Edward G. Robinson Movies

Want to know the best Edward G. Robinson movies?  How about the worst Edward G. Robinson movies?  Curious about Edward G. Robinson ’s box office grosses or which Edward G. Robinson movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Edward G. Robinson 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.

Seems like I have been getting requests to do a Edward G. Robinson movie page for years.  One of the reasons that I have not done a page on him is lack of box office information on many of his 1930s movies…which was the peak of his career.  Well…about 4 months ago, I secured some of the Warner Brothers and MGM box office ledgers. Those ledgers contained many of Robinson’s movies from the 1930s…..so I am finally able to publish a Edward G. Robinson movie page.

Edward G. Robinson (1893-1973) is one of AFI’s (American Film Institute) Top 50 Greatest Screen Legends.  When you read descriptions of Robinson you find words like:  pug-faced, snarling, small, squat, robust and not handsome.  So it is even more impressive that Robinson became one of the greatest movie stars ever.  During his peak days, Robinson could walk on screen and dominate it despite lacking your typical Hollywood good looks.  His IMDb page shows 112 acting credits from 1916-1973. This page will rank Edward G. Robinson movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television appearances, shorts, cameos and movies that were not released in North American theaters were not included in the rankings.

Edward G. Robinson in 1944's Double Indemnity
Edward G. Robinson in 1944’s Double Indemnity

Edward G. Robinson Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews and awards.

Edward G. Robinson 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 Edward G. Robinson movies by titles and that movie’s trailers
  • Sort Edward G. Robinson movies by co-stars of his movies
  • Sort Edward G. Robinson movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost
  • Sort Edward G. Robinson movies by yearly domestic box office rank
  • Sort Edward G. Robinson 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 Edward G. Robinson movie received.
  • Sort Edward G. Robinson 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.
  • If Co-Star has a link…it will take you to that person’s UMR page
Charlton Heston and Edward G. Robinson in 1973's Soylent Green
Charlton Heston and Edward G. Robinson in 1973’s Soylent Green

Possibly Interesting Facts About Edward G. Robinson

1. Emanuel Goldenberg was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1893.  In 1903 his family moved to the New York City.  Growing up he wanted to be a rabbi.  When he won an American Academy of Dramatic Arts scholarship he switched his attentions to acting.

2.  Edward G. Robinson ‘s path to stardom…Cliff Notes style.  After winning his acting scholarship, he made his Broadway debut in 1915 using the name E.G. Robinson.  In 1927 he appeared in the play The Racket….he played a gangster.  Hollywood took notice and he started regularly appearing in movies in 1929 usually playing a gangster.  In 1931 he played Caesar Enrico “Rico” Bandello in Little Caesar.  Little Caesar was a huge success and turned Robinson into a star.  He would make movies for the next 42 years.

3.  Edward G. Robinson was never nominated for an Oscar®.   Of the AFI’s 25 Screen Legend Actors…Robinson is the only serious actor not to ever get an Oscar® nomination.  The Marx Brothers and Buster Keaton are the only other two AFI Screen Legends without an Oscar® nomination.  Two months after his death he was awarded an Honorary Oscar®.  The Academy screwed that one up.

4.  Edward G. Robinson and Homer Simpson?  Yep there is a connection.  The inspiration for the voice of Chief Clancy Wiggum on The Simpsons is Edward G. Robinson…so says Hank Azaria who provides the voice for Chief Wiggum.

5. Edward G. Robinson was married two times.  His first marriage was to Gladys Lloyd from 1927 to 1956….they had a son together.  His second marriage is to Jane Robinson from 1958 until his death in 1973.

6. Edward G. Robinson was the original choice to play Dr. Zaius in 1968’s Planet of the Apes.  He filmed one scene in complete ape makeup with Charlton Heston but had to pull out of the role due to health concerns.  Now that would be a great extra DVD feature.

