Want to know the best Dean Jones movies? How about the worst Dean Jones movies? Curious about Dean Jones box office grosses or which Dean Jones movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Dean Jones movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences and which got the worst reviews? Well you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information.
Dean Jones (1931-2015) was an American actor. Jones was best known for his roles in many live action Disney movies. His movie career lasted for over 50 years. His IMDb page shows 90 acting credits from 1956 to 2009. This page will rank Dean Jones movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television shows, shorts, cameos, uncredited roles and movies that were not released in North American were not included in the rankings.
Dean Jones 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
1965
That Darn Cat! (1965)
1994
Clear and Present Danger (1994)
1957
Jailhouse Rock (1957)
1969
The Love Bug (1969)
1966
The Ugly Dachshund (1966)
1963
Under The Yum Yum Tree (1963)
1956
Tea and Sympathy (1956)
1977
Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977)
1957
Designing Woman (1957)
1976
The Shaggy D.A. (1976)
1972
Snowball Express (1972)
1968
Blackbeard's Ghost (1968)
1959
Never So Few (1959)
1992
Beethoven (1992)
1958
Imitation General (1958)
1968
The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit (1968)
1964
The New Interns (1964)
1974
The Sugarland Express (1974)
1956
The Opposite Sex (1956)
1971
The Million Dollar Duck (1971)
1967
Monkeys, Go Home! (1967)
1958
Torpedo Run (1958)
1957
Until They Sail (1957)
1957
Ten Thousand Bedrooms (1957)
1966
Any Wednesday (1966)
1991
Other People's Money (1991)
1957
Slander (1957)
1959
Night of the Quarter Moon (1959)
1958
Handle With Care (1958)
1956
These Wilder Years (1956)
1956
The Great American Pastime (1956)
1956
The Rack (1956)
1997
That Darn Cat (1997)
2009
Mandie and the Secret Tunnel (2009)
1978
Born Again (1978)
1970
Mr. Superinvisible (1970)
Dean Jones 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 Dean Jones movies by his co-stars
- Sort Dean Jones movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Dean Jones movies by yearly domestic box office rank
- Sort Dean Jones 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 Dean Jones movie received.
- Sort Dean Jones movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score. 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 |
| 1 | That Darn Cat! (1965) | Hayley Mills | 29.50 | 361.0 | 361.00 | 6 | 79 | 00 / 00 | 97.0 | |
| 2 | Clear and Present Danger (1994) | Harrison Ford & Willem Dafoe |
122.20 | 374.3 | 661.40 | 7 | 76 | 02 / 00 | 96.7 | |
| 4 | Jailhouse Rock (1957) | Elvis Presley & Judy Taylor |
11.10 | 248.7 | 248.70 | 13 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 95.0 | |
| 3 | The Love Bug (1969) | Michele Lee | 51.30 | 451.3 | 451.30 | 4 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 94.2 | |
| 6 | The Ugly Dachshund (1966) | Suzanne Pleshette & Charles Ruggles |
15.00 | 170.5 | 170.50 | 20 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 91.8 | |
| 5 | Under The Yum Yum Tree (1963) | Jack Lemmon & Carol Lynley |
14.10 | 205.6 | 205.60 | 19 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 91.5 | |
| 7 | Tea and Sympathy (1956) | Deborah Kerr & Directed by Vincent Minnelli |
6.10 | 139.3 | 223.70 | 42 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 89.4 | |
| 9 | Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977) | Don Knotts | 37.80 | 212.1 | 212.10 | 19 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 89.3 | |
| 8 | Designing Woman (1957) | Gregory Peck & Lauren Bacall |
6.40 | 143.5 | 243.90 | 35 | 69 | 01 / 01 | 88.9 | |
