1955 in film


The year 1955 in film involved some significant events.

Top-grossing films (U.S.)

The top-grossing hits of 1955 in the United States.
RankTitleDistributorDomestic rentals
1Cinerama HolidayCinerama Releasing$10,000,000
2Mister RobertsWarner Bros.$8,500,000
3Battle CryWarner Bros.$8,100,000
4Oklahoma!RKO$7,100,000
5Guys and DollsMGM$6,801,000
6Lady and the TrampWalt [Disney Studios Motion Pictures|Buena Vista]$6,500,000
7PicnicColumbia$6,300,000
8Not as a StrangerUnited Artists$6,200,000
9Strategic Air Command
The Seven Year Itch
The Sea Chase		Paramount
20th Century Fox
Warner Bros.		$6,000,000
10I'll Cry TomorrowMGM$5,873,000

Top-grossing films by country

The highest-grossing 1955 films from countries outside of North America.
CountryTitleStudioGross
IndiaShree 420R. K. Films$1,190,000
Soviet UnionPrivate IvanGorky Film Studio$2,520,000

Events

1955 film releases

January–March

April–June

July–September

October–December

Notable films released in 1955

unless stated

#

5 Against the House, starring Kim Novak, Guy Madison, Brian Keith

A

Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, featuring an appearance by Mack SennettAbbott and Costello Meet the Mummy, starring Bud Abbott and Lou CostelloAbove Us the Waves, starring John Mills – The Adventures of Quentin Durward, starring Robert Taylor, Kay KendallAin't Misbehavin', starring Piper Laurie, Rory Calhoun, Mamie Van DorenAll That Heaven Allows, directed by Douglas Sirk, starring Jane Wyman and Rock HudsonThe Americano, starring Glenn FordLe Amiche, directed by Michelangelo Antonioni – Anděl na horách – Apache Ambush, starring Richard JaeckelArtists and Models, starring Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Dorothy Malone, Shirley MacLaineAzaad, starring Dilip Kumar –

B

Bad Day at Black Rock, directed by John Sturges, starring Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Walter BrennanBattle Cry, starring Van Heflin, Aldo Ray, Anne FrancisThe Beast with a Million Eyes Bedevilled, starring Anne Baxter and Steve ForrestThe Big Combo, starring Cornel Wilde, Richard Conte, Brian Donlevy, Jean WallaceThe Big Knife, starring Jack Palance, Ida Lupino, Jean Hagen, Rod Steiger, Shelley WintersBlackboard Jungle, starring Glenn Ford, Anne Francis, Louis Calhern, Sidney Poitier, Vic Morrow, Richard KileyBlood Alley, starring John Wayne and Lauren BacallA Bullet for Joey, starring Edward G. Robinson and George Raft

C

Captain Lightfoot, starring Rock HudsonCarrington V.C., starring David Niven – Cast a Dark Shadow, starring Dirk Bogarde – Chief Crazy Horse, starring Victor MatureCinerama HolidayCiske de Rat – The Cobweb, directed by Vincente Minnelli, starring Richard Widmark, Gloria Grahame, Lauren Bacall, Charles Boyer, Lillian GishThe Cockleshell Heroes, directed by and starring José Ferrer, with Trevor Howard – The Colditz Story, directed by Guy Hamilton, starring John Mills and Eric Portman – Confession, directed by Ken Hughes, starring Sydney Chaplin – The Constant Husband, starring Rex Harrison, Margaret Leighton, Kay Kendall – Count Three and Pray, starring Van Heflin, Joanne Woodward and Raymond BurrThe Counterfeit Coin – The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell, directed by Otto Preminger, starring Gary Cooper, Ralph Bellamy, Rod Steiger, Elizabeth MontgomeryEl CoyoteCrashout, starring Arthur Kennedy and William BendixThe Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz, directed by Luis Buñuel –

