Who were the Top Movie Stars of the 1950s statistically? This page will attempt to answer that question. Our main source of information was our Ultimate Movie Ranking (UMR) pages that covered movie stars that made movies in the 1950s. So far we have box office grosses on 1,455 movies made between 1950 and 1959. Granted this is far from all the movies made during that time frame….but it does cover most of the major movie releases in that decade.
We have included four lists of information. List one looks at the Top 15 stars by adjusted domestic box office (the Top Star might surprise you). List two looks at the Top 15 stars by highest average rating per movie according to critics and audiences. List three looks at the Top 15 Stars by highest average UMR score per movie. List four shows our entire table of all the stars we looked at while complying these lists.
Top 15 Adjusted Domestic Box Office Leaders 1950 – 1959
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- 1st James Stewart $4,101,500,000
- 2nd Charlton Heston $3,943,800,000
- 3rd William Holden $3,677,700,000
- 4th Rock Hudson $3,516,000,000
- 5th Dean Martin $3,452,000,000
- 6th Jerry Lewis $3,448,000,000
- 7th Burt Lancaster $3,349,500,000
- 8th Frank Sinatra $3,331,800,000
- 9th Tony Curtis $3,246,000,000
- 10th John Wayne $3,051,400,000
- 11th Deborah Kerr $3,034,000,000
- 12th Elizabeth Taylor $2,826,000,000
- 13th Marilyn Monroe $2,776,000,000
- 14th Glenn Ford $2,720,000,000
- 15th Susan Hayward $2,705,600,000
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Top 15 Average Critic/Audience Rating Leaders 1950 – 1959 (min. 8 movies)
- 1st Marlon Brando 77.40% critic and audience voting
- 2nd Grace Kelly 77.20% critic and audience voting
- 3rd James Stewart 75.80% critic and audience voting
- 4th Charles Laughton 75.10% critic and audience voting
- 5th Danny Kaye 74.30% critic and audience voting
- 6th Audrey Hepburn 73.80% critic and audience voting
- 7th Ingrid Bergman 73.50% critic and audience voting
- 8th Marilyn Monroe 72.90% critic and audience voting
- 9th Humphrey Bogart 72.10% critic and audience voting
- 10th Cary Grant 71.40% critic and audience voting
- 11th Henry Fonda 71.30% critic and audience voting
- 12th Alec Guiness 71.00% critic and audience voting
- 13th Fred Astaire 70.70% critic and audience voting
- 14th William Holden 70.20% critic and audience voting
- 15th Jack Lemmon 69.60% critic and audience voting
Top 15 Average UMR Score Per Movie 1950-1959 (minimum 8 movies)
- 1st Marlon Brando
- 2nd Grace Kelly
- 3rd James Stewart
- 4th Yul Brynner
- 5th Danny Kaye
- 6th Elizabeth Taylor
- 7th Frank Sinatra
- 8th Dean Martin
- 9th William Holden
- 10th Montgomery Clift
- 11th Jerry Lewis
- 12th Burt Lancaster
- 13th Humphrey Bogart
- 14th John Wayne
- 15th Cary Grant
Top Movie Stars 1950-1959 Main Table
The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.
- Sort by actor or actress
- Sort by movies made between 1950 and 1959
- Sort by total adjusted domestic box office average by movie
- Sort by total adjusted domestic box office from 1950 to 1959
- Sort by total adjusted worldwide box office from 1950 to 1959 *Do not have worldwide totals for all films
- Sort by average review percentage based on critic and audience voting
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each performers’ movies earned
| Box Office Rank | Thespian | Movies | Adj. Domestic B.O. | Adj. Worldwide B.OI. | AVG Review % | Oscar Noms / Wins | AVG UMR Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Stewart | 22 | $4,100,800,000 | $4,101,500,000 | 75.8 % | 031 / 05 | 79.45 | |
| Charlton Heston | 21 | $3,943,800,000 | $7,124,800,000 | 66.3 % | 030 / 15 | 66.55 | |
| William Holden | 23 | $3,677,700,000 | $3,832,100,000 | 70.2 % | 065 / 21 | 75.44 | |
| Rock Hudson | 30 | $3,516,000,000 | $3,737,900,000 | 65.9 % | 022 / 03 | 66.53 | |
| Dean Martin | 20 | $3,452,000,000 | $3,764,200,000 | 64.1 % | 011 / 00 | 76.12 | |
| Jerry Lewis | 20 | $3,448,000,000 | $3,448,300,000 | 61.6 % | 000 / 00 | 75.21 | |
| Burt Lancaster | 21 | $3,349,500,000 | $3,767,700,000 | 68.7 % | 038 / 14 | 74.81 | |
| Frank Sinatra | 18 | $3,331,800,000 | $3,546,700,000 | 67.1 % | 034 / 09 | 76.26 | |
| Tony Curtis | 30 | $3,246,000,000 | $3,246,800,000 | 65.9 % | 016 / 03 | 64.49 | |
| John Wayne | 19 | $3,051,400,000 | $4,057,400,000 | 65.0 % | 015 / 03 | 73.74 | |
| Deborah Kerr | 20 | $3,034,000,000 | $4,320,500,000 | 68.5 % | 056 / 18 | 72.91 | |
| Harry Morgan | 28 | $2,962,400,000 | $3,034,300,000 | 64.8 % | 018 / 05 | 63.99 | |
| Agnes Moorehead | 28 | $2,847,600,000 | $3,404,700,000 | 60.7 % | 011 / 00 | 63.33 | |
| Elizabeth Taylor | 15 | $2,826,000,000 | $4,348,500,000 | 66.7 % | 034 / 07 | 76.55 | |
| Marilyn Monroe | 20 | $2,776,000,000 | $2,908,400,000 | 72.9 % | 029 / 07 | 72.53 | |
| Glenn Ford | 32 | $2,720,000,000 | $2,898,200,000 | 64.5 % | 013 / 01 | 63.03 | |
| Susan Hayward | 19 | $2,705,600,000 | $2,758,900,000 | 62.1 % | 024 / 03 | 71.37 | |
| Debra Paget | 15 | $2,703,000,000 | $4,467,400,000 | 66.3 % | 011 / 01 | 68.66 | |
