Between the four local fires here in California and the enormous number of presold tickets, it was somewhat tough to get into a screening of Quantum of Solace on its opening weekend. I opted instead to think of some particularly enjoyable spy films of years past. As I put together a list of candidates, I noticed that they tended to be bunched into two periods—generally definable as World War II and Vietnam. Without a doubt there are fun spy thrillers from every decade. But those two eras in particular produced a number of thoroughly enjoyable movies that often miss the top-10 lists. Why these two eras? The obvious answer is that they reflected the uneasiness of the times—a growing distrust in authority and a heightened perception of the world as a big, dangerous place. If so, one might expect more top-notch thrillers to have emerged in the last eight years. Outside of the randy Austin Powers and the emergence of Jason Bourne and his bracing effect on venerable old James Bond, spy movies in recent years have made little impact. Looking further back—and past acknowledged classics of Alfred Hitchcock, Bond, and his many imitators—here are some fun spy movies you may not have seen.

Spies (1928): Fritz Lang followed up his massive Metropolis with this lean, amazingly fast-paced silent thriller. Agent 326 is sent to stop an enemy spy ring, but falls in love with one of the enemy. I don’t recall figuring out which side the spies were on, but it didn’t matter. This is the granddaddy of spy movies, establishing many of the hallmarks of the genre. Rudolph Klein Rogue already invented the first great screen super-villain in Lang’s Doctor Mabuse the Gambler (1922). He creates another fun snarler here, and the final train crash is a doozy. Those who consider silent films too stodgy may find this one to be the exception.

Sabotage Agent (1943): I’d never heard of this film before catching it on Turner Classic Movies. Robert Donat, who stars in one of the greatest of all spy movies, Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps, is dashing, resourceful, and even downright silly as a British agent who embarks on a deadly sabotage mission in occupied Czechoslovakia during World War II. Valerie Hobson is the arrogant, upscale widow he must recruit to his side. Sabotage Agent is tense, surprisingly funny, and filled with exciting twists. It boasts hugely appealing performances from Donat, Hobson, and a young, striking Glynis Johns. Why this film hasn’t been identified as a classic is a mystery.

My Favorite Spy (1951): Coming to Bob Hope movies for the first time as an adult, I’m continually amazed by what a great screen comedian Hope was. It also becomes clear how influential he was over so many comic stars who have followed—especially Woody Allen. Hope plays one of his signature vain cowards, a burlesque performer who is the spitting image of a notorious international spy. Hope must journey to Tangier and get hold of a roll of microfilm. His greatest obstacle: the sly, beautiful Hedy Lamarr. My Favorite Spy is pure cotton candy, and Lamarr can’t quite convince us she’d ever fall for Hope. But it is consistently funny and even exciting from beginning to end.

Sophia Loren in Arabesque. (Courtesy photo)

Arabesque (1966): Few filmmakers crafted empty entertainment as enchantingly as Stanley Donen. Here he plunks a typical Hitchcockian plot into the mod London scene with very enjoyable results. Gregory Peck and Sophia Loren are spectacularly miscast in roles that clearly should have been assayed by Cary Grant and, well, someone a bit more energetic than Loren. But both actors are also great sports and seem to be having the time of their lives. Peck is a stuffy professor recruited by a sinister man to translate an ancient set of hieroglyphics. Loren is the man’s mistress—or is she? Peck faces double- and triple-crosses while uncovering a plot to assassinate a Middle Eastern prime minster. The attitude toward the Middle East is not exactly charitable, though it was probably progressive for the time. And as most popcorn movies do, this one runs out of new ideas before its unsatisfying finale. But the mod, swinging ’60s fun along the way more than makes up for it.

Alex Manugian lives in Sherman Oaks, California. He grew up in Groton and has reviewed movies for Harvard residents for many years.