The Best James Arness Movies

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Updated September 1, 2024 36 items

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List of the best James Arness movies, ranked best to worst with movie trailers when available. James Arness'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 James Arness movies is decided by how many votes they receive, so only highly rated James Arness movies will be at the top of the list. James Arness has been in a lot of films, so people often debate each other over what the greatest James Arness movie of all time is. If you and a friend are arguing about this then use this list of the most entertaining James Arness films to end the squabble once and for all.

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

The list you're viewing contains films like Hondo and The Veils of Bagdad.

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

James Arness was in some really popular films, and is right up there with stars like Chuck Connors and Clint Walker in terms of fame and success.

1
The Macahans
Eva Marie Saint, James Arness, Bruce Boxleitner
31 votes
The Macahans is a 1976 western TV film written by Jim Byrnes and directed by Bernard McEveety.
- Released: 1976
- Directed by: Bernard McEveety
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Sierra
Tony Curtis, Audie Murphy, James Arness
7 votes
Sierra is a 1950 film directed by Alfred Green.
- Released: 1950
- Directed by: Alfred E. Green
3
Them!
James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon
22 votes
While investigating a series of mysterious deaths, Sergeant Ben Peterson (James Whitmore) finds a young girl (Sandy Descher) who is unable to speak. As Peterson joins forces with FBI agent Robert Graham (James Arness) and scientist Dr. Harold Medford (Edmund Gwenn), he discovers that all the incidents are due to giant ants that have been mutated by atomic radiation. Peterson and Graham, with the aid of the military, attempt to find the queen ants and destroy the nests before the danger spreads.
- Released: 1954
- Directed by: Gordon Douglas
4
Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge
James Arness, Amanda Blake, Steve Forrest
26 votes
Upon his release from jail, bad guy Will Mannon (Steve Forrest) is determined to take revenge on retired marshal Matt Dillon (James Arness) and Miss Kitty (Amanda Blake), who he blames for putting him away. At the same time, Dillon's pal Jake (Earl Holliman) tries to warn his friend but instead is falsely accused of murdering the prison warden. While Dillon sets out to track down Jake, Mannon terrorizes Kitty in Dodge. Eventually, Dillon makes his way back and confronts his vengeful nemesis.
- Released: 1987
- Directed by: Vincent McEveety
5
Island in the Sky
John Wayne, Lloyd Nolan, Walter Abel
25 votes
While flying supplies to England during World War II, Capt. Dooley (John Wayne) is forced to crash land his plane in the icy wilds of Canada. Together, Dooley and his hardy crew struggle to survive in uncharted territory -- with the arctic temperature steadily dropping. Meanwhile, back at the army headquarters in Maine, Col. Fuller (Walter Abel) rallies his capable crew in a desperate search for the downed airmen, knowing that every second counts.
- Released: 1953
- Directed by: William A. Wellman
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6
Hondo
John Wayne, Geraldine Page, Ward Bond
29 votes
An embittered Indian scout attempts to escort a homesteader's wife and her son back to safety after her cowardly husband deserts her during an Apache attack. When she refuses to go, the scout stays on to help for a while and, over time, forms a strong bond with both her and her son.
- Released: 1953
- Directed by: John Farrow
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7
Big Jim McLain
John Wayne, Nancy Olson, James Arness
19 votes
Jim McLain (John Wayne) and his partner, Mal Baxter (James Arness), are investigators for the House Un-American Activities Committee, who are sent to Hawaii to find the leaders of a local Communist Party. They visit Dr. Gelster (Gayne Whitman), a psychiatrist who is treating one of the party members. While there, McLain charms the doctor's secretary, Nancy Vallon (Nancy Olson), and asks her out. As their hunt continues, McLain and Baxter become targets of Communist boss Sturak (Alan Napier).
- Released: 1952
- Directed by: Edward Ludwig
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8
The Alamo: 13 Days to Glory
James Arness
17 votes
