Want to know the best Alan Arkin movies? How about the worst Alan Arkin movies? Curious about Alan Arkin box office grosses or which Alan Arkin movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Alan Arkin movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences and which ones got the worst? Well you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information. And a lot more!
Alan Arkin (1934-2023) was an Oscar® winning American actor, director, and screenwriter. With a film career spanning seven decades, Arkin is known for his performances in Wait Until Dark, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, Catch-22, The In-Laws, Edward Scissorhands, Glengarry Glen Ross, Little Miss Sunshine and Argo. This page ranks 61 Alan Arkin movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television shows, bit parts and his movies not released in North America theaters are not included in the rankings. This page comes from a request by Dan.
Alan Arkin Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews and awards.
Alan Arkin 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.
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Alan Arkin Adjusted World Wide Box Office Grosses
Check Out Steve Lensman’s Alan Arkin You Tube Video
Alan Arkin was a member of the Tarriers who had 2 top 10 records on Billboard in the 1950’s. One of their hits was Banana Boat Song which was a hit for 7 different acts at the same time back then (Harry Belafonte and Steve Lawrence had 2 of the other hits). You can see Alan and the Tarriers perform that song in the 1957 film Calypso Heat Wave.
Alan was # 99 on the 2016 Oracle of Bacon Top 1000 Center of the Hollywood Universe list (he’s down to 106 now). These are the actors on the 2016 list he has appeared with;
6 ROBERT DE NIRO GRUDGE MATCH (2013)
9 DONALD SUTHERLAND Little Murders (1971)
10 MICHAEL CAINE GOING IN STYLE (2017)
10 MICHAEL CAINE Woman Times Seven (1967)
11 MARTIN SHEEN Catch-22 (1970)
12 MORGAN FREEMAN GOING IN STYLE (2017)
18 BRUCE WILLIS North (1994)
28 CHRISTOPHER WALKEN America’s Sweethearts (2001)
31 JOHN TURTURRO Thirteen Conversations About One Thing (2001)
35 CHRISTOPHER LEE The Last Unicorn (1982)
35 CHRISTOPHER LEE The Return of Captain Invincible (1983)
36 JOHN GOODMAN ARGO (2012)
36 JOHN GOODMAN LOVE THE COOPERS (2015)
36 JOHN GOODMAN Mother Night (1996)
38 NICK NOLTE Mother Night (1996)
39 DANNY GLOVER Chu Chu and the Philly Flash (1981)
40 HARRY DEAN STANTON Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins (1975)
43 JAMES CAAN Freebie and the Bean (1974)
43 JAMES CAAN Get Smart (2008)
45 STANLEY TUCCI America’s Sweethearts (2001)
49 CLINT HOWARD The Rocketeer (1991)
54 HARRISON FORD Firewall (2006)
58 ELLIOTT GOULD Little Murders (1971)
63 ED HARRIS Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
66 SUSAN SARANDON Noel (2004)
67 JAMES HONG The In-Laws (1979)
70 MARK FALVO LOVE THE COOPERS (2015)
71 ROBERT DUVALL The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976)
72 ROBERT FORSTER Firewall (2006)
73 JOHNNY DEPP Edward Scissorhands (1990)
76 ALEC BALDWIN Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
86 DAN AYKROYD Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)
86 DAN AYKROYD North (1994)
88 JON VOIGHT Catch-22 (1970)
89 ROBERT DOWNEY JR. Eros (2004)
90 JOHN CUSACK America’s Sweethearts (2001)
90 JOHN CUSACK Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)
92 PAUL SORVINO The Rocketeer (1991)
94 XANDER BERKELEY Gattaca (1997)
97 CHARLES DURNING Big Trouble (1986)
97 CHARLES DURNING Deadhead Miles (1972)
105 ED LAUTER The Rocketeer (1991)
107 CHRISTOPHER MCDONALD Magicians (2000)
108 KATHY BATES North (1994)
109 STACY KEACH The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968)
120 ANDY GARCIA City Island (2009)
120 ANDY GARCIA Steal Big Steal Little (1995)
123 BILL MURRAY Get Smart (2008)
125 VANESSA REDGRAVE The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976)
126 TERENCE STAMP Get Smart (2008)
132 ED BEGLEY JR. The In-Laws (1979)
135 MARK MARGOLIS Jakob the Liar (1999)
141 ROBIN WILLIAMS Jakob the Liar (1999)
141 ROBIN WILLIAMS Noel (2004)
142 ERNEST BORGNINE Gattaca (1997)
146 FRANK LANGELLA The Novice (2006)
150 SYLVESTER STALLONE GRUDGE MATCH (2013)
156 MARTIN KOVE Little Murders (1971)
165 JONATHAN PRYCE Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
167 J. K. SIMMONS Rendition (2007)
171 JULIA ROBERTS America’s Sweethearts (2001)
175 JULIANNE MOORE The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009)
179 ROBERT PATRICK Firewall (2006)
180 OWEN WILSON Marley & Me (2008)
195 VINCENT PASTORE The Jerky Boys (1995)
196 RICHARD PORTNOW Havana (1990/I)
