Want to know the best Bing Crosby movies? How about the worst Bing Crosby movies? Curious about Bing Crosby’s box office grosses or which Bing Crosby movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Bing Crosby 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.
With his famous bass-baritone voice, Bing Crosby (1903-1977) was one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century. Although somewhat forgotten, his movie career is equally impressive. Bing Crosby’s film career started with the 1930 film The King of Jazz. His first big break came in 1932 when he appeared in The Big Broadcast, which was the sixth most successful movie of that year. He appeared on the annual top ten box office stars for the first time in 1934. He would appear on that list a total of fifteen times in his career. From 1944 to 1948, Crosby was the number one star, for a record five years in a row.
In 1940 Bing Crosby and Bob Hope starred in the very successful Road to Singapore. The comedy team of Crosby/Hope became very popular. They made six very successful sequels over the next twenty-two years. Having conquered singing and comedy, Crosby started concentrating on serious acting. He won the Academy Award® for Best Actor in 1944 for the blockbuster hit Going My Way. He received another nomination the next year for The Bells of St. Mary’s. In 1954, he received his final nomination for Best Actor The Country Girl co-starring Grace Kelly. She won the Oscar® playing Bing’s wife. In 1966 he appeared in his last movie, the remake of the classic western Stagecoach. There was talk of making Road to the Fountain of Youth, but Bing Crosby died in 1977 before he could make that movie.
His IMDb page shows 103 acting credits from 1930-1974. This page will rank 55 Bing Crosby movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television shows, shorts, cameos and movies that were not released in theaters were not included in the rankings.
Bing Crosby 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
1944
Going My Way (1944)
AA Best Picture Win
AA Best Actor Win
1945
The Bells of St. Mary's (1945)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Actor Nom
1954
The Country Girl (1954)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Actor Nom
1942
Holiday Inn (1942)
1945
Road to Utopia (1945)
1942
Road to Morocco (1942)
1947
Road to Rio (1947)
1954
White Christmas (1954)
1956
High Society (1956)
1944
Here Come the Waves (1944)
1946
Blue Skies (1946)
1940
Road to Singapore (1940)
1941
Birth of the Blues (1941)
1943
Dixie (1943)
1941
Road to Zanzibar (1941)
1948
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1948)
1953
Little Boy Lost (1953)
1948
The Emperor Waltz (1948)
1947
Welcome Stranger (1947)
1951
Here Comes the Groom (1951)
1949
Top o' the Morning (1949)
1952
Road to Bali (1952)
Cameo Role
1935
Mississippi (1935)
1937
Waikiki Wedding (1937)
1930
King of Jazz (1930)
1938
Sing, You Sinners (1938)
1959
Say One For Me (1959)
1949
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)
1950
Mr. Music (1950)
1952
Just For You (1952)
1932
The Big Broadcast (1932)
1939
The Star Maker (1939)
1934
Here Is My Heart (1934)
1964
Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964)
1937
Double or Nothing (1937)
1950
Riding High (1950)
1939
East Side of Heaven (1939)
1938
Doctor Rhythm (1938)
1956
Anything Goes (1956)
1940
Rhythm on the River (1940)
1934
We're Not Dressing (1934)
1933
College Humor (1933)
1933
Going Hollywood (1933)
1936
Pennies from Heaven (1936)
1962
The Road to Hong Kong (1962)
1939
Paris Honeymoon (1939)
1960
High Time (1960)
1933
Too Much Harmony (1933)
1966
Stagecoach (1966)
1935
Two For Tonight (1935)
1936
Rhythm on the Range (1936)
1940
If I Had My Way (1940)
1934
She Loves Me Not (1934)
1936
Anything Goes (1936)
1957
Man on Fire (1957)
Bing Crosby 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 Bing Crosby movies by co-stars of his movies.
- Sort Bing Crosby movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Bing Crosby movies by yearly box office rank
- Sort Bing Crosby 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 Oscar® wins each Bing Crosby movie received.
