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John Huston Movies

John Huston received Oscar nominations for writing, acting, directing and producing.
John Huston received Oscar nominations for writing, acting, directing and producing.

Want to know the best John Huston movies?  How about the worst John Huston movies?  Curious about John Huston’s box office grosses or which John Huston movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which John Huston movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences? Well you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information.

I have my dad to thank for the fact that I am a huge John Huston fan.  My dad loved The Man Who Would Be King, The African Queen, The Maltese Falcon and Key Largo.  All of those films were directed by Huston and they were movies that my dad talked about on a regular basis.  I still remember when Huston had an interview in Playboy magazine.  I might have been the only underage boy in the world trying to get my hands on a Playboy magazine….for the words in the magazine and not the pictures in the magazine.

John Huston (1906-1987) was an Oscar® winner director and screenplay writer.  Huston was involved in making movies from 1930 to 1987.  During that time he was involved in many classic films.  His movies were nominated for a combined total of 86 Oscars®…winning 14 Oscars® in different categories.  When looking at adjusted domestic box office….John Huston’s movies grossed over 4 BILLION dollars.  So with all of these stellar numbers, I felt it was time for John Huston to finally have his own UltimateMovieRankings page……plus it was a requested page by RW, Timlin33, and CameroonWake.

His IMDb page shows 40 writing credits, 54 acting credits, 47 directing credits and 9 producing credits from 1930-1988. This page will rank 52 John Huston movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television shows, shorts, cameos and movies that were not released in North American theaters were not included in the rankings.

John Huston directing Sean Connery and Michael Caine in 1975's The Man Would Be King
John Huston directing Sean Connery and Michael Caine in 1975’s The Man Would Be King