197 ELIAS KOTEAS Gattaca (1997)
200 JOE PANTOLIANO Steal Big Steal Little (1995)
204 KEVIN CORRIGAN Slums of Beverly Hills (1998)
205 BOB BALABAN Catch-22 (1970)
205 BOB BALABAN Jakob the Liar (1999)
205 BOB BALABAN Thin Ice (2011)
210 ARMIN MUELLER-STAHL Jakob the Liar (1999)
212 JON POLITO The Rocketeer (1991)
217 JAMES WOODS Joshua Then and Now (1985)
219 DAVID STRAITHAIRN Mother Night (1996)
221 CYNTHIA LEBLANC GRUDGE MATCH (2013)
229 BOB PEPPER America’s Sweethearts (2001)
229 BOB PEPPER The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013)
238 JOEL THINGVALL THIN ICE (2011)
239 JEREMY PIVEN Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)
245 MICKEY ROONEY THE MUPPETS (2011)
259 GEORGE CHEUNG Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
259 GEORGE CHEUNG North (1994)
261 MARC MACAULAY Edward Scissorhands (1990)
261 MARC MACAULAY Marley & Me (2008)
272 BEN AFFLECK Argo (2012)
273 BOB GUNTON Argo (2012)
273 BOB GUNTON Rendition (2007)
276 KIRSTEN DUNST Mother Night (1996)
279 MERYL STREEP Rendition (2007)
282 CHRISTOPHER LLOYD GOING IN STYLE (2017)
283 UMA THURMAN Gattaca (1997)
288 DON ABERNATHY Get Smart (2008)
290 BRYAN CRANSTON ARGO (2012)
290 BRYAN CRANSTON LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (2006)
293 SCARLETT JOHANSSON North (1994)
294 ANTHONY MACKIE LOVE THE COOPERS (2015)
296 BETH GRANT Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
297 FRED WARD Hearts of the West (1975)
300 BILL PAXTON Indian Summer (1993)
300 BILL PAXTON MILLION DOLLAR ARM (2014)
302 DAVID BOSTON CITY ISLAND (2009)
302 DAVID BOSTON THE PRIVATE LIVES OF PIPPA LEE (2009)
304 VINCENT SCHIAVELLI Chu Chu and the Philly Flash (1981)
305 JEFF BRIDGES Hearts of the West (1975)
305 JEFF BRIDGES The Last Unicorn (1982)
307 DAVID PAYMER The In-Laws (1979)
314 KEANU REEVES The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009)
316 AUSTIN PENDLETON Catch-22 (1970)
316 AUSTIN PENDLETON Raising Flagg (2006)
316 AUSTIN PENDLETON Simon (1980)
323 DONALD PLEASENCE Hearts of the West (1975)
324 LIEV SCHREIBER Jakob the Liar (1999)
328 TONY PLANA Havana (1990/I)
337 DIANE LANE Indian Summer (1993)
339 WALLACE SHAWN Simon (1980)
340 KEVIN POLLAK Indian Summer (1993)
340 KEVIN POLLAK The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006)
341 RICHARD KIND Argo (2012)
341 RICHARD KIND Raising Flagg (2006)
342 BEVERLY D’ANGELO Big Trouble (1986)
346 KEVIN SPACEY Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
354 JACK BLACK The Muppets (2011)
355 MARISA TOMEI LOVE THE COOPERS (2015)
355 MARISA TOMEI Slums of Beverly Hills (1998)
367 CLIFTON COLLINS JR. SUNSHINE CLEANING (2008)
374 JUDE LAW Gattaca (1997)
387 AL PACINO Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
393 ELIJAH WOOD North (1994)
395 PENELOPE CRUZ Noel (2004)
399 LUKE BURNYEAT ARGO (2012)
403 ROBERT REDFORD Havana (1990/I)
414 LARRY MILLER Get Smart (2008)
417 DANNY AIELLO Chu Chu and the Philly Flash (1981)
418 CHRIS COOPER The Muppets (2011)
423 AMANDA PLUMMER So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993)
428 ETHAN HAWKE Gattaca (1997)
433 MARGO MARTINDALE The Rocketeer (1991)
440 WINONA RYDER Edward Scissorhands (1990)
440 WINONA RYDER The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009)
455 SHIRLEY MACLAINE Woman Times Seven (1967)
465 FRANKIE FAISON Mother Night (1996)
465 FRANKIE FAISON Thirteen Conversations About One Thing (2001)
474 JULIO OSCAR MECHOSO LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (2006)
477 MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY Thirteen Conversations About One Thing (2001)
485 DEBI MAZAR So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993)
490 VIRGINIA MADSEN Firewall (2006)
493 TONY SHALHOUB GATTACA (1997)
501 RICK OVERTON The Rocketeer (1991)
523 HARRY FIELDER The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976)
531 ZEIJKO IVANEK Argo (2012)
532 PAUL BEN-VICTOR GRUDGE MATCH (2013)
534 TIL SCHWEIGER MAGICIANS (2000)
541 HECTOR ELIZONDO Deadhead Miles (1972)
545 ROBIN WRIGHT The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009)
547 AMY ADAMS Sunshine Cleaning (2008)
547 AMY ADAMS The Muppets (2011)
550 ROBERT COSTANZO North (1994)
555 TOMAS MILIAN Havana (1990/I)
563 DAVID KOECHNER GET SMART (2008)
565 JOHN H. TOBIN ARGO (2012)
569 JAMES GANDOLFINI THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE (2013)
570 JAMES GAMMON Coupe de Ville (1990)
579 DAVID PROVAL RAFFERTY AND THE GOLD DUST TWINS (1975)
585 JIM CARREY The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013)
594 STEVE MARTIN LOVE THE COOPERS (2015)
606 PAUL BETTANY FIREWALL (2006)
609 LOUISE FLETCHER The Magician of Lublin (1979)
