Want to know the best Veronica Lake movies? How about the worst Veronica Lake movies? Curious about Veronica Lake box office grosses or which Veronica Lake movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Veronica Lake movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences and which got the worst reviews? Well you have come to the right place…because we have all of that information.
Veronica Lake (1922-1973) was an American actress. Lake was one of the most popular actresses in the 1940s. She became very famous for her peek-a-boo hairstyle that she displayed in 1941’s I Wanted Wings. Her IMDb page shows 38 acting credits from 1939-1970. This page will rank 25 Veronica Lake movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Her television appearances and her early uncredited roles were not included in the rankings. This comes from a request by Kevin.
Veronica Lake 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 |
| 1943 | So Proudly We Hail! (1943) |  |
|
| 1946 | The Blue Dahlia (1946) | |
|
| 1941 | Sullivan's Travels (1941) | |
|
| 1941 | Hold Back the Dawn (1941) AA Best Picture Nom |
|
|
| 1945 | Duffy's Tavern (1945) | |
|
| 1947 | Variety Girl (1947) | |
|
| 1945 | Bring on the Girls (1945) | |
|
| 1942 | Star Spangled Rhythm (1942) | |
|
| 1947 | Saigon (1947) | |
|
| 1942 | I Married a Witch (1942) |  |
|
| 1942 | This Gun For Hire (1942) | |
|
| 1945 | Hold That Blonde! (1945) | |
|
| 1945 | Out Of This World (1945) | |
|
| 1942 | The Glass Key (1942) | |
|
| 1941 | I Wanted Wings (1941) | |
|
| 1947 | Ramrod (1947) | |
|
| 1949 | Slattery's Hurricane (1949) |  |
|
| 1946 | Miss Susie Slagle's (1946) | |
|
| 1948 | The Sainted Sisters (1948) | |
|
| 1944 | The Hour Of The Dawn (1944) |  |
|
| 1951 | Stronghold (1951) |  |
|
| 1939 | All Women Have Secrets (1939) | |
|
| 1948 | Isn't It Romantic (1948) |  |
|
| 1966 | Footsteps in the Snow (1966) |  |
|
| 1970 | Flesh Feast (1970) |  |
Veronica Lake 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 any way you want.
- Sort Veronica Lake movies by her co-stars
- Sort Veronica Lake movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Veronica Lake movies by yearly domestic box office rank
- Sort Veronica Lake 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 how many Oscar® wins each Veronica Lake movie received.
- Sort Veronica Lake movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (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
1
So Proudly We Hail! (1943)
Claudette Colbert &
Paulette Goddard8.60
308.0
308.00
14
79
04 / 00
97.8
2
The Blue Dahlia (1946)
Alan Ladd
7.40
228.9
228.90
47
79
01 / 00
97.3
5
Sullivan's Travels (1941)
Joel McCrea &
Directed by Preston Sturges3.70
142.8
142.80
62
85
00 / 00
94.4
3
Hold Back the Dawn (1941)
AA Best Picture NomOlivia de Haviland &
Paulette Goddard2.90
111.8
111.80
86
84
06 / 00
94.4
4
Duffy's Tavern (1945)
Betty Hutton &
Paulette Goddard7.70
242.9
242.90
34
63
00 / 00
93.3
6
Variety Girl (1947)
Alan Ladd &
Paulette Goddard9.70
283.5
283.50
18
59
00 / 00
92.0
8
Bring on the Girls (1945)
Sonny Tufts &
Eddit Bracken5.60
176.1
176.10
61
66
00 / 00
91.9
7
Star Spangled Rhythm (1942)
Bob Hope &
Alan Ladd8.30
308.0
308.00
13
55
02 / 00
91.4
9
Saigon (1947)
Alan Ladd
6.10
177.2
177.20
48
64
00 / 00
91.3
10
I Married a Witch (1942)
Susan Hayward &
Fredric March3.10
116.8
116.80
85
78
01 / 00
90.0
11
