6 Best Gene Lockhart Movies

By Vlad Zakh · March 12, 2026

Gene Lockhart brought a warm, versatile presence to Hollywood, equally convincing as a sympathetic authority figure or a quietly corrupt official. Miracle on 34th Street slowly persuades a sceptical girl that a department-store Santa is real, His Girl Friday schemes to stop a reporter’s remarriage, The Inspector General mistakes a travelling con man for a government inspector, and Meet John Doe invents an everyman. Algiers and A Christmas Carol round out the list.

The Inspector General (1949)

TMDB ★ 6.6

Gene Lockhart appears as a travelling con man mistaken for a powerful government inspector by a corrupt town.

Directed by Henry Koster · 1h 41m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus, Pure Flix · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, FlixFling

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

IMDb ★ 7.9 RT 96% Metacritic 88

A department-store Santa's claim to be the real thing ends up in an actual courtroom.

Directed by George Seaton · 1h 36m · Rated NR

Won 3 Oscars10 wins & 1 nomination

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Meet John Doe (1941)

TMDB ★ 7.4

A fabricated newspaper hoax about a suicidal everyman spirals into an unstoppable political movement.

Directed by Frank Capra · 2h 03m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Philo, Brew, MGM Plus, Pure Flix, Fandor Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Fandango At Home, FlixFling

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

His Girl Friday (1940)

TMDB ★ 7.9

A newspaper editor schemes to stop his star reporter ex-wife from remarrying and leaving journalism.

Directed by Howard Hawks · 1h 32m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, YouTube TV, MGM Plus, Pure Flix · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Algiers (1938)

TMDB ★ 6.7

A jewel thief hiding in the Casbah falls for a visiting Frenchwoman, risking capture by the police.

Directed by John Cromwell · 1h 36m

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, YouTube TV · Rent: Amazon Video, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Fandango At Home, FlixFling

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

A Christmas Carol (1938)

TMDB ★ 7.3

A miserly old man is visited by three spirits who show him where his selfishness has led.

Directed by Edwin L. Marin · 1h 09m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · 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 Gene Lockhart Movies

The Inspector General (1949)

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

Meet John Doe (1941)

His Girl Friday (1940)

Algiers (1938)

A Christmas Carol (1938)

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