1949 in film

Top-grossing films (U.S.)

Events

• April 26–June 21 – Ealing comedies Passport to Pimlico, Whisky Galore! and Kind Hearts and Coronets are released in the UK.
• November 15 – Following the prior year's Supreme Court decision in United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc., Paramount Pictures is split into two separate companies with the creation of Paramount Pictures Corporation for production-distribution and United Paramount Theaters for the theater operations.
• December 21 – Cecil B. DeMille's Samson and Delilah, starring Hedy Lamarr, Victor Mature, George Sanders, Angela Lansbury, and Henry Wilcoxon, receives its televised world premiere at the Paramount and Rivoli theatres in New York City.

  Awards

Top ten money making stars

Notable films released in 1949

A

• Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello
• The Accused, starring Loretta Young and Robert Cummings
• Adam's Rib, directed by George Cukor, starring Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, David Wayne, Tom Ewell, Judy Holliday
• The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, narrated by Basil Rathbone and Bing Crosby
• Africa Screams, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello
• Alexander Popov, starring Nikolai Cherkasov –
• Alias Nick Beal, starring Ray Milland and Audrey Totter
• All the King's Men, directed by Robert Rossen, starring Broderick Crawford, John Ireland, Mercedes McCambridge
• Always Leave Them Laughing, starring Milton Berle and Bert Lahr
• Andaz, starring Dilip Kumar and Nargis –
• Any Number Can Play, starring Clark Gable, Alexis Smith, Audrey Totter
• Aventurera –

  B

• The Bad Lord Byron, starring Dennis Price
• The Barkleys of Broadway, the last of 10 films starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers
• Barsaat, directed by and starring Raj Kapoor –
• Battleground, starring Van Johnson, Ricardo Montalbán, George Murphy
• The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend, starring Betty Grable
• Begone Dull Care, experimental animated film featuring music of Oscar Peterson –
• Beyond the Forest, starring Bette Davis
• The Big Cat, starring Lon McCallister, Preston Foster, Forrest Tucker, Peggy Ann Garner
• The Big Steal, starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, Patric Knowles
• Bitter Rice, starring Vittorio Gassman and Silvana Mangano –
• The Blue Lagoon, starring Jean Simmons –
• The Blue Swords, directed by Wolfgang Schleif
• Border Incident, starring Ricardo Montalbán
• Boys from the Streets –
• The Bribe, starring Robert Taylor, Ava Gardner, Charles Laughton, Vincent Price, John Hodiak
• Bride for Sale, starring Claudette Colbert and Robert Young

  C

• Canadian Pacific, starring Randolph Scott and Jane Wyatt
• Caught, directed by Max Ophüls, starring Barbara Bel Geddes and Robert Ryan
• Chains –
• Champion, starring Kirk Douglas, Arthur Kennedy, Marilyn Maxwell
• Chicken Every Sunday, directed by George Seaton, starring Dan Dailey and Celeste Holm
• The Chiltern Hundreds, directed by John Paddy Carstairs –
• Christopher Columbus, directed by David MacDonald, starring Fredric March –
• Colorado Territory, directed by Raoul Walsh, starring Joel McCrea and Virginia Mayo
• Come to the Stable, starring Loretta Young and Celeste Holm
• A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, starring Bing Crosby and Rhonda Fleming
• Criss Cross, starring Burt Lancaster and Yvonne De Carlo
• The Crooked Way, starring John Payne and Sonny Tufts
• Crows and Sparrows, directed by Zheng Junli –

  D

• Dancing in the Dark, starring William Powell and Betsy Drake
• A Dangerous Profession, starring George Raft and Ella Raines
• Distant Journey –
• Down to the Sea in Ships, starring Richard Widmark and Lionel Barrymore

  E

• East Side, West Side, starring Barbara Stanwyck, Ava Gardner, James Mason, Van Heflin, Nancy Davis
• Easy Living, starring Victor Mature and Lucille Ball
• Edward, My Son, directed by George Cukor, starring Spencer Tracy and Deborah Kerr –
• The Emperor of Capri, directed by Luigi Comencini –
• The Emperor's Nightingale, an animated film narrated by Boris Karloff –
• Everybody Does It, starring Paul Douglas and Linda Darnell

