Want to know the best Cary Grant movies? How about the worst Cary Grant movies? Curious about Cary Grant’s box office grosses or which Cary Grant movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Cary Grant movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences? Well you have come to the right place.
I would say my favorite three actors of all-time are Sir Michael Caine, Mr. Bruce Willis, and Archibald Leach….better known as Cary Grant (1904-1986). I discovered Cary Grant when I was in high school. During a sick day, I was stuck at home and bored out of my mind while watching television. As I flipped through the channels I came across a black and white movie. Back then I extremely disliked black and white movies. But I started to watch the movie that was on television. It took about 5 minutes before I realized I was enjoying the movie and another 45 minutes to realize I needed to see the beginning of the movie. That movie was called Bringing Up Baby and it opened the wonderful doors of Cary Grant movies.
Cary Grant made 73 full length movies from 1932-1966. When I wrote the page the first time I was able to find all the required information on 50 of the movies. Since then I have found box office information on the rest of the 23 movies. In the table below Ultimate Movie Rankings ranks 73 of his movies in 5 different sortable columns. Television roles, shorts and straight to DVD movies were not included in the rankings.
I have seen 51 of the 73 movies listed in the following tables. So I figure I would add my personal Top Ten Cary Grant movies…..located at the bottom of the page
Cary Grant Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews and awards.
Cary Grant 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 Cary Grant movies by co-stars of his movies.
- Sort Cary Grant movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost
- Sort Cary Grant movies by domestic yearly box office rank or trivia
- Sort Cary Grant movies 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 Cary Grant movie received.
- Sort Cary Grant movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score. UMR Score puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
- Use the sort and search buttons to make this a very interactive table.
Stats and Possibly Interesting Things From The Above Cary Grant Table
1. 41 of Cary Grant’s movies crossed the magical $100 million mark. That is a percentage of 64.06% of his movies listed. His top box office hit was Operation Petticoat (1959).
2. An average Cary Grant movie grosses $147.10 million in adjusted box office gross.
3. Using RottenTomatoes.com’s 60% fresh meter. 49 of Cary Grant’s movies are rated as good movies…or 77.77% of his movies. His highest rated movie is 1959’s North by Northwest. His lowest rated movie is The Last Outpost (1935).
4. 28 of Cary Grant’s movies received at least one Oscar® nomination in any category…..or 44.44% of his movies.
5. 8 of Cary Grant’s movies won at least one Oscar® in any category…..or 12.63% of his movies.
6. A “good movie” Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score is 60.00. 48 of Cary Grant’s movies scored higher that average….or 76.19% of his movies. The Philadelphia Story (1940) got the highest UMR Score. Born To Be Bad (1934) got the lowest UMR Score.
7. Cary Grant starred in 6 movies that were nominated for a Best Picture Oscar® nomination. She Done Him Wrong (1933), The Awful Truth (1937), The Philadelphia Story (1940), Suspicion (1941), The Talk Of The Town (1942), and The Bishop’s Wife (1947).
Cary Grant Box Office Grosses – Adjusted World Wide
Cary Grant made many great movies….so picking a personal Top Ten for him is very very tough…but here goes my list in alphabetical order.
1. The Awful Truth (1937)….Cary Grant and Irene Dunne made a great screen couple, this was their first of three movies together. Grant is hilarious in the movie. Movie was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar® and won the director, Leo McCarey an Oscar® for Best Director.
2. Charade (1963)…..Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn team up in this almost Hitchcock like movie. Is Grant the good guy or the bad guy? A great supporting cast in James Coburn, George Kennedy and Walter Matthau.
3. Gunga Din (1939)…Gunga Din was one of my father’s favorite Cary Grant movies….so this story of soldiers in 19th century India makes my list….great action, great fun and a terrific ending.
4. Father Goose (1964)…Father Goose is a movie can I watch again and again. Grant is stuck on an island with a school teacher(Leslie Caron) and her 7 students(all girls) during World War II. Great lines throughout this movie.
5. His Girl Friday (1940)….one of the few times that Cary Grant got to be instigator of the comedy mayhem….versus being the one that had to react to all the craziness. A fast pace, fast talking comedy classic.
6. My Favorite Wife (1940)….his second movie with Irene Dunne and another classic. Dunne is assumed to have perished in a boat sinking seven years ago, she is rescued and returns home just as Grant remarries….and then the fun begins.
7. North by Northwest (1959) ….Grant’s fourth and final film with Alfred Hitchcock…. great scenes throughout the movie like the crop dusting plane, the auction scene and of course the Mount Rushmore finale.
