Best Clark Gable Movies

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The Top 10 Best Clark Gable Movies of All Time
The Best Clark Gable Movies + More Nostalgic News

Clark Gable has been in so many iconic movies, so forming a list of the top 10 best Clark Gable movies of all time was very difficult. However, we did try our best! From the 1920s to the 1960s, Gable acted in various movies of different genres. A leading man from the 1930s onwards, Gable was often nominated for acting awards and was even given the title of King of Hollywood! Keep reading to learn about the top 10 best Clark Gable movies of all time!

The Top 10 Best Clark Gable Movies of All Time

10. Mogambo (1953)

Genre: Drama / Romance / Adventure
Starring: Clark Gable, Grace Kelly, Ava Gardner
Directed by: John Ford

Coming in at #10 is Mogambo. While a wonderful movie, Gable has been in a lot of wonderful films… so this one has to be somewhat lower on the list (in our opinion). A remake of the phenomenal 1932 film Red Dust (which also stars Gable opposite Jean Harlow), Gable portrays a big game hunter in Kenya in the film. Ava Garder plays Eloise Kelly, a woman who immediately begins to interact with him. Meanwhile, Grace Kelly plays a married woman who has an affair with him, leading to a battle between the two women. While Gable is of course great here, one can’t help but feel that Red Dust with Jean Harlow is the better film. However, any film with Clark Gable, Ava Gardner, and Grace Kelly in it is sure to be a winner!

Mogambo was nominated for two Oscars:

Ava Gardner for Best Actress in a Leading Role
Grace Kelly for Best Actress in a Supporting Role

9. Manhattan Melodrama (1934)

Genre: Crime / Romance / Drama
Starring: Clark Gable, William Powell, Myrna Loy
Directed by: W.S. Van Dyke

A fantastic early 1930s movie with Gable, William Powell, and frequent Gable collaborator Myrna Loy, Manhattan Melodrama tells the story of two childhood friends (both orphans), played by Gable and Powell, who eventually go their separate ways. Powell portrays Jim Wade, a man who seeks a political career and eventually gets the chance to run to be governor. Meanwhile, Blackie (Gable) goes in the complete opposite direction and becomes a casino owner who also happens to kill people. Myrna Loy plays Eleanor Packer, the woman caught between the two men.

Manhattan Melodrama was nominated for and won one Oscar: Arthur Caesar for Best Writing, Original Story. An interesting early crime story, Manhattan Melodrama is definitely one of the best Clark Gable movies of all time!

8. Teacher’s Pet (1958)

Genre: Comedy / Romance
Starring: Clark Gable, Doris Day
Directed by: George Seaton

A fun late 1950s Clark Gable movie, Teacher’s Pet paired the iconic actor with America’s Sweetheart, Doris Day. Teacher’s Pet tells the story of a newspaper editor James Gannen (Gable) who normally wouldn’t have any time for the journalism taught in colleges. However, when he becomes attracted to a night class teacher (Doris Day), he decides to enroll as a student and attempts to woo her. It’s great fun! This film is a great reminder that even as Gable got older, he could still act wonderfully in hysterical comedic films — and, therefore, it’s one of the best Clark Gable movies of all time.

Teacher’s Pet was nominated for two Oscars:

Gig Young for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Fay Kanin and Michael Kanin for Best Writing, Story, and Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

Clark Gable was also nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy for Musical!

7. Red Dust (1932)

Genre: Drama / Romance
Starring: Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Mary Astor
Directed by: Victor Fleming

The original Mogambo, Red Dust is absolutely STUNNING. The film follows Dennis Carson, the boss on a rubber plantation, who becomes involved with Vantine (Jean Harlow), a seductive prostitute, and Barbara (Mary Astor), the classy wife of one of his employees. The two women are complete opposites of each other, and Dennis is caught in between both women. The movie is seductive, stunning, and by far one of the best Clark Gable movies on this list. I know that some people would definitely rank this movie higher (we’ve gone back and forth with this one!) but we feel this is a good place for it. Gable’s been in a lot of great films! It’s hard to choose!

6. San Francisco (1936)

Genre: Drama / Romance
Starring: Clark Gable, Jeanette MacDonald, Spencer Tracy
Directed by: W.S. Van Dyke

A great Clark Gable movie — but also a fantastic Spencer Tracy movie. San Francisco follows Blackie Norton (Gable), a nightclub owner who gives singer Mary Blake (Jeanette MacDonald) a chance at his club, even though she’s not necessarily the type of lady who would normally be seen there. Soon, a romance blossoms between the two polar opposites. As Mary gets to know Blackie, she also gets to know his childhood friend Father Mullin (Tracy). When Mary gets the chance to sing in the opera in town, things begin to fall apart between her and Blackie. Plus, add to the fact that this entire film is set right before the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 (the earthquake takes up about the last half/quarter of the film) and you know you’re in for some stellar drama.

San Francisco was nominated for six Oscars:

Douglas Shearer for Best Sound, Recording (Won)
Best Picture
Spencer Tracy for Best Actor in a Leading Role
W.S. Van Dyke for Best Director
Robert E. Hopkins for Best Writing, Original Story
Joseph M. Newman for Best Assistant Director

5. Run Silent Run Deep (1958)

Genre: Action / War / Drama
Starring: Clark Gable, Burt Lancaster, Don Rickles
Directed by: Robert Wise

Another one of the best Clark Gable movies, Run Silent Run Deep has a stellar cast that makes this one of the most riveting war movies released in the late 1950s. The film tells the story of a crew onboard the USS Nerka in World War II. Commanding officer “Rich” Richardson is in charge on the ship, something Lieutenant Jim Bledsoe (Lancaster) is not too thrilled about, as he was passed over for the job because Rich landed the position. When he begins to learn that Rich is actively obsessed with finding the Japanese ship that previously sank his submarine, things escalate.

