Shirley Jones (1934-) is an Oscar® winning American actress. In her six decades of show business, she has starred as wholesome characters in a number of well-known musical films, such as 1955’s Oklahoma! , 1956’s Carousel and 1962’s The Music Man . She won an Oscar® for Best Supporting Actress for playing a vengeful prostitute in 1960’s Elmer Gantry (1960). Growing up many people knew her as Shirley Partridge, the widowed mother of five children, in the television series The Partridge Family.
Her IMDb page shows 109 acting credits since 1950. This page will rank 19 Shirley Jones movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Her many many television roles and movies not released in North America were not included in the rankings.
Shirley Jones 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 Shirley Jones movies by co-stars of her movies
- Sort Shirley Jones movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Shirley Jones movies by yearly domestic box office rank
- Sort Shirley Jones 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 Shirley Jones movie received.
- Sort Shirley Jones movies by Ultimate Movie Ranking (UMR) Score. UMR 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 | Elmer Gantry (1960) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Supp Actress Win |
Burt Lancaster & Jean Simmons |
13.20 | 206.4 | 206.40 | 15 | 87 | 05 / 03 | 99.5 | |
| 1 | The Music Man (1962) AA Best Picture Nom |
Robert Preston & Ron Howard |
23.10 | 332.6 | 332.60 | 6 | 79 | 06 / 01 | 99.0 | |
| 3 | Oklahoma! (1955) | Gordon MacRae & Rod Steiger |
20.30 | 420.5 | 420.50 | 5 | 77 | 04 / 02 | 98.0 | |
| 4 | Carousel (1956) | Gordon MacRae & Musicals |
10.70 | 210.0 | 210.00 | 24 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 95.1 | |
| 5 | Pepe (1960) | Edward G. Robinson & Greer Garson |
13.70 | 214.3 | 283.30 | 13 | 55 | 07 / 00 | 92.5 | |
| 6 | The Cheyenne Social Club (1970) | James Stewart & Henry Fonda |
15.90 | 110.6 | 110.60 | 23 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 83.9 | |
| 7 | Bedtime Story (1964) | Marlon Brando & David Niven |
7.90 | 90.1 | 90.10 | 36 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 78.3 | |
| 8 | April Love (1957) | Pat Boone | 4.00 | 77.0 | 77.00 | 62 | 61 | 01 / 00 | 74.4 | |
| 9 | The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963) | Glenn Ford & Ron Howard |
5.40 | 68.0 | 68.00 | 54 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 72.4 | |
| 10 | Two Rode Together (1961) | James Stewart & Richard Widmark |
4.10 | 60.4 | 60.40 | 55 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 70.8 | |
| 11 | Never Steal Anything Small (1959) | James Cagney | 2.60 | 47.5 | 47.50 | 90 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 57.8 | |
| 12 | The Happy Ending (1969) | Jean Simmons & Teresa Wright |
1.80 | 13.3 | 13.30 | 112 | 66 | 02 / 00 | 55.0 | |
| 13 | Grandma's Boy (2006) | Allen Covert | 6.10 | 10.0 | 10.80 | 181 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 42.8 | |
| 13 | A Ticklish Affair (1963) | Gig Young & Red Buttons |
1.80 | 22.4 | 22.40 | 96 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 40.4 | |
| 15 | Fluffy (1965) | Tony Randall | 2.30 | 24.3 | 24.30 | 97 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 39.1 | |
| 16 | Tank (1984) | James Garner & C. Thomas Howell |
11.30 | 36.3 | 36.30 | 71 | 51 | 00 / 00 | 34.8 | |
| 17 | Gideon (1998) Film Festival Circuit Only |
Charlton Heston | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 270 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 31.1 | |
| 17 | Manna from Heaven (2002) | Cloris Leachman | 0.50 | 0.9 | 0.90 | 222 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 21.1 | |
| 18 | Bobbikins (1959) | Max Bygraves | 1.20 | 21.8 | 21.80 | 135 | 46 | 00 / 00 | 16.2 | |
| 20 | Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979) | Michael Caine & Sally Field |
5.50 | 23.7 | 23.70 | 78 | 37 | 01 / 00 | 7.7 |
Shirley Jones has never been on the Oracle of Bacon Top 1000 Center of the Hollywood Universe list. These are the actors on the 2016 list she has appeared with;
