Want to know the best Linda Darnell movies? How about the worst Linda Darnell movies? Curious about Linda Darnell box office grosses or which Linda Darnell movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Linda Darnell movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences? Well you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information.
Linda Darnell (1923-1965) was an American actress. Darnell was one of the most popular actresses of the 1940s. Her movies earned $3 billion (adjusted gross) between 1940 and 1949….with 15 of her movies crossing the $100 milllion (adjusted) mark. Linda Darnell’s IMDb page shows 57 acting credits from 1939-1965. This page will rank 40 Linda Darnell movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Her television appearances, uncredited roles, shorts and 1955’s It Happens in Roma (not released in North American theaters) were not included in the rankings.
Drivel Part: This page comes from a request by Pierre. Gotta admit that I did not know much about Linda Darnell before doing this page. Now I know enough to be dangerous….lol. Sorry for the delay, Pierre…..but your requested Linda Darnell page is now complete!
Linda Darnell 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 Linda Darnell movies by co-stars of her movies
- Sort Linda Darnell movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Linda Darnell movies by yearly domestic box office rank
- Sort Linda Darnell 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 Linda Darnell movie received.
- Sort Linda Darnell 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.
- Blue link in Co-star column takes you to that star’s UMR movie page
Stats and Possibly Interesting Things From The Above Linda Darnell Table
- Sixteen Linda Darnell movies crossed the magical $100 million domestic gross mark. That is a percentage of 40.00% of her movies listed. Forever Amber (1947) was her biggest box office hit.
- An average Linda Darnell movie grossed $91.30 million in adjusted box office gross.
- Using RottenTomatoes.com’s 60% fresh meter. 19 Linda Darnell movies are rated as good movies…or 47.50% of her movies. My Darling Clementine (1946) is her highest rated movie while City Without Men (1943) is her lowest rated movie.
- Nine Linda Darnell movies received at least one Oscar® nomination in any category…..or 22.50% of her movies.
- Three Linda Darnell movies won at least one Oscar® in any category…..or 7.50% of her movies.
- An average Ultimate Movie Ranking (UMR) Score is 40.00. 22 Linda Darnell movies scored higher that average….or 55.00% of her movies. My Darling Clementine (1946) got the the highest UMR Score while The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe (1942) got the lowest UMR Score.
Possibly Interesting Facts About Linda Darnell
1. Monetta Eloyse Darnell was born in Dallas, Texas in 1923.
2. As a teenager, Linda Darnell landed not one but two movie contracts. Her first contract was with RKO before 20th Century Fox decided to offer her movie roles. At 15 she was living by herself in a small apartment in Hollywood. By the time she was 16 she was Tyrone Power’s leading lady in 1939’s Day-Time Wife.
3. Linda Darnell’s nickname was Tweedles.
4. Linda Darnell really wanted to play the Ava Gardner part in 1954’s The Barefoot Contessa. Apparently Joseph L. Mankiwez wrote the part with Darnell in mind.
5. Linda Darnell was never nominated for any major acting awards….nor was she ever included on the Quigley Publication Top Star lists…..the last fact makes no sense. In 1944 she had 3 $100 million hits….that should have gotten a spot in the Top 25 for sure.
6. Linda Darnell was married three times and had one daughter.
7. Linda Darnell’s character in 1946’s Anna and the King of Siam, was executed by being burned at the stake. In real life, Darnell died at age 41 from burns received in a house fire.
8. Check out Linda Darnell‘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. Golden Globe® is a registered trademark.
1 I was too young to be familiar with Linda during her heyday of the 1940s and anyway would not have been allowed admission to Forever Amber ! so [Fonda’s My Darling Clementine apart] I knew her largely from her 1950s B movies such as Zero Hour with Dana Andrews and Second Chance with Mitchum.
2 Nothing demonstrates Linda’s ultimate decline more than the 1965 Black Spurs as it was one of those A C Lyles cheapie westerns in which Lyles included Linda in his usual stable of has cut price been actors – in this one Rory Calhoun, Lon [the Wolf Man] Chaney Jr, and Bruce Cabot who supported Wayne in several movies in the better days. Apparently the gregarious Duke despised Cabot as after work he would hang out with his fellow actors but would often dodge paying for his round of drinks !
3 In the western Dakota Incident (1956) Linda played a hoity-toity heroine waiting to board a stagecoach along with other passengers including marginal anti-hero Dale Robertson
As she is about to climb aboard she accidentally drops her purse and waits for Dale to do the gentlemanly thing and pick it up but instead he kicks it through the dust and lands it at her feet!
