James Mason Movies-Best to Worst-With Box Office Results/Grosses
80James Mason in 1954's A Star Is Born....Mason was nominated for an Oscar® for the role and won a Golden Globe® for the role.
James Mason(1909-1984) was an English actor who appeared in movies for over 50 years. His first appearance was in 1935's Late Extra and his last appearance was 1985's The Assisi Underground. James Mason appeared in many British quota quickie movies from 1935 to 1948. After appearing in over 25 of these low budget films, Mason started getting noticed for the movies The Wicked Lady, Odd Man Out and The Seventh Veil. The success of those movies got the attention of Hollywood. In 1949 James Mason appeared in his first American film, Caught. Once his Hollywood career got started, he appeared in many classic movies like 1953's Julius Caesar, 1954's A Star Is Born, 1954's 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea and 1959's North by Northwest. For a great hub on James Mason's North by Northwest check out this hub....Steve Lensman's North by Northwest Illustrated Reference. Highlights for Mason in the 1960s were 1962's Lolita and 1966's Georgy Girl. As he neared the end of his career he scored two more major hits in 1978's Heaven Can Wait and 1982's The Verdict. James Mason and his very distinguished voice earned 3 Oscar® nominations for acting over his career.
This hub will look at James Mason's movie career from 1945-1985. There will be three tables of information....Mason's Top Ten box office hits, Mason's Top Ten critic and audience movies and Mason's 73 North American released movies ranked by Movie Score.
James Mason and Paul Newman in 1982's The Verdict...Mason's 5th biggest box office hit with 158.20 million in 2011 adjusted dollars.
James Mason's Top Ten Box Office Movies in 2011 Inflated Dollars.
Rank Movie Year
| 2011 Inflated Box Office (mil)
| Co-Stars
|
|---|---|---|
#1 20000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
| 428.50 million
| Kirk Douglas
|
#2 Heaven Can Wait (1978)
| 277.50 million
| Warren Beatty/Julie Christie
|
#3 A Star Is Born (1954)
| 232.10 million
| Judy Garland
|
#4 North by Northwest (1959)
| 195.60 million
| Cary Grant
|
#5 The Verdict (1982)
| 158.20 million
| Paul Newman
|
#6 Island in the Sun (1957)
| 155.80 million
| Joan Fontaine
|
#7 Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)
| 139.10 million
| Pat Boone
|
#8 Georgy Girl (1966)
| 120.80 million
| Alan Bates/Lynn Redgrave
|
#9 The Blue Max (1966)
| 116.10 million
| George Peppard
|
#10 Lolita (1962)
| 104.90 million
| Peter Sellers
|
Cary Grant and James Mason in 1959's North by Northwest....ranked as Mason's number one movie according to critics and audiences.
James Mason's Top Ten Movies based on critics and audience voting.
Rank Movie Year
| Critics Audience Rating
| Co-Stars
|
|---|---|---|
#1 North by Northwest (1959)
| 93%
| Cary Grant
|
#2 Lolita (1962)
| 88%
| Directed by Stanley Kubrick
|
#3 The Verdict (1982)
| 87%
| Paul Newman
|
#4 5 Fingers (1952)
| 86%
| Danielle Darrieux
|
#5 Odd Man Out (1947)
| 86%
| Robert Newton
|
#6 Bigger Than Life (1956)
| 84%
| Walter Matthau
|
#7 A Star Is Born (1954)
| 84%
| Judy Garland
|
#8 20000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
| 82%
| Kirk Douglas
|
#9 Julius Caesar (1953)
| 82%
| Marlon Brando
|
#10 The Last of Sheila (1973)
| 82%
| James Coburn
|
James Mason has an incredible 153 acting credits on IMDB. So how did I pick only 73 movies for the following Movie Score table? First of all I do not include television appearances on the hubs. Mason has 37 television credits. Secondly, I only included 3 movies he made in England during the quota quickie era. The 3 movies that were selected came from the only England movie expert I know, Steve Lensman. So if another classic film is missing during this time frame...it is his fault not mine....lol. James Mason had 27 quota quickie movies that did not make the list. And finally I did not include any movies that were cameos, uncredited or were never released in North America. James Mason had 16 screen credits that match that criteria. That leaves us with 73 movies to rank.
James Mason, Warren Beatty and Buck Henry in 1978's Heaven Can Wait....Mason's 3rd highest rated movie according to Movie Score.
James Mason's 73 Movies ranked by Movie Score. Movie Score is box office results + critical reception + award recognition. Perfect score would be 100.
