Want to know the best Van Johnson movies? How about the worst Van Johnson movies? Curious about Van Johnson box office grosses or which Van Johnson movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Van Johnson 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.
Van Johnson (1916-2008) was an American film and television actor and dancer who was a major star at MGM from 1942 to 1954. His IMDb page shows 123 acting credits from 1940-1992. This page ranks 63 Van Johnson movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. But what about his other 60 IMDb credits? Well….his 42 television appearances, his 13 movies not released in North America, his 4 uncredited roles and his one short were not included in the rankings.
Drivel Part: So earlier today we were web hopping around some of our favorite classic movie Facebook pages. While checking out Classic Film Lovers’ Haven we noticed that their current banner was mentioning that tomorrow, August 25th 2016 is Van Johnson’s 100th birthday. Knowing that Flora had requested a Van Johnson page we wonder if we would be able to put together an entire Van Johnson page in time for his 100th birthday….well since you are now reading this page, the answer to that question was yes….thank you Eddie Mannix’s MGM ledgers.
Van Johnson 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 Van Johnson movies by co-stars of his movies
- Sort Van Johnson movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Van Johnson movies by adjusted worldwide box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)….we were able to worldwide box office on 48 of his movies
- Sort Van Johnson 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 Van Johnson movie received.
- Sort Van Johnson 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.
| CreditRank | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Review % | Oscar Nom / Win | S | UMR Score | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CreditRank | 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 | S | UMR Score |
| 1 | The Caine Mutiny (1954) AA Best Picture Nom |
Humphrey Bogart & Fred MacMurray |
20.40 | 555.5 | 555.5 | 4 | 85 | 07 / 00 | 99.3 | |
| 2 | Battleground (1949) AA Best Picture Nom |
James Whitmore | 13.10 | 381.3 | 506.2 | 4 | 80 | 06 / 02 | 99.0 | |
| 3 | The Human Comedy (1943) AA Best Picture Nom |
Mickey Rooney | 8.10 | 336.2 | 455.2 | 18 | 73 | 05 / 01 | 98.1 | |
| 4 | Madame Curie (1943) AA Best Picture Nom |
Greer Garson & Walter Pidgeon |
7.40 | 306.5 | 548.8 | 24 | 72 | 07 / 00 | 98.0 | |
| 5 | Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944) | Spencer Tracy | 13.90 | 541.5 | 787.2 | 3 | 78 | 02 / 01 | 97.4 | |
| 6 | Command Decision (1948) | Clark Gable & Walter Pidgeon |
7.60 | 238.6 | 303.0 | 22 | 76 | 00 / 00 | 96.2 | |
| 6 | State of the Union (1948) | Spencer Tracy & Katharine Hepburn |
9.20 | 287.8 | 386.5 | 10 | 75 | 00 / 00 | 96.0 | |
| 7 | Two Girls and a Sailor (1944) | June Allyson | 9.20 | 359.4 | 576.6 | 18 | 73 | 01 / 00 | 95.7 | |
| 9 | The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954) | Elizabeth Taylor & Roger Moore |
7.50 | 204.6 | 383.5 | 37 | 73 | 00 / 00 | 95.5 | |
| 11 | A Guy Named Joe (1943) | Spencer Tracy & Irene Dunne |
11.30 | 472.6 | 638.5 | 6 | 69 | 01 / 00 | 94.7 | |
| 10 | In the Good Old Summertime (1949) | Judy Garland & Buster Keaton |
8.00 | 233.5 | 285.4 | 20 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 94.7 | |
| 12 | Till The Clouds Roll By (1946) | Judy Garland & June Allyson |
12.90 | 459.6 | 650.4 | 9 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 93.9 | |
| 11 | Week-end at the Waldorf (1945) | Ginger Rogers & Lana Turner |
12.10 | 445.9 | 629.7 | 9 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 93.6 | |
| 13 | The White Cliffs of Dover (1944) | Irene Dunne | 13.00 | 509.7 | 793.1 | 5 | 64 | 01 / 00 | 92.9 | |
| 15 | Thrill Of A Romance (1945) | Esther Williams | 12.00 | 443.0 | 716.9 | 10 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 92.8 | |
| 17 | Go For Broke! (1951) | Lane Nakano | 7.20 | 180.8 | 238.4 | 28 | 70 | 01 / 00 | 92.8 | |
| 18 | Mother Is A Freshman (1949) | Loretta Young | 6.80 | 197.8 | 262.4 | 29 | 64 | 01 / 00 | 92.6 | |
| 20 | Brigadoon (1954) | Gene Kelly | 5.70 | 153.9 | 254.3 | 55 | 75 | 03 / 00 | 92.3 | |
| 23 | High Barbaree (1947) | June Allyson | 6.00 | 203.7 | 281.5 | 50 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 92.2 | |
| 16 | The Bride Goes Wild (1948) | June Allyson | 7.10 | 222.6 | 309.7 | 31 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 92.0 | |