This Gun For Hire (1942)
Alan Ladd
3.10
113.6
113.60
89
80
00 / 00
89.8
12
Hold That Blonde! (1945)
Eddie Bracken
5.60
176.1
176.10
63
59
00 / 00
89.4
13
Out Of This World (1945)
Eddie Bracken
4.50
143.7
143.70
78
66
00 / 00
88.5
14
The Glass Key (1942)
Alan Ladd
2.80
105.1
105.10
102
74
00 / 00
86.9
15
I Wanted Wings (1941)
William Holden &
Ray Milland3.10
118.0
118.00
82
62
00 / 00
83.2
16
Ramrod (1947)
Joel McCrea &
Donald Crisp3.50
102.4
102.40
97
65
00 / 00
82.4
17
Slattery's Hurricane (1949)
Richard Widmark &
Linda Darnell4.60
114.9
114.90
65
55
00 / 00
78.8
18
Miss Susie Slagle's (1946)
Lillian Gish &
Lloyd Bridges2.20
67.6
67.60
118
66
00 / 00
75.7
19
The Sainted Sisters (1948)
Joan Caulfield &
Barry Fitzgerald2.20
58.5
58.50
135
64
00 / 00
70.1
20
The Hour Of The Dawn (1944)
Franchot Tone
1.90
64.8
64.80
120
58
00 / 00
65.5
21
Stronghold (1951)
Zachary Scott
1.00
21.8
21.80
205
60
00 / 00
43.9
22
All Women Have Secrets (1939)
Virginia Dale
0.60
24.7
24.70
210
58
00 / 00
41.7
23
Isn't It Romantic (1948)
Mona Freeman
1.40
37.7
37.70
157
48
00 / 00
28.6
24
Footsteps in the Snow (1966)
George Carron
0.40
3.7
3.70
141
53
00 / 00
18.4
25
Flesh Feast (1970)
Phil Philbin
0.70
4.5
4.50
160
24
00 / 00
0.3
Veronica Lake 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 Veronica Lake films by co-stars of her movies
- Sort Veronica Lake films by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Veronica Lake films by yearly domestic box office rank
- Sort Veronica Lake films 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 how many Oscar® wins each Veronica Lake film received.
- Sort Veronica Lake films by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score. UMR Score puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
| CreditRank | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Review % | Oscar Nom / Win | S | UMR Score | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CreditRank | 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 | S | UMR Score |
| 1 | So Proudly We Hail! (1943) | Claudette Colbert & Paulette Goddard |
8.60 | 308.0 | 308.0 | 14 | 79 | 04 / 00 | 97.8 | |
| 2 | The Blue Dahlia (1946) | Alan Ladd | 7.40 | 228.9 | 228.9 | 47 | 79 | 01 / 00 | 97.3 | |
| 5 | Sullivan's Travels (1941) | Joel McCrea & Directed by Preston Sturges |
3.70 | 142.8 | 142.8 | 62 | 85 | 00 / 00 | 94.4 | |
| 3 | Hold Back the Dawn (1941) AA Best Picture Nom |
Olivia de Haviland & Paulette Goddard |
2.90 | 111.8 | 111.8 | 86 | 84 | 06 / 00 | 94.4 | |
| 4 | Duffy's Tavern (1945) | Betty Hutton & Paulette Goddard |
7.70 | 242.9 | 242.9 | 34 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 93.3 | |
| 6 | Variety Girl (1947) | Alan Ladd & Paulette Goddard |
9.70 | 283.5 | 283.5 | 18 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 92.0 | |
| 8 | Bring on the Girls (1945) | Sonny Tufts & Eddit Bracken |
5.60 | 176.1 | 176.1 | 61 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 91.9 | |
| 7 | Star Spangled Rhythm (1942) | Bob Hope & Alan Ladd |
8.30 | 308.0 | 308.0 | 13 | 55 | 02 / 00 | 91.4 | |
| 9 | Saigon (1947) | Alan Ladd | 6.10 | 177.2 | 177.2 | 48 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 91.3 | |
| 10 | I Married a Witch (1942) | Susan Hayward & Fredric March |
3.10 | 116.8 | 116.8 | 85 | 78 | 01 / 00 | 90.0 | |
| 11 | This Gun For Hire (1942) | Alan Ladd | 3.10 | 113.6 | 113.6 | 89 | 80 | 00 / 00 | 89.8 | |