Best wished BOB
Hey Bob
1. Thanks for the thoughts on Linda Darnell.
2. Those B movies were actually the hardest to find any box office information on…..as they were released as part of double features…..and barely saw much activitiy…..pretty much quickly became fillers for television stations.
3. Black Spurs only took about 2 weeks to film….but she really enjoyed her time on the set….maybe it would have triggered more movies if she had not passed….heck my man Bruce Willis is very active today…even if nobody is seeing his movies.
4. Interesting about Cabot and Wayne….makes you wonder why Wayne kept Cabot in his collection of actors that appeared in many Wayne movies
5. One of the books I read while researching this page…talked about Dakota Incident….some pretty funny stories….she had high hopes for that one…..but sadly that did not happen….as that was her 3rd from last movie.
6. Dale Robertson knew how to treat a lady….lol.
I didn’t know Linda Darnell died so tragically, that’s really sad.
Linda was really pretty, she and Tyrone Power were a cute couple in their films together.
I’ve only seen 10 of the 40 films listed, one quarter. My two favorites – The Mark of Zorro and My Darling Clementine.
I haven’t seen A Letter to Three Wives or Unfaithfully Yours.
Bruce, there doesn’t seem to be a UMR chart on this one, and there are two Oscar tables instead.
A nice tribute to Linda Darnell. Vote Up!
Hey Steve….the book I used for research really took a deep look at her final hours…..gruesome gruesome gruesome. I agree she and Tyrone had some serious screen chemistry. I actually find it amazing that they did not make any more movies together after that quartet they made early in her career.
So you have seen 10….let me count….counting….drumroll…..5….and they are all in the Top 12…which means I have seen none of her bottom 28 movies. Two of the ones you mentioned are ones I have seen. She is excellent in both A Letter to Three Wives and Unfaithfully Yours. Added bonus in Letter To Three Wives is a very young Kirk Douglas as one of the husbands.
Thanks for the heads up on two Oscar columns….that has been fixed…..at least it was a no error….never done that one before…..greatly appreciated.
My Darling Clementine tops the UMR and Critics chart as expected. I watched it again recently, it’s not my favorite Wyatt Earp movie, it may be blasphemous to say I prefer Tombstone and Gunfight at the OK Corral, both far more enjoyable than John Ford’s classic western IMO. And the latter stars two of my favorite actors Burt and Kirk.
Walter Brennan playing evil Old Man Clanton must have been a fun role change for the actor after playing crazy old coots in so many westerns.
HI STEVE
1 I think that Clementine and Gunfight at OK each meet different requirements for me so that I could not say which I more preferred. Gunfight has more action and a great star duo but I though that Clementine was more atmospheric in that it better captured the much slower pace of day-to-day life in the fledgling communities of those days and the scene where Earp escorts Clem to the dance is one of the most touching I’ve ever seen.
2 Actually I preferred Kirk’s Last Train to Gun Hill to both those Earp/Holliday movies. Can’t remember much about Tombstone except for Val Kilmer’s great performance. I just have my own opinion to go by and tend not to consult hosts of film experts as you and Bruce seem to do – in fact you and he ARE my experts! But would your preference for Tombstone over Clementine have less to do with Earp and Holliday and more to do with Henry Hooker?
3 I have mentioned in a previous post that students in acting classes are often advised to watch the films of Walter Brennan if they intend to specialise in character acting. I think that whereas Scott and McCrea acted as a “young man” in most of their movies when they were middle aged Brennan and George Gabby Hayes in playing their crazy old coot roles were professing to be older than they actually were. at the time
4 The giveaway is always the eyes. In Godpop the 47 year old Marlon played a 63 year old man and for the most part the make up and his slow gait and other ‘elderly’ mannerisms did the trick. However Coppola made a mistake by shooting from the outside a scene where Don Corleone looks through the two slats of a set of Venetian blinds at the wedding party below and the two eyes that were looking out through those slats at the audience though still Brando’s were those of a man of his actual age. When Scott and McCrea gazed sheepishly at those ‘child brides’ that they used to end up marrying in their movies they were looking at the women with ‘old eyes’
Hi Bob, interesting observation about the eyes, I will watch out for that next time I see The Godfather. When I was young I didn’t know that Brando had make up on and thought that’s how he looked. I didn’t see Last Tango in Paris until about a decade later. I must have been shocked seeing Brando in Superman looking younger than in ‘Godpop’.
