Want to know the best Ethel Barrymore movies? How about the worst Ethel Barrymore movies? Curious about Ethel Barrymore box office grosses or which Ethel Barrymore movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Ethel Barrymore movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences? Well you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information.
Ethel Barrymore (1879-1959) was an Oscar®-winning American actress. She was a member of the Barrymore family of actors. Barrymore was regarded as “The First Lady of the American Theatre” whose career spanned six decades. Her IMDb page shows over 44 acting credits since from 1914 to 1957. This page will rank 22 Ethel Barrymore movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television roles, shorts and her silent movies made in the 1910s were not included in the rankings.
Ethel Barrymore 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
1946
The Spiral Staircase (1946)
AA Best Supp Actress Nom
1947
The Farmer's Daughter (1947)
1949
Pinky (1949)
AA Best Supp Actress Nom
1954
Young at Heart (1954)
1947
The Paradine Case (1947)
1944
None but the Lonely Heart (1944)
AA Best Supp Actress Win
1952
Just For You (1952)
1948
Portrait of Jennie (1948)
1949
The Great Sinner (1949)
1949
That Midnight Kiss (1949)
1948
Moonrise (1948)
1932
Rasputin and the Empress (1932)
1947
Moss Rose (1947)
1951
The Secret of Convict Lake (1951)
1949
The Red Danube (1949)
1947
Night Song (1947)
1952
Deadline - USA (1952)
1951
Kind Lady (1951)
1953
The Story of Three Loves (1953)
1953
Main Street to Broadway (1953)
1957
Johnny Trouble (1957)
1951
It's a Big Country (1951)
Ethel Barrymore 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 Ethel Barrymore movies by co-stars of her movies.
Sort Ethel Barrymore movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost
Sort Ethel Barrymore movies by domestic yearly box office rank
Sort Ethel Barrymore 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 Ethel Barrymore movie received.
Sort Ethel Barrymore 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 sort and search buttons to make this a very interactive table.
| 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 Spiral Staircase (1946) AA Best Supp Actress Nom |
Elsa Lanchester & Dorothy McGuire |
7.40 | 228.9 | 228.90 | 45 | 84 | 01 / 00 | 98.2 | |
| 2 | The Farmer's Daughter (1947) | Loretta Young & Joseph Cotten |
8.90 | 259.9 | 259.90 | 21 | 74 | 02 / 01 | 96.8 | |
| 3 | Pinky (1949) AA Best Supp Actress Nom |
Jeanne Crain & Ethel Waters & Elia |
10.60 | 264.6 | 264.60 | 6 | 70 | 03 / 00 | 95.8 | |
| 4 | Young at Heart (1954) | Doris Day & Frank Sinatra |
7.10 | 167.4 | 167.40 | 42 | 76 | 00 / 00 | 94.1 | |
| 5 | The Paradine Case (1947) | Charles Laughton & Gregory Peck |
5.90 | 173.2 | 173.20 | 54 | 62 | 01 / 00 | 90.4 | |
| 6 | None but the Lonely Heart (1944) AA Best Supp Actress Win |
Cary Grant | 4.30 | 145.2 | 214.30 | 78 | 62 | 04 / 01 | 88.6 | |
| 8 | Just For You (1952) | Bing Crosby & Jane Wyman |
8.30 | 163.3 | 163.30 | 17 | 55 | 01 / 00 | 86.9 | |
| 7 | Portrait of Jennie (1948) | Jennifer Jones & Joseph Cotten |
2.60 | 69.6 | 69.60 | 119 | 81 | 02 / 01 | 86.4 | |
| 9 | The Great Sinner (1949) | Gregory Peck & Ava Gardner |
5.60 | 139.3 | 139.30 | 44 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 86.2 | |
| 11 | That Midnight Kiss (1949) | Mario Lanza & Kathryn Grayson |
4.80 | 120.3 | 221.20 | 60 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 82.5 | |
| 10 | Moonrise (1948) | Gail Russell | 2.10 | 57.7 | 57.70 | 136 | 77 | 01 / 00 | 81.3 | |
| 12 | Rasputin and the Empress (1932) | Lionel Barrymore & John Barrymore |
1.90 | 94.8 | 193.10 | 40 | 64 | 01 / 00 | 81.0 | |
| 13 | Moss Rose (1947) | Vincent Price & Victor Mature |
3.10 | 90.6 | 90.60 | 110 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 79.6 | |
| 14 | The Secret of Convict Lake (1951) | Glenn Ford & Gene Tierney |
3.90 | 83.2 | 83.20 | 91 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 78.8 | |
| 15 | The Red Danube (1949) | Walter Pidgeon & Angela Lansbury |
3.30 | 82.0 | 129.50 | 110 | 63 | 01 / 00 | 77.6 | |
| 16 | Night Song (1947) | Dana Andrews & Merle Oberon |
3.20 | 94.1 | 123.60 | 107 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 76.5 | |
| 17 | Deadline - USA (1952) | Humphrey Bogart | 3.50 | 68.1 | 68.10 | 104 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 71.7 | |
| 18 | Kind Lady (1951) | Angela Lansbury & Directed by John Sturges |
1.00 | 22.2 | 30.80 | 204 | 66 | 01 / 00 | 57.4 | |
| 19 | The Story of Three Loves (1953) | Kirk Douglas & James Mason |
3.30 | 59.7 | 172.40 | 117 | 50 | 01 / 00 | 50.6 | |
| 20 | Main Street to Broadway (1953) | Lionel Barrymore | 1.30 | 22.6 | 24.20 | 197 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 45.2 | |
| 21 | Johnny Trouble (1957) | Max Picks | 0.80 | 15.2 | 21.60 | 171 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 33.7 | |
| 22 | It's a Big Country (1951) | William Powell & Gary Cooper |
1.50 | 32.4 | 40.30 | 171 | 46 | 00 / 00 | 21.8 |
Some Possibly Interesting Facts About Ethel Barrymore
- Ethel Barrymore made her debut as a stage actress during the New York City season of 1894.
