Want to know the best Lana Turner movies? How about the worst Lana Turner movies? Curious about Lana Turner’s box office grosses or which Lana Turner movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Lana Turner movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences and which movie got the worst reviews? Well you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information.
Gotta make mama happy. Since I started writing movie pages, my mother, BERN1960 , has been asking me for a Lana Turner page. So after putting her request off for for almost 2 years…. now…finally my Lana Turner tribute page is complete and published.
Lana Turner (1921-1995) was an Oscar® nominated actress that appeared in over 50 movies from 1937 to 1991. In 1937 Turner got her big break when she went to a Hollywood drug store for some soda pop and was discovered by a movie producer who happened to be in the same drug store. She would appear in her first movie, They Won’t Forget, later that year and immediately was noticed by the movie going public because of the tight sweater she wore in the movie. She became known as the “sweater girl”….a label that she strongly disliked. It only took her four years to go from supporting roles to leading roles in low budget movies to leading roles in the most prestige movies being made at the time.
By 1941 was sharing top billing with superstars James Stewart, Spencer Tracy and Clark Gable. Her peak movie years happened between 1941 and 1959. During this time frame she appeared in many blockbuster hits and numerous critical hits and was one of the biggest stars working in movies. Her IMDb page shows 61 acting credits from 1937 to 1985. This page will rank Lana Turner movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television shows, shorts, cameos and movies that received limited North America releases were not included in the rankings.
Lana Turner 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 Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
1959
Imitation of Life (1959)
1957
Peyton Place (1957)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Actress Nom
1941
Honky Tonk (1941)
1941
Johnny Eager (1941)
1952
The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)
1948
The Three Musketeers (1948)
1947
Green Dolphin Street (1947)
1941
Ziegfeld Girl (1941)
1938
Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938)
1948
Homecoming (1948)
1945
Week-end at the Waldorf (1945)
1955
The Sea Chase (1955)
1944
Marriage is a Private Affair (1944)
1941
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941)
1947
Cass Timberlane (1947)
1942
Somewhere I'll Find You (1942)
1939
Dancing Co-Ed (1939)
1943
Slightly Dangerous (1943)
1945
Keep Your Powder Dry (1945)
1960
Portrait in Black (1960)
1952
The Merry Widow (1952)
1937
They Won't Forget (1937)
1938
The Adventures of Marco Polo (1938)
1954
Betrayed (1954)
1955
The Rains of Ranchipur (1955)
1938
Dramatic School (1938)
1937
The Great Garrick (1937)
1950
A Life of Her Own (1950)
1939
These Glamour Girls (1939)
1961
Bachelor in Paradise (1961)
1954
Flame and the Flesh (1954)
1966
Madame X (1966)
1962
Who's Got the Action? (1962)
1940
We Who Are Young (1940)
1955
The Prodigal (1955)
1940
Two Girls on Broadway (1940)
1961
By Love Possessed (1961)
1953
Latin Lovers (1953)
1958
The Lady Takes a Flyer (1958)
1939
Calling Dr. Kildaire (1939)
1938
Rich Man, Poor Girl (1938)
1958
Another Time, Another Place (1958)
1956
Diane (1956)
1965
Love Has Many Faces (1965)
1951
Mr. Imperium (1951)
1969
The Big Cube (1969)
1980
Witches' Brew (1980)
1974
Persecution (1974)
1976
Bittersweet Love (1976)
Lana Turner Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In Ther Table
The really cool thing about ther table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.
- Sort Lana Turner movies by the co-stars of her movies.
- Sort Lana Turner movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Lana Turner movies by yearly domestic box office rank
- Sort Lana Turner 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 Lana Turner movie received.