| Doris Day | 22 | $2,684,000,000 | $3,476,300,000 | 66.7 % | 020 / 04 | 70.10 | |
| James Mason | 23 | $2,679,500,000 | $3,291,600,000 | 69.4 % | 024 / 03 | 68.16 | |
| Dean Jagger | 22 | $2,543,200,000 | $3,380,800,000 | 67.4 % | 022 / 02 | 64.52 | |
| Gregory Peck | 18 | $2,523,600,000 | $2,867,700,000 | 67.5 % | 024 / 05 | 72.80 | |
| Victor Mature | 28 | $2,506,000,000 | $3,174,300,000 | 58.1 % | 008 / 02 | 57.74 | |
| Kirk Douglas | 23 | $2,500,100,000 | $2,789,600,000 | 68.8 % | 023 / 08 | 67.75 | |
| Yul Brynner | 8 | $2,410,400,000 | $4,109,500,000 | 69.4 % | 020 / 07 | 78.83 | |
| Vincent Price | 15 | $2,404,500,000 | $4,172,500,000 | 66.7 % | 007 / 01 | 63.45 | |
| Ernest Borgnine | 21 | $2,402,400,000 | $2,535,200,000 | 68.5 % | 025 / 12 | 68.16 | |
| Lee Marvin | 22 | $2,373,800,000 | $2,644,400,000 | 66.6 % | 012 / 00 | 64.80 | |
| Alan Ladd | 23 | $2,359,800,000 | $2,754,800,000 | 55.4 % | 007 / 02 | 61.24 | |
| Grace Kelly | 11 | $2,338,600,000 | $2,717,900,000 | 77.2 % | 028 / 08 | 83.21 | |
| Robert Taylor | 23 | $2,320,700,000 | $4,354,800,000 | 60.3 % | 016 / 00 | 62.18 | |
| Thelma Ritter | 16 | $2,315,200,000 | $2,475,700,000 | 72.8 % | 039 / 09 | 74.86 | |
| Marlon Brando | 11 | $2,307,800,000 | $2,593,300,000 | 77.4 % | 054 / 18 | 87.67 | |
| Bing Crosby | 12 | $2,296,800,000 | $2,436,700,000 | 63.1 % | 014 / 03 | 72.43 | |
| Jeff Chandler | 34 | $2,281,400,000 | $2,279,700,000 | 59.2 % | 003 / 00 | 58.53 | |
| Jean Simmons | 21 | $2,278,500,000 | $2,933,000,000 | 64.9 % | 018 / 03 | 62.12 | |
| Gary Cooper | 19 | $2,268,600,000 | $2,561,200,000 | 68.0 % | 015 / 04 | 70.13 | |
| Richard Egan | 30 | $2,256,000,000 | $2,477,800,000 | 60.9 % | 002 / 00 | 60.37 | |
| Howard Keel | 19 | $2,247,700,000 | $3,498,800,000 | 62.2 % | 018 / 03 | 65.84 | |
| Robert Mitchum | 25 | $2,187,500,000 | $2,286,200,000 | 61.3 % | 004 / 01 | 61.11 | |
| Robert Wagner | 20 | $2,150,000,000 | $2,311,700,000 | 59.3 % | 014 / 03 | 65.12 | |
| Janet Leigh | 22 | $2,092,200,000 | $2,216,500,000 | 62.7 % | 003 / 00 | 62.84 | |
| Anne Baxter | 17 | $2,087,600,000 | $4,016,600,000 | 66.8 % | 021 / 07 | 61.66 | |
| Ava Gardner | 14 | $2,083,200,000 | $2,831,500,000 | 62.5 % | 012 / 01 | 70.67 | |
| Van Johnson | 29 | $2,079,300,000 | $2,827,100,000 | 62.0 % | 013 / 01 | 59.30 | |
| Humphrey Bogart | 15 | $2,076,000,000 | $2,225,500,000 | 72.1 % | 020 / 03 | 74.23 | |
| Richard Widmark | 26 | $2,051,400,000 | $2,200,800,000 | 63.7 % | 009 / 02 | 62.21 | |
| Gloria Grahame | 18 | $2,050,200,000 | $2,126,100,000 | 68.8 % | 020 / 09 | 65.77 | |
| Cary Grant | 13 | $2,013,700,000 | $2,398,200,000 | 71.4 % | 014 / 01 | 73.57 | |
| Yvonne De Carlo | 17 | $1,929,500,000 | $3,722,500,000 | 59.9 % | 008 / 01 | 57.14 | |
| Dorothy Malone | 22 | $1,927,200,000 | $2,039,400,000 | 62.8 % | 005 / 01 | 61.84 | |
| Lana Turner | 15 | $1,918,500,000 | $2,233,600,000 | 56.0 % | 020 / 05 | 62.88 | |
| Raymond Burr | 32 | $1,900,800,000 | $2,263,300,000 | 60.3 % | 013 / 06 | 56.33 | |
| Debbie Reynolds | 20 | $1,898,000,000 | $2,296,000,000 | 64.7 % | 009 / 00 | 65.15 | |
| June Allyson | 17 | $1,893,800,000 | $2,138,200,000 | 60.9 % | 009 / 01 | 63.29 | |
| Arthur Kennedy | 18 | $1,884,600,000 | $2,123,300,000 | 70.4 % | 017 / 00 | 68.01 | |
| Judith Anderson | 4 | $1,879,600,000 | $3,736,500,000 | 76.8 % | 014 / 01 | 85.54 | |
| Edmond O'Brien | 26 | $1,872,000,000 | $2,150,500,000 | 60.8 % | 008 / 02 | 59.71 | |
| Van Heflin | 18 | $1,861,200,000 | $2,059,400,000 | 66.0 % | 008 / 01 | 64.09 | |
| Natalie Wood | 19 | $1,839,200,000 | $2,136,800,000 | 60.0 % | 012 / 00 | 63.09 | |
| Edward G. Robinson | 13 | $1,827,800,000 | $3,590,200,000 | 63.0 % | 007 / 01 | 59.81 | |
| Mitzi Gaynor | 15 | $1,827,000,000 | $1,894,600,000 | 60.9 % | 011 / 03 | 64.98 | |
| Fred MacMurray | 20 | $1,806,000,000 | $1,852,800,000 | 57.5 % | 008 / 00 | 58.31 | |
| Eleanor Parker | 17 | $1,798,600,000 | $2,333,200,000 | 65.8 % | 015 / 01 | 68.34 | |
| Tyrone Power | 15 | $1,792,500,000 | $1,796,500,000 | 61.5 % | 012 / 01 | 67.58 | |
| Anthony Quinn | 27 | $1,782,000,000 | $1,974,600,000 | 62.7 % | 015 / 03 | 60.46 | |
| Virginia Mayo | 24 | $1,783,200,000 | $2,744,000,000 | 55.0 % | 005 / 00 | 57.39 | |
| Clark Gable | 14 | $1,766,800,000 | $2,595,900,000 | 62.0 % | 004 / 00 | 68.42 | |
| Dorothy McGuire | 13 | $1,734,200,000 | $1,881,000,000 | 64.4 % | 012 / 02 | 68.44 | |
| Jeffrey Hunter | 25 | $1,730,000,000 | $1,866,900,000 | 63.3 % | 003 / 00 | 60.38 | |
| Charles Bronson | 12 | $1,726,800,000 | $1,772,300,000 | 64.5 % | 002 / 00 | 68.56 | |
| Lee Van Cleef | 22 | $1,722,600,000 | $1,813,700,000 | 63.7 % | 012 / 04 | 61.98 | |
| Robert Ryan | 25 | $1,717,500,000 | $1,993,500,000 | 67.7 % | 005 / 00 | 62.22 | |
| Clifton Webb | 14 | $1,682,800,000 | $1,682,800,000 | 64.0 % | 005 / 03 | 67.84 | |
| Bob Hope | 14 | $1,647,800,000 | $1,653,500,000 | 62.0 % | 002 / 00 | 67.43 | |
| Kim Novak | 11 | $1,639,000,000 | $1,639,000,000 | 69.0 % | 021 / 03 | 73.54 | |
| Leo G. Carroll | 14 | $1,625,400,000 | $2,157,800,000 | 73.5 % | 016 / 05 | 70.05 | |