John Huston 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 John Huston movies by Huston stars or co-stars
  • Sort John Huston movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
  • Sort John Huston movies by yearly domestic box office rank
  • Sort John Huston 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 John Huston movie received.
  • Sort John Huston movies by Ultimate Movie Ranking (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
3 Chinatown (1974)
AA Best Picture Nom
Director
Jack Nicholson &
Faye Dunaway
29.20 195.2 195.2 17 94 11 / 01 99.7
4 The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Director Win
Humphrey Bogart &
Walter Huston
6.10 189.1 336.8 45 90 04 / 03 99.5
1 Sergeant York (1941)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Writing Nom
Gary Cooper &
Directed by Howard Hawks
13.50 604.2 604.2 1 81 11 / 02 99.4
6 Jezebel (1938)
AA Best Picture Nom
Bette Davis 4.30 197.4 270.4 36 84 05 / 02 99.2
4 The African Queen (1951)
AA Best Director Nom
Humphrey Bogart &
Katharine Hepburn
11.80 294.9 294.9 8 87 04 / 01 98.9
7 The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
AA Best Director Nom
Michael Caine &
Sean Connery
33.30 203.3 203.3 16 87 04 / 00 98.8
5 Key Largo (1948) Humphrey Bogart &
Edward G. Robinson
8.70 271.4 359.3 16 88 01 / 01 98.8
6 Moulin Rouge (1952)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Director Nom
Jose Ferrer &
Peter Cushing
11.80 268.4 268.4 8 71 07 / 02 98.2
10 The Maltese Falcon (1941)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Writing Nom
Humphrey Bogart &
Peter Lorre
3.40 153.7 269.6 68 91 03 / 00 98.2
13 The Misfits (1961) Clark Gable &
Marilyn Monroe
11.40 193.1 253.4 18 84 00 / 00 97.5
9 Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)
AA Best Writing Nom
Deborah Kerr &
Robert Mitchum
12.00 267.9 267.9 11 80 02 / 00 97.4
15 In This Our Life (1942) Bette Davis &
Olivia de Havilland
4.70 203.3 344.1 54 72 00 / 00 95.2
12 The Cardinal (1963)
AA Best Supp Actor Nom
Directed by Otto Preminger 15.10 219.1 219.1 15 66 06 / 00 94.7
13 The Cardinal (1963) Tom Tryon &
John Huston
15.10 219.1 219.1 15 66 06 / 00 94.7
17 High Sierra (1941) Humphrey Bogart &
Ida Lupino
3.40 153.1 214.4 69 85 00 / 00 94.6
15 Moby Dick (1956) Gregory Peck &
Orson Welles
13.70 310.9 310.9 15 69 00 / 00 94.3
18 The Night of the Iguana (1964) Richard Burton 12.40 164.9 164.9 18 73 04 / 01 93.6
19 The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972) Paul Newman 24.50 180.5 180.5 15 70 01 / 00 92.8
20 Juarez (1939) Bette Davis 4.70 208.8 291.4 39 61 02 / 00 92.1
17 The Bible: In the Beginning... (1966) Ava Gardner &
George C. Scott
37.50 426.1 426.1 2 61 01 / 00 91.8
21 Candy (1968) Marlon Brando &
James Coburn
21.10 200.9 200.9 13 59 00 / 00 90.9
21 Prizzi's Honor (1985)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Director Nom
Jack Nicholson &
Angelica Huston
26.70 93.9 93.9 32 78 08 / 01 90.3
23 Annie (1982)
Director
Albert Finney 95.70 406.8 406.8 5 51 02 / 00 88.5
24 The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
AA Best Director Nom
Sterling Hayden &
Marilyn Monroe
3.10 80.1 159.4 104 87 04 / 00 88.3
24 A Farewell to Arms (1957) Rock Hudson &
Jennifer Jones
14.30 318.9 318.9 6 50 01 / 00 87.9
27 Across the Pacific (1942) Humphrey Bogart &
Sydney Greenstreet
3.90 170.1 292.5 68 60 00 / 00 87.8
26 The Unforgiven (1960) Burt Lancaster &
Audrey Hepburn
8.90 160.5 160.5 30 63 00 / 00 87.7
30 The Roots of Heaven (1958) Errol Flynn 8.60 178.6 178.6 25 55 00 / 00 86.8
28 The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse (1938)
AA Best Director Nom
Edward G. Robinson 3.10 145.0 225.4 63 65 00 / 00 86.5
29 Casino Royale (1967) David Niven &
Peter Sellers
22.40 231.8 428.1 13 42 01 / 00 84.8
32 The Barbarian and the Geisha (1958) John Wayne 7.10 148.8 148.8 34 55 00 / 00 83.2
32 Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet (1940)
AA Best Writing Nom
Edward G. Robinson 1.80 82.5 120.3 110 72 01 / 00 81.6
31 The Red Badge of Courage (1951) Audie Murphy 2.30 56.4 77.1 143 81 00 / 00 81.3
34 The Wind and the Lion (1975) Sean Connery &
Brian Keith
15.20 92.4 92.4 45 67 02 / 00 81.2
37 Three Strangers (1946) Peter Lorre 2.80 99.7 159.0 105 66 00 / 00 80.9
37 Man in The Wilderness (1971) Richard Harris 8.30 63.1 63.1 42 76 00 / 00 79.7
35 Man in The Wilderness (1971) Richard Harris &
John Huston
8.30 63.1 63.1 42 76 00 / 00 79.7
38 Breakout (1975) Charles Bronson &
Robert Duvall
22.80 139.1 139.1 30 51 00 / 00 79.2
39 The List of Adrian Messenger (1963) Kirk Douglas 4.60 66.4 66.4 56 69 00 / 00 76.2
38 Fat City (1972) Jeff Bridges 2.60 18.9 18.9 104 82 01 / 00 75.1
41 The Dead (1987) Anjelica Huston 4.40 14.0 14.0 112 82 00 / 00 72.6
45 Beat the Devil (1953) Humphrey Bogart &
Gina Lollobrigida
3.00 63.1 63.1 120 65 00 / 00 71.0
41 Wise Blood (1979) Brad Dourif 2.60 13.1 13.1 95 80 00 / 00 70.7
43 Wise Blood (1979) Brad Dourif &
John Huston
2.60 13.1 13.1 95 80 00 / 00 70.7
44 Freud (1962) Montgomery Clift 2.90 47.6 47.6 84 67 02 / 00 70.4
46 Victory (1981) Michael Caine &
Sylvester Stallone
10.90 48.8 48.8 72 66 00 / 00 67.0
48 We Were Strangers (1949) John Garfield &
Jennifer Jones
2.10 60.6 60.6 140 61 00 / 00 66.2
50 Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967) Marlon Brando &
Elizabeth Taylor
4.60 47.7 47.7 54 63 00 / 00 63.4
47 Winter Kills (1979) Jeff Bridges 1.10 5.4 5.4 141 75 00 / 00 61.2
49 Under the Volcano (1984) Albert Finney 2.60 9.5 9.5 129 72 02 / 00 61.0
51 The Devil's Backbone/The Deserter (1970) Ricardo Montalban &
Richard Crenna
1.50 12.2 12.2 123 68 00 / 00 53.1
52 The Last Run (1971) George C. Scott &
Tony Musante
4.20 32.1 32.1 68 59 00 / 00 49.2
53 The Mackintosh Man (1973) Paul Newman 4.50 32.1 32.1 68 59 00 / 00 49.2
55 A Walk with Love and Death (1969) Anjelica Huston 1.90 16.3 16.3 106 62 00 / 00 44.4
54 The Other Side of the Wind (2018) Dennis Hopper &
Directed by Orson Welles
0.10 0.1 0.1 386 67 00 / 00 43.7
56 The Kremlin Letter (1970) Richard Boone 2.10 17.1 17.1 104 60 00 / 00 41.4
58 Myra Breckinridge (1970) Mae West 8.50 68.4 68.4 39 36 00 / 00 24.2
57 Lovesick (1983) Dudley Moore 10.20 40.4 40.4 66 44 00 / 00 23.9
59 Love and Bullets (1979) Charles Bronson &
Rod Steiger
2.50 12.5 12.5 102 49 00 / 00 16.3
60 Sinful Davy (1969) John Hurt 1.60 13.8 13.8 117 45 00 / 00 12.4
62 Tentacles (1977) Henry Fonda 8.10 45.4 45.4 68 30 00 / 00 6.8
61 Tentacles (1977) John Huston &
Shelley Winters
8.10 45.4 45.4 68 30 00 / 00 6.8
63 Phobia (1980) Paul Michael Glaser 0.10 0.3 0.3 190 38 00 / 00 3.1

