Want to know the best Joel McCrea movies? How about the worst Joel McCrea movies? Curious about Joel McCrea box office grosses or which Joel McCrea movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Joel McCrea movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences and which got the worst reviews? Well you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information.
Joel McCrea (1905-1990) was an American actor whose career spanned 50 years. His IMDb page shows 95 acting credits from 1927-1976. This page ranks 65 Joel McCrea movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. His television performances, his uncredited roles, his cameos and some of his late 1920s and early 1930s movies (lack of box office information) were not included in the rankings.
Drivel Part: So later today we are headed to Las Vegas and Hollywood. In Las Vegas, WoC is a featured speaker at a conference. In Hollywood….I have an appointment at the USC (University of Southern California) to view the William Schaefer Warner Brother’s Ledgers. So before we leave for a week….we wanted to get a new page published. Recently it has come to our attention…that Joel McCrea was being unfairly discriminated against at UMR.com (as he did not have a UMR page). Well since we strongly believe that everybody should be treated equally and fairly…we have finally written a page on Mr. McCrea. So Lyle, Flora and Bob you request has been completed.
Joel McCrea Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews and awards.
Year
Movie (Year)
Rating
S
Year Movie (Year) Rating S
1943
The More the Merrier (1943)
AA Best Picture Nom
1940
Foreign Correspondent (1940)
AA Best Picture Nom
1942
The Palm Beach Story (1942)
1937
Dead End (1937)
AA Best Picture Nom
1941
Sullivan's Travels (1941)
1939
Union Pacific (1939)
1937
Wells Fargo (1937)
1936
Come and Get It (1936)
1936
These Three (1936)
1950
Stars In My Crown (1950)
1944
Buffalo Bill (1944)
1946
The Virginian (1946)
1955
Wichita (1955)
1935
Barbary Coast (1935)
1934
The Richest Girl in The World (1934)
1949
Colorado Territory (1949)
1937
Internes Can't Take Money (1937)
1937
Woman Chases Man (1937)
1935
Our Little Girl (1935)
1933
The Silver Cord (1933)
1940
Primrose Path (1940)
1938
Three Blind Mice (1938)
1932
The Lost Squadron (1932)
1947
Ramrod (1947)
1948
Four Faces West (1948)
1941
Reaching For The Sun (1941)
1936
Adventure in Manhatten (1936)
1942
The Great Man's Lady (1942)
1950
Frenchie (1950)
1950
Saddle Tramp (1950)
1936
Banjo On My Knee (1936)
1962
Ride the High Country (1962)
1932
The Most Dangerous Game (1932)
1931
The Common Law (1931)
1950
The Outriders (1950)
1934
Gambling Lady (1934)
1955
Stranger on Horseback (1955)
1932
Business and Pleasure (1932)
1931
Girls About Town (1931)
1939
They Shall Have Music (1939)
1953
The Lone Hand (1953)
1949
South of St. Louis (1949)
1951
Cattle Drive (1951)
1945
The Unseen (1945)
1938
Youth Takes A Fling (1938)
1933
Bed Of Roses (1933)
1932
Bird of Paradise (1932)
1954
Border River (1954)
1936
Two In A Crowd (1936)
1957
Trooper Hook (1957)
1935
Woman Wanted (1935)
1935
Splendor (1935)
1952
The San Francisco Story (1952)
1935
Private Worlds (1935)
1944
The Great Moment (1944)
1940
He Married His Wife (1940)
1958
Fort Massacre (1958)
1939
Espionage Agent (1939)
1954
Black Horse Canyon (1954)
1956
The First Texan (1956)
1957
The Tall Stranger (1957)
1957
The Oklahoman (1957)
1953
Rough Shot/Shoot First (1953)
1976
Mustang Country (1976)
1959
The Gunfight at Dodge City (1959)
1957
Gunsight Ridge (1957)
1932
Rockabye (1932)
1970
Cry Blood, Apache (1970)
Joel McCrea Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table
The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.
- Sort Joel McCrea movies by co-stars of his movies
- Sort Joel McCrea movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Joel McCrea movies by yearly domestic box office rank
- Sort Joel McCrea movies how they were received by critics and audiences. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each Joel McCrea movie received.