| 11 | The Shaggy D.A. (1976) | Tim Conway | 32.00 | 187.6 | 187.60 | 19 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 87.7 | |
| 10 | Snowball Express (1972) | Harry Morgan | 20.00 | 147.1 | 147.10 | 21 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 86.8 | |
| 12 | Blackbeard's Ghost (1968) | Peter Ustinov | 12.90 | 122.7 | 122.70 | 29 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 85.0 | |
| 13 | Never So Few (1959) | Frank Sinatra & Steve McQueen |
8.40 | 175.6 | 175.60 | 27 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 84.4 | |
| 15 | Beethoven (1992) | Charles Grodin | 57.10 | 172.0 | 443.40 | 26 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 83.3 | |
| 14 | Imitation General (1958) | Glenn Ford & Red Buttons |
5.50 | 114.0 | 114.00 | 48 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 82.0 | |
| 16 | The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit (1968) | Kurt Russell | 9.40 | 90.0 | 90.00 | 39 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 80.4 | |
| 18 | The New Interns (1964) | Telly Savalas & George Segal |
7.60 | 101.4 | 101.40 | 38 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 78.6 | |
| 17 | The Sugarland Express (1974) | Goldie Hawn & Directed by Steven Spielberg |
7.50 | 50.1 | 50.10 | 54 | 78 | 00 / 00 | 78.3 | |
| 19 | The Opposite Sex (1956) | Joan Blondell & Ann Sheridan |
5.00 | 112.7 | 179.20 | 61 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 75.8 | |
| 20 | The Million Dollar Duck (1971) | Sandy Duncan | 14.20 | 107.9 | 107.90 | 22 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 75.4 | |
| 22 | Monkeys, Go Home! (1967) | Maurice Chevalier | 7.50 | 77.5 | 77.50 | 39 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 69.1 | |
| 21 | Torpedo Run (1958) | Glenn Ford & Ernest Borgnine |
3.30 | 68.2 | 68.20 | 66 | 60 | 01 / 00 | 68.8 | |
| 23 | Until They Sail (1957) | Paul Newman & Joan Fontaine |
2.10 | 47.5 | 90.60 | 111 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 63.1 | |
| 24 | Ten Thousand Bedrooms (1957) | Dean Martin & Paul Henreid |
2.70 | 60.9 | 108.70 | 89 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 62.7 | |
| 25 | Any Wednesday (1966) | Jane Fonda & Jason Robards |
3.80 | 42.6 | 42.60 | 67 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 57.6 | |
| 26 | Other People's Money (1991) | Danny DeVito & Gregory Peck |
25.70 | 76.3 | 76.30 | 49 | 47 | 00 / 00 | 55.1 | |
| 26 | Slander (1957) | Van Johnson & Ann Blyth |
1.10 | 23.6 | 47.50 | 152 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 53.4 | |
| 28 | Night of the Quarter Moon (1959) | Agnes Moorehead | 1.30 | 27.7 | 56.00 | 133 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 49.2 | |
| 27 | Handle With Care (1958) | Thomas Mitchell | 0.50 | 10.4 | 19.30 | 166 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 48.3 | |
| 30 | These Wilder Years (1956) | James Cagney & Walter Pidgeon |
1.60 | 37.1 | 56.90 | 151 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 43.4 | |
| 32 | The Great American Pastime (1956) | Ann Miller | 1.10 | 25.3 | 33.80 | 175 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 34.7 | |
| 31 | The Rack (1956) | Paul Newman & Lee Marvin |
1.00 | 23.7 | 49.70 | 178 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 34.5 | |
| 33 | That Darn Cat (1997) | Christina Ricci & Doug E. Doug |
18.30 | 49.8 | 49.80 | 90 | 46 | 00 / 00 | 32.0 | |
| 34 | Mandie and the Secret Tunnel (2009) | Lexi Johnson | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 348 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 22.5 | |
| 35 | Born Again (1978) | Anne Francis | 2.00 | 10.9 | 10.90 | 115 | 47 | 00 / 00 | 12.9 | |
| 36 | Mr. Superinvisible (1970) | Philippe Leroy | 0.20 | 1.2 | 1.20 | 178 | 43 | 00 / 00 | 6.2 |
Best IMDb trivia on Dean Jones
- Dean Carroll Jones was born in Decatur, Alabama in 1931.
