Katharine Hepburn & Humphrey Bogart in The African Queen | © Paramount Pictures

With this year’s release of The African Queen on Blu-ray, I have been found myself recently catching up on classic movies that set the foundation for film today. There are so many wonderful pictures that were made before I was born. Film classes, websites and the AFI top 100 are great resources when searching for a movie to watch, but I have found that my grandparents are actually my favorite resource as a go-to-guide for classic films.

When I asked my grandmothers and my parents what their favorite films are I received a much longer list than I expected—Gone with the Wind was a big favorite, as was Some Like it Hot. They also shared the memories they associated with some of their top movies. My grandmother remembers going to the local theater to catch the recent flick and always looked forward to the next Clark Gable film. My mom recalls watching The Wizard of Oz at the one house in her neighborhood that had a color television. After seeing one of her favorites, Singin’ In the Rain, my grandma was inspired to get taps for her shoes and remembers tap dancing around the house.  My parents loved Casablanca and decided to use “As Time Goes By” for their first dance at their wedding.

Sharing your favorite films with those in your family is one way to make sure the classics are never forgotten.  My mom is very fond of Alfred Hitchcock and passed this fondness down to me.  She introduced me to Psycho and took me to Bodega Bay where the schoolhouse and other scenes of The Birds were filmed. It would be unfortunate if my kids never experienced The Thin Man, How Green Was My Valley, The Last Detail and Cool Hand Luke.

I wonder what will be our generations stand out films? Lord of the Rings, American Beauty, The Hurt Locker? There are too many to chose from.  Luckily, the studios keep putting classics on Blu-ray for a new generation to discover. Personally, I am looking forward to re-watching my Blu-ray of Bonnie and Clyde.