97 Henry Fonda Movies & TV Shows, Ranked Best to Worst

Based on the 1954 teleplay by Reginald Rose, this courtroom drama has a young Puerto Rican boy on trial for stabbing and killing his father. The verdict simply seems to be ‘guilty’; however, when one of the twelve jury demands proper discussion before a decision is reached, the jurors are forced to notice their own backgrounds, personalities, values and prejudices.

Jill McBain becomes the owner of a prime railroad land after her new husband and his children are assassinated by gunman Frank who works for the crippled railroad baron Morton. To protect Jill from Frank, a fugitive Cheyenne and a cryptic Harmonica unite. However, Harmonica also has a personal score to settle with Frank.

During the Great Depression of 1930s, the Joad family of Oklahoma loses their draught-ridden farm to bank-seizure. As they migrate to West with truckload of belongings, they endure hardships along the way, and realize that they are not the only ones in such situation. After reaching California, they discover that the advertised ‘land of opportunity’ is after-all not the dreamland they imagined. 

After arriving in a small Western town, two cowboys learn that a local rancher has been murdered and his cattle were stolen. Along with some of the townspeople, they decide to set out on a mission to catch the perpetrators. Eventually, they find three men in possession of the cattle.

Fail Safe is a drama thriller film which revolves around the American Air Force, where due to electronic malfunctioning, an incorrect message is sent to their pilots, and they launch an attack on Russian. Now, an all-out war seems inevitable.

The Longest Day is a epic war film, which revolves around the events of the famous D-day, told from both the perspectives of the Allied Forces as well as the Germans. 

While on a cattle-drive, the Earp brothers leave youngest James with the cattle after reaching Tombstone, only to find him murdered and their cattle stolen. Determined to avenge James, Wyatt takes job as Town Marshal and often encounters alcoholic Doc Holliday and the brutal Clanton family. As an ornament leads Wyatt to the killer, the Earps get set for a showdown at OK Corral. 

The Lady Eve is a romantic comedy film which revolves around three con artists, Jean, her father Harrington, and his friend Gerald, who plan to target a socially awkward heir named Charles. However, Jean soon falls in love with him, and decides to shield him from her cunning father. But Charles discovers the truth about her and decides to dump her.

Robert Leffingwell is chosen as the President’s nominee for Secretary of State. However, prior to his approval, he needs to go through a Senate investigation that will determine if he is qualified. It is soon revealed that he used to have affiliations with a communist organization in the past.

A young woman Chelsea visits her aging father Norman Thayer, and attempts to repair their long-strained relationship before it’s too late.

Mister Roberts is a war comedy drama film which tells the story of a Naval officer who is longing for active duty, but he finds himself in conflict with his captain.

In this biographical drama film, we see the early years of the life of Abraham Lincoln, America’s 16th President, before he had become known to the country and the rest of the world. The film revolves around how he had begun his law practice, his defense of two men accused of murder, the death of his girlfriend Ann, his meeting with Mary Todd, his future wife, and his decision to enter the world of politics.

The Wrong Man is a drama film which revolves around an innocent musician named Christopher Emmanuel, who is arrested after he is mistaken for a robber. Although his attorney works to prove his innocence, the case threatens to destroy his family before he can be declared not guilty.

An honorable and veteran captain finds himself in a complicated situation when his regime is placed under the command of a young Lieutenant Colonel, who doesn’t have any respect for the local Indian tribe.

Jezebel is a romantic drama film which tells the story of a beautiful and free spirited girl, who is also stubborn and vain. When her fiance leaves her due to this, she vows that she will get him back.

A young and easy-going gunman wants to compete with an old gunfighter who just wishes to retire and head to Europe peacefully.

Joan Graham is working as a secretary to a public defender, but she soon falls in love with Eddie, a criminal. She feels that Eddie is actually a good man deep down, who is just going through bad times. She pulls some strings and gets him released,  but it soon seems that Eddie is unable to change his true nature.

Navy Captain Torrey manages to bring his ship through the Pearl Harbor bombing unscathed. However, the ship is later damaged in a subsequent battle due to his negligence, which leads to his demotion. Soon, he tries to mend his relationship with his estranged son, and begins to take a liking to a nurse named Maggie. However he is soon called back for duty. Torrey sees his as his second opportunity to prove himself.    

After several women in Boston are murdered brutally, the police start a manhunt lead by John Bottomly. Eventually, their investigation leads them to a man named Albert DeSalvo, whom they are convinced is the killer. Although he denies having any connection with the murders, the police use various kinds of interrogation techniques in order to make him confess.

Things get complicated when a widower with ten children falls for a widowed mother with eight kids. They decide to get married, but due to the problem of forming a huge and unconventional family, their dream seems far from reality.