D

Daddy Long Legs, starring Fred Astaire and Leslie CaronThe Dam Busters, starring Richard Todd and Michael Redgrave, with an early role by Robert Shaw – Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier, starring Fess Parker and Buddy EbsenDeath of a Cyclist, directed by Juan Antonio Bardem – The Deep Blue Sea, starring Vivien Leigh – The Desperate Hours, starring Humphrey Bogart and Fredric MarchDevdas, based on novel with same name, starring Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala, Suchitra Sen – Les Diaboliques, directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot, starring Simone Signoret – Dreams, directed by Ingmar Bergman, starring Eva Dahlbeck –

E

East of Eden, directed by Elia Kazan, starring Julie Harris, James Dean, Raymond MasseyThe Enchanted Boy – Escuela de vagabundos, starring Pedro Infante –

F

The Far Horizons, starring Fred MacMurray, Charlton Heston, Donna Reed, Barbara HaleThe [Fast and the Furious (1955 film)|The Fast and the Furious], starring John Ireland and Dorothy MaloneFemale on the Beach, starring Joan Crawford, Jeff Chandler, Jan SterlingFire in the Night – Floating Clouds – Footsteps in the Fog, starring Stewart Granger and Jean Simmons – Foxfire, starring Jane RussellFrancis in the Navy, starring Donald O'Connor and Martha Hyer, with Clint Eastwood in an early role

G

Galapagos, a documentary by Thor Heyerdahl – A Generation, directed by Andrzej Wajda – The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing, directed by Richard Fleischer, starring Ray Milland, Joan Collins, Farley Granger – The Girl Rush, starring Rosalind Russell, Fernando Lamas, Gloria DeHavenGodzilla Raids Again – Good Morning, Miss Dove, starring Jennifer Jones and Robert StackThe Good Soldier Schweik, animation directed by Jiří Trnka – Guys and Dolls, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, starring Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra, Vivian Blaine

H

Hell on Frisco Bay, starring Alan Ladd and Edward G. RobinsonHell's Island, starring John Payne and Mary MurphyHeroes of Shipka – The Hidden One, starring Pedro Armendáriz – Hit the Deck, directed by Roy Rowland, starring Jane Powell, Debbie Reynolds, Ann Miller, Tony Martin, Vic DamoneHouse of Bamboo, starring Robert RyanHow to Be Very, Very Popular, starring Betty Grable in her final film role

I

I Am a Camera, starring Julie Harris and Laurence Harvey – I Died a Thousand Times, starring Jack Palance, Shelley Winters, Earl Holliman, Lee MarvinI Live in Fear, directed by Akira Kurosawa – I'll Cry Tomorrow, starring Susan HaywardIllegal, a film noir starring Edward G. Robinson and Jayne MansfieldInterrupted Melody, starring Eleanor Parker and Glenn FordIt Came from Beneath the Sea, starring Kenneth Tobey and Faith Domergue, with special effects by Ray HarryhausenIt Happened on July 20th, directed by G. W. Pabst, starring Bernhard Wicki – It's Always Fair Weather, starring Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey, Michael Kidd, Cyd Charisse

J

Jedda, directed by Charles Chauvel – John and Julie, starring Moira Lister and Sid James – Journey to the Beginning of Time – Jupiter's Darling, directed by George Sidney, starring Esther Williams and Howard Keel

K

Kanyasulkam, starring N. T. Rama Rao – The Kentuckian, directed by and starring Burt Lancaster, featuring film debut of Walter MatthauKiller's Kiss, directed by Stanley KubrickThe King's Thief, starring Ann Blyth and David NivenKiss Me Deadly, directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Ralph Meeker as Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer

L

Lady and the Tramp, an animated Disney musical featuring voice of Peggy LeeLady Godiva of Coventry, starring Maureen O'HaraThe Ladykillers, directed by Alexander Mackendrick, starring Alec Guinness, Cecil Parker, Herbert Lom, Peter Sellers – Land of the Pharaohs, starring Joan Collins and Jack HawkinsThe Last Frontier, directed by Anthony Mann, starring Victor Mature, Robert Preston, Anne BancroftThe Last Ten Days, directed by G. W. Pabst – The Left Hand of God, starring Humphrey Bogart and Gene TierneyLittle Red Monkey, directed by Ken Hughes – Lola Montès, directed by Max Ophüls – The Long Gray Line, starring Tyrone Power and Maureen O'HaraLove Is a Many-Splendored Thing, starring William Holden and Jennifer JonesLove Me or Leave Me, starring Doris Day and James CagneyLove Never Dies – Lucy Gallant, starring Jane Wyman

