Ten Fantastic Full Color Classic Movies You Can Watch for Free
In this day and age of streaming services offering up an endless supply of movies and TV shows, it’s not terribly difficult to find something to watch. But if you’re looking for something more along the lines of “classic film”, you may have a harder time. Thankfully there are countless movies available for free on YouTube, many even presented with no ads at all.
These ten films from the 1940’s and 1950’s are all in full color – most filmed in Technicolor, but a few were colorized later – and span a variety of genres including war dramas, mystery thrillers, and family dramas. Each one is headed by some of the top names of Hollywood’s Golden Age – Lana Turner, Gene Tierney, Gregory Peck, Tyrone Power, and more.
And, just like our film noir collection, we’ve watched every single one of these movies and are personally recommending them to you. We’ve included links to both the YouTube video for immediate viewing, as well as links to the DVD’s on Amazon in case you find one you enjoy so much that you decide you’d like to add it to your own collection.
So, sit back, put your feet up, and lose yourself in this fine collection of classic films!
Leave Her to Heaven (1945)
First on our list and our favorite of the ten is this psychological thriller directed by John M. Stahl, based on the Ben Ames Williams novel of the same name. The film centers on Ellen Berent (Gene Tierney), a beautiful but dangerously possessive woman. Ellen marries author Richard Harland (Cornel Wilde) after a whirlwind romance, but her obsessive nature soon turns their marriage into a nightmare. The movie also features Jeanne Craine as Ellen’s cousin Ruth, and Vincent Price as Ellen’s estranged fiancé. It was both commercially successful and critically acclaimed, noted especially for its striking color cinematography in an era dominated by black-and-white films.
Watch this film on YouTube
Buy the DVD on Amazon
Edge of Eternity (1959)
In “Edge of Eternity”, Cornel Wilde returns to the big screen as a small town deputy sheriff in Arizona with nothing to do except pull over the local socialite (played by Victoria Shaw) for speeding. That changes after a murder in a nearby ghost town, and Wilde’s character has to tap into his past skills as a former detective in Denver to solve this case. The film is shot on location at the Grand Canyon, so you’re in for some spectacular scenery with this one. It also features a few of our favorite character actors – Edgar Buchanan as the sheriff, Dabbs Greer as the gas station attendant, and the incomparable Jack Elam as a worker at the canyon.
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Buy the DVD on Amazon
23 Paces to Baker Street (1956)
This suspenseful crime thriller stars Van Johnson as Phillip Hannon, a blind American writer living in London. After overhearing a suspicious conversation in a pub, Hannon becomes convinced he’s stumbled upon a kidnapping plot. After facing skepticism from the police, he enlists the help of his loyal butler (Cecil Parker) and ex-fiancée (Vera Miles) to investigate. As they follow a trail of subtle clues through the city, Hannon’s sharp mind compensates for his lack of sight, leading to a tense and clever showdown with the criminals. The film blends mystery, danger, and intrigue in classic noir style.
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Buy the DVD on Amazon
Come Next Spring (1956)
Set in in late-1920s rural Arkansas, “Come Next Spring” stars Steve Cochran as Matt Ballot, a recovering alcoholic who returns home after years of absence, hoping to rebuild his fractured family. His wife Bess, played by Ann Sheridan, is wary of trusting him again, and his young daughter, mute since witnessing a traumatic event, barely remembers him. As Matt works to prove he’s changed, he faces suspicion from the community and struggles to reconnect with his loved ones. It’s a heartfelt drama about redemption, forgiveness, and the enduring strength of family, set against a beautifully photographed Southern backdrop.
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Thunder Birds (1942)
This Technicolor WWII drama from 1952 stars Gene Tierney along with Preston Foster and John Sutton. Set at an Arizona flight training school, the film follows veteran pilot Steve Britt (Foster), who instructs Allied cadets for the war effort. Steve is assigned to train a wealthy, inexperienced British cadet, Peter Stackhouse (Sutton), who struggles with flying due to a fear of heights. Both men become rivals for the affection of Kay Saunders, played by Tierney. The movie served as both big screen entertainment and propaganda for enlistment in the fight against Germany and Japan.
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The Sun Also Rises (1957)
This film adaption of Ernest Hemingway’s novel of the same name portrays the lives and relationships of a group of American and British expatriates in Spain in the 1920’s. Tyrone Power stars as journalist Jake Barnes, a former soldier who was wounded in World War I and is in love with the alluring Lady Brett Ashley played by Ava Gardner. Errol Flynn co-stars as the alcoholic friend, a role he played so well that a string of alcoholic parts were to follow. Against the backdrop of bullfights and fiestas, the disillusioned expatriates struggle with lost love, unfulfilled desires, and the lingering scars of war.
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Soldier of Fortune (1955)
“Soldier of Fortune” stars Clark Gable as Hank Lee, a shady shipping magnate living in Hong Kong, and Susan Hayward as Jane Hoyt, a determined woman searching for her missing journalist husband. When Jane arrives in the city, she seeks Lee’s help to locate her husband, who’s been captured by Chinese authorities. As they navigate the dangerous underworld of colonial Hong Kong, Lee risks everything to aid Jane, and a romantic bond develops between them. A great supporting cast includes Gene Barry (the husband), Michael Rennie, and Tom Tully.
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Night People (1954)
Colonel Steve Van Dyke, played by Gregory Peck, is an Army officer in Cold War-era Berlin. When an American soldier is kidnapped by Soviet agents, Van Dyke gets pulled into a tense game of international intrigue. He’s got to juggle stubborn diplomats, worried parents, and some sneaky double-crosses to pull off a rescue. The film mixes suspense and sharp dialogue, with Berlin’s divided city streets adding extra atmosphere. Peck’s cool-under-pressure performance anchors the story, and the twists keep you guessing until the end. There really is no such thing as a bad Gregory Peck film, and this one further cements that notion.
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Suddenly (1954)
If you never thought Ol’ Blue Eyes could be a cold and calculating villain, guess again. In this 1954 film, Sinatra stars as one of three gangsters masquerading as FBI agents who have trapped a family inside their home in the small town of Suddenly while they await the arrival of the president, who they intend to assassinate. The house sits on top of a hill overlooking the train station, making it a perfect perch from which to shoot the president as he rolls into town. Originally filmed in black and white, this version is presented in full color.
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Buy the DVD on Amazon
Peyton Place (1957)
In this 1957 film adaptation of Grace Metalious’s controversial novel, secrets and scandals simmer below the surface in a pre-WWII New England town, and much of it centers around two families from opposite sides of the tracks. Allison MacKenzie discovers painful truths about her mother, Constance (played by Lana Turner), including her secret past and the identity of Allison’s father, while classmate and best friend Serena Cross deals with an abusive stepfather. In the midst of these primary plots are several other tales revolving around sex, love and the war – there is no shortage of struggles in this picturesque small town. It’s unlikely that you would NOT have heard of this iconic film, but if you’ve never seen it then you’ll definitely want to add it to your list.