617 TONI COLLETTE LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (2006)
618 JOHN ORTIZ GOING IN STYLE (2017)
624 KIM BASINGER GRUDGE MATCH (2013)
626 EMILY MORTIMER CITY ISLAND (2009)
630 SETH GREEN America’s Sweethearts (2001)
634 JON LOVITZ NORTH (1994)
647 CAROLINE AARON EDWARD SCISSORHANDS (1990)
649 ALLEN GARFIELD Deadhead Miles (1972)
654 JOHN FARRER CITY ISLAND (2009)
657 BARRY PRIMUS GRUDGE MATCH (2013)
660 ANN-MARGRET GOING IN STYLE (2017)
660 ANN-MARGRET The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006)
673 PAUL DOOLEY Big Trouble (1986)
673 PAUL DOOLEY Sunshine Cleaning (2008)
679 TAYLOR NEGRON BAD MEDICINE (1985)
684 PETER FALK Big Trouble (1986)
684 PETER FALK The In-Laws (1979)
691 JOSEPH BASILE CITY ISLAND (2009)
697 SIMON ANDREU BAD MEDICINE (1985)
701 MATT DILLON GOING IN STYLE (2017)
706 SALLY KELLERMAN Last of the Red Hot Lovers (1972)
706 SALLY KELLERMAN Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins (1975)
713 ROBERT BIZIK MARLEY & ME (2008)
715 TERRY CREWS GET SMART (2008)
722 SID HAIG CHU CHU AND THE PHILLY FLASH (1981)
739 DIANE KEATON LOVE THE COOPERS (2015)
740 TIM GUINEE THE PRIVATE LIVES OF PIPPA LEE (2009)
743 JUDE CICCOLELLA GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS (1992)
746 PETER BOYLE The Monitors (1969)
746 PETER BOYLE The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006)
754 GREG KINNEAR Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
754 GREG KINNEAR Thin Ice (2011)
760 JENNIFER CONNELLY The Rocketeer (1991)
761 PETER SARSGAARD RENDITION (2007)
762 JACK WARDEN Chu Chu and the Philly Flash (1981)
770 JOE GRIFASI Bad Medicine (1985)
779 KEN DAVITIAN GET SMART (2008)
781 SHELLEY WINTERS The Magician of Lublin (1979)
790 PATRICK WARBURTON GET SMART (2008)
792 BLAKE CLARK GET SMART (2008)
793 ALEX ROCCO Fire Sale (1977)
793 ALEX ROCCO Freebie and the Bean (1974)
793 ALEX ROCCO Hearts of the West (1975)
793 ALEX ROCCO Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins (1975)
828 MICHAEL J. POLLARD The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming (1966)
830 DEAN NORRIS GATTACA (1997)
830 DEAN NORRIS LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (2006)
838 CATHERINE ZETA-JONES America’s Sweethearts (2001)
849 PATRICK DEMPSEY Coupe de Ville (1990)
852 DWAYNE JOHNSON Get Smart (2008)
864 CHAZZ PALMINTERI NOEL (2004)
874 JOHN ROBERT THE MUPPETS (2011)
879 BILLY CRUDUP THIN ICE (2011)
889 MATT CRAVEN INDIAN SUMMER (1993)
893 RYAN REYNOLDS The Change-Up (2011)
895 ANTHONY LAPAGLIA SO I MARRIED AN AXE MURDERER (1993)
904 NORBERT WEISSER The Rocketeer (1991)
916 JOHN MCCONNELL THE NOVICE (2006)
919 PAT MORITA Full Moon High (1981)
920 HANK AZARIA AMERICA’S SWEETHEARTS (2001)
920 HANK AZARIA Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)
928 BILL WALTERS WAIT UNTIL DARK (1967)
934 VICTOR GARBER ARGO (2012)
942 BRETT RICE EDWARD SCISSORHANDS (1990)
948 ART LAFLEUR The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006)
957 DAVID KRUMHOLTZ SLUMS OF BEVERLY HILLS (1998)
958 ANNE HATHAWAY Get Smart (2008)
964 LENA OLIN Havana (1990/I)
968 JONATHAN LOUGHRAN GET SMART (2008)
975 MIA FARROW The Last Unicorn (1982)
988 JOHN MITCHELL (XXXI) MARLEY & ME (2008)
996 PHIL NARDOZZI LOVE THE COOPERS (2015)
999 REESE WITHERSPOON Rendition (2007)
The following actors all worked with Alan and were on the 2000 list but have since fallen off;
9 ORSON WELLES Catch-22 (1970)
43 KEENAN WYNN The Last Unicorn (1982)
43 KEENAN WYNN The Monitors (1969)
48 MARTIN BALSAM Catch-22 (1970)
58 JACK LEMMON Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
94 ROBERT MORLEY Woman Times Seven (1967)
105 JACK WARDEN Chu Chu and the Philly Flash (1981)
108 DUB TAYLOR Hearts of the West (1975)
120 ROBERT STACK Big Trouble (1986)
125 VINCENT PRICE Edward Scissorhands (1990)
131 VITTORIO GASSMAN Woman Times Seven (1967)
177 MARCEL DALIO Catch-22 (1970)
185 KEVIN MCCARTHY Steal Big Steal Little (1995)
205 BRIAN KEITH The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming (1966)
216 LAURENCE OLIVIER The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976)
251 MEL FERRER Wait Until Dark (1967)
252 WILLIAM HICKEY The Jerky Boys (1995)
255 ALEXANDER KNOX Joshua Then and Now (1985)
265 RICHARD CRENNA Wait Until Dark (1967)
272 VITO SCOTTI Chu Chu and the Philly Flash (1981)
287 RICHARD FARNSWORTH Havana (1990/I)
289 ANTHONY PERKINS Catch-22 (1970)
307 MATT CLARK Hearts of the West (1975)
317 CLIFTON JAMES Raising Flagg (2006)
326 ANGELA LANSBURY The Last Unicorn (1982)
345 WILLIAM PRINCE Fire Sale (1977)
371 PHILIPPE NOIRET Woman Times Seven (1967)
390 BUCK HENRY Catch-22 (1970)
400 VALERIE PERRINE The Magician of Lublin (1979)