| Donna Reed | 17 | $1,611,600,000 | $1,770,100,000 | 61.0 % | 013 / 08 | 62.09 | |
| Montgomery Clift | 9 | $1,595,700,000 | $1,991,500,000 | 67.2 % | 030 / 14 | 75.02 | |
| Roger Ebert Top 100 Movies | 10 | $1,594,000,000 | $1,773,500,000 | 91.8 % | 052 / 19 | 88.62 | |
| David Niven | 14 | $1,589,000,000 | $1,737,600,000 | 61.7 % | 019 / 07 | 64.64 | |
| James Cagney | 14 | $1,569,400,000 | $1,842,000,000 | 65.3 % | 013 / 02 | 66.62 | |
| Billy Wilder | 9 | $1,566,900,000 | $1,566,500,000 | 85.0 % | 033 / 06 | 88.87 | |
| Jane Wyman | 15 | $1,564,500,000 | $1,706,500,000 | 65.9 % | 006 / 01 | 66.85 | |
| Rita Moreno | 15 | $1,561,500,000 | $1,829,900,000 | 60.1 % | 012 / 05 | 63.10 | |
| Dan Dailey | 17 | $1,553,800,000 | $1,737,000,000 | 62.9 % | 008 / 00 | 63.30 | |
| George Sanders | 22 | $1,548,800,000 | $2,143,000,000 | 62.3 % | 019 / 07 | 60.20 | |
| Charles Bickford | 11 | $1,542,200,000 | $1,663,600,000 | 64.9 % | 010 / 01 | 69.61 | |
| Jack Lemmon | 12 | $1,534,800,000 | $1,581,800,000 | 69.6 % | 013 / 02 | 69.14 | |
| Randolph Scott | 26 | $1,528,800,000 | $1,805,700,000 | 61.1 % | 000 / 00 | 57.80 | |
| Audie Murphy | 24 | $1,512,000,000 | $1,527,200,000 | 63.3 % | 000 / 00 | 58.83 | |
| Lee J. Cobb | 20 | $1,510,000,000 | $1,611,400,000 | 65.7 % | 015 / 09 | 62.70 | |
| Danny Kaye | 8 | $1,492,800,000 | $1,492,800,000 | 74.3 % | 014 / 00 | 77.30 | |
| Jane Russell | 15 | $1,486,500,000 | $1,486,900,000 | 60.5 % | 001 / 00 | 62.95 | |
| Donald O'Connor | 16 | $1,481,600,000 | $1,590,800,000 | 65.6 % | 007 / 01 | 64.19 | |
| Karl Malden | 16 | $1,451,200,000 | $1,696,600,000 | 72.3 % | 031 / 12 | 68.60 | |
| Royal Dano | 20 | $1,438,000,000 | $1,547,200,000 | 68.8 % | 002 / 00 | 62.61 | |
| Jack Palance | 17 | $1,428,000,000 | $1,669,800,000 | 62.0 % | 013 / 02 | 62.01 | |
| Arlene Dahl | 18 | $1,416,600,000 | $1,671,600,000 | 59.1 % | 004 / 00 | 59.93 | |
| Tab Hunter | 15 | $1,413,000,000 | $1,548,700,000 | 59.4 % | 002 / 00 | 59.14 | |
| William Demarest | 20 | $1,392,000,000 | $1,707,100,000 | 56.7 % | 003 / 00 | 57.58 | |
| Maureen O'Hara | 18 | $1,384,200,000 | $1,538,800,000 | 61.6 % | 007 / 02 | 61.03 | |
| Aldo Ray | 13 | $1,379,300,000 | $1,463,500,000 | 67.7 % | 003 / 00 | 65.90 | |
| Rhonda Fleming | 25 | $1,377,500,000 | $1,490,500,000 | 59.6 % | 002 / 00 | 56.29 | |
| Shirley MacLaine | 9 | $1,360,800,000 | $1,450,100,000 | 69.3 % | 017 / 05 | 71.54 | |
| Sal Mineo | 12 | $1,354,800,000 | $1,577,500,000 | 67.5 % | 017 / 03 | 67.00 | |
| Broderick Crawford | 13 | $1,336,400,000 | $1,426,100,000 | 66.9 % | 008 / 01 | 65.60 | |
| Gene Kelly | 15 | $1,330,500,000 | $2,087,000,000 | 66.3 % | 019 / 07 | 65.34 | |
| Gene Tierney | 13 | $1,309,100,000 | $1,403,700,000 | 63.5 % | 005 / 01 | 65.33 | |
| Barbara Stanwyck | 22 | $1,304,600,000 | $1,527,900,000 | 64.1 % | 007 / 01 | 59.34 | |
| Jack Albertson | 11 | $1,295,800,000 | $1,340,400,000 | 63.8 % | 008 / 01 | 65.12 | |
| Jeanne Crain | 14 | $1,295,000,000 | $1,347,900,000 | 63.7 % | 002 / 01 | 63.78 | |
| Victor McLaglen | 11 | $1,289,200,000 | $1,468,900,000 | 62.7 % | 015 / 07 | 63.33 | |
| Robert Wise | 18 | $1,287,000,000 | $1,650,100,000 | 69.7 % | 015 / 03 | 64.48 | |
| Cornel Wilde | 20 | $1,280,000,000 | $1,391,700,000 | 59.2 % | 005 / 02 | 55.26 | |
| Walter Pidgeon | 17 | $1,266,500,000 | $2,159,100,000 | 62.1 % | 013 / 05 | 61.20 | |
| Shelley Winters | 19 | $1,265,400,000 | $1,530,500,000 | 68.4 % | 021 / 09 | 63.48 | |
| Louis Jourdan | 12 | $1,257,600,000 | $1,452,900,000 | 61.7 % | 016 / 11 | 64.37 | |
| Walter Brennan | 15 | $1,249,500,000 | $1,649,000,000 | 69.3 % | 004 / 00 | 64.43 | |
| Audrey Hepburn | 12 | $1,245,600,000 | $1,572,700,000 | 72.7 % | 033 / 05 | 71.04 | |
| Jane Powell | 13 | $1,240,200,000 | $1,915,100,000 | 58.4 % | 008 / 01 | 61.38 | |
| Lauren Bacall | 10 | $1,239,000,000 | $1,446,400,000 | 69.6 % | 005 / 02 | 69.75 | |
| Mercedes McCambridge | 8 | $1,238,400,000 | $1,490,800,000 | 73.4 % | 014 / 01 | 72.63 | |
| Spencer Tracy | 12 | $1,230,000,000 | $1,636,300,000 | 68.8 % | 014 / 03 | 69.73 | |
| Paul Newman | 10 | $1,229,000,000 | $1,507,600,000 | 63.6 % | 014 / 02 | 67.55 | |
| Joan Fontaine | 14 | $1,219,400,000 | $1,570,600,000 | 61.4 % | 006 / 00 | 61.36 | |
| Rod Steiger | 11 | $1,217,700,000 | $1,270,200,000 | 69.5 % | 019 / 10 | 68.51 | |
| Joe E. Brown | 3 | $1,215,900,000 | $1,337,100,000 | 82.8 % | 016 / 06 | 93.58 | |
| Robert Morley | 16 | $1,212,800,000 | $1,465,700,000 | 66.1 % | 013 / 06 | 59.47 | |
| Elisha Cook Jr. | 14 | $1,195,600,000 | $1,364,300,000 | 64.3 % | 007 / 01 | 61.93 | |
| Gig Young | 19 | $1,191,300,000 | $1,387,800,000 | 63.6 % | 006 / 00 | 59.61 | |
| Mel Ferrer | 15 | $1,177,500,000 | $1,619,000,000 | 62.4 % | 011 / 01 | 60.91 | |
| Rod Taylor | 10 | $1,169,000,000 | $1,628,500,000 | 65.6 % | 017 / 03 | 65.32 | |
| José Ferrer | 12 | $1,160,400,000 | $1,306,400,000 | 67.5 % | 016 / 03 | 66.36 | |
| Fred Astaire | 9 | $1,123,200,000 | $1,768,200,000 | 70.7 % | 014 / 00 | 73.39 | |
| Cyd Charisse | 13 | $1,115,400,000 | $1,833,400,000 | 69.7 % | 011 / 00 | 65.89 | |
