Want to know the best Don Ameche movies? How about the worst Don Ameche movies? Curious about Don Ameche box office grosses or which Don Ameche movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Don Ameche 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.
Don Ameche (1908-1993) was an Oscar®-winning American actor whose career spanned over 7 decades. His IMDb page shows 91 acting credits from 1935-1994. This page will rank 53 Don Ameche movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television shows and movies that were not released in theaters were not included in the rankings. This page was requested many moons ago by Søren.
Don Ameche 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
1938
Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938)
AA Best Picture Nom
1943
Heaven Can Wait (1943)
AA Best Picture Nom
1983
Trading Places (1983)
1938
In Old Chicago (1938)
AA Best Picture Nom
1985
Cocoon (1985)
AA Best Supp Actor Win
1937
Love is News (1937)
1944
Wing and a Prayer (1944)
1940
Down Argentina Way (1940)
1939
Swanee River (1939)
1941
That Night in Rio (1941)
1988
Coming to America (1988)
1939
Hollywood Cavalcade (1939)
1944
Greenwich Villiage (1944)
1938
Happy Landing (1938)
1937
You Can't Have Everything (1937)
1939
Midnight (1939)
1943
Happy Land (1943)
1941
Moon Over Miami (1941)
1936
Ramona (1936)
1993
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)
1939
The Story of Alexander Graham Bell (1939)
1936
One in a Million (1936)
1937
Love Under Fire (1937)
1940
Lillian Russell (1940)
1942
The Magnificent Dope (1942)
1937
Fifty Roads To Town (1937)
1936
Ladies in Love (1936)
1945
It's In The Bag! (1945)
1948
Sleep, My Love (1948)
1938
Josette (1938)
1938
Gateway (1938)
1970
The Boatniks (1970)
1946
So Goes My Love (1946)
1949
Slightly French (1949)
1945
Guest Wife (1945)
1987
Harry and the Hendersons (1987)
1942
Girl Trouble (1942)
1941
The Feminine Touch (1941)
1940
Four Sons (1940)
1994
Corrina, Corrina (1994)
1988
Things Change (1988)
1939
The Three Musketeers (1939)
1941
Kiss The Boys Goodbye (1941)
1943
Something To Shout About (1943)
1947
That's My Man (1947)
1941
Confirm Or Deny (1941)
1936
Sins of Man (1936)
1961
A Fever In The Blood (1961)
1988
Cocoon: The Return (1988)
1991
Oscar (1991)
1970
Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came (1970)
1992
Folks! (1992)
1954
Phantom Caravan (1954)
Don Ameche 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 Don Ameche movies by co-stars of his movies.
- Sort Don Ameche movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Don Ameche movies by yearly domestic box office rank
- Sort Don Ameche movies how they were received by critics and audiences. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations each Don Ameche movie received and how many Oscar® wins each Don Ameche movie won.
- Sort Don Ameche 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.