- Ethel Barrymore’s older brother is Lionel Barrymore, her younger brother is John Barrymore and she is the great aunt of Drew Barrymore.
- Ethel and Lionel were the first Oscar®-winning brother and sister in the acting category.
- Ethel Barrymore down a marriage proposal from Winston Churchill because she thought he didn’t have much of a future.
- Ethel Barrymore’s character dies in three of her four movies that saw her Oscar®-nominated.
Check out Ethel Barrymore ‘s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
Looking at the chart there are two Ethel Barrymore films that I know for sure I’ve seen – The Paradine Case and Portrait of Jennie.
Portrait of Jennie is a classic supernatural romance and one of my favorites. It’s in B/W but some prints are tinted green during the stormy climax.
The Paradine Case is not one of my favorite Hitchcock films.
Hey Steve. I have seen 5 of her movies. Surprisingly The Paradine Case is not one of those five…as that is one of the few American Hitchcock movies that I have not seen. I did like Portrait of Jennie as well. I have also seen Pinky (very dated), None But The Lonely Heart (not one of my favorite Cary Grant movies), The Spiral Staircase (good thriller) and The Farmer’s Daughter (actually do not remember her part at all). Good feedback as always.
Ethel Barrymore has never ever been on the Oracle of Bacon Top 1000 Center of the Hollywood Universe list. She has appeared with a few people on the top 1000 including 3 who are still alive.
44 JAMES MASON The Story of Three Loves (1953)
141 KIRK DOUGLAS The Story of Three Loves (1953)
227 KEENAN WYNN It’s a Big Country (1951)
227 KEENAN WYNN Kind Lady (1951)
227 KEENAN WYNN That Midnight Kiss (1949)
232 ANGELA LANSBURY Kind Lady (1951)
232 ANGELA LANSBURY The Red Danube (1949)
242 AVA GARDNER The Great Sinner (1949)
302 GREGORY PECK The Great Sinner (1949)
302 GREGORY PECK The Paradine Case (1947)
305 JOSEPH COTTEN Portrait of Jennie (1948)
305 JOSEPH COTTEN The Farmer’s Daughter (1947)
308 GLENN FORD The Secret of Convict Lake (1951)
352 BRIAN KEITH Portrait of Jennie (1948)
391 LLOYD BRIDGES Moonrise (1948)
465 STUART WHITMAN Johnny Trouble (1957)
469 VINCENT PRICE Moss Rose (1947)
535 LESLIE CARON The Story of Three Loves (1953)
631 GEORGE COULOURIS None But the Lonely Heart (1944)
651 CYRIL CUSACK The Secret of Convict Lake (1951)
672 WALTER PIDGEON The Red Danube (1949)
687 FRANK SINATRA Young at Heart (1954)
734 JAMES WHITMORE It’s a Big Country (1951)
805 CHARLES LANE Moonrise (1948)
805 CHARLES LANE The Farmer’s Daughter (1947)
815 DANA ANDREWS Night Song (1947)
853 LOUIS JOURDAN The Paradine Case (1947)
867 PETER LAWFORD The Red Danube (1949)
869 RICHARD ANDERSON The Story of Three Loves (1953)
896 ALIDA VALLI The Paradine Case (1947)
966 JIM BACKUS Deadline – U.S.A. (1952)
Ethel appeared with 18 Oscar winners (10 more than Tim Allen).