Rank
| Movie Year
| 2011 Inflated Box Office (Millions)
| Cogerson Movie Score
| Critics Audience Rating
| Oscar®Noms / Oscar® Wins
| Variety Box Office Rank for Year
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st
| A Star Is Born (1954)
| 232.10
| 82.90
| 84%
| 06 / 00
| 9th ranked movie of 1955
|
2nd
| The Verdict (1982)
| 158.20
| 75.98
| 87%
| 05 / 00
| 11th ranked movie of 1982
|
3rd
| Heaven Can Wait (1978)
| 277.50
| 74.62
| 78%
| 09 / 01
| 5th ranked movie of 1978
|
4th
| North by Northwest (1959)
| 195.60
| 73.47
| 93%
| 03 / 00
| 8th ranked movie of 1959
|
5th
| 20000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
| 428.50
| 72.50
| 82%
| 03 / 02
| 4th ranked movie of 1955
|
6th
| Georgy Girl (1966)
| 120.80
| 61.12
| 80%
| 04 / 00
| 7th ranked movie of 1967
|
7th
| Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)
| 139.10
| 56.40
| 77%
| 03 / 00
| 14th ranked movie of 1960
|
8th
| Lolita (1962)
| 104.90
| 54.08
| 88%
| 01 / 00
| 16th ranked movie of 1962
|
9th
| Julius Caesar (1953)
| 81.90
| 51.33
| 82%
| 05 / 01
| 24th ranked movie of 1953
|
10th
| Island in the Sun (1957)
| 155.80
| 49.87
| 54%
| 00 / 00
| 9th ranked movie of 1957
|
Rank
| Movie Year
| 2011 Inflated Box Office (Millions)
| Cogerson Movie Score
| Critics Audience Rating
| Oscar®Noms / Oscar® Wins
| Variety Box Office Rank for Year
|
11th
| The Seventh Veil (1946)
| 100.20
| 47.54
| 74%
| 01 / 01
| 58th ranked movie of 1946
|
12th
| The Blue Max (1966)
| 116.10
| 46.84
| 68%
| 00 / 00
| 14th ranked movie of 1966
|
13th
| The Wicked Lady (1945)
| 97.80
| 44.58
| 72%
| 00 / 00
| Not in the Top 73 of 1947
|
14th
| Odd Man Out (1947)
| 66.00
| 43.72
| 86%
| 01 / 00
| Not in the Top 73 of 1947
|
15th
| The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel (1951)
| 84.30
| 41.52
| 71%
| 00 / 00
| 25th ranked movie of 1951
|
16th
| Madame Bovary (1949)
| 81.10
| 41.13
| 70%
| 01 / 00
| 49th ranked movie of 1949
|
17th
| The Boys from Brazil (1978)
| 76.30
| 40.73
| 68%
| 03 / 00
| 39th ranked movie of 1978
|
18th
| 5 Fingers (1952)
| 42.90
| 39.70
| 86%
| 02 / 00
| 86th ranked movie of 1952
|
19th
| Forever Darling (1956)
| 82.70
| 39.45
| 66%
| 00 / 00
| 30th ranked movie of 1956
|
20th
| Caught (1949)
| 50.90
| 38.52
| 81%
| 00 / 00
| Not in the Top 92 of 1949
|
Rank
| Movie Year
| 2011 Inflated Box Office (Millions)
| Cogerson Movie Score
| Critics Audience Rating
| Oscar®Noms / Oscar® Wins
| Variety Box Office Rank for Year
|
21st
| Prince Valiant (1954)
| 98.60
| 36.51
| 48%
| 00 / 00
| 36th ranked movie of 1954
|
22nd
| The Prisoner of Zenda (1952)
| 66.80
| 36.45
| 66%
| 00 / 00
| 49th ranked movie of 1953
|
23rd
| Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951)
| 43.70
| 35.86
| 78%
| 00 / 00
| 95th ranked movie of 1952
|
24th
| East Side West Side (1949)
| 61.20
| 35.52
| 67%
| 00 / 00
| 76th ranked movie of 1950
|
25th
| Bigger Than Life (1956)
| 30.20
| 35.25
| 84%
| 00 / 00
| Not in the Top 106 of 1956
|
26th
| Lord Jim (1965)
| 66.80
| 34.70
| 61%
| 00 / 00
| 31st ranked movie of 1965
|
27th
| The Man Between (1953)
| 43.70
| 34.29
| 73%
| 00 / 00
| Not in the Top 57 of 1954
|
28th
| The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964)
| 35.00
| 34.02
| 76%
| 01 / 00
| 40th ranked movie of 1964
|
29th
| The Last of Sheila (1973)
| 21.50
| 33.00
| 82%
