# List of American films of 1940

A list of American films released in 1940. American film production was concentrated in Hollywood and was dominated by the eight Major film studios MGM, Paramount, Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, RKO, Columbia, Universal and United Artists. Other significant production and distribution companies included Republic, Monogram and PRC.
Rebecca won Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
| Title | Director | Cast | Genre | Notes |
| 20 Mule Team | Richard Thorpe | Wallace Beery, Leo Carrillo, Marjorie Rambeau, Anne Baxter | Western | MGM |

## A

| Title | Director | Cast | Genre | Notes |
| Abe Lincoln in Illinois | John Cromwell | Raymond Massey, Gene Lockhart, Ruth Gordon | Biography | RKO; nominated for 2 Academy Awards |
| Adventure in Diamonds | George Fitzmaurice | George Brent, Isa Miranda, John Loder | Drama | Paramount |
| Alias the Deacon | Christy Cabanne | Bob Burns, Mischa Auer, Peggy Moran | Comedy | Universal; remake of Alias the Deacon (1928) |
| All This, and Heaven Too | Anatole Litvak | Bette Davis, Charles Boyer, Jeffrey Lynn | Drama | Warner Bros.; nominated for 3 Academy Awards |
| Always a Bride | Noel M. Smith | Rosemary Lane, George Reeves, John Eldredge | Comedy | Warner Bros.; remake of Brides Are Like That (1936) |
| American Matchmaker | Edgar G. Ulmer | Leo Fuchs, Judith Abarbanel, Judel Dubinsky | Romance, Comedy | |
| Am I Guilty? | Sam Newfield | Ralph Cooper, Sybil Lewis, Sam McDaniel | Crime | Supreme |
| And One Was Beautiful | Robert B. Sinclair | Robert Cummings, Laraine Day, Jean Muir | Romantic drama | MGM |
| Andy Hardy Meets Debutante | George B. Seitz | Lewis Stone, Mickey Rooney, Cecilia Parker | Comedy | MGM; 9th of 16 Andy Hardy films |
| An Angel from Texas | Ray Enright | Eddie Albert, Rosemary Lane, Wayne Morris, Jane Wyman, Ronald Reagan | Romantic comedy | Warner Bros.; remake of The Butter and Egg Man (1928) |
| Angels Over Broadway | Ben Hecht, Lee Garmes | Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Rita Hayworth, Thomas Mitchell | Drama | Columbia; nominated for Academy Award |
| Anne of Windy Poplars | Jack Hively | Anne Shirley, James Ellison, Henry Travers | Drama | RKO; sequel to Anne of Green Gables (1934) |
| The Ape | William Nigh | Boris Karloff, Maris Wrixon, Dorothy Vaughan | Horror | Monogram |
| Argentine Nights | Albert S. Rogell | Ritz Brothers, The Andrews Sisters, Constance Moore, George Reeves | Musical comedy | Universal |
| Arise, My Love | Mitchell Leisen | Claudette Colbert, Ray Milland, Dennis O'Keefe | Romantic comedy | Paramount; 4 Academy Award nominations, won 1 |
| Arizona | Wesley Ruggles | Jean Arthur, William Holden, Warren William | Western | Columbia; nominated for 2 Academy Awards |
| Arizona Frontier | Albert Herman | Tex Ritter, Evelyn Finley, Richard Cramer | Western | Monogram |
| Arizona Gang Busters | Sam Newfield | Tim McCoy, Forrest Taylor, Julian Rivero | Western | PRC |

## B

| Title | Director | Cast | Genre | Notes |
| Babies for Sale | Charles Barton | Rochelle Hudson, Glenn Ford, Miles Mander | Drama | Columbia |
| Bad Man from Red Butte | Ray Taylor | Johnny Mack Brown, Bob Baker, Fuzzy Knight | Western | Universal |
| The Bank Dick | Edward F. Cline | W. C. Fields, Cora Witherspoon, Una Merkel | Comedy | Universal |
| Barnyard Follies | Frank McDonald | Mary Lee, Harry Cheshire, Rufe Davis, June Storey, Isabel Randolph | Musical | Republic |
| Before I Hang | Nick Grinde | Boris Karloff, Evelyn Keyes, Bruce Bennett | Horror | Columbia |
| Behind the News | Joseph Santley | Lloyd Nolan, Doris Davenport, Frank Albertson | Drama | Republic; nominated for Academy Award |
| Beyond the Sacramento | Lambert Hillyer | Wild Bill Elliott, Evelyn Keyes, Dub Taylor | Western | Columbia |
| Beyond Tomorrow | A. Edward Sutherland | Jean Parker, Harry Carey, C. Aubrey Smith, Charles Winninger, Richard Carlson | Fantasy | RKO |
| A Bill of Divorcement | John Farrow | Maureen O'Hara, Adolphe Menjou, Fay Bainter | Drama | RKO; remake of 1932 film |
| Billy the Kid in Texas | Sam Newfield | Bob Steele, Al St. John, Carleton Young | Western | PRC; 2nd of 6 Billy the Kid films starring Steele |
| Billy the Kid Outlawed | Sam Newfield | Bob Steele, Louise Currie, Al St. John, Carleton Young | Western | PRC; 1st of 6 Billy the Kid films starring Steele |
| Billy the Kid's Gun Justice | Sam Newfield | Bob Steele, Al St. John, Louise Currie, Carleton Young | Western | PRC; 3rd of 6 Billy the Kid films starring Steele |
| The Biscuit Eater | Stuart Heisler | Billy Lee, Lester Matthews, Richard Lane | Drama | Paramount |
| Bitter Sweet | W. S. Van Dyke | Jeanette MacDonald, Nelson Eddy, George Sanders | Musical | MGM; nominated for 2 Academy Awards; based on Noël Coward operetta |
| Black Diamonds | Christy Cabanne | Richard Arlen, Andy Devine, Kathryn Adams Doty | Crime drama | Universal |
| Black Friday | Arthur Lubin | Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Stanley Ridges | Science fiction | Universal |
| Blame It on Love | Wallace Fox | Joan Marsh, John King, Cecilia Loftus | Comedy, drama | Independent |
| Blazing Six Shooters | Joseph H. Lewis | Charles Starrett, Iris Meredith, Dick Curtis | Western | Columbia |
| Blondie Has Servant Trouble | Frank R. Strayer | Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake, Jonathan Hale | Comedy | Columbia; 6th of 28 Blondie films |
| Blondie on a Budget | Frank R. Strayer | Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake, Rita Hayworth | Comedy | Columbia; 5th of 28 Blondie films |
| Blondie Plays Cupid | Frank R. Strayer | Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake, Glenn Ford | Comedy | Columbia; 7th of 28 Blondie films |
| The Blue Bird | Walter Lang | Shirley Temple, Spring Byington, Nigel Bruce | Fantasy | 20th Century Fox. Nominated for 2 Academy Awards |
| Boom Town | Jack Conway | Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Claudette Colbert | Drama | MGM; nominated for 2 Academy Awards |
| The Border Legion | Joseph Kane | Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, Carol Hughes | Western | Republic |
| Boss of Bullion City | Ray Taylor | Johnny Mack Brown, Maria Montez, Nell O'Day | Western | Universal |
| Bowery Boy | William Morgan | Dennis O'Keefe, Louise Campbell, Jimmy Lydon, Helen Vinson | Crime | Republic |
| Boys of the City | Joseph H. Lewis | Bobby Jordan, Leo Gorcey, Hal E. Chester | Comedy, thriller | Monogram; 2nd of 22 East Side Kids films |
| The Boys from Syracuse | A. Edward Sutherland | Allan Jones, Irene Hervey, Martha Raye | Musical | Universal; nominated for 2 Academy Awards |
| Brigham Young | Henry Hathaway | Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, Dean Jagger | Biography | 20th Century Fox |
| British Intelligence | Terry O. Morse | Boris Karloff, Margaret Lindsay, Bruce Lester | Spy | Warner Bros.; third film adaptation of 1918 play Three Faces East |
| Broadway Melody of 1940 | Norman Taurog | Fred Astaire, Eleanor Powell, George Murphy | Musical | MGM; final film in The Broadway Melody series |
| Broken Strings | Bernard B. Ray | Clarence Muse, Sybil Lewis, Tommie Moore | Drama | Independent |
| Brother Orchid | Lloyd Bacon | Edward G. Robinson, Humphrey Bogart, Ann Sothern | Crime, comedy | Warner Bros. |
| Brother Rat and a Baby | Ray Enright | Priscilla Lane, Wayne Morris, Jane Bryan | Comedy | Warner Bros.; sequel to Brother Rat (1938) |
| Buck Benny Rides Again | Mark Sandrich | Jack Benny, Ellen Drew, Eddie Anderson | Western comedy | Paramount; cast from The Jack Benny Program radio show |
| Bullet Code | David Howard | George O'Brien, Virginia Vale, Slim Whitaker | Western | RKO; remake of Melody of the Plains (1937) |
| Bullets for Rustlers | Sam Nelson | Charles Starrett, Lorna Gray, Bob Nolan | Western | Columbia |
| Buzzy Rides the Range | Richard C. Kahn | Robert "Buzz" Henry, David O'Brien, Claire Rochelle | Western | Independent |