| 12 | Hold That Blonde! (1945) | Eddie Bracken | 5.60 | 176.1 | 176.1 | 63 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 89.4 | |
| 13 | Out Of This World (1945) | Eddie Bracken | 4.50 | 143.7 | 143.7 | 78 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 88.5 | |
| 14 | The Glass Key (1942) | Alan Ladd | 2.80 | 105.1 | 105.1 | 102 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 86.9 | |
| 15 | I Wanted Wings (1941) | William Holden & Ray Milland |
3.10 | 118.0 | 118.0 | 82 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 83.2 | |
| 16 | Ramrod (1947) | Joel McCrea & Donald Crisp |
3.50 | 102.4 | 102.4 | 97 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 82.4 | |
| 17 | Slattery's Hurricane (1949) | Richard Widmark & Linda Darnell |
4.60 | 114.9 | 114.9 | 65 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 78.8 | |
| 18 | Miss Susie Slagle's (1946) | Lillian Gish & Lloyd Bridges |
2.20 | 67.6 | 67.6 | 118 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 75.7 | |
| 19 | The Sainted Sisters (1948) | Joan Caulfield & Barry Fitzgerald |
2.20 | 58.5 | 58.5 | 135 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 70.1 | |
| 20 | The Hour Of The Dawn (1944) | Franchot Tone | 1.90 | 64.8 | 64.8 | 120 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 65.5 | |
| 21 | Stronghold (1951) | Zachary Scott | 1.00 | 21.8 | 21.8 | 205 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 43.9 | |
| 22 | All Women Have Secrets (1939) | Virginia Dale | 0.60 | 24.7 | 24.7 | 210 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 41.7 | |
| 23 | Isn't It Romantic (1948) | Mona Freeman | 1.40 | 37.7 | 37.7 | 157 | 48 | 00 / 00 | 28.6 | |
| 24 | Footsteps in the Snow (1966) | George Carron | 0.40 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 141 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 18.4 | |
| 25 | Flesh Feast (1970) | Phil Philbin | 0.70 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 160 | 24 | 00 / 00 | 0.3 |
Possibly Interesting Facts About Veronica Lake
- Constance Frances Marie Ockleman was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1922.
2. During the early part of her career she was build as Connie Keane.
3. Producer Arthur Hornblow, Jr. was the person that got her to change her name to Veronica Lake. Hornblow, Jr. – “her eyes were calm and clear like a blue lake”
4. It was during the filming of 1941’s I Wanted Wings that Lake developed her signature look. Lake’s long blonde hair accidentally fell over her right eye during a take and created a “peek-a-boo” effect. Lake – “I was playing a sympathetic drunk, I had my arm on a table… it slipped… and my hair- it was always baby fine and had this natural break- fell over my face… It became my trademark and purely by accident.
5. During World War Two, the rage for her peek-a-boo bangs became a hazard when women in the defense industry would get their bangs caught in machinery. Lake had to take a publicity picture in which she reacted painfully to her hair getting “caught” in a drill press in order to heighten public awareness about the hazard of her hairstyle.
6. Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd made 7 movies together: 1942’s This Gun for Hire, 1942’s The Glass Key, 1942’s Star Spangled Rhythm, 1945’s Duffy’s Tavern, 1946’s The Blue Dahlia, 1947’s Variety Girl and 1948’s Saigon.
