This ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.

List of Donna Reed Movies: Ranked Best To Worst

1. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
32
3
It's a Wonderful Life
32
3

A holiday classic, It's a Wonderful Life is a feel-good movie that centers around a man, George Bailey, who broken down by the troubles of life wishes that he was never born. An angel appears to show him how the life of the people around him would have been if that was true and how he is loved by all.

Role:
Mary Hatch
Starring:
James Stewart, Lionel Barrymore, Carl Switzer, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers
Directed By:
Frank Capra
2. From Here to Eternity (1953)
26
2
From Here to Eternity
TV-PG
26
2

The movie follows the lives and love interests of three US Army soldiers deployed in Hawaii and is set in the months leading up to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. This Academy Award-winning American war drama-romance is based on a 1951 novel of the same name.

Role:
Alma aka Lorene
Directed By:
Fred Zinnemann
Awards:
Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
3. The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)
22
2
The Picture of Dorian Gray
22
2

The Picture of Dorian Gray is a horror drama mystery romance film which tells the story of Dorian Gray, a handsome and wealthy young woman, who, despite his intelligence, is quite naïve and easily manipulated. While visiting a tavern, he falls for a beautiful singer named Sibyl. Soon, a romance begins, despite disapproval from James, her brother.

Role:
Gladys Hallward
Starring:
Angela Lansbury, George Sanders, Hurd Hatfield, Peter Lawford
Directed By:
Albert Lewin
4. They Were Expendable (1945)
21
2
They Were Expendable
21
2

They were Expendable is a war drama film which tells the story of a Navy commander during the Second World War, who fights to prove that the American PT boats are worthy of being used in battle.

Role:
Lt. Sandy Davyss
Starring:
John Wayne, Blake Edwards, Ward Bond, Robert Montgomery, Jack Holt
Directed By:
5. Scandal Sheet (1952)
17
2
Scandal Sheet
17
2
Role:
Julie Allison
Starring:
Broderick Crawford, Mel Blanc, Henry O'Neill, Rosemary DeCamp
Directed By:
Phil Karlson
6. Shadow of the Thin Man (1941)
18
2
Shadow of the Thin Man
18
2

After a jockey is found shot dead in the locker room, famous detective Nick’s friend Lt. Abrams asks him to help out. Soon, Nick begins investigating the case along with his wife Nora. Soon, he feels that the only way to find the culprit would be to gather all the suspects in a room.

Role:
Molly Ford
Starring:
Ava Gardner, Barry Nelson, William Powell, Myrna Loy
Directed By:
W.S. Van Dyke
9. Green Dolphin Street (1947)
17
2
Green Dolphin Street
17
2
Role:
Marguerite Patourel
Starring:
Lana Turner, Frank Morgan, Van Heflin, Richard Hart
Directed By:
Victor Saville
10. Eyes in the Night (1942)
16
2
Eyes in the Night
16
2
Role:
Barbara Lawry
Starring:
Ann Harding, Edward Arnold, Stephen McNally, Katherine Emery
Directed By:
Fred Zinnemann
11. Beyond Glory (1948)
14
2
Beyond Glory
14
2

Rocky feels guilty thinking that he may have caused the death of his commanding officer in Tunisia. He decides to pay a visit to the officer’s widow, and they soon fall for each other.  

Role:
Ann Daniels
Starring:
Alan Ladd, George Coulouris, George Macready, Harold Vermilyea
Directed By:
12. Ransom! (1956)
14
3
Ransom!
14
3
Role:
Edith Stannard
Starring:
Glenn Ford, Leslie Nielsen, Robert Keith, Juano Hernandez
Directed By:
Alex Segal
13. Babes on Broadway (1941)
15
2
Babes on Broadway
15
2
Starring:
Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Ava Gardner, Fay Bainter, Virginia Weidler
Directed By:
Busby Berkeley
14. Hangman's Knot (1952)
15
2
Hangman's Knot
15
2
Role:
Molly Hull
Starring:
Lee Marvin, Richard Denning, Frank Faylen, Randolph Scott
Directed By:
Roy Huggins
15. The Courtship of Andy Hardy (1942)
16
2
The Courtship of Andy Hardy
16
2

The Courtship of Andy Hardy is a comedy film which tells the story of a teenage boy,  who starts liking a girl, whose parents’ divorce are being handled by his father Judge Hardy. 

