Nolte: What Should’ve Won the Best Picture Oscar – 1950 to 1959 20 Apr 2021 In part four of this series we look at the movies that should have won the Best Picture Oscar between 1950 and 1959. The cult of oh-so-sophisticated movie writers love to run down the 50’s, as a decade lost to Eisenhower-era conformity and cinematic bloat crafted by studios desperate to compete with TV. As you’ll see below, nothing could be further from the truth. The 1950s were an embarrassment of movie riches. Let’s begin… What a year for movies. Sunset Boulevard, The Asphalt Jungle, Where the Sidewalk Ends, D.O.A., Broken Arrow, The Third Man, Panic in the Streets… Still, writer-director Joseph Mankiewicz’s timeless tale of ambition, deceit, and getting your just desserts refuses to age. A hoot of a classic filled with amazing dialogue, a Marilyn Monroe appearance, a Bette Davis performance for the ages, and an ending that still offends tight-assed feminists.