| Sidney Poitier | 13 | $1,101,100,000 | $1,133,300,000 | 64.8 % | 018 / 03 | 64.33 | |
| Brigitte Bardot | 23 | $1,094,800,000 | $1,342,200,000 | 58.3 % | 000 / 00 | 54.67 | |
| Errol Flynn | 17 | $1,084,600,000 | $1,512,100,000 | 57.5 % | 000 / 00 | 57.25 | |
| Richard Burton | 9 | $1,081,800,000 | $1,514,000,000 | 62.6 % | 011 / 02 | 63.64 | |
| Fredric March | 9 | $1,073,700,000 | $1,131,400,000 | 67.3 % | 011 / 01 | 69.63 | |
| Dan Duryea | 21 | $1,073,100,000 | $1,073,100,000 | 63.2 % | 000 / 00 | 56.96 | |
| Eva Gabor | 11 | $1,071,400,000 | $1,340,800,000 | 57.9 % | 009 / 09 | 61.14 | |
| Rita Hayworth | 8 | $1,069,600,000 | $1,069,900,000 | 60.5 % | 013 / 02 | 69.95 | |
| Burl Ives | 9 | $1,053,900,000 | $1,287,000,000 | 73.0 % | 013 / 02 | 70.82 | |
| Betty Hutton | 5 | $1,053,000,000 | $1,299,100,000 | 67.0 % | 009 / 03 | 73.6 | |
| Dana Andrews | 19 | $1,033,600,000 | $1,151,700,000 | 59.7 % | 003 / 00 | 56.82 | |
| Marjorie Main | 11 | $1,025,200,000 | $1,121,300,000 | 65.5 % | 000 / 00 | 64.88 | |
| Elsa Lanchester | 13 | $1,020,500,000 | $1,118,600,000 | 63.3 % | 009 / 00 | 62.32 | |
| Sterling Hayden | 20 | $1,012,000,000 | $1,083,900,000 | 64.8 % | 005 / 00 | 58.09 | |
| Leslie Caron | 11 | $995,500,000 | $1,779,700,000 | 61.1 % | 027 / 16 | 63.81 | |
| Esther Williams | 10 | $993,000,000 | $1,540,700,000 | 58.5 % | 001 / 00 | 63.16 | |
| Ray Milland | 18 | $991,800,000 | $1,144,900,000 | 60.7 % | 001 / 00 | 57.03 | |
| Betty Grable | 8 | $985,600,000 | $985,900,000 | 64.4 % | 002 / 00 | 66.36 | |
| Alec Guinness | 16 | $979,200,000 | $1,025,300,000 | 71.0 % | 016 / 08 | 61.43 | |
| Claire Trevor | 11 | $973,500,000 | $1,122,800,000 | 54.1 % | 007 / 01 | 57.99 | |
| Marlene Dietrich | 7 | $972,300,000 | $1,020,800,000 | 74.3 % | 014 / 05 | 70.19 | |
| Howard Hawks | 7 | $970,900,000 | $1,197,900,000 | 78.0 % | 002 / 00 | 76.04 | |
| Jennifer Jones | 10 | $970,000,000 | $1,004,000,000 | 63.4 % | 012 / 03 | 65.62 | |
| Peter Lorre | 10 | $957,000,000 | $1,015,500,000 | 61.8 % | 003 / 02 | 60.26 | |
| Dennis Hopper | 6 | $952,800,000 | $1,184,800,000 | 70.9 % | 016 / 01 | 71.09 | |
| Joel McCrea | 19 | $951,900,000 | $996,200,000 | 59.3 % | 000 / 00 | 55.64 | |
| Trevor Howard | 15 | $951,000,000 | $951,300,000 | 63.7 % | 008 / 05 | 56.55 | |
| Vera Miles | 13 | $950,300,000 | $1,166,200,000 | 68.4 % | 000 / 00 | 62.43 | |
| Jayne Mansfield | 10 | $951,000,000 | $1,037,400,000 | 62.1 % | 001 / 00 | 62.06 | |
| Henry Fonda | 8 | $940,800,000 | $1,033,400,000 | 71.3 % | 007 / 01 | 66.28 | |
| Farley Granger | 12 | $939,600,000 | $1,232,900,000 | 65.0 % | 010 / 00 | 61.32 | |
| James Dean | 3 | $930,300,000 | $1,187,700,000 | 85.5 % | 017 / 02 | 98.21 | |
| Gina Lollobrigida | 7 | $928,200,000 | $942,100,000 | 61.7 % | 000 / 00 | 66.18 | |
| Katharine Hepburn | 7 | $925,400,000 | $960,800,000 | 76.3 % | 012 / 01 | 77.78 | |
| Eva Marie Saint | 5 | $922,500,000 | $1,251,500,000 | 76.1 % | 016 / 08 | 80.65 | |
| Piper Laurie | 16 | $920,000,000 | $952,000,000 | 61.2 % | 002 / 00 | 57.64 | |
| Dean Jones | 15 | $916,500,000 | $1,250,500,000 | 61.9 % | 002 / 01 | 58.51 | |
| Ann Miller | 10 | $912,000,000 | $1,370,600,000 | 59.5 % | 003 / 00 | 62.18 | |
| Jack Warden | 8 | $912,000,000 | $1,013,000,000 | 71.6 % | 015 / 08 | 67.11 | |
| Dick Powell | 12 | $900,000,000 | $1,010,200,000 | 61.4 % | 009 / 06 | 61.25 | |
| Edward Arnold | 10 | $879,000,000 | $1,089,700,000 | 64.2 % | 004 / 01 | 62.01 | |
| Carroll Baker | 6 | $872,400,000 | $1,214,600,000 | 68.9 % | 016 / 02 | 70.97 | |
| Joan Crawford | 12 | $868,800,000 | $916,800,000 | 66.7 % | 010 / 00 | 63.27 | |
| Rosalind Russell | 5 | $863,500,000 | $924,100,000 | 62.7 % | 012 / 02 | 71.14 | |
| Xmas Movies | 4 | $852,000,000 | $852,100,000 | 73.1 % | 003 / 00 | 74.56 | |
| Kathryn Grayson | 8 | $846,400,000 | $1,249,100,000 | 62.1 % | 004 / 00 | 64.3 | |
| Mickey Rooney | 13 | $838,500,000 | $886,100,000 | 57.9 % | 005 / 01 | 56.56 | |
| William Dieterle | 10 | $828,000,000 | $828,400,000 | 59.6 % | 000 / 00 | 60.69 | |
| Ed Begley | 16 | $824,000,000 | $899,900,000 | 68.3 % | 001 / 00 | 59.6 | |
| Orson Welles | 13 | $819,000,000 | $819,500,000 | 67.2 % | 001 / 00 | 60.57 | |
| Red Skelton | 10 | $815,000,000 | $1,173,200,000 | 58.9 % | 001 / 00 | 60.38 | |
| Sophia Loren | 9 | $815,400,000 | $880,100,000 | 54.7 % | 002 / 00 | 59.60 | |
| Lloyd Bridges | 15 | $813,000,000 | $973,800,000 | 62.2 % | 011 / 05 | 57.63 | |
| Christopher Lee | 20 | $810,000,000 | $997,600,000 | 67.5 % | 007 / 02 | 58.04 | |
| Ginger Rogers | 13 | $790,400,000 | $803,500,000 | 56.6 % | 002 / 00 | 55.69 | |
| Joseph Cotten | 17 | $775,200,000 | $824,500,000 | 59.0 % | 000 / 00 | 54.35 | |
| William Powell | 4 | $772,800,000 | $848,200,000 | 73.9 % | 004 / 01 | 70.89 | |
| Troy Donahue | 10 | $771,000,000 | $875,400,000 | 64.9 % | 002 / 00 | 61.13 | |
| Ray Walston | 4 | $769,600,000 | $769,700,000 | 61.1 % | 005 / 01 | 70.57 | |
| Anne Bancroft | 14 | $768,600,000 | $778,900,000 | 63.0 % | 000 / 00 | 56.84 | |
| Patricia Neal | 11 | $761,200,000 | $911,200,000 | 68.8 % | 000 / 00 | 62.66 | |