- Sort Lana Turner movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR). UMR Score puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
| 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 |
| 2 | The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) | John Garfield | 10.20 | 315.1 | 427.10 | 19 | 85 | 00 / 00 | 98.2 | |
| 3 | Imitation of Life (1959) | Juanita Moore | 18.30 | 329.4 | 329.40 | 8 | 80 | 02 / 00 | 97.7 | |
| 1 | Peyton Place (1957) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actress Nom |
Lloyd Nolan | 27.10 | 522.5 | 522.50 | 2 | 65 | 09 / 00 | 97.2 | |
| 4 | Honky Tonk (1941) | Clark Gable | 8.50 | 329.1 | 464.10 | 6 | 75 | 00 / 00 | 96.3 | |
| 5 | Johnny Eager (1941) | Robert Taylor & Van Heflin |
6.40 | 247.9 | 370.80 | 12 | 72 | 01 / 01 | 96.1 | |
| 6 | The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) | Kirk Douglas & Walte Pidgeon |
6.60 | 128.9 | 183.60 | 37 | 85 | 06 / 05 | 95.9 | |
| 6 | The Three Musketeers (1948) | Gene Kelly & Van Heflin |
10.90 | 292.5 | 596.60 | 4 | 71 | 01 / 00 | 95.6 | |
| 7 | Green Dolphin Street (1947) | Van Heflin | 11.60 | 338.9 | 564.80 | 8 | 67 | 04 / 01 | 95.5 | |
| 8 | Ziegfeld Girl (1941) | James Stewart & Judy Garland |
6.10 | 234.8 | 385.10 | 14 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 95.2 | |
| 9 | Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938) | Mickey Rooney | 6.50 | 261.4 | 358.90 | 14 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 94.6 | |
| 10 | Homecoming (1948) | Clark Gable | 9.70 | 262.3 | 396.70 | 8 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 94.3 | |
| 11 | Week-end at the Waldorf (1945) | Ginger Rogers & Van Johnson |
12.10 | 384.5 | 543.10 | 9 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 94.3 | |
| 13 | The Sea Chase (1955) | John Wayne | 17.10 | 355.4 | 431.10 | 11 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 92.9 | |
| 14 | Marriage is a Private Affair (1944) | James Craig | 6.20 | 210.2 | 287.90 | 49 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 92.0 | |
| 17 | Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941) | Spencer Tracy & Ingrid Bergman |
4.10 | 158.8 | 292.00 | 43 | 68 | 03 / 00 | 91.5 | |
| 14 | Cass Timberlane (1947) | Spencer Tracy | 10.80 | 313.7 | 408.40 | 10 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 90.1 | |
| 15 | Somewhere I'll Find You (1942) | Clark Gable | 8.20 | 306.4 | 426.30 | 16 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 90.1 | |
| 19 | Dancing Co-Ed (1939) | Richard Carlson | 3.30 | 125.6 | 125.60 | 63 | 76 | 00 / 00 | 89.7 | |
| 19 | Slightly Dangerous (1943) | Walter Brennan | 4.30 | 154.0 | 154.00 | 72 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 89.7 | |
| 20 | Keep Your Powder Dry (1945) | Laraine Day | 5.30 | 166.6 | 237.20 | 69 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 89.5 | |
| 22 | Portrait in Black (1960) | Anthony Quinn | 10.00 | 156.2 | 156.20 | 23 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 87.4 | |
| 22 | The Merry Widow (1952) | Fernando Lamas | 6.40 | 125.2 | 125.20 | 39 | 66 | 02 / 00 | 87.0 | |
| 23 | They Won't Forget (1937) | Claude Rains | 1.20 | 49.8 | 83.60 | 157 | 80 | 00 / 00 | 81.5 | |
| 24 | The Adventures of Marco Polo (1938) | Gary Cooper | 4.50 | 178.9 | 178.90 | 33 | 38 | 00 / 00 | 80.9 | |
| 25 | Betrayed (1954) | Clark Gable & Victor Mature |
5.60 | 131.6 | 279.70 | 56 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 78.4 | |
| 26 | The Rains of Ranchipur (1955) | Fred MacMurray & Richard Burton |
7.40 | 154.0 | 154.00 | 39 | 38 | 01 / 00 | 75.8 | |
| 27 | Dramatic School (1938) | Paulette Goddard | 1.90 | 75.9 | 75.90 | 122 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 74.9 | |
| 26 | The Great Garrick (1937) | Olivia de Havilland | 0.90 | 36.5 | 57.10 | 176 | 75 | 00 / 00 | 74.4 | |
| 29 | A Life of Her Own (1950) | Directed by George Cukor | 4.00 | 90.7 | 123.00 | 78 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 74.1 | |
| 28 | These Glamour Girls (1939) | Lew Ayres | 1.70 | 65.6 | 65.60 | 133 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 73.1 | |
| 32 | Bachelor in Paradise (1961) | Bob Hope | 6.70 | 97.8 | 97.80 | 34 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 71.7 | |
| 33 | Flame and the Flesh (1954) | Pier Angeli | 3.70 | 87.0 | 87.00 | 89 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 70.2 | |
| 31 | Madame X (1966) | Ricardo Montalban | 2.50 | 24.5 | 24.50 | 84 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 69.2 | |
