Want to know the best Sandra Dee movies? How about the worst Sandra Dee movies? Curious about Sandra Dee box office grosses or which Sandra Dee movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Sandra Dee 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.
Sandra Dee (1942-2005) was an American actress who became a star in the late 1950s and early 1960s. From 1959 to 1963 she was voted one of the most popular movie stars by Quigley Publications annual survey. That included 4 straight years as a Top 10 star. By the late 1960s, her career had started to decline. Her last movie appearance was before she turned 30.
Her IMDb page shows 33 acting credits from 1932-1963. This page will rank 21 Sandra Dee movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television appearances and movies not released in North America were not included in the rankings.
Sandra Dee 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 Sandra Dee movies by co-stars of her movies
- Sort Sandra Dee movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Sandra Dee movies by yearly domestic box office rank
- Sort Sandra Dee 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 each Sandra Dee movie received.
- Sort by how many Oscar® wins each Sandra Dee movie received.
- Sort Sandra Dee 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.
Stats and Possibly Interesting Things From The Above Sandra Dee Table
- Four Sandra Dee movies crossed the magical $100 million domestic gross mark. That is a percentage of 19.04% of her movies listed. Imitation of Life (1959) was her biggest box office hit.
- An average Sandra Dee movie grosses $126.70 million in adjusted box office gross.
- Using RottenTomatoes.com’s 60% fresh meter. 14 Sandra Dee movies are rated as good movies…or 66.66% of her movies. Imitation of Life (1959) was her highest rated movie while A Man Could Get Killed (1966) was her lowest rated movie.
- One Sandra Dee movie received at least one Oscar® nomination in any category…..or 4.76% of her movies.
- Zero Sandra Dee movies won at least one Oscar® in any category…..or 0.00% of her movies.
- An average Ultimate Movie Ranking (UMR) Score is 40.00. 8 Sandra Dee movies scored higher that average….or 38.09% of her movies. Imitation of Life (1959 )got the the highest UMR Movie Score while A Man Could Get Killed (1966) got the lowest UMR Movie Score.
Possibly Interesting Facts About Sandra Dee
1. Alexandra Cymboliak Zuck was born in in Bayonne, New Jersey in 1942.
2. Universal Studios concocted the name ‘Sandra Dee’ for her by shortening her first name and by using her stepfather’s surname initial “D” to sign vouchers.
3. Sandra Dee earned a Golden Globe Award® as one of the year’s most promising newcomers for her performance in 1958’s Until They Sail.
4. Sandra Dee’s big break came when producer Ross Hunter, balking at Natalie Wood’s lofty salary demands, decided to use Dee as Lana Turner’s daughter in 1959’s Imitation of Life.
5. The success of Imitation of Life and Gidget turned Sandra Dee into a household name.
6. Sandra Dee’s Top Quigley Box Office Rankings: 16th in 1959, 7th in 1960, 6th in 1961, 9th in 1962 and 8th in 1963.
7. Sandra Dee was married one time and had one son. Dee and Bobby Darin were married from 1960 to 1967.
8. In 1994, Sandra Dee’s son, Dodd Mitchell, wrote Dream Lovers: The Magnificent Shattered Lives of Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee.
9. Sandra Dee is immortalized in the popular song “Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee” from 1978’s Grease. The song mocked her squeaky-clean image but Dee reportedly said in a statement that she did not mind, and always had a big laugh about it.
10. Check out Sandra Dee’s movie career compared to current and classic stars on our Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time page.
Unfortunately I have seen every one of the pictures you have listed; I have not seen her 1983 epic Lost. What kind of American has never seen a Tammy or Gidget flic. First Debbie Reynolds as Tammy (hum that # 1 song) and 2 Sandra Dee epics plus the forgotten 1965 Debbie Watson series. Somehow they had 3 different Gidgets in 3 theatrical flics, the casting for a great talent (Sally Field) must have been rough. Actually Sally stars in the 1965 series (wow Tammy and Gidget both 1 year wonders). I have the Sally Field series, it was $5 somewhere and watching it is like visiting hell. There was even a made for TV flic after this, I think Gidget Gets Married (can’t let a bad thing die). At least Gidget’s theme by James Darren (yes Time Tunnel and T.J. Hooker regular) is catchy.
These are the people on the 2016 Oracle of Bacon Center of the Hollywood Universe list who worked with Sandy.