| John Gielgud | 6 | $758,400,000 | $879,700,000 | 67.0 % | 014 / 06 | 63.22 | |
| Anthony Perkins | 10 | $750,000,000 | $893,700,000 | 63.4 % | 009 / 00 | 61.54 | |
| Lizabeth Scott | 10 | $747,000,000 | $747,000,000 | 59.8 % | 000 / 00 | 60.26 | |
| Paul Lukas | 3 | $739,800,000 | $873,500,000 | 68.5 % | 003 / 02 | 78.14 | |
| Charles Laughton | 8 | $735,200,000 | $883,400,000 | 75.1 % | 010 / 00 | 69.55 | |
| Joan Bennett | 8 | $735,200,000 | $924,100,000 | 67.7 % | 003 / 00 | 65.84 | |
| Donald Crisp | 8 | $733,600,000 | $825,400,000 | 64.4 % | 000 / 00 | 63.72 | |
| Sandra Dee | 8 | $728,800,000 | $926,800,000 | 68.8 % | 002 / 00 | 65.15 | |
| Peter Ustinov | 6 | $725,400,000 | $1,333,900,000 | 69.7 % | 008 / 00 | 65.99 | |
| James Garner | 6 | $723,600,000 | $1,058,100,000 | 65.5 % | 010 / 04 | 65.05 | |
| Mario Lanza | 7 | $707,000,000 | $1,477,300,000 | 60.6 % | 005 / 01 | 63.68 | |
| Ronald Reagan | 13 | $696,800,000 | $752,400,000 | 55.2 % | 001 / 00 | 53.94 | |
| Pat O'Brien | 9 | $690,300,000 | $805,500,000 | 64.5 % | 006 / 01 | 57.59 | |
| Ingrid Bergman | 9 | $684,000,000 | $837,400,000 | 73.5 % | 003 / 01 | 67.04 | |
| Dorothy Lamour | 2 | $683,200,000 | $683,200,000 | 64.8 % | 005 / 02 | 80.75 | |
| Eve Arden | 9 | $669,600,000 | $757,100,000 | 64.4 % | 007 / 00 | 61.73 | |
| Peter Finch | 17 | $664,700,000 | $1,026,800,000 | 66.3 % | 008 / 00 | 57.18 | |
| Dorothy Dandridge | 9 | $661,500,000 | $724,000,000 | 63.8 % | 006 / 01 | 61.67 | |
| Shirley Jones | 5 | $656,500,000 | $656,600,000 | 64.7 % | 005 / 02 | 65.68 | |
| Abbott & Costello | 11 | $651,200,000 | $686,300,000 | 60.8 % | 000 / 00 | 57.56 | |
| Judy Holliday | 6 | $648,000,000 | $648,000,000 | 71.0 % | 008 / 02 | 72.26 | |
| Celeste Holm | 4 | $642,800,000 | $838,800,000 | 78.4 % | 017 / 06 | 82.44 | |
| George Raft | 7 | $637,700,000 | $699,800,000 | 64.2 % | 006 / 01 | 59.03 | |
| Martin Balsam | 6 | $627,600,000 | $627,500,000 | 75.9 % | 014 / 08 | 72.00 | |
| Vic Morrow | 6 | $618,600,000 | $658,600,000 | 69.7 % | 004 / 00 | 67.02 | |
| Paul Henreid | 14 | $617,400,000 | $736,800,000 | 53.0 % | 000 / 00 | 51.72 | |
| Tony Randall | 5 | $611,000,000 | $610,800,000 | 70.3 % | 005 / 01 | 67.44 | |
| Elvis Presley | 4 | $604,400,000 | $604,200,000 | 69.4 % | 000 / 00 | 76.01 | |
| Brian Keith | 14 | $602,000,000 | $633,800,000 | 60.8 % | 003 / 00 | 55.02 | |
| Red Buttons | 3 | $600,000,000 | $797,600,000 | 71.1 % | 010 / 04 | 78.98 | |
| Fay Wray | 10 | $597,000,000 | $723,100,000 | 63.5 % | 004 / 00 | 59.07 | |
| Ben Johnson | 7 | $578,200,000 | $736,800,000 | 71.3 % | 006 / 01 | 62.05 | |
| Bette Davis | 10 | $578,000,000 | $782,600,000 | 62.2 % | 016 / 06 | 59.68 | |
| Olivia de Havilland | 6 | $577,200,000 | $617,100,000 | 60.6 % | 006 / 00 | 59.98 | |
| Joanne Woodward | 7 | $572,600,000 | $572,300,000 | 65.3 % | 001 / 01 | 64.9 | |
| Walter Matthau | 10 | $570,000,000 | $569,600,000 | 66.9 % | 000 / 00 | 60.27 | |
| Cliff Robertson | 6 | $567,600,000 | $567,800,000 | 64.3 % | 006 / 02 | 62.50 | |
| William Bendix | 12 | $558,000,000 | $571,000,000 | 59.2 % | 004 / 00 | 55.12 | |
| Ruth Hussey | 5 | $557,000,000 | $557,200,000 | 61.3 % | 001 / 00 | 66.28 | |
| Herbert Marshall | 12 | $544,800,000 | $545,000,000 | 64.6 % | 001 / 00 | 56.97 | |
| Ethel Barrymore | 9 | $535,500,000 | $651,800,000 | 61.7 % | 003 / 00 | 57.55 | |
| Linda Darnell | 13 | $534,300,000 | $534,000,000 | 59.4 % | 001 / 00 | 54.41 | |
| Angela Lansbury | 10 | $522,000,000 | $601,900,000 | 64.2 % | 001 / 00 | 58.04 | |
| Peter Lawford | 9 | $515,700,000 | $627,600,000 | 61.9 % | 002 / 00 | 57.89 | |
| Lucille Ball | 4 | $512,400,000 | $573,400,000 | 65.0 % | 000 / 00 | 68.39 | |
| Robert Cummings | 6 | $508,800,000 | $641,900,000 | 63.4 % | 000 / 00 | 62.41 | |
| Oscar Levant | 5 | $503,500,000 | $756,900,000 | 70.7 % | 011 / 06 | 70.74 | |
| Pat Boone | 4 | $492,000,000 | $492,000,000 | 62.6 % | 004 / 00 | 67.91 | |
| Joan Blondell | 7 | $486,500,000 | $577,800,000 | 69.3 % | 002 / 00 | 63.69 | |
| Basil Rathbone | 5 | $481,500,000 | $481,700,000 | 77.1 % | 000 / 00 | 70.51 | |
| Dean Stockwell | 6 | $475,800,000 | $628,700,000 | 68.2 % | 000 / 00 | 64.07 | |
| Merle Oberon | 5 | $469,000,000 | $554,300,000 | 56.3 % | 002 / 00 | 59.47 | |
| Lee Remick | 4 | $465,200,000 | $465,200,000 | 80.9 % | 007 / 00 | 74.90 | |
| Dennis Morgan | 9 | $459,900,000 | $594,500,000 | 53.2 % | 000 / 00 | 53.17 | |
| Scatman Crothers | 7 | $457,100,000 | $457,000,000 | 63.1 % | 005 / 01 | 60.11 | |
| Martin Landau | 3 | $455,700,000 | $633,500,000 | 72.9 % | 004 / 00 | 73.45 | |
| John Gavin | 6 | $447,000,000 | $447,200,000 | 66.5 % | 003 / 00 | 60.79 | |
| Andy Griffith | 3 | $445,500,000 | $445,600,000 | 75.3 % | 000 / 00 | 72.62 | |
| Charles Boyer | 7 | $438,200,000 | $468,000,000 | 66.8 % | 001 / 00 | 61.29 | |
| Myrna Loy | 4 | $436,000,000 | $435,900,000 | 61.4 % | 001 / 00 | 64.27 | |
| Harry Belafonte | 5 | $434,500,000 | $459,700,000 | 67.6 % | 002 / 00 | 64.43 | |
| John Saxon | 7 | $415,100,000 | $476,700,000 | 62.5 % | 003 / 00 | 58.97 | |