8. Only Angels Have Wings (1939)….one of his lesser known classics from the great movie year of 1939…Howard Hawks directed this story about pilots that risk their lives flying in South America…a great supporting cast of Rita Hayworth, Jean Arthur and Thomas Mitchell.
9. The Philadelphia Story (1940)….Grant and Katharine Hepburn made 4 movies together…this by far is their best movie together….and yet James Stewart is the one that won the Oscar® for this movie…..this movie gets better every year.
10. To Catch A Thief (1955)…Grant thought his movie career was over….and then Hitchcock talked him out of semi-retirement to play a cat burglar nicknamed “The Cat”. This movie gives you a Cary Grant and Grace Kelly falling in love on screen and off screen…direction by the great Alfred Hitchcock….with the French Riviera as a backdrop…what more could you want?
Other great movies that just missed my Top Ten cut….Notorious, Operation Petticoat, Arsenic and Old Lace, An Affair To Remember and Bringing Up Baby.
Our brand new Cary Grant You Tube Video.
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Want more Cary Grant information? Then I highly recommend http://www.carygrant.net/articles/i%20cary.htm
My Cary Grant letterbox.com reviews. Highly recommend Letterboxd.com. It is free and great way to keep track of the movies you have watched.
I’m hanging my head in shame here, because the awful truth is I don’t think I’ve seen The Awful Truth. But to make up for this I have just been watching clips on Youtube with my 13 year old daughter, and she laughed her head off, so I we have now got a new convert to the Cary Grant fan club.
Great hub, thanks for letting me know about it.
Hey Melovy. Thanks for checking out my Cary Grant page….I am very glad that you found some clips on You Tube of The Awful Truth….The Awful Truth is one of my favorites of his movies…and ranks 11th according to my Movie Score system….the best of the Irene Dunne/Grant movies by far. Glad to see the Cary Grant fan club continues to increase…thanks for the comments and compliment.
At 94%, I think we have established that I’ve seen more Gregory Peck films than any other actor in both number and percentage. Even after I watch Green Fire to see all of Kelly’s films, she didn’t make many.
Yes Flora those Gregory Peck facts have been established…but after writing almost 30 classic actor pages…it feels good to be the leader in the clubhouse for once….instead of being a distant third to you and Steve….every dog has his moment in the sun.
On a completly different note…I just watched the Wizard of Oz with my 5 year and 2 year old daughters….it kept them spellbound…the wicked witch was really freaking out the 5 year old….it was a great movie watching experience….the Wizard of Oz was my grandmother’s favorite movie…and the 5 year old shares her name Elizabeth….so the point is the Wizard of Oz has now entertained 4 generations of my family.
Excellent news Cogerson, at least some classic films are loved by your children.
As for my Peck comment, I was just reacting to you and Steve listing which actors top your lists. I can’t be sure who would be second on mine in terms of male actors unless you can count Hitch’s cameos (and only look at the cameo films)
Hey Flora….As I put the 5 year old to bed she asked if we could watch The Wizard of Oz again tomorrow…which is her ultimate compliment about the quality of a movie.
If I had to guess…I would think Richard Widmark would be high on your list….trying to remember your comments on my classic hubs….Spencer Tracy and Humphrey Bogart seem like candidates as well. So what do you think am I close?
If I look at percentages of films made I’ve seen rather then number of films total, Widmark is much higher than Bogart. I have seen 72% of Widmark’s entire career, including tv films and bit parts. I have not seen half of Bogart’s total credits including bit parts and cameos even though I’ve seen all the films he is best known for. That’s why I suggested hitchcock’s cameo films, because I think the only one I’m missing is that film I don’t care if I see-Under Capricorn. When I look at at the number of films/tv movies seen, I’ve still seen about ten more credits of Widmark than Bogart.
If you want to talk about distant third in relation to you, Steve, and myself, I come a distant third in several actors whose hubs I’ve not visited-and not all of these people are alive and still making movies. You want to guess how many John Wayne films I’ve seen, even if you mean number of films, rather than the percentage of over 100 films he made? I should comment on it. we will all have a good laugh.
Hey Flora. I am actually surprised that your % is so low on Widmark. And you call yourself a fan?….lol. I do not think you can count Hitchcock as an actor….he never says any lines. But Hitchcock must be the leader on the director count.
True on the current actors I have you beat…but you have your rule of not watching a movie made after you were born….I do not have the same rule. So that is not a fair playing area. Classic movies are a fair playground…and your are the champ there…no doubt about it.
As for John Wayne…I will guess you have seen 7 of his movies…for 3%…..so how is that guess?
