So what do “Stagecoach,” “Dark Victory,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” and “Of Mice and Men” all have in common? You might answer, as I would have done before I did my homework, that they all were best picture Oscar winners. And we would be so wrong. Not only did they not win, but they were all nominated in 1939 and all lost to “Gone With the Wind.” Truly a stellar year for cinema.

But it also made me start to think, what other films, to put it in Marlon Brando’s lines, “could have been a contender.” What amazing film did not take home the gold because at least one other film was voted better? And thus, our theme for this year’s classic series, “Movies that were worthy of the Best Picture Oscar.”

Going in chronological order, the Harbor Theater Special Events Committee selected these six excellent movies: “The Maltese Falcon” (1941 - losing to “How Green Was My Valley”); “Double Indemnity” (1944 - losing to “Going My Way”); “Sunset Boulevard” (1950 -  losing to “All About Eve”); “High Noon” (1952 - losing to “The Greatest Show on Earth”); “To Kill a Mockingbird” (1962 - losing to “Lawrence of Arabia”) and “The Last Picture Show” - (1971 losing to “The French Connection”).

While, in some cases - “Lawrence of Arabia” - you can nod your head and say, “OK, I can see that, stiff competition.” But in others - “The Greatest Show on Earth” vs. “High Noon,” and “Going My Way,” vs. “Double Indemnity” -  a strong case can be made that several of the “almost wons” we have selected have clearly stood the test of time much better than the winner. Just this past weekend, CBS Sunday Morning did a segment on Hollywood films that focused on politics and made the claim that “High Noon” may be the most relevant political movie for our current climate, the story of a man with courage in a world full of bullies. Interesting side note: “It has been the favorite of several US presidents, and every president from Eisenhower through George W. Bush, showed it in the White House.)

In short, we are proud to offer this collection of important classic films in this year’s series. As in the past, the series will be showing the second Thursdays and Saturdays at 2 p.m. October through March. We hope to see you there to revisit or meet these amazing films for the first time.

The Harbor Theater is located at 185 Townsend Ave. in Boothbay Harbor.