Skip to content

Ultimate Movie Rankings

Ranking Movies Since 2011

Menu
  • Robert Duvall Movies
  • 2026 Movies – GOAT Debuts In 3rd Place
  • About
  • Site Index
  • Newest UMR Pages
  • Yearly Reviews 1925-2025
  • 2026 In Memoriam
  • 2025 Movies – Includes All Oscar Nominations
  • Forums
  • UMR Movie Thoughts
Menu

Ethel Merman Movies

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

Ethel Merman (1908-1984) was anĀ  American actress and singer.Ā  Merman was known for her distinctive, powerful voice and leading roles in musical theatre, she has been called “the undisputed First Lady of the musical comedy stage”. Her IMDb page shows 41 acting credits from 1930 to 1982.Ā  This page will rank Ethel Merman movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information.Ā  To do well in our overall rankings a movie has to do well at the box office, get good reviews by critics, be liked by audiences, and get some award recognition.

1936’s Anything Goes

Ethel Merman 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
1980 Airplane! (1980)
1938 Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938)
AA Best Picture Nom
1963 It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)
1954 There's No Business Like Show Business (1954)
1953 Call Me Madam (1953)
1938 Happy Landing (1938)
1943 Stage Door Canteen (1943)
1936 Strike Me Pink (1936)
1965 The Art of Love (1965)
1934 Kid Millions (1934)
1935 The Big Broadcast of 1936 (1935)
1934 We're Not Dressing (1934)
1936 Anything Goes (1936)
1938 Straight Place and Show (1938)
1972 Journey Back To Oz (1972)
1976 Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976)
1930 Follow The Leader (1930)
It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)

Ethel Merman Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table

The really cool thing about this table is that it is ā€œuser-sortableā€. Rank the movies any way you want.

  • Sort Ethel Merman movies by her co-stars
  • Sort Ethel Merman movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
  • Sort Ethel Merman movies by yearly domestic box office rank
  • Sort Ethel Merman movies by how they were received by critics and audiences.Ā  60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
  • Sort by how many OscarĀ® nominations and how many OscarĀ® wins each Ethel Merman movie received.
  • Sort Ethel Merman movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score.Ā  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
3 Airplane! (1980) Robert Hays &
Lloyd Bridges
93.40 449.0 449.00 5 88 00 / 00 98.6
1 Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938)
AA Best Picture Nom
Tyrone Power &
Don Ameche
12.00 555.6 555.60 1 75 06 / 01 98.5
2 It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963) Spencer Tracy &
Milton Berle
45.90 667.6 667.60 2 76 06 / 01 97.5
4 There's No Business Like Show Business (1954) Marilyn Monroe &
Mitzi Gaynor
12.90 349.4 349.40 16 66 03 / 00 94.3
5 Call Me Madam (1953) Donald O'Connor &
Vera-Ellen
8.60 179.9 179.90 24 70 02 / 01 93.4
5 Happy Landing (1938) Sonja Henie &
Don Ameche
8.00 370.4 370.40 9 56 00 / 00 89.6
6 Stage Door Canteen (1943) Ralph Bellamy &
Merle Oberon
12.40 516.6 516.60 5 54 02 / 00 89.6
8 Strike Me Pink (1936) Eddie Cantor 3.10 152.5 152.50 55 66 00 / 00 87.8
9 The Art of Love (1965) James Garner &
Dick Van Dyke
9.50 115.9 115.90 29 67 00 / 00 83.6
10 Kid Millions (1934) Eddie Cantor &
Ann Sothern
2.40 128.9 128.90 40 61 00 / 00 82.9
11 The Big Broadcast of 1936 (1935) George Burns 2.70 142.3 142.30 38 56 01 / 00 82.7
12 We're Not Dressing (1934) Bing Crosby &
Carole Lombard
1.80 98.3 98.30 63 64 00 / 00 79.6
13 Anything Goes (1936) Bing Crosby 1.20 59.9 59.90 133 64 00 / 00 69.0
14 Straight Place and Show (1938) The Ritz Brothers 2.00 92.7 92.70 116 53 00 / 00 68.3
15 Journey Back To Oz (1972) Liza Minnelli 1.00 7.3 7.30 142 59 00 / 00 31.3
16 Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976) Victor Mature &
Walter Pidgeon
3.60 21.3 21.30 94 51 00 / 00 24.6
17 Follow The Leader (1930) Ginger Rogers 0.40 24.3 24.30 177 49 00 / 00 22.7
Airplane! (1980)