| 34 | Who's Got the Action? (1962) | Dean Martin | 4.30 | 61.6 | 61.60 | 58 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 68.0 | |
| 35 | We Who Are Young (1940) | Gene Lockhart | 1.70 | 66.0 | 66.00 | 121 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 67.9 | |
| 38 | The Prodigal (1955) | James Mitchell | 6.40 | 133.3 | 133.30 | 46 | 35 | 00 / 00 | 63.7 | |
| 36 | Two Girls on Broadway (1940) | Joan Blondell | 1.80 | 67.6 | 67.60 | 118 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 60.2 | |
| 39 | By Love Possessed (1961) | Jason Robards | 5.30 | 77.0 | 77.00 | 43 | 48 | 00 / 00 | 55.9 | |
| 41 | Latin Lovers (1953) | Ricardo Montalban | 4.50 | 81.7 | 81.70 | 74 | 47 | 00 / 00 | 55.7 | |
| 40 | The Lady Takes a Flyer (1958) | Jeff Chandler | 2.90 | 51.3 | 51.30 | 80 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 53.9 | |
| 42 | Calling Dr. Kildaire (1939) | Lionel Barrymore | 2.30 | 86.9 | 86.90 | 104 | 43 | 00 / 00 | 51.6 | |
| 41 | Rich Man, Poor Girl (1938) | Robert Young | 0.50 | 21.2 | 21.20 | 190 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 47.8 | |
| 43 | Another Time, Another Place (1958) | Sean Connery | 1.40 | 25.5 | 25.50 | 123 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 26.2 | |
| 44 | Diane (1956) | Roger Moore | 1.30 | 25.8 | 69.00 | 161 | 45 | 00 / 00 | 17.7 | |
| 45 | Love Has Many Faces (1965) | Cliff Robertson | 2.40 | 25.7 | 25.70 | 95 | 44 | 00 / 00 | 15.4 | |
| 46 | Mr. Imperium (1951) | Debbie Reynolds | 1.30 | 28.3 | 46.50 | 182 | 43 | 00 / 00 | 14.8 | |
| 47 | The Big Cube (1969) | George Charkiris | 2.30 | 17.4 | 17.40 | 94 | 41 | 00 / 00 | 8.7 | |
| 48 | Witches' Brew (1980) | Teri Garr | 2.30 | 9.6 | 9.60 | 131 | 38 | 00 / 00 | 4.8 | |
| 49 | Persecution (1974) | Trevor Howard | 1.80 | 10.5 | 10.50 | 111 | 36 | 00 / 00 | 3.6 | |
| 50 | Bittersweet Love (1976) | Robert Lansin | 2.40 | 12.3 | 12.30 | 114 | 33 | 00 / 00 | 2.4 |
Stats and Possibly Interesting Things From The Above Lana Turner Table
- Twenty-three Lana Turner movies crossed the magical $100 million domestic gross mark. That is a percentage of 46.00% of her movies listed. Peyton Place (1957) was her biggest box office hit.
- An average Lana Turner movie grossed $118.40 million in adjusted box office gross
- Using RottenTomatoes.com’s 60% fresh meter. 26 of Lana Turner’s movies are rated as good movies…or 52.00% of her movies. The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) is her highest rated movie while Bittersweet Love (1976) was her lowest rated movie.
- Nine Lana Turner movies received at least one Oscar® nomination in any category…..or 18.00% of her movies.
- Three Lana Turner movies won at least one Oscar® in any category…..or 6.00% of her movies.
- A “good movie” Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score is 60.00. 35 Lana Turner movies scored higher that average….or 70.00% of her movies. Peyton Place (1957) got the the highest UMR Score while Bittersweet Love (1976) got the lowest UMR Score.
Possibly Interesting Facts About Lana Turner
1. Lana Turner was born Julia Jean Turner in Wallace, Idaho in 1921. Throughout her life family members called her Judy. It was not until she was discovered that she became Lana.
2. Lana Turner’s list of co-stars is pretty impressive……4 movies with Clark Gable, 2 movies with Spencer Tracy, once with James Stewart, John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Gene Kelly, Ginger Rogers, Richard Burton and Anthony Quinn. She even appeared opposite two James Bonds years before they became Bond….Sean Connery and Roger Moore.
3. Lana Turner received one Oscar® nomination in her career. She was nominated for Best Actress in 1957’s Peyton Place. She never received a Golden Globe® nomination.
4. Lana Turner was married 8 different times to 7 different men. They included a rancher, a hypnotist, a movie producer, an actor, a restaurant owner, a department store owner and a millionaire socialite. Lana Turner had one daughter, Cheryl.
5. In 1958 Lana Turner and her boyfriend at the time, gangster Johnny Stompanato, were in a heated argument. In an effort to protect her mother, Cheryl Turner, killed Stompanato. The amount of media coverage of the killing has been compared to the O.J. Simpson trial in 1995. It was ruled a justifiable homicide.
6. Roles Lana Turner turned down or was seriously considered for: Anatomy of a Murder, Mogambo, The Sound and the Fury, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. On the other side of this fact….she did however get the role of one of her biggest hits, Green Dolphin Street, when Katharine Hepburn dropped out of the movie.