| 20 | No Leave, No Love (1946) | Keenan Wynn | 7.80 | 279.1 | 365.3 | 37 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 91.3 | |
| 24 | Duchess of Idaho (1950) | Esther Williams | 8.10 | 212.1 | 315.2 | 13 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 91.3 | |
| 23 | Easy to Wed (1946) | Esther Williams & Lucille Ball |
10.90 | 388.8 | 544.2 | 14 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 90.9 | |
| 24 | Yours, Mine and Ours (1968) | Henry Fonda & Lucille Ball |
33.20 | 316.5 | 316.5 | 9 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 90.9 | |
| 25 | Between Two Women (1945) | Lionel Barrymore | 5.30 | 193.6 | 233.0 | 68 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 90.4 | |
| 26 | The Romance of Rosy Ridge (1947) | Thomas Mitchell & Janet Leigh |
4.90 | 166.2 | 223.2 | 70 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 89.2 | |
| 27 | Divorce American Style (1967) | Debbie Reynolds & Dick Van Dyke |
13.80 | 142.0 | 142.0 | 22 | 68 | 01 / 00 | 87.6 | |
| 29 | Easy To Love (1953) | Esther Williams | 7.10 | 148.3 | 239.2 | 35 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 84.9 | |
| 28 | Three Guys Named Mike (1951) | Jane Wyman | 4.90 | 121.9 | 159.3 | 63 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 84.3 | |
| 30 | Miracle in the Rain (1956) | Jane Wyman | 4.00 | 90.9 | 90.9 | 81 | 73 | 00 / 00 | 82.9 | |
| 32 | Men of The Fighting Lady (1954) | Walter Pidgeon | 4.30 | 116.6 | 204.8 | 68 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 80.8 | |
| 33 | Too Young To Kiss (1951) | June Allyson & Gig Young |
4.60 | 114.4 | 164.9 | 68 | 60 | 01 / 00 | 80.4 | |
| 31 | The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) | Directed by Woody Allen | 10.60 | 37.4 | 37.4 | 79 | 84 | 01 / 00 | 80.3 | |
| 34 | The War Against Mrs. Hadley (1942) | Edward Arnold | 2.00 | 85.6 | 167.1 | 126 | 66 | 01 / 00 | 78.4 | |
| 36 | The Big Hangover (1950) | Elizabeth Taylor | 3.80 | 98.6 | 121.4 | 85 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 75.9 | |
| 35 | 23 Paces to Baker Street (1956) | Vera Miles | 2.90 | 64.9 | 64.9 | 111 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 75.3 | |
| 37 | Grounds For Marriage (1951) | Kathryn Grayson | 3.20 | 79.7 | 113.4 | 113 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 72.8 | |
| 38 | The Siege at Red River (1954) | Joanne Dru | 3.60 | 97.0 | 97.0 | 95 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 72.0 | |
| 39 | 3 Men in White (1944) | Lionel Barrymore & Ava Gardner |
1.90 | 75.6 | 109.4 | 119 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 70.0 | |
| 41 | The Bottom of the Bottle (1956) | Joseph Cotten | 3.10 | 71.4 | 71.4 | 106 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 68.0 | |
| 43 | Scene Of The Crime (1949) | Arlene Dahl | 2.70 | 78.2 | 112.3 | 121 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 66.9 | |
| 46 | Plymouth Adventure (1952) | Spencer Tracy & Gene Tierney |
5.30 | 120.5 | 191.0 | 59 | 41 | 01 / 01 | 66.8 | |
| 42 | Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case (1943) | Lionel Barrymore | 1.50 | 60.7 | 93.1 | 130 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 65.6 | |
| 46 | Murder In The Big House (1942) | Faye Emerson | 1.60 | 69.0 | 69.0 | 147 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 65.1 | |
| 43 | Washington Story (1952) | Patricia Neal | 1.50 | 35.2 | 43.2 | 177 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 65.0 | |
| 44 | Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant (1942) | Lionel Barrymore | 1.20 | 53.6 | 82.9 | 160 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 64.2 | |
| 46 | The End of The Affair (1955) | Deborah Kerr | 1.80 | 42.9 | 42.9 | 144 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 62.4 | |
| 47 | Remains To Be Seen (1953) | Angela Lansbury & June Allyson |
2.10 | 44.0 | 59.3 | 165 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 62.0 | |
| 48 | Where Angels Go Trouble Follows! (1968) | Rosalind Russell & Robert Taylor |
4.00 | 38.2 | 55.2 | 76 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 59.3 | |
| 52 | Invitation (1952) | Dorothy McGuire | 2.40 | 54.0 | 91.9 | 140 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 57.9 | |
| 49 | When in Rome (1952) | Paul Douglas | 1.40 | 31.8 | 43.1 | 182 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 57.8 | |
| 51 | Web of Evidence (1959) | Vera Miles | 1.50 | 30.6 | 30.6 | 131 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 56.4 | |
