Molecules which form Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films are, in many respects, similar to molecules which can form smectic liquid crystals. It is thus surprising that there is such a small overlap in the literature between these two fields of study. In this paper a review of publications dealing with this overlapping region is given. Films analogous to those formed by the LB method can also be formed by thermal evaporation in vacuo and by the transfer of freely suspended films of liquid crystals initially formed across apertures in thin glass or metal plates. Some instances of these two techniques are also discussed.