Want to know the best Wallace Beery movies? How about the worst Wallace Beery movies? Curious about Wallace Beery box office grosses or which Wallace Beery movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Wallace Beery 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.
Wallace Beery (1885-1949) was an American Oscar® winning actor. Beery has an incredible 241 acting credits on his IMDb page. Sadly were not able to find box office grosses on many of his silent movies in the 1910s and 1920s. We did find box office information on all of his movies from 1930 to 1949…as well as handful of his silent movies. This page will rank Wallace Beery movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Shorts, cameos and many of his silent movies were not included in the rankings. This page comes from a request by Søren.
Wallace Beery 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
1932
Grand Hotel (1932)
AA Best Picture Win
1930
The Big House (1930)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Actor Nom
1931
The Champ (1931)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Actor Win
1921
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921)
1933
Dinner at Eight (1933)
1933
Tugboat Annie (1933)
1925
The Lost World (1925)
1924
The Sea Hawk (1924)
1935
China Seas (1935)
1922
Robin Hood (1922)
1930
Min and Bill (1930)
1938
Stablemates (1938)
1946
Bad Bascomb (1946)
1933
The Bowery (1933)
1943
Salute To The Marines (1943)
1931
Hell Divers (1931)
1934
Treasure Island (1934)
1937
Slave Ship (1937)
1948
A Date with Judy (1948)
1939
Stand Up And Fight (1939)
1934
Viva Villa! (1934)
AA Best Picture Nom
1926
Old Ironsides (1926)
1937
The Bad Man of Brimstone (1937)
1944
Rationing (1944)
1920
The Mollycoddle (1920)
1934
The Mighty Barnum (1934)
1936
Old Hutch (1936)
1923
Three Ages (1923)
1928
Beggars of Life (1928)
1942
The Bugle Sounds (1942)
1936
A Message to Garcia (1936)
1930
Billy the Kid (1930)
1942
Jackass Mail (1942)
1935
Ah Wilderness! (1935)
1931
The Secret 6 (1931)
1930
Way For A Sailor (1930)
1937
The Good Old Soak (1937)
1926
We're in the Navy Now (1926)
1935
West Point of The Air (1935)
1947
The Mighty McGurk (1947)
1932
Flesh (1932)
1941
Barnacle Bill (1941)
1941
The Bad Man (1941)
1944
Barbary Coast Gent (1944)
1939
Thunder Afloat (1939)
1940
Wyoming (1940)
1939
Sergeant Madden (1939)
1938
Port of Seven Seas (1938)
1929
Chinatown Nights (1929)
1935
O'Shaughnessy's Boy (1935)
1940
20 Mule Team (1940)
1948
Alias A Gentleman (1948)
1923
The Spanish Dancer (1923)
1949
Big Jack (1949)
1924
The Signal Tower (1924)
1927
Casey At The Bat (1927)
1945
This Man's Navy (1945)
1926
Volcano! (1926)
1925
The Devil's Cargo (1925)
1928
Wife Savers (1928)
1930
A Lady's Morals (1930)
1922
A Blind Bargain (1922)
1925
Adventure (1925)
1940
The Man From Dakota (1940)
1929
The River Of Romance (1929)
Wallace Beery 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 any way you want.
- Sort Wallace Beery movies by co-stars of his movies.
- Sort Wallace Beery movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Wallace Beery movies by domestic box office rank
- Sort Wallace Beery movies how they were received by critics and audiences. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations each Wallace Beery movie received and how many Oscar® wins each movie won.
- Sort Wallace Beery 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.
- Use the search and sort button to make this page very interactive.
