpe	Burt Lancaster, Robert Walker	Western
Warpath	Byron Haskin	Edmond O'Brien, Dean Jagger, Forrest Tucker	Western
The Wearing of the Grin	Chuck Jones	Porky Pig	Animated
The Well	Leo Popkin	Richard Rober, Harry Morgan	Drama
Westward the Women	William A. Wellman	Robert Taylor, Denise Darcel, John McIntire	Western
When Worlds Collide	Rudolph Mate	Richard Derr, Barbara Rush	Science fiction
You're in the Navy Now	Henry Hathaway	Gary Cooper	Comedy

External links

American films of 1951 at the Internet Movie Database