Another actor I thought ‘was’ that old was Max Von Sydow as Father Merrin in The Exorcist, a film I’ve seen well over 100 times btw (Bob winces) later seeing him a lot less wrinkle-free as Emperor Ming in Flash Gordon must have surprised me. 🙂
Was Chuck Heston in Tombstone? Of course he was, but he isn’t the reason it’s one of my favorite westerns, it has a very quotable script and Kurt and Val were excellent, the entire cast was good.
Hey Bob.
1. Well as one of your “experts”…I advise you to check out Tombstone again….so much more than Val Kilmer’s career performance as Doc. This is sound advice….lol.
2. Good comments about the eyes of an actor….I will have to keep an “eye” open for that in the future.
3. My main issue with My Darling Clementine is how historically inaccurate it is….yes it is a good movie….but having the wrong people die at the wrong time seems like bad filmmaking.
4. In Danny Peary’s Cult Movie books he really goes into great depth about Clementine….worth reading.
5. Good movie thoughts….greatly appreciate you sharing them.
Hey Steve… I agree with your reply to Bob 100%……thanks for returning to comment.
Hey Steve….I agree with you. I like My Darling Clementine…..but when I want to see the famous gunfight….Tombstone is the movie that jumps into my mind first. I like to think that if all the Doc Holliday got into a fight….Val Kilmer would be the last man standing….and Kurt Russell’s Wyatt would at least be still standing near the end of the fight. Brennan is very evil in the movie….and very convincing. Brennan might be the least appreciated 3 time Oscar winner ever!….thanks for the additional feedback.
She should have been nominated for A Letter To Three Wives. Her beauty overshadowed her acting ability.
Hey Dawson….good point about her performance in A Letter To Three Wives….she really shines in that role. Appreciate the visit and the comment.
Bruce,
I am very impressed by this choice. Mrs Darnell was a tragic figure; pushed to stardom by her ambitious mother; disregarded as a serious talent because of her incredible beauty; continuously fighting for recognition, discarded by the Hollywood establishment….used and abused until her death from burns. Waste…
Why she was not recognised by the Academy, especially for Letter to Three Wives, remains a sore point. Unfaithully Yours is a gem to behold; an intelligent performance to say the least.
Very nice that you would choose Linda Darnell. A very talented and intimate actress.
Bravo!
Marcel
Hey Marcel….thanks for the kind words, the visit and the comment. Darnell’s mom really pushed her daughter….probably one of the best examples of a parent trying to relive their life through their kid’s life. If I remember correctly…her mom had 5 kids….but ignored the other 4 when she realized Linda was her best chance for fame.
I was not aware of her tragic death before I did this page. Now that I know…I will never be able to forget some of the details of her passing…gruesome stuff. But enough on that….I was impressed with her box office success…..what a successful 11 years. I also enjoyed her in Unfaithfully Yours. Kudos to Pierre for suggesting this page.
Saw A Letter to Three Wives and Centennial Summer at the Regency revival in NYC circa 1979 – 1980. They did a summer salute to 20th Century Fox. I also remember seeing Second Chance in 3-D on a double bill with Drums of Tahiti, also in 3-D in the early 80’s at some odd revival theater I didn’t go to often. Actually think it was a regular theater in the Village at the time of the early 80’s 3-D revival (think Friday the 13th, Metalstorm and other junk).
Linda was never on the Oracle of Bacon Top 1000 Center of the Hollywood Universe lists. There are only 3 people on the current list who have worked with and 2 of then have passed on.
Blood and Sand (1941) – 681 Anthony Quinn
Buffalo Bill (1944) – 681 Anthony Quinn
Donne Proibite (1954) – 681 Anthony Quinn
Second Chance (1953) – 809 Robert Mitchum
The Song of Bernadette (1943) – 571 William Smith
These are the people on the first list in 2000 who appeared with Linda in a flic and have since fallen off, 2000 rank listed.
