Pat O’Brien Movies


Jump To Pat O’Brien Links: 1. Box Office 2. Reviews 3. Trailers 4. UMR Table

Pat O’Brien  (1899-1983) was an American film actor. Of Irish descent, he was referred to as “Hollywood’s Irishman in Residence” in the press.  O’Brien was one of the best-known screen actors of the 1930s and 1940s, he played priests, cops, military figures, pilots, and reporters.    He is especially well-remembered for his roles in 1938’s Angels with Dirty Faces, 1940’s Knute Rockne, All American,  and 1959’s Some Like It Hot .  His IMDb page shows 149 from 1930 to 1982.   This page ranks 75 Pat O’Brien movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television shows, bit parts and his movies not released in North America theaters are not included in the rankings.  This page comes from a request by Mike.

Frequent co-stars..James Cagney, Ann Sheridan and Pat O’Brien

Pat O’Brien Movies Ranked By Combination of Box Office, Reviews and Awards (UMR Score) *Classic UMR Table (the one with all the stats is the second table)

Ronald Reagan and Pat O’Brien in 1940’s Knute Rockne All American

Pat O’Brien 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 Pat O’Brien movies by co-stars of his movies.
  • Sort Pat O’Brien movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
  • Sort Pat O’Brien movies by yearly domestic box office rank
  • Sort Pat O’Brien movies how they were received by critics and audiences.  60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
  • Sort by how many Oscar® nominations each Pat O’Brien movie received and how many Oscar® wins each Pat O’Brien movie won.
  • Sort Pat O’Brien 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.

Jump To Pat O’Brien Links: 1. Box Office 2. Reviews 3. Trailers 4. UMR Table

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10 thoughts on “Pat O’Brien Movies”

  1. I saw 6. 4 of top 10. 2 tens : some like it hot(a favourite) and the last hurrah. the last hurrah is my hidden gem, his 4th highest review.

    Reply

  2. HI BRUCE

    I welcome this new page as it profiles one of the great almost forgotten stalwarts of the Hollywood Classic Era. Indeed nowadays reference to O’Brien often instantly conjures up images of Cagney and Bogie and your comprehensive co-stars column above abundantly illustrates why.

    When Pat was mentioned for himself it was often possibly within the context of his being one of Hollywood’s great “stock priests” along with Tracy and Bing. Apparently at one juncture O’Brien in real life considered studying for the priesthood. So obviously those priest roles were a ”labour of Love” for Pat.

    It was fitting that his final film 1981’s Ragtime was with his pal Cagney in what was Jimmy’s own penultimate movie [Cag’s final film 1984’s Terrible Joe Moran naturally didn’t make your chart being a TV movie. IMDB gives it a reasonable 65% rating so it would be worth watching for Cag’s final bow] and I read that the pair shared a cabin on the boat journey to make Ragtime.

    For me it was great to see such an enduring friendship in a Hollywood where there was often so much feuding, backbiting and personal bitterness Anyway both the old timers now have a Cogerson page which is fitting in my view. Vote up!

    Reply

  3. Did you know that when Pat O’Brien was a kid in St. Louis he served as an alter boy in church. Sometimes he served the same masses with Spencer Tracy. Pat was never on the Oracle of Bacon Top 1000 Center of the Hollywood list (for some reason I thought he was). These are the actors on the 2016 list he appeared with;

    4 SAMUEL L. JACKSON Ragtime (1981)
    80 BRAD DOURIF Ragtime (1981)
    96 BURT REYNOLDS The End (1978/I)
    198 DEAN STOCKWELL The Boy with Green Hair (1948)
    245 MICKEY ROONEY The Fireball (1950)
    401 JEFF DANIELS Ragtime (1981)
    421 MARY STEENBURGEN Ragtime (1981)
    438 JOHN RATZENBERGER Ragtime (1981)
    465 FRANKIE FAISON Ragtime (1981)
    491 JACK NICHOLSON Ragtime (1981)
    523 HARRY FIELDER Ragtime (1981)
    571 WILLIAM SMITH The Boy with Green Hair (1948)
    897 TONY CURTIS Some Like It Hot (1959)
    912 ARTHUR TOVEY Billy Jack Goes to Washington (1977)
    912 ARTHUR TOVEY Some Like It Hot (1959)
    956 LARRY HANKIN The Phynx (1970)

    The following acts were on the 2000 list but have since fallen off, all worked with Pat;