428 JOHN PHILLIP LAW The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming (1966)
434 PAUL KOSLO Freebie and the Bean (1974)
436 TIMOTHY DALTON The Rocketeer (1991)
454 LUIS BARBOO Bad Medicine (1985)
456 JACK RILEY Catch-22 (1970)
459 DABBS GREER Chu Chu and the Philly Flash (1981)
465 RICHARD LIBERTINI Big Trouble (1986)
465 RICHARD LIBERTINI Catch-22 (1970)
465 RICHARD LIBERTINI Fire Sale (1977)
465 RICHARD LIBERTINI The In-Laws (1979)
469 FRANK FINLAY Inspector Clouseau (1968)
473 RENE AUBERJONOIS The Last Unicorn (1982)
476 ROSSANO BRAZZI Woman Times Seven (1967)
504 ANDY ROMANO Steal Big Steal Little (1995)
516 MADELINE KAHN Simon (1980)
521 JOE GRIFASI Bad Medicine (1985)
523 BILL HENDERSON Fire Sale (1977)
530 NORMAN FELL Catch-22 (1970)
559 THEODORE BIKEL The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming (1966)
560 RICHARD KIEL Deadhead Miles (1972)
569 LUIS CONTRERAS Big Trouble (1986)
607 VINCENT GARDENIA Fire Sale (1977)
607 VINCENT GARDENIA Little Murders (1971)
617 PAUL FREES The Last Unicorn (1982)
625 HENRY GIBSON Mother Night (1996)
661 RICHARD BRADFORD Steal Big Steal Little (1995)
667 MICHAEL JETER Jakob the Liar (1999)
673 PETER SELLERS Woman Times Seven (1967)
686 MITCHELL RYAN Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)
694 STEVE GUTTENBERG Bad Medicine (1985)
696 TUTTE LEMKOW Inspector Clouseau (1968)
705 CHARLES GRODIN Catch-22 (1970)
705 CHARLES GRODIN So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993)
708 RAUL JULIA Havana (1990/I)
716 LOU JACOBI Chu Chu and the Philly Flash (1981)
716 LOU JACOBI Little Murders (1971)
716 LOU JACOBI The Magician of Lublin (1979)
725 AL CERULLO Simon (1980)
730 JUDGE REINHOLD The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006)
768 SAMANTHA EGGAR The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976)
771 MICHAEL SARRAZIN Joshua Then and Now (1985)
777 ERIC POHLMANN Inspector Clouseau (1968)
789 ANITA EKBERG Woman Times Seven (1967)
796 JOHN FINEGAN Big Trouble (1986)
796 JOHN FINEGAN The In-Laws (1979)
805 CARMINE CARIDI Havana (1990/I)
805 CARMINE CARIDI The In-Laws (1979)
811 ROBERT NICHOLS So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993)
856 LEE DE BROUX Steal Big Steal Little (1995)
868 LEX BARKER Woman Times Seven (1967)
903 JACK KRUSCHEN Freebie and the Bean (1974)
921 DANIEL STERN Coupe de Ville (1990)
928 KENNETH MARS Full Moon High (1981)
939 CHARLES MARTIN SMITH Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins (1975)
943 SELMA ARCHERD Fire Sale (1977)
949 JOHN HANCOCK The In-Laws (1979)
952 CHARLES GRAY The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976)
957 BILLY CRYSTAL America’s Sweethearts (2001)
984 PETER MAMAKOS The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968)
988 KATHLEEN TURNER Marley & Me (2008)
Alan appeared with 34 Oscar winners;
AL PACINO Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
ANNE HATHAWAY Get Smart (2008)
AUDREY HEPBURN Wait Until Dark (1967)
CATHERINE ZETA-JONES America’s Sweethearts (2001)
CHRIS COOPER The Muppets (2011)
CHRISTOPHER WALKEN America’s Sweethearts (2001)
DIANE KEATON LOVE THE COOPERS (2015)
ERNEST BORGNINE Gattaca (1997)
EVA MARIE SAINT The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming (1966)
JACK LEMMON Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
JEFF BRIDGES Hearts of the West (1975)
JEFF BRIDGES The Last Unicorn (1982)
JENNIFER CONNELLY The Rocketeer (1991)
JON VOIGHT Catch-22 (1970)
JULIA ROBERTS America’s Sweethearts (2001)
JULIANNE MOORE The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009)
KATHY BATES North (1994)
KEVIN SPACEY Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
KIM BASINGER GRUDGE MATCH (2013)
LAURENCE OLIVIER The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976)
MARISA TOMEI LOVE THE COOPERS (2015)
MARISA TOMEI Slums of Beverly Hills (1998)
MARTIN BALSAM Catch-22 (1970)
MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY Thirteen Conversations About One Thing (2001)
MERYL STREEP Rendition (2007)
MICHAEL CAINE GOING IN STYLE (2017)
MICHAEL CAINE Woman Times Seven (1967)
MORGAN FREEMAN GOING IN STYLE (2017)
PENELOPE CRUZ Noel (2004)
REESE WITHERSPOON Rendition (2007)
RITA MORENO Popi (1969)
RITA MORENO Slums of Beverly Hills (1998)
ROBERT DE NIRO GRUDGE MATCH (2013)
ROBERT DUVALL The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976)
ROBIN WILLIAMS Jakob the Liar (1999)
ROBIN WILLIAMS Noel (2004)
SHIRLEY MACLAINE Woman Times Seven (1967)
SUSAN SARANDON Noel (2004)
VANESSA REDGRAVE The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976)
dan, incredibly fun lists. maybe longest ever. thanks for musical connection. thanks for your labors.
