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James Gleason
James Gleason
	Gleason in Meet John Doe (1941)
Born	James Austin Gleason; May 23, 1882; New York City, U.S.
Died	April 12, 1959 (aged 76); Woodland Hills, California, U.S.
Occupations	Actor; playwright; screenwriter;
Years active	1914–1959
Spouse	Lucile Webster (m. 1905; died 1947)
Children	Russell Gleason

James Austin Gleason (May 23, 1882 – April 12, 1959) was an American actor, playwright and screenwriter born in New York City.^[1] Gleason often portrayed "tough-talking, world-weary guys with a secret heart-of-gold."^[2]

Early life

Gleason directed the Broadway production of George S. Kaufman's *The Butter and Egg Man* (1925), in which his wife Lucile Webster (center) appeared with Gregory Kelly and Sylvia Field.

Gleason was born in New York City, the son of Mina (née Crolius) and William L. Gleason.^[3] Coming from theatrical stock, as a schoolboy he made stage appearances while on holiday. He began earning his living at the age of thirteen, being a messenger boy, printer's devil, assistant in an electrical store and a lift boy. He enlisted in the United States Army at age 16 and served three years in the Philippines.

Career

On discharge, he began his stage career, later taking it up professionally. He played in London for two years and following his return to the United States, he began in films by writing dialogue for comedies. He wrote a number of plays, several of which were performed on Broadway. He also acted on Broadway, including in a couple of his own plays. When World War I broke out, Gleason reenlisted in the United States Army and served to the end of the war.

His film debut was in Polly of the Follies (1922), starring Constance Talmadge. Balding and slender with a craggy voice and a master of the double-take, Gleason portrayed tough but warm-hearted characters, usually with a New York background. He co-wrote The Broadway Melody, the second film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, and had a small uncredited role in it. He also co-wrote and briefly appeared as a hot dog vendor in the 1934 Janet Gaynor vehicle Change of Heart. He performed in a number of films with his wife Lucile. In The Clock (1945), he played a milk cart driver who gives lessons in marriage to the characters played by Judy Garland and Robert Walker, while Lucile played his wife. The same year, he played the bartender in the film adaptation of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. In the Frank Capra classic Meet John Doe, he played the cynical, "hard boiled" editor brought in to pump up the newspaper that runs with the "John Doe" story.

Gleason was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as boxing manager Max "Pop" Corkle in the 1941 film Here Comes Mr. Jordan. He starred in two movie series, playing police inspector Oscar Piper in six Hildegarde Withers mystery films during the 1930s, starting with The Penguin Pool Murder, and Joe Higgins in the first seven of nine films about the Higgins Family, in which his wife Lucile and son Russell played Lil and Sydney Higgins. One of Gleason's best-known roles is Uncle Birdie, the kind-hearted ship captain plagued by alcohol and the memory of his deceased wife, in Charles Laughton's film noir classic The Night of the Hunter (1955).

Gleason also performed in other media. In 1931, he co-starred with Robert Armstrong in the radio sitcom Gleason and Armstrong.^[4] His television credits include several episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, the Reed Hadley legal drama The Public Defender and ABC's The Real McCoys. In "The Child", the Christmas 1957 episode of John Payne's The Restless Gun on NBC, Gleason and Anthony Caruso played Roman Catholic priests who run an orphanage.^[5]

For his contributions to the motion picture industry, Gleason has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7038 Hollywood Boulevard.^[6]

Personal life

James and Lucile Gleason had a son, actor Russell Gleason. On December 26, 1945, the younger Gleason was in New York City awaiting deployment to Europe with his regiment, when he fell out of a fourth story window in the Hotel Sutton — which the army had commandeered to house the troops — resulting in his death. Reports varied, some saying the fall was accidental, while others stating it was a suicide.^[7]^[8] Russell's most prominent role had been as Muller in the Academy Award-winning version of All Quiet on the Western Front (1930). Russell Gleason was married to Cynthia Hobart (later becoming Cynthia Lindsay), a swimmer and stunt woman who later wrote a biography of family friend Boris Karloff.^[9]^[10]

In 1959, James Gleason died of asthmatic complications and was interred in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.