7.  Edward G. Robinson is pictured on a 33¢ USA commemorative postage stamp in the Legends of Hollywood series, issued 24 October 2000.

8.  To check out Edward G. Robinson’s movie career through his movie posters…I highly recommend checking out this movie link from Steve Lensman.  Edward G. Robinson Movie Posters.

9.  Check out Edward G. Robinson ‘s career compared to current and classic actors.  Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.

10.  Edward G. Robinson died two weeks after finishing his role in 1973’s Soylent Green. Charlton Heston delivered the eulogy.  He choose a line from Julius Caesar to read during the memorial service.  “His life was gentle, and the elements so mixed in him that Nature might stand up and say to all the world, This was a man.”

Edward G. Robinson Box Office Grosses – Adjusted World Wide

Steve Lensman’s Edward G. Robinson You Tube Video

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48 thoughts on “Edward G. Robinson Movies”

  1. 1 Speaking about why Don Corelone and his successor, son Michael, rarely raised their voices Francis Coppola suggested that men of great power don’t really need to shout. Edward G when asked for his views on post classic era gangster films quipped that the Don was really his own cinematic offspring and certainly Eddie’s style could have served as the template for the vocal delivery of the Corelones because the gangland bosses that Robinson played usually spoke in low and measured tones.

    2 Examples are Johnny Rocco in Key Largo, Victor Amato in Hell and Frisco Bay and Little John Sarto in Brother Orchid. I loved the Robinson scene in Hell in Frisco bay where Ladd confronts Robinson in his den and tells him that some day he will even past scores; and as Laddie’s walking out a henchman asks Eddie if he should follow Ladd and teach him a lesson to which Robinson chuckles and quietly replies “Leave me in your will if you do.” [My son guffawed at this scene.] Ladd produced the film and had wanted Cagney instead of Robinson for the Victor Amato part.

    3 Bruce’s worldwide figures from the Warners ledgers and The Ten Commandments convert to an overall average ratio of 60% domestic/40% foreign but when 10 Commandments is taken out as it is not a typical ‘Edward G Robinson’ film the ratio is 67%/33% respectively.

    4 Because of Ladd the figures for Hell on Frisco Bay particularly interested me and it was one of 8 films Alan made for Warner Bros between 1952 and 1960. Bruce’s raw figures for the entire 8 plus Shane on the George Stevens’ page result in an overall average for the 9 movies of 60% domestic/40% foreign, but no doubt in due course Bruce will let us have his own definitive worldwide figures for the Ladd Warners 8.

    Reply

    1. Hey Bob
      1. Great point about the voice levels for the Corleones….makes sense to me. When I am dealing with a classroom full of kids I have noticed they actually respond better to a quiet voice than a yelling voice. Granted that is not EVERY time…lol.
      2. Sounds like I need to see Hell and Frisco Bay….I feel like I have an awesome category of movies at my disposal but Ladd movies are hard to come by….maybe I need to search harder…lol.
      3. Interesting stats with 10 Commandments out of the equation….I thought EGR made a lot of bible epics….lol.
      4. I have Ladd on my new list of pages to update with recent WB numbers….working on Doris Day….which I think is the last really big page with lots of stats…..the rest of the updates will only have a handful of movies to update….that includes your boy Bud.
      Thanks for sharing your thoughts on EGR and his movies.

      Reply

  2. Edward G. is no longer on the Oracle of Bacon Top 1000 Center of the Hollywood Universe list. In 2000 he was # 463 of all time. These are the actors on the current list who have worked with him along with their rank.

