6 Best Ann Shoemaker Movies

By Vlad Zakh · April 7, 2026

Ann Shoemaker brought a warm, steady presence to Hollywood and frequently played supportive mothers and understanding wives. Stella Dallas sacrifices a mother’s happiness for her daughter, My Favorite Wife complicates a new marriage with a wife thought lost at sea, Strike Up the Band forms a high school band for a national radio contest, and Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo bombs wartime Japan. Shall We Dance and Alice Adams round out the list.

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)

TMDB ★ 7.1

Ann Shoemaker features in this war film about American airmen who undertake a daring, dangerous bombing raid deep into wartime Japan.

Directed by Mervyn LeRoy · 2h 18m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Strike Up the Band (1940)

TMDB ★ 6.6

Ann Shoemaker is in this Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland musical about a high school student who rallies his classmates to form a band and compete in a national radio contest.

Directed by Busby Berkeley · 2h 00m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

My Favorite Wife (1940)

TMDB ★ 7.5

Ann Shoemaker appears in this screwball comedy where a man's new marriage is complicated by the sudden reappearance of his wife, thought lost at sea.

Directed by Garson Kanin · 1h 28m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: YouTube TV · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Stella Dallas (1937)

TMDB ★ 7.4

A working-class mother sacrifices her own happiness to secure a better life for her daughter.

Directed by King Vidor · 1h 46m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Shall We Dance (1937)

TMDB ★ 7.0

A ballet dancer and a Broadway star pose as a married couple to escape a persistent rumour.

Directed by Mark Sandrich · 1h 49m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: TCM · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Alice Adams (1935)

TMDB ★ 6.9

A social-climbing young woman's efforts to impress a rich suitor run into her family's modest reality.

Directed by George Stevens · 1h 39m

Where to watch

Stream: YouTube TV · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Ann Shoemaker Movies

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)

Strike Up the Band (1940)

My Favorite Wife (1940)

Stella Dallas (1937)

Shall We Dance (1937)

Alice Adams (1935)

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