2. Dean Jones served in the United States Navy during the Korean War.
3. Walt Disney signed Dean Jones for a string of Disney films in the 1960s and 1970s, beginning with That Darn Cat!. His performance was so well-received that Disney used him for future movies including The Ugly Dachshund (1966), Blackbeard’s Ghost (1968), Million Dollar Duck, (1971) and Snowball Express (1972).
4. Dean Jones was considered for the role of Lex Luthor in Superman (1978), but the role ultimately went to Gene Hackman.
5. Dean Jones, who was always famous for playing nice characters, took on the role as Dr. Herman Varnick, the evil veterinarian, in the family film Beethoven (1992). Jones employed method acting for the first time in his prolific career and didn’t break character off set throughout the film’s shooting period much to the surprise of cast members as well as family and friends who had never seen him so immersed in a role.
Check out Dean Jones’ career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
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I’ve seen 9 of the 36 films on the chart. Probably more but those are the ones I know for sure. Favorites are – Jailhouse Rock, Torpedo Run, Never So Few, Blackbeard’s Ghost and Clear and Present Danger.
Dean Jones as Lex Luthor? Glad they went with Gene Hackman.
Vote Up.
Hey Steve…thanks for sharing your thoughts on Dean Jones. I feel the same way about some of his movies. I am sure I have seen many more of his Disney movies in the past….just it was so long ago…I do not really remember them very well. But for most of my pre-teen life….watching a Disney movie on NBC at 7:00 PM on Sunday night was weekly event. His movies would have been on many many times. Of your favorites…I have seen Jailhouse Rock (the best Elvis movie?) and Clear and Present Danger (small small part for Dean). You never know…Dean could have rocked out playing Lex….lol. Good stuff.
Dean if I remember had 3 TV series. I’ve never seen Ensign O’Toole with him which actually made it through a season, but I have seen the 2 13 week wonders he was in. Dean hosted a midseason replacement series circa 1969 called What’s it All About World and then in the fall of 71 on CBS he starred in The Chicago Teddy Bears, a mob comedy set in the prohibition day. It tanked also had an interesting cast, Art Metrano, Norman Fell, Huntz Hall (from the Bowery Boys). I dislike comedies all filmed on a stage, there were no outdoor scenes in the series.
Dean was on the Oracle of Bacon top 1000 list back in 2000 but fell off shortly thereafter and has not come back. The following actors on the list he has appeared with.
7 HARRISON FORD Clear and Present Danger (1994)
9 WILLEM DAFOE Clear and Present Danger (1994)
14 ERNEST BORGNINE Torpedo Run (1958)
78 JASON ROBARDS Any Wednesday (1966)
87 ROBERT LOGGIA Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956)
89 PETER USTINOV Blackbeard’s Ghost (1968)
94 PAUL NEWMAN Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956)
94 PAUL NEWMAN The Rack (1956)
94 PAUL NEWMAN Until They Sail (1957)
95 JAMES EARL JONES Clear and Present Danger (1994)
110 RODDY MCDOWELL That Darn Cat! (1965)
139 JAMES HONG Never So Few (1959)
140 LAUREN BACALL Designing Woman (1957)
170 LESLIE NIELSEN The Opposite Sex (1956)
197 OLIVER PLATT Beethoven (1992)
203 KURT RUSSELL The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit (1968)
206 STANLEY TUCCI Beethoven (1992)
208 TELLY SAVALAS The New Interns (1964)
213 DANNY DEVITO Other People’s Money (1991)
218 GEORGE SEGAL The New Interns (1964)
227 KEENAN WYNN Snowball Express (1972)
227 KEENAN WYNN The Shaggy D.A. (1976)
261 PETER BOYLE That Darn Cat (1997)
281 CLORIS LEACHMAN The Rack (1956)
