Want to know the best Ronald Reagan movies? How about the worst Ronald Reagan movies? Curious about Ronald Reagan box office grosses or which Ronald Reagan movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Ronald Reagan 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.
Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) was a American actor. He appeared in movies from 1937 to 1964. Reagan’s second career, politics, far out shined his movie career. Sixteen years after making The Killing, Reagan became the 40th President in United States history. Since this is a movie website….those will be the only two sentences about his second career. His IMDb page shows 81 acting credits from 1937-1989. This page ranks 54 Ronald Reagan movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. His television appearances, uncredited roles, shorts and documentaries were not included in the rankings.
Drivel part: Recently we got a hold of the Warner Brothers box office ledgers from the Golden Era of Hollywood. One of the actors that had many movies listed in those ledgers was Ronald Reagan. This got us thinking….which can be dangerous…..Reagan’s movie career is almost considered a joke….with descriptions of his career being: “failed actor”, “B movie player” and “Bonzo’s buddy”. Was his career as bad as some would say? Well let’s find out.
Ronald Reagan 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
1942
Kings Row (1942)
AA Best Picture Nom
1939
Dark Victory (1939)
AA Best Picture Nom
1942
Desperate Journey (1942)
1947
The Voice of the Turtle (1947)
1943
This is the Army (1943)
1940
Knute Rockne All American (1940)
1940
Santa Fe Trail (1940)
1938
Brother Rat (1938)
1937
Hollywood Hotel (1937)
1947
That Hagen Girl (1947)
1947
Stallion Road (1947)
1949
The Hasty Heart (1949)
1949
John Loves Mary (1949)
1949
It's a Great Feeling (1949)
1952
She's Working Her Way Through College (1952)
1950
Storm Warning (1950)
1950
Louisa (1950)
1942
Juke Girl (1942)
1949
The Girl From Jones Beach (1949)
1952
The Winning Team (1952)
1941
Million Dollar Baby (1941)
1964
The Killers (1964)
1941
The Bad Man (1941)
1938
Cowboy From Brooklyn (1938)
1939
Angels Wash Their Faces (1939)
1955
Tennessee's Partner (1955)
1939
Hell's Kitchen (1939)
1939
Naughty But Nice (1939)
1938
Going Places (1938)
1953
Law And Order (1953)
1951
Bedtime For Bonzo (1951)
1938
Boy Meets Girl (1938)
1938
Girls On Probation (1938)
1949
Night Unto Night (1949)
1938
Swing Your Lady (1938)
1939
Secret Service of the Air (1939)
1940
Brother Rat and a Baby (1940)
1941
International Squadron (1941)
1941
Nine Lives Are Not Enough (1941)
1940
Tugboat Annie Sails Again (1940)
1961
The Young Doctors (1961)
1952
Hong Kong (1952)
1939
Smashing the Money Ring (1939)
1940
An Angel from Texas (1940)
1938
Accidents Will Happen (1938)
1951
The Last Outpost (1951)
1954
Prisoner of War (1954)
1954
Cattle Queen of Montana (1954)
1957
Hellcats Of The Navy (1957)
1937
Love Is On The Air (1937)
1953
Tropic Zone (1953)
1938
Sergeant Murphy (1938)
1940
Murder in the Air (1940)
1939
Code of the Secret Service (1939)
Ronald Reagan 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 Ronald Reagan movies by co-stars of his movies
- Sort Ronald Reagan movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Ronald Reagan movies by yearly domestic box office rank
- Sort Ronald Reagan movies by adjusted worldwide box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions) *** If domestic and worldwide are the same…then worldwide grosses are unknown
- Sort Ronald Reagan 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 Ronald Reagan movie received.
- Sort Ronald Reagan 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.
