Gilda

"If I'd been a ranch, they'd have called me the Bar Nothing." The one film above all others by which Rita Hayworth is remembered, this feverish film noir was a monster hit and cemented her status as "The Love Goddess." Glenn Ford stars as a wandering American in Buenos Aires who is befriended by wealthy casino owner George MacReady and given a job. Alas, the boss is married to the younger, very sensual Gilda (Hayworth), and pretty soon things really start to heat up. Steamily directed by Charles Vidor and starkly photographed by Rudolph Maté, this heady brew of sex, murder and betrayal is arguably Columbia's most enduring film from the 1940's, and Hayworth's mock-striptease to "Put the Blame On Mame" is among the most memorable scenes from any movie ever. Joseph Calleia, Stephen Geray, Joe Sawyer and Gerald Mohr co-star.