| 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 | Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938) AA Best Picture Nom |
Tyrone Power | 12.00 | 555.6 | 555.60 | 1 | 75 | 06 / 01 | 98.5 | |
| 3 | Heaven Can Wait (1943) AA Best Picture Nom |
Gene Tierney | 7.10 | 297.6 | 297.60 | 31 | 77 | 03 / 00 | 98.3 | |
| 4 | Trading Places (1983) | Eddie Murphy & Dan Aykroyd |
90.40 | 358.7 | 358.70 | 4 | 82 | 01 / 00 | 97.6 | |
| 2 | In Old Chicago (1938) AA Best Picture Nom |
Tyrone Power | 10.00 | 463.0 | 463.00 | 3 | 68 | 06 / 02 | 97.4 | |
| 5 | Cocoon (1985) AA Best Supp Actor Win |
Directed by Ron Howard | 76.10 | 268.0 | 300.40 | 6 | 73 | 02 / 02 | 96.5 | |
| 12 | Love is News (1937) | Tyrone Power | 4.00 | 192.3 | 192.30 | 46 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 93.8 | |
| 6 | Wing and a Prayer (1944) | Dana Andrews | 7.30 | 283.5 | 283.50 | 30 | 66 | 01 / 00 | 93.7 | |
| 8 | Down Argentina Way (1940) | Betty Grable | 5.60 | 248.7 | 248.70 | 12 | 64 | 03 / 00 | 93.5 | |
| 8 | Swanee River (1939) | Al Jolson | 5.00 | 223.2 | 223.20 | 29 | 64 | 01 / 00 | 93.0 | |
| 10 | That Night in Rio (1941) | Alice Faye | 5.20 | 230.4 | 230.40 | 24 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 92.7 | |
| 11 | Coming to America (1988) | Eddie Murphy | 128.20 | 389.8 | 878.20 | 3 | 62 | 02 / 00 | 92.4 | |
| 15 | Hollywood Cavalcade (1939) | Buster Keaton & Alice Faye |
4.00 | 178.6 | 178.60 | 48 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 90.4 | |
| 13 | Greenwich Villiage (1944) | Carmon Miranda | 6.00 | 233.1 | 233.10 | 51 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 90.0 | |
| 12 | Happy Landing (1938) | Sonja Henie | 8.00 | 370.4 | 370.40 | 9 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 89.6 | |
| 16 | You Can't Have Everything (1937) | Alice Faye | 3.70 | 176.0 | 176.00 | 54 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 89.5 | |
| 14 | Midnight (1939) | Claudette Colbert | 2.30 | 100.9 | 100.90 | 103 | 86 | 00 / 00 | 89.1 | |
| 18 | Happy Land (1943) | Frances Dee | 4.30 | 178.6 | 178.60 | 74 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 88.8 | |
| 17 | Moon Over Miami (1941) | Betty Grable | 3.10 | 136.8 | 136.80 | 81 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 88.0 | |
| 21 | Ramona (1936) | Loretta Young | 3.30 | 166.7 | 166.70 | 45 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 86.9 | |
| 19 | Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993) | Michael J. Fox | 41.80 | 126.3 | 126.30 | 35 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 86.8 | |
| 22 | The Story of Alexander Graham Bell (1939) | Henry Fonda | 3.80 | 169.6 | 169.60 | 51 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 86.7 | |
| 20 | One in a Million (1936) | Sonja Henie | 4.30 | 216.7 | 216.70 | 26 | 47 | 00 / 00 | 86.3 | |
| 24 | Love Under Fire (1937) | Loretta Young | 2.80 | 133.7 | 133.70 | 90 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 83.7 | |
| 23 | Lillian Russell (1940) | Henry Fonda | 2.90 | 127.6 | 127.60 | 52 | 62 | 01 / 00 | 83.7 | |
| 25 | The Magnificent Dope (1942) | Henry Fonda | 3.60 | 153.9 | 153.90 | 73 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 83.5 | |
| 26 | Fifty Roads To Town (1937) | Ann Sothern | 2.90 | 137.0 | 137.00 | 85 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 82.0 | |
| 28 | Ladies in Love (1936) | Tyrone Power & Loretta Young |
2.30 | 116.7 | 116.70 | 85 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 81.4 | |
| 26 | It's In The Bag! (1945) | Jack Benny & Fred Allen |
2.50 | 91.8 | 91.80 | 112 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 80.9 | |
| 29 | Sleep, My Love (1948) | Claudette Colbert | 2.40 | 75.5 | 75.50 | 126 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 79.1 | |
