James Dunn
(1905 - 1967)He was so similar to Frank McHugh in style and demeanor and even in the types of roles they played that I often confused them. Tall, stocky and darkly handsome with smiling Irish eyes, he was a natural for acting. He was born on November 2, 1905 in New York City and grew up there. After selling lunch wagons in New Rochelle he auditioned at Paramount Studios in Queens, New York and worked as an extra. Later he started acting on the New York stage making his Broadway debut in 1930. He later moved to Hollywood where he was cast in B movies as a leading man. He worked with Shirley Temple in "Bright Eyes" (1934) as Loop Merritt and "Baby Take A Bow" (1935) as Eddie Ellison and quite charmingly as Shirley was a born scene stealer. The highlight of his career came with his casting in "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" for which he won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 1945-46. Sadly, after that his career faded. Among his films were: "Bad Girl" (1931) as Eddie Collins, his film acting debut; "Sob Sister" (1931) as Garry Webster; "Over the Hill" (1931) as Johnny Shelby; "Dance Team" (1932) as Jimmy Mulligan; "Society Girl" (1932) as Johnny Malone; "Handle with Care" (1932) as Bill Gordon; "Sailor's Luck" (1933) as Jimmy Harrigan; "Hello Sister" (1933) as Jimmy; "Hold Me Tight" (1933) as Chuck; "Arizona to Broadway" (1933) as Smiley Wells; "Jimmy and Sally" (1933) as Jimmy O'Connor; "Take a Chance" (1933) as Duke Stanley; "Hold That Girl" (1934) as Barney Sullivan; "Stand Up and Cheer!" (1934) again with Shirley Temple, as Jimmy Dugan; "Change of Heart" (1934) as Mack McGowan; "Have a Heart" (1934) as James Flaherty; "The Daring Young Man" (1935) as Don McLane; "George White's Scandals" (1935) as Eddy Taylor; "Bad Boy" (1935) as Eddie Nolan; "The Pay-Off" (1935) as Joe McCoy; "Two-Fisted Gentleman" (1936) as Mickey; "Venus Makes Trouble" (1937) as Buzz martin; "Shadows Over Shanghai" (1938) as Johnny McGinty; "Pride of the Navy" (1939) as Speed Brennan; "Mercy Plane" (1939) as Speed Leslie; "Son of the Navy" (1940) as Mike Malone; "Hold That Woman!" (1940) as Jimmy Parker; "The Living Ghost" (1942) as Nick Trayne; "The Ghost and the Guest" (1943) as Webster Frye; "Government Girl" (1943) as Sgt. Joe Blake; "Leave it to the Irish" (1944) as Terry Moran; "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" (1945) in the endearing role as Johnny Nolan; "That Brennan Girl" (1946) as Denny Reagan; "The Carribean Mystery" (1946) as Mr. Smith; "Killer McCoy" (1947) as Brian McCoy; "Texas, Brooklyn and Heaven" (1948) as Mike; "The Golden Gloves Story" (1950) as Joe Riley; "Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man" (1962) as Telegrapher and "The Oscar" (1966) as a Network Executive, his last theatrical film. On TV he was a regular on "It's A Great Life" (1954-56) as Uncle Earl and appeared in the made for TV films: "The Nine Lives of Elfego Baca" (1958), "The Movie Maker" (1967) and "Shadow Over Elveron" (1968). He also guested on many TV series including: "Wagon Train"; "Naked City"; "Wanted: Dead or Alive"; "The Fugitive"; "The Great Adventure" and "Branded." HE was married three times. His first wife was Edna O'Lier whom he divorced, next he married actress Frances Gifford in 1938 and they were divorced in 1942. His third wife was Edna Rush. He died on September 3, 1967 in Santa Monica, California after a long illness at age 61.
From Great Character Actors, Page 3.
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