302 GREGORY PECK Designing Woman (1957)
302 GREGORY PECK Other People’s Money (1991)
308 GLENN FORD Imitation General (1958)
308 GLENN FORD Torpedo Run (1958)
312 HARRIS YULIN Clear and Present Danger (1994)
341 CHARLES BRONSON Never So Few (1959)
344 MAKO Never So Few (1959)
344 MAKO The Ugly Dachshund (1966)
346 MICHAEL MCKEAN That Darn Cat (1997)
383 JOHN RATZENBERGER That Darn Cat (1997)
461 DIANE BAKER The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit (1968)
485 ROY KINNEAR Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977)
487 MARCEL DALIO Ten Thousand Bedrooms (1957)
502 JACK LEMMON Under the Yum Yum Tree (1963)
521 ROYAL DANO Handle with Care (1958)
572 CHRISTINA RICCI That Darn Cat (1997)
583 GEORGE TAKEI NEVER SO FEW (1959)
598 PHILIPPE LEROY Mr. Superinvisible (1970)
600 JANE FONDA Any Wednesday (1966)
625 ROD TAYLOR The Rack (1956)
672 WALTER PIDGEON The Rack (1956)
672 WALTER PIDGEON These Wilder Years (1956)
685 TOM BOWER Clear and Present Danger (1994)
687 FRANK SINATRA Never So Few (1959)
706 RICHARD PORTNOW Beethoven (1992)
729 PATRICK BAUCHAU Clear and Present Danger (1994)
746 RICHARD JOHNSON Never So Few (1959)
760 LEE MARVIN The Rack (1956)
781 EDWARD ANDREWS NIGHT OF THE QUARTER MOON (1959)
781 EDWARD ANDREWS TEA AND SYMPATHY (1956)
781 EDWARD ANDREWS THE MILLION DOLLAR DUCK (1971)
781 EDWARD ANDREWS THESE WILDER YEARS (1956)
784 CESAR ROMERO Two on a Guillotine (1965)
794 JOAN COLLINS The Opposite Sex (1956)
805 CHARLES LANE The New Interns (1964)
805 CHARLES LANE The Ugly Dachshund (1966)
814 PATRICK MACNEE Until They Sail (1957)
815 DANA ANDREWS Born Again (1978)
848 DONALD MOFFAT Clear and Present Danger (1994)
852 ANNE ARCHER Clear and Present Danger (1994)
867 PETER LAWFORD Never So Few (1959)
918 MIGUEL SANDOVAL CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER (1994)
966 JIM BACKUS The Opposite Sex (1956)
971 PIPER LAURIE Other People’s Money (1991)
971 PIPER LAURIE Until They Sail (1957)
HM (863) EDMOND O’BRIEN The Rack (1956)
Dean appeared with 15 Oscar winners.
CLORIS LEACHMAN The Rack (1956)
EDMOND O’BRIEN The Rack (1956)
ERNEST BORGNINE Torpedo Run (1958)
FRANK SINATRA Never So Few (1959)
GREGORY PECK Designing Woman (1957)
GREGORY PECK Other People’s Money (1991)
JACK LEMMON Under the Yum Yum Tree (1963)
JAMES CAGNEY These Wilder Years (1956)
JANE FONDA Any Wednesday (1966)
JASON ROBARDS Any Wednesday (1966)
JOAN FONTAINE Until They Sail (1957)
LEE MARVIN The Rack (1956)
PAUL NEWMAN Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956)
PAUL NEWMAN The Rack (1956)
PAUL NEWMAN Until They Sail (1957)
PETER USTINOV Blackbeard’s Ghost (1968)
RED BUTTONS Imitation General (1958)
THOMAS MITCHELL HANDLE WITH CARE (1958)
Hey Dan. Two good list of information on Dean Jones. Great memory on his television shows. His Ensign O’Toole role caught the attention of Walt Disney (it was on television right before a Disney show). Apparently, Disney got a copy of the show and studied Jones……that of course got Jones in many Disney movies. I do not know much about the other shows so thanks for sharing that.
Good to know Dean Jones was on the list for a while. Not surprised he’s no longer on the list. Looking at the first list, Edward Andrews was his most frequent costar. Looking at the second list, 15 Oscar winning co-stars is low…..but I guess Disney movies did not attract too many Oscar winners during his a Disney tenure.
As always, your efforts are both entertaining and greatly appreciated.
SPECIAL NOTES FOR STEVE: The Dunwich Horror is adapted from the HP Lovecraft story of that name and Dunwich is a fictional town in Massachusetts near Arkham where Yog-Sothoth, The Great Cthulhu and others among Steve’s Dark Gods were said to hang out.