| 30 | Josette (1938) | Robert Young | 2.40 | 110.1 | 110.10 | 97 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 78.2 | |
| 32 | Gateway (1938) | Lyle Talbot | 2.30 | 105.3 | 105.30 | 101 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 77.4 | |
| 33 | The Boatniks (1970) | Robert Morse | 15.20 | 122.2 | 122.20 | 28 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 77.0 | |
| 31 | So Goes My Love (1946) | Myrna Loy | 2.60 | 91.3 | 91.30 | 112 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 76.7 | |
| 35 | Slightly French (1949) | Dorothy Lamour | 3.80 | 109.2 | 109.20 | 94 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 74.0 | |
| 34 | Guest Wife (1945) | Claudette Colbert | 2.80 | 102.1 | 102.10 | 106 | 54 | 01 / 00 | 73.6 | |
| 38 | Harry and the Hendersons (1987) | John Lithgow | 29.80 | 95.1 | 95.10 | 41 | 53 | 01 / 01 | 71.3 | |
| 36 | Girl Trouble (1942) | Joan Bennett | 1.80 | 79.5 | 79.50 | 131 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 70.9 | |
| 39 | The Feminine Touch (1941) | Van Heflin & Rosalind Russell |
2.00 | 89.7 | 89.70 | 118 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 69.6 | |
| 41 | Four Sons (1940) | Eugenie Leontovich | 2.00 | 88.7 | 88.70 | 97 | 52 | 00 / 00 | 66.1 | |
| 40 | Corrina, Corrina (1994) | Ray Liotta & Whoopi Goldberg |
20.20 | 61.8 | 61.80 | 69 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 64.8 | |
| 38 | Things Change (1988) | Joe Mantenga | 3.50 | 10.7 | 10.70 | 141 | 75 | 00 / 00 | 64.3 | |
| 43 | The Three Musketeers (1939) | Gloria Stuart | 1.80 | 81.9 | 81.90 | 125 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 64.2 | |
| 42 | Kiss The Boys Goodbye (1941) | Mary Martin | 1.30 | 59.8 | 59.80 | 152 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 62.2 | |
| 46 | Something To Shout About (1943) | Janet Blair | 1.80 | 76.8 | 76.80 | 118 | 50 | 02 / 00 | 59.9 | |
| 44 | That's My Man (1947) | Catherine McLeod | 1.50 | 49.4 | 49.40 | 147 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 59.5 | |
| 45 | Confirm Or Deny (1941) | Joan Bennett | 1.10 | 48.8 | 48.80 | 166 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 56.8 | |
| 47 | Sins of Man (1936) | Jean Hersholt | 0.90 | 43.7 | 43.70 | 158 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 50.3 | |
| 48 | A Fever In The Blood (1961) | Angie Dickinson | 1.40 | 23.4 | 37.80 | 110 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 46.7 | |
| 49 | Cocoon: The Return (1988) | Hume Cronyn | 18.90 | 57.6 | 57.60 | 53 | 47 | 00 / 00 | 41.4 | |
| 51 | Oscar (1991) | Sylvester Stallone & Kirk Douglas |
23.60 | 70.0 | 70.00 | 56 | 35 | 00 / 00 | 26.9 | |
| 50 | Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came (1970) | Ernest Borgnine & Tony Curtis |
1.90 | 15.4 | 15.40 | 108 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 26.8 | |
| 52 | Folks! (1992) | Tom Selleck | 6.10 | 18.5 | 18.50 | 113 | 46 | 00 / 00 | 14.7 | |
| 53 | Phantom Caravan (1954) | Genine Graham | 0.50 | 13.6 | 13.60 | 181 | 25 | 00 / 00 | 0.7 |
Ten Possibly Interesting Facts About Don Ameche
1. Dominic Felix Amici was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin on May 31, 1908
2. Don Ameche’s cousin, Alan Ameche, won the Heisman Trophy (best college football of the year) in 1954.
3. Don Ameche first career path was to become a lawyer….but he quickly realized he liked theatricals more interesting and decided on a stage career.
4. Don Ameche began his career singing and acting in vaudeville.
5. Don Ameche’s career adjusted domestic box office gross is 5.42 billion!
6. Don Ameche worked with Tyrone Power 4 times: 1936’s Ladies in Love (1936), 1937’s In Old Chicago, 1937’s Love Is News and 1938’s Alexander’s Ragtime Band. Almost 50 years later Ameche Power’s son Tyrone Power Jr. in 1985’s Cocoon and 1988’s Cocoon: The Return.