The Alamo: 13 Days to Glory is a made-for-TV film about the 1836 Battle of the Alamo written and directed by Burt Kennedy, starring James Arness as Jim Bowie, Brian Keith as Davy Crockett, Alec Baldwin as Col. William Travis, Raul Julia as Santa Anna, and featuring a single scene cameo by Lorne Greene as Sam Houston. Unlike most other films about the Alamo, the most prominent exception being the 1955 film The Last Command, this version focuses on Bowie as the main character rather than Crockett. The production was shot at Alamo Village, the Alamo replica built by John Wayne for his lavish 1960 film The Alamo. Much of the footage of the final battle scene was recycled from earlier films.
- Released: 1987
- Directed by: Burt Kennedy
9
The Sea Chase
John Wayne, Lana Turner, James Arness
11 votes
The Sea Chase is a 1955 World War II drama film starring John Wayne and Lana Turner, David Farrar, Lyle Bettger, and Tab Hunter. It was directed by John Farrow from a screenplay by James Warner Bellah and John Twist based on the novel of the same name by Andrew Geer. The plot is a nautical cat and mouse game, with Wayne determined to get his German freighter home during the first few months of the war, all the while being chased by British and Australian naval ships.
- Released: 1955
- Directed by: John Farrow
10
Gun the Man Down
Angie Dickinson, James Arness, Harry Carey
23 votes
Gun the Man Down is a 1956 western film distributed through United Artists and starring James Arness and Angie Dickinson in her first leading role. The movie was produced by John Wayne and his brother Robert E. Morrison for Wayne's company Batjac Productions and was the second theatrical feature directed by Andrew V. McLaglen, but his first of many westerns.
- Released: 1956
- Directed by: Andrew V. McLaglen
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11
Gunsmoke: One Man's Justice
James Arness, Bruce Boxleitner, Amy Stock-Poynton
19 votes
After his mother is killed in a wagoncoach robbery a young man pursues the gang responsible. Matt Dillon goes after him hoping to stop him before the gang can kill him. Dillon is joined by Davis Healy, a businessman, who is hiding a few secrets of his own.
- Released: 1994
- Directed by: Jerry Jameson
12
Gunsmoke : The Long Ride
James Arness, James Brolin, Ali MacGraw
15 votes
At the wedding of his daughter (Amy Stock-Poynton), retired marshal Matt Dillon (James Arness) is shockingly charged with a murder he did not commit. Instead of a honeymoon, the newlyweds must instead flee with Dillon and try to help him clear his name by finding the real murderer. As a bounty-hunting posse pursues hot on their heels, the trio receives help from two unlikely sources: prostitute Uncle Jane Merkel (Ali MacGraw) and preacher John Parsley (James Brolin).
- Released: 1993
- Directed by: Jerry Jameson
13
Gunsmoke: To the Last Man
James Arness, Pat Hingle, Matt Mulhern
26 votes
Retired marshal Matt Dillon tracks Arizona rustlers and lands in the middle of the 1880s Pleasant Valley War.
- Released: 1992
- Directed by: Jerry Jameson
14
Gunsmoke: The Last Apache
James Arness, Richard Kiley, Michael Learned
22 votes
After Marshal Matt Dillon (James Arness) receives a letter from an old acquaintance, a woman called "Mike" Yardner (Michael Learned), asking him to visit immediately, Dillon rides to the ranch. He finds it has been raided by Apaches, and Mike's daughter, Beth, has been kidnapped by a rogue Apache named Wolf. The bigger surprise for Dillon is learning that Beth is also his daughter, conceived while he had amnesia. Armed with the new knowledge of a daughter, Dillon sets out to rescue her.
- Released: 1990
- Directed by: Charles Correll
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15
The Thing from Another World
Margaret Sheridan, Kenneth Tobey, James Arness
18 votes
When scientist Dr. Carrington (Robert Cornthwaite) reports a UFO near his North Pole research base, the Air Force sends in a team under Capt. Patrick Hendry (Kenneth Tobey) to investigate. What they find is a wrecked spaceship and a humanoid creature (James Arness) frozen in the ice. They bring their discovery back to the base, but Carrington and Hendry disagree over what to do with it. Meanwhile, the creature is accidentally thawed and begins wreaking havoc.
- Released: 1951
- Directed by: Christian Nyby
16
Wagon Master
Ben Johnson, Joanne Dru, Ward Bond
15 votes
When a group of Mormons are run out of town for their religious beliefs, Elder Wiggs (Ward Bond) searches for a wagon master to guide the outcasts to the San Juan Valley. Happening upon horse traders Travis Blue (Ben Johnson) and Sandy (Harry Carey Jr.), Wiggs convinces the men to take the position due to their intimate knowledge of the area. Despite Blue and Sandy's guidance, the travelers experience numerous setbacks, especially when the Clegg family outlaws take refuge in their wagon train.
- Released: 1950
- Directed by: John Ford
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17
Wyoming Mail
James Arness, Ed Begley, Alexis Smith
9 votes
Wyoming Mail is a 1950 film directed by Reginald Le Borg.