A fictionalized retelling of the life of inventor Alexander Graham Bell, the movie follows Bell, as he invents the telephone with the aid and support of his wife Mabel and friend Thomas A. Watson. It also focuses on the legal battle against Western Union on the matter of the patent. 

How the West Was Won is an epic Western film which takes us to the 19th century, and covers several events such as the Gold Rush, the Civil War, as well as the building of the railroads.

Gilbert and Lana are a newly married couple, who decides to take up a rural lifestyle. They try to establish a farm in the Mohawk Valley, but things don’t go as expected, and their quiet life is interrupted due to the American Revolutionary War.

Engineer Jack Hale finds himself in the middle of a long-going feud between the two Kentucky clans of the Falins and the Tollivers. He saves the life of Dave Tolliver but Dave becomes jealous when his cousin, June, falls for Hale. Hale and June might finally be able to bring the families together. 

In order to attract more people into his self-improvement courses, Dwight Dawson and his press agent fiancee, plans a contest to locate America’s biggest failure. 

Set in 1944, this historical war drama film takes us back to the time of the Second World War, and it surrounds the allied army’s invasion of Germany through the point of view of an American intelligence officer as well as a of a German tank commander.

Jim Kimmerlee and Tyler Dawson, two fishermen, are lifelong friends living in Alaska. However, they eventually come across pirates who steal fish from nets. Conflict arises between the two when Tyler joins up with a Russian fishing pirate. 

Midway is a historical war drama film which revolves around the Battle of Midway in the World War II, which was a major naval battle, and is considered as a turning point for the US in the Second World War. The film portrays how brave US seamen unite to defeat the Japanese forces.

War and Peace is a romantic war drama film which revolves around the lives of few members of the Russian aristocracy, just few years before Napoleon’s invasion. After his friend passes away, Count Pierre Bezukhov receives a significant inheritance, and decides to get married. As for his friend, Prince Andrei Bolonsky, his wife dies of childbirth. Shortly after, he falls in love with another woman named Natasha, but is soon called to war.  

English teacher Tommy Turner unwittingly gets himself embroiled in a free-speech controversy when he agrees to read Bartolomeo Vanzetti's sentencing statement. He must not only contend with school trustee Ed Keller, his failing marriage but the return of football hero Joe Ferguson, his wife’s former love interest.  

When injured Sergeant Kelly shoots himself while patrolling in the African desert during World War II, it falls on unassertive Corporal, Colin Spence, to lead the survivors to safety.  Daydreaming about his girlfriend, he soon learns to assert himself, going against his men to lead a victorious attack against the Germans. It not only earns him a medal, but also affects his personal life. 

A salesgirl at a departmental, who dreams of becoming rich, is coaxed by two con artists to join their marrying-for-money scheme and becomes a tool to attract young marriageable men, whom they later swindle. But the problem arises when she actually falls in love with their next target, a man wanting to buy a yacht for $15,000.  

This is a historical drama film depicting the last four days of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. It shows a defeated Mussolini traveling to Milan to ask the archbishop for help before fleeing to northern village of Dongo along with his mistress, still hoping that his loyal fascists will recoup. But that does not happen and he is caught by the partisans.  

The Moon’s Our Home is a comedy film which tells the story of a novelist Henry who starts dating an actress named Margaret. They eventually get married, but neither of them has much idea of the other’s career.  

Young widow, Mary Donnell, becomes secretary to married attorney, Lloyd Rogers, who develops feelings for her. She soon elopes with a wealthy client's playboy son Jack, but the marriage is annulled by his father and Jack is remarried. Years later, when Lloyd leaves his fortune to Mary, Jack comes to know that she is raising his child.

This biographical drama film revolves around the life story of musical star and actress Lillian Russell. It portrays how from a small town girl, she struggled to become one of the best-known singers and actresses of her time.  

Jotham Klore is a leading canal boater on the Erie Canal. His cook, Molly, who is also his girlfriend likes to work on the canal and sail with him. However, things take an interesting turn, when Molly starts falling for Dan, an aspiring farmer.

Shy busboy, Little Pinks, is in an unrequited love with haughty and selfish singer Gloria Lyons, the girlfriend of gangster and nightclub owner Case Ables. Gloria becomes paralyzed after being knocked down by Case, following which Pinks selflessly takes care of her and even takes her from Manhattan to Florida to reunite her with a former lover.

Slim is a romantic crime drama film, which tells the story of Queen and Slim who go out on a date. However, their romantic adventures take an unexpected turn when they are pulled over by a cop for rash driving. 