198 DEAN STOCKWELL The Dunwich Horror (1970)
317 PETER FONDA Tammy and the Doctor (1963)
325 JAMES BROLIN Take Her, She’s Mine (1963)
478 JOHN SAXON Portrait in Black (1960)
478 JOHN SAXON The Reluctant Debutante (1958)
478 JOHN SAXON The Restless Years (1958)
681 ANTHONY QUINN Portrait in Black (1960)
855 LESLIE NIELSEN Rosie! (1967)
914 CLIFF ROBERTSON Gidget (1959)
963 JENNY AGUTTER A MAN COULD GET KILLED (1966)
966 KATHLEEN FREEMAN That Funny Feeling (1965)
People on the original 2000 list now gone who were in a flic with her.
67 PAUL NEWMAN Until They Sail (1957)
94 ROBERT MORLEY Take Her, She’s Mine (1963)
144 PETER USTINOV Romanoff and Juliet (1961)
151 CESAR ROMERO If a Man Answers (1962)
153 JAMES GARNER A Man Could Get Killed (1966)
191 GEORGE HAMILTON Doctor, You’ve Got to Be Kidding! (1967)
222 BESS FLOWERS Imitation of Life (1959)
222 BESS FLOWERS The Restless Years (1958)
222 BESS FLOWERS The Wild and the Innocent (1959)
234 AKIM TAMIROFF Romanoff and Juliet (1961)
248 ARTHUR KENNEDY A Summer Place (1959)
326 ANGELA LANSBURY The Reluctant Debutante (1958)
344 JAMES STEWART Take Her, She’s Mine (1963)
353 PETER GRAVES A Stranger in My Arms (1959)
361 JAMES WHITMORE The Restless Years (1958)
379 ANN DORAN A Summer Place (1959)
379 ANN DORAN Rosie! (1967)
384 GILBERT ROLAND The Wild and the Innocent (1959)
404 JACK ELAM Lost (1983)
420 MAURICE MARSAC Take Her, She’s Mine (1963)
446 RAY WALSTON Portrait in Black (1960)
464 JOHN ALDERSON Romanoff and Juliet (1961)
532 JIM BACKUS The Wild and the Innocent (1959)
549 STROTHER MARTIN The Wild and the Innocent (1959)
553 DAN O’HERLIHY Imitation of Life (1959)
589 ROCK HUDSON Come September (1961)
617 PAUL FREES That Funny Feeling (1965)
617 PAUL FREES The Snow Queen (1957)
636 GREGOIRE ASLAN A Man Could Get Killed (1966)
680 TONY FRANCIOSA A Man Could Get Killed (1966)
704 TROY DONAHUE A Summer Place (1959)
704 TROY DONAHUE Imitation of Life (1959)
732 ARTHUR O’CONNELL Gidget (1959)
745 RICHARD BASEHART Portrait in Black (1960)
746 HERB VIGRAN That Funny Feeling (1965)
786 LLOYD NOLAN Portrait in Black (1960)
790 ROLAND CULVER A Man Could Get Killed (1966)
793 PATRICK MACNEE Until They Sail (1957)
821 PIPER LAURIE Until They Sail (1957)
874 DEAN JONES Until They Sail (1957)
914 DOUG MCCLURE Gidget (1959)
961 NICKY BLAIR Until They Sail (1957)
973 JEAN SIMMONS Until They Sail (1957)
985 NIALL MACGINNIS A Man Could Get Killed (1966)
Lastly she somehow appeared with 11 Oscar winners
ANTHONY QUINN Portrait in Black (1960)
CELESTE HOLM Doctor, You’ve Got to Be Kidding! (1967)
CHARLES COBURN A Stranger in My Arms (1959)
CLIFF ROBERTSON Gidget (1959)
JAMES STEWART Take Her, She’s Mine (1963)
JOAN FONTAINE Until They Sail (1957)
MARY ASTOR A Stranger in My Arms (1959)
PAUL NEWMAN Until They Sail (1957)
PETER USTINOV Romanoff and Juliet (1961)
REX HARRISON The Reluctant Debutante (1958)
TERESA WRIGHT The Restless Years (1958)
Hey Dan.
1. As always thanks for the lists…..compared to other lists you have done…these are pretty small.
2. Wow…..you know your Sandra Dee……very interesting breakdown on her movies and the Gidget movies.
3. Tally count….you lead the way……followed by Flora and Lupino…..with me and Steve bringing up the rear.
4. 9 left on the 2016 list is pretty impressive…especially since her career was so short and ended so long ago.
5. 11 Oscar winning co-stars in only 21 movies is a pretty good percentage.
6. I want to see Until They Sail…..I remember at one point I thought I had seen every Paul Newman movie….boy was I wrong….lol.
Good feedback as always.
Now Miss Sandra Dee has her own UMR Page 🙂
I have seen 9 of her movies, and I must admit that I like Douglas Sirk’s tearjerkers- to me, they say a lot about the american way of life in their time -and the complexity of human relationships in general. In this, I am not alone, famous german filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder was a huge fan of Sirk, especially the Jane Wyman/Rock Hudson movie All That Heaven Allows. He remade it in the 70’s and “updated” it to fit german society. The film is called “Angst essen Seele auf/Fear eats Soul” and is highly regarded in my country, though I doubt it made a lot at the box office.