## C–D

| Title | Director | Cast | Genre | Notes |
| Cafe Hostess | Sidney Salkow | Preston Foster, Ann Dvorak, Wynne Gibson | Crime drama | Columbia |
| Calling All Husbands | Noel M. Smith | George Tobias, Lucile Fairbanks, Ernest Truex | Comedy | Warner Bros. Remake of Too Young to Marry |
| Calling Philo Vance | William Clemens | James Stephenson, Margot Stevenson, Henry O'Neill | Mystery | Warner Bros. 12th (out of 15) film with Philo Vance character |
| Captain Caution | Richard Wallace | Victor Mature, Louise Platt, Leo Carrillo, Bruce Cabot, Alan Ladd | Adventure | United Artists. Nominated for Academy Award |
| The Captain Is a Lady | Robert B. Sinclair | Charles Coburn, Beulah Bondi, Virginia Grey | Comedy | MGM |
| Carolina Moon | Frank McDonald | Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, June Storey | Western | Republic. Remake of Tumbling Tumbleweeds |
| The Carson City Kid | Joseph Kane | Roy Rogers, Bob Steele, Pauline Moore | Western | Republic |
| Castle on the Hudson | Anatole Litvak | John Garfield, Ann Sheridan, Pat O'Brien | Drama | Warner Bros. Remake of 20,000 Years in Sing Sing |
| Chad Hanna | Henry King | Henry Fonda, Dorothy Lamour, Linda Darnell | Romantic drama | 20th Century Fox |
| Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum | Lynn Shores | Sidney Toler, Victor Sen Yung, C. Henry Gordon, Marguerite Chapman | Mystery | 20th Century Fox. 6th (out of 22) with Toler as Charlie Chan |
| Charlie Chan in Panama | 20th Century Fox. Norman Foster | Sidney Toler, Jean Rogers, Lionel Atwill | Mystery | 20th Century Fox. 7th (out of 22) with Toler as Charlie Chan |
| Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise | Eugene Forde | Sidney Toler, Marjorie Weaver, Lionel Atwill | Mystery | 20th Century Fox. 5th (out of 22) with Toler as Charlie Chan |
| Charter Pilot | Eugene Forde | Lloyd Nolan, Lynn Bari, Arleen Whelan | Adventure | 20th Century Fox |
| Chasing Trouble | Howard Bretherton | Frankie Darro, Marjorie Reynolds, Mantan Moreland | Comedy, drama | Monogram |
| Cherokee Strip | Lesley Selander | Richard Dix, Florence Rice, William Henry | Western | Paramount |
| The Cheyenne Kid | Raymond K. Johnson | Jack Randall, Louise Stanley, Kenne Duncan | Western | Monogram |
| Christmas in July | Preston Sturges | Dick Powell, Ellen Drew, Raymond Walburn | Screwball comedy | Paramount |
| A Chump at Oxford | Alfred J. Goulding | Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Forrester Harvey | Comedy | United Artists. Partial remake of From Soup to Nuts |
| City for Conquest | Anatole Litvak, Jean Negulesco | James Cagney, Ann Sheridan, Frank Craven | Drama | Warner Bros. |
| City of Chance | Ricardo Cortez | Lynn Bari, C. Aubrey Smith, Amanda Duff | Film noir | 20th Century Fox |
| Colorado | Joseph Kane | Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, Pauline Moore | Western | Republic |
| Comin' Round the Mountain | George Archainbaud | Bob Burns, Una Merkel, Jerry Colonna | Comedy | Paramount |
| Comrade X | King Vidor | Clark Gable, Hedy Lamarr, Oskar Homolka | Comedy Spy | MGM. Nominated for Academy Award |
| Congo Maisie | H. C. Potter | Ann Sothern, John Carroll, Rita Johnson | Comedy | MGM. Version of Red Dust (1932 film); 2nd (out of 10) film with Maisie Ravier character |
| Convicted Woman | Nick Grinde | Rochelle Hudson, Frieda Inescort, June Lang, Glenn Ford | Crime | Columbia |
| The Courageous Dr. Christian | Bernard Vorhaus | Jean Hersholt, Dorothy Lovett, Robert Baldwin | Drama | RKO |
| Covered Wagon Days | George Sherman | Robert Livingston, Raymond Hatton, Duncan Renaldo | Western | Republic. 29th (out of 51) film of The Three Mesquiteers series |
| Covered Wagon Trails | Raymond K. Johnson | Jack Randall, Sally Cairns, David Sharpe | Western | Monogram |
| The Cowboy from Sundown | Spencer Gordon Bennet | Tex Ritter, Roscoe Ates, Carleton Young | Western | Monogram |
| The Crooked Road | Phil Rosen | Edmund Lowe, Irene Hervey, Henry Wilcoxon | Crime drama | Republic |
| Cross-Country Romance | Frank Woodruff | Gene Raymond, Wendy Barrie, Hedda Hopper | Romantic comedy | RKO |
| Curtain Call | Frank Woodruff | Barbara Read, Alan Mowbray, Helen Vinson | Romantic comedy | RKO |
| Dance, Girl, Dance | Dorothy Arzner | Maureen O'Hara, Louis Hayward, Lucille Ball | Musical | RKO. Footage preserved in US National Registry |
| Dancing on a Dime | Joseph Santley | Robert Paige, Peter Lind Hayes, Eddie Quillan | Musical | Paramount |
| Danger Ahead | Ralph Staub | James Newill, Dorothea Kent, Guy Usher | Adventure | Monogram. 5th (out of 6) with Newill as Sgt. Renfrew of Royal Mounties |
| Danger on Wheels | Christy Cabanne | Richard Arlen, Andy Devine, Peggy Moran | Sports thriller | Universal |
| Dark Command | Raoul Walsh | Claire Trevor, John Wayne, Walter Pidgeon | Western | Republic. Nominated for 2 Academy Awards |
| Dark Streets of Cairo | László Kardos | Sigrid Gurie, Ralph Byrd, Eddie Quillan | Mystery | Universal |
| The Devil Bat | Jean Yarborough | Bela Lugosi, Suzanne Kaaren, Yolande Mallott | Horror | PRC |
| The Devil's Pipeline | Christy Cabanne | Richard Arlen, Andy Devine, Jean Brooks | Drama | Paramount |
| Diamond Frontier | Harold D. Schuster | Victor McLaglen, John Loder, Anne Nagel | Adventure | Universal |
| A Dispatch from Reuters | William Dieterle | Edward G. Robinson, Edna Best, Eddie Albert | Biography | Warner Bros. |
| The Doctor Takes a Wife | Alexander Hall | Loretta Young, Ray Milland, Gail Patrick | Romantic comedy | Columbia |
| Doomed to Die | William Nigh | Boris Karloff, Marjorie Reynolds, Grant Withers | Mystery | Monogram; Mr. Wong series |
| Double Alibi | Phil Rosen | Wayne Morris, Margaret Lindsay, William Gargan | Mystery | Universal |
| Down Argentine Way | Irving Cummings | Don Ameche, Betty Grable, Carmen Miranda | Musical | 20th Century Fox. Nominated for 3 Academy Awards; #9 in Top Grossing Films |
| Dr. Christian Meets the Women | William C. McGann | Jean Hersholt, Veda Ann Borg, Edgar Kennedy | Mystery | RKO. Dr. Christian series |
| Dr. Cyclops | Ernest B. Schoedsack | Albert Dekker, Charles Halton, Janice Logan | Science Fiction Horror | Paramount. Nominated for Academy Award |
| Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet | William Dieterle | Edward G. Robinson, Ruth Gordon, Otto Kruger | Biography | Warner Bros. Nominated for Academy Award |
| Dr. Kildare's Crisis | Harold S. Bucquet | Lew Ayres, Laraine Day, Robert Young | Drama | MGM |
| Dr. Kildare Goes Home | Harold S. Bucquet | Lew Ayres, Lionel Barrymore, Laraine Day | Drama | MGM |
| Dr. Kildare's Strange Case | Harold S. Bucquet | Lew Ayres, Lionel Barrymore, Laraine Day | Drama | MGM |
| Dreaming Out Loud | Harold Young | Lum and Abner, Frances Langford, Frank Craven | Comedy | RKO |
| Drums of the Desert | George Waggner | Ralph Byrd, Lorna Gray, Mantan Moreland | Western | Monogram |
| Dulcy | S. Sylvan Simon | Ann Sothern, Ian Hunter, Roland Young | Comedy | MGM |
| The Durango Kid | Lambert Hillyer | Charles Starrett, Luana Walters, Kenneth McDonald | Western | Columbia |

