Ann-Margret is pipped to the post by…Ann-Margret. The Swinger and Stagecoach duked it out at the top of the All-Time Top 40 with the former taking it by a good margin. But it was the reversal in the annual stakes, with the western ahead just by a nose. The films viewed most this year. As ever some surprise picks.
- Stagecoach (1966). Ann-Margret and Alex Cord in decent remake of John Ford classic western.
- The Swinger (1966). Ann-Margret as novelist who tries to live up to the sexy persona she has invented.
- The Sins of Rachel Cade (1961). Angie Dickinson as African missionary with Peter Finch and Roger Moore in thrall.
- Fireball XL5. The famous British television series from Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, now colorized. “My heart will be a fireball…”
- Fraulein Doktor (1969). German spy Suzy Kendall out-foxes Kenneth More. Grisly realistic WWI battle scenes and a superb score from Ennio Morricone.
- Vendetta for the Saint (1968) Roger Moore vs the Mafia.
- Plane (2023). Gerard Butler channels his inner Bruce Willis in Die-Hard-on-a-desert-island adventure.
- Baby Love (1969). Orphan Linda Hayden proves too much of a temptation for upper-middle-class London family.
- The Best House in London (1969). David Hemmings goes into battle for sex workers.
- The Sisters (1969). Nathalie Delon and Susan Strasberg in complicated love triangle of love and betrayal.
- Pendulum (1968). Taut thriller with cop George Peppard accused of murdering unfaithful wife Jean Seberg.
- Moment to Moment (1966). Jean Seberg investigated for murder in Hitchcockian thriller set in the South of France.
- Rage (1966). Glenn Ford and Stella Stevens combat pandemic in Mexican town.
- The First Deadly Sin (1980). Frank Sinatra’s cop chases down a serial killer.
- Go Naked in the World (1961). Gina Lollobrigida finds that her profession (the oldest) and true love (with rich Anthony Franciosa) don’t mix. Great turn from Ernest Borgnine as a doting father.
- Lady in Cement (1969). Sinatra as private eye Tony Rome who takes on gangster’s moll Raquel Welch as a client.
- Champions (2023). Woody Harrelson as the basketball coach saddled with a bunch of misfits.
- A Dandy in Aspic (1968). Cold War thriller with Laurence Harvey as a double agent who wants out. Mia Farrow co-stars.
- She Died with Her Boots On / Whirlpool (1969). Sleazy British film from cult Spanish director Jose Ramon Larraz sees kinky photographer Karl Lanchbury seduce real-life MTA Vivien Neves.
- Once a Thief (1965). Less glamorous role for Ann-Margret as wife of ex-jailbird thief Alain Delon who is forced into another job.
- Diamond Head (1962). Charlton Heston chews the scenery in Hawaiian epic.
- Titanic (1997). Reissue in 3D of the James Cameron box office smash.
- Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humpe and Find True Happiness? (1969) Self-indulgence reaches new heights with writer-director-producer Anthony Newley’s autobiographical tale about stardom. Then-wife Joan Collins co-stars.
- Sergeant Ryker (1968). Lee Marvin in Korean War courtroom drama.
- The Misfits (1960). Clark Gable goes out on a high, ably supported by Montgomery Clift and Marilyn Monroe in John Huston tale of losers.
- Once Upon a Time in the West (1969). Sergio Leone masterpiece featuring the stunning cast of Claudia Cardinale, Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson and that fabulous Morricone score.
- In Harm’s Way (1965). John Wayne and Kirk Douglas in Otto Preminger WW2 epic set in Pearl Harbor and after.
- The Invitation (2022). Gothic thriller starring Nathalie Emmanuel.
- Beat Girl / Wild for Kicks (1960). Gillian Hills is tempted into joining the striptease game. Christopher Lee puts in an appearance.
- 100 Rifles (1969). Raquel Welch, Jim Brown and Burt Reynolds heat up the screen in Tom Gries western set in Mexico.
The Magnificent 60s 
A great list of titles! I have that Stagecoach version on blu ray and while I saw it as a kid I don’t recall much of anything about it. Time to press play I suppose. I watched both Tony Rome flicks last month. Like them both but the sexism hasn’t aged well with zoom ins on bikini gals. They’d both play better if they had kept it straight like an old Bogie flick. I’m a big fan of The Misfits. Not sure why but the final few minutes get me reaching for a tissue every time. Maybe it’s partly the final scene combined with knowing it’s the end of both Marilyn and Clark. As for Once Upon a Time in the West …. masterful.
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I just bypass the sexism otherwise I’ll never watch anything. Misfits is just superb and came as a big surprise to me.
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