Entertainment
The Best '30s Romance Movies
List 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!list ordered by
- Watch for Free with Amazon Prime Free TrialIn 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
- 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
- Watch for Free with Amazon Prime Free TrialIn 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
- Marie Antoinette is a 1938 film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed by W. S. Van Dyke and starred Norma Shearer as Marie Antoinette. Based upon the 1932 biography of the ill-fated Queen ...more
- 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)Â ...more
- 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
- Things get tough for Carol (Joan Blondell) and her showgirl pals (Ruby Keeler, Aline MacMahon) when the Great Depression kicks in and all the Broadway shows close down. Wealthy songwriter Brad (Dick ...more
- Watch for Free with Amazon Prime Free TrialJohnny (Cary Grant) seems like a solid match for Julia (Doris Nolan), the socialite daughter of Edward Seton (Henry Kolker). Assured that Johnny is a worthy suitor, Edward approves of the pairing. ...more
- 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
- Harried paleontologist David Huxley (Cary Grant) has to make a good impression on society matron Mrs. Random (May Robson), who is considering donating one million dollars to his museum. On the day ...more
- When revered Broadway director Julian Marsh (Warner Baxter) falls on hard times with both his health and his finances, he helms an ambitious musical as a final production before his retirement. His ...more
- Polly Paris (Ginger Rogers) accidentally stumbles into motherhood after discovering an abandoned baby on the steps of an orphanage. Believing the baby is Polly's, department store owner J.B. Merlin ...more
- Peter P. Peters (Fred Astaire) is an American ballet dancer working in Paris. After happening across a photograph of tap-dance sensation Linda Keene (Ginger Rogers), Peters falls instantly in love ...more
- 14The story centers on wealthy Dale Tremont (Ginger Rogers), on holiday in London and Venice. She assumes that American entertainer Jerry Travers (Fred Astaire) is the husband of her friend Madge ...more
- Fifth Avenue socialite Irene Bullock needs a "forgotten man" to win a scavenger hunt, and no one fits that description more than Godfrey Park, who resides in a dump by the East River. Irene hires ...more
- Dexterous and risk-taking Lucky Garnett (Fred Astaire) pursues dancing and gambling with equal verve. Engaged to the pretty Margaret Watson (Betty Furness), Lucky gets pre-wedding nerves, which leads ...more
- 17In one of her most renowned roles, Bette Davis portrays Julie Marsden, a spoiled Southern belle who risks losing her suitor with her impetuous behavior. Engaged to successful banker Preston Dillard ...more
- Sweet-natured Alice Sycamore (Jean Arthur) falls for banker's son Tony Kirby (James Stewart). But when she invites her snooty prospective in-laws to dinner to give their blessing to the marriage, ...more
- In this beloved musical, Mimi Glossop (Ginger Rogers) journeys to England to seek a divorce from her absentee husband. When Mimi meets dashing performer Guy Holden (Fred Astaire), sparks fly, and, ...more
- The Doctor Takes a Wife is a 1940 comedy film directed by Alexander Hall.
- A no-nonsense diplomat of the Soviet Union, Nina Ivanovna "Ninotchka" Yakushova (Greta Garbo) arrives in Paris to ensure the sale of jewels seized during the Russian Revolution. Meanwhile, carefree ...more
- Engaged ladies' man Michel Marnet (Charles Boyer) encounters spoken-for singer Terry McKay (Irene Dunne) aboard a transatlantic cruise, where sparks fly and a romance ensues. Once they reach New ...more
- 23George (Cary Grant) and Marion Kerby (Constance Bennett) are a young, happy-go-lucky couple who love to party. But after a car accident kills them both, they discover that they haven't done enough ...more
When a young wife discovers her husband of two years is involved with his beautiful secretary, she applies for a job as secretary to a business rival.
Day-Time Wife is a 1939 Comedy directed by Gregory Ratoff, starring Tyrone Power and Linda Darnell. Linda Darnell and Tyrone Power play Jane and Ken Norton, a married couple approaching their second ...more- Rough and tough Geoff Carter (Cary Grant) runs a tiny airline that cannot afford to miss any flights, despite the dangers along many of the routes. When Bonnie Lee (Jean Arthur), a performer who is ...more