| 00 / 00
| 61st ranked movie of 1973
|
30th
| The Desert Rats (1953)
| 29.40
| 32.20
| 74%
| 01 / 00
| Not in Top 135 of 1953
|
Rank
| Movie Year
| 2011 Inflated Box Office (Millions)
| Cogerson Movie Score
| Critics Audience Rating
| Oscar®Noms / Oscar® Wins
| Variety Box Office Rank for Year
|
31st
| Murder by Decree (1979)
| 21.50
| 31.77
| 79%
| 00 / 00
| 71st ranked movie of 1979
|
32nd
| Mandingo (1975)
| 73.10
| 31.59
| 49%
| 00 / 00
| 17th ranked movie of 1975
|
33rd
| One Way Street (1950)
| 47.70
| 31.06
| 62%
| 00 / 00
| Not in Top 95 of 1950
|
34th
| Voyage of the Damned (1976)
| 14.30
| 30.73
| 75%
| 03 / 00
| 100th ranked movie of 1977
|
35th
| Evil Under the Sun (1982)
| 16.70
| 29.76
| 76%
| 00 / 00
| 86th ranked movie of 1982
|
36th
| Cross of Iron (1977)
| 11.90
| 29.50
| 78%
| 00 / 00
| 104th ranked movie of 1977
|
37th
| The Reckless Moment (1949)
| 45.30
| 29.18
| 58%
| 00 / 00
| Not in Top 95 of 1950
|
38th
| The Pumpkin Eater (1964)
| 18.30
| 29.11
| 71%
| 01 / 00
| 75th ranked movie of 1965
|
39th
| The Marriage-Go-Round (1961)
| 28.60
| 27.42
| 62%
| 00 / 00
| 68th ranked movie of 1961
|
40th
| The Decks Ran Red (1958)
| 23.80
| 27.15
| 64%
| 00 / 00
| Not in Top 82 of 1959
|
Rank
| Movie Year
| 2011 Inflated Box Office (Millions)
| Cogerson Movie Score
| Critics Audience Rating
| Oscar®Noms / Oscar® Wins
| Variety Box Office Rank for Year
|
41st
| Lady Possessed (1952)
| 22.30
| 26.34
| 63%
| 00 / 00
| Not in Top 119 of 1952
|
42nd
| Face to Face (1952)
| 25.40
| 26.25
| 61%
| 00 / 00
| Not in Top 135 of 1953
|
43rd
| 11 Harrowhouse (1974)
| 9.50
| 26.21
| 70%
| 00 / 00
| Not in Top 98 of 1974
|
44th
| Genghis Khan (1965)
| 31.00
| 25.79
| 56%
| 00 / 00
| 60th ranked movie of 1965
|
45th
| Torpedo Bay (1963)
| 14.30
| 25.07
| 64%
| 00 / 00
| Not in Top 75 of 1964
|
46th
| Botany Bay (1953)
| 19.10
| 24.81
| 60%
| 00 / 00
| Not in Top 57 of 1954
|
47th
| Inside Out (1975)
| 8.00
| 24.52
| 66%
| 00 / 00
| Not in Top 124 of 1975
|
48th
| The Sea Gull (1968)
| 8.70
| 24.48
| 65%
| 00 / 00
| Not in Top 89 of 1969
|
49th
| The Deadly Affair (1966)
| 10.30
| 24.45
| 64%
| 00 / 00
| Not in Top 82 of 1967
|
50th
| Cop-Out (1967)
| 7.20
| 24.02
| 65%
| 00 / 00
| Not in Top 90 of 1968
|
Rank
| Movie Year
| 2011 Inflated Box Office (Millions)
| Cogerson Movie Score
| Critics Audience Rating
| Oscar®Noms / Oscar® Wins
| Variety Box Office Rank for Year
|
51st
| The Mackintosh Man (1973)
| 15.10
| 23.84
| 60%
| 00 / 00
| 80th ranked movie of 1973
|
52nd
| Ffolkes (1980)
| 9.50
| 23.77
| 63%
| 00 / 00
| 84th ranked movie of 1980
|
53rd
| The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1960)
| 16.70
| 23.63
| 58%
| 00 / 00
| Not in Top 80 of 1960
|
54th
| Cry Terror! (1958)
| 17.50
| 23.62
| 58%
| 00 / 00
| Not in Top 82 of 1959
|
55th
| The Uninhibited (1965)
| 6.40
| 23.50
| 64%
| 00 / 00
| Not in Top 90 of 1968
|
56th
| The Passage (1979)
| 8.00
| 23.47
| 63%
| 00 / 00
| 89th ranked movie of 1979
|
57th
| Age of Consent (1969)
| 11.10
| 23.38
| 61%
| 00 / 00
| Not in Top 89 of 1969
|
58th
| The Shooting Party (1985)
| 2.40
| 23.05
| 65%
| 00 / 00
| Not in Top 110 of 1985
|
59th
| Child's Play (1972)
| 8.70
| 22.73
| 60%
| 00 / 00
| Not in Top 111 of 1973
|
60th
| The Story of Three Loves (1953)
| 20.70
| 22.40
| 51%
| 01 / 00
| Not in Top 135 of 1953
|