  F

• Father Was a Fullback, starring Fred MacMurray
• The Fighting Kentuckian, starring John Wayne and Oliver Hardy
• Flamingo Road, starring Joan Crawford
• Flaxy Martin, starring Virginia Mayo
• The Forbidden Street, starring Maureen O'Hara
• For Them That Trespass, directed by Alberto Cavalcanti, starring Richard Todd –
• The Fountainhead, directed by King Vidor, starring Gary Cooper and Patricia Neal

  G

• Give Us This Day, directed by Edward Dmytryk, starring Sam Wanamaker –
• The Great Gatsby, starring Alan Ladd, Betty Field, Ruth Hussey
• The Great Madcap, directed by Luis Buñuel, starring Fernando Soler –

  H

• Hardly a Criminal, directed by Hugo Fregonese –
• The Hasty Heart, starring Ronald Reagan and Patricia Neal –
• The Heiress, directed by William Wyler, starring Olivia de Havilland, Montgomery Clift, Miriam Hopkins
• Holiday Affair, starring Robert Mitchum and Janet Leigh
• Home of the Brave, starring Jeff Corey
• House of Strangers, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, starring Edward G. Robinson, Richard Conte, Susan Hayward

  I

• I Married a Communist, starring Laraine Day and Robert Ryan
• I Shot Jesse James, starring Preston Foster and John Ireland
• I Was a Male War Bride, starring Cary Grant
• Impact, starring Brian Donlevy and Ella Raines
• In the Good Old Summertime, starring Judy Garland and Van Johnson
• In the Name of the Law, directed by Pietro Germi –
• The Inspector General, starring Danny Kaye
• The Interrupted Journey, starring Richard Todd and Valerie Hobson –
• Intruder in the Dust, directed by Clarence Brown
• It Happens Every Spring, starring Ray Milland
• It's Not Cricket directed by Alfred Roome, starring Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne –

  J

• Janika –
• Johnny Stool Pigeon, starring Shelley Winters and Howard Duff
• Jolson Sings Again, starring Larry Parks and Barbara Hale
• Jour de fête, directed by and starring Jacques Tati –

  K

• Kind Hearts and Coronets, directed by Robert Hamer, starring Alec Guinness, Dennis Price, Valerie Hobson –
• A Kiss in the Dark, starring Jane Wyman and David Niven
• Knock on Any Door, directed by Nicholas Ray, starring Humphrey Bogart

  L

• Late Spring, directed by Yasujirō Ozu –
• Life, directed by A. V. Meiyappan, starring Vyjayanthimala in her screen debut –
• A Letter to Three Wives, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, starring Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell, Ann Sothern, Paul Douglas, Kirk Douglas
• Little Women, directed by Mervyn LeRoy, starring Elizabeth Taylor, Janet Leigh, June Allyson, Margaret O'Brien, Mary Astor
• Love Happy, starring the Marx Brothers
• The Lucky Stiff, starring Dorothy Lamour and Claire Trevor
• Lust for Gold, starring Ida Lupino and Glenn Ford

  M

• Ma and Pa Kettle, starring Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride
• Madame Bovary, starring Jennifer Jones and James Mason
• Mahal, starring Ashok Kumar and Madhubala –
• Malaya, starring Spencer Tracy and James Stewart
• La Malquerida, starring Dolores del Río and Pedro Armendáriz –
• The Man from Colorado, starring Glenn Ford and William Holden
• Manhandled, starring Dorothy Lamour, Dan Duryea, Sterling Hayden
• Manon, directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot –
• The Marriage of Figaro –
• Mighty Joe Young, directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack, starring Terry Moore and Ben Johnson
• Miss Mink of 1949, starring Lois Collier
• Mother Is a Freshman, starring Loretta Young and Van Johnson
• My Foolish Heart, starring Susan Hayward and Dana Andrews
• My Friend Irma, film debut of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis

  N

• Neptune's Daughter, starring Esther Williams
• Never Fear, directed by Ida Lupino, starring Sally Forrest and Hugh O'Brian
• Night Unto Night, directed by Don Siegel, starring Ronald Reagan
• No Way Back, starring Terence De Marney, Eleanor Summerfield –

  O

• Obsession, directed by Edward Dmytryk, starring Robert Newton –
• Oh, You Beautiful Doll, starring June Haver
• On the Town, starring Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Vera-Ellen, Ann Miller, Betty Garrett

  P

• The Passionate Friends, directed by David Lean, starring Ann Todd and Claude Rains –
• Passport to Pimlico, starring Stanley Holloway and Margaret Rutherford –
• Pinky, starring Jeanne Crain
• Prince of Foxes, starring Tyrone Power and Orson Welles
• Prison, directed by Ingmar Bergman –

