Want to know the best Bette Davis movies? How about the worst Bette Davis movies? Curious about Bette Davis’s box office grosses or which Bette Davis movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Bette Davis movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences and which one got the worst reviews? Well you have come to the right place…. because we have all of that information and much more.
Bette Davis (1908-1989), a two time Oscar® winning actress. She was voted as the second greatest actress of all-time according to the American Film Institute. Her movie career started in 1931 and ended only months before her death in 1989. According to IMDB, she had 122 television and movie credits over her career.
The American Film Institute lists the Top 25 Actors and Top 25 Actresses of all-time that appeared in a movie before 1950. My new movie page goal is to write a page on all 50 of the performers. So far I have done 17 of the 25 actors, but only 11 of the 25 actresses. So this Bette Davis page will be the 11th actress that I have written about on that list.
Her IMDb page shows 123 acting credits from 1931-1989. This page ranks 79 Bette Davis movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television shows, shorts, cameos, some early 1930 Davis movies and movies that were not released in North American theaters were not included in the rankings.
Bette Davis Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews and awards.
79 Bette Davis 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.
- Blue Movie Title is a link that will take to that movie’s trailer
- Sort Bette Davis movies by co-stars of her movies
- Sort Bette Davis movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Bette Davis movies by adjusted worldwide box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions) *** if domestic and worldwide box office are the same…then worldwide is unknown
- Sort Bette Davis 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 how many Oscar® wins each Bette Davis movie received.
- Sort Bette Davis 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 search and sort buttons to make this page very interactive….for example type Bogart in the search box and all 6 Bogart/Davis movies will pop up or type in *** in the search box and all of Davis Oscar® nominated performances will pop up.
Possibly Interesting Facts About Bette Davis
1. Bette Davis made her movie debut in 1931’s The Bad Sister. The movie also starred another newcomer, Humphrey Bogart. Davis and Bogart would appear in 6 movies together from 1931 to 1939.
2. Bette Davis was nominated 11 times for a Best Actress Oscar®. She won twice…..1935’s Dangerous and 1938’s Jezebel. Only one of her films won the Best Picture Oscar®….1950’s All About Eve.
3. Bette Davis holds the record with Greer Garson for most years in a row to receive an Oscar® nomination…..5 years in a row. Davis was nominated every year from 1938-1942. Garson did the same accomplishment 1941-1945.
4. Bette Davis was married four times in her life. Her marriages to Harmon Nelson (1932-1939) and Arthur Farnsworth (1940-till his death in 1943) produced no children. She had one daughter with her third husband William Sherry(1945-1950) and two adopted children(boy and a girl) with fourth husband Gary Merrill(1950-1960).
5. Roles Bette Davis turned down or was seriously considered for during her career: Cool Hand Luke, The African Queen, Come Back Little Sheba, 1931’s Frankenstein, Mary Poppins and Gone With The Wind. Davis really wanted the Scarlett O’Hara role but her studio would not allow her to work for another studio.
6. Bette Davis and Lucille Ball both attended the John Murray Anderson Dramatic School. Davis was the star of the school, while Ball was sent home because she was too shy to become an actress.
7. Bette Davis was one of the founders of the Hollywood Canteen in 1942. The Hollywood Canteen was a nightclub where soldiers passing through Los Angeles during World War II got to see Hollywood stars perform live on stage. Often Davis would spend all day making a movie and all night performing for soldiers at the Hollywood Canteen. She felt that the Hollywood Canteen was one of her greatest accomplishments.
8. Bette Davis once sold over two million dollars worth of war bonds for the troops during World War II in only two days.
9. In 1981 Kim Carnes released the song “Bette Davis Eyes”. The song would reach number one and earn gold and platinum record status. Bette Davis Eyes helped Davis be discovered by a new generation.
10. One of the best collection of Bette Davis fans can be found on Facebook at Bette Davis Babylon. If you are a Bette Davis you have to join this group….it is easily the best movie group on Facebook that I have come across….and I am in many Facebook movie groups.
Check out Bette Davis‘s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
Steve Lensman’s Bette Davis You Tube Video
For comments….all you need is a name and a comment….please ignore the rest.