Rank
| Movie Year
| 2011 Inflated Box Office (Millions)
| Cogerson Movie Score
| Critics Audience Rating
| Oscar®Noms / Oscar® Wins
| Variety Box Office Rank for Year
|
61st
| Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! (1971)
| 7.20
| 20.69
| 55%
| 00 / 00
| Not in Top 98 of 1974
|
62nd
| Bloodline (1979)
| 37.40
| 20.07
| 36%
| 00 / 00
| 55th ranked movie of 1979
|
63rd
| The Assissi Underground (1985)
| 0.80
| 19.76
| 56%
| 00 / 00
| Not in Top 110 of 1985
|
64th
| Mayerling (1968)
| 11.90
| 19.70
| 50%
| 00 / 00
| Not in Top 89 of 1969
|
65th
| Hunt the Man Down (1971)
| 5.60
| 19.67
| 53%
| 00 / 00
| Not in Top 98 of 1974
|
66th
| Charade (1953)
| 8.70
| 18.88
| 49%
| 00 / 00
| Not in Top 135 of 1953
|
67th
| A Touch of Larceny (1959)
| 15.90
| 18.39
| 44%
| 00 / 00
| Not in Top 80 of 1960
|
68th
| Hero's Island (1962)
| 16.70
| 18.38
| 43%
| 00 / 00
| Not in Top 72 of 1962
|
69th
| Tiara Tahiti (1962)
| 15.10
| 18.23
| 44%
| 00 / 00
| Not in Top 75 of 1964
|
70th
| Duffy (1968)
| 13.50
| 17.75
| 43%
| 00 / 00
| Not in Top 90 of 1968
|
Rank
| Movie Year
| 2011 Inflated Box Office (Millions)
| Cogerson Movie Score
| Critics Audience Rating
| Oscar®Noms / Oscar® Wins
| Variety Box Office Rank for Year
|
71st
| Cold Sweat (1970)
| 10.30
| 17.28
| 44%
| 00 / 00
| Not in Top 98 of 1974
|
72nd
| Autobiography of a Princess (1975)
| 4.00
| 16.54
| 45%
| 00 / 00
| Not in Top 124 of 1975
|
73rd
| Yellowbeard (1983)
| 11.10
| 16.03
| 40%
| 00 / 00
| 101st ranked movie of 1983
|
Possibly Interesting Facts About James Mason.
1. James Mason had no formal acting training. He can thank the quota quickie era for getting his start in movies. This is the 3rd or 4th time I have mentioned the quota quickie era. So what is the quota quickie era?
2. The quota quickie era was a ten year Act in England that required English theaters to show a percentage of movies made in England. This need to have English made films helped create many English production companies that could generate many movies in a very short time on a low budget.
3. James Mason was nominated for 3 acting Oscars®. His three nominations were for 1954's A Star Is Born, 1966's Georgy Girl, and 1982's The Verdict. James Mason also was nominated for 3 Golden Globes®. He won one Golden Globe® for A Star Is Born.
4. Here is one for you Flora....James Mason was a huge cat lover all of his life. In 1949 James Mason and his wife Pamela wrote the book, The Cats in Our Lives. His first cat's name was Top Boy.
5. James Mason was married twice in his life. His first marriage was to Pamela Ostrer, from 1941 to 1964. They had two children, a son named Morgan and a daughter named Portland. His second marriage was to Clarissa Kaye from 1971 to his death in 1984.
6. James Mason was the father-in-law to Belinda Carlisle who is lead singer in the rock group The Go-Gos.
7. Roles James Mason either turned down or was seriously considered for:....The African Queen, Whose Afraid of Virginia Wolfe, The Paper Chase, The Bridge on the River Kwai and Doctor Zhivago.
8. James Mason was not the first choice for 1954's A Star Is Born, which is probably his greatest performance. Mason got the part after Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, James Stewart, Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift all passed on the part.