- Sort Bing Crosby 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….for example if you want to see all the Bob Hope/Crosby movies….just type in Bob Hope in the search box and up they pop.
| 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 | Going My Way (1944) AA Best Picture Win AA Best Actor Win |
Barry Fitzgerald | 17.10 | 575.9 | 575.90 | 1 | 75 | 10 / 07 | 99.8 | |
| 2 | The Bells of St. Mary's (1945) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actor Nom |
Ingrid Bergman | 19.70 | 625.3 | 907.10 | 1 | 87 | 08 / 01 | 99.5 | |
| 3 | The Country Girl (1954) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actor Nom |
Grace Kelly & William Holden |
18.30 | 428.5 | 428.50 | 6 | 77 | 07 / 02 | 98.9 | |
| 4 | Holiday Inn (1942) | Fred Astaire | 10.90 | 403.7 | 654.00 | 8 | 81 | 03 / 01 | 98.3 | |
| 5 | Road to Utopia (1945) | Bob Hope | 12.50 | 396.3 | 396.30 | 6 | 82 | 01 / 00 | 97.9 | |
| 6 | Road to Morocco (1942) | Bob Hope | 11.40 | 424.8 | 424.80 | 7 | 80 | 02 / 00 | 97.8 | |
| 7 | Road to Rio (1947) | Bob Hope | 12.20 | 354.3 | 354.30 | 7 | 80 | 01 / 00 | 97.6 | |
| 8 | White Christmas (1954) | Danny Kaye | 27.10 | 636.1 | 636.10 | 1 | 78 | 01 / 00 | 97.1 | |
| 9 | High Society (1956) | Grace Kelly & Frank Sinatra |
16.80 | 329.2 | 477.90 | 9 | 74 | 02 / 00 | 96.5 | |
| 10 | Here Come the Waves (1944) | Betty Hutton | 6.80 | 228.2 | 228.20 | 34 | 74 | 01 / 00 | 96.4 | |
| 11 | Blue Skies (1946) | Fred Astaire | 13.50 | 416.2 | 674.30 | 5 | 72 | 02 / 00 | 96.0 | |
| 12 | Road to Singapore (1940) | Bob Hope | 4.70 | 181.5 | 181.50 | 18 | 79 | 00 / 00 | 96.0 | |
| 14 | Birth of the Blues (1941) | Mary Martin | 5.00 | 192.5 | 192.50 | 28 | 72 | 01 / 00 | 95.2 | |
| 13 | Dixie (1943) | Dorothy Lamour | 8.90 | 318.6 | 318.60 | 13 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 95.2 | |
| 15 | Road to Zanzibar (1941) | Bob Hope | 4.20 | 163.6 | 163.60 | 41 | 78 | 00 / 00 | 94.4 | |
| 16 | A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1948) | Rhonda Fleming | 7.90 | 212.8 | 212.80 | 20 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 93.2 | |
| 18 | Little Boy Lost (1953) | Claude Dauphin | 9.10 | 163.3 | 163.30 | 18 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 91.7 | |
| 17 | The Emperor Waltz (1948) | Joan Fontaine | 10.50 | 283.7 | 283.70 | 7 | 55 | 02 / 00 | 91.3 | |
| 19 | Welcome Stranger (1947) | Barry Fitzgerald | 14.60 | 425.2 | 425.20 | 2 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 91.0 | |
| 20 | Here Comes the Groom (1951) | Jane Wyman | 7.30 | 157.1 | 157.10 | 26 | 66 | 02 / 01 | 90.9 | |
| 21 | Top o' the Morning (1949) | Barry Fitzgerald | 7.20 | 181.1 | 181.10 | 25 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 90.6 | |
| 23 | Road to Bali (1952) Cameo Role |
Bob Hope | 8.30 | 163.3 | 163.30 | 15 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 90.2 | |
| 22 | Mississippi (1935) | W.C. Fields | 2.70 | 121.9 | 121.90 | 40 | 78 | 00 / 00 | 90.2 | |
| 24 | Waikiki Wedding (1937) | Martha Raye | 3.60 | 151.1 | 151.10 | 55 | 65 | 02 / 01 | 89.7 | |
| 25 | King of Jazz (1930) | Paul Whiteman | 2.00 | 107.8 | 107.80 | 61 | 78 | 01 / 01 | 89.2 | |
| 26 | Sing, You Sinners (1938) | Fred MacMurray | 3.00 | 119.2 | 119.20 | 70 | 75 | 00 / 00 | 88.9 | |
| 28 | Say One For Me (1959) | Debbie Reynolds | 11.10 | 200.2 | 200.20 | 20 | 45 | 01 / 00 | 87.4 | |
| 27 | The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) | Basil Rathbone | 4.10 | 102.7 | 132.30 | 86 | 76 | 00 / 00 | 87.2 | |
| 29 | Mr. Music (1950) | Charles Coburn | 6.60 | 147.6 | 147.60 | 27 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 87.1 | |
| 31 | Just For You (1952) | Jane Wyman | 8.30 | 163.3 | 163.30 | 17 | 55 | 01 / 00 | 86.9 | |