My reaction is surprise that Bette Davis wasn’t greater at the box office. She did all right, but never a really big box office hit. Here is taking these stats and comparing to Stanwyck and Colbert
Bette Davis
Top gross—-$209 million
200 million grossers—-#2
100 million grossers—-25
average gross—-74.40
Barbara Stanwyck
top grosser—-$253.90
200 million grossers—-4
100 million grossers—-27
average—-87.10
Colbert
top grosser—-$394.50
200 million grossers—-8
100 million grossers—-23
average gross—-119.94
Gosh, looks to me like Colbert was the real box office champ of these three.
Hey John
1. Very cool…thanks for breaking down the box office results this way.
2. I think her career is like Denzel Washington’s…..tons of solid grossers…..but not one or two mega hits….as you list….only two over $200 million….Denzel so far only has one $200 million movie….and his Magnificent Seven will not be joining that list.
3. Stanwyck is solidly ahead of Davis…but solidly behind Colbert….I agree with you…..did not see that coming.
4. As for Colbert you would think she rules the 1930s…but if you look at her 8 $200 million movies….3 were in the 1930s….and 5 were in the 1940s….though It Happened One Night should be in that group…..but Columbia (I think it was them) did some shady things to keep that movie’s grosses down…..which made Frank Capra very upset.
Great comment!
Bette Davis is no longer on the Oracle of Bacon Top 1000 Center of the Hollywood Universe list. She was # 918 on the original 2000 list. These are the actors on the current list who have worked with her.
Bunny O’Hare (1971) – 142 Ernest Borgnine
Burnt Offerings (1976) – 77 Karen Black
Dead Ringer (1964) – 912 Arthur Tovey, 992 Bert Remsen
Death on the Nile (1978) – 313 George Kennedy, 762 Jack Warden, 975 Mia Farrow
Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964) – 274 Bruce Dern, 313 George Kennedy
John Paul Jones (1959) – 975 Mia Farrow
Madame Sin (1972) – 271 Robert Wagner (made for TV film that played cinemas overseas)
Payment on Demand (1951) – 912 Arthur Tovey
Phone Call from a Stranger (1952) – 781 Shelley Winters
Pocketful of Miracles (1961) – 660 Ann-Margret, 684 Peter Falk
Return from Witch Mountain (1978) – 35 Christopher Lee
The Catered Affair (1956) – 142 Ernest Borgnine
The Children of Sanchez (1978) – 681 Anthony Quinn
The Whales of August (1987) – 421 Mary Steenburgen
Wicked Stepmother (1989) – 15 Seymour Cassel, 184 Colleen Camp, 556 David Rasche
These are the actors who have fallen off over the years who appeared with Bette and were on the 2000 list. Rank is for 2000.
A Stolen Life (1946) – 132 Glenn Ford, 222 Bess Flowers, 783 James Flavin
All About Eve (1950) – 222 Bess Flowers, 323 George Sanders
All This and Heaven Too (1940) – 273 George Coulouris, 393 Chares Boyer
Beyond the Forest (1949) – 158 Joseph Cotten, 222 Bess Flowers, 379 Ann Doran
Bureau of Missing Persons (1933) – 740 George Chandler
Burnt Offerings (1976) – 41 Burgess Meredith, 109 Oliver Reed, 108 Dub Taylor
Dead Ringer (1964) – 237 Peter Lawford, 359 Karl Malden, 740 George Chandler
Death on the Nile (1978) – 140 Peter Ustinov, 102 David Niven, 164 Harry Andrews, 308 Sam Wanamaker, 326 Angela Lansbury, 602 Maggie Smith, 792 Lois Chiles
Deception (1946) – 222 Bess Flowers
