Want to know the best Lucille Ball movies? How about the worst Lucille Ball movies? Curious about Lucille Ball box office grosses or which Lucille Ball movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Lucille Ball movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences and which ones got the worst reviews? Well you have come to the right place…. because we have all of that information and much more.
Lucille Ball (1911-1989) was an American actress, comedienne, model, film studio executive and producer. Ball became one of the most famous people in the world from her television shows in the 1950s. Meanwhile she quietly had a great movie career too. She appeared in over 70 movies from the 1930s to the 1970s. This page is only going to look at her movie career ….sorry we do not have any television stats in our database.
Her IMDb page shows 120 acting credits 1933-1986. This page will rank 38 Lucille Ball movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television shows, his many shorts and cameos were not included in the rankings.
Lucille Ball 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
1937
Stage Door (1937)
AA Best Picture Nom
1936
Follow the Fleet (1936)
1945
Ziegfeld Follies (1945)
1945
Without Love (1945)
1949
Sorrowful Jones (1949)
1954
The Long, Long Trailer (1954)
1943
Thousands Cheer (1943)
1943
Best Foot Forward (1943)
1950
Fancy Pants (1950)
1946
Easy to Wed (1946)
1968
Yours, Mine and Ours (1968)
1943
Du Barry Was a Lady (1943)
1960
The Facts of Life (1960)
1956
Forever, Darling (1956)
1941
Look Who's Laughing (1941)
1939
That's Right - You're Wrong (1939)
1967
A Guide For The Married Man (1967)
1946
The Dark Corner (1946)
1938
Joy of Living (1938)
1945
Abbott & Costello in Hollywood (1945)
1938
Having Wonderful Time (1938)
1938
Room Service (1938)
1942
Seven Days' Leave (1942)
1936
That Girl From Paris (1936)
1947
Her Husband's Affair (1947)
1947
Lured (1947)
1940
Dance, Girl, Dance (1940)
1941
A Girl, a Guy, and a Gob (1941)
1939
Five Came Back (1939)
1974
Mame (1974)
1946
Two Smart People (1946)
1942
The Big Street (1942)
1934
Murder At The Vanities (1934)
Uncredited
1946
Lover Come Back (1946)
1942
Valley of The Sun (1942)
1949
Miss Grant Takes Richmond (1949)
1944
Meet The People (1944)
1935
I Dream Too Much (1935)
1963
Critic's Choice (1963)
1949
Easy Living (1949)
1962
The Good Years (1962)
1951
The Magic Carpet (1951)
Lucille Ball 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 Lucille Ball movies by co-stars of her movies
- Sort Lucille Ball movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Lucille Ball movies by yearly domestic box office rank or trivia
- Sort Lucille Ball movies by 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 Lucille Ball movie received.
- Sort Lucille Ball movies by Ultimate Movie Ranking (UMR) Score. UMR 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 table very interactive.
| 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 | Stage Door (1937) AA Best Picture Nom |
Katharine Hepburn & Ginger Rogers |
5.00 | 207.3 | 292.20 | 23 | 87 | 04 / 00 | 99.3 | |
| 3 | Follow the Fleet (1936) | Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers |
5.10 | 220.2 | 389.10 | 15 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 96.1 | |
| 2 | Ziegfeld Follies (1945) | Fred Astaire & Gene Kelly |
9.90 | 314.3 | 470.70 | 14 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 95.2 | |
| 4 | Without Love (1945) | Katharine Hepburn & Spencer Tracy |
7.50 | 238.0 | 333.30 | 35 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 95.0 | |
| 5 | Sorrowful Jones (1949) | Bob Hope | 9.40 | 236.8 | 236.80 | 11 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 95.0 | |
| 6 | The Long, Long Trailer (1954) | Desi Arnaz | 11.40 | 267.8 | 340.00 | 22 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 94.5 | |
| 7 | Thousands Cheer (1943) | Donna Reed & Kathryn Grayson |
10.70 | 385.1 | 604.30 | 7 | 63 | 03 / 00 | 93.9 | |
| 8 | Best Foot Forward (1943) | William Gaxton | 5.90 | 210.6 | 277.60 | 43 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 93.1 | |
| 9 | Fancy Pants (1950) | Bob Hope | 7.40 | 166.8 | 166.80 | 18 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 92.2 | |
| 9 | Easy to Wed (1946) | Esther Williams & Van Johnson |
10.90 | 335.3 | 469.30 | 14 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 92.2 | |
| 11 | Yours, Mine and Ours (1968) | Henry Fonda & Van Johnson |