9. James Mason was almost involved in three James Bond projects. (1 )He was hired to play James Bond in a television version of From Russia With Love in 1958, but the it was never produced. (2) He was one of the many contenders to play Bond in Dr. No, but Sean Connery got the part. And (3) He was offered the role of Hugo Drax in 1979's Moonraker but he turned down the part....too bad because I think he would have made a great Bond villian.
10. James Mason is the 73rd actor/actress to receive a Cogerson career review hub page. My Greatest Actors/Actress Table has two separate tables....the first table ranks the 73 actors using all of their movies. James Mason comes in at #63 on that table one spot ahead of #64 Hugh Grant. The second table only looks at the actor's Top Ten Movie Score Movies. On that table James Mason comes in at #36....just behind #35 John Travolta.
Interested any more movie hubs? Then check out my INDEX of over 100 movie hubs.
Academy Award® and Oscar® are the registered trademarks of the Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences.
Golden Globes® are the registered trademark and service mark of the Hollywood Foreign Press.
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CommentsLoading...
A great hub on a great actor. Excellent work Mr. Cogerson!
Packed with facts and figures, didn't know he loved cats so much, I do too!
I think he would have made a splendid Bond villain in Moonraker.
He was superb in A Star is Born which is no.1 on your moviescore, I still haven't seen The Verdict. North by Northwest at no.4 but it's no.1 on your critics chart, nice.
Loved 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, watch it every Xmas, good to see topping one of the charts.
So lets see, I've seen just... 24 of the 73 films you've listed. I expected more. Saw 7 from the box office chart and 5 from the critics chart.
The Boys from Brazil is a guilty favourite and Salem's Lot one of my fave Stephen King adaptations um [bites fist] I can't see it on any of the charts... Cogerson!! I'm kidding it was made for TV. :)
Oh yes, Journey to the Center of the Earth is another fave from my childhood. Bought the DVD. I'd love to see that and Leagues released on Blu-ray.
Well, well what were the odds that we'd both be publishing a James Mason hub on the same day eh? :)
Voted Up Useful and Interesting!
Hey Mentalist acer...thanks for stopping by...yep his role in Heaven Can Wait is one of my favorites as well. And I remember the days of watching a VHS tape over and over until the tape would show lots of wear and tear and fuzzy snow on parts that got watched too many times. Thanks for the comments.
Hey Steve...your requested James Mason hub is now done...it only took a few months since your request...but better late than never. I have only seen 8 of his movies....9 counting one of the ones that never got released in North America
That one is called The Destructors...it is a horrible movie but it starred Mason, Michael Caine and Anthony Quinn...but it was so bad it never got released on this side of the water.
Journey to the Center of the Earth and 20,000 leagues are also favorites of mine...as well as the little seen The Last of Sheila from 1973...which is a forgotten gem of a movie and Mason is excellent in the movie.
When you publish your Mason movie hub I will be sure to link it to this hub. Thanks for the votes up and as always thanks for visiting my hubs.
Another winning hub, I appreciate you and your movie knowledge. Your hubs seem to be one of the best movie hubs out there on actors. Keep up the fabolous work. Voted all the way up.
James Mason....hmmm, should I be embarrassed to admit I forgot him entirely? I am aware he's one of the greats, but apparently he did not squirm his way into my heart. In fact, the 2 movies that jumped out at me, "The Last of Shelia," & "The Verdict," both of which I thoroughly enjoyed.....I was drawn to, by his co-stars, Paul & James...After reading this fabulous hub and realizing his outstanding career...I'm hanging my head in shame, Cogerson. Thanks buddy...you sure know how to make an old lady wonder, "WHAT WAS I THINKING??!!" lol
Great actor. He's got one of the most distinctive voices I've ever heard. I think my favorite film of his was "Lolita".
"A star is born", "the Verdict" and "Lolita" were, in my view, his best performances. I've always liked "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" even though its not a great film. Mason made a very authoritative Nemo.
Another excellent entry in your actor's hub series. Keep 'em coming.
Rob
I'm hanging my head in shame right next to fpherj. Might be because he likes cats, I'm not a fan of those...more of a dog person. I agree with mentalist with the impressive career! Another outstanding hub cogerson! Looking forward to the next whenever you get there. No rush. Does it seem like I'm rushing you? Seriously I'm not! :))
I have some work I need to get done before I properly comment on this hub and which I've seen and prefer , but I wanted to check in. Like Steve, I am a big fan of James Mason. I find that even when a movie he makes isn't a good one, his performance is solid. (Such as the quickie movies you mention-not his fault the movies aren't gems.) I can't remember the name of the actress, but one artist said that she could listen to Mason recite names out of the phone book. I must agree. His voice is dynamite. Right now, I will only talk about your interesting facts.