| 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 | Grand Hotel (1932) AA Best Picture Win |
Greta Garbo & Joan Crawford |
3.50 | 172.9 | 363.20 | 9 | 81 | 01 / 01 | 99.5 | |
| 2 | The Big House (1930) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actor Nom |
Robert Montgomery | 3.90 | 212.1 | 284.40 | 9 | 75 | 04 / 02 | 98.5 | |
| 3 | The Champ (1931) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actor Win |
Jackie Cooper & Directed by King Vidor |
4.40 | 227.8 | 227.80 | 5 | 74 | 04 / 02 | 98.4 | |
| 4 | The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921) | Rudolph Valentino | 10.30 | 530.2 | 530.20 | 2 | 78 | 00 / 00 | 97.0 | |
| 6 | Dinner at Eight (1933) | John Barrymore & Jean Harlow |
4.00 | 187.2 | 288.70 | 12 | 80 | 00 / 00 | 96.6 | |
| 5 | Tugboat Annie (1933) | Marie Dressler & Maureen O'Sullivan |
5.50 | 256.7 | 344.40 | 6 | 76 | 00 / 00 | 96.5 | |
| 9 | The Lost World (1925) | Bessie Love | 4.90 | 197.4 | 197.40 | 6 | 72 | 00 / 00 | 95.4 | |
| 7 | The Sea Hawk (1924) | Milton Sills | 8.00 | 345.0 | 345.00 | 1 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 95.3 | |
| 8 | China Seas (1935) | Clark Gable & Jean Harlow |
4.90 | 219.4 | 367.90 | 5 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 95.1 | |
| 10 | Robin Hood (1922) | Douglas Fairbanks | 4.40 | 217.8 | 217.80 | 3 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 94.9 | |
| 11 | Min and Bill (1930) | Marie Dressler | 3.80 | 202.8 | 291.90 | 11 | 64 | 01 / 01 | 94.1 | |
| 12 | Stablemates (1938) | Mickey Rooney | 5.20 | 208.4 | 290.70 | 26 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 93.8 | |
| 13 | Bad Bascomb (1946) | Marjorie Main | 6.40 | 198.5 | 198.50 | 55 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 93.4 | |
| 14 | The Bowery (1933) | George Raft & Jackie Cooper |
4.30 | 200.1 | 267.90 | 8 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 93.0 | |
| 15 | Salute To The Marines (1943) | Fay Bainter | 5.50 | 199.2 | 199.20 | 47 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 92.5 | |
| 17 | Hell Divers (1931) | Clark Gable | 3.70 | 188.9 | 328.20 | 12 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 92.1 | |
| 16 | Treasure Island (1934) | Lionel Barrymore & Jackie Cooper |
3.30 | 155.9 | 304.50 | 13 | 73 | 00 / 00 | 92.1 | |
| 18 | Slave Ship (1937) | Warner Baxter & Mickey Rooney |
4.40 | 182.4 | 182.40 | 31 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 92.0 | |
| 19 | A Date with Judy (1948) | Elizabeth Taylor | 9.00 | 243.3 | 325.20 | 13 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 91.2 | |
| 20 | Stand Up And Fight (1939) | Robert Taylor | 4.90 | 189.9 | 283.40 | 31 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 90.8 | |
| 21 | Viva Villa! (1934) AA Best Picture Nom |
Fay Wray | 2.70 | 126.0 | 251.10 | 28 | 65 | 04 / 01 | 89.8 | |
| 22 | Old Ironsides (1926) | Charles Farrell | 4.00 | 143.7 | 143.70 | 7 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 89.6 | |
| 23 | The Bad Man of Brimstone (1937) | Virginia Bruce | 4.00 | 164.1 | 164.10 | 50 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 89.1 | |
| 24 | Rationing (1944) | Marjorie Main | 5.80 | 195.6 | 195.60 | 56 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 88.4 | |
| 25 | The Mollycoddle (1920) | Douglas Fairbanks | 2.80 | 148.2 | 148.20 | 12 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 87.4 | |
| 26 | The Mighty Barnum (1934) | Adolphe Menjou | 2.80 | 129.3 | 129.30 | 25 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 87.0 | |
| 27 | Old Hutch (1936) | Eric Linden | 2.70 | 117.2 | 117.20 | 72 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 86.7 | |
| 28 | Three Ages (1923) | Buster Keaton | 1.90 | 84.7 | 84.70 | 12 | 77 | 00 / 00 | 85.5 | |
| 29 | Beggars of Life (1928) | Louise Brooks | 2.70 | 85.1 | 85.10 | 29 | 77 | 00 / 00 | 85.4 | |
| 30 | The Bugle Sounds (1942) | Donna Reed & Marjorie Main |
3.60 | 132.8 | 132.80 | 72 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 85.2 | |
| 31 | A Message to Garcia (1936) | Barbara Stanwyck | 3.30 | 143.7 | 143.70 | 48 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 84.7 | |
| 32 | Billy the Kid (1930) | Johnny Mack Brown | 2.20 | 117.6 | 139.30 | 54 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 82.6 | |
| 33 | Jackass Mail (1942) | Marjorie Main | 2.90 | 107.6 | 138.60 | 94 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 82.6 | |
| 34 | Ah Wilderness! (1935) | Lionel Barrymore & Mickey Rooney |
1.90 | 86.7 | 86.70 | 70 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 81.6 | |
| 35 | The Secret 6 (1931) | Clark Gable & Jean Harlow |
2.10 | 107.5 | 151.00 | 51 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 81.4 | |
| 36 | Way For A Sailor (1930) | John Gilbert | 1.40 | 74.1 | 105.10 | 89 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 80.5 | |