33.20 | 273.0 | 273.00 | 9 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 92.2 | |
| 11 | Du Barry Was a Lady (1943) | Gene Kelly & Red Skelton |
7.30 | 264.1 | 358.90 | 25 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 90.8 | |
| 13 | The Facts of Life (1960) | Bob Hope | 9.10 | 142.8 | 142.80 | 28 | 64 | 05 / 01 | 89.5 | |
| 14 | Forever, Darling (1956) | Desi Arnaz | 7.40 | 145.6 | 145.60 | 32 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 88.3 | |
| 15 | Look Who's Laughing (1941) | Edgar Bergen | 3.80 | 148.2 | 158.20 | 59 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 87.2 | |
| 17 | That's Right - You're Wrong (1939) | Adolphe Menjou | 3.70 | 142.6 | 156.80 | 54 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 86.7 | |
| 16 | A Guide For The Married Man (1967) | Walter Matthau & Diirected by Gene Kelly |
13.90 | 123.6 | 123.60 | 21 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 86.5 | |
| 18 | The Dark Corner (1946) | Clifton Webb | 2.70 | 83.2 | 83.20 | 108 | 78 | 00 / 00 | 85.8 | |
| 19 | Joy of Living (1938) | Irene Dunne | 3.10 | 123.3 | 189.60 | 65 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 84.8 | |
| 20 | Abbott & Costello in Hollywood (1945) | Bud Abbott | 3.10 | 96.9 | 96.90 | 96 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 83.9 | |
| 22 | Having Wonderful Time (1938) | Ginger Rogers & Red Skelton |
3.10 | 123.1 | 161.00 | 66 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 83.6 | |
| 21 | Room Service (1938) | Marx Brothers | 2.70 | 106.2 | 139.70 | 84 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 83.3 | |
| 23 | Seven Days' Leave (1942) | Victor Mature | 3.30 | 121.6 | 188.50 | 81 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 82.5 | |
| 24 | That Girl From Paris (1936) | Jack Oakie | 3.90 | 167.2 | 221.80 | 33 | 43 | 01 / 00 | 81.8 | |
| 24 | Her Husband's Affair (1947) | Franchot Tone | 4.10 | 118.1 | 118.10 | 83 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 81.0 | |
| 26 | Lured (1947) | Boris Karloff & George Sanders |
1.90 | 55.1 | 55.10 | 140 | 73 | 00 / 00 | 78.2 | |
| 27 | Dance, Girl, Dance (1940) | Maureen O'Hara | 1.80 | 68.6 | 68.60 | 116 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 76.9 | |
| 28 | A Girl, a Guy, and a Gob (1941) | George Murphy | 1.90 | 71.8 | 105.30 | 123 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 76.3 | |
| 28 | Five Came Back (1939) | Chester Morris | 1.90 | 75.0 | 118.10 | 119 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 75.6 | |
| 32 | Mame (1974) | Robert Preston | 18.20 | 104.8 | 104.80 | 30 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 75.0 | |
| 29 | Two Smart People (1946) | Lloyd Nolan | 2.40 | 72.5 | 99.80 | 116 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 74.8 | |
| 32 | The Big Street (1942) | Henry Fonda | 1.80 | 66.9 | 66.90 | 134 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 73.5 | |
| 33 | Murder At The Vanities (1934) Uncredited |
Victor McLaglen | 1.30 | 60.1 | 60.10 | 91 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 66.0 | |
| 33 | Lover Come Back (1946) | George Brent | 1.90 | 58.7 | 58.70 | 122 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 64.4 | |
| 33 | Valley of The Sun (1942) | James Craig | 1.40 | 50.4 | 75.90 | 159 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 61.0 | |
| 34 | Miss Grant Takes Richmond (1949) | William Holden | 1.00 | 24.4 | 24.40 | 183 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 60.6 | |
| 36 | Meet The People (1944) | Dick Powell | 2.20 | 72.8 | 104.30 | 113 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 56.8 | |
| 37 | I Dream Too Much (1935) | Henry Fonda | 1.10 | 50.2 | 82.10 | 121 | 52 | 01 / 00 | 48.8 | |
| 38 | Critic's Choice (1963) | Bob Hope | 3.40 | 43.0 | 43.00 | 67 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 37.4 | |
| 39 | Easy Living (1949) | Victor Mature & Lizabeth Scott |
1.50 | 38.4 | 38.40 | 158 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 33.4 | |
| 40 | The Good Years (1962) | Henry Fonda | 0.10 | 2.1 | 2.10 | 141 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 22.6 | |
| 42 | The Magic Carpet (1951) | Raymond Burr | 1.20 | 26.2 | 26.20 | 187 | 48 | 00 / 00 | 22.0 |
Stats and Possibly Interesting Things From The Above Lucille Ball Table
- Sixteen Lucille Ball movies crossed the magical $100 million domestic gross mark. That is a percentage of 44.44% of her movies listed. Thousands Cheer (1943) was her biggest box office hit.