## E–F

| Title | Director | Cast | Genre | Notes |
| The Earl of Chicago | Richard Thorpe | Robert Montgomery, Edward Arnold, Reginald Owen | Comedy | MGM |
| Earl of Puddlestone | Gus Meins | James Gleason, Lucile Gleason, Lois Ranson | Comedy | Republic |
| Earthbound | Irving Pichel | Andrea Leeds, Warner Baxter, Lynn Bari | Drama | 20th Century Fox |
| East of the River | Alfred E. Green | John Garfield, Brenda Marshall, Marjorie Rambeau | Drama | Warner Bros. |
| East Side Kids | Robert F. Hill | Leon Ames, Dennis Moore, Joyce Bryant | Comedy | Monogram. 1st (out of 22) film of East Side Kids series |
| Edison, the Man | Clarence Brown | Spencer Tracy, Rita Johnson, Lynne Overman | Biographical | MGM. Nominated for Academy Award |
| Ellery Queen, Master Detective | Kurt Neumann | Ralph Bellamy, Margaret Lindsay, Charley Grapewin | Mystery | Columbia |
| Emergency Squad | Edward Dmytryk | William Henry, Louise Campbell, Richard Denning | Action | Paramount |
| Enemy Agent | Lew Landers | Richard Cromwell, Helen Vinson, Robert Armstrong | Thriller | Universal |
| Escape | Mervyn LeRoy | Norma Shearer, Robert Taylor, Conrad Veidt | Drama | MGM |
| Escape to Glory | John Brahm | Pat O'Brien, Constance Bennett, Alan Baxter | War | Columbia |
| Fantasia | James Algar, Samuel Armstrong, 9 more | Leopold Stokowski, Deems Taylor | Animated | Disney. Won 2 Honorary Academy Awards; footage preserved in US National Registry; #1 in Top Grossing Films* |
| The Fargo Kid | Edward Killy | Tim Holt, Ray Whitley, Emmett Lynn | Western | RKO |
| The Farmer's Daughter | James P. Hogan | Martha Raye, Charlie Ruggles, Richard Denning | Comedy | Paramount |
| The Fatal Hour | William Nigh | Boris Karloff, Marjorie Reynolds, Grant Withers | Thriller | Monogram |
| Father Is a Prince | Noel M. Smith | John Litel, Jan Clayton, George Reeves | Drama | Warner Bros. |
| The Fight for Life | Pare Lorentz | Myron McCormick, Will Geer, Dudley Digges | Drama | Columbia. Nominated for Academy Award |
| The Fighting 69th | William Keighley | James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, George Brent | War | Warner Bros. |
| Five Little Peppers at Home | Charles Barton | Edith Fellows, Tommy Bond, Clarence Kolb | Comedy | Columbia |
| Five Little Peppers in Trouble | Charles Barton | Edith Fellows, Tommy Bond, Pierre Watkin | Comedy | Columbia. Last of series |
| Flight Angels | Lewis Seiler | Virginia Bruce, Jane Wyman, Ralph Bellamy | Drama | Warner Bros. |
| Flight Command | Frank Borzage | Robert Taylor, Ruth Hussey, Walter Pidgeon | War | MGM. Nominated for Academy Award |
| Florian | Edwin L. Marin | Robert Young, Helen Gilbert, Charles Coburn | Drama | MGM |
| Flowing Gold | Alfred E. Green | John Garfield, Frances Farmer, Pat O'Brien | Adventure | Warner Bros. |
| Foreign Correspondent | Alfred Hitchcock | Joel McCrea, Laraine Day, Herbert Marshall | Spy thriller | United Artists. Nominated for 6 Academy Awards; #15 in Top Grossing Films |
| Forgotten Girls | Phil Rosen | Louise Platt, Donald Woods, Wynne Gibson | Drama | Republic |
| Forty Little Mothers | Busby Berkeley | Eddie Cantor, Judith Anderson, Rita Johnson | Drama | MGM |
| Four Shall Die | William Beaudine | Mantan Moreland, Dorothy Dandridge, Vernon McCalla | Crime | Independent |
| Four Sons | Archie Mayo | Don Ameche, Eugenie Leontovich, Mary Beth Hughes | War drama | 20th Century Fox. Remake of Four Sons (1928 silent film) |
| Framed | Harold D. Schuster | Frank Albertson, Constance Moore, Jerome Cowan | Crime | Universal |
| Free, Blonde and 21 | Ricardo Cortez | Lynn Bari, Joan Davis, Mary Beth Hughes | Comedy | 20th Century Fox |
| Friendly Neighbors | Nick Grinde | Leon Weaver, Frank Weaver, Lois Ranson | Comedy | Republic |
| French Without Tears | Anthony Asquith | Ray Milland, Ellen Drew, Janine Darcey | Comedy | Paramount |
| Frontier Crusader | Sam Newfield | Tim McCoy, Dorothy Short, Karl Hackett | Western | PRC |
| Frontier Vengeance | George Sherman | Don "Red" Barry, Cindy Walker, Kenneth MacDonald | Western | Republic |
| Fugitive from a Prison Camp | Lewis D. Collins | Jack Holt, Marian Marsh, Robert Barrat | Thriller | Columbia |
| A Fugitive from Justice | Terry O. Morse | Roger Pryor, Lucile Fairbanks, Eddie Foy Jr. | Crime drama | Warner Bros. |

## G–H

| Title | Director | Cast | Genre | Notes |
| Gallant Sons | George B. Seitz | Jackie Cooper, Gail Patrick, Bonita Granville | Drama | MGM |
| Gambling on the High Seas | George Amy | Wayne Morris, Jane Wyman, Gilbert Roland | Drama | Warner Bros. |
| Gangs of Chicago | Arthur Lubin | Lloyd Nolan, Lola Lane, Barton MacLane | Crime | Republic |
| Gaucho Serenade | Frank McDonald | Gene Autry, June Storey, Duncan Renaldo | Western | Republic |
| The Gay Caballero | Otto Brower | Cesar Romero, Sheila Ryan, Robert Sterling | Western | 20th Century Fox |
| The Ghost Breakers | George Marshall | Bob Hope, Paulette Goddard, Richard Carlson, Anthony Quinn | Horror comedy | Paramount |
| The Ghost Comes Home | Wilhelm Thiele | Frank Morgan, Billie Burke, Ann Rutherford | Comedy | MGM |
| Ghost Valley Raiders | George Sherman | Don "Red" Barry, Lona Andre, LeRoy Mason | Western | Republic |
| Girl from Avenue A | Otto Brower | Jane Withers, Kent Taylor, Kay Aldridge | Comedy | 20th Century Fox |
| Girl from God's Country | Sidney Salkow | Chester Morris, Jane Wyatt, Charles Bickford | Drama | Republic |
| Girl from Havana | Lew Landers | Claire Carleton, Dennis O'Keefe, Steffi Duna | Drama | Republic |
| Girl in 313 | Ricardo Cortez | Florence Rice, Lionel Atwill, Kay Aldridge | Drama | 20th Century Fox |
| Girls of the Road | Nick Grinde | Ann Dvorak, Helen Mack, Lola Lane | Action | Columbia |
| Girls Under 21 | Max Nosseck | Bruce Cabot, Rochelle Hudson, Paul Kelly | Drama | Columbia |
| Give Us Wings | Charles Lamont | Billy Halop, Huntz Hall, Gabriel Dell | Adventure | Universal. Dead End Kids |
| Glamour for Sale | D. Ross Lederman | Anita Louise, Roger Pryor, Frances Robinson | Crime | Columbia |
| The Golden Fleecing | Leslie Fenton | Lew Ayres, Rita Johnson, Lloyd Nolan | Comedy | MGM. Written by S. J. Perelman |
| Golden Gloves | Edward Dmytryk | Richard Denning, Jeanne Cagney, J. Carrol Naish | Drama | Paramount |
| The Golden Trail | Albert Herman | Tex Ritter, Stanley Price, Warner Richmond | Western | Monogram |
| Gold Rush Maisie | Edwin L. Marin | Ann Sothern, Lee Bowman, Virginia Weidler | Comedy | MGM; third in series |
| Go West | Edward Buzzell | Marx Brothers, John Carroll, Diana Lewis | Comedy | MGM |
| Grand Ole Opry | Frank McDonald | Leon Weaver, Frank Weaver, Lois Ranson | Comedy | Republic |
| Grandpa Goes to Town | Gus Meins | James Gleason, Lucile Gleason, Lois Ranson | Comedy | Republic |
| Granny Get Your Gun | George Amy | May Robson, Margot Stevenson, Harry Davenport | Comedy | Warner Bros. |
| The Grapes of Wrath | John Ford | Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, John Carradine | Drama | 20th Century Fox. Won 2 Academy Awards, one for Best Director; another 5 nominations; footage preserved in US National Registry; #12 in Top Grossing Films |
| The Great Dictator | Charles Chaplin | Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Jack Oakie | Comedy | United Artists. Nominated for 5 Academy Awards; footage preserved in US National Registry |
| The Great McGinty | Preston Sturges | Brian Donlevy, Muriel Angelus, Akim Tamiroff | Comedy | Paramount. Won Academy Award for screenplay |
| The Great Plane Robbery | Lewis D. Collins | Jack Holt, Stanley Fields, Noel Madison | Crime | Columbia |
| The Great Profile | Walter Lang | John Barrymore, Mary Beth Hughes, Gregory Ratoff | Comedy | 20th Century Fox |
| Green Hell | James Whale | Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Joan Bennett, John Howard | Adventure | Universal |
| Gun Code | Sam Newfield | Tim McCoy, Inna Gest, Carleton Young | Western | PRC |
| Half a Sinner | Al Christie | Heather Angel, John King, Constance Collier | Mystery | Universal |
| Haunted House | Robert F. McGowan | Jackie Moran, Marcia Mae Jones, George Cleveland | Mystery | Monogram |
| He Married His Wife | Roy Del Ruth | Joel McCrea, Nancy Kelly, Roland Young | Comedy | 20th Century Fox |
| He Stayed for Breakfast | Alexander Hall | Loretta Young, Melvyn Douglas, Alan Marshal | Comedy | Columbia |
| Her First Romance | Edward Dmytryk | Edith Fellows, Julie Bishop, Alan Ladd | Musical | Monogram |
| Heroes of the Saddle | William Witney | Robert Livingston, Raymond Hatton, Duncan Renaldo | Western | Republic |
| Hidden Enemy | Howard Bretherton | Warren Hull, Kay Linaker, Wilhelm von Brincken | Thriller | Monogram |
| Hidden Gold | Lesley Selander | William Boyd, Russell Hayden, Minor Watson | Western | Paramount |
| High School | George Nicholls Jr. | Jane Withers, Lloyd Corrigan, Claire Du Brey | Comedy | 20th Century Fox |
| Hired Wife | William A. Seiter | Rosalind Russell, Brian Aherne, Virginia Bruce | Comedy | Universal |
| His Girl Friday | Howard Hawks | Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell, Ralph Bellamy | Screwball comedy | Columbia. Remake of The Front Page (1931); remade in 1974 |
| Hit Parade of 1941 | John H. Auer | Kenny Baker, Frances Langford, Hugh Herbert, Ann Miller | Musical comedy | Republic, nominated for 2 Academy Awards |
| Hold That Woman! | Sam Newfield | Frances Gifford, James Dunn, Rita La Roy | Comedy | PRC |
| Honeymoon Deferred | Lew Landers | Edmund Lowe, Margaret Lindsay, Elisabeth Risdon | Mystery | Universal |
| Hot Steel | Christy Cabanne | Richard Arlen, Andy Devine, Peggy Moran | Drama | Universal |
| The House Across the Bay | Archie Mayo | George Raft, Joan Bennett, Lloyd Nolan | Crime drama | United Artists |
| The House of the Seven Gables | Joe May | George Sanders, Margaret Lindsay, Nan Grey, Vincent Price, Dick Foran | Thriller | Universal; nominated for Academy Award |
| The Howards of Virginia | Frank Lloyd | Cary Grant, Martha Scott, Cedric Hardwicke | Period Drama | Columbia; nominated for 2 Academy Awards |
| Hullabaloo | Edwin L. Marin | Frank Morgan, Virginia Grey, Dan Dailey | Musical comedy | MGM |

