6 Best Una Merkel Movies

By Vlad Zakh · March 11, 2026

Una Merkel brought sharp, wisecracking energy to Hollywood comedy and became a reliable, beloved best-friend presence across five decades. 42nd Street and Bombshell are early highlights, Destry Rides Again tames a corrupt town, Born to Dance falls a sailor for an aspiring dancer, The Kentuckian pursues a frontiersman’s feud, and Summer and Smoke falls a minister’s daughter for a doctor’s wild son.

Summer and Smoke (1961)

TMDB ★ 6.6

Una Merkel appears in this Tennessee Williams adaptation about a repressed Southern minister's daughter who falls for the wild, unpredictable son of the town doctor.

Directed by Peter Glenville · 1h 58m · Rated NR

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Kentuckian (1955)

TMDB ★ 6.3

Arthur Hunnicutt is in this Burt Lancaster western about a frontiersman and his young son who journey toward a new life, pursued by an old family feud.

Directed by Burt Lancaster · 1h 44m · Rated NR

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Destry Rides Again (1939)

TMDB ★ 7.4

A pacifist new sheriff's unconventional methods clash with a saloon's corrupt owner and her outlaw gang.

Directed by George Marshall · 1h 34m · Rated NR

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Born to Dance (1936)

TMDB ★ 6.7

Eleanor Powell is in this musical about a sailor on shore leave who falls for an aspiring dancer while helping stage a hit Broadway show.

Directed by Roy Del Ruth · 1h 45m · Rated NR

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Bombshell (1933)

TMDB ★ 7.2

Ethel Griffies features in this comedy about a glamorous but exhausted movie star who tries desperately to escape her chaotic Hollywood life.

Directed by Victor Fleming · 1h 36m · Rated NR

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

42nd Street (1933)

TMDB ★ 7.4

A demanding Broadway director stakes everything on one lavish musical during the Depression.

Directed by Lloyd Bacon · 1h 29m · Rated NR

Where to watch

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

▶ 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 Una Merkel Movies

Summer and Smoke (1961)

The Kentuckian (1955)

Destry Rides Again (1939)

Born to Dance (1936)

Bombshell (1933)

42nd Street (1933)

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