The Best '30s Romance Movies

Voting Rules
Vote up your favorite love films that were released in the 1930s

This list tanks 1930s romance movies from best to worst, with those that have aged like fine wine at the top and those that haven't stood the test of time so well closer to the bottom. Many of these '30s love movies are still popular today, gaining new fans every year. Some have held up so well, in fact, that you might even be surprised scrolling through this 1930s romance movies list.

It's a Wonderful Life is such a holiday favorite, for example, that it's difficult to image a time when it didn't exist. This 1930s romance film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including a Best Actor nod for Jimmy Stewart. Another classic 1930s love story is Gone with the Wind, which was by far the most successful movie of its time. Fun Fact: Gone with the Wind was the first color film to take home an Oscar for Best Picture.

Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire were one of the most beloved onscreen duos of the 1930s. Their films The Gay Divorcee, Swing Time and Top Hat all appear on this list of '30s romantic movies.

Which romance movie from the 1930s is your favorite? Vote up the best and feel free to add any great '30s romances that aren't already included. And if you've seen all of the films on the list, rerank it to create your own definitive version!
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Ranked by
  • It Happened One Night
    1
    Claudette Colbert, Clark Gable, Walter Connolly
    89 votes
    • Released: 1934
    • Directed by: Frank Capra
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    In Frank Capra's acclaimed romantic comedy, spoiled heiress Ellie Andrews (Claudette Colbert) impetuously marries the scheming King Westley, leading her tycoon father (Walter Connolly) to spirit her ...more

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  • Gone with the Wind
    2
    Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard
    80 votes
    • Released: 1939
    • Directed by: Victor Fleming
    Presented as originally released in 1939. Includes themes and character depictions which may be offensive and problematic to contemporary audiences. Epic Civil War drama focuses on the life of ...more

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  • Dark Victory
    3
    Bette Davis, George Brent, Humphrey Bogart
    36 votes
    • Released: 1939
    • Directed by: Edmund Goulding
    Socialite Judith Traherne (Bette Davis) lives a lavish but emotionally empty life. Riding horses is one of her few joys, and her stable master (Humphrey Bogart) is secretly in love with her. Told she ...more

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  • Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
    4
    Gary Cooper, Jean Arthur, George Bancroft
    25 votes
    • Released: 1936
    • Directed by: Frank Capra
    Longfellow Deeds (Gary Cooper), a resident of small-town Vermont, leads a simple life until he inherits a vast fortune from a late uncle. Soon, unscrupulous lawyer John Cedar (Douglas Dumbrille) ...more

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  • Wuthering Heights
    5
    Merle Oberon, Laurence Olivier, David Niven
    39 votes
    • Released: 1939
    • Directed by: William Wyler
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    In this adaptation of the classic Emily Bronte novel set in 19th-century England, wealthy young Cathy Earnshaw (Merle Oberon) shares a loving bond with Heathcliff (Laurence Olivier), a poor childhood ...more

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  • Grand Hotel
    6
    Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, John Barrymore
    20 votes
    • Released: 1932
    • Directed by: Edmund Goulding
    At a luxurious Berlin hotel between the wars, the once-wealthy Baron Felix von Gaigern (John Barrymore) supports himself as a thief and gambler. In this lavish adaptation of the successful Broadway ...more

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