- An average Lucille Ball movie grossed $114.50 million in adjusted box office gross.
- Using RottenTomatoes.com’s 60% fresh meter. 25 of Lucille Ball’s movies are rated as good movies…or 69.44% of her movies. Stage Door (1937) was her highest rated movie while A Girl a Guy and a Gob (1941) was her lowest rated movie.
- Five Lucille Ball movie received at least one Oscar® nomination in any category…..or 13.88% of her movies.
- One Lucille Ball movie won at least one Oscar® in any category…..or 2.77% of her movies.
- A “good movie” Ultimate Movie Ranking (UMR) Score is 60.00. 24 Lucille Ball movies scored higher that average….or 66.66% of her movies. Stage Door (1937) got the the highest UMR Movie Score while A Girl a Guy and a Gob (1941) got the lowest UMR Movie Score.
Sadly we were not able to find box office information on all of Lucille Ball’s movies. So which movies are missing? Lots of her movies from her RKO “B” movie days, many of the Columbia movies she made right before I Love Lucy started and a few movies from the 1940s. That being said, we figured there was no reason not to share what we do have. We call our website Ultimate Movie Rankings because we normally try and rank every movie an actor or actress made. Since this is only 36 of Lucy’s movie we will just call this a Lucille Ball Movie Ranking Page and leave out the Ultimate!
Steve’s Lucille Ball You Tube Video
Check out Lucille Ball‘s career compared to current and classic actors and directors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
Hi
Lucille Ball is a great example of someone who star quality and talent who slugged away in supporting roles for twenty years and never got their lucky break to become a superstar. And yet along comes television and they grab it with both hands and become giants of the industry.
Because of the success of television, most people associate her as a T.V star. Growing up The Lucy Show was a huge part of my life in the 60s and 70s. I remember even The Queen of England watched the show, that’s how big it was. The one episode that stood out for me was Za za Gabor.
She had great chemistry with Bob Hope and apparently good friends in real life. Offscreen she was a very formidable lady, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor couldn’t stand her while filming their episode. She did one with Joan Crawford and threatened to sack her if she didn’t get her timing right. But hey that’s why she survived so long, she was one tough broad.
Hey Chris…I grew up with her too. Granted my Lucy shows were reruns in the 1970s….but I watched those black and white episodes all the time. Growing up I had no idea she had made any movies much less almost 80 movies. Bob Hope said she was one of his best friends ever. I liked them together in Sorrowful Jones. I remember and liked the ZZ Gabor show as well. Thanks for stopping by. Working on one your requests….so look for a western page soon…and it will be huge.
I watched 33 Lucille Ball movies. I’m loving this page.
Hey Marina…very cool….you have watched way more Lucille Ball movies than I have. Thanks for the kind words about my Lucy page.
Hmm I saw Lucille Ball more as a TV personality than a movie star. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a film where she was the lead actress, but than I’ve only seen a handful of films she’s appeared in.