| 37 | The Good Old Soak (1937) | Una Merkel | 1.90 | 80.1 | 80.10 | 123 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 77.0 | |
| 38 | We're in the Navy Now (1926) | Wallace Beery | 3.20 | 114.2 | 114.20 | 11 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 76.9 | |
| 39 | West Point of The Air (1935) | Robert Taylor & Maureen O'Sullivan |
1.90 | 86.9 | 169.00 | 69 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 76.6 | |
| 40 | The Mighty McGurk (1947) | Dean Stockwell | 3.80 | 110.0 | 141.70 | 93 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 76.6 | |
| 41 | Flesh (1932) | Directed by John Ford | 1.60 | 79.1 | 79.10 | 54 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 76.2 | |
| 42 | Barnacle Bill (1941) | Marjorie Main | 1.80 | 67.8 | 67.80 | 135 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 76.1 | |
| 43 | The Bad Man (1941) | Ronald Reagan & Lionel Barrymore |
2.30 | 88.8 | 88.80 | 105 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 73.5 | |
| 44 | Barbary Coast Gent (1944) | John Carradine | 3.20 | 108.9 | 108.90 | 97 | 51 | 00 / 00 | 73.3 | |
| 45 | Thunder Afloat (1939) | Chester Morris | 1.80 | 69.5 | 69.50 | 126 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 71.7 | |
| 46 | Wyoming (1940) | Marjorie Main | 1.70 | 64.5 | 64.50 | 126 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 69.9 | |
| 47 | Sergeant Madden (1939) | Directed by Josef Von Sternberg | 2.10 | 80.8 | 80.80 | 114 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 68.7 | |
| 48 | Port of Seven Seas (1938) | Maureen O'Sullivan | 1.70 | 67.6 | 67.60 | 140 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 65.4 | |
| 49 | Chinatown Nights (1929) | Warner Oland | 1.80 | 56.9 | 56.90 | 79 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 64.1 | |
| 50 | O'Shaughnessy's Boy (1935) | Jackie Cooper | 1.40 | 62.4 | 62.40 | 96 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 63.7 | |
| 51 | 20 Mule Team (1940) | Anne Baxter | 1.10 | 42.4 | 42.40 | 157 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 63.4 | |
| 52 | Alias A Gentleman (1948) | Tom Drake | 2.70 | 71.8 | 96.90 | 113 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 60.8 | |
| 53 | The Spanish Dancer (1923) | Pola Negri & Antonio Moreno |
0.30 | 13.9 | 13.90 | 37 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 58.5 | |
| 54 | Big Jack (1949) | Marjorie Main | 2.10 | 52.9 | 63.70 | 139 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 58.3 | |
| 55 | The Signal Tower (1924) | Directed by Clarence Brown | 0.30 | 13.0 | 13.00 | 56 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 48.4 | |
| 56 | Casey At The Bat (1927) | Zasu Pitts | 1.20 | 39.3 | 39.30 | 55 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 46.0 | |
| 58 | This Man's Navy (1945) | Tom Drake | 1.00 | 30.7 | 30.70 | 146 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 45.6 | |
| 57 | Volcano! (1926) | Ricardo Cortez | 0.30 | 11.0 | 11.00 | 92 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 45.2 | |
| 59 | The Devil's Cargo (1925) | Directed by Victor Fleming | 1.10 | 44.3 | 44.30 | 26 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 44.5 | |
| 60 | Wife Savers (1928) | Zasu Pitts | 1.20 | 39.6 | 39.60 | 72 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 34.8 | |
| 62 | A Lady's Morals (1930) | Grace Moore | 1.00 | 53.1 | 126.20 | 123 | 45 | 00 / 00 | 32.3 | |
| 61 | A Blind Bargain (1922) | Lon Chaney Sr. | 0.20 | 9.1 | 9.10 | 42 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 31.7 | |
| 63 | Adventure (1925) | Directed by Victor Fleming | 0.50 | 21.7 | 21.70 | 44 | 52 | 00 / 00 | 27.8 | |
| 64 | The Man From Dakota (1940) | Dolores del Rio | 0.60 | 23.7 | 23.70 | 201 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 24.2 | |
| 65 | The River Of Romance (1929) | Charles "Buddy" Rogers | 0.70 | 21.3 | 21.30 | 138 | 46 | 00 / 00 | 16.0 |
Possibly Interesting Facts About Wallace Beery
1. Wallace Fitzgerald Beery was born in Clay County, Missouri in 1885.
2. At the age of 16 Wallace Beery ran away from home and joined the Ringling Brothers Circus as an assistant elephant trainer.
3. At the age of 19 Wallace Beery joined his brother, Noah Beery, in New York. He soon after began appearing on Broadway. By the time he was 30 he was appearing in silent movies.
4. Wallace Beery was married 2 times. Her first marriage was to actress Gloria “Sunset Blvd.” Swanson from 1916 to 1919. His second marriage was to Rita Gilman from 1924 to 1939. Gilman and Beery had one child…..a daughter named Carol Ann.
5. Wallace Beery’s nephew was Noah Beery, Jr. Noah Beery Jr. had 173 IMDb credits…..but he is best remembered for playing James Garner’s dad in the television show The Rockford Files.
