6 Best Tab Hunter Movies

By Vlad Zakh · January 19, 2026

Tab Hunter was one of the biggest teen idols of the 1950s, and his later career took a playful turn towards camp self-awareness. Polyester copes with a housewife’s dysfunctional life and keen sense of smell, They Came to Cordura escorts medal-of-honour candidates across Mexico, Damn Yankees deals with the devil to play baseball, and The Girl He Left Behind struggles with military life. Battle Cry and Island of Desire round out the list.

Polyester (1981)

TMDB ★ 6.4

A suburban housewife with an extraordinary sense of smell copes with her chaotic, dysfunctional family.

Directed by John Waters · 1h 26m · Rated R

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

They Came to Cordura (1959)

TMDB ★ 6.5

Tab Hunter features in this western about an army major who escorts a group of unlikely medal-of-honor candidates across dangerous territory.

Directed by Robert Rossen · 2h 03m · Rated NR

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Damn Yankees (1958)

TMDB ★ 7.0

A middle-aged baseball fan makes a deal with the devil to become a young star for his favourite team.

Directed by Stanley Donen & George Abbott · 1h 51m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Girl He Left Behind (1956)

TMDB ★ 6.2

Tab Hunter appears as a reluctant new draftee struggling to adjust to military life and the girlfriend he left behind.

Directed by David Butler · 1h 43m · Rated NR

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Battle Cry (1955)

TMDB ★ 6.9

A group of young Marines deal with romance and comradeship during training and combat in the Second World War.

Directed by Raoul Walsh · 2h 29m · Rated NR

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Island of Desire (1952)

TMDB ★ 6.0

A wounded American soldier and an army nurse are stranded together on a remote Pacific island.

Directed by Stuart Heisler · 1h 33m

Where to watch

Rent or buy: 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 Tab Hunter Movies

Polyester (1981)

They Came to Cordura (1959)

Damn Yankees (1958)

The Girl He Left Behind (1956)

Battle Cry (1955)

Island of Desire (1952)

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