6 Best Purnell Pratt Movies

By Vlad Zakh · July 16, 2026

Purnell Pratt brought a solid, authoritative presence to Hollywood’s early sound era and was frequently cast as a businessman, doctor or official in classic crime dramas and comedies. Scarface and The Public Enemy are the gangster classics, Grand Hotel weaves guests’ love and desperation, A Night at the Opera infiltrates society opera with three con artists, Magnificent Obsession blinds a woman through a playboy’s carelessness, and The Plainsman pairs Wild Bill Hickok and Buffalo Bill.

The Plainsman (1936)

TMDB ★ 6.5

Fred Kohler features in this western where Wild Bill Hickok and Buffalo Bill Cody fight gunrunners supplying weapons to hostile tribes.

Directed by Cecil B. DeMille · 1h 53m · Rated NR

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

A Night at the Opera (1935)

TMDB ★ 7.4

Three chaotic brothers help two young singers break into the world of grand opera.

Directed by Sam Wood · 1h 31m · 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

Magnificent Obsession (1935)

TMDB ★ 7.4

Betty Furness features in this melodrama about a reckless playboy whose carelessness blinds a woman, inspiring his secret devotion to her recovery.

Directed by John M. Stahl · 1h 52m · Rated NR

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Grand Hotel (1932)

TMDB ★ 7.0

The intertwining lives of guests at a luxurious Berlin hotel unfold over one fateful stay.

Directed by Edmund Goulding · 1h 52m

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

Scarface (1932)

TMDB ★ 7.4

A ruthless, ambitious gangster claws his way to the top of Prohibition-era Chicago's criminal world.

Directed by Howard Hawks · 1h 33m

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Public Enemy (1931)

IMDb ★ 7.6 RT 100% Metacritic 80

James Cagney plays a small-time hoodlum whose ruthless rise through Prohibition-era Chicago's criminal underworld is the film's engine.

Directed by William A. Wellman · 1h 24m · Rated NR

Nominated for 1 Oscar1 win & 1 nomination

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 Purnell Pratt Movies

The Plainsman (1936)

A Night at the Opera (1935)

Magnificent Obsession (1935)

Grand Hotel (1932)

Scarface (1932)

The Public Enemy (1931)

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