Fog Over Frisco (1934) – 740 George Chandler
Front Page Woman (1935) – 740 George Chandler
Hollywood Canteen (1944) – 169 John Dehner, 345 William Prince, 682 Ray Teal, 783 James Flavin
Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964) – 158 Joseph Cotten, 962 Olivia De Havilland, 963 Frank Ferguson, 994 Ellen Corby
In This Our Life (1942) – 629 Walter Brooke, 962 Olivia De Havilland
It’s Love I’m After (1937) – 222 Bess Flowers, 962 Olivia De Havilland
Jezebel (1938) – 56 Henry Fonda
John Paul Jones (1959) – 120 Robert Stack, 221 John Crawford, 315 Jean-Pierre Aumont, 356 Phil Brown, 375 Peter Cushing, 492 Georges Rigaud, 777 Eric Pohlmann, 848 Frank Latimore, 938 Jose Nieto, 989 Bruce Cabot
Juarez (1939) – 384 Gilbert Roland
June Bride (1948) – 657 Debbie Reynolds, 965 Mary Wickes
Kid Galahad (1937) – 222 Bess Flowers, 463 Edward G. Robinson, 832 Don Brodie
Lo Scopone scientifico (1972) – 158 Joseph Cotton
Madame Sin (1972) – 99 Denholm Elliott, 449 Burt Kwouk, 654 Roy Kinnear
Marked Woman (1937) – 671 Eduardo Cianelli
Mr. Skeffington (1944) – 222 Bess Flowers, 273 George Coulouris, 379 Ann Doran
Now, Voyager (1942) – 100 Ian Wolfe, 222 Bess Flowers, 965 Mary Wickes
Old Acquaintance (1943) – 379 Ann Doran, 894 Philip Van Zandt
Parachute Jumper (1933) – 740 George Chandler, 959 Leon Ames
Payment on Demand (1951) – 302 Richard Anderson,, 362 Barry Sullivan, 824 Frank Wilcox
Phone Call from a Stranger (1952) – 43 Keenan Wynn, 599 John Douchette
Pocketful of Miracles (1961) – 132 Glenn Ford, 146 Mike Mazurki, 222 Bess Flowers, 299 Fritz Feld, 404 Jack Elam, 732 Arthur O’Connell, 963 Frank Ferguson, 969 Byron Foulger, 994 Ellen Corby
Return from Witch Mountain (1978) – 878 Denver Pyle
Shining Victory (1941) – 100 Ian Wolfe
Special Agent (1935) – 783 James Flavin
Storm Center (1956) – 205 Brian Keith
Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943) – 146 Mike Mazurki, 783 James Flavin, 962 Olivia De Havilland, 982 Billy Benedict
That Certain Woman (1937) – 56 Henry Fonda
The Bride Came C.O.D. (1941) – 783 James Flavin
The Catered Affair (1956) – 409 Rod Taylor, 657 Debbie Reynolds
The Corn is Green (1945) – 169 John Dehner
The Girl from 10th Avenue (1935) – 222 Bess Flowers
The Golden Arrow (1936) – 222 Bess Flowers, 832 Don Brodie
The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942) – 965 Mary Wickes
The Man Who Played God (1932) – 187 Ray Milland
The Nanny (1965) – 753 Maurice Denham
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) – 125 Vincent Price, 962 Olivia De Havilland
The Scapegoat (1959) – 392 Alec Guinness, 906 Geoffrey Keen
The Star (1952) – 380 Sterling Hayden, 617 Paul Frees, 746 Herb Vigran, 969 Byron Foulger
The Virgin Queen (1955) – 409 Rod Taylor, 553 Dan O’Herlihy, 634 Joan Collins
The Watcher in the Woods (1980) – 137 Carroll Baker, 338 Ian Bannen
The Whales of August (1987) – 93 Harry Carey Jr., 125 Vincent Price
Watch on the Rhine (1943) – 222 Bess Flowers, 273 George Coulouris, 863 Alan Hale Jr.
Where Love Has Gone (1964) – 379 Ann Doran, 592 Whit Bissell, 629 Walter Brooke
Wicked Stepmother (1989) – 81 Lionel Stander, 953 Richard Moll
Winter Meeting (1948) – 222 Bess Flowers, 731 John Hoyt
Bess Flowers appears in 14 of Bette’s films.
