Want to know the best Lucille Ball movies? How about the worst Lucille Ball movies? Curious about Lucille Ball box office grosses or which Lucille Ball movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Lucille Ball movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences and which ones got the worst reviews? Well you have come to the right place…. because we have all of that information and much more.
Lucille Ball (1911-1989) was an American actress, comedienne, model, film studio executive and producer. Ball became one of the most famous people in the world from her television shows in the 1950s. Meanwhile she quietly had a great movie career too. She appeared in over 70 movies from the 1930s to the 1970s. This page is only going to look at her movie career ….sorry we do not have any television stats in our database.
Her IMDb page shows 120 acting credits 1933-1986. This page will rank 38 Lucille Ball movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television shows, his many shorts and cameos were not included in the rankings.
Lucille Ball 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
1937
Stage Door (1937)
AA Best Picture Nom
1936
Follow the Fleet (1936)
1945
Ziegfeld Follies (1945)
1945
Without Love (1945)
1949
Sorrowful Jones (1949)
1950
Fancy Pants (1950)
1954
The Long, Long Trailer (1954)
1943
Thousands Cheer (1943)
1943
Best Foot Forward (1943)
1946
Easy to Wed (1946)
1968
Yours, Mine and Ours (1968)
1960
The Facts of Life (1960)
1956
Forever, Darling (1956)
1943
Du Barry Was a Lady (1943)
1941
Look Who's Laughing (1941)
1939
That's Right - You're Wrong (1939)
1967
A Guide For The Married Man (1967)
1946
The Dark Corner (1946)
1938
Joy of Living (1938)
1938
Having Wonderful Time (1938)
1945
Abbott & Costello in Hollywood (1945)
1936
That Girl From Paris (1936)
1938
Room Service (1938)
1942
Seven Days' Leave (1942)
1947
Her Husband's Affair (1947)
1947
Lured (1947)
1940
Dance, Girl, Dance (1940)
1974
Mame (1974)
1941
A Girl, a Guy, and a Gob (1941)
1939
Five Came Back (1939)
1946
Two Smart People (1946)
1942
The Big Street (1942)
1934
Murder At The Vanities (1934)
Uncredited
1946
Lover Come Back (1946)
1942
Valley of The Sun (1942)
1944
Meet The People (1944)
1949
Miss Grant Takes Richmond (1949)
1935
I Dream Too Much (1935)
1963
Critic's Choice (1963)
1949
Easy Living (1949)
1951
The Magic Carpet (1951)
1962
The Good Years (1962)
Lucille Ball 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 Lucille Ball movies by co-stars of her movies
- Sort Lucille Ball movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Lucille Ball movies by yearly domestic box office rank or trivia
- Sort Lucille Ball 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 Lucille Ball movie received.
- Sort Lucille Ball movies by Ultimate Movie Ranking (UMR) Score. UMR puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
- Use the sort and search buttons to make this table very interactive.
| 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 | Stage Door (1937) AA Best Picture Nom |
Katharine Hepburn & Ginger Rogers |
5.00 | 240.4 | 338.80 | 23 | 87 | 04 / 00 | 99.2 | |
| 3 | Follow the Fleet (1936) | Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers |
5.10 | 255.3 | 451.20 | 15 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 95.7 | |
| 2 | Ziegfeld Follies (1945) | Fred Astaire & Gene Kelly |
9.90 | 364.5 | 545.80 | 14 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 94.6 | |
| 4 | Without Love (1945) | Katharine Hepburn & Spencer Tracy |
7.50 | 275.9 | 386.40 | 35 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 94.4 | |
| 5 | Sorrowful Jones (1949) | Bob Hope | 9.40 | 274.5 | 274.50 | 11 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 94.4 | |
| 9 | Fancy Pants (1950) | Bob Hope | 7.40 | 193.5 | 193.50 | 18 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 94.0 | |
| 6 | The Long, Long Trailer (1954) | Desi Arnaz | 11.40 | 310.6 | 394.30 | 22 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 93.8 | |
| 7 | Thousands Cheer (1943) | Donna Reed & Kathryn Grayson |
10.70 | 446.5 | 700.70 | 7 | 63 | 03 / 00 | 93.0 | |
| 8 | Best Foot Forward (1943) | William Gaxton | 5.90 | 244.2 | 321.90 | 43 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 92.0 | |
| 9 | Easy to Wed (1946) | Esther Williams & Van Johnson |
10.90 | 388.8 | 544.20 | 14 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 90.9 | |
| 11 | Yours, Mine and Ours (1968) | Henry Fonda & Van Johnson |