Possibly Interesting Facts About Ethel Merman

1. Ethel Agnes Zimmermann was born in Astoria, Queens in New York City in 1908.

2.Ā  How Ethel Zimmermann became Ethel Merman:Ā  When her career was just getting started she decided the name Ethel Zimmermann was too long for a theater marquee. She considered combining Ethel with Gardner or Hunter, which was her grandmother’s maiden name. These considerations caused her father’s ire, and she abbreviated Zimmermann to Merman to appease her father.

3. Ethel Merman loved Christmas so much, that she kept her Christmas tree up year-round.

4.Ā  Ethel Merman was married to Ernest Borgnine for 11 days.Ā  In her 1978 biography, Merman devoted a chapter of her autobiography to the marriage: It consisted of one blank page.

5.Ā  Among the many standards introduced by Ethel Merman in Broadway musicals are “I Got Rhythm” (from Girl Crazy); “Everything’s Coming Up Roses”, “Some People”, and “Rose’s Turn” (from Gypsy—Merman starred as Rose in the original 1959 Broadway production); and the Cole Porter songs “It’s De-Lovely” (from Red, Hot and Blue), “Friendship” (from DuBarry Was a Lady), and “I Get a Kick Out of You”, “You’re the Top”, and “Anything Goes” (from Anything Goes). The Irving Berlin song “There’s No Business Like Show Business”, written for the musical Annie Get Your Gun, became Merman’s signature song.

Check out Ethel Mermaid’s career compared to current and classic actors.Ā  Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.

(Visited 1 times)

17 thoughts on “Ethel Merman Movies”

Comments navigation

Older comments
  1. Paul E. Brogan says:
    July 22, 2023 at 2:33 pm

    As a young child in elementary school, I experienced “The Merm” on-stage in Boston when she was touring in the stage production of “Gypsy” in the early 60’s. It was a defining moment in my young life. Our family saw her again in 1966 when visiting Washington, DC in the 20th anniversary revival of “Annie Get Your Gun” at the National Theatre. She was the National Monument I remember best from Washington.

    In 1970 I saw her on Broadway in “Hello Dolly” and finally in May of 1977, she and Mary Martin teamed for a benefit show in New York City, and I was in the fifth row for another unforgettable evening.

    No movie has ever captured the Merman Magic that made her a legend on the stage. She was almost too big for the movies. However, it’s great to see her get her due on your page and a handful of the titles capture a little of her one-of-a-kind star quality.

    Reply
  2. Adrienne Szat says:
    October 15, 2021 at 5:10 pm

    She was HER OWN SELF!!! A true talent !!! LOVE HER: WISH SHE WERE HERE….

    Reply
    1. Adrienne Szatkowski says:
      October 15, 2021 at 5:11 pm

      She was HER OWN SELF!!! A true talent !!! LOVE HER: WISH SHE WERE HERE….

      Reply
  3. Greg says:
    June 24, 2020 at 9:16 pm

    I have seen seven Ethel Merman movies. The seven movies are IT’S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD, THERE’S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS, CALL ME MADAM, JOURNEY BACK TO OZ, AIRPLANE, STAGE DOOR CANTEEN, and WON TON TON: THE DOG WHO SAVED HOLLYWOOD. Just my opinion but Miss Merman deserved an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actress for her performance in IT’S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD

    Reply
    1. Cogerson says:
      June 25, 2020 at 10:52 pm

      Hey Greg….great feedback on Ethel Merman. Your seven easily topples me. I have not seen Won Ton Ton The Dog Who Saved Hollywood…..but I do want to…even if it has a very bad rep. Interesting Oscar suggestion for her role in Mad Mad World. Sadly….comedy roles rarely get serious Oscar consideration. Good information.

      Reply
  4. Dan says:
    June 20, 2020 at 8:58 am

    Ethel Merman has never been on the Oracle of Bacon Top 1000. These are the actors on the 2020 list she has appeared with.