- Sort Joel McCrea movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score. UMR Score puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
| R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Actual B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | B.O. Rank by Year | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score | S |
| 1 | The More the Merrier (1943) AA Best Picture Nom |
Jean Arthur & Charles Coburn |
5.10 | 184.8 | 271.60 | 57 | 82 | 06 / 01 | 98.8 | |
| 2 | Foreign Correspondent (1940) AA Best Picture Nom |
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock | 4.10 | 157.1 | 240.80 | 32 | 82 | 06 / 00 | 97.4 | |
| 4 | The Palm Beach Story (1942) | Claudette Colbert | 4.90 | 180.6 | 180.60 | 50 | 82 | 00 / 00 | 96.5 | |
| 3 | Dead End (1937) AA Best Picture Nom |
Humphrey Bogart & Directed by William Wyler |
3.40 | 140.1 | 140.10 | 65 | 80 | 04 / 00 | 95.3 | |
| 6 | Sullivan's Travels (1941) | Veronica Lake & Directed by Preston Sturges |
3.70 | 142.8 | 142.80 | 62 | 85 | 00 / 00 | 94.4 | |
| 5 | Union Pacific (1939) | Anthony Quinn & Directed by Cecil B. DeMille |
5.50 | 211.8 | 211.80 | 25 | 66 | 01 / 00 | 94.4 | |
| 7 | Wells Fargo (1937) | Frances Dee | 5.00 | 207.3 | 207.30 | 22 | 64 | 01 / 00 | 93.8 | |
| 9 | Come and Get It (1936) | Walter Brennan & Directed by Howard Hawks |
2.90 | 126.0 | 126.00 | 65 | 79 | 02 / 01 | 91.8 | |
| 10 | These Three (1936) | Walter Brennan & Directed by William Wyler |
2.80 | 118.6 | 118.60 | 71 | 82 | 01 / 00 | 91.5 | |
| 11 | Stars In My Crown (1950) | Dean Stockwell | 5.60 | 125.9 | 137.70 | 46 | 79 | 00 / 00 | 91.1 | |
| 12 | Buffalo Bill (1944) | Maureen O'Hara | 6.50 | 217.3 | 217.30 | 38 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 90.1 | |
| 12 | The Virginian (1946) | Brian Donlevy | 9.20 | 283.0 | 283.00 | 24 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 89.9 | |
| 13 | Wichita (1955) | Lloyd Bridges & Vera Miles |
6.90 | 142.2 | 142.20 | 44 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 89.5 | |
| 14 | Barbary Coast (1935) | Edgar G. Robinson & Miriam Hopkins |
2.90 | 128.6 | 128.60 | 32 | 70 | 01 / 00 | 88.3 | |
| 15 | The Richest Girl in The World (1934) | Miriam Hopkins & Fay Wray |
3.10 | 146.6 | 146.60 | 16 | 62 | 01 / 00 | 87.6 | |
| 16 | Colorado Territory (1949) | Virginia Mayo | 4.60 | 116.0 | 187.60 | 64 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 87.1 | |
| 17 | Internes Can't Take Money (1937) | Barbara Stanwyck | 3.30 | 135.2 | 135.20 | 66 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 84.7 | |
| 18 | Woman Chases Man (1937) | Miriam Hopkins | 2.90 | 120.0 | 120.00 | 79 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 84.2 | |
| 19 | Our Little Girl (1935) | Shirley Temple | 2.80 | 127.7 | 127.70 | 35 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 84.2 | |
| 20 | The Silver Cord (1933) | Irene Dunne | 2.30 | 106.7 | 106.70 | 30 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 83.2 | |
| 21 | Primrose Path (1940) | Ginger Rogers | 2.60 | 98.8 | 132.00 | 72 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 82.9 | |
| 23 | Three Blind Mice (1938) | David Niven & Loretta Young |
2.80 | 111.0 | 111.00 | 80 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 82.8 | |
| 22 | The Lost Squadron (1932) | Richard Dix | 2.00 | 96.7 | 125.20 | 39 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 82.6 | |
| 24 | Ramrod (1947) | Veronica Lake | 3.50 | 102.4 | 102.40 | 97 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 82.4 | |
| 26 | Four Faces West (1948) | Charles Bickford | 2.90 | 78.0 | 78.00 | 105 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 80.9 | |
| 25 | Reaching For The Sun (1941) | Eddie Bracken | 1.60 | 62.8 | 62.80 | 142 | 75 | 00 / 00 | 80.8 | |
| 27 | Adventure in Manhatten (1936) | Jean Arthur | 3.10 | 133.0 | 133.00 | 54 | 52 | 00 / 00 | 80.3 | |
| 28 | The Great Man's Lady (1942) | Barbara Stanwyck | 3.10 | 116.8 | 116.80 | 88 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 79.4 | |
| 31 | Frenchie (1950) | Shelley Winters | 4.00 | 89.8 | 89.80 | 80 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 78.2 | |
| 32 | Saddle Tramp (1950) | Wanda Hendrix | 3.40 | 77.0 | 77.00 | 98 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 77.7 | |
| 31 | Banjo On My Knee (1936) | Barbara Stanwyck & Walter Brennan |
3.00 | 129.4 | 129.40 | 60 | 48 | 01 / 00 | 77.2 | |
| 32 | Ride the High Country (1962) | Randolph Scott | 2.10 | 30.5 | 30.50 | 96 | 80 | 00 / 00 | 77.2 | |
| 32 | The Most Dangerous Game (1932) | Faye Wray | 0.80 | 36.8 | 62.00 | 143 | 77 | 00 / 00 | 76.9 | |
| 33 | The Common Law (1931) | Constance Bennett | 1.70 | 87.0 | 108.30 | 71 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 76.3 | |