- Released: 1950
- Directed by: Reginald Le Borg
18
Comanche Stallion
James Arness, Harry Carey, Jr.
8 votes
19
The First Traveling Saleslady
Ginger Rogers, Barry Nelson, Carol Channing
8 votes
In 1897 New York, Rose Gillray (Ginger Rogers) struggles to keep her corset business afloat. When Rose suggests that singer Molly Wade (Carol Channing) wear her daring new corset in her revue, the show is shut down. In debt to steel manufacturer Jim Carter (David Brian), Rose declares she can sell steel wire to stubborn cattle ranchers in Texas and clear her debt. Along the way, Rose is joined by Molly, inventor Charles Masters (Barry Nelson) and cattle baron Joel Kingdom (James Arness).
- Released: 1956
- Directed by: Arthur Lubin
20
Carbine Williams
James Stewart, Jean Hagen, Wendell Corey
11 votes
Leading the troubled life of a moonshiner, David Marshall Williams (James Stewart) winds up in jail after a raid on his operation results in the death of an investigating officer. While serving time, the headstrong Williams gains the attention of warden H.T. Peoples (Wendell Corey), who sees unrealized potential in the convict and gives him access to a tool shop. While tinkering away, Williams manages to invent the M1 carbine rifle, which became a standard U.S. firearm in World War II.
- Released: 1952
- Directed by: Richard Thorpe
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21
Horizons West
Robert Ryan, Julie Adams, Rock Hudson
7 votes
After fighting in the Civil War, the Hammond brothers of Texas return to Austin and begin to drift apart. While Neal (Rock Hudson) commandeers the family ranch, courts local beauty Sally (Judith Braun) and becomes a marshal, Dan (Robert Ryan) turns to a life of crime and lusts after the wife (Julia Adams) of a prominent magnate (Raymond Burr). Their lives reconverge when Neal must choose between Dan and a group of ranchers terrorized by his brother's gang of cattle rustlers.
- Released: 1952
- Directed by: Budd Boetticher
22
Alias Jesse James
Bob Hope, Rhonda Fleming, Wendell Corey
7 votes
Foolish life insurance salesman Milford Farnsworth (Bob Hope) commits his biggest blunder yet when he unwittingly offers a six-figure policy to notorious gunslinger Jesse James (Wendell Corey). Furious, his boss orders him to repurchase the policy. James, however, parries Farnsworth's attempts with ease, robbing and humiliating him. But when James' latest scheme pairs the patsy with the bandit's sweetheart, Cora Lee Collins (Rhonda Fleming), Farnsworth and Cora begin falling in love.
- Released: 1959
- Directed by: Norman Z. McLeod
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23
Flame of the Islands
Yvonne De Carlo, James Arness, Howard Duff
7 votes
Flame of the Islands is a 1956 drama film about a café singer, played by Yvonne De Carlo, who buys into a casino, encountering multiple men who quickly fall in love with her, and her attempt to find true love and happiness.
- Released: 1956
- Directed by: Edward Ludwig
24
The People Against O'Hara
Spencer Tracy, Pat O'Brien, Diana Lynn
7 votes
After being accused of murdering a shopkeeper, Johnny O'Hara (James Arness) begs retired lawyer James Curtayne (Spencer Tracy) to represent him. Once in court, the shaky Curtayne struggles in the face of a tough prosecutor -- and worse yet, his alcoholism also threatens to unravel him. After O'Hara ends up in prison because of his lawyer's botched handling of the case, a reeling Curtayne will stop at nothing to redeem himself, even if it means taking matters into his own hands.
- Released: 1951
- Directed by: John Sturges
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25
The Farmer's Daughter
Loretta Young, Joseph Cotten, Ethel Barrymore
10 votes
Young Swedish-American Katrin "Katie" Holstrom (Loretta Young) leaves her family farm in Minnesota, headed for nursing school. After her tuition money runs out, she is forced to take a job as a maid in the home of Congressman Glenn Morley (Joseph Cotten). Holstrom endears herself to the genteel Morley, and begins to show a surprising aptitude for politics herself. She launches a campaign for Congress, and, as right-wing reactionaries plot against her, a romance develops.
- Released: 1947
- Directed by: H. C. Potter
26
Stars in My Crown
Joel McCrea, Ellen Drew, Dean Stockwell
8 votes
Man of God Josiah Gray (Joel McCrea) is determined to bring religion to the people of Walesburg, a dusty southern town still healing from the Civil War. Though initially Josiah must hold his parishioners at gunpoint, in time he wins over the community and marries his organist, Harriet (Ellen Drew). As the years pass, a number of situations arise, including a typhoid outbreak and a hostile mob, in which Josiah must prove that God is the only force that can restore peace in Walesburg.