| Teresa Wright | 11 | $405,900,000 | $437,300,000 | 58.1 % | 002 / 00 | 52.64 | |
| Angie Dickinson | 5 | $396,500,000 | $607,300,000 | 64.6 % | 000 / 00 | 61.02 | |
| Judy Garland | 2 | $394,800,000 | $529,200,000 | 79.5 % | 006 / 00 | 87.43 | |
| Laurence Harvey | 11 | $391,600,000 | $474,600,000 | 60.8 % | 007 / 02 | 55.22 | |
| Thomas Mitchell | 6 | $391,200,000 | $397,400,000 | 70.0 % | 007 / 04 | 63.31 | |
| Zero Mostel | 6 | $388,200,000 | $455,500,000 | 70.1 % | 002 / 01 | 62.87 | |
| Ethel Merman | 2 | $385,800,000 | $385,700,000 | 68.0 % | 005 / 01 | 79.06 | |
| Annette Funicello | 1 | $377,400,000 | $377,400,000 | 66.0 % | 000 / 00 | 82.00 | |
| Barry Fitzgerald | 6 | $373,800,000 | $490,200,000 | 65.0 % | 007 / 02 | 61.35 | |
| Barbara Bel Geddes | 4 | $359,600,000 | $359,600,000 | 84.3 % | 008 / 01 | 74.26 | |
| Claude Rains | 6 | $352,200,000 | $445,100,000 | 55.7 % | 000 / 00 | 55.28 | |
| Jean Arthur | 1 | $345,100,000 | $487,700,000 | 87.5 % | 006 / 01 | 97.35 | |
| June Haver | 4 | $341,600,000 | $376,500,000 | 58.9 % | 001 / 00 | 61.21 | |
| Hedy Lamarr | 6 | $338,400,000 | $366,300,000 | 53.3 % | 000 / 00 | 53.20 | |
| Loretta Young | 6 | $337,800,000 | $387,400,000 | 59.2 % | 000 / 00 | 57.01 | |
| George C. Scott | 2 | $334,000,000 | $334,000,000 | 78.5 % | 008 / 00 | 85.08 | |
| Sean Connery | 3 | $321,300,000 | $321,200,000 | 61.8 % | 000 / 00 | 62.45 | |
| Greer Garson | 6 | $316,800,000 | $604,700,000 | 64.0 % | 005 / 01 | 58.35 | |
| Don Knotts | 1 | $312,300,000 | $312,300,000 | 78.5 % | 000 / 00 | 87.90 | |
| Tuesday Weld | 3 | $311,700,000 | $311,800,000 | 59.4 % | 004 / 00 | 63.95 | |
| Anna Magnani | 9 | $311,400,000 | $311,600,000 | 68.4 % | 011 / 03 | 59.21 | |
| Ann Sheridan | 8 | $311,200,000 | $359,600,000 | 65.2 % | 000 / 00 | 56.92 | |
| Robert Walker | 5 | $306,000,000 | $446,400,000 | 61.7 % | 001 / 00 | 57.11 | |
| Norman Lloyd | 7 | $303,800,000 | $504,500,000 | 67.8 % | 003 / 01 | 58.67 | |
| Vivien Leigh | 2 | $300,000,000 | $300,000,000 | 83.0 % | 012 / 04 | 87.45 | |
| Ida Lupino | 9 | $295,200,000 | $295,300,000 | 67.4 % | 000 / 00 | 56.56 | |
| Helen Hayes | 3 | $293,400,000 | $294,800,000 | 63.0 % | 003 / 01 | 63.47 | |
| Roger Moore | 5 | $291,000,000 | $569,400,000 | 58.2 % | 003 / 01 | 56.72 | |
| Gail Russell | 6 | $290,400,000 | $300,400,000 | 58.0 % | 000 / 00 | 54.77 | |
| Jessica Tandy | 3 | $288,900,000 | $289,000,000 | 66.7 % | 000 / 00 | 66.23 | |
| Harry Dean Stanton | 6 | $285,600,000 | $331,300,000 | 64.2 % | 000 / 00 | 56.90 | |
| Claudette Colbert | 8 | $284,800,000 | $309,500,000 | 57.8 % | 000 / 00 | 52.20 | |
| Wendy Hiller | 5 | $283,000,000 | $282,900,000 | 68.3 % | 007 / 02 | 63.83 | |
| Steve McQueen | 4 | $268,800,000 | $268,800,000 | 52.3 % | 000 / 00 | 54.62 | |
| Carol Lynley | 4 | $266,000,000 | $265,800,000 | 57.8 % | 000 / 00 | 57.72 | |
| Peter Sellers | 8 | $260,000,000 | $260,200,000 | 68.3 % | 001 / 00 | 57.27 | |
| Lena Horne | 2 | $259,600,000 | $405,500,000 | 62.5 % | 001 / 00 | 69.66 | |
| Laurence Olivier | 5 | $257,500,000 | $258,500,000 | 68.9 % | 003 / 00 | 61.57 | |
| Johnny Weissmuller | 13 | $256,100,000 | $256,600,000 | 58.6 % | 000 / 00 | 50.36 | |
| Rip Torn | 4 | $253,600,000 | $274,800,000 | 69.4 % | 004 / 00 | 63.71 | |
| Maureen O'Sullivan | 9 | $241,200,000 | $265,300,000 | 62.4 % | 000 / 00 | 53.26 | |
| Lee Grant | 3 | $240,000,000 | $239,900,000 | 67.2 % | 004 / 00 | 66.20 | |
| Marsha Hunt | 6 | $224,400,000 | $269,600,000 | 57.6 % | 000 / 00 | 53.14 | |
| Michael Redgrave | 16 | $214,400,000 | $318,200,000 | 65.8 % | 001 / 00 | 53.27 | |
| Robert Donat | 3 | $214,200,000 | $214,300,000 | 72.0 % | 001 / 00 | 64.27 | |
| Rex Harrison | 6 | $210,600,000 | $357,100,000 | 59.8 % | 001 / 00 | 53.83 | |
| Richard Crenna | 5 | $207,500,000 | $211,300,000 | 56.0 % | 001 / 00 | 53.41 | |
| Miriam Hopkins | 3 | $205,200,000 | $205,200,000 | 68.6 % | 003 / 00 | 62.80 | |
| Lionel Barrymore | 4 | $203,200,000 | $295,300,000 | 49.4 % | 000 / 00 | 51.07 | |
| Ruth Gordon | 3 | $202,200,000 | $246,600,000 | 68.0 % | 002 / 00 | 62.67 |
Top Stars In Other Decades
- 1930s Decade
- 1940s Decade
- 1950s Decade
- 1960s Decade
- 1970s Decade
- 1980s Decade
- 1990s Decade
- 2000s Decade
(Visited 1 times)
The Stars that epitomize the 50’s most to me are the following: 1. John Wayne, 2. Clark Gable, 3. Bing Crosby, 4. Robert Taylor, 5. Alan Ladd, 6. Burt Lancaster, 7. Robert Mitchum, 8. Jeff Chandler, 9. Frank Sinatra, 10. Lex Barker, 11. Audie Murphy, 12. Charlton Heston, 13. Tony Curtis, 14. Randolph Scott, 15. Gary Cooper, 16. James Cagney, 17. James Stewart, 18. Bob Hope, 19. Gregory Peck, 20. William Holden, 21. Richard Widmark, 22. Victor Mature, 23. Cornel Wilde, 24. Dana Andrews, 25. Stewart Granger.
I can’t understand why the American people insist in listing people like Henry Fonda who means nothing in the movies. It is difficult for people not being movie buffs to be able to name five movies with him starring.