A psychopathic young man terrorizes people by placing bombs in several roller-coaster rides in several cities. He soon informs the FBI and threatens to detonate the bombs, if he isn’t paid a large amount of money. The FBI agrees to give him the money, but eventually the psychopath discovers that they had marked it, making the money useless to him. Therefore, he decides to teach them a lesson by blowing up a giant new rollercoaster on its opening day.   

High ranking KGB official, Aleksey Teodorovic Vlassov, defects and claims to have a list of double agents embedded in Western Europe, including NATO. During the debriefing, he is questioned by DCI Allan Davies and MI6 representative Philip Boyle who doubt his claims. But as people on the list start mysteriously dying Vlassov’s true intentions are revealed. 

In the 1840s, New York farm-hand Chad Hanna joins a traveling circus, where he falls for Albany Yates, a gorgeous bareback equestrian rider, but she rejects the artless country boy. Later he meets teenaged Caroline, another runaway like him, who wins his heart. When the circus faces a crisis, Chad manages to pull the circus out of financial trouble, proving his worth. 

Main Street to Broadway is a musical romance film which tells the story of a playwright going through bad times, who meets a country girl, who is returning home after giving up her aspirations of becoming an actress. Hoping to find inspiration from her, he decides to follow her to her small town.  

Peter Kirk, a rich playboy and Helen Hunt, a doctor, meet when he crashes on her at a sea resort. They soon fall in love and get married. But shortly, Peter starts feeling jealous about Helen’s male patients, often embarrassing her in the process. But none of them are ready to give up and to save their marriage Peter becomes a salesman at a departmental store. 

An overly confident woman arrives in New York City hoping to become a theatrical star. Although she initially has to struggle a lot, she eventually finds success after she steps in for actress Rita Vernon, after the latter quits a show.

On Our Merry Way is a slapstick comedy film revolving around Oliver, who has lied to wife about being a reporter in a newspaper, though he is actually a clerk there. 

The Dirty Game is a drama thriller film which tells us the story of a US intelligence officer who remembers three different spy missions that he was a part of.

A vagrant cards expert, Beaudray Demerille, wins an orphan teenager, Wanda Nevada, in a game. Though initially he tries to get rid of her, but soon she discovers a treasure map, and the two set out in search of gold in the Grand Canyon. However, some criminals are also in pursuit of the same treasure. Ultimately, who succeeds in winning the wealth? 

I Met My Love Again is a romance film which revolves around Julie, studying in college, who is in love with Ives. Although they plan to marry after finishing their education, Julie marries another man instead, and leaves for Paris.  However, her husband passes away soon, and she is left penniless with a daughter to support. She therefore returns to her hometown to reunite with her former lover.

I Dream Too Much is a musical romantic comedy film, which revolves around Jonathan, a struggling composer who gets married to a woman named Annette. She tries to help him get his music published, but instead in the process, she becomes a star as an opera singer. Frustrated with this, Jonathan decides to leave her. 

After being married for 30 years, Barbara Sawyer starts feeling worried thinking that she is losing her husband. Fearing that she is also losing her beauty, she undergoes an expensive plastic surgery. While waiting for her husband to return so that she can surprise him, she soon finds herself drawn to a young man.

An aging truck driver, Elegant John, gets his truck repossessed by a finance company, while he is in a hospital. However, he escapes from the hospital, and steals back his truck and decides to make one last perfect cross-country run.

The US and the USSR joins forces to save the human race from extinction, when a gigantic asteroid heads towards Earth.

This war drama film takes us to the time of the Second World War. The film revolves around two families, one German and one American. Sons and fathers of both families are fighting in the war, and the film portrays how it affects their lives. 

The Swarm is a horror thriller film which tells the story of Brad Crane, a scientist who teams up with General Slater in order to stop a huge swarm of bees, that are spreading terror over American cities and killing countless people.

Willi Bauche is a movie producer who wants to have a successful career for his wife Ann, but he is so obsessed with it, that he has forgotten to make her feel loved. Frustrated with this, Ann decides to run away with a soldier named Marco. Willi is devastated and decides to order a hit on Marco.

A resentful ex-employee floods the city sewers with petrochemicals by opening valves of an oil refinery which was built at the center of the town with a corrupt mayor’s consent. After a major explosion at refinery the fire spreads rapidly throughout the city. Dr. Whitman and Nurse Harper at the city hospital and fire-chief, Risley, fight valiantly to save the disaster victims. 

When a print-shop owner’s death is regarded as suicide, and the journalist who links this death to an extremist group ‘Crusaders’ gets murdered, Assistant District Attorney Howard Malloy digs deep in this case with assistance from a distinguished judge’s widow. As he unearths the Crusaders’ connections with influential businessmen and politicians, he encounters nightclub singer Barbara. Is she a friend or foe?