James Austin Gleason (May 23, 1882 – April 12, 1959) was an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter born in New York City. Gleason often portrayed "tough-talking, world-weary guys with a secret heart-of-gold."
Early life
Gleason was born in New York City, the son of Mina (née Crolius) and William L. Gleason. Coming from theatrical stock, as a schoolboy he made stage appearances while on holiday. He began earning his living at the age of 13, 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 re-enlisted in the U.S. 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.
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. In the Frank Capra classic Meet John Doe (1941), he played the cynical, hardboiled editor brought in to pump up the newspaper that goes ahead with the "John Doe" story. 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 Bishop's Wife (1947), he was another cynic, this time a cab driver, thawed out by the warmth of passengers Cary Grant and Loretta Young. 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).
Movie series James Gleason starred in four movie series. From 1932 to 1937 he co-starred in RKO's Hildegarde Withers mysteries, playing police inspector Oscar Piper in six features, starting with Penguin Pool Murder. When domestic comedies were being made by most of the studios (the Hardy family, the Jones Family, the Bumstead family, etc.), Republic Pictures launched the Higgins Family, with Gleason as patriarch Joe Higgins and his wife Lucile and son Russell played Lil and Sydney Higgins. In 1941 RKO recruited James Gleason for its new detective series, The Falcon, casting the exasperated Gleason opposite the suave George Sanders. In 1951, after Leon Errol's death interrupted Monogram's Joe Palooka series, James Gleason replaced him as prizefight manager Knobby Walsh.
Other media Gleason also performed in other media. In 1931, he co-starred with Robert Armstrong in the radio sitcom Gleason and Armstrong. 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."The Child," The Restless Gun, DVD, Timeless Media Group
For his contributions to the motion picture industry, Gleason has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7038 Hollywood Boulevard.
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. 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 stuntwoman who later wrote a biography of family friend Boris Karloff.
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? (1924) 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 Manager1929 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 Shannon1930 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 Tom1931 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 Skeets1932 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 Piper1933 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 Jerry1934 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 Piper1935 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 Walsh1936 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 Piper1937 Forty Naughty Girls Inspector Oscar Piper Manhattan Merry-Go-Round Danny the Duck1938 The Higgins Family Joe Higgins 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 Higgins1940 Grandpa Goes to Town Joe Higgins Earl of Puddlestone Joe Higgins1941 Meet John Doe Henry ConnellAffectionately 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 Reed1942 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'Rourke1943 Crash Dive Chief Mike "Mac" McDonnell A Guy Named Joe "Nails" Kilpatrick1944 Once Upon a Time McGillicuddy, aka the "Moke" Arsenic and Old Lace Police Lieutenant Rooney The Keys of the Kingdom Reverend Dr. Wilbur Fiske1945 This Man's Navy Jimmy Shannon A Tree Grows in Brooklyn McGarrity The Clock Al Henry, Milk Cart Driver Captain Eddie Tom Clark1946 The Hoodlum Saint Snarp The Well-Groomed Bride Captain Hornby Home, Sweet Homicide Sergeant O'Hare Lady Luck Sacramento Sam1947 The Homestretch Doc Kilborne Down to Earth Max Corkle The Bishop's Wife Sylvester Tycoon Pop Mathews1948 Smart Woman Sam Corkle The Dude Goes West Sam Briggs The Return of October Uncle Willie Ramsey When My Baby Smiles at Me Lefty Moore1949 Bad Boy Chief The Life of Riley Gillis Take One False Step Captain Gledhill Miss Grant Takes Richmond Timothy P. Gleason1950 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 Walsh1951 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 Townsend1952 We're Not Married! Duffy The Story of Will Rogers Bert Lynn What Price Glory? General Cokely 1953 Forever Female Eddie Woods1954 Hollywood Thrill-Makers Risky Russell Suddenly Peter "Pop" Benson1955 The Night of the Hunter Birdie Steptoe The Girl Rush Ether Ferguson 1956 Star in the Dust Orval Jones1957 Spring Reunion "Collie" Collyer Man in the Shadow Hank James Loving You Carl Meade1958 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"
See also List of actors with Academy Award nominations
References
External links