The Best Donna Reed Movies

Updated September 21, 2019 1.7k votes 114 voters 8.9k views32 items

List RulesVote for your favorite movies, regardless of critic reviews or how big the role was.

List of the best Donna Reed movies, ranked best to worst with movie trailers when available. Donna Reed's highest grossing movies have received a lot of accolades over the years, earning millions upon millions around the world. The order of these top Donna Reed movies is decided by how many votes they receive, so only highly rated Donna Reed movies will be at the top of the list. Donna Reed has been in a lot of films, so people often debate each other over what the greatest Donna Reed movie of all time is. If you and a friend are arguing about this then use this list of the most entertaining Donna Reed films to end the squabble once and for all.

If you think the best Donna Reed role isn't at the top, then upvote it so it has the chance to become number one. The greatest Donna Reed performances didn't necessarily come from the best movies, but in most cases they go hand in hand.

List films include Shadow of the Thin Man, See Here, Private Hargrove and many additional films as well.

"This list answers the questions, "What are the best Donna Reed movies?" and "What are the greatest Donna Reed roles of all time?"

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They Were Expendable
John Wayne, Donna Reed
Released: 1945
Released: 1945
Directed by: Robert Montgomery, John Ford
Directed by: Robert Montgomery, John Ford
They Were Expendable is a 1945 American film directed by John Ford and starring Robert Montgomery and John Wayne and featuring Donna Reed. The film is based on the book by William L. White, relating... more
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2
The Benny Goodman Story
Donna Reed, Steve Allen
Released: 1956
Released: 1956
Directed by: Valentine Davies
Directed by: Valentine Davies
The Benny Goodman Story is a biographical film starring Steve Allen and Donna Reed, directed by Valentine Davies and released by Universal-International in 1956. The film is based on the life of... more
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61
2
It's a Wonderful Life
James Stewart, Donna Reed
Released: 1946
Released: 1946
Directed by: Frank Capra
Directed by: Frank Capra
It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Christmas fantasy comedy-drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra, based on the short story "The Greatest Gift", which Philip Van Doren Stern wrote in... more
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The Picture of Dorian Gray
Angela Lansbury, Donna Reed
Released: 1945
Released: 1945
Directed by: Albert Lewin
Directed by: Albert Lewin
The Picture of Dorian Gray is a 1945 American horror-drama film based on Oscar Wilde's 1890 novel of the same name. Released in March 1945 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the film is directed by Albert Lewin... more
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4
Green Dolphin Street
Lana Turner, Donna Reed
Released: 1947
Released: 1947
Directed by: Victor Saville
Directed by: Victor Saville
Green Dolphin Street is a 1947 historic drama film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and based on the novel by Elizabeth Goudge.... more
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59
3
Scandal Sheet
Donna Reed, Harry Morgan
Released: 1952
Released: 1952
Directed by: Phil Karlson
Directed by: Phil Karlson
Scandal Sheet is a 1952 black-and-white film noir directed by Phil Karlson. The film is based on the novel The Dark Page by Samuel Fuller, who himself was a newspaper reporter before his career in... more
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55
3
Ransom!
Leslie Nielsen, Donna Reed
Released: 1956
Released: 1956
Directed by: Alex Segal
Directed by: Alex Segal
Ransom! is a 1956 crime drama examining the reactions of parents, police, and the public to a kidnapping. Written by Richard Maibaum and Cyril Hume, the film was based on a popular episode of "The... more
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54
4
Trouble Along the Way
John Wayne, James Dean
Released: 1953
Released: 1953
Directed by: Michael Curtiz
Directed by: Michael Curtiz
Trouble Along the Way is a 1953 film starring John Wayne and Donna Reed, with a supporting cast including Charles Coburn and Marie Windsor. The movie was directed by Michael Curtiz, director of... more
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58
8
Shadow of the Thin Man
Ava Gardner, Myrna Loy
Released: 1941
Released: 1941
Directed by: W. S. Van Dyke
Directed by: W. S. Van Dyke
Shadow of the Thin Man is the fourth of the six The Thin Man films. It was released in 1941 and was directed by W. S. Van Dyke. It stars William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles. Also,... more
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48
3
Eyes in the Night
Donna Reed, Edward Arnold
Released: 1942
Released: 1942
Directed by: Fred Zinnemann
Directed by: Fred Zinnemann
Eyes in the Night is a 1942 American mystery film directed by Fred Zinnemann, based on Baynard Kendrick's 1941 novel The Odor of Violets and starring Edward Arnold, Ann Harding and Donna Reed. The... more