Indeed Dean Stockwell plays Wilbur Whateley in the film who is said to be son of Yog-Sothoth. That makes Dean’s character a relative of Cthulhu as HE in turn is a grandson of Yog.
The Necronomicon is mentioned in the movie though I don’t know whether the reference was to Lovecraft’s version or to the even more scary later 1983 version with which this site will be more familiar.
Sci-fi academic scholars say that (1) The Dunwich Horror is a core story in the Cthulhu Mythos (2) although Lovecraft first mentioned Yog-Sothoth in the novel The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, it was in The Dunwich Horror that he introduced the entity as one of his extra-dimensional Outer Gods. Yog is in fact the Gatekeeper to the Gods (3) It is also the tale in which the Necronomicon makes the most significant appearance, and the longest direct quote from it appears in the text. (4) Many of the other standards of the Cthulhu Mythos, such as Miskatonic University, Arkham and Dunwich also form integral parts of the tale.
HI BRUCE:
Thanks for the feedback.
I consider the mention of Dean’s depression as ultimately part of a feel-good period in Dean’s life. My understanding is that via his born-again Christianity and the writing of his book he was able to put the depression behind him.
Keep safe and look after yourself.
Hey Bob. Although we don’t put negative stuff on the page, I am glad certain things reach the comment box. I figure people that read the comments are the ones the most interested in those subjects. So reading about Dean’s turnabout is a good thing. Once again thanks for sharing that information. I have an a good time in Alabama. But I am ready to go home.
I have seen 17 Dean Jones movies.
The HIGHEST rated movie I have seen is That Darn Cat!
The highest rated movie I have NOT seen is Clear and Present Danger.
The LOWEST rated movie I have seen is The Rack.
Favourite Dean Jones Movies:
Designing Woman
That Darn Cat!
Jailhouse Rock
Under the Yum Yum Tree
Never So Few
Imitation General
Torpedo Run
The Love Bug
Any Wednesday
Tea and Sympathy
Other Dean Jones Movies I Have Seen:
The Sugerland Express
The Opposite Sex
Until They Sail
Ten Thousand Bedrooms
Other People’s Money
These Wilder Years
The Rack
Hey Flora. Thanks for the feedback on Dean Jones. Your 17 movie scene are way more than my total. I have seen seven of his movies for sure, so I suspect a few of the Disney ones were seen but forgotten by me. Growing up in the 1970s he was one of the few movie stars I knew by name. It is cool to realize that WoC grew up so close to where he grew up. I have shared this page with my Alabama family. Good stuff as always.
Dean Jones debuted in the late 1950s with a run of supporting roles and one lead role [Handle with Care] in 16 MGM films between 1956 and 1959. 6 of those roles were uncredited and of the 10 credited ones possibly the most important is in Elvis’ 1957 Jailhouse Rock, Presley then at the peak of his own screen career.
Between 1960 and 2001 Dean appeared in 45 television productions, including a couple of episodes of Angela Lansbury’s long-running detective series Murder She Wrote.
He was also in 5 Broadway presentations between 1960 and 1993 including Under the Yum Yum Tree, in the Jack Lemmon 1963 movie version of which Dean got star billing alongside Jack and Carol Lynley. That movie and Other People’s Money are my own two favourite Dean Jones films; I am not a great Disney fan.
Jones became a devout born-again Christian in 1973 or 1974. He is in a way a kindred spirit of our own WORK HORSE in that Dean too wrote a book. It is called Under Running Laughter (1982) which recounts his experience of Christianity. He had previously suffered from bouts of depression. He received only one acting awards and 3 noms throughout his career; but when he died in 2015 of Parkinson’s Disease he left behind a net worth equivalent to $18 million dollars in 2018 money.
Hey Bob. Thanks for the impressive factd on Dean Jones. Growing up he was one of the stars I knew, thanks to his numerous Disney movies. Reading that he struggled off screen is sad to read. I had read about his problems with depression, but generally we avoid negative things on people here. I almost did a tribute page on him when he passed but time is not on my side.During my trip to Alabama, his name came up a few times, so he finally got a page. Good stuff as always.