Starring:
Mickey Rooney, Lewis Stone, Ann Rutherford, Cecilia Parker, Fay Holden
Directed By:
George B. Seitz
16. The Benny Goodman Story (1956)
14
2
The Benny Goodman Story
14
2

This biographical film depicts some key events in the life of clarinetist Benny Goodman starting with him learning to play clarinet from a Chicago music professor at a young age. After playing for Ben Pollack's traveling band for years, he impresses jazz lover John Hammond and falls in love with his sister Alice, which upsets his mother.

Role:
Alice Hammond
Starring:
Steve Allen, Herbert Anderson, Berta Gersten, Barry Truex
Directed By:
Valentine Davies
17. Backlash (1956)
13
2
Backlash
13
2
Role:
Karyl Orton
Starring:
Richard Widmark, Barton MacLane, John McIntire, William Campbell
Directed By:
John Sturges
18. Three Hours to Kill (1954)
14
2
Three Hours to Kill
14
2

Framed for a murder he did not commit, Jim Guthrie barely escapes lynching and flees into wilderness. On returning home three years later, he finds that he is still a wanted man and must find the true killer within three hours if he wants to escape hanging. 

Role:
Laurie Mastin
Starring:
Carolyn Jones, Dana Andrews, Dianne Foster, Stephen Elliott
Directed By:
Alfred L. Werker
19. Chicago Deadline (1949)
12
3
Chicago Deadline
12
3

Chicago reporter Ed Adams comes across a deceased girl, Rosita Jean d’Ur, in a shady boardinghouse and retrieves her address-book. Despite the police declaring cause of death as tuberculosis, Ed calls people from her address-book, who, though alarmed, deny knowing her. Growing suspicious, he tenaciously puts all the puzzle pieces together, but encounters underworld murders and finds his own life at risk. 

Role:
Rosita Jean d'Ur
Starring:
Alan Ladd, Irene Hervey, Arthur Kennedy, June Havoc
Directed By:
Lewis Allen
20. Convicted Woman (1940)
13
2
Convicted Woman
13
2

Betty Andrews is a young, innocent and unemployed woman who is wrongfully convicted of shoplifting. Despite the best efforts of her lawyer Mary Ellis and Jim Brent, a reporter, she is sent to a women’s prison for a year. Betty is forced to deal with a cruel and sadistic warden, as well as bullying inmates.

Starring:
Glenn Ford, Lola Lane, Rochelle Hudson, June Lang, Frieda Inescort
Directed By:
Nick Grinde
21. Saturday's Hero (1951)
11
3
Saturday's Hero
11
3
Role:
Melissa
Starring:
Sidney Blackmer, Alexander Knox, John Derek, Elliott Lewis
Directed By:
David Miller
22. Thousands Cheer (1943)
14
3
Thousands Cheer
14
3

Private Eddie Marsh has recently joined the army but possesses an entertainer’s spirit. On his way to arranging a grand show for his fellow soldiers, he falls in love with Colonel Bill Jones’ daughter Kathryn. Now he must put on the greatest show to impress the Colonel and get his blessings. 

Starring:
Gene Kelly, Lena Horne, Ann Sothern, Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland
Directed By:
George Sidney
23. See Here, Private Hargrove (1944)
13
2
See Here, Private Hargrove
13
2

An inept journalist enters the Army, hoping that he will be able to earn money writing about his experiences during training. However, he turns out to be an even more inept soldier. 

Role:
Carol Holliday
Starring:
Keenan Wynn, Blake Edwards, Grant Mitchell, Ray Collins, Robert Walker
Directed By:
Wesley Ruggles
24. The Caddy (1953)
12
3
The Caddy
12
3
Role:
Kathy Taylor
Starring:
Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Barbara Bates, Joseph Calleia
Directed By:
Norman Taurog
25. The Getaway (1941)
13
2
The Getaway
13
2
Role:
Maria Theresa O'Reilly
Starring:
Charles Winninger, Henry O'Neill, Robert Sterling, Dan Dailey
Directed By:
Richard Rosson, Edward Buzzell
26. The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954)
15
2
The Last Time I Saw Paris
15
2
Role:
Marion Ellswirth
Starring:
Elizabeth Taylor, Eva Gabor, Roger Moore, Van Johnson, Walter Pidgeon
Directed By:
Richard Brooks
27. Calling Dr. Gillespie (1942)
14
2
Calling Dr. Gillespie
14
2

When a young man suffering from mental disorders suddenly goes on a killing spree, Dr Gillespie is called in to investigate.