| 36 | The Outriders (1950) | Arlene Dahl & James Whitmore |
4.40 | 98.8 | 139.80 | 68 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 75.6 | |
| 34 | Gambling Lady (1934) | Barbara Stanwyck | 1.40 | 66.3 | 87.40 | 81 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 75.3 | |
| 36 | Stranger on Horseback (1955) | John Carradine | 2.10 | 44.0 | 44.00 | 135 | 72 | 00 / 00 | 73.8 | |
| 39 | Business and Pleasure (1932) | Will Rogers | 1.30 | 66.1 | 66.10 | 79 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 72.8 | |
| 41 | Girls About Town (1931) | Kay Francis | 1.50 | 77.4 | 77.40 | 84 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 72.7 | |
| 38 | They Shall Have Music (1939) | Walter Brennan & Andrea Leeds |
1.00 | 40.0 | 40.00 | 173 | 71 | 01 / 00 | 72.2 | |
| 39 | The Lone Hand (1953) | Barbara Hale | 3.50 | 62.6 | 62.60 | 110 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 72.0 | |
| 41 | South of St. Louis (1949) | Alexis Smith | 2.90 | 73.1 | 73.10 | 116 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 70.3 | |
| 41 | Cattle Drive (1951) | Dean Stockwell | 2.70 | 58.9 | 58.90 | 134 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 69.5 | |
| 43 | The Unseen (1945) | Gail Russell | 1.90 | 61.2 | 61.20 | 118 | 61 | 01 / 00 | 68.9 | |
| 43 | Youth Takes A Fling (1938) | Andrea Leeds | 1.30 | 53.5 | 53.50 | 149 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 65.4 | |
| 45 | Bed Of Roses (1933) | Constance Bennett | 1.10 | 50.2 | 50.20 | 94 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 64.0 | |
| 48 | Bird of Paradise (1932) | Dolores del Rio | 1.40 | 70.4 | 105.40 | 69 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 63.8 | |
| 49 | Border River (1954) | Yvonne De Carlo | 2.60 | 62.0 | 62.00 | 110 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 62.9 | |
| 49 | Two In A Crowd (1936) | Joan Bennett | 1.00 | 42.4 | 42.40 | 148 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 62.5 | |
| 49 | Trooper Hook (1957) | Barbara Stanwyck | 2.00 | 38.5 | 38.50 | 115 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 59.9 | |
| 50 | Woman Wanted (1935) | Maureen O'Sullivan | 0.80 | 37.8 | 37.80 | 154 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 59.5 | |
| 51 | Splendor (1935) | Miriam Hopkins | 0.90 | 40.4 | 40.40 | 147 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 59.2 | |
| 53 | The San Francisco Story (1952) | Yvonne De Carlo | 2.40 | 47.1 | 47.10 | 139 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 53.3 | |
| 55 | Private Worlds (1935) | Claudette Colbert & Charles Boyer |
1.50 | 68.3 | 105.10 | 81 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 52.9 | |
| 53 | The Great Moment (1944) | Directed by Preston Sturges | 0.80 | 27.2 | 27.20 | 156 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 51.8 | |
| 54 | He Married His Wife (1940) | Nancy Kelly & Roland Young |
0.70 | 28.2 | 28.20 | 186 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 50.1 | |
| 57 | Fort Massacre (1958) | Forrest Tucker | 2.30 | 41.1 | 41.10 | 96 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 48.1 | |
| 58 | Espionage Agent (1939) | Brenda Marshall | 1.00 | 37.2 | 37.20 | 180 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 43.9 | |
| 59 | Black Horse Canyon (1954) | Mari Blanchard | 1.20 | 28.5 | 28.50 | 144 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 42.3 | |
| 60 | The First Texan (1956) | Felicia Farr | 2.90 | 56.0 | 56.00 | 115 | 48 | 00 / 00 | 41.6 | |
| 61 | The Tall Stranger (1957) | Virginia Mayo | 2.40 | 47.1 | 47.10 | 101 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 37.2 | |
| 61 | The Oklahoman (1957) | Barbara Hale | 2.00 | 39.3 | 39.30 | 113 | 51 | 00 / 00 | 37.2 | |
| 63 | Rough Shot/Shoot First (1953) | Laurence Naismith | 0.80 | 13.6 | 13.60 | 218 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 29.4 | |
| 63 | Mustang Country (1976) | Patrick Wayne | 1.00 | 4.8 | 4.80 | 140 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 28.0 | |
| 65 | The Gunfight at Dodge City (1959) | Julie Adams | 2.10 | 38.5 | 38.50 | 104 | 46 | 00 / 00 | 26.7 | |
| 66 | Gunsight Ridge (1957) | Mark Stevens | 0.80 | 15.1 | 15.10 | 172 | 51 | 00 / 00 | 22.0 | |
| 66 | Rockabye (1932) | Walter Pidgeon & Directed by George Cukor |
0.60 | 31.0 | 31.00 | 150 | 42 | 00 / 00 | 14.6 | |
| 68 | Cry Blood, Apache (1970) | Jody McCrea | 0.90 | 6.3 | 6.30 | 148 | 26 | 00 / 00 | 0.6 |
Stats and Possibly Interesting Things From The Above Joel McCrea Table
- Fifteen Joel McCrea movies crossed the magical $100 million domestic gross mark. That is a percentage of 23.05% of his movies listed. Union Pacific (1939) was his biggest box office hit.