24 RANCE HOWARD Ping! (2000)
24 RANCE HOWARD The Courtship of Eddie’s Father (1963)
24 RANCE HOWARD The Music Man (1962)
49 CLINT HOWARD Ping! (2000)
49 CLINT HOWARD Raising Genius (2004)
49 CLINT HOWARD The Courtship of Eddie’s Father (1963)
107 CHRISTOPHER MCDONALD Gideon (1999)
108 KATHY BATES Christmas Is Here Again (2007)
112 ROD STEIGER Oklahoma! (1955)
132 ED BEGLEY JR. Raising Genius (2004)
163 JAMES CROMWELL Tank (1984)
168 STAN LEE The Adventures of Cinderella’s Daughter (2000)
189 C. THOMAS HOWELL Tank (1984)
243 CHRISTOPHER LAMBERT Gideon (1999)
247 CHARLTON HESTON Gideon (1999)
249 STEPHEN ROOT Raising Genius (2004)
316 AUSTIN PENDLETON Manna from Heaven (2002)
353 CLORIS LEACHMAN Manna from Heaven (2002)
437 MICHAEL BOWEN Gideon (1999)
449 ROB SCHNEIDER Grandma’s Boy (2006)
477 MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY Family Weekend (2013)
482 EDWARD ASNER Christmas Is Here Again (2007)
603 JAY LENO Christmas Is Here Again (2007)
609 LOUISE FLETCHER Manna from Heaven (2002)
644 PEDRO ARMENDARIZ JR. El golfo (1969)
678 JONAH HILL Grandma’s Boy (2006)
746 PETER BOYLE Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)
762 JACK WARDEN Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)
781 SHELLEY WINTERS Gideon (1999)
810 JUSTIN LONG RAISING GENIUS (2004)
897 TONY CURTIS Pepe (1960)
912 ARTHUR TOVEY The Cheyenne Social Club (1970)
936 MYKELTI WILLIAMSON GIDEON (1999)
968 JONATHAN LOUGHRAN GRANDMA’S BOY (2006)
Her top 2 are Rance and Clint Howard, she also appeared with Ron in The Music Man but I don’t think he’s been in a real movie since More American Graffiti back in 1979. The following are the actors on the first list back in 2000 who she worked with but have since fallen off;
45 BURT LANCASTER Elmer Gantry (1960)
56 HENRY FONDA The Cheyenne Social Club (1970)
75 CAMERON MITCHELL Carousel (1956)
76 EDDIE ALBERT Oklahoma! (1955)
93 HARRY CAREY JR. Two Rode Together (1961)
102 DAVID NIVEN Bedtime Story (1964)
118 WOODY STRODE Two Rode Together (1961)
119 RICHARD WIDMARK Two Rode Together (1961)
132 GLENN FORD The Courtship of Eddie’s Father (1963)
147 LLOYD BRIDGES The Happy Ending (1969)
149 TELLY SAVALAS Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)
151 CESAR ROMERO Pepe (1960)
155 ROYAL DANO Never Steal Anything Small (1959)
169 JOHN DEHNER Carousel (1956)
169 JOHN DEHNER The Cheyenne Social Club (1970)
188 MARLON BRANDO Bedtime Story (1964)
213 BEN JOHNSON Oklahoma! (1955)
222 BESS FLOWERS April Love (1957)
222 BESS FLOWERS Bedtime Story (1964)
237 PETER LAWFORD Pepe (1960)
245 SLIM PICKENS Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)
248 ARTHUR KENNEDY Elmer Gantry (1960)
256 HANK WORDEN The Music Man (1962)
270 FRANK SINATRA Pepe (1960)
271 PETER BROCCO Elmer Gantry (1960)
272 VITO SCOTTI The Courtship of Eddie’s Father (1963)
344 JAMES STEWART The Cheyenne Social Club (1970)
344 JAMES STEWART Two Rode Together (1961)
359 KARL MALDEN Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)
361 JAMES WHITMORE Oklahoma! (1955)
376 STELLA STEVENS The Courtship of Eddie’s Father (1963)
376 STELLA STEVENS The Secret of My Success (1965)
399 NEHEMIAH PERSOFF Never Steal Anything Small (1959)
424 ZSA ZSA GABOR Pepe (1960)
459 DABBS GREER The Cheyenne Social Club (1970)
463 EDWARD G. ROBINSON Pepe (1960)
476 ROSSANO BRAZZI Dark Purpose (1964)
503 RICHARD CONTE Pepe (1960)
522 RED BUTTONS A Ticklish Affair (1963)
529 NORMAN ALDEN Bedtime Story (1964)
571 CHARLES LANE The Music Man (1962)
592 WHIT BISSELL Fluffy (1965)
594 G.D. SPRADLIN Tank (1984)
606 ALBERTO MORIN The Cheyenne Social Club (1970)
657 DEBBIE REYNOLDS Pepe (1960)
690 PARLEY BAER Bedtime Story (1964)
690 PARLEY BAER Fluffy (1965)
730 JUDGE REINHOLD Ping! (2000)
732 ARTHUR O’CONNELL April Love (1957)
744 DEAN JAGGER Elmer Gantry (1960)
750 SALLY FIELD Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)
775 DINA MERRILL The Courtship of Eddie’s Father (1963)
824 FRANK WILCOX A Ticklish Affair (1963)