## I–J

| Title | Director | Cast | Genre | Notes |
| I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby | Albert S. Rogell | Broderick Crawford, Peggy Moran, Gertrude Michael | Comedy | Universal |
| I Love You Again | W. S. Van Dyke | William Powell, Myrna Loy, Edmund Lowe | Romantic comedy | MGM |
| I Take This Oath | Sam Newfield | Joyce Compton, Gordon Jones, Veda Ann Borg | Drama | PRC |
| I Take This Woman | W. S. Van Dyke | Spencer Tracy, Hedy Lamarr, Laraine Day | Drama | MGM |
| I Want a Divorce | Ralph Murphy | Joan Blondell, Dick Powell, Gloria Dickson | Comedy | Paramount |
| If I Had My Way | David Butler | Bing Crosby, Gloria Jean, Claire Dodd | Musical | Paramount |
| I'm Nobody's Sweetheart Now | Arthur Lubin | Helen Parrish, Constance Moore, Dennis O'Keefe | Drama | Universal |
| I'm Still Alive | Irving Reis | Kent Taylor, Linda Hayes, Ralph Morgan | Drama | RKO |
| In Old Missouri | Frank McDonald | Leon Weaver, Frank Weaver, June Storey | Comedy | Republic |
| The Invisible Man Returns | Joe May | Cedric Hardwicke, Vincent Price, Nan Grey | Universal. Science fiction | Nominated for Academy Award |
| The Invisible Woman | A. Edward Sutherland | Virginia Bruce, John Barrymore, John Howard | Science fiction Comedy | Universal. Nominated for Academy Award |
| Irene | Herbert Wilcox | Anna Neagle, Ray Milland, Roland Young | Musical | RKO. Nominated for Academy Award |
| Island of Doomed Men | Charles Barton | Peter Lorre, Rochelle Hudson, Robert Wilcox | Horror | Columbia |
| Isle of Destiny | Elmer Clifton | William Gargan, Wallace Ford, June Lang | Adventure | RKO |
| It All Came True | Lewis Seiler | Ann Sheridan, Jeffrey Lynn, Humphrey Bogart | Comedy | Warner Bros. |
| It's a Date | William A. Seiter | Deanna Durbin, Kay Francis, Walter Pidgeon | Musical | Universal |
| I Was an Adventuress | Gregory Ratoff | Vera Zorina, Richard Greene, Erich von Stroheim | Drama | 20th Century Fox |
| Jennie | David Burton | Virginia Gilmore, George Montgomery, Ludwig Stössel | Drama | 20th Century Fox |
| Johnny Apollo | Henry Hathaway | Tyrone Power, Dorothy Lamour, Edward Arnold | Crime drama | 20th Century Fox |

## K–L

| Title | Director | Cast | Genre | Notes |
| Keeping Company | S. Sylvan Simon | Frank Morgan, Ann Rutherford, Irene Rich | Drama | MGM |
| The Kid from Santa Fe | Raymond K. Johnson | Jack Randall, Forrest Taylor, Tom London | Western | Monogram |
| King of the Lumberjacks | William Clemens | John Payne, Gloria Dickson, Stanley Fields | Drama | Warner Bros. |
| Kit Carson | George B. Seitz | Jon Hall, Lynn Bari, Dana Andrews | Western | United Artists |
| Kitty Foyle | Sam Wood | Ginger Rogers, Dennis Morgan, James Craig | Drama | RKO. Won Academy Award for Best Actress; another 4 nominations |
| Knights of the Range | Lesley Selander | Russell Hayden, Victor Jory, Jean Parker | Western | Paramount |
| Knute Rockne, All American | Lloyd Bacon | Pat O'Brien, Ronald Reagan, Gale Page | Biographical | Warner Bros. Story of football coach Knute Rockne |
| La Conga Nights | Lew Landers | Hugh Herbert, Constance Moore, Dennis O'Keefe | Comedy | Universal |
| Laddie | Jack Hively | Tim Holt, Virginia Gilmore, Spring Byington | Drama | RKO |
| Ladies Must Live | Noel M. Smith | Rosemary Lane, Wayne Morris, Lee Patrick | Comedy | Warner Bros. |
| The Lady in Question | Charles Vidor | Brian Aherne, Glenn Ford, Rita Hayworth | Comedy | Columbia |
| Lady with Red Hair | Curtis Bernhardt | Miriam Hopkins, Claude Rains, Richard Ainley | Drama | Warner Bros. |
| Land of the Six Guns | Raymond K. Johnson | Jack Randall, Louise Stanley, Glenn Strange | Western | Monogram |
| The Last Alarm | William Beaudine | J. Farrell MacDonald, Polly Ann Young, Warren Hull | Crime | Monogram |
| Laughing at Danger | Howard Bretherton | Frankie Darro, Joy Hodges, Kay Sutton | Crime | Monogram |
| Law and Order | Ray Taylor | Johnny Mack Brown, Nell O'Day, James Craig | Western | Universal |
| The Leather Pushers | John Rawlins | Richard Arlen, Andy Devine, Astrid Allwyn | Comedy | Universal |
| Legion of the Lawless | David Howard | George O'Brien, Virginia Vale, Herbert Heywood | Western | RKO |
| The Letter | William Wyler | Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, James Stephenson | Film noir | Warner Bros. Nominated for 7 Academy Awards |
| The Light of Western Stars | Lesley Selander | Victor Jory, Jo Ann Sayers, Russell Hayden | Western | Paramount |
| Lightning Strikes West | Harry L. Fraser | Ken Maynard, Claire Rochelle, Charles King | Western | Independent |
| Lillian Russell | Irving Cummings | Alice Faye, Don Ameche, Henry Fonda | Biographical | 20th Century Fox. Nominated for Academy Award |
| Li'l Abner | Albert S. Rogell | Jeff York, Martha O'Driscoll, Mona Ray | Comedy | RKO |
| A Little Bit of Heaven | Andrew Marton | Gloria Jean, Hugh Herbert, Robert Stack | Musical | Universal. Followup to The Under-Pup (1939 film) |
| Little Men | Norman Z. McLeod | Kay Francis, Jack Oakie, Ann Gillis | Drama | RKO. Based on novel by Louisa May Alcott |
| Little Nellie Kelly | Norman Taurog | Judy Garland, George Murphy, Charles Winninger | Musical comedy | MGM |
| Little Old New York | Henry King | Fred MacMurray, Alice Faye, Richard Greene, Brenda Joyce | Drama | 20th Century Fox |
| Little Orvie | Ray McCarey | Johnny Sheffield, Ernest Truex, Dorothy Tree | Comedy drama | RKO |
| Lone Star Raiders | George Sherman | Robert Livingston, Bob Steele, June Johnson | Western | Republic |
| The Lone Wolf Meets a Lady | Sidney Salkow | Warren William, Jean Muir, Eric Blore | Mystery | Columbia |
| The Lone Wolf Strikes | Sidney Salkow | Warren William, Joan Perry, Eric Blore | Mystery | Columbia |
| The Long Voyage Home | John Ford | John Wayne, Thomas Mitchell, Ian Hunter | War Drama | United Artists. Nominated for 6 Academy Awards |
| Love, Honor and Oh-Baby! | Charles Lamont | Wallace Ford, Mona Barrie, Donald Woods | Comedy | Universal |
| Love Thy Neighbor | Mark Sandrich | Jack Benny, Fred Allen, Mary Martin | Comedy | Paramount |
| Lucky Cisco Kid | H. Bruce Humberstone | Cesar Romero, Mary Beth Hughes, Dana Andrews | Western | 20th Century Fox |
| Lucky Partners | Lewis Milestone | Ronald Colman, Ginger Rogers, Jack Carson | Romantic comedy | RKO |