Role:
Marcia Bradburn
Starring:
Lionel Barrymore, Ava Gardner, Phil Brown, Nat Pendleton
Directed By:
Harold S. Bucquet
28. The Far Horizons (1955)
13
2
The Far Horizons
13
2

The adventure drama follows Lt. William Clark and Captain Meriwether Lewis as they try to explore and document the untamed American frontier with the blessings of President Thomas Jefferson, following the Louisiana Purchase. As both men and nature create adversities, they are guided by Shoshone woman Sacagawea. 

Role:
Sacajawea
Starring:
Charlton Heston, Fred MacMurray, Barbara Hale, William Demarest
Directed By:
Rudolph Maté
29. Gentle Annie (1944)
13
2
Gentle Annie
13
2
Role:
Mary Lingen
Starring:
James Craig, Marjorie Main, Harry Morgan, Paul Langton
Directed By:
Andrew Marton
30. Gun Fury (1953)
14
2
Gun Fury
14
2

In this 3D Western, a notorious ex-Confederate outlaw Frank Slayton and his gang raid a California-bound stagecoach carrying rancher Ben Warren and his fiancée Jennifer, whom they abduct and leave Ben for dead. As he recovers, Ben, with the help of two men who have a grudge against the outlaw, pursues Slayton and his men to Mexican border to rescue his fiancée.  

Role:
Jennifer Ballard
Starring:
Rock Hudson, Lee Marvin, Philip Carey, Leo Gordon
Directed By:
Raoul Walsh
31. The Whole Truth (1958)
12
2
The Whole Truth
12
2

The Whole Truth is a crime drama mystery film which tells the story of a movie executive who becomes a suspect for the murder of a beautiful actress acting in his film, who is also his lover.  

Role:
Carol Poulton
Starring:
Stewart Granger, George Sanders, Gianna Maria Canale, Michael Shillo
Directed By:
John Guillermin, Dan Cohen
32. Personalities (1942)
12
2
Personalities
12
2

This 1942 short film revolves around performers for MGM, whose careers were just beginning at the time. Excerpts from some of their films are also included.

Starring:
Ronald Colman, Mickey Rooney, Fay Bainter, Greer Garson, Patricia Dane, Edward Arnold
33. Faithful in My Fashion (1946)
14
2
Faithful in My Fashion
14
2
Role:
Jean 'Chunky' Kendrick
Starring:
Edward Everett Horton, Sig Ruman, Spring Byington, Tom Drake
Directed By:
Sidney Salkow
34. The Man from Down Under (1943)
11
3
The Man from Down Under
11
3

An Australian soldier fighting in the First World War befriends a small Belgian orphaned boy and his sister on the night he is about to return home. He decides to take them home with him, and soon starts raising them himself.

Role:
Mary Wilson
Starring:
Charles Laughton, Richard Carlson, Binnie Barnes, Christopher Severn
Directed By:
Robert Z. Leonard
35. The Bugle Sounds (1942)
11
2
The Bugle Sounds
11
2
Starring:
Wallace Beery, Lewis Stone, George Bancroft, Henry O'Neill
Directed By:
Richard Thorpe, S. Sylvan Simon
36. Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder (1952)
11
2
Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder
11
2

Frankie Laine and Billy Daniels are two singers who try to help an aspiring actress, as her grandmother is opposed to her idea of launching a show-business career.

Starring:
Gene Autry, Broderick Crawford, Ida Moore, Billy Daniels
Directed By:
Richard Quine
37. Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case (1943)
12
3
Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case
12
3

Roy is a homicidal maniac who is being put away for murder, but Dr Gillespie gets him committed to an asylum instead. Sometime later, Roy’s ex-fiancee, is thinking of getting married to another man, a soldier. She goes to the doctor to ask for advice about Roy.  

Starring:
Lionel Barrymore, Alma Kruger, Keye Luke, Van Johnson
Directed By:
Willis Goldbeck
38. They Rode West (1954)
12
2
They Rode West
12
2
Role:
Laurie MacKaye
Starring:
Onslow Stevens, Philip Carey, Robert Francis, May Wynn
Directed By:
Phil Karlson
39. Beyond Mombasa (1956)
12
2
Beyond Mombasa
12
2

Beyond Mombasa is an adventure mystery film which tells the story of an American man who decides to go to East Africa, in order to investigate the death of his brother.