    A Hole in the Head (1959) – 622 Ralph Moratz
    All About People (1967) – 247 Charlton Heston
    Illegal (1955) – 912 Arthur Tovey
    Larceny, Inc. (1942) – 681 Anthony Quinn
    Mr. Winkle Goes to War (1944) – 809 Robert Mitchum
    My Geisha (1962) – 455 Shirley MacLaine
    Never a Dull Moment (1968) – 548 Henry Silva
    Pepe (1960) – 897 Tony Curtis
    Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964) – 684 Peter Falk, 912 Arthur Tovey
    Seven Thieves (1960) – 112 Rod Steiger, 220 Eli Wallach
    Song of Norway (1970) – 767 Robert Rietty
    Soylent Green (1973) – 247 Charlton Heston
    The Biggest Bundle of Them All (1968) – 271 Robert Wagner
    The Cincinnati Kid (1965) – 181 Rip Torn, 660 Ann-Margret
    The Outrage (1964) – 671 William Shatner
    The Prize (1963) – 912 Arthur Tovey
    The Ten Commandments (1956) – 247 Charlton Heston, 364 Robert Vaughn

    These are the actors who appeared on the original list and have fallen off through the years. Rank is for 2000.

    Bullet for Joey (1955) – 410 George Raft, 619 Peter Van Eyck, 984 Peter Mamokas
    A Dispatch from Reuters (1940) – 76 Eddie Albert
    A Hole in the Head (1959) – 43 Keenan Wynn, 108 Dub Taylor, 270 Frank Sinatra
    Actor’s and Sin (1952) – 76 Eddie Albert, 221 John Crawford, 271 Peter Brocco, 553 Dan O’Herlihy
    All About People (1967) – 45 Burt Lancaster, 56 Henry Fonda
    All My Sons (1948) – 45 Burt Lancaster, 648 Harry Morgan, 746 Herb Vigran
    Barbary Coast (1935) – 102 David Niven, 256 Hank Worden
    Big Leaguer (1953) – 396 Richard Jaekel, 930 Bing Russell, 963 Frank Ferguson
    Black Tuesday (1954) – 353 Peter Graves, 520 William Schallert, 816 Carleton Young, 963 Frank Ferguson
    Brother Orchid (1940) – 507 Ralph Bellamy, 783 James Flavin
    Cheyenne Autumn (1964) – 14 John Carradine, 93 Harry Carey Jr., 119 Richard Widmark, 137 Carroll Baker, 146 Mike Mazurki, 213 Ben Johnson, 248 Arthur Kennedy, 344 James Stewart, 359 Karl Malden, 384 Gilbert Roland, 742 Ricardo Montalban, 783 James Flavin, 816 Carleton Young, 878 Denver Pyle, 930 Bing Russell
    Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939) – 323 George Sanders
    Dark Hazard (1934) – 740 George Chandler
    Destroyer (1943) – 132 Glenn Ford, 147 Lloyd Bridges
    Double Indemnity (1944) – 222 Bess Flowers
    Flesh and Fantasy (1943) – 100 Ian Wolfe, 177 Marcel Dalio, 222 Bess Flowers, 237 Peter Lawford, 256 Hank Worden, 393 Charles Boyer, 562 Paul Bryar
    Good Neighbor Sam (1964) – 58 Jack Lemmon, 222 Bess Flowers, 571 Charles Lane, 776 Romy Schneider
    Hell on Frisco Bay (1955) – 409 Rod Taylor, 562 Paul Bryar, 583 Paul Stewart, 746 Herb Vigran
    House of Strangers (1949) – 503 Richard Conte, 746 Herb Vigran, 824 Frank Wilcox, 894 Philip Van Zandt, 984 Peter Mamakos
    I Am the Law (1938) – 27 Marc Lawrence, 50 Jeff Corey, 222 Bess Flowers, 783 James Flavin, 969 Byron Foulger
    Illegal (1955) – 222 Bess Flowers, 746 Herb Vigran, 806 Nina Foch, 994 Ellen Corby
    It’s a Great Feeling (1949) – 222 Bess Flowers
    Journey Together (1945) – 190 Richard Attenborough, 515 Bessie Love
    Key Largo (1948) – 27 Marc Lawrence, 321 Lauren Bacall, 606 Alberto Morin