CreditRank | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Review % | Oscar Nom / Win | S | UMR Score | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CreditRank | 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 | S | UMR Score |
1 | Kings Row (1942) AA Best Picture Nom |
Robert Cummings | 9.00 | 333.8 | 540.9 | 11 | 80 | 03 / 00 | 98.8 | |
2 | Dark Victory (1939) AA Best Picture Nom |
Bette Davis & Humphrey Bogart |
4.70 | 179.4 | 262.3 | 41 | 80 | 03 / 00 | 97.8 | |
4 | Desperate Journey (1942) | Errol Flynn | 5.70 | 213.5 | 297.6 | 28 | 69 | 01 / 00 | 95.0 | |
5 | The Voice of the Turtle (1947) | Eleanor Parker | 7.10 | 206.1 | 245.4 | 36 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 94.8 | |
3 | This is the Army (1943) | George Murphy | 24.30 | 872.7 | 1,092.8 | 1 | 60 | 03 / 01 | 93.5 | |
6 | Knute Rockne All American (1940) | Pat O'Brien | 4.30 | 166.8 | 180.8 | 26 | 73 | 00 / 00 | 93.2 | |
8 | Santa Fe Trail (1940) | Errol Flynn & Olivia de Havilland |
5.00 | 192.3 | 278.6 | 16 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 91.5 | |
7 | Brother Rat (1938) | Priscilla Lane | 4.70 | 188.9 | 210.3 | 32 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 91.5 | |
9 | Hollywood Hotel (1937) | Dick Powell & Benny Goodman |
4.40 | 181.4 | 223.7 | 33 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 89.1 | |
10 | That Hagen Girl (1947) | Shirley Temple | 4.90 | 143.2 | 166.9 | 71 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 86.8 | |
12 | Stallion Road (1947) | Alexis Smith | 5.70 | 164.7 | 218.7 | 58 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 86.4 | |
11 | The Hasty Heart (1949) | Richard Todd | 3.70 | 92.3 | 92.3 | 96 | 74 | 01 / 00 | 85.6 | |
13 | John Loves Mary (1949) | Jack Carson | 4.60 | 116.2 | 140.8 | 63 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 82.4 | |
14 | It's a Great Feeling (1949) | Doris Day | 5.70 | 143.4 | 188.9 | 42 | 51 | 01 / 00 | 82.1 | |
15 | She's Working Her Way Through College (1952) | Virginia Mayo | 6.70 | 130.7 | 167.3 | 34 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 81.7 | |
16 | Storm Warning (1950) | Doris Day & Ginger Rogers |
3.60 | 80.2 | 80.2 | 93 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 78.7 | |
17 | Louisa (1950) | Charles Coburn | 4.10 | 91.5 | 91.5 | 75 | 60 | 01 / 00 | 77.6 | |
18 | Juke Girl (1942) | Ann Sheridan | 3.10 | 116.8 | 116.8 | 86 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 77.4 | |
19 | The Girl From Jones Beach (1949) | Virginia Mayo | 4.50 | 112.9 | 112.9 | 67 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 77.3 | |
20 | The Winning Team (1952) | Doris Day | 4.00 | 78.3 | 87.4 | 86 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 75.8 | |
21 | Million Dollar Baby (1941) | Priscilla Lane | 2.30 | 86.8 | 114.0 | 106 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 75.6 | |
22 | The Killers (1964) | Lee Marvin | 2.90 | 32.8 | 32.8 | 84 | 75 | 00 / 00 | 73.7 | |
23 | The Bad Man (1941) | Lionel Barrymore | 2.30 | 88.8 | 88.8 | 105 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 73.5 | |
24 | Cowboy From Brooklyn (1938) | Dick Powell | 2.40 | 93.9 | 122.5 | 98 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 73.5 | |
25 | Angels Wash Their Faces (1939) | Ann Sheridan | 1.90 | 74.8 | 74.8 | 120 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 72.5 | |
26 | Tennessee's Partner (1955) | John Payne | 3.10 | 65.2 | 65.2 | 100 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 70.7 | |
26 | Hell's Kitchen (1939) | The "Dead End" Kids | 1.70 | 65.4 | 65.4 | 135 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 67.7 | |
28 | Naughty But Nice (1939) | Dick Powell & Ann Sheridan |
1.80 | 68.5 | 91.9 | 127 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 67.6 | |
29 | Going Places (1938) | Dick Powell | 1.90 | 75.1 | 106.8 | 123 | 54 | 01 / 00 | 65.5 | |
30 | Law And Order (1953) | Dorothy Malone & Preston Foster |
3.00 | 54.4 | 54.4 | 121 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 63.6 | |
30 | Bedtime For Bonzo (1951) | Walter Slezak | 3.50 | 75.5 | 75.5 | 106 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 63.2 | |
33 | Boy Meets Girl (1938) | James Cagney | 2.20 | 89.6 | 104.4 | 102 | 47 | 00 / 00 | 60.9 | |
32 | Girls On Probation (1938) | Susan Hayward | 1.80 | 70.4 | 85.6 | 132 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 60.1 | |
34 | Night Unto Night (1949) | Broderick Crawford | 1.20 | 31.3 | 79.9 | 174 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 53.1 | |
37 | Swing Your Lady (1938) | Humphrey Bogart | 1.60 | 65.5 | 83.4 | 143 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 49.7 | |
36 | Secret Service of the Air (1939) | John Litel | 1.60 | 60.9 | 60.9 | 143 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 49.7 | |
39 | Brother Rat and a Baby (1940) | Priscilla Lane | 1.90 | 74.0 | 74.0 | 104 | 46 | 00 / 00 | 49.1 | |
39 | International Squadron (1941) | Olympe Bradna | 1.80 | 70.5 | 70.5 | 126 | 47 | 00 / 00 | 49.0 | |
