Stream the Best Movies From the 1960s

From 'Beach Blanket Bingo' to 'Dr. Strangelove,' these 12 films will take you on a trip down memory lane

Thelma M. Adams,

AARP

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En español

Published May 12, 2020

In the times-they-were-a-changin’ 1960s, the movies reflected America's enormous culture swings. From beach party escapism and effervescent musicals to dark political comedies and sophisticated adult dramas, the best films of the decade remain an incredible (and deeply entertaining) archive of that dynamic decade. Check out these divine dozen films — all streaming online — for the very best of the 1960s.

Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine in the film The Apartment

Bettmann/Getty Images

The Apartment (1960)

Billy Wilder's genius adult comedy (five Oscars in 1960 including best picture!) stars Jack Lemmon as an insurance clerk trying to succeed in business. When he loans his flat to big boss Fred MacMurray for extracurricular activities, the ambitious employee falls for his superior's mistress: sexy elevator operator Shirley MacLaine, now 86.

Where to watch: iTunes, Google Play, Vudu, YouTube. Typically from $2.99 or by subscription.

Anthony Perkins speaks to Janet Leigh in a scene from the film Psycho

John Springer Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

Psycho (1960)

Alfred Hitchcock's classic remains as fresh and frightening as the day it was made. Sexually active secretary Janet Leigh embezzles some dough and drives off. When she stops for the night at the lonely Bates Motel, she meets the even lonelier proprietor (Anthony Perkins) and his bossy mother — and pays a hefty price for her dishonesty.

Where to watch: Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, Vudu, YouTube. Typically from $3.99 or by subscription.

Peter Sellers in the film Doctor Strangelove or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bomb

Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

Stanley Kubrick's enduring comic masterpiece looks at the world on the edge of nuclear extinction — and laughs bitterly. Arguably the greatest anti-war movie of all time, the movie scrambles the great Peter Sellers in a triple role and George C. Scott as Gen. “Buck” Turgidson.

Where to watch: Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, Vudu, YouTube. Typically from $2.99 or by subscription.

Frankie Avalon Annette Funicello and Mike Nader star in the film Beach Blanket Bingo

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Beach Blanket Bingo (1965)

Life's a beach party with Mouseketeer Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon, now 79, in this swinging ‘60s classic about young love in the sand and surf. The pair duet on the title song and “I Think You Think.” Star Avalon threw in the towel after this fifth of American International's classic beach flicks.

Where to watch: Amazon, iTunes, Vudu. Typically from $3.99 or by subscription.

Paul McCartney George Harrison Ringo Starr and John Lennon in the 1965 film Help

Courtesy Everett Collection

Help! (1965)

Richard Lester captures the Beatles at their most fun and frothy in their second film together, following A Hard Day's Night. This comedic caper has John, Paul, George and Ringo on the run from Buckingham Palace to the Bahamas while performing such classics as “You've Got to Hide Your Love Away."

Where to watch: iTunes. Typically from $4.99 or by subscription.

Julie Andrews in the film The Sound of Music

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

The Sound of Music (1965)

The Rodgers & Hammerstein screen musical scooped up best picture and four more Oscars on its run to being one of America's most loved musicals. Based on the true story of the singing Von Trapp family, Robert Wise's movie follows runaway singing nun Maria (Julie Andrews, now 84) who becomes a nanny for the seven motherless Von Trapp kids and steals the heart of their stern father (Christopher Plummer, now 90).

Where to watch: Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, Vudu, YouTube, Disney+. Typically from $3.99 or by subscription.

Clint Eastwood on the set of the film The Good The Bad and The Ugly

United Artists/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

The tasty Sergio Leone spaghetti Western has cowboy-of-few-words Clint Eastwood, now 89, tracking down $200,000 in Confederate dollars on the dusty frontier, while Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef try to get it first.

Where to watch: Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, Vudu, YouTube, Netflix. Typically from $0.99 or by subscription.

Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty in Bonnie and Clyde

Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images

Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

Legendary critic Pauline Kael wrote a 7,000-word rave about Arthur Penn's “iconic gangster film.” The Oscar-winning, fact-based crime drama foregrounds the outlaw lovers Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty, now 83) and Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway, now 79) on a violent crime spree that ends in a spray of bullets.

Where to watch: Amazon. Typically from $3.99 or by subscription.

Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft in the film The Graduate

United Artists/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images

The Graduate (1967)

Dustin Hoffman, now 82, gives a heartbreaking and humorous performance as a recent college grad who gets an advanced class in seduction from older woman Anne Bancroft. When he has the temerity to fall in love with her daughter Katharine Ross, now 80, tempers flare. Mike Nichols's 1967 comedy was way ahead of its time.

Where to watch: iTunes, Google Play, Vudu, YouTube, Hulu. Typically from $3.99 or by subscription.

Barbra Streisand stars in the film Funny Girl

Courtesy Everett Collection

Funny Girl (1968)

Barbra Streisand, now 78, makes her film debut at the top of her game as the singer-comedienne Fanny Brice. In this stage adaptation directed by William Wyler, Streisand won an Oscar belting out hits like “Don't Rain on My Parade” and sizzles opposite Doctor Zhivago's dashing Omar Sharif as gambler Nicky Arnstein.

Where to watch: Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, Vudu, YouTube. Typically from $1.99 or by subscription.

Richard Burton and Genevieve Bujold in a scene from the film Anne of the Thousand Days

Courtesy Everett Collection

Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)

Gorgeous Genevieve Bujold, now 77, steps into the gowns of English royal Anne Boleyn opposite Richard Burton's hefty King Henry VIII in this lush, romantic and ultimately tragic biopic.

Where to watch: Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, Vudu, YouTube. Typically from $3.99 or by subscription.

Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman in Midnight Cowboy

Bettmann/Getty Images

Midnight Cowboy (1969)

City scammer Dustin Hoffman schools newly arrived Texas hustler Jon Voight, now 81, about Manhattan's mean streets. The 1970 best picture winner, directed by John Schlesinger, has that great “Everybody's Talkin'” theme by Harry Nilsson.

Where to watch: Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, Vudu, YouTube. Typically from $0.99 or by subscription.

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Thelma M. Adams, the former film critic for Us Weekly and the New York Post, is a novelist who writes on film for AARP, The New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety.

Stream the Best Movies From the 1960s

From 'Beach Blanket Bingo' to 'Dr. Strangelove,' these 12 films will take you on a trip down memory lane

The Apartment (1960)

Psycho (1960)

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

Beach Blanket Bingo (1965)

Help! (1965)

The Sound of Music (1965)

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

The Graduate (1967)

Funny Girl (1968)

Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)

Midnight Cowboy (1969)

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