7. When former lover Marlon Brando read in a newspaper that a reporter had found Lake working as a cocktail waitress in a Manhattan bar, he instructed his accountant to send her a check for a thousand dollars. Out of pride, she never cashed it, but kept it framed in her Miami living room to show her friends.
8. Veronica Lake was married 4 times and had 4 children. She was 8 months pregnant while filming 1941’s Sullivan’s Travels.
9. Along with Rita Hayworth, Lauren Bacall, and Gene Tierney, Lake was one of four inspirations that helped create the character Jessica Rabbit.
10. Check out Veronica Lake’s movie career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time. Also highly recommended is Steve Lensman’s Jane Powell video.
Academy Award® and Oscar® are the registered trademarks of the Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences.
Hi Bruce
The Veronica Lake page shows the movies of 2017…
Fixed. Thanks for pointing this out!
Hello Steve,
great video on Veronica! Like the fact that Sullivan’s Travels hits the number one spot…as it does in my book 😉
For a long time, I have been a great fan of Miss Lake. She first came to my attention when I saw The Blue Dahlia, still my favorite Lake/Ladd collaboration. My absolute fav is Sullivan’s Travels, dressed as a boy or waving her famous hair, she was never less than enchanting. Too bad Miss Lake had so many personal troubles, she was hard to work with and when her movies stopped bringing in the big money, Paramount quickly got rid of her- and no other studio seemed to show much interest. I have seen 16 movies listed above, and other favorites include So Proudly We Hail, I Married A Witch, This Gun For Hire and the one that made her an overnight sensation I Wanted Wings. Of particular interest for me, who only likes a few western movies, is Ramrod, because it has a very “noirish” quality with Veronica Lake playing a femme fatale, her petite figure showcased in period costumes, her flock of blonde hair highly visible in almost every scene she’s in. Yet, she is a match for every man (apart for the one she wants) with her inner strength and ruthlessness. Another movie worth mentioning is Slattery’s Hurricane: Veronica Lake and Linda Darnell in one picture- what a treat, even if the film itself is rather mediocre.
Thank you for doing a page on this lady who had her brief period of super stardom and then faded into oblivion- but who seems fascinating enough to reappear in one form or another in popular culture- you mentioned Jessica Rabbitt, I’d like to add Kim Basinger in her Oscar winning part in L.A. Confidential and a long haired dog named Veronica Lake in a detective story I recently read.
As always, great work Mr. Cogerson!
Hi
I think in the early 40’s she was at her peak with the Peekaboo hairstyles. When she was made to give that up i think she lost that mystique, (although I understand why she had to give it up.)
She was wonderful in I Married A Witch. It all seemed to go wrong in The Hour of the Dawn. While filming there was some sort of power cut and she tripped over cables on set and ended up being rushed to hospital and had a miscarriage. By sheer coincidence Katherine Hepburn was at the hospital and she sat with her all night trying to encourage her. She had a reputation for being very difficult on set. But it has emerged that she suffered from bi-polar condition.
So really the girl needed help.
By the end of the 40’s, her movie career was practically on its way out. She never returned to the great heights of the 40’s. Yet for them brief couple of years, she really did shine.
where did you learn of this katherine hepburn story i cant find it anywhere
Hey e. I did a quick search for that story…and like you I came up empty handed. Sadly, Chris’ comment was many moons ago, he used to stop by here pretty regularly….but it has been awhile since we last saw him. Maybe he will surprise us with another visit and an answer to your question.
Veronica Lake has never ever been on the Oracle of Bacon Top 1000 Center of the Hollywood Universe List. There is currently no one on the 2016 and later lists that she has appeared with. These are the proud but few who appeared on the first list back in 2000 with their rank who had the honor of appearing in a film with her.