| 30 | The Big Broadcast (1932) | Stuart Erwin | 2.30 | 112.0 | 112.00 | 23 | 72 | 00 / 00 | 86.8 | |
| 33 | The Star Maker (1939) | Louise Campbell | 3.60 | 137.8 | 137.80 | 56 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 86.3 | |
| 32 | Here Is My Heart (1934) | Roland Young | 2.30 | 109.1 | 109.10 | 44 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 86.3 | |
| 34 | Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964) | Frank Sinatra & Dean Martin |
12.40 | 142.2 | 235.60 | 19 | 58 | 02 / 00 | 86.0 | |
| 35 | Double or Nothing (1937) | Martha Raye | 2.90 | 122.0 | 122.00 | 74 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 85.9 | |
| 36 | Riding High (1950) | Charles Bickford & Directed by Frank Capra |
6.70 | 150.8 | 150.80 | 25 | 51 | 00 / 00 | 82.9 | |
| 37 | East Side of Heaven (1939) | Joan Blondell | 2.80 | 107.8 | 107.80 | 85 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 82.6 | |
| 38 | Doctor Rhythm (1938) | Mary Carlisle | 2.90 | 115.5 | 115.50 | 73 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 82.5 | |
| 39 | Anything Goes (1956) | Donald O'Connor | 6.00 | 117.6 | 117.60 | 45 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 79.6 | |
| 40 | Rhythm on the River (1940) | Mary Martin | 2.30 | 88.2 | 88.20 | 85 | 64 | 01 / 00 | 79.3 | |
| 41 | We're Not Dressing (1934) | Carole Lombard | 1.80 | 84.8 | 84.80 | 63 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 78.5 | |
| 42 | College Humor (1933) | Jack Oakie | 1.80 | 82.4 | 82.40 | 47 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 78.2 | |
| 43 | Going Hollywood (1933) | Marion Davies & Produced by Walter Wanger |
1.80 | 83.0 | 128.80 | 46 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 77.8 | |
| 44 | Pennies from Heaven (1936) | Madge Evans | 2.10 | 89.8 | 89.80 | 98 | 60 | 01 / 00 | 77.2 | |
| 45 | The Road to Hong Kong (1962) | Bob Hope | 7.40 | 106.8 | 106.80 | 35 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 76.6 | |
| 46 | Paris Honeymoon (1939) | Franciska Gaal | 2.10 | 80.8 | 80.80 | 115 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 75.8 | |
| 48 | High Time (1960) | Tuesday Weld | 7.10 | 111.6 | 111.60 | 41 | 51 | 01 / 00 | 74.9 | |
| 47 | Too Much Harmony (1933) | Jack Oakie | 1.50 | 72.3 | 72.30 | 59 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 74.7 | |
| 49 | Stagecoach (1966) | Ann-Margret | 10.00 | 98.0 | 98.00 | 30 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 74.7 | |
| 50 | Two For Tonight (1935) | Joan Bennett | 1.40 | 64.0 | 64.00 | 93 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 74.0 | |
| 51 | Rhythm on the Range (1936) | Frances Farmer | 1.50 | 62.6 | 62.60 | 123 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 73.2 | |
| 52 | If I Had My Way (1940) | Gloria Jean | 1.70 | 63.8 | 63.80 | 127 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 72.9 | |
| 53 | She Loves Me Not (1934) | Miriam Hopkins | 2.90 | 137.3 | 137.30 | 24 | 40 | 01 / 00 | 72.5 | |
| 54 | Anything Goes (1936) | Ethel Merman | 1.20 | 51.6 | 51.60 | 133 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 67.3 | |
| 55 | Man on Fire (1957) | Inger Stevens | 3.10 | 60.5 | 77.80 | 78 | 38 | 00 / 00 | 24.7 |
Check out Bing Crosby’s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
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For comments….all you need is a name and a comment….please ignore the rest.
Nice picture of “Father O’Malley.” He does pretty well acting (and he could sing, too!!!)
Hey William….over the last few months I secured some more information on box office grosses of the 1930s….seems I was severely underestimating your boy Bing’s box office success. But I just finished updating the page. His $100 million box office hits went from 20 to 30. Thought you might be interested.
