The Night of the Hunter (1955)

Rev. Harry Powell

This mid-50s noir had one of the creepiest introductions in film history.

The camera tracked a Model T driven down a country road by a sinister, crazed, malevolent, black-cloaked, wide-brimmed and hatted 'Preacher' Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum), one of the 'false prophets.'

In a chilling, perversely evil and memorable monologue to the Lord, the killer-evangelist with borderline sanity, glanced heavenward and delivered an insane prayer:

Well now, what's it to be Lord? Another widow? How many has it been? Six? Twelve? I disremember. You say the word, Lord, I'm on my way...You always send me money to go forth and preach your Word. The widow with a little wad of bills hid away in a sugar bowl. Lord, I am tired. Sometimes I wonder if you really understand. Not that You mind the killin's. Yore Book is full of killin's. But there are things you do hate Lord: perfume-smellin' things, lacy things, things with curly hair.

Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

J. J. Hunsecker

Beetle-browed, thick-spectacled, pallor-faced, power-mongering columnist J.J. Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster) was first viewed at the famed "21" restaurant in New York City.

He sat at a table revealing a steely, menacing and hulking presence with a skull-like, masked look to his crew-cut face (due to his deepened eye sockets caused by shadows from his magnified lenses).

Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

Christine Vole/Helm

Christine Vole/Helm (Marlene Dietrich) made a dramatic entrance.

She suddenly appeared in the doorway as barrister Sir Wilfred (Charles Laughton) discussed her.

Touch of Evil (1958)

Hank Quinlan

Corrupt Texas cop Hank Quinlan (Orson Welles) was a fanatical, redneck, unshaven, obscene monstrous character with no redeeming value.

He was obese and whale-like at almost 300 lbs -- first viewed below eye level as he struggled to pull himself out of the back seat of a car that had pulled up.

He was there to conduct the investigation of the car bombing in his jurisdiction. Appearing with a vast paunch and slovenly dressed in a massive gray raincoat and wide-brimmed hat, he was chomping on a cigar as he began to speak.

Vertigo (1958)

Madeleine Elster/Judy Barton

The revelation scene of Madeleine (Kim Novak) in Ernie's restaurant in San Francisco was integral to the twisting plot -- Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore) was joined at a table with the lovely, elegant, and beautiful blonde Madeleine wearing a dark, nakedly-backless evening dress with green trim. While the camera moved toward their table, Madeleine's back was kept toward the camera.

As she left the restaurant, Scottie Ferguson (James Stewart), half in profile, had his nervous, "ghostly" first encounter with the woman.

His first view of the beautiful female was incredibly transcendental. She was half-seen in a close-up profile as she deliberately paused behind him, to display herself to him, and awaited Elster, with the radiant light reflecting off her hair.

Some Like It Hot (1959)

Sugar Kane Kowalczyk

Sweet Sue and her Society Syncopaters, an all-girl jazz band, was traveling to Miami, Florida by train. Dressed in drag and joining the band were two hapless musicians Jerry/Daphne (Jack Lemmon) and Joe/Josephine (Tony Curtis), to escape execution by mobsters after witnessing the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.

The band's ukelele-playing, voluptuous singer, hip-swinging 24 year-old blonde Sugar Kane Kowalczyk (Marilyn Monroe) moving down the train platform, was squirted by hot steam.

Sugar's introductory appearance objectified her sexuality as the camera focused on her legs and swiveling rear - also filmed from behind when she passed.

Jerry marveled at Sugar's wiggly walk in a memorable line:

Look at that! Look how she moves. That's just like Jell-O on springs. She must have some sort of built-in motors. I tell you, it's a whole different sex!

Psycho (1960)

"Mrs. Bates"

While an unsuspecting Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) showered in her Bates Motel room, a shadowy, grey tall figure entered the bathroom. Just as the shower curtain completely filled the screen - with the camera positioned just inside the tub, the silhouetted, opaque-outlined figure whipped aside (or tears open) the curtain barrier.

The outline of the figure's dark face, the whites of its eyes, and tight hair bun were all that was visible - "Mrs. Bates" wielded a menacing, phallic-like butcher knife high in the air - at first, it appeared to be stab, stab, stab us - the victimized viewer!

The piercing, shrieking, and screaming of the violin strings of Bernard Herrmann's shrill music played a large part in creating sheer terror during the horrific scene - the string instruments started 'screaming' before Marion's own shrieks.

Marion turned, screamed (her wide-open, contorted mouth in gigantic close-up), and vainly resisted as she shielded her breasts, while the large knife repeatedly rose and fell in a machine-like fashion.

After "Mother" had disposed of Marion, she turned abruptly and left her to die on the floor of the bath tub.