BARRY FITZGERALD None But the Lonely Heart (1944)
BING CROSBY Just for You (1952)
CHARLES COBURN The Paradine Case (1947)
CHARLES LAUGHTON The Paradine Case (1947)
DOROTHY MALONE Young at Heart (1954)
FRANK SINATRA Young at Heart (1954)
FREDRIC MARCH It’s a Big Country (1951)
GARY COOPER It’s a Big Country (1951)
GIG YOUNG Young at Heart (1954)
GREGORY PECK The Great Sinner (1949)
GREGORY PECK The Paradine Case (1947)
HUMPHREY BOGART Deadline – U.S.A. (1952)
JANE WYMAN Just for You (1952)
JENNIFER JONES Portrait of Jennie (1948)
KIM HUNTER Deadline – U.S.A. (1952)
LIONEL BARRYMORE Rasputin and the Empress (1932)
LORETTA YOUNG The Farmer’s Daughter (1947)
MELVYN DOUGLAS The Great Sinner (1949)
WALTER HUSTON The Great Sinner (1949)
Hey Dan. Many thanks for posting this information on your vacation. Not surprised that she is not on the Oracle list. Good to see that three of her co-stars are still alive. Douglas, Lansbury and Caron (that was a fun trivia challenge). Good to see Keenan Wynn as her most frequent Oracle co-star…used to love him whenever he popped up in a movie. 18 Oscar winning co-stars is pretty good…especially since she was almost 50 when the Oscars were created. Good feedback as always.
I have seen 17 Ethel Barrymore movies. Eight of them are in the top 10.
The HIGHEST rated movie I have seen is The Spiral Staircase.
The highest rated movie I have NOT seen is Just For You.
The LOWEST rated movie I have seen is It’s a Big Country. That film and The Story of Three Loves were anthology movies, a kind of film which tends to not do well on UMR score.
Favourite Ethel Barrymore Movies:
The Spiral Staircase
Young at Heart
Rasputin and the Empress
The Great Sinner
Portrait of Jennie
The Farmer’s Daughter
The Secret of Convict Lake
That Midnight Kiss
Other Ethel Barrymore Movies I Have Seen:
Pinky
The Paradine Case – not a favourite Hitch or Peck movie, but the debut of Louis Jourdan
None But the Lonely Heart – great film, but a bit dark
The Red Danube
Night Song
Deadline, USA
Kind Lady
The Story of Three Loves
It’s a Big Country
Great to see that all three of the great Barrymore siblings have a UMR page now.
Hey Flora….17 tops the combined tally of me, Steve and bob…..actually it was not even close…17 for you and 10 for us (I got half of that total). It’s a Big Country has a huge and awesome cast…..surprised it did not do better at the box office. I would like to one day see that one. I have seen 3 of the favorites you listed. I guess I will go with Steve and pick Portrait of Jennie as my favorite. The Paradine Case is not liked by two huge Hitchcock fans (you and Steve)…maybe I am not missing anything by not seeing it. Yep…all three Barrymore siblings and their great niece Drew have UMR pages. Good feedback as always.
I have seen just 3 of the movies in the above tables: Spiral Staircase. Deadline USA and Young at Heart but enjoyed them all. The latter, Ethel’s penultimate movie, is a remake of 1938’s 4 Daughters, John Garfield’s debut CREDITED movie, John having played an uncredited role in 1933’s Footlight Parade.
At the time of her death in 1959 Ethel had a net worth of just under $70 million in today’s dollars. As she has overall been very successful in all 4 of the acting mediums -big screen [in both silent and talkie eras] stage, television and radio she has unquestionably earned her Cogerson page which is “Voted Up!”
Hey Bob….thanks for sharing your thoughts on Ethel Barrymore. I have seen Spiral Staircase…but not the other two. I did not know Young At Heart was a remake of Garfield’s first movie….good trivia. Good to know Ethel was smart with her money…sadly her brother, Lionel, got into serious IRS trouble….and was working to pay his debt….I do not think (though not sure) he ever recovered from that. I agree she conquered all those acting mediums. Added benefit…she was in Joel’s book…and she is on my Best Supporting Actress Page. Good stuff as always.
HI BRUCE Yes, definitely the icing on the cake for Ethel is being lauded on a Cogerson Best Supporting Actress page, being given a WH page all to herself, and receiving Master Love.
Interesting contrast of the financial status of Ethel and Lionel in their later years. Thanks for sharing it. Comparisons can be made there with what I read about two of the Marx boys. Chio Marx was allegedly a compulsive gambler who squandered a fortune, but according to Chico in an interview before his death Groucho was a miser who hoarded his money .
Apparently in later life the latter lived in an unwashed dingy flat, sat around in ragged clothing and eat cheaply of such stuff as bread and margarine . I read later that some common law gold-digging”child bride” [relatively speaking] got her clutches into Groucho by looking after him in his declining years and inherited his fortune.
“All great stars have instantly recognizable voices, and Ethel Barrymore’s voice was one of the most distinctive. It gave a touch of class to every film she appeared in.” “Barrymore died in 1959, leaving a legacy of glowing supporting portrayals behind her.”
Our 4 Star Ethel Barrymore Movie Performances
1944 None But The Lonely Heart
1946 The Spiral Staircase
1947 The Farmer’s Daughter
1947 Moss Rose
1949 Pinky
1951 Kind Lady
1955 Young At Heart
*This comment from Consumer Reports’ Rating The Movie Stars Book (1983)
Always good to see Mr. Hirschhorn’s comments and rankings. Thanks for helping point people to the best Ethel Barrymore movies. Good stuff.