    Kid Galahad (1937) – 222 Bess Flowers, 832 Don Brodie, 918 Bette Davis
    Larceny, Inc. (1942) – 6 Anthony Quinn, 241 Broderick Crawford, 783 James Flavin
    MacKenna’s Gold (1969) – 41 Burgess Meredith, 43 Keenan Wynn, 149 Telly Savalas, 156 Gregory Peck, 301 Lee J. Cobb, 671 Eduardo Cianelli, 977 Anthony Quayle
    Manpower (1941) – 410 George Raft, 783 James Flavin
    Mr. Winkle Goes to War (1944) – 783 James Flavin
    Never a Dull Moment (1968) – 245 Slim Pickens, 404 Jack Elam
    Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1948) – 894 Philip Van Zandt
    Nightmare (1956) – 185 Kevin McCarthy
    Pepe (1960) – 58 Jack Lemmon, 151 Cesar Romero, 237 Peter Lawford, 270 Frank Sinatra, 503 Richard Conte, 657 Debbie Reynolds, 882 Dean Martin
    Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964) – 270 Frank Sinatra, 617 Paul Frees, 882 Dean Martin, 895 Tony Randall
    Scarlet Street (1945) – 969 Byron Foulger
    Seven Thieves (1960) – 222 Bess Flowers, 634 Joan Collins
    Silver Dollar (1932) – 959 Leon Ames
    Smart Money (1931) – 571 Charles Lane
    Song of Norway (1970) – 94 Robert Morley
    Soylent Green (1973) – 158 Joseph Cotten, 232 Roy Jenson, 592 Whit Bissell
    Tales of Manhattan (1942) – 56 Henry Fonda, 151 Cesar Romero, 222 Bess Flowers, 323 George Sanders, 393 Charles Boyer, 832 Don Brodie
    Tampico (1944) – 27 Marc Lawrence
    The Biggest Bundle of Them All (1968) – 327 Raquel Welch, 723 Mickey Knox
    The Cincinatti Kid (1965) – 50 Jeff Corey, 108 Dub Taylor, 359 Karl Malden, 881 Robert Doqui
    The Glass Web (1953) – 423 Brett Halsey
    The Last Gangster (1937) – 14 John Carradine, 81 Lionel Stander, 344 James Stewart, 611 Don ‘Red’ Barry, 982 Billy Benedict
    The Outrage (1964) – 67 Paul Newman, 358 Claire Bloom, 542 Paul Fix, 645 Laurence Harvey, 938 Albert Salmi
    The Prize (1963) – 67 Paul Newman, 185 Kevin McCarthy, 397 Elke Sommer, 47 Britt Ekland, 714 Erik Holland, 727 Diane Baker, 915 Ivan Triesault
    The Red House (1947) – Rory Calhoun
    The Sea Wolf (1941) – 255 Alexander Knox
    The Stranger (1946) – 9 Orson Welles
    The Ten Commandments (1956) – 14 John Carradine, 118 Woody Strode, 125 Vincent Price, 192 Yvonne De Carlo, 198 Yul Brynner, 287 Richard Farnsworth, 421 Michael Ansara, 806 Nina Foch, 824 Frank Wilcox, 851 Cedric Hardwicke, 984 Peter Mamakos
    The Violent Men (1955) – 132 Glenn Ford, 205 Brian Keith, 396 Richard Jaekel, 963 Frank Ferguson
    The Whole Town’s Talking (1935) – 222 Bess Flowers, 832 Don Brodie
    The Woman in the Window (1944) – 222 Bess Flowers, 508 Robert Blake, 832 Don Brodie
    Thunder in the City (1937) – 819 Ralph Richardson
    Tight Spot (1955) – 205 Brian Keith, 811 Robert Nichols
    Two Weeks in Another Town (1962) – 32 Kirk Douglas, 191 George Hamilton, 222 Bess Flowers, 272 Vito Scotti, 531 Lilyan Chauvin, 606 Alberto Morin, 895 Tony Randall, 990 Stefan Schnabel
    Unholy Partners (1941) – 177 Marcel Dalio, 682 Ray Teal, 982 Billy Benedict
    Vice Squad (1953) – 180 Lee Van Cleef, 562 Paul Bryar, 723 Mickey Knox

    I counted 42 Oscar winners he appeared with.