7. Don Ameche was considered for the role of Don Vito Corleone in 1972’s The Godfather. Marlon Brando was cast and won the Best Actor Oscar® for the role.
8. Don Ameche was married one time…..he was married to Honore Prendergast from 1932 to her death in 1986…they had 6 children.
9. Don Ameche made only five films from 1949 to 1983.
10. Check out Don Ameche’s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
Academy Award® and Oscar® are the registered trademarks of the Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences.
Don Ameche and Paul McVey appeared in 12 films together. Bess Flowers and Charles Tannen appeared with him in 10 films.
Hey Dan…..thanks for the further pieces of trivia on Don Ameche. I have heard of Bess Floweres…not too aware of Paul McVey or Charles Tannen.
Is he one of the guys who makes the gentleman’s bet in Trading Places?
Seen: 4/53 or 8%
Favorite Top 10: Trading Places
UMR Snub (Too High or Too Low): Haven’t Seen Enough
Guilty Pleasure: Tight race between Harry and the Henderson’s and Homeward Bound
Hey BryRog57……yep he was one of the older brothers…probably the least nasty of those two…..they appeared in Coming To America as well….playing the same brothers. Cocoon brought him back to the limelight….and his role in Harry and the Hendersons is a fun one to watch. Sorry it took over a year to respond. Good feedback.
Steve and Cogerson
Just viewed your Don Ameche video. Another good job. Midnight is a solid choice for #1. Don Ameche had unique career. Polished and versatile, including a good singing voice, he lacked that charisma which makes a top star. No other star of his magnitude seemed to disappear more completely from movies. I think he only made 5 movies from the 1950’s through the 1970’s. Still, he remained sort of a minor celebrity appearing on panel shows and hosting a circus show. His big success in those years was as the male half of a fractious married couple, The Bickersons, with Frances Langford, first on the radio and then in a series of long-playing albums. But the comeback as a character actor in the 1980’s seemed to come out of nowhere.
What stands out to me looking at his career is that he is the only non-musical American actor I can think of who never was cast (I think) as either a cowboy or a gangster.
This will mean nothing to Steve, but might to Cogerson. Yes, Don was a cousin to Alan “The Horse” Ameche, who was not only a Heisman Trophy winner at Wisconsin, but scored the most famous touchdown in NFL history in the overtime of the “Greatest Game Ever Played” in 1958. Alan also had the best nickname any fullback could hope for–The Horse. Don Ameche also had a strong connection with pro football. He was among the founders of the AAFC in 1946, and was the front-man for the Hollywood investors who owned the Los Angeles Dons AAFC team. According to some, the name Dons was chosen because of his name (although it seems more logical to me that they were referring to the old Spanish Dons). Unfortunately, as the NFL quickly moved the Rams to LA to compete with the Dons, the Dons were forced out of business when the two leagues merged in 1950 and didn’t carry into NFL history like the Browns and 49er’s did. It is interesting to conjure what would have happened to Don Ameche if he had been an NFL owner in his later years. Would there have been a comeback?
Thanks John, glad the no.1 film meets with your approval. It’s no.1 on Bruce’s chart too.
I’ve only watched a handful of Don Ameche films, most recently a trio of colorful musicals from the 1940s, the co-stars included Alice Faye, Bette Grable and Brazilian Bombshell Carmen Miranda. The only Carmen Miranda musical I’ve bought on Blu-ray – The Gang’s All Here – surprised me by not starring Don Ameche. Someone named Phil Baker is the top billed actor on that one.
Hey Steve….. good feedback on John’s Ameche comment…. 🙂
Hey John… I just discovered Midnight for the first time a few months ago….it actually made my Top 10 of movies watched in 2016. So I agree with you about that movie.
I read that and included that information about Alan Ameche on this Ameche page. That is a lucky family having an Oscar winner and a Heisman winner.
I did not know about his involvement with ownership…you are right….I do not think his comeback would have happened if he owned a NFL team. Which makes you wonder who would have gotten his Cocoon role? Maybe Hume Cronyn would be an Oscar winner instead. Thanks for the feedback.