33.20 | 316.5 | 316.50 | 9 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 90.9 | |
| 13 | The Facts of Life (1960) | Bob Hope | 9.10 | 165.6 | 165.60 | 27 | 64 | 05 / 01 | 90.6 | |
| 14 | Forever, Darling (1956) | Desi Arnaz | 7.40 | 168.8 | 168.80 | 32 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 89.5 | |
| 11 | Du Barry Was a Lady (1943) | Gene Kelly & Red Skelton |
7.30 | 306.2 | 416.20 | 25 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 89.5 | |
| 15 | Look Who's Laughing (1941) | Edgar Bergen | 3.80 | 171.8 | 183.50 | 59 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 88.4 | |
| 17 | That's Right - You're Wrong (1939) | Adolphe Menjou | 3.70 | 165.4 | 181.80 | 55 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 87.9 | |
| 16 | A Guide For The Married Man (1967) | Walter Matthau & Diirected by Gene Kelly |
13.90 | 143.3 | 143.30 | 21 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 87.3 | |
| 18 | The Dark Corner (1946) | Clifton Webb | 2.70 | 96.5 | 96.50 | 108 | 78 | 00 / 00 | 85.8 | |
| 19 | Joy of Living (1938) | Irene Dunne | 3.10 | 143.0 | 219.80 | 65 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 85.7 | |
| 22 | Having Wonderful Time (1938) | Ginger Rogers & Red Skelton |
3.10 | 142.8 | 186.70 | 66 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 84.8 | |
| 20 | Abbott & Costello in Hollywood (1945) | Bud Abbott | 3.10 | 112.3 | 112.30 | 96 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 84.5 | |
| 24 | That Girl From Paris (1936) | Jack Oakie | 3.90 | 193.8 | 257.20 | 33 | 43 | 01 / 00 | 84.4 | |
| 21 | Room Service (1938) | Marx Brothers | 2.70 | 123.1 | 162.00 | 84 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 84.3 | |
| 23 | Seven Days' Leave (1942) | Victor Mature | 3.30 | 141.0 | 218.60 | 81 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 84.0 | |
| 24 | Her Husband's Affair (1947) | Franchot Tone | 4.10 | 137.0 | 137.00 | 83 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 82.5 | |
| 26 | Lured (1947) | Boris Karloff & George Sanders |
1.90 | 63.9 | 63.90 | 140 | 73 | 00 / 00 | 78.3 | |
| 27 | Dance, Girl, Dance (1940) | Maureen O'Hara | 1.80 | 79.5 | 79.50 | 116 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 77.7 | |
| 29 | Mame (1974) | Robert Preston | 18.20 | 121.5 | 121.50 | 30 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 77.6 | |
| 28 | A Girl, a Guy, and a Gob (1941) | George Murphy | 1.90 | 83.2 | 122.10 | 123 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 77.4 | |
| 28 | Five Came Back (1939) | Chester Morris | 1.90 | 87.0 | 137.00 | 119 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 76.9 | |
| 29 | Two Smart People (1946) | Lloyd Nolan | 2.40 | 84.1 | 115.70 | 116 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 76.3 | |
| 32 | The Big Street (1942) | Henry Fonda | 1.80 | 77.6 | 77.60 | 134 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 75.0 | |
| 33 | Murder At The Vanities (1934) Uncredited |
Victor McLaglen | 1.30 | 65.5 | 65.50 | 91 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 67.8 | |
| 33 | Lover Come Back (1946) | George Brent | 1.90 | 68.1 | 68.10 | 122 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 66.8 | |
| 33 | Valley of The Sun (1942) | James Craig | 1.40 | 58.5 | 88.10 | 159 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 63.7 | |
| 36 | Meet The People (1944) | Dick Powell | 2.20 | 84.4 | 121.00 | 113 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 61.6 | |
| 34 | Miss Grant Takes Richmond (1949) | William Holden | 1.00 | 28.3 | 28.30 | 183 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 61.4 | |
| 37 | I Dream Too Much (1935) | Henry Fonda | 1.10 | 58.2 | 95.20 | 121 | 52 | 01 / 00 | 52.9 | |
| 38 | Critic's Choice (1963) | Bob Hope | 3.40 | 49.8 | 49.80 | 67 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 42.3 | |
| 39 | Easy Living (1949) | Victor Mature & Lizabeth Scott |
1.50 | 44.5 | 44.50 | 158 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 37.1 | |
| 42 | The Magic Carpet (1951) | Raymond Burr | 1.20 | 30.4 | 30.40 | 187 | 48 | 00 / 00 | 24.2 | |
| 40 | The Good Years (1962) | Henry Fonda | 0.10 | 2.3 | 2.30 | 141 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 22.9 |
Stats and Possibly Interesting Things From The Above Lucille Ball Table
- Sixteen Lucille Ball movies crossed the magical $100 million domestic gross mark. That is a percentage of 44.44% of her movies listed. Thousands Cheer (1943) was her biggest box office hit.