Hey Bob….I agree with you 100%!
Hey Dan……EPIC Lists! So he has been knocked out of the Top 100…..but 106 is still pretty impressive. Good trivia on his music career….that is all new to me. First list….Michael Caine and Arkin have been in two movies….when they were promoting Going In Style….they started talking about their Woman Times Seven…neither could remember the movie’s title….Arkin eventually did…but Sir Caine could not remember the movie.
Second list…no Bess Flowers…..I want my money back….lol. Richard Libertini and Arkin made 4 movies together….seems like his most frequent co-star. 34 Oscar winners seems a little low…I thought he was going to be push Caine’s total. As always…..great lists….and thanks for sharing them.
STEVE
Around 1980 Alan Arkin was generally regarded by film critics, historians and his fellow professionals as one of the four greatest living actors at that time, the other 3 being Olivier, Brando and Paul Scofield.
Nowadays Alan, and Scofield for that matter, rarely make any list of great actors and if they do they are not very high up. Currently for example IMDB’s “Ultimate” list of the 100 greatest actors of all time ranks Alan in 53rd place whilst Paul is not mentioned at all.
However I suppose it could be argued that Scofield is predominately a stage actor which might limit his potential for inclusion on lists usually associated more with movie performers. Paul did make 25 movies but is maybe most remembered by even film buffs for his tour de force in A Man for all Seasons way back in 1966.
Elizabeth Taylor lost her temper with a TV interviewer who taunted her with the fact that Paul Scofield had remained true to his acting craft on the stage whilst Liz’s hubby Burton had forsaken the stage and “sold out” for the riches of Hollywood. Maybe the interviewer was some sidekick of Joel’s who thinks actors shouldn’t want too much money!
Continued
STEVE I have said that Arkin doesn’t seem to get much recognition as a “Great” these days and Wikipedia said of his 1968 Inspector Clouseau [a performance of course completely eclipsed by Peter Seller’s renowned portrayals] “the film has languished in obscurity.”
In my view however none of that nullifies the greatness of Arkin when he was in top form and therefore I very much welcome your Arkin video and will be responding separately to Bruce’s Arkin stats table.
My personal pick of the POSTERS in your video are Inspector Clouseau, Firewall, Christmas Coopers, Glengarry Glen Ross [saw both the movie and the play in London during a stay there once] Captain Invincible, Havana [a forgotten Redford movie that has long been a favourite within my own family circle] Change Up [very raunchy!] Slums of Beverly Hills, Indian Summer, both ones for Freebie and the Bean [note the compromise billing between Jimmy Caan and Alan] Little Murders and Four Days in September.
Fine STILLS were (1) the Get Smart quartet (2) Arkin and Caan (3) the Tom Mix scene (4) solo from Catch 22 [my wife loved that movie and the book by Joseph Heller but I never cared too much for it but it was one of Alan’ most famous roles in his early days] (5) Allan as “Siggy” in the Sherlock Holmes movie 7 % Solution (6) Alan with that other great detective “Columbo” (7) Alan menacing Little Aud with a knife (8) a lobby card I think for The Heart is a Lonely Hunter which I used to mix up with Cary Grant’s None but the Lonely Heart (9) with Depp in Edward Scissorhands (10) Alan in Argo and (11) the car scene from The English are Coming, The English are Coming.
In a way the latter demonstrates the old adage that “many a true word is spoken in jest”. In the 1970s when the Labour Party was in power in GB a book was written predicting the rise of Margaret Thatcher as Britain’s Prime Minister and the book’s title made a play on the movie title with “The Tories are Coming, The Tories are Coming”
Great stuff easily worth 97% to me. I liked the opening quote where Alan says “Who has the authority to say someone” is a better actor than someone else? Certainly Bruce could point him in the direction of at least one guy who considered himself more than capable of making such intellectual artistic distinctions!
Hi Bob, thanks for the review, rating, trivia and info, always appreciated.