840 FRANK GORSHIN Manna from Heaven (2002)
840 FRANK GORSHIN The Creature of the Sunny Side Up Trailer Park (2006)
859 MYRON HEALEY The Cheyenne Social Club (1970)
864 JERRY ORBACH Manna from Heaven (2002)
882 DEAN MARTIN Pepe (1960)
890 JAMES BOOTH The Secret of My Success (1965)
895 TONY RANDALL Fluffy (1965)
917 ROBERT J. WILKE Never Steal Anything Small (1959)
917 ROBERT J. WILKE The Cheyenne Social Club (1970)
949 JOHN HANCOCK Tank (1984)
953 HARVEY KORMAN Gideon (1999)
961 NICKY BLAIR Never Steal Anything Small (1959)
965 MARY WICKES The Music Man (1962)
973 JEAN SIMMONS Elmer Gantry (1960)
973 JEAN SIMMONS The Happy Ending (1969)
Shirley actually appeared with 27 Oscar winners;
BEN JOHNSON Oklahoma! (1955)
BING CROSBY Pepe (1960)
BURT LANCASTER Elmer Gantry (1960)
CHARLES COBURN Pepe (1960)
CHARLTON HESTON Gideon (1999)
CLORIS LEACHMAN Manna from Heaven (2002)
DAVID NIVEN Bedtime Story (1964)
DEAN JAGGER Elmer Gantry (1960)
DONNA REED Pepe (1960)
FRANK SINATRA Pepe (1960)
GIG YOUNG A Ticklish Affair (1963)
GLORIA GRAHAME Oklahoma! (1955)
HENRY FONDA The Cheyenne Social Club (1970)
JACK LEMMON Pepe (1960)
JAMES CAGNEY Never Steal Anything Small (1959)
JAMES STEWART The Cheyenne Social Club (1970)
JAMES STEWART Two Rode Together (1961)
KARL MALDEN Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)
KATHY BATES Christmas Is Here Again (2007)
LOUISE FLETCHER Manna from Heaven (2002)
MARLON BRANDO Bedtime Story (1964)
MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY Family Weekend (2013)
MICHAEL CAINE Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)
RED BUTTONS A Ticklish Affair (1963)
ROD STEIGER Oklahoma! (1955)
SALLY FIELD Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)
SHELLEY WINTERS Gideon (1999)
TERESA WRIGHT The Happy Ending (1969)
Hey Dan
1. Thanks for the lists….they are always appreciated.
2. Ah…..the Howards…like them being near the top. Rance should be there awhile…..because when he passed he still had lots of movies in post production.
3. Only 2 Bess Flowers movies….I guess Shirley was a slacker….lol.
4. 27 Oscar winning co-stars is a pretty good total…..and one of them is Sir Michael.
5. Thanks for sharing this information.
BRUCE
Nice little tribute to the Carousel/Oklahoma girl of the 1950s.
Although Shirley Jones career stretched over the decades she never became a big screen box office attraction and is perhaps better known for the TV series The Partridge Family [1970-1974].
Shirley probably got some additional publicity from being the step-mother of David Cassidy who was also in The Partridge Family and became a big teen idol in 70s pop culture. David was the biological son of Jack Cassidy who was married to Shirley from 1956-74 and was the guest villain in several Columbo TV movies but who tragically died in a fire at the age of 49 in 1976. The 84 year old Shirley has also survived her stepson David Cassidy who died aged 69 last year of liver failure arising from alcohol abuse.
She seemed to have a decent acting range in hey-day movies playing for example wholesome heroines like Carousel’s Julie Jordan on the one hand and the prostitute in Elmer Gantry on the other, for which as you mention above she was awarded a Best Supporting Oscar. The prostitution theme seemed to appeal to her because she acted alongside Stewart and Fonda in 1970’s. The Cheyenne Social Club [directed by Gene Kelly] the Club of the title being a high-class brothel which ageing cowboys Jimmy and Hank try to turn into a respectable boarding house.
The two films in which I most liked her are (1) Bedtime Story starring Mr Mumbles and Niven and later remade as Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with Steve Martin and Sir Maurice Micklewhite and (2) The Courtship of Eddie’s Father starring Charles William Stuart. Shirley also starred with Jimmy Stewart and another of my great idols Widmark in John Ford’s Two Rode Together as you have recorded above. {There- that’s enough name dropping for one post or people will think I’m trying to compete with Bob Hope!]
