Young Man with a Horn (1950)

Kirk Douglas stars as a gifted trumpet player in search of the mysterious “high note” of life that eludes him. It’s based on a novel by Dorothy Baker, which was inspired by the life of Bix Beiderbecke.

Hoagy Carmichael (who was real-life friends with Beiderbecke) and Doris Day play a pianist and singer who befriend him and also perform with him. And Lauren Bacall plays the trumpeter’s restless, troubled wife who cannot decide what she wants and envies his focus and sense of purpose.

It’s engaging and moving. On the down side, some important moments are glossed over: Douglas meets and marries Bacall so quickly that their mismatch seems inevitable from the beginning and it’s never clear what they saw in each other.

The ending feels particularly rushed and superficially resolved, but there’s still much that’s good about this drama. Harry James’ music is a delight. Doris Day may be as squeaky-clean as ever, but there’s a noir-ish element to the film that gives it an edgier dimension.

The Wooden Horse (1950)

Posh British officers plan to escape from a German POW camp using a vaulting horse to conceal a tunnel. This is an entertaining and exciting war film. The big flaw is that the Nazi guards are simply too nice and friendly. It would have been far more dramatic – and accurate – if the Nazis were less reasonable and more brutal, but not one gunshot is fired. It’s surprising that the film takes this approach because it was clearly made as pro-Brit propaganda. And what would show British resilience and bravery in overcoming adversity better than a truly scary enemy?