Role:
Ann Wilson
Starring:
Christopher Lee, Cornel Wilde, Leo Genn, Ron Randell
Directed By:
George Marshall
40. Apache Trail (1942)
11
2
Apache Trail
11
2
Role:
Rosalia Martinez
Starring:
Lloyd Nolan, William Lundigan, Ann Ayars, Connie Gilchrist
Directed By:
Richard Rosson, Richard Thorpe
41. Raiders of the Seven Seas (1953)
11
2
Raiders of the Seven Seas
11
2

Barbarossa, a fierce pirate, frees a group of Spanish prisoners, and makes them his crew. When they capture a Spanish ship, they discover a beautiful Spanish countess named Alida, and they take her as a prisoner. Learning that her marriage is arranged to a sailor named Jose, Barbarossa demands him to pay the ransom. But slowly he begins to fall for Alida himself. Things get complicated when it turns out that Alida has escaped, and Barbarossa believes that she killed one of his men.  

Role:
Alida
Starring:
John Payne, Lon Chaney Jr., Gerald Mohr, Anthony Caruso
Directed By:
Sidney Salkow
42. Pepe (1960)
10
2
Pepe
10
2

Ranch hand Pepe’s world is turned upside down when alcoholic Hollywood director Mr.Holt buys his beloved friend, a white stallion from its owner. Pepe then goes on an extraordinary adventure through Hollywood, meeting celebrities like Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Durante, Zsa Zsa Gabór, Bing Crosby, and others before being reunited with his beloved stallion. 

Starring:
Zsa Zsa Gabor, Bobby Darin, Cantinflas, Maurice Chevalier, Janet Leigh, Bing Crosby, Jack Lemmon
Directed By:
George Sidney
43. Mokey (1942)
8
1
Mokey
8
1
Role:
Anthea Delano
Starring:
Billie 'Buckwheat' Thomas, Robert Blake, Dan Dailey, Cordell Hickman
Directed By:
Wells Root

TV Movie(s)

1. The Best Place to Be (1979)
16
3
The Best Place to Be
16
3
Role:
Sheila Callahan
Starring:
Betty White, Gloria Stuart, Mildred Dunnock, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., John Phillip Law
Directed By:
David Miller
2. Deadly Lessons (1983)
10
2
Deadly Lessons
10
2
Role:
Miss Wade
Starring:
Ally Sheedy, Bill Paxton, Larry Wilcox, David Ackroyd
Directed By:
William Wiard

TV Shows and Videos

Suspicion (1957)
Suspicion
Starring:
Lorne Greene, Ray Milland, Rory Calhoun, Claudette Colbert, Jessica Tandy, Rod Taylor, Patricia Neal
Directed By:
Don Medford, James Neilson, Robert Stevens, John Brahm, Jack Smight
The Ford Television Theatre (1952)
The Ford Television Theatre
Starring:
Natalie Wood, Barbara Stanwyck, Bette Davis, Jane Wyatt, Merle Oberon, James Whitmore, Frances Bavier
Directed By:
James Neilson, Ted Post, Anton Leader, Fred F. Sears, Arnold Laven
Tales of Hans Anderson (1952)
Tales of Hans Anderson
Starring:
William Simons, Christopher Lee, Robert Beatty
Directed By:
Karl Moseby, Tom D. Connochie, Thor L. Brooks, Åke Ohberg
The Donna Reed Show (1958)
The Donna Reed Show
Role:
Donna Stone (275 episodes, 1958-1966)
Starring:
Buster Keaton, Cloris Leachman, Bob Crane, Swoosie Kurtz, Marion Ross, John Banner, Mary Wickes
Directed By:
Oscar Rudolph, Andrew McCullough, Jeffrey Hayden, Norman Tokar, Gene Nelson
Awards:
Golden Globe Award for Best TV Star - Female
Dallas (1978)
Dallas
Starring:
Mel Ferrer, Alexis Smith, Barbara Bel Geddes, Lois Chiles, George Harris Kennedy, Jr, George Chakiris, Joel Grey
Directed By:
Leonard Katzman, Michael Preece, Irving J. Moore, Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy
The Love Boat (1977)
The Love Boat
TV-G
Starring:
Abe Vigoda, Adam West, Andy Griffith, Corey Feldman, Michael J. Fox, Andy Warhol, Tom Hanks
Directed By:
Richard Kinon, Roger Duchowny, Robert Scheerer, Allen Baron, Ted Lange
General Electric Theater (1953)
General Electric Theater
Starring:
Ron Howard, Dennis Hopper, Michael Landon, Ryan O'Neal, James Coburn, Joan Fontaine, Joanne Woodward
Directed By:
Herschel Daugherty, Don Medford, James Neilson, Jules Bricken, Mitchell Leisen

Donna Reed Awards

Academy Awards
From Here to Eternity Best Actress in a Supporting Role 1954
Golden Globe Awards
The Donna Reed Show Best TV Star - Female 1963