Canada had the same act under her being part of England. It was the only way to ensure that Canada saw Canadian films.
I've seen all of his nominated films. They are all films I have seen multiple times.
I knew he was a cat lover, but I did NOT know about the book. I must find it!
Morgan Mason appears in his wife's music video for Heaven Is a Place on Earth.
None of the actors wanted to act opposite Garland. They knew that she would be the star and take over the project. Yet, Mason was moving. I cried for him. I did not cry for March in the original, and I usually prefer the original. Not here.
Now here is a fact for you. James and Pamela owned the home that was once owned by Buster Keaton. By that time Keaton was forgotten. They decided to renovate their home and found a boarded up/plastered over closet-with the original reels of The General. Keaton was so unfamous by then that Mason actually found his phone number in the phone book. The General was re-released and Keaton died famous and rich-as he should.
So ends this longer than I intended comment. Will be back later.
Hey YankeesRule...thanks for such a great compliment....glad to know these hubs are being used as a reference....thanks for stopping by.
Hey fpherj48...it is ok....I have only seen 9 of his movies myself so my head is hung in shame too....lol....I am wondering why I never got around to watching his best film A Star Is Born. I am glad to see that you liked The Last of Sheila as much as I do...the first time I saw that mystery it blew me away. As for The Verdict....I had wish that Newman and Mason would win Oscars for their roles....that way Newman would have won for a great movie rather than Color of Money and Mason would have gotten an Oscar. Thanks for checking out my latest hub...your comments are greatly appreciated.
Hey Rob..well your top 3 Mason movies are all considered classics....every time I write a hub I end up with one or two movies that I feel I have to see....for Mason it is easily A Star Is Born. When I was writing this hub I was thinking it was a shame he is still not around during this era of computer animated movies...his voice would be a much sought out commodity. As for Lolita, his performance is awesome but Peter Sellers got the Oscar love...rather than Mason...thanks as always for checking out my hubs.
Hey Sunshine625....thanks for checking out my latest classic actor. It is ok to hang your head in shame....I am also joining you and Fpherj48 doing that. Thanks for the compliment and the comment. I do not think you are rushing me....I am actually working on a non-movie hub next...imagine that...a non-movie from me...it does not happen to often.
Hey Flora...first of all thanks for checking in....and thanks for commenting on my interesting hubs....I did not realize that Canada had the same act but as you mentioned before Canada was not yet an independent country back then. So are there lots of Canadian quickie quota movies out there?
I agree about his voice....one of the best ever in the movie business. The book he wrote was published in 1949, so I imagine it might be pretty hard to find...Mason also drew the artwork that is in the book.
I actually read the fact about Mason buying Buster Keaton's old mansion and finding the missing reels....talk about finding a treasure....I look forward to your comments about his movies.
Nice hub, I only saw he when he was older, so your hub is filling in the blanks of his early career, wow he was a very busy man. I think I watched Last of Sheila when I was younger but I do not remember well but I really liked The Verdict as well as Heaven Can Wait. Thanks for another winning hub.
Hey Cogerson, I found a 2004 news report on the top 10 most successful films in the UK adjusted for inflation and it's surprising to see two old 1940's James Mason films rubbing shoulders with Titanic and Star Wars. Here's the link -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4051741.s
And thanks for posting a link to my new Hitchcock hub! :)
Cogerson you have provided yet another great hub on one of our favorite Hollywood stars. James Mason, as Flora said, always put in a stellar performance regardless of the rest of the movies appeal. And the voice is recognizable by all movie fans.
Flora I think I have you to point at for me whistling the Alfred Hitchcock television show intro these days - that's your laugh of the day.
Steve: I will be over to see your North By Northwest hub tonight. It is second only to Rear Window in my list of favourite Hitch films and various other stuff you probably already know.
mckbirdbks-I love that music. Ironically, the music was not written for the show. They took an existing composition.
Thanks KellyE, I think I am in the same boat as you, I am more familiar with his work as an older supporting actor than I his work as a leading man of the 1950s and 1940s. Last of Sheila was based on a game that Anthony Perkins played with his friends in real life. It is worth another viewing...especially if you do not know the ending. Thanks for the comments and the compliments.
Hey Steve...thanks for the link...yep good old James has #9 and #10 on that list. Thanks for letting me know that those two movies needed to be on the hub. You gotta love the internet...it seems almost every piece of information you want can be found on the internet.
Hey Mckbirdbks. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a very comment. I agree James Mason made his movies better, you know somebody was a star when you can hear his voice in your head when you think about him.
Hey Flora, Steve's new hub is a good one...with some awesome photos. Strange that we both published a James Mason hub on the same day.