M

Magdana's Donkey, directed by Tengiz Abuladze and Revaz Chkheidze – Magic Fire, starring Alan BadelMambo, directed by Robert Rossen, starring Silvana Mangano, Vittorio Gassman, Shelley Winters – A Man Alone, directed by and starring Ray Milland, with Mary MurphyThe Man from Laramie, directed by Anthony Mann, starring James StewartThe Man Who Loved Redheads, starring Moira Shearer – The Man with the Golden Arm, directed by Otto Preminger, starring Frank Sinatra, Eleanor Parker, Darren McGavin, Kim Novak, Arnold StangMan with the Gun, starring Robert MitchumMan Without a Star, starring Kirk Douglas and William CampbellMarty, directed by Delbert Mann, starring Ernest Borgnine, Betsy Blair, Joe Mantell, Frank Sutton, Jerry ParisThe McConnell Story, starring Alan Ladd and June AllysonThe Mill of Good Luck – Miracle of Marcelino – Missamma, starring N. T. Rama Rao – Mister Roberts, co-directed by John Ford and Mervyn LeRoy, starring Henry Fonda, James Cagney, William Powell, Jack LemmonMoonfleet, starring Stewart Granger and Joan GreenwoodMr. & Mrs. '55, starring Guru Dutt and Madhubala – Mr. Arkadin, directed by and starring Orson Welles – My Sister Eileen, starring Janet Leigh and Betty Garrett

N

New York Confidential, starring Broderick Crawford, Richard Conte, Marilyn Maxwell, Anne BancroftNight and Fog, a documentary directed by Alain Resnais – The Night My Number Came Up, starring Michael Redgrave – The Night of the Hunter, directed by Charles Laughton, starring Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, Peter GravesNot as a Stranger, starring Robert Mitchum, Olivia de Havilland, Frank Sinatra, Gloria Grahame, Broderick Crawford, Lon Chaney Jr.

O

Oh, Ibuku, directed by Ali Joego, debuting Aminah Cendrakasih – Oklahoma!, starring Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones, Rod Steiger, Gloria GrahameOrdet, directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer – Our Best Days, starring Omar Sharif – Out of the Clouds, directed by Basil Dearden, starring Anthony Steel, Robert Beatty –

P

Passage Home, directed by Roy Ward Baker, starring Anthony Steel, Peter Finch, Diane Cilento – Pather Panchali, directed by Satyajit Ray – Pete Kelly's Blues, starring Jack Webb, Janet Leigh, Edmond O'Brien, Peggy LeeThe Phenix City Story, starring Richard Kiley, John McIntire, John Larch, James Edwards, Edward AndrewsPicnic, directed by Joshua Logan, starring William Holden, Kim Novak, Cliff Robertson, Rosalind RussellPrince of Players, starring Richard BurtonPrincess Yang Kwei-Fei – The Prisoner, directed by Peter Glenville, starring Alec Guinness and Jack Hawkins – The Private War of Major Benson, starring Charlton HestonThe Prodigal, starring Lana Turner

Q

The Quatermass Xperiment – Queen Bee, starring Joan Crawford

R

The Racers, starring Kirk Douglas, Gilbert Roland, Bella DarviRadio Stories – Die Ratten, starring Maria Schell and Curd Jürgens – – Golden Bear awardRage at Dawn, starring Randolph ScottThe Rains of Ranchipur, starring Lana Turner and Richard BurtonRebel Without a Cause, directed by Nicholas Ray, starring James Dean, Sal Mineo, Natalie WoodRed Fish, starring Arturo de Córdova – Richard III, directed by and starring Laurence Olivier, with Ralph Richardson, Claire Bloom, John Gielgud – Rififi, directed by Jules Dassin – A Ripple in the Pond – Romeo and Juliet, starring Yuri Zhdanov and Galina Ulanova – Roots – The Rose Tattoo, starring Anna Magnani and Burt LancasterRun for Cover, starring James Cagney, John Derek, Ernest Borgnine