By my count Bette appeared with 32 Oscar winners/
A Stolen Life (1946) – Walter Brennan
All About Eve (1950) – George Sanders, Anne Baxter, Celeste Holm
Bordertown (1935) – Paul Muni
Bunny O’Hare (1971) – Ernest Borgnine
Dark Victory (1939) – Humphrey Bogart
Dead Ringer (1964) – Karl Malden
Death on the Nile (1978) – Peter Ustinov, George Kennedy, David Niven, Maggie Smith
Fashions of 1934 (1934) – Jane Darwell
Hollywood Canteen (1944) – Dorothy Malone, Humphrey Bogart, Jane Wyman, Joan Crawford
Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964) – George Kennedy, Olivia De Havilland, Mary Astor
In This Our Life (1942) – Olivia De Havilland, Charles Coburn, Walter Huston
It’s Love I’m After (1937) – Olivia De Havilland
Jezebel (1938) – Henry Fonda
Jimmy the Gent (1934) – James Cagney
John Paul Jones (1959) – Charles Coburn
Juarez (1939) – Paul Muni
Kid Galahad (1937) – Humphrey Bogart
Marked Woman (1937) – Humphrey Bogart
Old Acquaintance (1943) – Gig Young
Parachute Jumper (1933) – Walter Brennan
Phone Call from a Stranger (1952) – Shelley Winters
Storm Center (1956) – Kim Hunter
Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943) – Olivia De Havilland, Humphrey Bogart
That Certain Woman (1937) – Henry Fonda
The Bad Sister (1931) – Humphrey Bogart
The Bride Came C.O.D. (1941) – James Cagney
The Catered Affair (1956) – Ernest Borgnine, Barry Fitzgerald
The Children of Sanchez (1978) – Anthony Quinn, Katy Jurado
The Great Lie (1941) – Mary Astor
The Little Foxes (1941) – Teresa Wright
The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942) – Gig Young
The Man Who Played God (1932) – George Arliss
The Petrified Forest (1936) – Humphrey Bogart
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) – Olivia De Havilland
The Scapegoat (1959) – Alec Guinness
The Sisters (1938) – Susan Hayward
The Whales of August (1987) – Mary Steenburgen
The Working Man (1933) – George Arliss
Three on a Match (1932) – Humphrey Bogart
Watch on the Rhine (1943) – Paul Lukas
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane (1962) – Joan Crawford
Where Love Has Gone (1964) – Susan Hayward
Hey Dan…good to know that Bette was still on the list in 2000….though in the 900s probably meant she was off the list by 2005 or so.
First list: She has some with pretty low numbers…C.Lee, S. Casseel & K. Black….but it looks most of that group of 23 will be off the list soon.
Second list: A decent size list….but actually smaller than some of the other lists you have provided….all those years at Warners probably did not help her score…..I did not realize Ray Milland was in The Man Who Played God….I have thought about doing a page on him but his massive career has scared me away…lol.
Third list: Wow only 32 for Bette….Sir Caine has her by 38….once again her Warner days did not help with these tallies….though having six movies Bogie is probably cooler than another Oscar winner…lol.
As always thanks for the lists, the visit and the comment.
HI BRUCE:
1 Super haul of worldwide grosses for Bette Davis and I think that 53 of such grosses is our most comprehensive haul yet and as it relates to one of the greatest stars of the classic era that’s an added bonus. Congratulations on being rewarded with such a fine result for your perseverance.
2 I make the split 64.75% domestic/35.25 foreign. We’re now starting to get a serious overview of the general market splits back in those days. Unbelievable really !!!
I think the Joan Crawford page is close to that total as well….but not thinking anybody else has that many. Tonight I was working on the Flynn Warner Brothers numbers…and that number will be close to 35.
I am having fun trying to process all of this information…I would say I am only about 10% done in getting the new stats in the database…so lots more worldwide box office coming soon.
That split is the % I have been thinking for a long time now….thanks for doing that breakdown on the stats.
Thanks for yet another interesting thread. Davis is my favorite actress. One of my goals is to let people know that Davis did many different and varied performance; too many people view her based on a Vegas impersonator \ Baby Jane only act.
Hey James….glad you liked this page…..she has been more of more popular pages since 2011….normally in a neck and neck race with Joan Crawford for most views (I have always found that to be very interesting). Lately Bette has been pulling away from Joan in that regard.