## M–N

| Title | Director | Cast | Genre | Notes |
| Ma! He's Making Eyes at Me | Harold D. Schuster | Tom Brown, Constance Moore, Anne Nagel | Comedy | Universal |
| Maisie Was a Lady | Edwin L. Marin | Ann Sothern, Lew Ayres, Maureen O'Sullivan | Comedy | MGM; 4th of series |
| The Man from Dakota | Leslie Fenton | Wallace Beery, Dolores del Río, John Howard | Historical Drama | MGM |
| The Man from Tumbleweeds | Joseph H. Lewis | Wild Bill Elliott, Iris Meredith, Dub Taylor | Western | Columbia |
| Manhattan Heartbeat | David Burton | Robert Sterling, Virginia Gilmore, Joan Davis | Drama | 20th Century Fox |
| The Man I Married | Irving Pichel | Joan Bennett, Francis Lederer, Anna Sten | Drama | 20th Century Fox |
| The Man Who Wouldn't Talk | David Burton | Lloyd Nolan, Jean Rogers, Eric Blore | Mystery | 20th Century Fox |
| The Man with Nine Lives | Nick Grinde | Boris Karloff, Jo Ann Sayers, Roger Pryor | Horror Sci-fi | Columbia |
| Margie | Otis Garrett | Tom Brown, Nan Grey, Joy Hodges | Comedy | Universal |
| The Marines Fly High | Benjamin Stoloff, George Nicholls Jr. | Richard Dix, Chester Morris, Lucille Ball | Adventure | RKO |
| The Mark of Zorro | Rouben Mamoulian | Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, Basil Rathbone | Adventure | 20th Century Fox. Nominated for Academy Award; footage preserved in US National Registry |
| Marked Men | Sam Newfield | Warren Hull, Isabel Jewell, John Dilson | Drama | PRC |
| Married and in Love | John Farrow | Barbara Read, Patric Knowles, Helen Vinson | Drama | RKO |
| Maryland | Henry King | Walter Brennan, Fay Bainter, Brenda Joyce | Drama | 20th Century Fox |
| Meet the Missus | Malcolm St. Clair | Roscoe Karns, Ruth Donnelly, Lois Ranson | Comedy | Republic |
| Meet the Wildcat | Arthur Lubin | Ralph Bellamy, Margaret Lindsay, Joseph Schildkraut | Drama | Universal |
| Melody and Moonlight | Joseph Santley | Jane Frazee, Johnny Downs, Barbara Jo Allen | Comedy | Republic |
| Melody Ranch | Joseph Santley | Gene Autry, Jimmy Durante, Ann Miller | Western | Republic |
| Men Against the Sky | Leslie Goodwins | Richard Dix, Kent Taylor, Edmund Lowe | Drama | RKO |
| Men Without Souls | Nick Grinde | Barton MacLane, Rochelle Hudson, Glenn Ford | Crime | Columbia |
| Mexican Spitfire | Leslie Goodwins | Lupe Vélez, Leon Errol, Donald Woods | Comedy | RKO. First of series |
| Mexican Spitfire Out West | Leslie Goodwins | Lupe Vélez, Leon Errol, Donald Woods | Comedy | RKO. Second of series |
| Michael Shayne, Private Detective | Eugene Forde | Lloyd Nolan, Marjorie Weaver, Joan Valerie | Mystery | 20th Century Fox. First of series |
| Midnight Limited | Howard Bretherton | John 'Dusty' King, Marjorie Reynolds, George Cleveland | Mystery | Monogram |
| Military Academy | D. Ross Lederman | Tommy Kelly, Bobby Jordan, David Holt | Drama | Columbia |
| Millionaire Playboy | Leslie Goodwins | Joe Penner, Russ Brown, Linda Hayes | Comedy | RKO |
| Millionaires in Prison | Ray McCarey | Lee Tracy, Linda Hayes, Raymond Walburn | Drama | RKO |
| Misbehaving Husbands | William Beaudine | Betty Blythe, Harry Langdon, Esther Muir | Comedy | PRC |
| Money and the Woman | William K. Howard | Jeffrey Lynn, Brenda Marshall, Lee Patrick | Drama | Warner Bros. |
| Moon Over Burma | Louis King | Dorothy Lamour, Robert Preston, Doris Nolan | Romance | Paramount |
| The Mortal Storm | Frank Borzage | James Stewart, Margaret Sullavan, Robert Young, Frank Morgan | Drama | MGM |
| The Mummy's Hand | Christy Cabanne | Dick Foran, Peggy Moran, Wallace Ford | Horror | Universal |
| Murder in the Air | Lewis Seiler | Ronald Reagan, John Litel, Lya Lys | Drama | Warner Bros |
| Murder on the Yukon | Louis J. Gasnier | James Newill, Polly Ann Young, Dave O'Brien | Western | Monogram |
| Murder Over New York | Harry Lachman | Sidney Toler, Ricardo Cortez, Marjorie Weaver | Mystery | 20th Century Fox. Charlie Chan |
| Music in My Heart | Joseph Santley | Tony Martin, Rita Hayworth, Edith Fellows | Musical | Columbia. Nominated for Academy Award |
| My Favorite Wife | Garson Kanin | Irene Dunne, Cary Grant, Randolph Scott | Screwball comedy | RKO. Nominated for 3 Academy Awards |
| My Little Chickadee | Edward F. Cline | Mae West, W. C. Fields, Dick Foran | Comedy | Universal |
| My Love Came Back | Curtis Bernhardt | Olivia de Havilland, Jeffrey Lynn, Jane Wyman | Romance | Warner Bros. |
| My Son, My Son! | Charles Vidor | Madeleine Carroll, Brian Aherne, Louis Hayward | Drama | United Artists. Nominated for Academy Award |
| Mystery in Swing | Arthur Dreifuss | Monte Hawley, Marguerite Whitten, Tommie Moore | Music | Independent |
| Mystery Sea Raider | Edward Dmytryk | Carole Landis, Henry Wilcoxon, Onslow Stevens | Drama | Paramount |
| New Moon | Jack Conway | Jeanette MacDonald, Nelson Eddy | Musical drama | MGM |
| A Night at Earl Carroll's | Kurt Neumann | Ken Murray, J. Carrol Naish, Rose Hobart | Musical | Paramount |
| Night Train to Munich | Carol Reed | Margaret Lockwood, Rex Harrison, Paul Henreid | Thriller | 20th Century Fox |
| Nobody's Children | Charles Barton | Edith Fellows, Georgia Caine, Lois Wilson | Drama | Columbia |
| North West Mounted Police | Cecil B. DeMille | Gary Cooper, Madeleine Carroll, Paulette Goddard | Western | Paramount. Won Academy Award for editing; 4 more nominations |
| Northwest Passage | King Vidor, Jack Conway, W. S. Van Dyke | Spencer Tracy, Robert Young, Walter Brennan | Adventure | MGM. Nominated for Academy Award; #19 in Top Grossing Films |
| No, No, Nanette | Herbert Wilcox | Anna Neagle, Richard Carlson, Victor Mature | Comedy | RKO |
| No Time for Comedy | William Keighley | James Stewart, Rosalind Russell, Genevieve Tobin | Comedy | Warner Bros. |