Al, I don’t think it is just the American people. Henry Fonda’s reputation as one of the most important actors of Hollywood’s classic era is recognized pretty much internationally. Although sadly, nowadays it would be difficult to find many people outside of movie buffs who could name five movies of any of the stars you mention.
In terms of the popular success of his films, if you look at Fonda’s UMR page, 29 of his films grossed over $100 million in adjusted box office, and he was a lead in at least 19 of these. This compares favorably with most of these other stars (it’s rather more than some and somewhat less than others), and does not account for several of Fonda’s films that grew in popularity over time, such as 12 Angry Men, The Ox-Bow Incident and Once Upon a Time in the West. However, I agree Fonda was not one of the biggest stars of the 1950s as he was absent from the screen for the first half of the decade.
Hey Phil…..we are in the same boat when it comes to Henry Fonda. In my mind Henry Fonda without a doubt deserved his AFI ranking of 6th. Actually reading your comment…I agree with…and think the same exact thoughts. Hell…it was like I wrote the comment….you should be scared….being this much on the Cogerson thought wave…lol.
Thanks for sharing “our thoughts” on Henry Fonda.
Hey Al….thanks for sharing your Top 25……an interesting list. Happily we have UMR pages on 23 of the 25….with only Wilde and Granger escaping us. As a Cary Grant fan….I would have liked to have seen on your list…..but…..nobody can tell anybody that their opinion is wrong….lol.
As for Henry Fonda….I think you are being a bit harsh on him. I would bet the people that comment here can name 3 times that amount of movies that are considered classics. Sadly non movie buffs would have a hard time name 5 movies for even the greatest of legends like John Wayne, Clark Gable and such. Heck even the generation of those legends is being forgotten as people like Brando are none but their movies are forgotten.
Good feedback……glad you took the time to comment.
Hello Bruce,
I like this page because she is the last classical movie decade, but may I aske you something could you go until Dietrich box office because she had a big box office and two classical movie with Rancho and TOuch of EVIL and a big Cameo with Around the world and I think she could find again Crawford and Davies on this page.
One of my favorite film stay the Tens COmmmands with Brynner and HEston but in the mean Time it is so long and a film with Mitchum with two words on his hand
I think it is bad and good with Liliane GIsh.
Magic name like Monroe and Dean Without Forget Brando and Taylor and for Disney the sleeping beauty and of course Wayne and all the westerns.
But for palace movies and big theater it was the song of Swan, because TV.
I know there is some which stay in all your country but When I read variety in the box office of the thirtheen There is so many big theaters all around the big cities.
Good day
Pierre
Hey Pierre,
I think the movie with Bob Mitchum and Lillian Gish is the only film directed by Charles Laughton, Night of the Hunter. It is a very special film, one of my favorites, with fantastic camerawork, but unfortunately it was a huge flop at the boxoffice and so remained the only film of Charles Laughton, director. The tatoos on Mitchum’s fingers were LOVE and HATE, by the way, and the film also starred Shelley Winters.
A bien Tot 🙂
Hey Lupino…you are 100% correct. Too bad Laughton’s Night of the Hunter did so poorly at the box office….it would have been nice to see more Laughton directed movies. Thanks for the feedback.
Hey Lupino and Bruce,
Thank you for your correction and information but you know and I think it is the age I lost some memory …..in France there is a song which is called
J ai la mémoire qui flanche je ne me souviens plus très bien…. A song by Jeanne Moreau in a Truffaut picture.i hope!!!!
See you
Pierre
Sorry I am wrong again
It is le “tourbillon de la vie “not “j ai la mémoire qui flanche ”
Fortunately There is internet
Bye
Pierre
Glad to help Pierre…..very glad that you comment here regularly. You provide some excellent movie thoughts.
🙂
Hey Pierre…..actually Marlene Dietrich was the very next person on the list….I have gone ahead and put her in the table….she is now in 124th place….I did not include her cameo in Around The World In 80 Days…..but she had 6 movies in the 1950s for a gross of $350 million (adjusted)
Ten Commandments is an all-time classic….as is Night Of The Hunter….Ten Commandments made a boatload of money…but Night of the Hunter was a financial disaster…..but it is so good…it is now a all-time classic too.
Thanks for sharing you movie thoughts on this decade…..very interesting to read. Good stuff.
Hey Bruce,
Thank you for that and fortunettely not to much work for you but after I read your answer I go to see a picture of Dietrich with Cooper, DESIRE , and i really enjoy it again, and I hope at last you could see it, it is a bijou and it is so witty and a brillant high class Comedy.
One of the best of this decade, I think.
Have a good Time
Bye Pierre
Hey Pierre…glad you liked the “other” Cooper/Dietrich movie…..it rarely gets mentioned in comparison to their earlier movie.
