The Best Movies of 1948

Ranker Film
Updated September 23, 2019 5.7k votes 191 voters

List of the best movies of 1948, with movie trailers when available. Rock Hudson made his big screen debut in 1948 with the film Fighter Squadron. These top movies of 1948 are listed by popularity, so the movies with the most votes are at the top. This list consists of all different movie genres, but each film was released in 1948. You can filter this list of films that came out in 1948 for various bits of information, such as who directed the movie and what genre it is. Think the best 1948 movie isn't as high as it should be? Vote up your favorite so it will rise to the top.

List includes Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Red River, more.

This list answers the questions, "What are the best movies from 1948?" and "What are the most popular movies of 1948?"

1948 was a great year for movies, since a lot of classic films were released in 1948. This is a crowd sourced list that has been voted on by many people, so these top films of 1948 aren't just one persons opinion.
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  • 3 Godfathers
    1

    3 Godfathers

    John Wayne, Pedro Armendáriz, Harry Carey
    60 votes
    • Released: 1948
    • Directed by: John Ford
    Thieves and rustlers Robert Hightower (John Wayne), Pete Fuerte (Pedro Armendáriz) and the Abilene Kid (Harry Carey Jr.) rob a bank in a small Arizona town. Pursued across the desert by the ...more

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  • The Three Musketeers
    2

    The Three Musketeers

    Lana Turner, Gene Kelly, June Allyson
    57 votes
    • Released: 1948
    • Directed by: George Sidney
    Aspiring swordsman D'Artagnan (Gene Kelly) arrives in Paris with hopes of joining the royal guard and falls in love with the beautiful Constance (June Allyson). After clashing with three of the ...more

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  • Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
    3

    Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein

    Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Bela Lugosi
    67 votes
    • Released: 1948
    • Directed by: Charles Barton
    In the first of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello's horror vehicles for Universal Pictures, the inimitable comic duo star as railway baggage handlers in northern Florida. When a pair of crates belonging to ...more

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  • Red River
    4

    Red River

    John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, Walter Brennan
    62 votes
    • Released: 1948
    • Directed by: Howard Hawks
    Headstrong Thomas Dunson (John Wayne) starts a thriving Texas cattle ranch with the help of his faithful trail hand, Groot (Walter Brennan), and his protégé, Matt Garth (Montgomery Clift), an orphan ...more

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  • The Foghorn Leghorn
    5

    The Foghorn Leghorn

    Mel Blanc
    20 votes
    • Released: 1948
    • Directed by: Robert McKimson
    The Foghorn Leghorn is a Henery Hawk/Foghorn Leghorn animated short film from Warner Bros. released in 1948 and directed by Robert McKimson. Foghorn has to convince an unbelieving Henery Hawk that he ...more
  • Fort Apache
    6

    Fort Apache

    John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Shirley Temple
    57 votes
    • Released: 1948
    • Directed by: John Ford
    When arrogant and stubborn Civil War hero Lieutenant Colonel Owen Thursday (Henry Fonda) arrives in Arizona with his daughter, Philadelphia (Shirley Temple), to assume command of the Fort Apache ...more