From the 36 films listed I’ve seen 6 – Abbott and Costello in Hollywood, Thousands Cheer, Follow the Fleet, Ziegfeld Follies, Fancy Pants and Room Service.
I haven’t seen the top listed Stage Door or The Dark Corner.
Interesting facts and stats on an actress I was unfamiliar with Bruce. Voted Up.
Hey Steve….thanks for visiting and commenting on my Lucy page. Let’s see we fall in the tally count to Flora 16 to 14… I got us to 7..I was counting on you for the rest….thinking about joining Flora’s team…..lol. I actually saw her in Room Service this weekend. Her part was not too impressive. I was pretty amazed by how successful her movie career was….and I am missing many of her movies. About to release the 35 Peter Lorre movies I have in the database. The bad news I am currently locked out of my own website.
You are locked out of your own website? RATS!
Then how are you answering this comment?
I can get to the website ….just can not log in. I deleted a bunch of emails….one was the email that had the link to the website….they are resetting everything for me. Not one of the smarter things I have ever done. I blame the fact that everybody in my house has the flu except for me. I keep waiting for it to get me too.
Everyone has the flu?
Oh, then the website is secondary.
I have done that sort of thing myself. I delete things that were important.
I had to get the compute place where got this laptop to set my computer to have no automatic updates or it would take hours. I don’t have enough power on this computer for Windows10 even if I wanted it, which I don’t. I do not need bells and whistles.
Get well soon
Hey Flora….yep our house is not a fun place to be these days. We actually got Emily (our 7 year old) and Samantha (our 9 year old) to school today. First time in awhile they BOTH went to school on the same day. Debbie (the wife) missed her 4th day in a row of work. Fun times indeed. I know what you mean about not wanting a whole lot of whistles and bells.
Hi, Bruce.
I have posted this page on TCM in the General Discussions section so that Lucille Ball fans know it is up. She has a lot of fans on that site.
Lucille was a great comedienne on screen, but I understand that off screen she was all business.
We have a lot of TV shows that would not exist as they were if not for Desilou Studios.
I have still not seen Du Barry Was a Lady, regarding the comment made before mine.
The highest ranking movie I have seen is number 1: Stage Door.
The highest ranking film I have not seen is, in fact, Du Barry Was a Lady.
The lowest ranking film I have seen is Mame.
The most recently seen for the first time movie for me was the delightful Dance, Girl Dance.
I have seen 16 of her movies so far.
The only movie I have not watched a second time is Thousands Cheer because I had thought it was a Gene Kelly starring vehicle and it was merely a thinly veiled excuse to send fighting men overseas clips of their favourite stars and I usually PREFER TO WATCH THEM in a middle of a marathon of favourite actors’ films who just happen to have appeared in such for the troops movies.
My favourite movies of Miss Ball are:
Dance, Girl, Dance
Ziegfeld Follies
Stage Door
Follow the Fleet
Five Came Back
You notice that these films are from separate genres.
Cheers, Flora
Hey Flora.
1. Thanks for sharing the link….curious how many Lucy movie fans are out there.
2. I agree…Lucille Ball was a pioneer in front of the tv cameras and behind the cameras.
3. Star Trek fans need to thank Lucille….who knows if Kirk and Spock would be known if not for Lucy and Desilu Studios.
4. Surprised that you have not seen Du Barry…..it is one of the Lucy movies I knew about before doing this page.
5. Tally count…you 16….me….counting…going to be low….6…with three of them being Hope/Ball movies.
6. I have not seen Thousands Cheer….but not thinking her part was very big either….but it made a ton of money.
7. I have seen 3 of the 5 favorites…her and O’Hara did well in Dance, Girl, Dance. Stage Door is another supporting role…..but boy does she stand out when you watch the movie now. I have seen Follow The Fleet…but have to admit I do not remember her part. Ziegfeld Follies is the one I want to see the most.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Lucille Ball….it is greatly appreciated.
Du Barry Was A Lady is one of my favorite musicals. Glad to see it see it in the top ten but I think a top five spot is more deserving.
Hey Lucy Fan. I will have to check out Du Barry was A Lady. Glad to see your favorite was so highly ranked….it was one of her biggest hits…thanks for stopping by.