## O–R

| Title | Director | Cast | Genre | Notes |
| Oh Johnny, How You Can Love | Charles Lamont | Tom Brown, Peggy Moran, Allen Jenkins | Comedy | Universal |
| Oklahoma Renegades | Nate Watt | Robert Livingston, Raymond Hatton, Florine McKinney | Western | Republic |
| The Old Swimmin' Hole | Robert F. McGowan | Jackie Moran, Marcia Mae Jones, Leatrice Joy | Drama | Monogram |
| On the Spot | Howard Bretherton | Frankie Darro, Mary Kornman, Mantan Moreland | Comedy | Monogram |
| One Crowded Night | Irving Reis | Billie Seward, William Haade, Charles Lang | Drama | RKO |
| One Man's Law | George Sherman | Don "Red" Barry, Janet Waldo, George Cleveland | Western | Republic |
| One Million B.C. | Hal Roach Jr., Hal Roach | Victor Mature, Carole Landis, Lon Chaney Jr. | Fantasy | United Artists. Nominated for 2 Academy Awards |
| One Night in the Tropics | A. Edward Sutherland | Abbott and Costello, Nancy Kelly, Allan Jones | Comedy | Universal. Film debut of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello |
| On Their Own | Otto Brower | Spring Byington, June Carlson, Kenneth Howell | Comedy | 20th Century Fox |
| Opened by Mistake | George Archainbaud | Charles Ruggles, Janice Logan, Robert Paige | Comedy | Paramount |
| Our Town | Sam Wood | William Holden, Martha Scott, Fay Bainter | Drama | United Artists. Nominated for 6 Academy Awards |
| Out West with the Peppers | Charles Barton | Edith Fellows, Tommy Bond, Pierre Watkin | Western | Columbia. Third of series |
| Outside the Three-Mile Limit | Lewis D. Collins | Jack Holt, Harry Carey, Irene Ware | Crime | Columbia |
| Pals of the Silver Sage | Albert Herman | Tex Ritter, Sugar Dawn, Glenn Strange | Western | Monogram |
| Parole Fixer | Robert Florey | William Henry, Virginia Dale, Anthony Quinn | Drama | Paramount |
| Passport to Alcatraz | Lewis D. Collins | Jack Holt, Noah Beery, Cecilia Callejo | Thriller | Columbia |
| Phantom of Chinatown | Phil Rosen | Keye Luke, Grant Withers, Lotus Long | Mystery | Monogram |
| Phantom Raiders | Jacques Tourneur | Walter Pidgeon, Florence Rice, Joseph Schildkraut | Drama | MGM |
| Phantom Rancher | Harry L. Fraser | Ken Maynard, Dorothy Short, Harry Harvey | Western | Independent |
| The Phantom Submarine | Charles Barton | Anita Louise, Bruce Bennett, Oscar O'Shea | Adventure | Columbia |
| The Philadelphia Story | George Cukor | Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, James Stewart | Screwball comedy | MGM. Won 2 Academy Awards; 4 more nominations |
| Pier 13 | Eugene Forde | Lynn Bari, Lloyd Nolan, Joan Valerie | Mystery | 20th Century Fox |
| Pinocchio | T. Hee, Wilfred Jackson, Jack Kinney | voices of Cliff Edwards, Evelyn Venable, Mel Blanc | Animated | Disney. Won 2 Academy Awards; footage preserved in US National Registry; #2 in Top Grossing Films* |
| Pinto Canyon | Raymond K. Johnson | Bob Steele, Louise Stanley, Kenne Duncan | Western | Monogram |
| Pioneer Days | Harry S. Webb | Jack Randall, Frank Yaconelli, Nelson McDowell | Western | Monogram |
| Pioneers of the Frontier | Sam Nelson | Wild Bill Elliott, Dorothy Comingore, Dick Curtis | Western | Columbia |
| Pioneers of the West | Lester Orlebeck | Robert Livingston, Raymond Hatton, Duncan Renaldo | Western | Republic |
| Pony Post | Ray Taylor | Johnny Mack Brown, Fuzzy Knight, Nell O'Day | Western | Universal |
| Pop Always Pays | Leslie Goodwins | Leon Errol, Dennis O'Keefe, Pamela Blake | Comedy | RKO |
| Prairie Law | David Howard | George O'Brien, Virginia Vale, Dick Hogan | Western | RKO |
| Prairie Schooners | Sam Nelson | Wild Bill Elliott, Evelyn Young, Kenneth Harlan | Western | Columbia |
| Pride and Prejudice | Robert Z. Leonard | Greer Garson, Laurence Olivier, Edward Ashley | Drama | MGM. Won Academy Award (art direction); #20 in Top Grossing Films |
| Pride of the Bowery | Joseph H. Lewis | East Side Kids, Mary Ainslee, Kenneth Harlan | Comedy | Monogram |
| Primrose Path | Gregory La Cava | Ginger Rogers, Joel McCrea, Marjorie Rambeau | Drama | RKO. Rambeau nominated for Academy Award |
| Private Affairs | Albert S. Rogell | Nancy Kelly, Roland Young, Robert Cummings | Comedy | Universal |
| Public Deb No. 1 | Gregory Ratoff | Brenda Joyce, George Murphy, Ralph Bellamy | Comedy | 20th Century Fox |
| The Quarterback | H. Bruce Humberstone | Wayne Morris, Virginia Dale, Lillian Cornell | Comedy | Paramount |
| Queen of the Mob | James P. Hogan | Ralph Bellamy, Blanche Yurka, Jeanne Cagney | Crime | Paramount |
| Queen of the Yukon | Phil Rosen | Charles Bickford, Irene Rich, June Carlson | Adventure | Monogram |
| Ragtime Cowboy Joe | Ray Taylor | Johnny Mack Brown, Nell O'Day, Dick Curtis | Western | Universal |
| Rainbow Over the Range | Albert Herman | Tex Ritter, Dorothy Fay, Warner Richmond | Western | Monogram |
| Rancho Grande | Frank McDonald | Gene Autry, June Storey, Mary Lee | Western | Republic |
| The Range Busters | S. Roy Luby | Ray "Crash" Corrigan, Max Terhune, Luana Walters | Western | Monogram |
| The Ranger and the Lady | Joseph Kane | Roy Rogers, Julie Bishop, George "Gabby" Hayes | Western | Republic |
| Rangers of Fortune | Sam Wood | Fred MacMurray, Albert Dekker, Patricia Morison | Western | Paramount |
| Rebecca | Alfred Hitchcock | Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, Judith Anderson | Suspense | United Artists. Won 2 Academy Awards, one for Best Picture; another 9 nominations; #3 in Top Grossing Films |
| Remedy for Riches | Erle C. Kenton | Jean Hersholt, Dorothy Lovett, Edgar Kennedy | Drama | RKO |
| Remember the Night | Mitchell Leisen | Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, Willard Robertson | Romantic drama | Paramount |
| The Return of Frank James | Fritz Lang | Henry Fonda, Gene Tierney, Jackie Cooper | Western | 20th Century Fox |
| The Return of Wild Bill | Joseph H. Lewis | Wild Bill Elliott, Iris Meredith, Luana Walters | Western | Columbia |
| Rhythm of the Rio Grande | Albert Herman | Tex Ritter, Warner Richmond, Martin Garralaga | Western | Monogram |
| Rhythm on the River | Victor Schertzinger | Bing Crosby, Mary Martin, Basil Rathbone | Musical Comedy | Paramount. Nominated for Academy Award |
| Riders from Nowhere | Raymond K. Johnson | Jack Randall, Margaret Roach, Ernie Adams | Western | Monogram |
| Riders of Black Mountain | Sam Newfield | Tim McCoy, Rex Lease, Julian Rivero | Western | PRC |
| Riders of Pasco Basin | Ray Taylor | Johnny Mack Brown, Frances Robinson, Bob Baker | Western | Universal |
| Ride, Tenderfoot, Ride | Frank McDonald | Gene Autry, June Storey, Mary Lee | Western | Republic |
| Ridin' the Trail | Raymond K. Johnson | Fred Scott, Harry Harvey Sr., Jack Ingram | Western | Independent |
| River's End | Ray Enright | Dennis Morgan, Elizabeth Inglis, Steffi Duna | Drama | Warner Bros. |
| Road to Singapore | Victor Schertzinger | Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour | Musical comedy | Paramount. First of series |
| Rocky Mountain Rangers | George Sherman | Robert Livingston, Rosella Towne, Raymond Hatton | Western | Republic |
| Roll Wagons Roll | Albert Herman | Tex Ritter, Nelson McDowell, Muriel Evans | Western | Monogram |
| Rollin' Home to Texas | Albert Herman | Tex Ritter, Eddie Dean, Jack Rutherford | Western | Monogram |