Partial list of plays

Pretty Mrs. Smith (1914)
It Happens to Everybody (1919)
The Five Million (1919)
The Charm School (1920)
Tangerine (1920)
Like a King (1921)
The Deep Tangled Wildwood (1923)
The Lady Killer (1924)
Is Zat So? (1925)
The Fall Guy (1925)
The Butter and Egg Man (1925)
Pomeroy's Past (1926)
Sure Fire (1926)
The Shannons of Broadway (1927)
Rain or Shine (1928)

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1922	Polly of the Follies	Paul Gordon
1928	The Count of Ten	The Manager
1929	The Broadway Melody	Music Publisher	Uncredited, Dialogue co-written by Gleason
	High Voltage	N/A	Screenplay co-written by Gleason
	The Flying Fool	N/A	Dialogue written by Gleason
	Oh, Yeah!	Dusty Reilly
	The Shannons of Broadway	Mickey Shannon
1930	Puttin' On the Ritz	James "Jimmy" Tierney	Also credited with writing dialogue
	The Swellhead	Johnny Trump
	Mammy	N/A
	Dumbbells in Ermine	Mike	Screenplay by Gleason and Harvey F. Thew
	The Fall Guy	N/A	Based on the play by George Abbott and Gleason
	The Matrimonial Bed	Gustave Corton
	Rain or Shine	N/A	Based on the musical by Gleason
	Her Man	Steve
	What a Widow!	N/A	Co-wrote
	Big Money	Tom
1931	Three Hollywood Girls	N/A	Screenplay by Gleason
	Beyond Victory	Private Jim Mobley
	It's a Wise Child	Cool Kelly
	A Free Soul	Eddie
	Sweepstakes	Sleepy Jones
	The Big Gamble	Squint Dugan
	Suicide Fleet	Skeets
1932	Fast Companions	Silk Henley
	Lady and Gent	Pin Streaver
	Blondie of the Follies	Pa McClune
	The Crooked Circle	Arthur Crimmer
	The All American	Chick Knipe
	The Devil Is Driving	"Beef" Evans
	The Penguin Pool Murder	Police Inspector Oscar Piper
1933	The Billion Dollar Scandal	Ratsy Harris
	Clear All Wires!	Lefty
	Mister Mugg	N/A	Comedy short
	The Bowery	N/A	Screenplay co-written by Gleason
	Hoop-La	Jerry
1934	The Meanest Gal in Town	Duke Slater
	Search for Beauty	Dan Healy
	Orders Is Orders	Ed Waggermeyer
	Change of Heart	Hot Dog Vendor	Uncredited, Also credited as screenwriter
	Murder on the Blackboard	Inspector Oscar Piper
1935	Helldorado	Sam Barnes
	Two-Fisted	N/A	Based on the play Is Zat So? by Gleason
	Murder in the Fleet	Inspector Oscar Piper	Uncredited screenplay by Gleason
	Murder on a Honeymoon	Inspector Oscar Piper
	West Point of the Air	Joe "Bags"
	Hot Tip	Jimmy McGill	Co-directed with Ray McCarey
	We're Only Human	Detective Danny Walsh
1936	Murder on a Bridle Path	Police Inspector Oscar Piper
	The Ex-Mrs. Bradford	Inspector Corrigan
	Yours for the Asking	Saratoga
	Don't Turn 'Em Loose	Detective Daniels
	The Big Game	George Scott
	The Plot Thickens	Oscar Piper
1937	Forty Naughty Girls	Inspector Oscar Piper
1937	Manhattan Merry-Go-Round	Danny the Duck
1938	The Higgins Family	Joe Higgins
1938	Army Girl	Sergeant "Three Star" Hennessy
1939	My Wife's Relatives	Joe Higgins
	Should Husbands Work?	Joe Higgins
	On Your Toes	Phil Dolan Sr.
	The Covered Trailer	Joe Higgins
	Money to Burn	Joe Higgins
1940	Grandpa Goes to Town	Joe Higgins
1940	Earl of Puddlestone	Joe Higgins
1941	Meet John Doe	Henry Connell
	Affectionately Yours	Chester Phillips
	Here Comes Mr. Jordan	Max Corkle	Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
	Tanks a Million	Colonel "Spitfire" Barkley
	Nine Lives Are Not Enough	Sergeant Daniels
	Babes on Broadway	Thornton Reed
1942	Hay Foot	Colonel J. A. Barkley
	A Date with the Falcon	Inspector Mike O'Hara
	My Gal Sal	Pat Hawley
	The Falcon Takes Over	Inspector Michael O'Hara
	Footlight Serenade	Bruce McKay
	Tales of Manhattan	"Father" Joe
	Manila Calling	Tim O'Rourke
1943	Crash Dive	Chief Mike "Mac" McDonnell
1943	A Guy Named Joe	"Nails" Kilpatrick
1944	Once Upon a Time	McGillicuddy, aka the "Moke"
	Arsenic and Old Lace	Police Lieutenant Rooney
	The Keys of the Kingdom	Reverend Dr. Wilbur Fiske
1945	This Man's Navy	Jimmy Shannon
	A Tree Grows in Brooklyn	McGarrity
	The Clock	Al Henry, Milk Cart Driver
	Captain Eddie	Tom Clark
1946	The Hoodlum Saint	Snarp
	The Well-Groomed Bride	Captain Hornby
	Home, Sweet Homicide	Sergeant O'Hare
	Lady Luck	Sacramento Sam
1947	The Homestretch	Doc Kilborne
	Down to Earth	Max Corkle
	The Bishop's Wife	Sylvester
	Tycoon	Pop Mathews
1948	Smart Woman	Sam Corkle
	The Dude Goes West	Sam Briggs
	The Return of October	Uncle Willie Ramsey
	When My Baby Smiles at Me	Lefty Moore
1949	Bad Boy	Chief
	The Life of Riley	Gillis
	Take One False Step	Captain Gledhill
	Miss Grant Takes Richmond	Timothy P. Gleason
1950	Key to the City	Sergeant Hogan
	The Yellow Cab Man	Mickey Corkins
	Riding High	Racing Secretary
	The Jackpot	Harry Summers
	Joe Palooka in the Squared Circle	Knobby Walsh
1951	Two Gals and a Guy	Max Howard
	Joe Palooka in Triple Cross	Knobby Walsh
	Come Fill the Cup	Charley Dolan
	I'll See You in My Dreams	Fred Townsend
1952	We're Not Married!	Duffy
	The Story of Will Rogers	Bert Lynn
	What Price Glory?	General Cokely
1953	Forever Female	Eddie Woods
1954	Hollywood Thrill-Makers	Risky Russell
1954	Suddenly	Peter "Pop" Benson
1955	The Night of the Hunter	Birdie Steptoe
1955	The Girl Rush	Ether Ferguson
1956	Star in the Dust	Orval Jones
1957	Spring Reunion	"Collie" Collyer
	Man in the Shadow	Hank James
	Loving You	Carl Meade
1958	The Female Animal	Tom Maloney
	Man or Gun	Sheriff Jim Jackson
	Rock-A-Bye Baby	Doc Simpkins
	Once Upon a Horse...	Postmaster
	Money, Women and Guns	Henry Devers
	The Last Hurrah	"Cuke" Gillen	(final film role)