Glad you enjoyed the posters, stills and lobby cards.
The movie title The Russians are Coming! The Russians are Coming! and your mention of the ‘English are Coming’ brings to mind Paul Revere yelling “The British are coming! The British are coming!” during the American Revolution.
Young Bruce must have been taught that slice of history at school. Long before the Red Scare, ‘they’ve got nukes!’ there was the ‘Brits are coming, hide your daughters’. 😉
Alan Arkin, good actor, I watched Freebie and the Bean a number of times at cinema double bills during the 70s. He was hilarious in that. And he was great in recent films like Argo and Little Miss Sunshine, I haven’t seen Going in Style.
Have you noticed how some actors who started out in comedic roles turned into highly rated serious actors later? Jack Lemmon and Tom Hanks are famous examples.
Robert De Niro turned things around by starting off as a very serious actor who later in life decided to try his hand at comedy with mixed results e.g. Analyze This (which was good) and Dirty Grandpa (which was awful)
Three Alan Arkin films scored 10 out of 10 from my sources – Edward Scissorhands, Glengarry Glen Ross and Argo.
One scored 9 out of 10 – Little Miss Sunshine. And there are 14 films scoring 8 out of 10
Top rated at IMDB is Edward Scissorhands, no.1 at Rotten Tomatoes is Glengarry Glen Ross.
Bruce and I have the same no.1 Argo.
Arkin on Wait Until Dark – “I hated it. I was crazy about Audrey Hepburn. I was just in awe of her. She was an extraordinary person in every way, and I just hated terrorizing her. I didn’t like being cruel to her. It made me very uncomfortable.”
Arkin on why he thinks he won the Oscar for Little Miss Sunshine “I haven’t got a clue. I think it’s my age. Everybody thinks I’m going to keel over in a year or two.”
HI STEVE
Thanks for your feedback to my Arkin posts as your comments are as usual packed with information, interesting/funny quotes – and on this occasion a history lesson!
Certainly your quote about “hide your daughters” was most appropriate for THIS site though I don’t think it’s the Brits we should be worried about on this occasion.
“When You and I were young Maggie” was written in 1884 by George Washington Hamilton a Canadian school teacher who fell in love with and married one of his pupils Margaret [Maggie] Clarke. Stuff about schoolteachers is very popular on this site these days though they do need to be watched around young female pupils!!”
[Extract from my 3 Sep post to Lupino on Luise Rainer’s page]
STEVE – do WE know any teachers with a Canuck background?
HI GUYS TEACH give yourself top marks and go to the to the top of your own class for being able to produce so quickly this new page which is so timely from my perspective. Doubly great work as you had a whopping 60 movies to assemble.
I have left it to both you guys to indulge your testosterone by boasting about the number of Arkin flicks you have seen and by patting yourselves on the back for the incisive movie ratings you have dished out. I will therefore confine my own additional comments to observations about the most welcome box office grosses that Bruce has very helpfully provided.
My quick initial study of the stats would suggest that
(1) Alan was the out and out star in only 1 [Catch 22] of the 12 movies that have crashed the Cogerson magical $100 million barrier. He was the joint star of a further 3. In the remaining 8 he was a supporting actor often not even mentioned among the stars on the posters –see for example Steve’s poster for Marley and Me..
(2) the overall adjusted domestic gross for the remaining 48 films on Bruce’s table is just under $1 billion dollars, an average of only a very poor $20 million approx. per movie
(3) Alan was therefore more of an artistically prestige performer than a box office star in my estimation.
Certainly I regard Bruce as my stats mentor and would be lost without him in that respect. In relations to STATS Steve I would say to you what Frasier Crane condescendingly said to his assistant as he haughtily sniffed the air “You’ve never been a mentor Roz. You wouldn’t know what it’s like!”
But Steve you are unquestionably my PICTORIALS guru and your Arkin video and the Work Horse’s new page compliment each other well as they usually do and that information-packed combination induces me to give both offerings a big “Vote Up”.
POSTSCRIPT Your poster for Wait Until Dark [1967], Steve, reminded me of how the young Virgin Movie Buff Bob used to get confused between certain films in the 1950s and 1960s. Your poster very prominently lists Efrem Zimbalist Jr as the lead supporting actor in Wait until Dark and Efrem was also the romantic lead in Jean Simmons’ Home before Dark in 1958. Oh Dan if only you had been about then to help me out!
Good stuff Bob, thanks. I was looking at the posters for the video, Alan Arkin was billed first or listed as a co-star above the title on 20 of the 35 listed. Which is not too bad. On the other 15 you’ll need a magnifying glass to make out his name at the bottom credits of the poster, depending on your monitor size.
An interesting Joel-like game to play, give 4 points if a favorite actor is billed first above the title for each film, 3 points if billed first below the title, 2 points if above the title but not billed first and 1 point if billed somewhere below the title but not first. 0 points if name is missing from the poster. Okay I’m off to write and eventually publish my unique ratings book, I shall call it – Rating the Movie Stars! No wait that’s been done, um Scoring the Movie Stars? 😉
HI STEVE
That would be a game that would be right up my street though Joel and Teach might not like the outcome because Ole Mumbles and The Duke would do very well in it. Mr M for example was only billed twice in his entire career in a full length role [ie excluding cameos and ensemble alphabetically billed flicks as both categories of films would in my view have to be excluded from your exciting game]
I think the game should also include not just total number of films but also % of for example top billed films in relation to total films as there are of course great variations in the number of movies that stars have made.