27 MARC LAWRENCE This Gun for Hire (1942)
45 BURT LANCASTER Variety Girl (1947)
50 JEFF COREY Ramrod (1947)
118 WOODY STRODE Star Spangled Rhythm (1942)
119 RICHARD WIDMARK Slattery’s Hurricane (1949)
147 LLOYD BRIDGES Ramrod (1947)
187 RAY MILLAND I Wanted Wings (1941)
187 RAY MILLAND Star Spangled Rhythm (1942)
187 RAY MILLAND Variety Girl (1947)
192 YVONNE DE CARLO Bring on the Girls (1945)
192 YVONNE DE CARLO So Proudly We Hail! (1943)
192 YVONNE DE CARLO This Gun for Hire (1942)
207 WILLIAM HOLDEN I Wanted Wings (1941)
207 WILLIAM HOLDEN Variety Girl (1947)
222 BESS FLOWERS HOLD THAT BLONDE! (1945)
222 BESS FLOWERS I Married a Witch (1942)
222 BESS FLOWERS Sorority House (1939)
222 BESS FLOWERS The Blue Dahlia (1946)
222 BESS FLOWERS The Glass Key (1942)
256 HANK WORDEN So Proudly We Hail! (1943)
256 HANK WORDEN The Sainted Sisters (1948)
356 PHIL BROWN I Wanted Wings (1941)
362 BARRY SULLIVAN Duffy’s Tavern (1945)
379 ANN DORAN So Proudly We Hail! (1943)
379 ANN DORAN Variety Girl (1947)
380 STERLING HAYDEN Variety Girl (1947)
393 CHARLES BOYER Hold Back the Dawn (1941)
534 BOB HOPE Star Spangled Rhythm (1942)
534 BOB HOPE Variety Girl (1947)
682 RAY TEAL Ramrod (1947)
767 PHILIP AHN Saigon (1948)
783 JAMES FLAVIN Duffy’s Tavern (1945)
783 JAMES FLAVIN Hold Back the Dawn (1941)
783 JAMES FLAVIN HOLD THAT BLONDE! (1945)
783 JAMES FLAVIN So Proudly We Hail! (1943)
790 ROLAND CULVER Isn’t It Romantic? (1948)
863 ALAN HALE JR. I Wanted Wings (1941)
894 PHILIP VAN ZANDT Dancing Co-Ed (1939)
962 OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND Hold Back the Dawn (1941)
963 FRANK FERGUSON This Gun for Hire (1942)
963 FRANK FERGUSON Variety Girl (1947)
969 BYRON FOULGER So Proudly We Hail! (1943)
969 BYRON FOULGER Sullivan’s Travels (1941)
982 BILLY BENEDICT The Glass Key (1942)
Veronica worked with 11 Oscar winners, thanks to at least 3 all Paramount all star musicals.
BARRY FITZGERALD Duffy’s Tavern (1945)
BARRY FITZGERALD The Sainted Sisters (1948)
BARRY FITZGERALD Variety Girl (1947)
BING CROSBY Duffy’s Tavern (1945)
BING CROSBY Out of This World (1945) (Bing dubs Eddie Bracken’s singing voice in this film)
BING CROSBY Star Spangled Rhythm (1942)
BING CROSBY Variety Girl (1947)
BURT LANCASTER Variety Girl (1947)
CLAUDETTE COLBERT So Proudly We Hail! (1943)
DONALD CRISP RAMROD (1947)
FREDRIC MARCH I Married a Witch (1942)
GARY COOPER Variety Girl (1947)
OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND Hold Back the Dawn (1941)
RAY MILLAND I Wanted Wings (1941)
RAY MILLAND Star Spangled Rhythm (1942)
RAY MILLAND Variety Girl (1947)
SUSAN HAYWARD I Married a Witch (1942)
SUSAN HAYWARD Star Spangled Rhythm (1942)
WILLIAM HOLDEN I Wanted Wings (1941)
WILLIAM HOLDEN Variety Girl (1947)