Regarding that top ten list that Steve linked: I have seen many of these. It is easier to say what I have *not seen*: I have not seen Stars Wars and I have not seen Titanic. There is no reason why I haven't seen Stars wars, but I remember deliberately avoiding Titanic-a lot of my close group of friends did too. Our way of being independent in not seeing a blockbuster that everyone had seen. (We liked being misfits.)
Now...I've done for the day and finally (after 6:30pm) I feel I can take as long as I want to read instead of quickly answering comments on my hubs. As soon as I am finished I will go straight to Steve's hub from this one. I LOVE North By Northwest.
I will discuss the top ten lists first. Keep in mind that the overall percentage of films will be off because I've seen more of the British films than just three, although not a large number of them. And yes, those three films are vital that you include. I think it is possible that I may end up with a higher percentage than I really have seen if you were to count his entire movie career (Canada gets a lot of British films even when US does not.) As for his overall big screen performance, not just these films on this hub, it is not quite a third of his career that I've seen
Top ten box Office:
I have seen 9 of these. The only one I haven't seen is Island in the Sun.
Top ten critics scores:
I have seen 8 of these. I have not seen Bigger Than Life or The Last of Sheila.
Top Ten Movie Score list:
I have seen nine of these (missing #10 as I've already stated).
I will discuss the Movie Score list in a separate post as this is already long.
p.s. yes, there area lot of quickie Canadian movies that were made. I don't know if they have been preserved though.
First of all" A reminder that Charade from 1953 is completely different from the Cary Grant film. I remember being confused the first time I had heard of it as "hmm. I don't remember him in it.)
My comments on the overall Movie Score list.
I have already stated that I'm at 90% for the top ten.
Top 20: I have seen 16 or 80% (note: TCM aired Caught not too long ago, but it didn't own the rights to air it in Canada so I missed it.) From here I start to fall noticeably.
Top 30: I have seen 20 or 67%
Top 40: I have seen 25 or 63%.
I have seen only one between 41 and 50, so I will go straight to the final tally:
I have seen 27 of 73 films which is 37% of his films and far higher than the 31% of his overall big screen career that I've seen if you included every big screen film he ever made.
I note that Steve has seen 24. I wonder: Steve, how many of his British films have you seen besides the three that are included here? I have seen Fire Over England, for example.
My favourite film of his overall is North By northwest, but he is not the first-listed leading man. My favourite film where he is the first-listed leading man is A Star Is Born.
Lolita is fabulous and it is one of my favourite performances of his, but Sellers keeps it out of my favourites. And as much as I admire The Verdict and have seen it several times, constantly hearing Newman swear keeps it out of my favourites too. I watch it on tv, but I am not interested in owning a copy.
I try to avoid The Boys From Brazil's last 20 minutes or so as I'm not interested in seeing Dogs attack or the fact that the list of little Hitlers remains secret. I rarely watch it at all.
Oh and I have seen him in Christie's Evil Under the sun, but it is not the best of the films with Ustinov.
Here are my *other* favourites (besides NByNW and ASIB) in alphabetical order. They are heavy in the suspense/drama side with a couple noticeable exceptions:
5 Fingers
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
The Blue Max
The Desert Fox
Georgy Girl
Heaven Can Wait
Julius Ceasar
Murder By Decree
Odd Man Out
The Veiled Lady
Hey Flora...well Star Wars is a classic and Sir Alec Guinness in the 1977 original is pretty good...he even got an Oscar nomination for the role.
You need to watch The Last of Sheila it has always reminded me of an Agatha Christie movie...as it is a murder mystery and the clues are right there out in the open...and you can figure out who the killer really is...and Mason is outstanding in the role. I had not heard of Bigger Than Life..but this is the movie he made after the success of A Star Is Born....which is scoring high on the critic chart but did not make much money and pretty much sent him to a career of supporting roles.
As for your Top Ten totals....they easily beat mine...as I have only seen 4 of his Top Ten box office hits, 4 of his Top Ten critic/audience movies and 4 of the Top Ten Movie Score movies. I am sure over the next few months I will so more James Mason movies....which is what seems to happen when I write a hub on somebody...when I did the Barbara Stanwyck hub and had seen 2 of her movies now I am almost up to 7...as I am currently watching The Furies.
Hey Flora...well in the movie tally, I am once again in last place as you and Steve easily beat my totals...27 to 24 to 9. Of the favorites you listed I have only seen 3 of those movies. The two movies that are now on my "to watch" list are A Star Is Born and Five Fingers. I had never heard of Five Fingers but after reading about Five Fingers it seems like a very interesting movie...and Mason got great reviews for the movie.