7. The first agent that had contact with Lana Turner was Zeppo Marx, Groucho’s brother.
8. Check out Lana Turner‘s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
But wait….we have a few more Lana Turner Movie Stats….Adjusted Worldwide Gross on 22 Lana Turner Movies
Lana Turner Box Office Grosses – Adjusted World Wide
| Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | World-Wide Box Office Adjusted (mil) | S |
|---|---|---|---|
| Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | World-Wide Box Office Adjusted (mil) | S |
| The Three Musketeers (1948) | Gene Kelly & Van Heflin |
596.60 | |
| Green Dolphin Street (1947) | Van Heflin | 564.80 | |
| Week-end at the Waldorf (1945) | Ginger Rogers & Van Johnson |
543.10 | |
| Honky Tonk (1941) | Clark Gable | 464.10 | |
| The Sea Chase (1955) | John Wayne | 431.10 | |
| The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) | John Garfield | 427.10 | |
| Somewhere I'll Find You (1942) | Clark Gable | 426.30 | |
| Cass Timberlane (1947) | Spencer Tracy | 408.40 | |
| Homecoming (1948) | Clark Gable | 396.70 | |
| Ziegfeld Girl (1941) | James Stewart & Judy Garland |
385.10 | |
| Johnny Eager (1941) | Robert Taylor & Van Heflin |
370.80 | |
| Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938) | Mickey Rooney | 358.90 | |
| Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941) | Spencer Tracy & Ingrid Bergman |
292.00 | |
| Marriage is a Private Affair (1944) | James Craig | 287.90 | |
| Betrayed (1954) | Clark Gable & Victor Mature |
279.70 | |
| Keep Your Powder Dry (1945) | Laraine Day | 237.20 | |
| The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) | Kirk Douglas & Walte Pidgeon |
183.60 | |
| A Life of Her Own (1950) | Directed by George Cukor | 123.00 | |
| They Won't Forget (1937) | Claude Rains | 83.60 | |
| Diane (1956) | Roger Moore | 69.00 | |
| The Great Garrick (1937) | Olivia de Havilland | 57.10 | |
| Mr. Imperium (1951) | Debbie Reynolds | 46.50 |
Steve’s Updated Lana Turner You Tube Video
If you do a comment….please ignore the email address and website section.
Coge…I thank your Mom for her request. You are a sweet son…….next time, you’re not allowed to wait so long!! lol…….
Because I love the classics, of course I’m into all the actors of Golden Oldie Hollywood. Those were the days. I have seen 90% of the movies with Lana.
My late Aunt Billie (married to my late paternal Uncle) was the spitting image of Lana. Seriously. Wish I had a picture to send you. All of the young girls in the family idolized her because she was so beautiful and looked like Lana! They lived near Hollywood too….my Uncle worked forever at a major film studio, splicing and editing film!!
Hey….that’s as close as I’m ever gonna get!!! …..Great work as always,
Hey effer…you have me beat when it comes to Lana Turner movies…I have seen a grand total of 4 of them….for 8% of her movies…probably the worst % of all the hub subjects I have done over the last two years.
As for making my mom wait….I just wanted to be sure that she really wanted to see this hub published….lol.
That is very cool about your Aunt Billie and your uncle…..I am sure he got a kick out of being married to a Lana Turner look alike. Plus it had to be cool to work in the movie industry.
Thanks for the heads up that you completed Lana Turner PAGE. It was quite interesting – did not know she had been married eight (8) times. I thought she always looked so good and I enjoyed her movies. I have seen quite a few but not all. Madame X was a very good job of acting along with so many – and lucky her getting all the leading men in her day. THANKS FOR THE GREAT HUB. YOUR HAPPY MOM……..
Hey Bern1960/Mom….glad you like your hub….sorry it took so long to get it done….but I think it turned out pretty well. Madame X did well with the critics and audiences…but not too well at the box office. Thanks for checking out and commenting on the movie page…I was trying to get you to be the first one to check it out…but you were just a little bit too late.
Oh my, if you haven’t seen Lana in The Postman Always Rings Twice, you really must! That was a sizzler!
Glad your Mom asked for this one. A lot of your younger readers won’t remember Lana, but I sure do!
Hey Mary….yep I feel that I should turn in my movie buff card for not seeing her version of The Postman Always Rings Twice….but I am sure I will watch it the near future….the same thing happened when I did a Barbara Stanwyck page…I had not seen Double Indemnity when I wrote that one….but I saw about a week after writing the page….and the weird thing is I really like femme fatale movies.
Wow this page brings back some memories. My mom used to love her and I think we watched Peyton Place and Imitation of Life a combined 100 times. It is tragic that her personal life was a train wreck, but here movies were always very entertaining. I wish my mom was still around to read this page.
Hey Jennifer1974….glad my page brought back some good memories. My mom is big fan of hers as well….but the only one I remember her talking about was Madame X…and that was only a few days ago. I agree her personal life seems like it was pretty sad. Thanks for the visit.
shes beautiful
I agree kjik