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49
6
The Caddy
Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin
Released: 1953
Released: 1953
Directed by: Norman Taurog
Directed by: Norman Taurog
The Caddy is a 1953 American film starring the comedy team of Martin and Lewis. It was filmed from November 24, 1952 through February 23, 1953 and was released by Paramount Pictures on August 10,... more
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51
8
Chicago Deadline
Donna Reed, Alan Ladd
Released: 1949
Released: 1949
Directed by: Lewis Allen
Directed by: Lewis Allen
Chicago Deadline is a 1949 film directed by Lewis Allen.... more
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44
2
The Man from Down Under
Donna Reed, Charles Laughton
Released: 1943
Released: 1943
Directed by: Robert Z. Leonard
Directed by: Robert Z. Leonard
The Man from Down Under is a 1943 film directed by Robert Z. Leonard.... more
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43
2
The Courtship of Andy Hardy
Mickey Rooney, Donna Reed
Released: 1942
Released: 1942
Directed by: George B. Seitz
Directed by: George B. Seitz
The Courtship of Andy Hardy is a 1942 film, part of the Andy Hardy series. It gave an early role to Donna Reed although Mickey Rooney had lobbied for then-wife Ava Gardner to have her part. Within a... more
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45
3
See Here, Private Hargrove
Donna Reed, Keenan Wynn
Released: 1944
Released: 1944
Directed by: Tay Garnett, Wesley Ruggles
Directed by: Tay Garnett, Wesley Ruggles
See Here, Private Hargrove is a 1944 comedy romance war film based on the story by Marion Hargrove, written by Harry Kurnitz and directed by Wesley Ruggles.... more
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47
5
The Last Time I Saw Paris
Elizabeth Taylor, Roger Moore
Released: 1954
Released: 1954
Directed by: Richard Brooks
Directed by: Richard Brooks
The Last Time I Saw Paris is a 1954 romantic drama made by MGM. It is loosely based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story "Babylon Revisited." It was directed by Richard Brooks, produced by Jack... more
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42
2
The Far Horizons
Charlton Heston, Donna Reed
Released: 1955
Released: 1955
Directed by: Rudolph Maté
Directed by: Rudolph Maté
The Far Horizons is a 1955 American western film directed by Rudolph Maté, starring Fred MacMurray, Charlton Heston, Donna Reed and Barbara Hale. It is about an expedition led by Lewis and Clark is... more
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42
2
Calling Dr. Gillespie
Ava Gardner, Donna Reed
Released: 1942
Released: 1942
Directed by: Harold S. Bucquet
Directed by: Harold S. Bucquet
Calling Dr. Gillespie is a 1942 drama-thriller film written by Willis Goldbeck and Harry Ruskin, and directed by Harold S. Bucquet.... more
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44
4
Gun Fury
Rock Hudson, Lee Marvin
Released: 1953
Released: 1953
Directed by: Raoul Walsh
Directed by: Raoul Walsh
Gun Fury is a 1953 3-D western film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Rock Hudson and Donna Reed, with major supporting roles for Philip Carey and Leo Gordon. The film is based on the novel Ten... more
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44
4
Backlash
Donna Reed, Richard Widmark
Released: 1956
Released: 1956
Directed by: John Sturges
Directed by: John Sturges
Backlash is a 1956 Technicolor film starring Richard Widmark, released by Universal-International. It was directed by John Sturges, and unfolds in the vein of the psychological Western. It delivers... more

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2
The American Film Institute Salute to Frank Capra
Donna Reed, Claudette Colbert
Released: 1982
Released: 1982
Directed by: Marty Pasetta
Directed by: Marty Pasetta
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Hangman's Knot
Lee Marvin, Donna Reed
Released: 1952
Released: 1952
Directed by: Roy Huggins
Directed by: Roy Huggins
Hangman's Knot is a 1952 American Western film written and directed by Roy Huggins and starring Randolph Scott, Donna Reed, and Claude Jarman, Jr. The film is about a group of Confederate soldiers,... more
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44
7
Mokey
Donna Reed, Robert Blake
Released: 1942
Released: 1942
Directed by: Wells Root
Directed by: Wells Root
Mokey is a 1942 drama film based on the story by Jennie Harris Oliver, written by Wells Root and Jan Fortune, and directed by Wells Root.... more
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42
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The Bugle Sounds
Donna Reed, Wallace Beery
Released: 1942
Released: 1942
Directed by: S. Sylvan Simon
Directed by: S. Sylvan Simon
The Bugle Sounds is a 1942 World War II movie starring Wallace Beery as a cavalry sergeant resistant to replacing horses with tanks. The supporting cast includes Marjorie Main, Lewis Stone, George... more
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37
2
From Here to Eternity
Frank Sinatra, Burt Lancaster
Released: 1953
Released: 1953
Directed by: Fred Zinnemann
Directed by: Fred Zinnemann
From Here to Eternity is a 1953 drama film directed by Fred Zinnemann and based on the novel of the same name by James Jones. The picture deals with the tribulations of three soldiers, played by Burt... more
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The Man from Down Under

Calling Dr. Gillespie