  Q

• The Queen of Spades, starring Anton Walbrook and Edith Evans –
• The Quiet Duel, starring Toshiro Mifune –

  R

• The Reckless Moment, starring James Mason and Joan Bennett
• Red, Hot and Blue, starring Betty Hutton and Victor Mature
• Red Light, starring George Raft and Virginia Mayo
• The Red Pony, starring Myrna Loy and Robert Mitchum
• The Rocking Horse Winner, starring Valerie Hobson and John Howard Davies –
• Rope of Sand, starring Burt Lancaster, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains
• Rotation –
• A Run for Your Money, starring Donald Houston, Moira Lister, Alec Guinness –
• Rustlers, starring Tim Holt and Martha Hyer

  S

• Samson and Delilah, directed by Cecil B. DeMille, starring Hedy Lamarr and Victor Mature
• Sands of Iwo Jima, directed by Allan Dwan, starring John Wayne
• The Secret Garden, starring Margaret O'Brien and Herbert Marshall
• The Set-Up, starring Robert Ryan
• She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, starring John Wayne, Joanne Dru, Ben Johnson
• Shockproof, starring Cornel Wilde
• Une si jolie petite plage, directed by Yves Allégret –
• Le Silence de la mer, directed by Jean-Pierre Melville –
• Slattery's Hurricane, starring Richard Widmark, Veronica Lake, Linda Darnell
• The Small Back Room, directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger –
• Sons of Matthew –
• Sorrowful Jones, starring Bob Hope and Lucille Ball
• South of St. Louis, starring Joel McCrea and Alexis Smith
• The Stratton Story, starring James Stewart and June Allyson
• Stray Dog, directed by Akira Kurosawa, starring Toshiro Mifune –
• Streets of Laredo, starring William Holden, Macdonald Carey, William Bendix
• The Sun Comes Up, starring Jeanette MacDonald, Lloyd Nolan, Lassie

  T

• Take One False Step, starring Shelley Winters and William Powell
• Tension, starring Richard Basehart, Audrey Totter, Cyd Charisse
• That Dangerous Age, starring Myrna Loy and Peggy Cummins –
• That Forsyte Woman, starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon
• That Midnight Kiss, starring Kathryn Grayson and Mario Lanza
• Thieves' Highway, directed by Jules Dassin, starring Richard Conte
• The Third Man, directed by Carol Reed, starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Trevor Howard, Orson Welles –
• Too Late for Tears, starring Lizabeth Scott and Dan Duryea
• Train of Events, starring Valerie Hobson, Jack Warner, Peter Finch –
• Tulsa, starring Susan Hayward and Robert Preston
• Twelve O'Clock High, starring Gregory Peck

  U

• Under Capricorn, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Ingrid Bergman –
• The Undercover Man, starring Glenn Ford and Nina Foch

  W

• Waga koi wa moenu, directed by Kenji Mizoguchi –
• The Walls of Malapaga, directed by René Clément, starring Jean Gabin –
• We Were Strangers, starring Jennifer Jones and John Garfield
• Whirlpool, directed by Otto Preminger, starring Gene Tierney
• Whisky Galore!, directed by Alexander Mackendrick, starring Basil Radford and Joan Greenwood –
• White Heat, directed by Raoul Walsh, starring James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, Edmond O'Brien
• The Window, starring Barbara Hale and Arthur Kennedy
• Without Honor, starring Laraine Day
• Women Side by Side, directed by Chen Liting, starring Shangguan Yunzhu and Zhao Dan –

  Y

• You, the Rich, starring Pedro Infante –
• You're My Everything, directed by Walter Lang, starring Dan Dailey and Anne Baxter

  Serials

• Adventures of Sir Galahad, starring George Reeves and Charles King
• Batman and Robin, starring Robert Lowery
• Bruce Gentry, starring Tom Neal
• Federal Agents vs. Underworld, Inc, starring Kirk Alyn and Rosemary LaPlanche
• Ghost of Zorro, starring Clayton Moore and Pamela Blake
• The James Brothers of Missouri, starring Keith Richards and Noel Neill
• King of the Rocket Men, starring Tristram Coffin and Mae Clarke
• Radar Patrol vs Spy King, starring Kirk Alyn