Hi
If I had to pick 2 stars from the 50’s it would have to be Marilyn Monroe and James Dean. Although he only made a few movies, his impact is still with us. Monroe is just iconic. Of course there’s always Doris Day.
Heston has the advantage of a couple of epics under his belt. Last Saturday I watched The Naked Jungle where he fights off an invasion of solider ants, definitely worth watching. He’s the only real legend I met face to face. He was playing in Sir Thomas Moore in A Man For All Seasons in London. Coming out of the theatre he was surrounded by a huge crowd. He was very charming and patient and signed everyone’s autograph. A true gentleman .
The Stars that epitomize the 50’s most to me are the following:
Actresses: Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Doris Day and Elizabeth Taylor (with all but Marilyn well holding on into the next decade)
Actors: Marlon Brando, James Dean and Rock Hudson.
The greatest “Survivor” to me would be Lana Turner, with a short period of box office flops but a string of big hits late in the decade. Male Stars of the 40’s and even 30’s seemed to be much less affected by the advent of middle age, while only the great Kate had a constantly successful career at the box office among older female stars (as compared to her contemporaries Davis, Stanwyck and Crawford)- although some of them would rise again in the next decade.
As the only german here (I guess) I miss Marlene Dietrich. While she only appeared in 7 movies during the decade, she had a Hitchcock and one big box office hit to her credit- plus a featured part in the classic Touch of Evil. Just saying…;)
Bonsoir again Lupino,
for Marlene Dietrich don’t forget the classic Rancho Notorious de Fritz Lang
it is considered like a big classic film but i agree with you for touch evil, a very small part but so great for her statue and you are right to say;
Hey Chris…good comment. I agree James Dean and Marilyn Monroe are good picks….and from the mid 1950s they were the biggest stars and ghost. Good feedback.
HI JOHN [PHIL & WORK HORSE ALSO TO SEE]
1 A few weeks back I opined that Cooper deserved to be included in the Top 8 stars on a list which I posted – and you savaged me. I recently welcomed Phil’s calculations which I thought rightly showed Cooper doing well in two ranking polls related to the 1950s and just as you did in the Loy/Crawford debates you and the Work Horse ganged up and banged on my cage. Yet I had thought that Coop was one of your own very top idols.
2 Nonetheless in the words of the song – I “Stand by YOUR man!” Bruce’s main 50s stats chart ranks him at No 30 above stars like Greg, contemporaries of Coop such as Grant and Bogie and even stars coming into their own in the 50s such as Big Bob Mitchum and popular Young Guns like Paul Newman [and even Bruce’s “sexy” Thelma!] Indeed Coop is just one slot below Brando and Marlon [although turning our less movies than Gary] would probably be acknowledged by most historians and journalists as massive IN THE ROUND throughout the 1950s.
3 Also the average of Coop’s 50s movies was over $100 million dollars which Cogerson sees as a good benchmark figure for a gross. Salaries are also a token of status and achievement and I gather Gary continued to be paid highly throughout the 1950s. According to The Consumer Price Index of the US Bureau of Labour Stats Gary picked up 49.4 million in today’s dollars and that was big money in those days when salaries were still tightly controlled. On top of that to get Coop in Vera Cruz Burt gave him 10% of the film’s huge gross and Coop also shared in the profits of High Noon. In a Lt Columbo TV episode I’m in middle of watching Forrest Tucker has just said to a con man trying to induce him to invest money to become famous “I’d rather hold onto my wallet than my name!”
4 Most journalists treat the Quigley polls as if they were something that Steve’s mate brought down from the mountains along with the 10C but – and “Somebody should be taking a note of THIS!” – I agree with you that Quigley must be treated with caution. Doris like Cary owned those polls from the late fifties well into the 60s and Doris is probably one of my all-time Top 4 female stars along with Joan, Babs Streisand and the woman you know as the Forgotten Lady but there is no doubt that the Quigley surveys flattered Doris’ actual box office performance fine though it was and which a usual Bruce has put in proper context
5 However did it ever occur to you and the Work Horse that that the older Coop may have attracted a whole new fan base that might have eluded the younger Cooper? As you know I personally thought the early Cooper was often wooden and at times pretentious and even laughable on occasions but I regard the 1950s Gary with his years of experience as being as entertaining as any actor who ever lived and I was especially enthralled with his finely etched performances as ‘losers’ in Ten North Frederick and Court Martial of Billy Mitchell [aka One Man Mutiny.] He would certainly be in my Top 30 all-time faves.
6. And I wasn’t alone in that respect. I remember my father, a great movie buff and Wayne idolater, returning from the cinema one evening in 1954 and telling me he had enjoyed the show and my asking him what he had seen. “Vera Cruz,” he said to which I replied “With Burt Lancaster in fine form I understand,” and he responded “Yes but Gary Cooper – superb!”
7. I have thus come to the conclusion that you have an OCD where I am concerned so that every time I say “White” your automatic pilot barks back “Black!”. I don’t mind and in fact it’s good for my ego to be repeatedly challenged by someone who usually gets it wrong! In fact I am sure that when all those Loy/Crawford arguments were going on other fans of Myrna on this site [if there are any] were saying to themselves of you and the Work Horse “I do wish that those two guys weren’t on our side.”
HI BRUCE 1 Thanks for your multiple replies to my comments about your 1950s page and for the Quigley link. We have both now written at length about the 50s page and I will give the decade a rest for a while after I add the following few comments in the matter:
THE DUKE Here’s what you said to me on the subject of JW in para 5 of your 14 May post at 11.15am “5. I think you [Bob] and John are underestimating the power of the Duke….11th for the decade is pretty impressive…especially when he never really had a massive box office hit….he got his totals from solid movie after solid movie”.
Now here is the statement from me in para 5 of my 13 May post at 1.15 am that you are possibly referring to: “However in terms of popularity longevity AND consistency on top of sheer box office volume the Duke is probably the Daddy of Them All at least among classic era stars notwithstanding his relatively low 50s impact.” The key word is “relatively” and I was simply saying that The Duke’s 1950’s box office performance was low compared with the MASSIVELY HIGH STANDARDS THAT HE SET OVERALL – ie I am used to him being top or almost at the top – but I also was making it clear that my being disappointed at my idol’s 11th placing did not nullify his status as possibly the Greatest at the Classic eara box office. If for example Monty Clift had appeared in that 11th spot I would have hailed it as a great achievement in Monty’s case.
MUMBLES: It is interesting and almost a bit uncanny that that you kept referring to his 1950s films as “events” because here is what famed film historian David Shipman said when describing Bud’s decline in the 1960s “It had come to the point where a Brando film was no longer an event.”
2 I see that a lady has offered to edit your site for you. I know that she could be one of the spammers that Flora honoured in poetry but I was hoping you would attempt to capitalise on the offer as I saw it as a chance for Raw Mind in Eden to be changed at long last!
3 I note also that there has been further academic success in the Work Horse household. Excellent news and I am now sorry that I didn’t keep until this week when it would be even more relevant Paul Newman’s Absence of Malice observation about “a lot of smart people” in the room. Please pass on my congratulations once again and tell W o C that I am hoping she can now rest on her laurels long enough to make our site dynamic – or has that been more of a temporary cash-flow problem than a W o C time scarcity issue?