By Tia Bradley
Our Top Picks of BBC iPlayer's RKO collection
Mon 18 May 2020
Celebrate the Golden Age of Hollywood by indulging in some of the greatest films ever made!
From Citizen Kane to King Kong, BBC iPlayer have an impressive selection of classic RKO (one of the top five production companies at the time) films – perfect for topping up your essential cinema viewing at home.
With some many to choose from, we’ve picked our top 10!
Vivacious Lady (1938), dir. George Stevens
An entertaining comedy about a professor (James Stewart) who impulsively marries a New York nightclub singer (Ginger Rogers) but comes to regret his decision when he returns home.
Marking one of James Stewart’s earliest lead roles, Ginger Rogers actually recommended Stewart for the role who she was dating at the time.
FREE on BBC iPlayer for over a year.
Top Hat (1935), dir. Mark Sandrich
The quintessential Astaire and Rogers musical (they were iconic dance partners in 10 films, 9 being RKO) sees an American dancer staying at a hotel in London fall in love with the guest in the room below.
Nominated for an impressive four Oscars – including Best Picture, we have Top Hat to thank for classic numbers like Cheek to Cheek and Top Hat.
The Velvet Touch (1948), dir. Jack Gage
Broadway star Valerie Stanton’s (Rosalind Russell) life takes a dramatic turn when she unintentionally kills her producer and former lover.
An underrated and often overlooked film noir drama, The Velvet Touch also stars classic noir actor Sydney Greenstreet (The Maltese Falcon).
Citizen Kane (1941), dir. Orson Welles
Widely regarded as one of the best films ever made, Orson Welles’ masterpiece follows reporters who scramble to uncover the meaning behind publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane’s final word – ‘Rosebud.’
Essential viewing for any film fan, Citizen Kane is cemented in film history but it didn’t receive the award recognition you’d think – with it being nominated for 9 Oscars but only walking away with the Best Original Screenplay award.
FREE on BBC iPlayer for over a year.
Fort Apache (1948), dir. John Ford
A dynamite trio of John Wayne, Henry Fonda and Shirley Temple propel this classic Western.
The first of director John Ford’s cavalry trilogy – bitter at his demotion after the Civil War, a commanding officer takes his resentment out on the men of Fort Apache, a remote outpost in the Arizona desert.
FREE on BBC iPlayer for over a year.
King Kong (1933), dir. Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack
Arguably one of the most influential films of all-time – with a whopping 12 films in the ‘Kong franchise’, including seven Hollywood films, two produced by Toho and three direct-to-video animated films.
Hollywood’s most famous monster movie, a giant gorilla (Kong) is taken from his prehistoric island home to be exhibited in the music halls of Manhattan.
FREE on BBC iPlayer for over a year.
Bringing up Baby (1938), dir. Howard Hawks
A classic screwball comedy where a madcap heiress (Katharine Hepburn) makes a shambles of an absent-minded palaeontologist’s (Cary Grant) life when she arrives on the scene with her pet leopard.
Bringing up Baby marked a change of genre for Katharine Hepburn with it being her first venture into comedy.
The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), dir. Orson Welles
The second Orson Welles’ film to grace this list – this time a classic period drama about a son of the proud Amberson family who destroys his mother’s hopes of marrying her first love – a recent widower.
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by Booth Tarkington, The Magnificent Ambersons was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
Angel Face (1953), dir. Otto Preminger
A family chauffeur gets embroiled in the murderous schemes of his employer, the beautiful but dangerous Diane Tremayne.
Featuring performances from two of Hollywood’s heavy-weights Jean Simmons and Robert Mitchum – Angel Face is a chilling film noir like no other.
FREE on BBC iPlayer for over a year.
The Gay Divorce (1934), dir. Mark Sandrich
An early film for the iconic dance duo (Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire) which follows an American woman who travels to England seeking a divorce. While there she ends up falling for a dashing performer.
The Motion Picture Production Code (in USA) insisted that RKO change the name from Gay Divorce to Gay Divorcee as the original sounded “too frivolous towards marriage.” However in the UK, the film was released with the original title.