    Frank Sinatra, Charlton Heston, Burt Lancaster, Henry Fonda, George Burns (All About People), David Niven, Walter Brennan (Barbary Coast), Humphrey Bogart (Brother Orchid, Bullets or Ballots, Key Largo, Kid Galahad, The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse), Ben Johnson, James Stewart, Karl Malden, George Sanders, Paul Lukas (Confessions of a Nazi Spy), Jack Lemmon, Susan Hayward (House of Strangers, The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse), Gary Cooper (It’s a Great Feeling, The Slippery Pearls), Jane Wyman (It’s a Great Feeling, Larceny Inc.), Joan Crawford (It’s a Great Feeling), Patricia Neal (It’s a Great Feeling), Rex Harrison (Journey Together), Claire Trevor (Key Largo, The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse, Two Weeks in Another Town), Lionel Barrymore (Key Largo), Bette Davis, Anthony Quinn, Broderick Crawford, Gregory Peck, Rod Steiger, James Cagney (Smart Money), Charles Laughton (Tales of Manhattan), Ginger Rogers (Tales of Manhattan, Tight Spot), Victor McLaglen (Tampico, The Slippery Pearls), Mary Astor (The Bright Shawl, The Little Giant, The Man with Two Faces), Loretta Young (The Hatchet Man, The Stranger), Claudette Colbert (The Hole in the Wall), Paul Newman, Barry Fitzgerald (The Sea Wolf), Wallace Beery (The Slippery Pearls), Warner Baxter (the Slippery Pearls), Yul Brynner, Anne Baxter (The Ten Commandments), Thomas Mitchell (Tales of Manhattan, Flesh and Fantasy), Joseph Schildkraut (Die Sehnsucht Jeder Frau, Night Ride),

    Reply

    1. Hey Dan.
      1 List one: That is a decent amount of people for a guy that passed away over 40 years ago….and the list has people that are still active…Ann-Margret has Going In Style next year, William Shatner probably has one more Kirk appearance left in him, Shirley MacLaine just had a movie in theaters….and you never know when Wagner or Vaughn might pop up into a movie.
      2. List two: Lots of stars throughout that list…though Bess Flowers seems to pop up every few movies or so. Cheyenne Autumn is loaded with Bacon stars…17. Somehow I have managed not to see that one.
      3. List three: 42….seems that is a popular number when look at people working with Oscar winners. All About People jumps out at me…not sure I am even aware of that movie….not thinking I have included in any of my pages. Too bad Barbara Stanwyck is not on this list….her role in Double Indemnity should have been an Oscar winning role.
      Thanks for the lists…it is greatly appreciated.

      Reply

  3. Hello, Cogerson.

    Thanks for the link to this page. The number of Robinson’s films I have seen really goes down the further down the list it is. I have seen 4 of the top 5, 7 of the top 10, and 15 of the top 30. But I’ve seen only 22 of the overall list.

    Due to length I have still not seen The Ten Commandments. The other top ten films I have yet to see are Tales of Manhattan and Pepe.

    The lowest ranking film I have seen is The Outrage.

    I have not seen the titles you cannot find. I have not seen his final film either. I have seen Our Vines Have Tender Grapes, however. It’s an interesting family drama but rather sad.

    My 5 favourites are Key Largo, Double Indemnity, The Woman in the Window, The Cincinnati Kid, and Larceny Inc.

    Of the ones I have not yet seen, the one that I would like to see the most is House of Strangers. It sounds like something that would interest me.