- An average Joel McCrea movie grossed $68.50 million in adjusted domestic box office gross.
- That translates to a career adjusted box office of $4.45 billion.
- Using RottenTomatoes.com’s 60% fresh meter. 41 Joel McCrea movies are rated as good movies…or 63.07% of his movies. Sullivan’s Travels (1941) is his highest rated movie while Cry Blood, Apache (1970) is his lowest rated movie.
- Eleven Joel McCrea movies received at least one Oscar® nomination in any category…..or 16.92% of his movies.
- Two Joel McCrea movies won at least one Oscar® in any category…..or 3.07% of his movies.
- An average Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score is 40.00. 32 Joel McCrea movies scored higher that average….or 49.23% of his movies. The More the Merrier (1943) got the the highest UMR Score while Cry Blood, Apache (1970) got the lowest UMR Score.
Possibly Interesting Facts About Joel McCrea
1. Joel Albert McCrea was born in in South Pasadena, California in 1905.
2. Joel McCrea was good around horses. Even as a high school student, he was working as a stunt double and held horses for cowboy stars William S. Hart and Tom Mix.
3. Joel McCrea met the real Wyatt Earp in Hollywood in 1928 and ended up playing the iconic lawman in 1955’s Wichita.
4. Joel McCrea’s nickname was McFee.
5. Joel McCrea was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1969.
6. Joel McCrea was married 1 time. He married actress Frances Dee in 1933…..he passed away on their 57th anniversary….they had three children.
7. We found worldwide box office on 13 of Joel McCrea’s movies:
- The More The Merrier (1943) $211.50 million in adjusted gross
- Foreign Correspondent (1940) $ 188.90 million in adjusted gross
- The Outriders (1950) $ 109.30 million in adjusted gross
- Stars In My Crown (1950) $107.50 million in adjusted gross
- Primrose Path (1940) $103.20 million in adjusted gross
- Our Little Girl (1935) $99.50 million in adjusted gross
- The Lost Squadron (1932) $97.70 million in adjusted gross
- Three Blind Mice (1938) $86.80 million in adjusted gross
- The Common Law (1931) $85.10 million in adjusted gross
- The Silver Cord (1933) $83.50 million in adjusted gross
- Private Worlds (1935) $82.40 million in adjusted gross
- Bird of Paradise (1932) $82.10 million in adjusted gross
- The Most Dangerous Game (1932) $47.80 million in adjusted gross
8. Joel McCrea was infamously modest about his own acting abilities, often bordering on a soft-spoken contempt. The Top 2 actresses on the AFI Screen Legends list, Katharine Hepburn and Bette Davis, however spoke very highly of McCrea’s acting skills.
10. Check out Joel McCrea ‘s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
Academy Award® and Oscar® are the registered trademarks of the Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences.
Hey Paul….I was unable to find any box office information on Kept Husband…hopefully one day I will unearth those stats and be able to include on this table.
“Kept Husband” (1931) is missing on the list.
Wade Boteler and Frank Mills were each in 11 films with Joel.
Hey Dan…..thanks for sharing this information.
Hello
A very great actor too, in 1935 he was supposed to play with Dietrich in the Devil is a Woman by JVS but at the end Cesar Romero get the part.
I read somewhere that Dietrich said that if he was in the film, may be the film was a succès but in the mean time there were some political problème with Spain.
And the film was at the end a film maudit and a great box office failure.
This is the favorite film of Marlene Dietrich, she said.
I saw the film and I don’t think so.
For me the best film of Dietrich are Stage Fright , Seven Sinners , Désir and Touch of Evil.
And with JVS Shanghai Express , the Scarlet Empress and The German version of the Blue angel.
A very good page as usual…..
A link to my Joel McCrea video, which complements Bruce’s charts in a purely visual way. Just turn down the sound and ignore the ratings. 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCrg8zF_Q-Y
Thanks for the video link…and for the wise suggestion….lol.