By Susan King, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

When movies seemed in danger of losing audiences to TV in the early 1950s, Hollywood tried to find ways to lure to people back into theaters. (Remember wide-screen movies?) One gimmick that worked for a while was 3-D films. Their golden age began in 1952 with the action flick "Bwana Devil." Over the next few years, 50 3-D movies were made before the novelty wore off.

In the '80s, 3-D returned, with such forgettable entries as "Jaws 3-D" and "Amityville 3-D." More recently, audiences have been donning the special glasses again. The next time will be for a new adaptation of Jules Verne's "Journey to the Center of the Earth," opening Friday.

Among the old clinkers are some worthy 3-D films. Jeff Joseph, president of the 3-D Film Preservation Fund and producer of World 3-D Film Expos I and II at the Egyptian Theatre, picks these five greatest films from the golden age.