    Flora Breen Robison

    Reply

    1. Hey Flora….well I must admit I have a smile on my face as I read your comment. Steve and I have been talking about your missing tally counts for many a moon. So just like old times….here is the tally count. Steve 26….Flora 22….Bruce 10. Once again I trail both of you when it comes to classic actors.

      Steve had never even heard of Our Vines Have Tender Grapes…..but it is one of his biggest box office hits. As for your Top 5….I have seen 4 of the 5. With Larceny Inc. being the one that I have not seen. The others are all very good movies…..with Double Indemnity and The Cincinnati Kid being ones that should have gotten him an Oscar nomination.

      Glad to know that you are doing well….and it was great to see a Flora comment show up on my new website.

      Reply

  4. Hi. Love your page on one of my all time favourites, Edward G. Of all the great stars, he must have been one of the most underrated. I just find it incredible that he never even got a nomination. Two of his best films are among my favourite films of all time, Key Largo and Double Indemntity, surely the finest film noir of the 40s. In Key Largo, he stole the show, him lying in the bubble bath with a cigar in his mouth and then making his girlfriend sing in front of everyone. It was just such an unforgettable performance.
    As a kid I remember watching Our Vines have Tender Grapes, and there’s a scene where the little girl is grounded by the mum and he hears about a circus travelling through the local town and he takes her in the middle of the night just to show her the elephant. It was just such a wonderful scene. He was fantastic in The 10 Commandments and of course The Cincinatti Kid. His line to Steve McQueen, ‘You’re good kid but while I’m around you’ll always be second best.’
    I just really loved him, I don’t know why. When I think of gangster movies I think of him, the same way with Westerns, Wayne and Musicals, Astaire.
    Sadly the likes of him will never be seen again.

    Reply

    1. Hey Chris….glad you like my EG Robinson page. Glad my movie score system rated your favorite Robinson movies so high. Having not seen many of his movies (I have only seen 10)…I was not sure how good my rankings were. Key Largo was 3rd, Double Indemnity 2nd, Our Vines Have Tender Grapes 4th, Ten Commandments 1st, and the Cincy Kid 20th (ok that one did rate too high)…..but 1 through 4…I feel pretty good about.

      The Cincy Kid is one of his movies that I have seen…and I remember that line very well. When you think of gangster movies….he, Bogart, Cagney and George Raft would be on the Mount Rushmore of icons. Thanks for visiting my latest page and thanks for the comment. Up next is Tyrone Power.

      Reply

  5. A nice tribute to one of the all time greats Bruce. I watched a mini-season of his films recently, mostly the early stuff. I also watched Soylent Green again recently, a quote from one of my first hubs – “Edward G. Robinson’s fine performance as a dying old man coaxed into a euthanasia clinic is touching, for he was dying in real life as well. Charlton Heston’s tears at the old mans death were real, Robinson died of cancer just 10 days after filming wrapped.”
    Okay I’ve watched… 26 of the films you’ve listed, those are the ones I can remember watching. I’m surprised to see Our Vines Have Tender Grapes as his second biggest film, never heard of it. Was it that successful? I didn’t even include a poster for it on my poster page, thanks for the link btw. Favorites include Key Largo, Double Indemnity and Little Caesar. Voted Up.

    Reply

    1. Hey Steve….very cool quote on Soylent Green. I think everybody realized the end was near for Robinson while making Soylent Green. I have to assume Heston and Robinson hit it off when making 10 Commandments. That being said I was surprised Heston did the eulogy at Robinson’s funeral.

      As for Our Vines Have Tender Grapes…it was the 25th biggest hit of 1945 according to variety…and one of the biographies I read on Robinson had roughly the same box office rental number for Our Vines. Robinson was very proud of the movie….and thought he had a chance for an Oscar nomination for the role. I have not seen the movie either….but he has a supporting role in that one.

      Hopefully people will check out your poster link….it has some great classic posters there….many you should include Our Vines Have Tender Grapes…..just think how many people are looking at that page and wondering where is Our Vines Have Tender Grapes…lol.

      Reply

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