It should also be noted that results can be eschewed by difference in box office takings. For example many of the 20 films that you mention in which Alan got first billed will have been ones that grossed a pittance.
Also it would probably be hard to get Bruce to accept that a movie in which a guy gets billed say 10th doesn’t have the same value, all other things being equal, to that guy’s stardom as one in which he is billed first.
Indeed even if a guy wasn’t mentioned in posters and the like and somebody TOLD WH that the star concerned was in it Teach might want to credit him with the movie, depending of course who it was
Still with those caveats it would be a fun exercise.
Hey Bob…..I realize there are different levels of stars…..to me above the title stars are responsible equally for the success of failure of a movie…..when it comes to UMR co-star links…..the main question is….do we have an UMR page on the thespian. Then somebody that is ranked 10th might get a spot as the co-star…even though they were not the star…Peter Ustinov is a great example of that snub…..as he starred in two Agatha Christie movies and does not get any UMR love when it comes to UMR co-stars.
Hey Steve….I look forward to that book….I of course would look up Myrna Loy’s stats first…..lol. That makes for an interesting point system….Bill James the baseball stat god would be proud of you….as am I…..lol. As for book titles……how about…..”Myrna Loy – The Biggest Box Office Actress of All-Time”….lol.
Hey Bob….glad to be your stats mentor…..stick with me and we will help you straighten out all this confused movie thinking you have…lol.
HI BRUCE Thanks for your feed backs. I agree with you that there is no magic formula for determining the weight one places on the ranking of each of a group of stars who are billed equal to each other above the title in the one movie.
For example in the 1981 Chu Chu and the Philly Flash [that must have looked dynamic on a marquee!] Alan Arkin gets billed before Carol Burnett and Jack Warden.
However in for example The Pride and the Passion [1957] Grant gets billed above Sinatra and Loren. There is clearly far greatest status in getting billed above those two than Arkin demonstrated in his billing “coup”.
Then in 1959’s North by Northwest Eva Marie Saint got equal 2nd billing to Cary just the way Sinatra did in The Pride and the Passion but it is patently obvious that Eva Marie was nowhere near the megastar Frankie was.
I think that over time though a pattern becomes apparent via billing arrangements just as will also be demonstrated by your stats. Once they reached stardom the perceived TOP legends like Wayne, Cooper, Gable, Brando, Grant and my Jimmy seldom or never got billed other than 1st in a full-length role.
Conversely the likes of Robert Mitchum, Deborah Kerr, unfortunately my Richard, Jean Simmons and Myrna Loy were invariably billed 2nd when there was another important star in the movie. For example
Susan Hayward/Robert Mitchum in The Lusty Men
John Wayne/Susan Hayward in The Conqueror
Olivia DeHavilland/Robert Mitchum in Not as a Stranger
Alan Ladd/Olivia DeHavilland in The Proud Rebel
Rita Hayworth/Robert Mitchum in Fire Down below
Gary Cooper/Rita Hayworth in They Came to Cordura
Deborah Kerr Robert Mitchum in The Sundowners
Alan Ladd Deborah Kerr in Thunder in the East
Cary Grant/Deborah Kerr/Robert Mitchum in The Grass is Greener
Kirk Douglas/Robert Mitchum/Richard Widmark in The Way West
So I think your way is just as good as anybody’s [a few cameos aside in my opinion] but not everybody will accept it. For example
1/The quote that you gave for my benefit from Melvyn Douglas on his page demonstrates conclusively in my view that there was even a big star pecking order that was recognised by both studio [MGM in Melvyn’s case] and performers alike
2/As we have discussed before Sandra Bullock’s agent felt able to absolve her from blame for the flop Extremely/Loud Incredibly Close by pointing out that Hanks was the star as he was top billed.
You should put the title “Alan Arkin Movies” link up at the top so that people know the page exists. The last several new pages have been Steve’s video subjects. Maybe others don’t realize this. I always check the Forums page.
As Steve said, I have seen 9 of the top 35 movies in his video. I have not seen any more on this chart.
The highest ranking film I have seen is The Russians Are Coming, The Russians are Coming at number 2.
The highest ranking film I have NOT seen is Argo. I would like to see that movie some time.
The LOWEST ranked film I have seen is Hearts of the West.
I have tried to watch Catch-22 before and haven’t got past the violence so far. Because of the cast, I hope to be able to see the whole film some day.
Regarding The Heart is a Lonely Hunter – it’s a heartbreaking movie that is a tragedy. I won’t watch it a second time.
Favourite Alan Arkin Movies:
Wait Until Dark
The In-Laws
The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming
Edward Sissorhands
The Seven Percent Solution
Hey Flora….still tweaking this page. It will be tomorrow’s post of the day. And it will be shown in all the normal places for a new page. I figure I would put Steve’s video here now and save a little time tonight.
I type this comment from under a tree during a storm about 4.5 Miles from my house. I guess that hurricane was real and not a good time to go on a 10 mile run…..lol.