S

Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple – Scandal in Sorrento, starring Vittorio De Sica and Sophia Loren – The Scarlet Coat, starring Cornel Wilde, George Sanders, Anne FrancisThe Sea Chase, starring John Wayne and Lana TurnerSeagulls Die in the Harbour – Seema, starring Nutan – Seven Angry Men, starring Raymond MasseyThe Seven Little Foys, starring Bob Hope, featuring James Cagney reprising role of George M. Cohan from Yankee Doodle DandyThe Seven Year Itch, directed by Billy Wilder, starring Marilyn Monroe and Tom EwellShree 420, directed by and starring Raj Kapoor, with Nargis – The Shrike, directed by and starring José FerrerThe Sign of Venus, starring Sophia Loren and Vittorio De Sica – Simba, starring Dirk Bogarde – Sissi, starring Romy Schneider – Six Bridges to Cross, starring Tony CurtisSmiles of a Summer Night, directed by Ingmar Bergman – Son of SinbadSo This Is Paris, starring Tony Curtis and Gloria DeHavenThe Spoilers, starring Anne Baxter and Jeff ChandlerStrategic Air Command, starring James StewartStella, directed by Michael Cacoyannis, starring Melina Mercouri – Storm Over the Nile, starring Anthony Steel and Laurence Harvey – Summertime, directed by David Lean, starring Katharine Hepburn, Rossano Brazzi, Darren McGavin – The Swindle, directed by Federico Fellini, starring Broderick Crawford –

T

Taira Clan Saga, directed by Kenji Mizoguchi – Tall Man Riding, starring Randolph Scott and Dorothy MaloneThe Tall Men, starring Clark Gable, Jane Russell, Robert RyanTarantula, directed by Jack Arnold, starring John Agar, Mara Corday, with Clint Eastwood in a bit partThe Tender Trap, starring Frank Sinatra, Debbie Reynolds, David Wayne, Celeste HolmThat Lady, starring Olivia de Havilland – This Island Earth, directed by Joseph M. Newman, starring Jeff Morrow, Rex Reason, Faith Domergue, Russell JohnsonThree for the Show, starring Betty GrableTight Spot, starring Ginger Rogers, Edward G. Robinson, Brian Keith, Lorne GreeneTo Catch a Thief, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant and Grace KellyTo Hell and Back, starring Audie Murphy, Marshall Thompson, Charles Drake, David JanssenThe Phantom from 10,000 Leagues, starring Kent Taylor, Cathy Downs, Michael WhalenThe Treasure of Pancho Villa, starring Rory Calhoun and Shelley WintersTrial, starring Glenn FordThe Trouble with Harry, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Edmund Gwenn, John Forsythe, Shirley MacLaine

U

Unknown Soldier (1955 film)|Unknown Soldier] – Unchained, starring Barbara HaleUnderwater!, starring Jane RussellUntamed, starring Tyrone Power and Susan Hayward

V

The Violent Men, starring Glenn Ford, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson, Brian KeithViolent Saturday, starring Victor Mature, Ernest Borgnine, Lee MarvinThe Virgin Queen, starring Bette Davis, Richard Todd, Joan Collins

W

We're No Angels, starring Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov, Aldo Ray, Basil RathboneWhite Feather, starring Robert Wagner, Jeffrey Hunter, Debra PagetWichita, starring Joel McCreaThe Woman in the Painting – Women's Prison, starring Ida Lupino, Jan Sterling, Audrey Totter, Phyllis Thaxter

Y

You're Never Too Young, starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis

Serials

The Adventures of Captain AfricaKing of the Carnival

Short film series

Looney Tunes Terrytoons Merrie Melodies Popeye Donald Duck The Three Stooges Tom and Jerry Bugs Bunny Mighty Mouse Chip 'n' Dale Droopy Yosemite Sam Ranger Don Speedy Gonzales
Cartoon:Good Will to Men The Legend of Rockabye Point No Hunting Speedy Gonzales
One-Reel:Gadgets Galore
Two-Reel:

Births

Deaths