A Letter to Three Wives (1949) – 32 Kirk Douglas
Anna and the King of Siam (1946) – 301 Lee J. Cobb
Black Spurs (1965) – 232 Roy Jenson, 546 Reed Morgan, 867 Rory Calhoun, 989 Bruce Cabot
Blood and Sand (1941) – 14 John Carradine, 606 Alberto Morin
Brigham Young (1940) – 14 John Carradine, 27 Marc Lawrence, 125 Vincent Price, 256 Hank Worden, 744 Dean Jagger
Buffalo Bill (1944) – 740 George Chandler, 975 Maureen O’Hara
Chad Hanna (1940) – 14 John Carradine, 56 Henry Fonda
City Without Men (1943) – 147 Lloyd Bridges, 740 George Chandler, 783 James Flavin
Dakota Incident (1956) – 592 Whit Bissell, 599 John Doucette
Day-Time Wife (1939) – 222 Bess Flowers
El Valle de las espadas (1963) – 151 Cesar Romero, 241 Broderick Crawford
Everybody Does it (1949) – 222 Bess Flowers, 731 John Hoyt
Fallen Angel (1945) – 14 John Carradine, 451 Dana Andrews, 989 Bruce Cabot
Forever Amber (1947) – 323 George Sanders, 499 Jessica Tandy, 994 Ellen Corby
Hangover Square (1945) – 323 George Sanders
Hotel for Women (1939) – 222 Bess Flowers
It Happened Tomorrow (1944) – 222 Bess Flowers, 740 George Chandler
My Darling Clementine (1946) – 56 Henry Fonda, 90 John Ireland, 980 Victor Mature
No Way Out (1950) – 100 Ian Wolfe, 119 Richard Widmark, 231 Sidney Poitier, 577 Ossie Davis, 682 Ray Teal, 903 Jack Kruschen
Rise and Shine (1941) – 663 Milton Berle
Second Chance (1953) – 222 Bess Flowers (just for trivia Robert Mitchum was #7 in 2000)
Slattery’s Hurricane (1949) – 119 Richard Widmark
Summer Storm (1944) – 146 Mike Mazurki, 323 George Sanders, 832 Don Brodie, 969 Byron Foulger
The 13th Letter (1951) – 393 Charles Boyer
The Great John L. (1945) – 299 Fritz Feld, 867 Rory Calhoun
The Lady Pays Off (1951) – 599 John Doucette
The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe (1942) – 648 Harry Morgan
The Song of Bernadette (1943) – 100 Ian Wolfe, 125 Vincent Price, 177 Marcel Dalio, 301 Lee J. Cobb
The Walls of Jericho (1948) – 32 Kirk Douglas, 379 Ann Doran, 963 Frank Ferguson
Two Flags West (1950) – 158 Joseph Cotten
Unfaithfully Yours (1948) – 81 Lionel Stander
Zero Hour! (1957) – 380 Sterling Hayden, 451 Dana Andrews
I count 18 Oscar winners she appeared with;
Celeste Home (A Letter to Three Wives (1949, Everybody Does it (1949)), Rex Harrison (Anna and the King of Siam (1946), Unfaithfully Yours (1948), Anthony Quinn, Dean Jagger, Jane Darwell (Brigham Young (1940, Chad Hanna (1940), My Darling Clementine (1946), The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe (1942)), Mary Astor (Brigham Young (1940), Walter Brennan (Centennial Summer (1946), My Darling Clementine (1946), Rise and Shine (1941)), Henry Fonda, Broderick Crawford, Charles Coburn (Everybody Does it (1949)), George Sanders, Jessica Tandy, Sidney Poitier, Jack Palance, Jennifer Jones (The Song of Bernadette (1943), Anne Baxter (The Walls of Jericho (1948), Gale Sondergaard (The Mark of Zorro (1940), Anna and the King of Siam (1946), Thomas Mitchell (Buffalo Bill (1944))
Hey Dan….there goes Mr. Quinn again….seems he is always the last man standing…lol. List 2: Good to see Harry Morgan’s name….his MASH days have many people forget he made movies for years and years. Bess Flowers again but no Arthur? He is slipping…lol. List 3. Got some legends here…but most are supporting characters. She and Brennan appeared in 3 movies together…..probably her most frequent co-star besides Tyrone Power. Thanks for sharing these lists on our newest page…it is greatly appreciated.
Hey Dan…..very cool that you got to see some of her movies on the big screen and in 3D. Second Chance was her last hurrah…..after that movie her grosses dropped to really low levels. You passed on Metalstorm? That is one of the best 1980s movies ever….lol. Our local Regal shows classic movies about once a month…they pick 4 movies and show it time in the morning…so far I have not seen any of them….but I know one month they will pick one I want to see in the big screen.
Unfortunately I did see Metalstorm. Also remember seeing Yor – Hunter of the Future or something like that in 3D. Then there was Comin’ at Ya from I think 81 which was an Italian one and they threw rats at the audience in 3D.
Hey Dan…..those are classic bad movies….falling into the “so bad they are good category”. Back in my teenage days..HBO was one the my source for movies….Metalstorm was in heavy rotation back then….along with Krull and Clash of the Titans. As for Yor….I saw but not in 3D. Thanks for sharing your memories of 3D movies in the 1980s.