- Released: 1950
- Directed by: Jacques Tourneur
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27
Many Rivers to Cross
Robert Taylor, Eleanor Parker, Victor McLaglen
5 votes
Headstrong Mary Stuart Cherne (Eleanor Parker) is in hot pursuit of frontiersman Bushrod Gentry (Robert Taylor), and is determined to make him her husband. Naturally, Bushrod has no desire to leave the happy, wandering life of a trapper. He heads north to escape Mary's nuptial advances. But with hostile Shawnee Indians at every turn, Bushrod and Mary must set aside their differences and work together to survive the wilds of the unfamiliar territory.
- Released: 1955
- Directed by: Roy Rowland
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28
The Girl in White
James Arness, June Allyson, Arthur Kennedy
5 votes
The Girl in White is a 1952 film drama directed by John Sturges. It is based on the memoirs of the pioneering female surgeon Emily Dunning Barringer.
- Released: 1952
- Directed by: John Sturges
29
Iron Man
Jeff Chandler, Evelyn Keyes, Stephen McNally
8 votes
Depressed by his impoverished small-town existence, miner Coke Mason (Jeff Chandler) agrees when his brother, George (Stephen McNally), urges him to box a fellow miner. Coke initially takes a beating, but when he grows angered, he fights viciously and wins. George and Coke's wife, Rose (Evelyn Keyes), convince Coke to train professionally, but despite the guidance of boxing trainer Speed O'Keefe (Rock Hudson), his new career and soaring income are marred by his inability to fight cleanly.
- Released: 1951
- Directed by: Joseph Pevney
30
Double Crossbones
James Arness, Donald O'Connor, Will Geer
3 votes
Double Crossbones is a 1951 comedy action film directed by Charles Barton.
- Released: 1951
- Directed by: Charles Barton
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31
Belle Le Grand
Vera Ralston, John Carroll, Muriel Lawrence
3 votes
A woman (Vera Ralston) loses all her familial connections after being wrongly convicted. Following her release, she takes the name Belle Le Grand. She finds her younger sister, Nan (Muriel Lawrence), residing in an orphanage, and leaves for San Francisco to avoid shaming her. There, Grand becomes a successful gambler and branches into stocks, then falls for a miner (John Carroll). However, Nan coincidentally shows up, along with Grand's estranged husband (Stephen Chase), creating chaos.
- Released: 1951
- Directed by: Allan Dwan
32
The Veils of Bagdad
James Arness, Victor Mature, Mari Blanchard
3 votes
The Veils of Bagdad is a 1953 film starring Victor Mature.
- Released: 1953
- Directed by: George Sherman
33
Lone Hand
James Arness, Barbara Hale, Joel McCrea
4 votes
Lone Hand is a 1953 western film directed by George Sherman.
- Released: 1953
- Directed by: George Sherman
34
Hellgate
Sterling Hayden, Joan Leslie, Ward Bond
4 votes
After the Civil War, ranch owner Gil Hanley (Sterling Hayden) helps a stranger in desperate need of medical attention. Soon he is questioned by Union soldiers about the stranger, who turns out to be an ex-Confederate soldier. Hanley, also an ex-Confederate, is unjustly convicted as a conspirator and sentenced to life in a brutal desert prison in New Mexico. After battling his tough cellmate and a sadistic guard (Ward Bond), Hanley tries to stop a plague from overwhelming the prison.
- Released: 1953
- Directed by: Charles Marquis Warren
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35
Her Twelve Men
Greer Garson, Robert Ryan, Barry Sullivan
4 votes
Recently widowed and needing a change of pace, Jan Stewart (Greer Garson) takes a job as a schoolteacher at the Oaks, an elite boys' prep school. She is given charge of 12 rowdy students, including a sullen boy (Tim Considine) whose father (Barry Sullivan) is a vocal critic of Jan's teaching capabilities. Jan must prove to the skeptical headmaster (Robert Ryan) and everyone else that she's up to the task by winning over her students and becoming more than just a teacher to them.
- Released: 1954
- Directed by: Robert Z. Leonard
36
Two Lost Worlds
James Arness, Kasey Rogers, Bill Kennedy
2 votes
Two Lost Worlds is a science fiction/adventure film, presenting James Arness in his first starring role and Laura Elliott. The film was produced independently by Boris Petroff from his original story. The film was scripted by Phyllis Parker, directed by Norman Dawn, and distributed by Eagle-Lion Classics Inc., with a 1952 reissue by Classic Pictures Inc..
- Released: 1950
- Directed by: Norman Dawn
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The Macahans

Sierra

Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge

The Alamo: 13 Days to Glory

Gunsmoke: One Man's Justice

Gunsmoke: To the Last Man

Belle Le Grand

The Veils of Bagdad

Lone Hand

Hellgate

Two Lost Worlds