Just revisiting this great Crosby movie page and realized I somehow failed to link it to one of my Crosby pages, which now is corrected. Bing was not only the best popular singer in history and a very talented actor but he was a good man who didn’t deserve having his character besmirched by his wayward son, Gary.
Hey William F. Torpey….thanks for the link and I will return the favor. Looking at this movie page I realize that I need to give it a facelift so it looks like my newer pages….I agree with you about his son Gary, too bad the truth seems to be hidden with the misconception. Thanks for the revisit.
Coming soon….I think the current lineup is…..Ron Howard….then my 100th movie page…which will be a shout out to hubbers like yourself….then Barbara Stanwyck…..then a current actor ….then Danny Kaye….so it might be awhile….but at least he is grabbing a bat and loosening up.
@Cogerson…Great! I can’t wait for Danny Kaye to hit your column!! He was a real humantarian, as well as accomplished actor and comedian. He had a great deal to do with the beginning of a very well-known charity for children.
@Cogerson…Who had a voice like Bing? I always watch “White Christmas”. It’s fun with the relationship of the two guys and the two gals. (I’m a real Danny Kaye fan.) Bing and Danny in that girls duet is a scream. Makes me belly laugh every time! Kaye did a little improvising in that song scene and got extra giggles out of Bing.
Bing was great in drama, too. “The Country Girl” still rings true, as well as “Going My Way”.
“Holiday Inn” is loads of fun, and so are these movie columns!
Hey Barbsbitspieces…Bing Crosby always made a great partner on screen…it could be Bob Hope or Danny Kaye or Frank Sinatra he always made the movie better….The Country Girl blew me away when I saw the movie….maybe I was confused because I had already seen The Farmer’s Daughter…and I was expecting a movie like that…instead The Country Girl is an intense drama….that got Grace Kelly her Oscar….and got Bing an Oscar nomination….As for White Christmas it is a classic that gets better each year….well you will be happy to know that Danny Kaye is on my list of career movie hub subjects to do….thanks for the compliment.
I have a complicated relationship with Bing Crosby. He was an excellent singer and made a lot of movie musicals-a genre I love. and the road films are fun. But I was born a year after he died and didn’t know of him before it was revealed how he treated his children. It was nothing like on tv. He beat his children. And his son Gary recently turned 60 years old, allowing him to finally get his inheritance. bizarre. I have to ignore waht I think about him as a man as much as possible-I find I can actually do this best in his non-musicals or where-like in High Society-he isn’t the only leading man. I can listen to him sing Christmas carols and love it. I just have to separate the artist from the human being. Depending upon my mood I may be better at it than others. Films with strong plots (eg. Going My Way) work better than thin ploys with an excuse for singing songs. Suffice to say I watch the road films for Bob Hope and his interaction woth Bing Crosby.
Okay, enough of my issues and on with the movies.
I have seen:
All of his Top 10 movies. However, as we go down the list the percentage of films I’ve seen goes way down. I’ve seen 17 of his movies total. I’m surprised Pennies From Heaven is last. It is a much stronger film than, say, Rhythm of the Range, which I have also seen.
I’ve seen most but not all of the road films.
Favourite films in alphabetical order:
The Bells of St. Mary
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court
Going My Way
High Society
Holiday Inn (enjoy White Christmas too, but this is the original)
I think the jury is still out on the claims Gary made about his father. Crosby had 7 kids, and I think the other 6 kids have said that Bing might have been tough on them but he was not abusive. Granted Gary was the oldest of the group….Gary passed away in 1995.
I have only seen a few of his movies….so I will bow to your expertise on his movies. One of the few that I have seen was pretty good….A Country Girl….I thought he was excellent in very different role for him. I have seen a couple of his Road movies…they look like they had a great time making those movies.
As for his legacy…..I think as more time passes…the less people remember him…which is a shame….my kids which range from 23 to 2 have no idea who he is. Thanks for your comments….I always appreciate the amount of time you spend on your comments.
A Country Girl was very good- got Kelly her Oscar. If you are ever looking for a star to finish off quickly in between the ones that take a long (i.e. Diaz before Cooper) time consider Kelly. Because she married Ranier there aren’t a lot of films, but there are still enough to to take a look. (eg. no point with James Dean-only 3)
Yep Flora, Grace Kelly would be a short hub….11 movies…of which I already have 8 of them in my massive database….13,600 films and growing everyday. I have already done all the research on Elizabeth Taylor and Bette Davis….just never got around to writing their movie pages…..and I always think Audrey Hepburn needs one as well. So many actors/actresses…and so little time…..lol.