## S–T

| Title | Director | Cast | Genre | Notes |
| Safari | Edward H. Griffith | Madeleine Carroll, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Muriel Angelus | Adventure | Paramount |
| The Sagebrush Family Trails West | Sam Newfield | Bobby Clack, Earle Hodgins, Forrest Taylor | Western | Independent |
| Sailor's Lady | Allan Dwan | Nancy Kelly, Jon Hall, Dana Andrews | Comedy | 20th Century Fox |
| The Saint Takes Over | Jack Hively | George Sanders, Wendy Barrie, Jonathan Hale | Crime | RKO; The Saint series |
| The Saint's Double Trouble | Jack Hively | George Sanders, Helene Whitney, Jonathan Hale | Crime | RKO |
| San Francisco Docks | Arthur Lubin | Burgess Meredith, Barry Fitzgerald, Irene Hervey | Crime | Universal |
| Sandy Gets Her Man | Otis Garrett, Paul Gerard Smith | Baby Sandy, Stuart Erwin, Una Merkel | Comedy | Universal |
| Sandy Is a Lady | Charles Lamont | Baby Sandy, Eugene Pallette, Nan Grey | Comedy | Universal |
| Santa Fe Marshal | Lesley Selander | William Boyd, Russell Hayden, Bernadene Hayes | Western | Paramount |
| Santa Fe Trail | Michael Curtiz | Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Raymond Massey, Ronald Reagan | Western | Warner Bros. |
| Saps at Sea | Gordon Douglas | Laurel and Hardy, James Finlayson, Richard Cramer | Comedy | United Artists |
| Saturday's Children | Vincent Sherman | John Garfield, Anne Shirley, Claude Rains | Drama | Warner Bros. |
| Scatterbrain | Gus Meins | Judy Canova, Alan Mowbray, Ruth Donnelly | Comedy | Republic |
| The Sea Hawk | Michael Curtiz | Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall, Claude Rains | Adventure | Warner Bros.; nominated for 4 Academy Awards |
| Second Chorus | H. C. Potter | Fred Astaire, Paulette Goddard, Artie Shaw | Musical comedy | Paramount; nominated for 2 Academy Awards |
| The Secret Seven | James Moore | Florence Rice, Barton MacLane, Bruce Bennett | Crime | Columbia |
| Secrets of a Model | Sam Newfield | Cheryl Walker, Harold Daniels, Phyllis Barry | Crime | Independent |
| Seven Sinners | Tay Garnett | Marlene Dietrich, John Wayne, Broderick Crawford | Adventure | Universal |
| Seventeen | Louis King | Betty Field, Jackie Cooper, Otto Kruger | Comedy | Paramount |
| She Couldn't Say No | William Clemens | Eve Arden, Roger Pryor, Cliff Edwards | Comedy | Warner Bros. |
| Shooting High | Alfred E. Green | Jane Withers, Gene Autry, Marjorie Weaver | Western musical | 20th Century Fox |
| The Shop Around the Corner | Ernst Lubitsch | James Stewart, Margaret Sullavan, Frank Morgan | Romantic comedy | MGM |
| The Showdown | Howard Bretherton | William Boyd, Russell Hayden, Jan Clayton | Western | Paramount |
| Sing, Dance, Plenty Hot | Lew Landers | Ruth Terry, Johnny Downs, Mary Lee | Musical | Republic |
| Ski Patrol | Lew Landers | Luli Deste, Philip Dorn, Stanley Fields | War | Universal |
| Sky Bandits | Ralph Staub | James Newill, Louise Stanley, Dewey Robinson | Action | Monogram |
| Sky Murder | George Seitz | Walter Pidgeon, Kaaren Verne, Joyce Compton | Mystery | MGM; third in Nick Carter film series |
| Slightly Tempted | Lew Landers | Hugh Herbert, Peggy Moran, Johnny Downs | Comedy | Universal |
| So You Won't Talk | Edward Sedgwick | Joe E. Brown, Frances Robinson, Vivienne Osborne | Comedy | Columbia |
| Son of Ingagi | Richard C. Kahn | Zack Williams, Laura Bowman, Spencer Williams | Science fiction | Independent |
| The Son of Monte Cristo | Rowland V. Lee | Louis Hayward, Joan Bennett, George Sanders | Adventure | United Artists; nominated for Academy Award |
| Son of Roaring Dan | Ford Beebe | Johnny Mack Brown, Nell O'Day, Jean Brooks | Western | Universal |
| Son of the Navy | William Nigh | Jean Parker, James Dunn, Martin Spellman | Comedy | Monogram |
| Souls in Pawn | Melville Shyer | Kenne Duncan, Lloyd Ingraham, Symona Boniface | Drama | Independent |
| South of Pago Pago | Alfred E. Green | Jon Hall, Frances Farmer, Olympe Bradna | Adventure | United Artists |
| South of Suez | Lewis Seiler | George Brent, Brenda Marshall, Lee Patrick | Drama | Warner Bros. |
| South to Karanga | Harold D. Schuster | James Craig, Luli Deste, Charles Bickford | Adventure | Universal |
| Sporting Blood | S. Sylvan Simon | Robert Young, Maureen O'Sullivan, Lewis Stone | Drama | MGM |
| Spring Parade | Henry Koster | Deanna Durbin, Robert Cummings, Mischa Auer | Comedy, musical | Universal; nominated for 4 Academy Awards |
| Stage to Chino | Edward Killy | George O'Brien, Virginia Vale, Hobart Cavanaugh | Western | RKO |
| Stagecoach War | Lesley Selander | William Boyd, Russell Hayden, Harvey Stephens | Western | Paramount |
| Star Dust | Walter Lang | Linda Darnell, John Payne, Roland Young | Drama | 20th Century Fox |
| Stolen Paradise | Louis J. Gasnier | Leon Janney, Eleanor Hunt, Esther Muir | Drama | Monogram |
| Strange Cargo | Frank Borzage | Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, Ian Hunter | Drama, romance | MGM |
| Stranger on the Third Floor | Boris Ingster | Peter Lorre, Charles Waldron, Margaret Tallichet | Film noir | RKO |
| Street of Memories | Shepard Traube (1907–1983) | Lynne Roberts, Guy Kibbee, John McGuire | Drama | 20th Century Fox |
| Strike Up the Band | Busby Berkeley | Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra | Musical comedy | MGM; 3 Academy Award nominations, won 1 |
| Susan and God | George Cukor | Joan Crawford, Fredric March, Ruth Hussey | Comedy | MGM |
| Swiss Family Robinson | Edward Ludwig | Thomas Mitchell, Edna Best, Freddie Bartholomew | Adventure | RKO; nominated for Academy Award |
| Take Me Back to Oklahoma | Albert Herman | Tex Ritter, Karl Hackett, Bob Wills | Western | Monogram |
| Tear Gas Squad | Terry O. Morse | John Payne, Dennis Morgan, Gloria Dickson | Crime | Warner Bros. |
| Texas Rangers Ride Again | James P. Hogan | Ellen Drew, John Howard, Akim Tamiroff | Western | Paramount |
| Texas Renegades | Sam Newfield | Tim McCoy, Nora Lane, Kenne Duncan | Western | PRC |
| Texas Stagecoach | Joseph H. Lewis | Charles Starrett, Iris Meredith, Bob Nolan | Western | Columbia |
| Texas Terrors | George Sherman | Don "Red" Barry, Julie Duncan, Arthur Loft | Western | Republic |
| That Gang of Mine | Joseph H. Lewis | Leo Gorcey, Clarence Muse, Milton Kibbee | Comedy | Monogram; 3rd of 22 East Side Kids films |
| They Drive by Night | Raoul Walsh | George Raft, Humphrey Bogart, Ida Lupino, Ann Sheridan | Drama | Warner Bros. |
| They Knew What They Wanted | Garson Kanin | Carole Lombard, Charles Laughton, William Gargan | Drama | RKO; nominated for Academy Award |
| The Thief of Bagdad | Michael Powell, Ludwig Berger, Tim Whelan | Conrad Veidt, Sabu, June Duprez, John Justin | Adventure | United Artists |
| Third Finger, Left Hand | Robert Z. Leonard | Myrna Loy, Melvyn Douglas, Raymond Walburn | Romantic comedy | MGM |
| This Thing Called Love | Alexander Hall | Rosalind Russell, Melvyn Douglas, Binnie Barnes | Romantic comedy | Columbia |
| Those Were the Days! | Theodore Reed | William Holden, Bonita Granville, Judith Barrett | Comedy | Paramount |
| Three Cheers for the Irish | Lloyd Bacon | Priscilla Lane, Dennis Morgan, Virginia Grey | Comedy | Warner Bros. |
| Three Faces West | Bernard Vorhaus | John Wayne, Sigrid Gurie, Charles Coburn | Drama | Republic |
| Three Men from Texas | Harry Sherman | William Boyd, Russell Hayden, Andy Clyde | Western | Paramount |
| Thundering Frontier | D. Ross Lederman | Charles Starrett, Iris Meredith, Carl Stockdale | Western | Columbia |
| 'Til We Meet Again | Edmund Goulding | Merle Oberon, Pat O'Brien, Geraldine Fitzgerald | Drama | Warner Bros.; remake of One Way Passage (1932) |
| Tin Pan Alley | Walter Lang | Alice Faye, Betty Grable, Jack Oakie, John Payne | Musical | 20th Century Fox; won Academy Award for musical score |
| Tom Brown's School Days | Robert Stevenson | Cedric Hardwicke, Freddy Bartholomew, Jimmy Lydon | Drama | RKO; based on 1857 novel |
| Tomboy | Robert F. McGowan | Marcia Mae Jones, Jackie Moran, Grant Withers | Drama | Monogram |
| Too Many Girls | George Abbott | Lucille Ball, Frances Langford, Desi Arnaz | Musical | RKO |
| Too Many Husbands | Wesley Ruggles | Jean Arthur, Fred MacMurray, Melvyn Douglas | Romantic comedy | Columbia; nominated for Academy Award |
| Torrid Zone | William Keighley | James Cagney, Ann Sheridan, Pat O'Brien | Adventure | Warner Bros. |
| The Trail Blazers | George Sherman | Robert Livingston, Bob Steele, Pauline Moore | Western | Republic |
| Trail of the Vigilantes | Allan Dwan | Franchot Tone, Warren William, Broderick Crawford | Western | Universal |
| Trailing Double Trouble | S. Roy Luby | Ray "Crash" Corrigan, Max Terhune, Roy Barcroft | Wester | Monogram |
| Triple Justice | David Howard | George O'Brien, Virginia Vale, Peggy Shannon | Western | RKO |
| Tugboat Annie Sails Again | Lewis Seiler | Marjorie Rambeau, Jane Wyman, Ronald Reagan | Comedy | Warner Bros.; sequel to 1933 film |
| The Tulsa Kid | George Sherman | Don "Red" Barry, Luana Walters, Noah Beery | Western | Republic |
| Turnabout | Hal Roach | Adolphe Menjou, Carole Landis, Mary Astor | Comedy | United Artists |
| Two Girls on Broadway | S. Sylvan Simon | Lana Turner, Joan Blondell, George Murphy | Comedy | MGM |
| Typhoon | Louis King | Dorothy Lamour, Robert Preston, Lynne Overman | Adventure | Paramount; nominated for Academy Award |