    14 JOHN CARRADINE The Last Hurrah (1958)
    27 MARC LAWRENCE San Quentin (1937)
    41 BURGESS MEREDITH Castle on the Hudson (1940)
    53 CHARLES BRONSON The People Against O’Hara (1951)
    56 HENRY FONDA Slim (1937)
    58 JACK LEMMON Some Like It Hot (1959)
    75 CAMERON MITCHELL Okinawa (1952)
    76 EDDIE ALBERT Bombardier (1943)
    81 LIONEL STANDER Page Miss Glory (1935)
    132 GLENN FORD Flight Lieutenant (1942)
    139 E.G. MARSHALL Billy Jack Goes to Washington (1977)
    146 MIKE MAZURKI Criminal Lawyer (1951)
    146 MIKE MAZURKI Some Like It Hot (1959)
    147 LLOYD BRIDGES Flight Lieutenant (1942)
    151 CESAR ROMERO Public Enemy’s Wife (1936)
    160 ROBERT RYAN Bombardier (1943)
    160 ROBERT RYAN Marine Raiders (1944)
    160 ROBERT RYAN The Boy with Green Hair (1948)
    160 ROBERT RYAN The Iron Major (1943)
    177 MARCEL DALIO Flight Lieutenant (1942)
    179 JOHN WAYNE College Coach (1933)
    205 BRIAN KEITH Knute Rockne All American (1940)
    209 DOM DELUISE The End (1978/I)
    219 ELISHA COOK JR. Honor Among Lovers (1931)
    222 BESS FLOWERS In Caliente (1935)
    222 BESS FLOWERS I’ve Got Your Number (1934)
    222 BESS FLOWERS Oil for the Lamps of China (1935)
    222 BESS FLOWERS The Irish in Us (1935)
    222 BESS FLOWERS The Personality Kid (1934)
    222 BESS FLOWERS ‘Til We Meet Again (1940)
    232 ROY JENSON The Last Hurrah (1958)
    234 AKIM TAMIROFF His Butler’s Sister (1943)
    241 BRODERICK CRAWFORD Broadway (1942)
    241 BRODERICK CRAWFORD Slightly Honorable (1939)
    271 PETER BROCCO The Boy with Green Hair (1948)
    273 GEORGE COULOURIS Kill Me Tomorrow (1957)
    278 KEYE LUKE Oil for the Lamps of China (1935)
    290 GEORGE WALLACE Billy Jack Goes to Washington (1977)
    296 KENNETH TOBEY Ring of Fear (1954)
    299 FRITZ FELD The Phynx (1970)
    302 RICHARD ANDERSON The People Against O’Hara (1951)
    308 SAM WANAMAKER Billy Jack Goes to Washington (1977)
    378 BILLY J. MITCHELL Ragtime (1981)
    379 ANN DORAN The People Against O’Hara (1951)
    396 RICHARD JAECKEL Town Tamer (1965)
    399 NEHEMIAH PERSOFF Some Like It Hot (1959)
    404 JACK ELAM Jubilee Trail (1954)
    410 GEORGE RAFT Some Like It Hot (1959)
    421 MICHAEL ANSARA The Phynx (1970)
    451 DANA ANDREWS Town Tamer (1965)
    461 FRANK MCRAE The End (1978/I)
    464 JOHN ALDERSON Ragtime (1981)
    466 KENNETH MCMILLAN Ragtime (1981)
    506 DOUGLAS FOWLEY Criminal Lawyer (1951)
    506 DOUGLAS FOWLEY Slightly Honorable (1939)
    507 RALPH BELLAMY Air Mail (1932)
    507 RALPH BELLAMY Boy Meets Girl (1938)
    507 RALPH BELLAMY Destination Unknown (1933)
    515 BESSIE LOVE Ragtime (1981)
    520 WILLIAM SCHALLERT The People Against O’Hara (1951)
    530 NORMAN FELL The End (1978/I)
    542 PAUL FIX Bombardier (1943)
    542 PAUL FIX Flirtation Walk (1934)