Dear Archibald,
You had me at Mortimer Brewster in Arsenic and Old Lace! I was forced to watch this movie during english class in Junior High. Ten minutes into the movie I was no longer forced I was in awe and disappointed when the bell rang and we had to wait until the next day to watch the remainder of the movie. Your aunts were the cutest old ladies I’ve ever seen in a black & white movie! This movie is in my Top Ten of All Time Favorites! I’ve watched it hundreds of times since! I still have my VCR so I can watch it when I get the Cary Grant itch! Ok, I have my VCR for other movies also. I was impressed with you becoming a first time dad to Jennifer Grant in your 60’s, way to go proving that you weren’t…ya know…NOT that it matters if you were…to each his own. You and Dyan Cannon made a nice looking couple, a shame it didn’t work out…or the many other marriages you had. You were one of the many gifts from England that I will always appreciate. It’s just something about British actors that just make them loveable! Thank you for all the wonderful memories Mr Cary Grant.
Thank you cogerson for the page and the blast from the past. Yes, a non-pulse that I was excited for! 🙂
Hey Sunshine625…thanks for sharing your Cary Grant story…I always find it amazing to hear a movie can sometimes influence somebody….for me it was a sick day…for you it was a forced movie at school. As for his sexual preference…I think the fact that he was married 7 times shows he might have been difficult to live with….but having a lady in his life was very important.
Thanks for bringing your letter to the stars approach to my page…it is greatly appreciated.
7 wives? I thought it was 5! Cary Grant and Elizabeth Taylor were tied with 7 mates but Liz was one up since she married Richard Burton twice for a total of 8 marriages. How’s that for celeb trivia 🙂
Yep Sunshine you are correct it was only 5 wives…not the 7 I thought….but my point still stands….I think one marriage could be a “beard” but not 5 of them. Kudos to you and your trivia.
You’ve seen 47 of his films Bruce, that’s amazing!
Checking my movie database, I’ve seen more Christopher Lee films than any other actor, 63! John Wayne is no.2 with 61 films.
Of your top rated Cary Grant films I don’t think I’ve seen Touch of Mink or Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer.
Bringing Up Baby, His Girl Friday and Philadelphia Story I usually watch at xmas. I have all three on DVD.
Hey Steve….well after classic hub after classic hub I was getting destroyed by both you and Flora in the movie count tally. So finally …I am number one….lol.
Wow Christopher Lee is the top dog…very impressive…as well John Wayne being so high.
I am not sure who my top one is…but after looking at some of my hubs….Michael Caine….I have seen 57 of his movies….Bruce Willis 51 movies and then Cary Grant 47 movies…would have to be my Top Three… and speaking of Michael Caine….Sir Michael has informed me that he is no longer happy with his hub and wants a facelift as well.
Funny thing about John Wayne is that I have 104 films of his in my collection and I’ve only seen 61, the rest are B-westerns that I haven’t got round to watching.
Peter Cushing is up there too. I’ve seen 52 of his films. I’ve watched a lot of horror as well as sci-fi.
Michael Caine can do with a facelift how old is he now? 🙂
The Duke made a ton B westerns….when I was doing his hub I did not even try to find information on his first 70 or so movies…I went from 1930’s The Big Trail to 1939’s Stagecoach. And from what I have read some of those westerns were pretty bad….filmed in 5 days on a shoestring budget with 58 minute running times.
Sir Michael Caine is 78….will turn 79 next March….and he is still going strong….IMDB says he has three projects in development….including the new Batman.
@Cogerson…There’s hardly a Cary Grant movie I haven’t seen. I own copies of a shelf full of them. I believe my favorite remains “North by Northwest” because it is composed of a number of scenes in which he does the subtle — like his expression and grunt when he discovers the door to his hospital room is locked. He’s a master of the subtle facial in his films.
Surprising again (as Cagney’s), was seeing “Operation Petticoat” as Grant’s biggest box office hit.
It’s a crime this talented actor never got an acting Oscar. I enjoyed seeing once again his reception of his Honorary Award Oscar. Thanks for including it!
I am right there with you Barbsbitnpieces, I have almost all of his movies as well. Operation Petticoat was a huge movie back when it got released. Cary Grant is one of my favorite actors of all-time. This hub was one of the first classic actors I did, and it looks like it needs a facelift with my newer format I use.
North by Northwest is classic….as the years have passed I have started watching one of his movies every year….Father Goose…and it still makes me laugh. I wish he would have ended his career there instead Walk, Don’t Run.
As for his lack of Oscar, I can not really think of a film that he should have won an Oscar for…..the 2 nominations he got, are for movies that I have seen once and have not wanted to ever see again. Penny Serenade and None But The Lonely Heart. North by Northwest is a possibility, but no way he should have beaten out Charlton Heston in Ben-Hur. Thanks for stopping by.