## U–Z

| Title | Director | Cast | Genre | Notes |
| Under Texas Skies | George Sherman | Robert Livingston, Bob Steele, Lois Ranson | Western | Republic |
| Untamed | George Archainbaud | Ray Milland, Patricia Morison, Akim Tamiroff | Drama | Paramount |
| Up in the Air | Howard Bretherton | Marjorie Reynolds, Frankie Darrow, Lorna Gray | Comedy | Monogram |
| Victory | John Cromwell | Fredric March, Cedric Hardwicke, Betty Field | Adventure | Paramount |
| Vigil in the Night | George Stevens | Carole Lombard, Brian Aherne, Anne Shirley | Drama | RKO |
| Village Barn Dance | Frank McDonald | Richard Cromwell, George Barbier, Esther Dale | Comedy | Republic |
| The Villain Still Pursued Her | Edward F. Cline | Hugh Herbert, Anita Louise, Buster Keaton | Comedy | RKO |
| Virginia City | Michael Curtiz | Errol Flynn, Miriam Hopkins, Randolph Scott, Humphrey Bogart | Western | Warner Bros. |
| Viva Cisco Kid | Norman Foster | Cesar Romero, Jean Rogers, Stanley Fields | Western | 20th Century Fox |
| Wagon Train | Edward Killy | Tim Holt, Martha O'Driscoll, Ray Whitley | Western | RKO |
| Wagons Westward | Lew Landers | Anita Louise, Chester Morris, Ona Munson | Western | Republic |
| Waterloo Bridge | Mervyn LeRoy | Vivien Leigh, Robert Taylor, Lucile Watson | Drama | MGM; nominated for 2 Academy Awards; remake of 1931 film |
| The Way of All Flesh | Louis King | Akim Tamiroff, Gladys George, Muriel Angelus | Drama | Paramount; remake of 1927 silent film |
| The Westerner | William Wyler | Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, Doris Davenport | Western | United Artists; Academy Award for Brennan; 3 nominations |
| We Who Are Young | Harold S. Bucquet | Lana Turner, Gene Lockhart, Grant Mitchell | Drama | MGM |
| West of Abilene | Ralph Ceder | Charles Starrett, Bruce Bennett, George Cleveland | Western | Columbia |
| West of Carson City | Ray Taylor | Johnny Mack Brown, Peggy Moran, Bob Baker | Western | Universal |
| West of Pinto Basin | S. Roy Luby | Ray "Crash" Corrigan, Max Terhune, Gwen Gaze | Western | Monogram |
| When the Daltons Rode | George Marshall | Randolph Scott, Kay Francis, Brian Donlevy | Western | Universal |
| While Thousands Cheer | Leo C. Popkin | Kenny Washington, Mantan Moreland, Jeni Le Gon | Sports | Independent |
| Who Killed Aunt Maggie? | Arthur Lubin | Wendy Barrie, Mona Barrie, John Hubbard | Mystery | Republic |
| Wild Horse Range | Raymond K. Johnson | Jack Randall, Frank Yaconelli, Marin Sais | Western | Monogram |
| Wild Horse Valley | Ira Webb | Bob Steele, Lafe McKee, Ted Adams | Western | Independent |
| Wildcat Bus | Frank Woodruff | Fay Wray, Paul Guilfoyle, Don Costello | Drama | RKO |
| The Wildcat of Tucson | Lambert Hillyer | Wild Bill Elliott, Evelyn Young, Kenneth MacDonald | Western | Columbia |
| Wolf of New York | William C. McGann | Edmund Lowe, Rose Hobart, James Stephenson | Crime | Republic |
| Women in War | John H. Auer | Elsie Janis, Wendy Barrie, Patric Knowles | War drama | Republic; nominated for Academy Award |
| Women Without Names | Robert Florey | Ellen Drew, Fay Helm, Judith Barrett | Drama | Paramount |
| Wyoming | Richard Thorpe | Wallace Beery, Leo Carrillo, Ann Rutherford | Western | MGM |
| Yesterday's Heroes | Herbert I. Leeds | Jean Rogers, Robert Sterling, Kay Aldridge | Drama | 20th Century Fox |
| You Can't Fool Your Wife | Ray McCarey | Lucille Ball, James Ellison, Virginia Vale | Comedy | RKO |
| You'll Find Out | David Butler | Kay Kyser, Helen Parrish, Ginny Simms, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff | Comedy | RKO; nominated for Academy Award |
| Young Bill Hickok | Joseph Kane | Roy Rogers, Sally Payne, Julie Bishop | Western | Republic |
| Young Buffalo Bill | Joseph Kane | Roy Rogers, Pauline Moore, George "Gabby" Hayes | Western | Republic |
| Young People | Allan Dwan | Shirley Temple, Jack Oakie, Charlotte Greenwood | Drama | 20th Century Fox |
| Young Tom Edison | Norman Taurog | Mickey Rooney, Fay Bainter, George Bancroft | Biography | MGM |
| Young as You Feel | Malcolm St. Clair | Jed Prouty, Spring Byington, Joan Valerie | Family | 20th Century Fox |
| You're Not So Tough | Joe May | Billy Halop, Huntz Hall, Bobby Jordan, Nan Grey | Drama | Universal |
| Youth Will Be Served | Otto Brower | Jane Withers, Kent Taylor, Kay Aldridge | Musical | 20th Century Fox |
| Yukon Flight | Ralph Staub | Louise Stanley, James Newill, Warren Hull | Western | Monogram |
| Zanzibar | Harold Schuster | Lola Lane, James Craig, Eduardo Ciannelli | Adventure | Universal |

## Serials

| Title | Director | Cast | Genre | Notes |
| Adventures of Red Ryder | William Witney, John English | Don "Red" Barry, Noah Beery, Tommy Cook | Western serial | Republic; based on comic strip Red Ryder |
| City of Lost Men | Harry Revier | William "Stage" Boyd, Kane Richmond, Claudia Dell | Science fiction | 3rd feature version of 1935 serial The Lost City |
| Deadwood Dick | James W. Horne | Don Douglas, Lorna Gray, Harry Harvey, Marin Sais | Western | 15-episode serial |
| The Green Archer | James W. Horne | Victor Jory, Iris Meredith | Serial | Columbia |
| The Green Hornet | Ford Beebe, Ray Taylor | Gordon Jones, Wade Boteler, Anne Nagel | Adventure Serial | Universal |
| Junior G-Men | Lewis D. Collins, Ray Taylor | Dead End Kids | Serial | Universal |
| King of the Royal Mounted | William Witney, John English | Allan Lane | Adventure Serial | Republic |
| The Lone Ranger | William Witney, John English | Lee Powell, Chief Thundercloud, Stanley Andrews | Western | Compilation of the 1938 serial |
| Mysterious Doctor Satan | William Witney, John English | Eduardo Ciannelli | Serial | Republic |
| Terry and the Pirates | James W. Horne | William Tracy, Sheila Darcy | Serial | Columbia; based on comic strip |
| Winners of the West | Ford Beebe, Ray Taylor | Dick Foran, Anne Nagel | Western serial | Universal |

## Shorts

| Title | Director | Cast | Genre | Notes |
| Americaner Shadchen | Edgar G. Ulmer | Leo Fuchs, Judith Abarbanel, Judel Dubinsky | Romance, Comedy | Independent; in Yiddish and English |
| Elmer's Candid Camera | Chuck Jones | Mel Blanc, Arthur Q. Bryan | Animated | |
| Eyes of the Navy | | Charles B. Middleton | Short Documentary | Nominated for Academy Award |
| From Nurse to Worse | Jules White | The Three Stooges | Comedy Short | |
| Hired! | H.J. Handy (producer) | | Short | Chevrolet promotion |
| How High Is Up? | Del Lord | The Three Stooges | Comedy Short | |
| Knock Knock | Walter Lantz (producer) | | Animated Short | |
| The Milky Way | Rudolf Ising | Bernice Hansen | Animated Short | Won Academy Award |
| Mr. Duck Steps Out | Jack King | | Animated Short | |
| No Census, No Feeling | Del Lord | The Three Stooges | Comedy Short | |
| Nutty But Nice | Jules White | The Three Stooges | Comedy Short | |
| Of Fox and Hounds | Tex Avery | Willoughby | Animated Short | |
| Patient Porky | Bob Clampett | Porky Pig | Animated Short | |
| Puss Gets the Boot | Hanna-Barbera Rudolf Ising | Lillian Randolph | Animated Short | Nominated for Academy Award |
| Quicker'n a Wink | George Sidney | Harold E. Edgerton | Short Documentary | Won Academy Award |
| Rockin' Thru the Rockies | Jules White | The Three Stooges | Comedy Short | |