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1956	Alfred Hitchcock Presents	Mr. Jorgy	Season 2 Episode 4: "Kill With Kindness"
1957	Alfred Hitchcock Presents	Howard Fieldstone	Season 2 Episode 22: "The End of Indian Summer"
	The Restless Gun	Father Terrance	Episode "The Child" (Christmas episode)
	Leave It to Beaver	Pete	Season 1 Episode 9: "The Clubhouse"

References

^ Obituary Variety, April 15, 1959, page 159.
^ "James Gleason | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos".
^ Mina Crolius Gleason, Mother of actor James Gleason Archived August 10, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved July 19, 2015
^ "Series: Gleason And Armstrong". www.radioechoes.com. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
^ "The Child," The Restless Gun, DVD, Timeless Media Group
^ Hollywood Walk of Fame
^ Liebman, Roy (2017). Broadway Actors in Films, 1894-2015. McFarland. p. 109. ISBN 978-0-786-47685-5.
^ Senn, Bryan (2006). Golden Horrors: An Illustrated Critical Filmography of Terror Cinema, 1931-1939. McFarland. p. 327. ISBN 978-0-786-42724-6.
^ Nollen, Scott Allen (2004). Boris Karloff: A Gentleman's Life. Baltimore, Maryland: Midnight Marquee & BearManor Media. ISBN 9780879101060.
^ Lindsey, Cynthia (2004). Dear Boris: The Life of William Henry Pratt a.k.a. Boris Karloff. Limelight. ISBN 1887664238.