So, to nobody’s surprise, Imitation of Life also tops my personal chart of Sandra Dee movies. I also really liked A Summer’s Place with the underrated Dorothy McGuire and the always interesting Beulah Bondi. As I stated on Gina Lollobrigidas page, I also liked Come September. I do remember Paul Newman, Joan Fontaine and Jean Simmons in Until they Sail, but I can’t remember Sandra’s part in it. Never saw Gidget or her Tammy movies, but I must admit I had expected them to have been more successful at the box office. So, without knowing too much about Miss Dee, I find this page nevertheless quite interesting and informative.
Hey Lupino
1. I was doing some more “flipping”…when I realized I had most of her movies in the database…so I figured I could quickly give her some UMR page.
2. Tally counts…Dan 21, you and Flora at 9, me at 3 and Steve at 2.
3. I have seen the Douglas Sirk tearjerkers…..but rarely do I revisit them…..as the are one and done movies for me.
4. Interesting about the German remake of All That Heaven Allows…..I was not aware of that at all.
5. Come September is a fun movie to watch….as it seems the cast was having a good time…which makes watching the movie fun.
6. Dee got a Golden Globe for her role in Until They Sail…..but I assume it was a small role…..it is one of the few Paul Newman movies that I have not seen.
7. Glad you liked this Dee page…and glad you found it interesting and informative.
I’ve seen 9 of Sandra Dee’s movies.
My favourite movies are Come September and Gidget.
I have also seen:
Imitation of Life
A Summer Place
That Funny Feeling
The Reluctant Debutante
The Restless Years
Romanoff and Juliet
Until They Sail
Hey Flora…..thanks for the tally count and comment. Let’s the reported tally counts….Dan with 21….I did not realize he was such a huge Sandra Dee fan. You and Lupino at 9…..me at 3 and little Stevie bringing up the rear with 2. I have seen Come September….but not Gidget….when looking at your favorites. A Summer Place is on my list of movies to watch. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Sandra Dee.
“As for you, Troy Donahue, I know what you wanna do
You got your crust, I’m no object of lust, I’m just plain Sandra Dee
Elvis, Elvis, let me be, keep that pelvis far from me”
I knew the song but didn’t know her movies. I thought they were all beach party movies, same with Tuesday Weld.
I’ve seen just two of Dee’s films – A Summer Place and The Dunwich Horror.
‘Theme from a Summer Place’ by Max Steiner is a favorite of mine and the main reason I watched that movie a few years ago. The Percy Faith version is the one I’m most familiar with.
Imitation of Life tops all the charts, it’s not really a film I’m interested in. I usually avoid tearjerkers and emotional dramas. I haven’t seen any of Douglas Sirk’s movies.
Good work as usual Bruce, so is this page dynamic then? How can I tell? [cue Bruce snarling] I’m keeeding! I like the color on the charts too. It all sticks out more and looks more professional. Vote Up!
Hey Steve…..thanks for checking out our latest UMR page. I am not too familiar with her movies either. My tally is a lonely one…..as I have only seen Come September. I will say I was truly impressed with her excellent box office run from 1959 to 1963…..5 mentions on Quigley is very impressive….especially for a teenager. Joel said she was the Brooke Shields of the 1980s….I think a better comparison would be Macaulay Culkin of the 1990s.
As for A Summer Place….it is a movie sitting at my local library….I will have to check it out. Imitation of Life is a good movie…but not one begging for a re-visit. Glad you like the color charts….hopefully when we get all the bugs out of the website….it will have been worth the effort to do this big switch. Good stuff.
Hey Steve…..after further review….my tally is 3….as I have seen both of her Lana Turner movies…..somehow I blanked out when I was doing my tally count….so I actually have you by one movie….proud day…..lol. Then again our combined total of 5 is not really impressive.
Sandra Dee was the Brooke Shields of the early 1960s – a successful model at twelve and a fresh faced heroine in lightweight romances. But there is a difference. Dee, though caught in fluffy material, had some acting ability.
In Joel’s Rating the Movie Stars book…he does not give her credit for any 4 star performances…but he does list numerous 3 star performances
1957’s Until They Sail
1958’s The Reluctant Debutante
1958’s The Reckless Years
1959’s Imitation of Life
1959’s Gidget
1959’s A Summer Place
1959’s Stranger in my Arms
1959’s The Wild and the Innocent
1960’s Portrait of Black
1964’s I’d Rather Be Rich
1970’s The Dunwich Horror