6. Wallace Beery was nominated for two Best Actor Oscars®. Beery first nomination was for 1930’s The Big House. He won the Best Actor Oscar® for 1931’s The Champ. Beery shared the Oscar® win with Frederic March (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde)..though legend has it that Beery actually got one less vote than March….but the rules at the time declared it a tie…so they both got Oscars®.
7. Wallace Beery almost played the title role in 1939’s The Wizard of Oz but due to other film roles at MGM, he was forced to turn down the role. Beery turned down the role of Captain William Bligh in 1935’s Mutiny on the Bounty because he was unwilling to work with Clark Gable.
8. Wallace Beery insisted on being paid $1 more than any other MGM star. In 1932 he was paid $10,001 a week. That made him the highest-salaried actor in the world at the time.
9. From 1916 to 1951 Wallace Beery held the world’s record for the largest black sea bass. He caught the fish off California’s Santa Catalina Island.
10. Check out Wallace Berry‘s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
Adjusted Worlwide Box Office Grosses on 21 Wallace Beery Movies
- China Seas (1935) $287.60 million in adjusted worldwide box office
- Grand Hotel (1932) $283.20 million in adjusted worldwide box office
- Tugboat Annie (1933) $268.70 million in adjusted worldwide box office
- Hell Divers (1931) $256.70 million in adjusted worldwide box office
- A Date With Judy (1948) $254.30 million in adjusted worldwide box office
- Treasure Island (1934) $237.90 million in adjusted worldwide box office
- Dinner at Eight (1933) $225.40 million in adjusted worldwide box office
- The Big House (1930) $221.90 million in adjusted worldwide box office
- Stand Up And Fight (1939) $221.50 million in adjusted worldwide box office
- The Bowery (1933) $209.50 million in adjusted worldwide box office
- Min and Bill (1931) $209.30 million in adjusted worldwide box office
- Stablemates (1938) $198.10 million in adjusted worldwide box office
- Viva Villa! (1934) $196.50 million in adjusted worldwide box office
- West Point Of The Air (1935) $131.90 million in adjusted worldwide box office
- The Secret Six (1931) $118.10 million in adjusted worldwide box office
- The Mighty McGurk (1947) $110.00 million in adjusted worldwide box office
- Jackass Mail (1942) $108.10 million in adjusted worldwide box office
- A Lady’s Morals (1930) $98.50 million in adjusted worldwide box office
- Way For A Soldier (1930) $82.00 million in adjusted worldwide box office
- Alias A Gentleman (1948) $75.20 million in adjusted worldwide box office
- Big Jack (1949) $49.30 million in adjusted worldwide box office
Academy Award® and Oscar® are the registered trademarks of the Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences. Golden Globe® is a registered trademark of the Hollywood Foreign Press.
Steve’s Wallace Beery YouTube Video
Wallace Beery, is the # 81 most connected actor of the 1920’s.
HI STEVE: Welcome back and thanks for the comprehensive reply. Like you I was surprised at the number of times Wallace was the lead and got top billing; and also at some of the big names over whom he was listed.
I was as well taken aback by the number of times he was ranked among the Top 20 stars in the United States – all but once in the 15-year period 1932-1946 inclusive:
1932/7th
1933/5th
1934/4th
1935/8th
1936/15th [and 8th in the United Kingdom]
1937/15th
1938/12th
1939/15th
1940/8th
1941/19th
1942/18th
1943/18th
1944/11th
1945 [Not Listed in the 20]
1946/11th
Hi Bob, thanks for the review, generous rating (ooh), trivia and info, always appreciated.
Happy you liked the posters, stills and ‘glut of vintage lobby cards’. 🙂
I was tempted to add more pictures, not because Wally Beery is picture perfect but because the classic era is winding down on my video channel. [Bob wipes a tear]
Has it been more than 3 years already since Bruce created this page? Wow I thought it was this year.
Surprised to see Beery was lead actor in most of these films, I thought he was mostly a supporting actor. Must have been highly respected by Hollywood.
Two films scored 10 out of 10 from my sources – Dinner at Eight and Grand Hotel.
Four films scored 9 out of 10 – The Champ, Treasure Island, Robin Hood and The Last of the Mohicans.
Dinner at Eight is no.1 at IMDB and Grand Hotel is tops at Rotten Tomatoes.
Bruce and I have the same top 2 on our review charts.
“I never let anyone sucker me, not even for a nickel.”
“Like my dear old friend Marie Dressler, my ugly mug has been my fortune.”
“I like to play with Clark Gable. Folks seem surprised that we see quite a lot of each other outside the studio. He’s a regular outdoors man and we’re interested in the same things, guns and flying and stuff like that. He ain’t no faintin’ Romeo, the way they try to make him out.”