4. The Misfits (1961)

Genre: Western / Drama / Romance

Starring: Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Clift, Thelma Ritter

Directed by: John Huston

A film everyone should watch at least once, if not for Clark Gable’s performance then for Marilyn Monroe’s or Montgomery Clift’s. The Misfits happens to be the last movie Gable ever completed, as he passed away from a heart attack shortly after filming it. This is also Marilyn Monroe’s last completed film, as she passed away about a year and a half after completing it. The Misfits follows Roslyn Taber (Monroe), a divorce ex-stripper who falls in with Gay Langland (Gable), a cowboy turned gambler. The duo decides to move in with Guido Racanelli (Eli Wallach). When ex-rodeo rider Perce Howland (Clift) arrives, the foursome then decides to create a business and catch wild horses.

3. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)

Genre: Adventure / Drama / History
Starring: Charles Laughton, Clark Gable, Franchot Tone
Directed by: Frank Lloyd

One of the first huge hits of Clark Gable’s career (I’m talking huge), Mutiny on the Bounty tells the story of a tense crew on the HMS Bounty, headed for Tahiti, and their cruel captain William Bligh (Charles Laughton). When the crew leads a mutiny, Fletcher Christian (Gable) the leader, and removes the captain from his position on the ship, the captain decides to get revenge with potential help from sailor Roger Byam (Franchot Tone). A riveting drama set on a ship that has become a pivotal story in the film, Clark Gable is absolutely phenomenal here. As a result, Mutiny on the Bounty is DEFINITELY one of the best Clark Gable movies of all time!

Mutiny on the Bounty was nominated for eight Oscars:

Best Picture (Won)
Clark Gable for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Charles Laughton for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Franchot Tone for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Frank Lloyd for Best Director
Jules Furthman, Talbot Jennings, and Carey Wilson for Best Writing, Screenplay
Margaret Booth for Best Film Editing
Herbert Stothart and Nat W. Finston for Best Music, Score

2. It Happened One Night (1934)

Genre: Comedy / Romance
Starring: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Walter Connolly
Directed by: Frank Capra

Let’s be honest here: we went back and forth on whether It Happened One Night or Gone with the Wind should take the #1 place on this list. We’ve decided that It Happened One Night should take the #2 place, but it was A VERY HARD decision! It Happened One Night is by far one of the best Clark Gable movies, if not the very best, though this is of course all based on opinion. This movie also happens to be the first HUGE success Gable ever had at the box office. He was popular before, but this movie seems to have cemented his status as the King of Hollywood then — and forever after.

It Happened One Night follows heiress Ellie Andrews (Claudette Colbert) and her escape from her father, who doesn’t approve of her impulsive wedding to a scheming man. During her travels back to her new husband, Ellie runs into reporter Peter Warne (Clark Gable). The two make a deal. Peter will help her return to her new husband, as long as he gets a stellar story out of it. While the two bicker and don’t necessarily like each other at all in the beginning, the two eventually begin to fall in love with each other. It’s adorable. One of the best movies ever made!

It Happened One Night was nominated for and won five Oscars:

Best Picture
Clark Gable for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Claudette Colbert for Best Actress in a Leading Role
Frank Capra for Best Director
Robert Riskin for Best Writing, Adaption

1. Gone with the Wind (1939)

Genre: History / Drama / Romance
Starring: Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Hattie McDaniel, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland
Directed by: Victor Fleming

One of the most popular — and controversial — movies ever made, we can’t deny that Gone with the Wind is the best Clark Gable movie. Everyone has their own opinions, but it’s hard to deny the impact that this film has had throughout film history. The movie is an epic Civil War drama that follows the feisty Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh) and her life as a Southern belle throughout the war. While Scarlett loves Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard), she finds herself falling in love with Rhett Butler (Clark Gable), which changes everything for her — her life, and her future.

Gone with the Wind was nominated for 15 Oscars:

Vivien Leigh for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Won)
Hattie McDaniel for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Won)
Victor Fleming for Best Director (Won)
Sidney Howard for Best Writing, Screenplay (Won)
Ernest Haller and Ray Rennahan for Best Cinematography, Color (Won)
Lyle R. Wheeler for Best Art Direction (Won)
Hal C. Kern and James E. Newcom for Best Film Editing (Won)
Best Picture (Won)
Honorary Award for outstanding achievement in the use of color for the enhancement of dramatic mood
Technical Achievement Award for pioneering in the use of coordinated equipment in the production
Clark Gable for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Olivia de Havilland for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Thomas T. Moulton for Best Sound, Recording
Jack Cosgrove, Fred Albin, and Arthur Johns for Best Effects, Special Effects
Max Steiner for Best Music, Original Score

The Best Clark Gable Movies + More Nostalgic News

Comment below what you think of this list of the best Clark Gable movies. Do you agree, or would you have added other films here? Hit the comments below with your personal favorite Clark Gable movie!