Dr. No (1962)

James Bond

Honey Ryder

The build-up to the introduction of the famous secret agent James Bond (Sean Connery) in the fancy gambling casino, Le Cercle (Les Ambassadeurs, London) Club, was established with over a dozen different camera angles before Bond's face was actually seen.

He was playing cards at one of the chemin de fer gaming tables against a beautiful, wealthy and sexy brunette who was losing named Sylvia Trench (Eunice Gayson). Their conversation was memorable:

Bond (offscreen): "I admire your courage, Miss...?"
Sylvia: "Trench, Sylvia Trench. I admire your luck. Mr...?"
Bond (while casually lighting his cigarette): "Bond - James Bond."

In the film's most unforgettable sequence, Bond awakened to the sound of a girl's voice singing the calypso song "Underneath the Mango Tree."

And then on the beach rising Venus-like from the water with giant seashells, Bond had his first view of Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress), an innocent, voluptuous island girl/diver wearing a sexy, white bikini and hunting knife.

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Sherif Ali

At a desolate Harith well at Masruh (belonging to a rival Bedouin tribe), Tafas drew up water at the start of one of the longest, most memorable screen entrances in film history.

A dust cloud and then a tiny ghostly speck appeared through shimmering, mirage-like heat waves on the desert horizon - Lawrence (Peter O'Toole) feared it was "Turks." The ominous image, more mirage than real, steadily enlarged and grew into a human being as it came closer and closer.

Tafas, Lawrence's escort, was shot down in cold-blood by the black-robed Bedouin for drinking at the well owned by a rival tribe. Through this ugly, ferocious act of ancient Bedouin tribal warfare, a fearless Lawrence was introduced to black-clad Sheik Sherif Ali Ibn el Kharish (Omar Sharif) on camel-back.

Their conversation was brief:

Sherif: "He is dead."
Lawrence: "Yes. WHY?"
Sherif: "This is my well."

Lolita (1962)

Dolores 'Lolita' Haze

Middle-aged Professor Humbert Humbert's (James Mason) first look at young nymphet Lolita's (Sue Lyon) youthful figure was impossible for him to forget. She wore a two-piece skimpy, flower-patterned bikini, and she sported heart-shaped sunglasses and a broad-brimmed, feathered straw hat while sunning herself on a blanket laid on the rear lawn.

Her mother Charlotte Haze (Shelley Winters) continued babbling on, oblivious to Humbert's smitten, bedazzled look and immediate infatuation:

My yellow roses. My - daughter....I could offer you a comfortable home, a sunny garden, a congenial atmosphere, my cherry pies.

Humbert quickly reconsidered her offer to rent a room for "something nominal, let's say, uh, two hundred a month... including meals, and uh, late snacks, etcetera...uh, you couldn't find better value in West Ramsdale."

Charlotte was curious about what clinched the deal for him to move into the house: "What was the decisive factor? Uh, my garden?"

Avoiding the truth, Humbert replied, tongue-in-cheek with a clever double entendre: "I think it was your cherry pies!" The scene ended on another long stare from Lolita.

Dr Strangelove Or: How... (1964)

Dr. Strangelove

President Muffley (Peter Sellers) consulted with Dr. Strangelove (Peter Sellers in his third role), a wheelchair-bound German (ex-Nazi) nuclear scientist and U.S. weapons strategist/director of weapons research and development, about the Doomsday Machine.

Strangelove whined with a German accent: "A moment please, Mr. President" as his dark shape was wheeled into view.

With thick dark sunglasses, Strangelove also had a black-gloved mechanical, robotic right hand which shakily held his cigarette.

Goldfinger (1964)

Oddjob

At the Fountainbleau Hotel in Miami, James Bond (Sean Connery) was keeping an eye on rich, greedy, gold-smuggling villain Auric Goldfinger (Gert Frobe). He first angered Goldfinger by disrupting and ruining his card-shark scam against a gin-rummy opponent.

While he was seducing and romancing Goldfinger's pretty blonde assistant/escort Jill Masterson (Shirley Eaton) in his hotel suite, Bond momentarily went to the refrigerator for more Dom Perignon champagne ("passion juice").

He was knocked unconscious with a karate-chop to the neck from behind (a hand was first seen).

It was delivered from a shadowy figure wearing a bowler-hat -- the signature look of Goldfinger's mute Korean henchman Oddjob (Harold Sakata).

Goldfinger (1964)

Pussy Galore

The most improbably-named Bond girl in the history of the film series was introduced in this memorable entrance scene.

Appearing first as a blur above a tranquilized Bond (Sean Connery) onboard Goldfinger's jet on its way to Baltimore, Bond asked: "Who are you?"

She introduced herself, purring above him:

"My name is Pussy Galore."
Bond: "I must be dreaming."

She was villainous Goldfinger's personal jet pilot. She told him to quit being so forward: "You can turn off the charm. I'm immune," hinting at her lesbian-leanings.