| 53 | Slander (1957) | Ann Blyth | 1.10 | 23.6 | 47.5 | 152 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 53.4 | |
| 55 | Pilot #5 (1943) | Gene Kelly & Franchot Tone |
1.90 | 79.6 | 115.4 | 116 | 46 | 00 / 00 | 52.9 | |
| 54 | Kelly and Me (1956) | Piper Laurie | 0.90 | 21.1 | 21.1 | 188 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 52.0 | |
| 56 | Confidentially Connie (1953) | Janet Leigh | 1.70 | 36.2 | 46.3 | 175 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 42.9 | |
| 57 | Wives and Lovers (1963) | Shelley Winters | 2.10 | 31.1 | 31.1 | 87 | 47 | 01 / 00 | 25.6 | |
| 59 | It's a Big Country (1951) | Gary Cooper & William Powell |
1.50 | 37.6 | 46.8 | 171 | 46 | 00 / 00 | 24.7 | |
| 58 | The Last Blitzkrieg (1959) | Kerwin Mathews | 1.20 | 24.7 | 24.7 | 136 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 24.1 | |
| 61 | Action of the Tiger (1957) | Martine Carol | 1.30 | 29.7 | 104.6 | 141 | 46 | 00 / 00 | 21.3 | |
| 60 | Subway In The Sky (1959) | Hildegard Knef | 0.60 | 12.8 | 12.8 | 160 | 51 | 00 / 00 | 19.4 | |
| 62 | The Kidnapping of the President (1980) | Ava Gardner & William Shatner |
0.70 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 162 | 52 | 00 / 00 | 16.9 | |
| 63 | The Enemy General (1960) | Jean-Pierre Aumont | 0.60 | 11.1 | 11.1 | 139 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 16.4 |
Stats and Possibly Interesting Things From The Above Van Johnson Table
- Twenty-seven Van Johnson movies crossed the magical $100 million domestic gross mark. That is a percentage of 42.85% of his movies listed. The Caine Mutiny (1954) was his biggest box office hit.
- An average Van Johnson movie grossed $114.80 million in adjusted domestic box office gross.
- That translates to a career adjusted box office of $7.23 billion.
- Using RottenTomatoes.com’s 60% fresh meter. 44 Van Johnson movies are rated as good movies…or 69.84% of his movies. The Caine Mutiny (1954) is his highest rated movie while Plymouth Adventure (1952) is his lowest rated movie.
- Seventeen Van Johnson movies received at least one Oscar® nomination in any category…..or 26.98% of his movies.
- Four Van Johnson movies won at least one Oscar® in any category…..or 6.34% of his movies.
- An average Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score is 40.00. 34 Van Johnson movies scored higher that average….or 44.11% of his movies. The Caine Mutiny (1954) got the the highest UMR Score while The Enemy General (1960) got the lowest UMR Score.
Possibly Interesting Facts About Van Johnson
1. Charles Van Dell Johnson was born in Newport, Rhode Island in 1916.
2. Van Johnson met Lucille Ball during the filming of 1940’s Too Many Girls. Ball took Johnson to to Chasen’s Restaurant, where she introduced him to MGM casting director Billy Grady. After his 6 month contract with Warner Brothers was terminated, Johnson signed with MGM.
3. Van Johnson was listed on Quigley’s Annual Top Box Office Star list 6 times. He was ranked 2nd in 1945, 3rd in 1946, 13th in 1947, 20th in 1948, 18th in 1950 and 20th in 1951.
4. Halfway through the filming of 1943’s A Guy Name Joe….Van Johnson was in a serious car accident that left him with a metal plate in his forehead and a number of scars on his face that the plastic surgery of the time could not completely correct or conceal; he used heavy makeup to hide them for years. When the crash happened, Johnson’s scalp was nearly sheared off. The closest rescue units responded, but because the accident happened just over the local county line, the rescuers had to stop at the county line and could not help him. Johnson had to slap his scalp into place and literally crawl nearly 50 yards to get to the rescue workers for aid.
5. Van Johnson’s injury caused the production of A Guy Named Joe to shut down. At first the studio wanted to replace Johnson….but Spencer Tracy and Irene Dunne insisted that Johnson be allowed to finish the picture,
6. Van Johnson’s two main nicknames were: King of Dinner Theater & The Voiceless Sinatra
7. Van Johnson was married 1 times and had 3 children….one daughter and 2 stepsons…..the father of his stepsons was actor Keenan Wynn.
8. Van Johnson starred in 4 movies that earned Best Picture Oscar® nominations: 1943’s Madame Curie, 1943’s The Human Comedy, 1949’s Battleground and 1954’s The Caine Mutiny.
9. Van Johnson has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6600 Hollywood Blvd.
10. Check out Van Johnson ‘s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
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Van Johnson, is the # 53 most connected actor of the 1950’s.