Hey Flora. Thanks for the thoughts on Alan Arkin and his movies. Tally count….26 for me, 18 for Steve and 9 for you. I think you will enjoy Argo when you see it….Canadians are the heroes of that movie. I understand your thinking on Catch-22….there is a sub plot with Martin Sheen that seems to belong in another movie. I also agree with you on The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter…good movie but not a movie that I ever want to watch again. I have seen all of your favorite Arkin movies…and I enjoyed all of them. Good stuff.
HI TEACH For the sake of balance I meant to say to you in my previous post that Bing never agreed with the idea that a second or lower billed star had no responsibility for a film’s box office earnings. He was asked once why he at times allowed other [lesser] stars to share star billing with him and he replied that it was nothing to do generosity on his part but rather reflected an unwillingness to carry the can alone if a film flopped.
Accordingly Crosby would not have agreed with Team Bullock that Sandra had no responsibility for the failure of that Hanks flick. Conversely though according to George’s Aunt Rosemary in a bonus interview that was included my DVD “Danny, Vera and I were all glad to be in White Christmas because of that wonderful Berlin score but we all knew that it was BING’s film.”
Where I part company with you is in that in my own database a performer is not given credit for a movie in which he/she does not at least have equal billing to the other stars.
I’ve said before that for example I think it is incongruous for Walter Brennan to be listed above Cooper and Wayne in your 1940s annual review when Walter was largely a supporting actor in movies substantially carried at the box office by great stars such as Coop and Duke. As DeVito’s 1991 Larry the Liquidator might well have expressed it Walt is being given “Other People’s Money”!
So there is a case for keeping supporting actors and their grosses in separate ranking lists from the main stars. However being me I am going to be contrary with me and argue against myself by reminding you that in the 1940s Gabby Hayes was so popular in supporting roles that he got into some popularity polls that ranked the biggest western stars of that time and he was asked why he didn’t go for lead roles that would have brought him more money given his appeal to audiences. He replied that the also-ran “sidekick” was his niche and if he strayed outside that his fans would probably not accept him as the main guy. Sensible chap Hayes who didn’t let it all go to his head.
[Poor Gabby nowadays all that I personally have seen him get to date from Cogerson is a credit for the 1956 Jump Into Hell which you recently were obliged to take away from him because that credit was in fact a slip of the pen in the first place.]
Anyhow regardless of my own take on the arguments and counter-arguments that I have outlined above I am sure that you have your own little Melvyn Douglas type pecking order for YOUR site and I have no delusion as to where YOURS TRULY might resided on the list. The following is an example:
BRUCE COGERSON & FLORA BREEN ROBISON
BOB Roy
steve lensman.
This example would put you above William Powell on the Melvyn list because here you are bracketed with one of the best leading ladies that this site can offer and I think little Asta was male!
Bob: Thanks for your billing thoughts on this website and your compliment to me in suggesting I am “higher billed” than you are on UMR and in capital letters. That’s sweet of you.
Nice work Bruce, very fast indeed!
I think your Elliott Gould page was almost ready to go too.
Your chart is more thorough than my top 35 let’s see if I’ve seen more –
I’ve seen 18 from the 61 films on the chart, 2 more than I managed on my video.
Favorites are – Argo, Little Miss Sunshine, Glengarry Glen Ross, Freebie and the Bean, The Rocketeer, Edward Scissorhands, The Seven-Per-Cent Solution and Grosse Pointe Blank.
We have the same no.1 – Argo. Little Miss Sunshine, Eddie Scissorhands and Glen Gary Glen Ross in our top 5s but different positions, good stuff.
I haven’t seen The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, but I have read the synopsis at wikipedia after seeing Flora’s verdict on it. Not my type of film at all.
The two films that made him a star The Russians are Coming and Catch 22 are his biggest grossing films domestically. (who says I don’t care about box office?) 🙂
Another winner Bruce. Vote Up!
Hey Steve….got most of Gould’s movies in the database….just can’t seem to pull the trigger in doing an Elliott page…..but one day. Tally count….26 for me and 18 for you. I like your favorites….you have good taste when it comes to Arkin movies…lol. Good to know we have the same Top 5 when looking at critical hits. The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter…was a slow moving ok movie….great performances…but a one and done movie to me. Good to see you looking at the grosses…eyes watering up….lol.
Steve’s Alan Arkin You Tube video got me motivated to do this Arkin UMR Page. His video is part of the page…and this is my comment on his video.
Video on an Oscar winner who has been making movies for 6 decades. Good pick. Seen many of these movies. Favorites include #25 Going In Style…not a great movie…but a fun movie with some legendary actors. #18 Freebie and the Bean…one of the first cop buddy movies. #16 Seven Percent Solution….great idea for a movie….I bet it gets remade in the near future. #11 Catch 22….though it turns to dark at the end #10 The In-Laws….one of Roger Ebert’s favorite comedies. #9 Gross Point Break…great Cusack role. #7 Wait Until Dark…one of his best roles. and #1 Argo…..a movie about movies…sign me up…lol. I have seen 26 of the movies listed here and 34 when looking at my Arkin page that has 61 movies ranked. Voted up….shared. Good video.
And here’s my video channel comment –
“Thanks for the comment, vote and share Bruce, much appreciated. so your tally is 26 from my top 35 video chart and 34 from your top 61 chart, very nice. I’ve seen 16 and Flora 9 from the top 35. I need to see Wait Until Dark, not sure about Going in Style, too many wrinklies “oi mate any tasty young birds in that flick?” that was in my best Michael Caine as Alfie accent.” :)