I think most serious movie fans know that Bette was one of the most versatile actresses ever….2nd on the AFI Screen Legends list…..and it was a well deserved placing. I think (and I have looked many times) that this is easily the best statistical look at her awesome career anywhere on the internet. I greatly appreciate your feedback.
I like to compare the domestic box office ‘rank’ (a reflection of the general public) with the critic score, with the overall UMR score.
Some observations related to that:
All About Eve; well deserved critic score but solid box office. I would also rank this as the ‘best’ production she was involved in and one of her top 3 performances.
Jezebel, Now Voyager, Dark Victory; These ‘women pictures’ have high critic scores (and I assume a majority of the critics are men). While the plots might not be the most interesting for men, I assume Davis being at the top of her game during this period is the primary driver of the rank.
The Little Foxes; No wonder Davis felt cheated by Warner for loaning her out for < 400K while she was earning only 3k a week. She did end up with a share of the payment but she would have been better off getting a share of the gross. Goldwyn made a mint on that deal.
Mr. Skeffington; I'm surprised the box office for this film is higher than any of the above films mentioned. The critic rank is what is driving down the UMR ranking. While I do enjoy the film and the many 'out there' moments in it I tend to agree with that critic rank.
The Petrified Forest; This is my favorite film (since Howard\Davis are my favorite actor\actress). Nice to see the 82 critic rank. Yea, the film is criticized for the stage feel, the dialog of this film is what makes it for me. Those early scenes between just Davis and Howard; oh, I could listen to these two all day long.
Right after Forest is Marked Women; a gem made after Davis returned from England after her 'boycott'. Solid all around and the film that I view as the start of her golden era.
It's Love I'm After; This comedy isn't as well know as many other 30s comedies but it is one of my favorite from the screwball era. Of course with a cast of Howard\Davis\DeHavilland how could it miss!
Hey James….that is a fantastic breakdown on some of her movies. I really enjoyed reading your breakdown of the stats and how they effected the UMR score. All About Eve had everything stat wise…the only thing missing was an Oscar win for Davis…in hindsight her loss to Judy Holliday makes no sense.
When I was going through the Warner Brothers ledgers…I kept looking and looking for The Little Foxes….it was not until my drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas that I remembered that The Little Foxes was one of the few times Warners loaned her out.
Mrs. Skeffington only trailed A Stolen Life domestically and Now, Voyager globally in box office. I thinking at that point in her career she was at the top of the mountain. And everything she made sold tickets, got great reviews and got some Oscar love. I imagine it might be the most successful 5 to 6 year run for any actress ever!
I have not seen It’s Love I Am After….but your comment makes me want to check it out.
Once again…..it was truly a pleasure reading this feedback….makes all the hard work seem very worth well doing.
I was surprised by the box office take of A Stolen Life. I guess having more then one Bette helped (ha ha).
Yea, that 6 or so year run was the most successful of any actress with only Greer Garson having anything close to it.
Hope you get a chance to see It’s Love I’m After. After making two dramas with Howard this film allowed both stars to let their hair down. I just love seeing first rates actors in a farce. The two had great dynamic timing and this carried over in this comedy. While DeHavilland was inexperienced in this type of setting (e.g. she had mostly starred in historical dramas up to this point), she worked well with both Howard and Davis (but she was somewhat intimidated by Davis and they wouldn’t become close friends until years later).
Hey James Jazz Guitar…..I agree ….A Stolen Life is barely mentioned when people talk about Bette Davis….so seeing it being so successful is pretty amazing. I would give her the edge over Garson when looking at their amazing runs…..with the exception of Random Harvest and Mrs. Miniver….most of Garson’s movies have been forgotten…while many of Davis’ movies are still considered all time great movies. I will be actively trying to track down It’s Love I’m After.
Look admired your Bette page. Now I admire your dedication to travel 6,000 miles on a box office search. Job well done. Thanks for the Facebook update.
Hey Retton….glad you followed the Facebook link to our Bette Davis page…and thanks for such kind words about the website and this Bette Davis page. It is all greatly appreciated.