39 | Nine Lives Are Not Enough (1941) | Joan Perry | 0.70 | 26.2 | 37.1 | 199 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 47.7 | |
41 | Tugboat Annie Sails Again (1940) | Jane Wyman | 1.10 | 43.1 | 62.0 | 155 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 45.6 | |
40 | The Young Doctors (1961) | Dick Clark & Fredric March |
1.50 | 21.9 | 21.9 | 108 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 44.0 | |
42 | Hong Kong (1952) | Rhonda Fleming | 3.50 | 68.1 | 68.1 | 109 | 45 | 00 / 00 | 43.2 | |
43 | Smashing the Money Ring (1939) | Margot Stevenson | 0.70 | 28.6 | 40.7 | 199 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 38.0 | |
44 | An Angel from Texas (1940) | Eddie Albert | 0.80 | 32.4 | 40.7 | 180 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 37.0 | |
45 | Accidents Will Happen (1938) | Sheila Bromley | 0.70 | 28.4 | 39.9 | 184 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 34.9 | |
46 | The Last Outpost (1951) | Rhonda Fleming | 0.90 | 19.4 | 19.4 | 212 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 32.2 | |
48 | Prisoner of War (1954) | Steve Forrest | 2.20 | 52.6 | 72.1 | 116 | 45 | 00 / 00 | 32.0 | |
49 | Cattle Queen of Montana (1954) | Barbara Stanwyck | 1.90 | 45.2 | 45.2 | 124 | 46 | 00 / 00 | 30.4 | |
47 | Hellcats Of The Navy (1957) | Nancy Davis-Reagan | 1.50 | 29.3 | 29.3 | 129 | 51 | 00 / 00 | 30.2 | |
50 | Love Is On The Air (1937) | June Travis | 0.80 | 32.0 | 44.8 | 184 | 46 | 00 / 00 | 21.7 | |
51 | Tropic Zone (1953) | Rhonda Fleming | 2.10 | 38.1 | 38.1 | 163 | 42 | 00 / 00 | 18.7 | |
52 | Sergeant Murphy (1938) | Donald Crisp | 0.80 | 33.7 | 44.6 | 174 | 43 | 00 / 00 | 18.0 | |
53 | Murder in the Air (1940) | John Litel | 0.50 | 18.7 | 18.7 | 208 | 46 | 00 / 00 | 14.6 | |
54 | Code of the Secret Service (1939) | Rosella Towne | 0.70 | 25.3 | 27.6 | 209 | 43 | 00 / 00 | 13.8 |
Possibly Interesting Facts About Ronald Reagan
1. Ronald Wilson Reagan was born in Tampico, Illinois in 1911.
2. In the early 1930s, Ronald Reagan, was an baseball announcer for the Chicago Cubs. His specialty was creating play-by-play accounts of games using as his source only basic descriptions that the station received by wire as the games were in progress
3. While traveling with the Cubs in California, Reagan took a screen test…which resulted in him signing a seven year contract with Warner Brothers.
4. Ronald Reagan’s two best-remembered lines were delivered while he was flat on his back in bed: “Win just one more for the Gipper!” in 1940’s Knute Rockne All American and “Where’s the rest of me?” in 1942’s Kings Row.
5. Ronald Reagan’s This Is The Army (1943) was the 5th biggest hit of the entire 1940s. If it was included on Box Office Mojo’s Top Adjusted Gross Hits of All-Time…it would rank in 24th place…right ahead of Jurassic World and The Godfather.
6. As Captain in the U.S. Army, Ronald Reagan signed Major Clark Gable‘s discharge papers in June 1944.
7. Ronald Reagan’s favorite all-time movie was 1952’s High Noon.
8. Check out Ronald Reagan‘s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
Was his movie career as bad as many people suggest? Currently we have 403 actors and directors in our database. Here is how he ranks in five different categories.
- Ronald Reagan has 13 $100 million dollar box office hits. That ties him for 146th place in our rankings.
- Ronald Reagan’s percentage of $100 million dollar hits to movies made is 24.07%. That % puts him in 294th place. Other actors near him in the rankings? George Clooney and Natalie Portman.
- Ronald Reagan’s movies earned a total of 14 Oscar® nominations. That ties him for 298th place in our rankings. Other actors tied with him in the rankings? Drew Barrymore and Lucille Ball.
- Ronald Reagan’s average critic/audience rating per movie is 57.00%. That % puts him in 354th place. Other actors near him in the rankings? Julia Roberts and Nicolas Cage.
His movie career can only be considered a “joke” if you do not do any actual research and rely on a few anecdotal references only. He had a very solid, if not spectacular career in Hollywood and was definitely an up and coming star pre World War II. He was no bit part actor either, starring as the lead for a top movie studio (Warner Bros.) in the 40’s and 50’s and many of his films did quite well at the box office. People love to mention his “Bedtime for Bonzo” film with a chimpanzee to try and denigrate him, yet Cary Grant did one too around the same time. BTW, “Bonzo” did quite well at the Box Office but even so, was not representative of all the types of movies he was in.
Jack Mower was in 31 films with Ronnie. 14 other actors appeared in at least 10 of his films.
Hey Dan. Thanks for the information on Jack Mower and his incredilble 31 movies with Ronald Reagan.
A MOVIE STAR AND A PRESIDENT ALL IN ONE LIFETIME /A LIFE WELL LIVED!
Hey Stan…..great comment on Mr. Reagan……truly a life well lived. Thanks for stopping by.