I am not surprised at all that Murder by Decree made the list...as James Mason as Dr. Watson was a perfect match....as well as Christopher Plummer as Sherlock Holmes. Probably the third James Mason movie I will be trying to track down will be his 2nd Oscar nominated performance in Georgy Girl.
Not sure where the rest of the comment went...but I will try to redo it....I was talking about North by Northwest....North by Northwest is one of my favorite movies of all time...Cary Grant is awesome, Hitchcock is at his finest and Mason is perfect as the vain villian. And finally I just want to thank you for taking the time to really go through these hubs and coming up with some great comments..they are greatly appreciated.
Flora, Fire Over England is the only film James Mason appeared in that Cogerson hasn't listed and I've seen. I didn't recommend it to Bruce because Mason had a small part in the film and he's low in the cast list. Flora Robison plays... sorry Flora Robson plays Queen Elizabeth I in this and she reprised the role in the Errol Flynn classic The Sea Hawk (one of my favourite swashbucklers) Laurence Oliver, Vivien Leigh and Raymond Massey also starred.
Cogerson, I saw Georgy Girl ages ago and would like to see it again, your James Mason hub has me interested in seeing a whole bunch of films again and for the first time. Job well done sir.
Hey Steve thanks for the information on Fire Over England...in my haste to eliminate all the English quota quickie movies I did not even see this movie on his IMDB credits. But it is the only one of his movies during that time frame that I had heard of before I wrote this hub.
I am sure I will see Georgy Girl in the next month or two...so I know what you mean about how these hubs generate interest in seeing movies either again or for the first time.
Wow, that was interesting about James Mason. I thought he had a great distinctive voice and thought that he did a great job in A Star Is Born and also The Verdict. I have seen quite a few of his movies and enjoyed them. Lolita was ahead of its time and thought he played a disgusting old man in that one. GOOD ACTING THOUGH. THANKS FOR THE HUB COGERSON. 11 HARROWHOUSE WAS A GOOD HEIST JOB AND WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT AGAIN. I WILL HAVE TO KEEP MY EYE OUT FOR THAT WHEN THERE ARE OLDER FILMS ON TV.
Thanks for stopping by BERN1960....I have yet to see A Star is Born...but I did enjoy The Verdict and Lolita....and yes he did play a disgusting old man taking advantage of a young girl...but it is based on a very famous novel. Thanks for mentioning 11 Harrowhouse...I well keep an eye out for that one as well.
And Lolita was even younger in the book, 12! She's 14 in Kubrick's film. I think Sue Lyon was 14 or 15 when she played Lolita?
Cogerson - super interesting because I do not know a lot about him. I loved your commentary too., so much to know and I have only seen 2 of his movies. I saw Lolita and 20,000 Leagues. I didn't even recognize his name but I did recognize the face!
I will have to check out more of his work seeing he's gotten great reviews. Thanks excellent!
Yes, Sue lyon was 14. It's difficult to not feel sympathy for Humbert Humbert because of Mason's performance. Sellers's character really tortures his mind.
Thanks for the information on Lolita....Steve Lensman and Flora Robison....I have not seen the movie in many years and I have never read the book.
Thanks for stopping by RealHousewife....the last part of his life he was a awesome supporting actor his prime leading actor days were years before we were born....he is most famous for his unbelievable voice. I appreciate the compliments and the comments.
A few days ago I saw Pandora and the Flying Dutchman for the first time starring James and Ava Gardner in the title roles. It has been recently restored, including some footage which had been lost/cut since it aired in theatres. I am glad I didn't see it until after it was restored. What a commanding presence he was. I couldn't take my eyes off him, even when he wasn't the person talking.
Hey Flora...that is cool that you saw Pandora and the Flying Dutchman....and even cooler that it has been restored...looking at its box office it is surprising that almost 60 years later it received that attention. I will have to check out the movie...as it is in his Top 25 according to Movie Score. Thanks for the update on your James Mason movie tally. I think since I wrote this hub I have seen only one new Mason movie and that was The Desert Fox. I still highly recommend The Last of Sheila....I think if you watch it, it will become one of your favorite Mason movies.
Mr. James Mason named hid daughter, Portland, after his neighbor, Mrs. Portland Allen, wife of the fabulous and fantastic comedian, Fred Allan.The Masons were not only the Allen's neighbors, but also guests on "Mr. Allen's" radio program.
Mentalist acer Level 6 Commenter 6 months ago
Impressive career and filmography Cogerson! I Loved Mason In Heaven Can Wait watching his scene stealing performance on VHS over 100 times