    549 STROTHER MARTIN The End (1978/I)
    549 STROTHER MARTIN The People Against O’Hara (1951)
    562 PAUL BRYAR Inside Detroit (1956)
    562 PAUL BRYAR The People Against O’Hara (1951)
    571 CHARLES LANE Broadway (1942)
    571 CHARLES LANE Criminal Lawyer (1951)
    571 CHARLES LANE Twenty Million Sweethearts (1934)
    573 LOIS MAXWELL Kill Me Tomorrow (1957)
    599 JOHN DOUCETTE Johnny One-Eye (1950)
    611 DON ‘RED’ BARRY Town Tamer (1965)
    612 JEFFREY HUNTER The Last Hurrah (1958)
    617 PAUL FREES Some Like It Hot (1959)
    617 PAUL FREES The People Against O’Hara (1951)
    623 RUSS TAMBLYN The Boy with Green Hair (1948)
    627 JAN TRISKA Ragtime (1981)
    629 WALTER BROOKE The Iron Major (1943)
    667 MICHAEL JETER Ragtime (1981)
    671 EDUARDO CIANELLI The People Against O’Hara (1951)
    682 RAY TEAL Secret Command (1944)
    723 MICKEY KNOX Criminal Lawyer (1951)
    740 GEORGE CHANDLER Bureau of Missing Persons (1933)
    740 GEORGE CHANDLER Stars Over Broadway (1935)
    740 GEORGE CHANDLER The World Changes (1933)
    740 GEORGE CHANDLER Twenty Million Sweethearts (1934)
    750 SALLY FIELD The End (1978/I)
    783 JAMES FLAVIN Air Mail (1932)
    783 JAMES FLAVIN Broadway (1942)
    783 JAMES FLAVIN Castle on the Hudson (1940)
    783 JAMES FLAVIN Knute Rockne All American (1940)
    783 JAMES FLAVIN San Quentin (1937)
    783 JAMES FLAVIN The Fighting 69th (1940)
    783 JAMES FLAVIN The Iron Major (1943)
    783 JAMES FLAVIN The Last Hurrah (1958)
    786 LLOYD NOLAN The Sky’s the Limit (1975)
    816 CARLETON YOUNG The Last Hurrah (1958)
    824 FRANK WILCOX The Fighting 69th (1940)
    824 FRANK WILCOX ‘Til We Meet Again (1940)
    832 DON BRODIE Page Miss Glory (1935)
    844 MANDY PATINKIN Ragtime (1981)
    859 MYRON HEALEY The Iron Major (1943)
    863 ALAN HALE JR. The Sky’s the Limit (1975)
    889 ROBERT BROWN Kill Me Tomorrow (1957)
    897 PETER DONAT Billy Jack Goes to Washington (1977)
    903 JACK KRUSCHEN The People Against O’Hara (1951)
    916 RICHARD GRIFFITHS Ragtime (1981)
    917 ROBERT J. WILKE San Quentin (1937)
    918 BETTE DAVIS Bureau of Missing Persons (1933)
    918 BETTE DAVIS Hell’s House (1932)
    925 RAYMOND BURR Fighting Father Dunne (1948)
    941 MARK DAMON Inside Detroit (1956)
    947 CHRISTOPHER MALCOLM Ragtime (1981)
    959 LEON AMES The Iron Major (1943)
    962 OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND The Irish in Us (1935)
    963 FRANK FERGUSON Broadway (1942)
    963 FRANK FERGUSON Fighting Father Dunne (1948)
    963 FRANK FERGUSON The People Against O’Hara (1951)
    982 BILLY BENEDICT Two Yanks in Trinidad (1942)
    984 PETER MAMAKOS The People Against O’Hara (1951)
    989 BRUCE CABOT Town Tamer (1965)
    994 ELLEN CORBY Crack-Up (1946)
    994 ELLEN CORBY Fighting Father Dunne (1948)