- An average Lucille Ball movie grossed $114.50 million in adjusted box office gross.
- Using RottenTomatoes.com’s 60% fresh meter. 25 of Lucille Ball’s movies are rated as good movies…or 69.44% of her movies. Stage Door (1937) was her highest rated movie while A Girl a Guy and a Gob (1941) was her lowest rated movie.
- Five Lucille Ball movie received at least one Oscar® nomination in any category…..or 13.88% of her movies.
- One Lucille Ball movie won at least one Oscar® in any category…..or 2.77% of her movies.
- A “good movie” Ultimate Movie Ranking (UMR) Score is 60.00. 24 Lucille Ball movies scored higher that average….or 66.66% of her movies. Stage Door (1937) got the the highest UMR Movie Score while A Girl a Guy and a Gob (1941) got the lowest UMR Movie Score.
Sadly we were not able to find box office information on all of Lucille Ball’s movies. So which movies are missing? Lots of her movies from her RKO “B” movie days, many of the Columbia movies she made right before I Love Lucy started and a few movies from the 1940s. That being said, we figured there was no reason not to share what we do have. We call our website Ultimate Movie Rankings because we normally try and rank every movie an actor or actress made. Since this is only 36 of Lucy’s movie we will just call this a Lucille Ball Movie Ranking Page and leave out the Ultimate!
Steve’s Lucille Ball You Tube Video
Check out Lucille Ball‘s career compared to current and classic actors and directors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
In 1999 Time magazine compiled a list of the 100 people regarded as the “most important individuals of the 20th century”. It mostly considered of inventors, politicians (like FDR and JFK), industrialists, painters, writers, and assorted intellectuals. Albert Einstein topped it.
The overall list was split up into 5 sections of 20 and the following are Time’s pick of the “20 Greatest Artists and Entertainers”. 5 on the list have been connected with the cinema as MAJOR STARS and are shown in bold letters below.
Louis Armstrong
LLUCILLE BALL – Most Influential TV comedienne
The Beatles
MARLON BRANDO – Most Influential Movie Star
Coco Chanel
CHARLIE CHAPLIN – Most Influential Silent Era Comedian
Lee Corbusier
Bob Dylan
T S Eliot
Aretha Franklin
Martha Graham
Jim Henson
James Joyce
Pablo Picasso
Rodgers and Hammerstein
Bart Simpson
FRANK SINATRA – Most Influential Singer
STEVEN SPIELBERG – Most Influential Moviemaker
Igor Stravinski
Ophra Winfrey
MARILYN MONROE (as most influential sex symbol) is the 6th film star to be in the Time 100, but she is in the 20 Heroes and Icons section.
Show business newspaper Variety also produced its own (Top 10) list of the Greatest entertainers of the 20th century. Here they are in alphabetical order and some of those on the Time 100 lists are also on the Variety list.
Louis Armstrong**
Lucille Ball**
The Beatles**
Humphrey Bogart
Marlon Brando**
Charlie Chaplin**
James Dean
Mickey Mouse
Elvis Presley
Frank Sinatra**
**On the Time 100 list as well