  Short film series

• Mickey Mouse
• Looney Tunes
• Merrie Melodies
• Popeye
• Color Rhapsodies
• The Three Stooges
• Donald Duck
• Pluto
• Chip and Dale
• Andy Panda
• Goofy
• Tom and Jerry
• The Fox and the Crow
• Woody Woodpecker
• Mighty Mouse
• Droopy
• Blackie the Sheep
• Red Hot Riding Hood
• Jan Wickman Shorts
• Noveltoons

  Births

• January 12 – Wayne Wang, Hong Kong-born director
• January 14 – Lawrence Kasdan, American director and screenwriter
• January 16 – Caroline Munro, English actress and model
• January 17 – Andy Kaufman, American actor and comedian
• January 24 – John Belushi, American actor and comedian
• January 27 – Zbigniew Rybczyński, Polish film and video cinematographer and director
• February 8 – Brooke Adams, American actress
• March 12 – Rob Cohen, American director, producer and writer
• March 16 – Victor Garber, Canadian actor
• March 22 – Fanny Ardant, French actress
• April 14 – John Shea, American actor
• April 20
• *Jessica Lange, American actress
• *Veronica Cartwright, English-born actress
• May 20 - Dave Thomas, Canadian comedian, actor and television writer
• May 24 – Jim Broadbent, English actor
• May 26 – Pam Grier, American actress
• May 31 – Tom Berenger, American actor
• June 15 – Jim Varney, American actor and comedian
• June 22 – Meryl Streep, American actress
• July 7 – Shelley Duvall, American actress
• August 8 – Keith Carradine, American actor
• August 17 – Julian Fellowes, English actor, writer, director and screenwriter
• August 23 – Shelley Long, American actress
• August 25 – John Savage, American actor
• August 31 – Richard Gere, American actor
• September 1 – Luminița Gheorghiu, Romanian actress
• September 4 – Eero Spriit, Estonian actor and producer
• September 16 – Ed Begley, Jr., American actor
• September 19 - Ernie Sabella, American actor
• September 25 – Pedro Almodóvar, Spanish director
• October 4 – Armand Assante, American actor
• October 8 – Sigourney Weaver, American actress
• October 10 – Jessica Harper, American actress
• November 29 – Garry Shandling, American stand-up comedian, actor, director, writer and producer
• November 30 – Nicholas Woodeson, English actor
• December 4 – Jeff Bridges, American actor
• December 12 – Bill Nighy, English actor
• December 15 – Don Johnson, American actor
• December 25 – Sissy Spacek, American actress

  Deaths

• January 6 – Victor Fleming, 59, American director and producer, The Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind, Captains Courageous, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• January 19 – William Wright, 38, American actor, Philo Vance Returns, Eve Knew Her Apples
• January 20 – Nora Gregor, 47, Austrian actress, The Rules of the Game, But the Flesh Is Weak
• February 19 – Jean Gillie, 33, English actress, Decoy
• April 15 – Wallace Beery, 64, American actor, Grand Hotel, The Champ, Robin Hood, Viva Villa!
• April 18 – Will Hay, 60, English comedian, actor and director, Oh, Mr. Porter!, Hey! Hey! USA
• April 22 – Charles B. Middleton, 74, American actor, Flash Gordon
• August 9 – Harry Davenport, 83, American actor, Gone with the Wind, The Ox-Bow Incident
• September 4 – Olof Ås, 56, Swedish actor, stage manager
• September 14 – Romuald Joubé, 73, French actor
• September 18 – Frank Morgan, 59, American actor, The Wizard of Oz
• September 20 – Richard Dix, 56, American actor, Cimarron, Redskin
• October 14 – Fritz Leiber, Sr., 67, American actor
• November 25 – Bill Robinson, 72, American dancer and actor, Stormy Weather, The Little Colonel
• November 27 – Tom Walls, 66, English actor and director, Stormy Weather, Lady in Danger
• December 16 – Sidney Olcott, 76, Canadian-born American film director

  Film Debuts

• Julie Andrews – The Singing Princess
• Yul Brynner – Port of New York
• Richard Burton – Women of Dolwyn
• Tony Curtis – City Across the River
• Denholm Elliott – Dear Mr. Prohack
• Jerry Lewis – My Friend Irma
• Mercedes McCambridge – All the King's Men
• Liza Minnelli – In the Good Old Summertime
• Patricia Neal – John Loves Mary
• Philippe Noiret – Gigi
• Max von Sydow – Only a Mother
• James Whitmore – The Undercover Man
• Nimmi - Barsaat