Stats and Possibly Interesting Things From The Above John Huston Table

  1. Twenty-six John Huston movies crossed the magical $100 million domestic gross mark.  That is a percentage of 48.16% of his movies listed. Sergeant York (1941) iwas his biggest box office ht when looking at adjusted domestic box office gross.
  2. An average John Huston movie grosses $101.20 million in adjusted box office gross.
  3. Using RottenTomatoes.com’s 60% fresh meter.  42 of John Huston’s movies are rated as good movies…or 77.77% of his movies. Chinatown (1974) is his highest rated movie while Tentacles (1977) was his lowest rated movie.
  4. Twenty-four John Huston movies received at least one Oscar® nomination in any category…..or 44.44% of his movies.
  5. Ten John Huston movies won at least one Oscar® in any category…..or 18.51% of his movies.
  6. A “good movie” Ultimate Movie Ranking (UMR) Score is 60.00.  36 John Huston movies scored higher than that average….or 66.66% of his movies.  Sergeant York (1941) got the the highest UMR Score while Tentacles got the lowest UMR Score.
John Huston directing Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn in 1951's The African Queen
John Huston directing Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn in 1951’s The African Queen

Possibly Interesting Facts About John Huston

1. John Marcellus Huston was born in Nevada, Missouri.

2. John Huston was an accomplished boxer.  He won the Amateur Lightweight Boxing Championship of California and finished his boxing career with a 22-3 record.

3. John Huston was married five times.  Four of the marriages ended in divorce.  His fourth marriage to Enrica Soma ended when she was killed in a car accident.  He had five children.

4. The Huston acting family has 280 IMDb acting credits since 1929.  John’s dad Walter had 53 credits, John had 54 credits, daughter Anjelica has 84, son Danny has 60 and grandson Jack has 29. This total is of June 8th, 2015.

5.  This gets us to one of my favorite pieces of movie trivia.  John Huston directed his dad, Walter Huston, to an Oscar® winning performance in 1948’s The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.  37 years later....John Huston directed his daughter, Anjelica Huston, to an Oscar winning performance in 1985’s Prizzi’s Honor.

6.  John Huston was nominated for 15 Academy Awards®.  He was nominated 5 times as Best Director, 8 times for Best Screenplay, 1 time for producing a Best Picture and 1 time as Best Supporting Actor.  He won two Oscars®….both for 1948’s The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. He was also nominated for 8 Golden Globes®…winning three times.

7.  John Huston’s role as Noah Cross in 1974’s Chinatown was named as the 16th Greatest Villain in movie history by the American Film Institute.  Somehow…Huston did not get an Oscar® nomination for that very memorable role.

8.  John Huston tried for many years to make The Man Who Would Be King.  In the 1950s he wanted Clark Gable and Humphrey Bogart to play the two leads.  Their untimely deaths ended that.  In the 1960s he tried unsuccessfully to get Richard Burton and Peter O’Toole for the parts.  In the 1970s he approached Paul Newman and Robert Redford for the roles.  Newman suggested that Huston talk to Michael Caine and Sean Connery.  It might have taken 20 plus years to make the movie but it ended up working out pretty well.

9. The African Queen is an all-time classic.  The adventures of Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, John Huston and Lauren Bacall while making the movie might be even more impressive than the movie.  Lots of great books are out there about the filming of The African Queen and Clint Eastwood even did a movie about it…..one of his least seen movies….White Hunter Black Heart.

10. Check out John Huston’s career compared to current and classic actors.  Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.

Steve’s John Huston You Tube Video

 

Academy Award® and Oscar® are the registered trademarks of the Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences.

 

For comments….all you need is a name and a comment….please ignore the rest.

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41 thoughts on “John Huston Movies”

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  1. Dan says:
    October 9, 2021 at 8:19 pm

    John Huston, is the # 79 most connectible actor of the 1970’s.

    Reply

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