    Pat only worked with 23 Oscar winners despite all the movies, sort of on Rhonda Fleming’s amount. He did work 9 times with James Cagney.

    BETTE DAVIS Bureau of Missing Persons (1933)
    BETTE DAVIS Hell’s House (1932)
    BRODERICK CRAWFORD Broadway (1942)
    BRODERICK CRAWFORD Slightly Honorable (1939)
    CLAIRE TREVOR Crack-Up (1946)
    CLARK GABLE The Front Page (1931)
    CLAUDETTE COLBERT Honor Among Lovers (1931)
    DONALD CRISP KNUTE ROCKNE ALL AMERICAN (1940)
    DONALD CRISP OIL FOR THE LAMPS OF CHINA (1935)
    DONALD CRISP THE GREAT O’MALLEY (1937)
    DONALD CRISP THE LAST HURRAH (1958)
    FREDRIC MARCH Honor Among Lovers (1931)
    GINGER ROGERS Honor Among Lovers (1931)
    GINGER ROGERS Twenty Million Sweethearts (1934)
    HENRY FONDA Slim (1937)
    HUMPHREY BOGART Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)
    HUMPHREY BOGART China Clipper (1936)
    HUMPHREY BOGART San Quentin (1937)
    HUMPHREY BOGART The Great O’Malley (1937)
    JACK LEMMON Some Like It Hot (1959)
    JACK NICHOLSON Ragtime (1981)
    JAMES CAGNEY Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)
    JAMES CAGNEY Boy Meets Girl (1938)
    JAMES CAGNEY Ceiling Zero (1936)
    JAMES CAGNEY Devil Dogs of the Air (1935)
    JAMES CAGNEY Here Comes the Navy (1934)
    JAMES CAGNEY Ragtime (1981)
    JAMES CAGNEY The Fighting 69th (1940)
    JAMES CAGNEY The Irish in Us (1935)
    JAMES CAGNEY Torrid Zone (1940)
    JANE DARWELL The Last Hurrah (1958)
    JANE DARWELL The Strange Case of Clara Deane (1932)
    JANE WYMAN Slim (1937)
    JANE WYMAN The Kid from Kokomo (1939)
    JOANNE WOODWARD The End (1978/I)
    JOHN WAYNE College Coach (1933)
    MARY ASTOR Page Miss Glory (1935)
    MARY STEENBURGEN Ragtime (1981)
    OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND The Irish in Us (1935)
    SALLY FIELD The End (1978/I)
    SPENCER TRACY The Last Hurrah (1958)
    SPENCER TRACY The People Against O’Hara (1951)
    WALTER HUSTON American Madness (1932)

    I apologize for the look, my internet is acting wacky.

    Reply

    1. Hey Dan
      1. The look is just fine…no worries at all.
      2. Interesting that he and Spencer Tracy served in the same masses…..good trivia.
      3. With him making so many movies at Warner Brothers….not surprised he was never on the Bacon Oracle 1000.
      4. Samuel L. Jackson should keep O’Brien attached to the current list for a very long time…..good ole Burt will start sliding down the list though.
      5. Second list….finally Bess Flowers getting some respect…..seem the latest lists have been “Flowers Lite”….lol.
      6. Her 6 trails Flavin’s 8 and Cagney’s 9….but it is still a good total.
      7. 23 is well below average when looking at Oscar winning co-stars….especially low for somebody appearing in movies for 7 decades.
      Good information…as always…thanks for sharing it with us.

      Reply

  4. First off, I agree with Steve about the new format.

    I have seen 24 Pat O’Brien movies. They air a lot on TCM so I have seen a lot of them compared to Steve. I know there is still a large number I have missed.

    The HIGHEST rated movie I have seen is Some Like It Hot at number 1.

    The highest rated film I have not seen is The End at number 4.

    The LOWEST rated movie I have seen is Bureau of Missing Persons at number 66.

    Favourite Pat O’Brien Movies:

    Some Like It Hot
    Angels With Dirty Face
    Bombshell
    The Fighting 69th
    The Front Page
    The Boy With Green Hair
    Flirtation Walk
    Here Comes the Navy
    San Quentin

    Reply

    1. Hey Flora. Your tally crushes me and Steve’s. Your 24 is better than our combined total. I imagine O’Brien’s Warner Brothers movies would be popular movies for TCM to play…especially when he co-starred with so many legends like Cagney and Bogart. Of your favorites…I have seen 3 (Some Like It Hot, Angels With Dirty Face, San Quentin). Of your favorites, I want to see The Fighting 69th the most. Good feedback as always.

      Reply

  5. A new style to your UMR pages Bruce. I like it. Looks more professional, not sure how it would look on my Samsung though. A work in progress?

    It would be better if you widened the comment box, looks a lot smaller than it was before. Too tight.

    I’ve seen 9 of the 75 films on the chart, less than I thought and most of them starring Jimmy Cagney.

    Favorites are – Some Like it Hot, Angels with Dirty Faces, Fighting 69th and Celing Zero.

    Pat lived long enough to appear in a Burt Reynolds film – The End, and Cagney’s last movie – Ragtime.

    Nice work Bruce. The new style looks neat, only thing I didn’t like was the comment box being tiny compared to the rest of the page. Vote Up!

    Reply

    1. Hey Steve
      1. Thanks for checking out our latest page.
      2. The experiment of the new style page is over….way to many “text” issues like the one you noticed in the comment box……that and a few other ones…..so back to the “normal page”.
      3. I have only seen 7 of his movies…..with two of them being his last movies…The End and Ragtime.
      4. His Knute Rockne movie is the one I enjoy the most…..not a huge fan of Some Like It Hot…I just do not find “the greatest comedy of all-time” very funny.
      5. As always….thanks for sharing some of your movie thoughts.

      Reply

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