Hey Bob
1. Thanks for checking out our latest page and sharing your thoughts on Shirley Jones.
2. I agree …her movie career was pretty much a ten year run from roughly the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s…at least as a leading lady.
3. In many ways she reminds me of Fred MacMuray….I grew up listening to their parental advice on re-run tv…..then as I got older and wiser I realized that their tv career was pretty much their second career…and that they had very successful movie careers…and in her case was an Oscar winning actress.
4. Same thing happened with Agnes Moorehead.
5. Growing up…the Cassidy/Jones merged family was pretty popular….who would have guessed Shirley would outlive David.
6. So the question I have for you…which version is better Brando’s Bedtime or Caine’s Dirty?
7. I like the name dropping. Too bad Judd Nelson did not work his way into the comment…lol.
Good stuff.
HI BRUCE
Thanks for feedback.
Ratings that I can immediately recall are
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels COGERSON 78% IMDB 73%
Bedtime Story COGERSON 62% IMDB 68%
I like Micklewhite, Mumbles and Steve Martin so I can be reasonably impartial and give the edge to Sir Maurice/Steve version. After all Richard Harris once said “Brando could do anything – except comedy.”
Oddly enough my brother and I found Mr Mumbles funny in an OTT sort of way in that one [though not in Teahouse]. I think I may have previously mentioned how we were all laughing during Bedtime Story except my father who as a Brando-hater strained a stony face until suddenly tears came rolling down his cheeks though he still kept trying to maintain the straight face! However most critics seem to feel that Brando was funny in just The Frehsman where he sent up his Godpop role.
I’ve seen 5 of the 19 films on the chart – Bedtime Story, Carousel, Oklahoma, Beyond the Poseidon Adventure and Two Rode Together. The last is my favorite from that group.
I can’t remember if I watched the Partridge Family on TV when I was a kid. I remember The Waltons, does that count? The Beverly Hillbillies? The Addams Family, or is that too far back? One family I distinctly remember – The Robinson family- “Danger Will Robinson Danger!” Oh yes and the Tracy brothers, Thunderbirds are Go! 🙂
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels was a lot funnier than the original, Bedtime Story, starring Niven and Brando. RIP Glenne Headly, sadly she died last year, the youngest of the Dirty Rotten Scoundrels trio.
Good stuff Bruce. Vote Up!
The Partridge Family was a household staple growing up. She and Florence Henderson were my two favorite tv moms. Have not seen many of these movies.
Hey SteinHoF16…..I always liked Mrs. Brady (Florence Henderson) a little more….but….I like you….grew up with both of these tv moms……back then I did not realize I was watching old episodes…..lol.
I have seen 8 Shirley Jones movies, 7 of which I consider to be all time favourites of mine.
The only one I didn’t enjoy was April Love. I don’t much care for Pat Boone.
The highest rated film I have seen is The Music Man.
The lowest rated film I have seen is Two Rode Together.
The highest rated film I have NOT seen is Pepe.
Thus, my favourite Shirley Jones films in order are:
The Music Man
Oklahoma!
The Courtship of Eddie’s Father
Two Rode Together
The Cheyenne Social Club
Elmer Gantry
Carousel
Again, I did not enjoy April Love that much.
I know it’s not a high total, but most of the films I have seen are high in the rankings. The lowest ranked film I’ve seen is 10th. I am a big fan of musicals, so The Music Man and Oklahoma! are listed at the top of my list. Carousel has great music, but it is sad so I listed it last.
In regards to non-musicals: In Two Rode Together, she joins two favourites of mine Richard Widmark and James Stewart. In Courtship of Eddie’s Father, she stars opposite another favourite of mine, Glenn Ford. The Cheyenne Social Club is another fun film she made with James Stewart and also Henry Fonda. Elmer Gantry has a great cast.
Hey Flora….wow….my tally is actually pretty close to your tally. I have seen 7 of her movies. Granted….you have seen 8 Shirley Jones movies….while I have seen 4 Shirley Jones movies and 3 Shirley Jones movies in which she appeared in supporting roles (Tank, Grandma’s Boy and Beyond the Caine Adventure). Of your favorites I have seen The Music Man, Oklahoma (just watched it this weekend….probably why she now has a page), Cheyenne Social Club and Elmer Gantry.
The one I want to watch is Bedtime Story. The trailer looks interesting….and confusing. Why confusing? Because having seen Dirty Rotten Scroundels (D.R.S. so many times…..it is strange seeing Niven and Brando playing the Caine and Martin roles…..especially strange since Bedtime Story was over 20 years before D.R.S. Another one I want to watch is Two Rode Together…..somehow I have missed that one. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Shirley Jones.