    68 JOHN CARRADINE Alexander’s Ragtime Band (1938)
    68 JOHN CARRADINE Anything Goes (1936)
    68 JOHN CARRADINE Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976)
    76 DEAN STOCKWELL Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976)
    84 BRUCE DERN Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976)
    107 MICKEY ROONEY It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)
    107 MICKEY ROONEY Journey Back to Oz (1974)
    168 JAMES HONG Airplane! (1980)
    237 PETER FALK It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)
    243 LESLIE NIELSEN Airplane! (1980)
    296 JAMES GARNER The Art of Love (1965)
    368 CESAR ROMERO Happy Landing (1938)
    372 LLOYD BRIDGES Airplane! (1980)
    441 TERI GARR Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976)
    501 RALPH BELLAMY Stage Door Canteen (1943)
    512 RAY MILLAND We’re Not Dressing (1934)
    533 ELKE SOMMER The Art of Love (1965)
    569 TERRY-THOMAS It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)
    577 ROBERT STACK Airplane! (1980)
    592 ANGIE DICKINSON The Art of Love (1965)
    628 GEORGE SANDERS Call Me Madam (1953)
    667 PETER LAWFORD Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976)
    805 KEYE LUKE Anything Goes (1936)
    805 KEYE LUKE Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976)
    837 BRODERICK CRAWFORD Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976)
    851 ALDO RAY Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976)
    860 MIKE MAZURKI It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)
    860 MIKE MAZURKI Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976)
    887 MADELINE KAHN Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976)
    907 WALTER PIDGEON Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976)

    Ethel Merman has appeared with 14 Oscar winners.

    ART CARNEY Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976)
    BING CROSBY Anything Goes (1936)
    BING CROSBY We’re Not Dressing (1934)
    BRODERICK CRAWFORD Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976)
    DON AMECHE Alexander’s Ragtime Band (1938)
    DON AMECHE Happy Landing (1938)
    GEORGE SANDERS Call Me Madam (1953)
    GINGER ROGERS Follow the Leader (1930)
    HELEN HAYES Stage Door Canteen (1943)
    JANE DARWELL Stage Door Canteen (1943)
    JANE WYMAN Anything Goes (1936)
    KATHARINE HEPBURN Stage Door Canteen (1943)
    LIZA MINNELLI Journey Back to Oz (1974)
    PAUL MUNI Stage Door Canteen (1943)
    RAY MILLAND We’re Not Dressing (1934)
    SPENCER TRACY It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)

    Reply

Comments navigation

Older comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Watch Naked Gun On Paramount Plus – Sign Up Today

Latest Comments

  • Sidney Johnson on Top Grossing 1996 Movies
  • Robert DiMucci on 1973 Movies
  • Mike HoF2020 on Jack Warden Movies
  • Mike HoF2020 on Site Index
  • Nick on Site Index

Top Stars By Decades

  • Top Movie Stars of the 1930s
  • Top Movie Stars of the 1940s
  • Top Movie Stars of the 1950s
  • Top Movie Stars of the 1960s
  • Top Movie Stars of the 1970s
  • Top Movie Stars of the 1980s
  • Top Box Office Stars of the 1990s
  • Top Box Office Stars of the 2000s
  • Top Movie Stars of the 2010s

UMR’s Latest Movie Reviews

All-Time Most Popular UMR Pages 2011 – 2024

  • Pixar Movies vs DreamWorks Movies
  • Marvel Movies vs DC Movies
  • All Time Top Ticket Selling Movies
  • John Wayne Movies
  • Bette Davis Movies
  • Black Hawk Down Cast Then And Now
  • Bruce Willis Movies
  • Steve McQueen Movies
  • Elvis Presley Movies
  • Joan Crawford Movies
  • Disney Movies
  • Marilyn Monroe Movies
  • Cary Grant Movies
  • Abbott and Costello Movies
  • Alfred Hitchcock Movies
  • Clint Eastwood Movies
  • Spielberg vs Cameron
  • Kurt Russell Movies
  • Top Grossing Movies of 1939
  • 1946 Top Box Office Movies
  • Humphrey Bogart Movies
  • Michael Caine Movies
  • Burt Reynolds Movies
  • Doris Day Movies
  • Tom Hanks Movies
  • Gregory Peck Movies

Want to help our website survive? Consider buying one of our books.

©2026 Ultimate Movie Rankings | Design: Newspaperly WordPress Theme

Dynamic title for modals

Are you sure?

Please confirm deletion. There is no undo!