Keenan Wynn

Actor

About

Also Known As

Francis Xavier Aloysius James Jeremiah Keenan Wynn

Birth Place

New York City, New York, USA

Born

July 27, 1916

Died

October 14, 1986

Cause of Death

Pancreatic Cancer

Biography

Veteran character player from the stage, a prolific staple at MGM in the 1940s and 50s, mostly as pals to the male stars of the films in which he appeared, and later memorable as the absurdly earnest Army man who gives Peter Sellers a scare at the telephone booth in "Dr. Strangelove" (1963). Son of vaudevillian-turned-character-actor Ed Wynn ("The Diary of Anne Frank" 1959, "Mary Poppins...

Filmography

The Last Precinct (1986)

Hyper Sapien: People From Another Star (1986)

Black Moon Rising (1986)

Code of Vengeance (1985)

Mirrors (1985)

Prime Risk (1985)

Photos & Videos

View All

See Here, Private Hargrove -- (Movie Clip) Fort Bragg Date Bureau

See Here, Private Hargrove -- (Movie Clip) Your First War?

Family & Companions

Eve Abbott

Wife

Married on May 11, 1939; divorced in 1947; married Van Johnson soon after; renowned Hollywood hostess in the 1940s.

Betty Jane Butler

Wife

Married in 1949; divorced in 1953.

Sharley Hudson

Wife

Married in 1954.

Bibliography

"Ed Wynn's Son"

Keenan Wynn as told to James Brough (1959)

Biography

Filmography

Life Events

1935

Stage debut in support of Claude Rains in "They Shall Not Die"

1942

Screen acting debut in "For Me and My Gal"

Photo Collections

A Hole in the Head - Movie Poster

Here is the American one-sheet movie poster for Frank Capra's A Hole in the Head (1959), starring Frank Sinatra. One-sheets measured 27x41 inches, and were the poster style most commonly used in theaters.

Easy to Wed - Lobby Card Set

Here is a set of Lobby Cards from MGM's Easy to Wed (1946), starring Van Johnson, Esther Williams, and Lucille Ball. Lobby Cards were 11" x 14" posters that came in sets of 8. As the name implies, they were most often displayed in movie theater lobbies, to advertise current or coming attractions.

Battleground - Behind-the-Scenes Stills

Here are a number of photos taken behind-the-scenes during production of MGM's Battleground (1949), directed by William Wellman and starring Van Johnson, Ricardo Montalban, James Whitmore, George Murphy, and many others.

Kiss Me Kate - Publicity Stills for 3-D showings

Here are some Publicity Stills for 3-D showings of Kiss Me Kate (1953). The studio art department configured these stills to emphasize the depth in 3-D showings of the film.

Kiss Me Kate - Behind-the-Scenes Photos

Here are several photos taken behind-the-scenes during production of MGM's Kiss Me Kate (1953). Look for composer Cole Porter, director George Sidney, and stars Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, Ann Miller, and others.

The Americanization of Emily - Publicity Art

Here are a few specialty drawings created by MGM for newspaper and magazine reproduction to publicize The Americanization of Emily (1964), starring James Garner and Julie Andrews.

Neptune's Daughter - Movie Poster

Here is an original-release American movie poster for Neptune's Daughter (1949), starring Esther Williams and Red Skelton.

Shack Out on 101 - Lobby Card Set

Here is a set of Lobby Cards from Shack Out on 101 (1955), starring Terry Moore and Lee Marvin. Lobby Cards were 11" x 14" posters that came in sets of 8. As the name implies, they were most often displayed in movie theater lobbies, to advertise current or coming attractions.

Men of the Fighting Lady - Publicity Stills

Here are a few publicity stills from MGM's Men of the Fighting Lady (1954), starring Van Johnson. Publicity stills were specially-posed photos, usually taken off the set, for purposes of publicity or reference for promotional artwork.

Son of Flubber - Pressbook

Here is the original campaign book (pressbook) for Disney's Son of Flubber (1963), starring Fred MacMurray. Pressbooks were sent to exhibitors and theater owners to aid them in publicizing the film's run in their theater.

The Absent-Minded Professor - Pressbook

Here is the original campaign book (pressbook) for Disney's The Absent-Minded Professor (1961), starring Fred MacMurray. Pressbooks were sent to exhibitors and theater owners to aid them in publicizing the film's run in their theater.

Herbie Rides Again - Pressbook

Here is the original campaign book (pressbook) for Disney's Herbie Rides Again (1974). Pressbooks were sent to exhibitors and theater owners to aid them in publicizing the film's run in their theater.

Son of Flubber - Movie Poster

Here is the American one-sheet movie poster for Disney's Son of Flubber (1963), starring Fred MacMurray. One-sheets measured 27x41 inches, and were the poster style most commonly used in theaters.

Herbie Rides Again - Movie Poster

Here is the American one-sheet movie poster for Disney's Herbie Rides Aagain (1974). One-sheets measured 27x41 inches, and were the poster style most commonly used in theaters.

A Hole in the Head - Pressbook

Here is the campaign book (pressbook) for Frank Capra's A Hole in the Head (1959), starring Frank Sinatra. Pressbooks were sent to exhibitors and theater owners to aid them in publicizing the film's run in their theater.

Easy to Wed - Movie Poster

Here is the American one-sheet movie poster for Easy to Wed (1946). One-sheets measured 27x41 inches, and were the poster style most commonly used in theaters.

The Absent-Minded Professor - Movie Poster

Here is the original release American 3-Sheet movie poster for the Walt Disney film, The Absent-Minded Professor (1961), starring Fred MacMurray.

Videos

See Here, Private Hargrove -- (Movie Clip) Fort Bragg Date Bureau Robert Walker, the innocent title character, thinks Mulvehill and Esty (Keenan Wynn, George Offerman) have sold him a legit date through their bogus "date bureau" with widely-admired Carol (Donna Reed), whose uncle (Grant Mitchell) takes pity, in See Here, Private Hargrove, 1944.

See Here, Private Hargrove -- (Movie Clip) Your First War? Cordial greetings on the draftee bus, between Hargrove (Robert Walker, playing the writer and title character, who was still only 25, in the feature based on his best-selling novel), Esty (George Offerman) and Mulvehill (Keenan Wynn), followed by comeuppance at induction ceremonies, in See Here, Private Hargrove, 1944.

Glass Slipper, The (1955) -- (Movie Clip) Goodbye, Cinder Ella! The narrator sounds like Walter Pidgeon because he is, opening the MGM Leslie Caron vehicle, derived from the first published version of Cinderella (1697, by Charles Perrault, Cendrillon ou la petite pantoufle de verre), directed by Charles Walters, music by Bronislau Kaper, dance by Roland Petit for Ballet de Paris, The Glass Slipper, 1955, also starring Michael Wilding.

Glass Slipper, The (1955) -- (Movie Clip) How Cold Is The Water? The prince Charles (Michael Wilding), just returned to “a small European principality,” and pal Kovin (Keenan Wynn) are wandering in the woods at an old favorite site when Leslie Caron, the indignant local tomboy who’s decided she doesn’t mind being called “Cinderella,” shows up with an attitude, their first meeting, in MGM’s The Glass Slipper, 1955.

Glass Slipper, The (1955) -- (Movie Clip) Son Of The Cook More than 40-minutes into the feature, in a sequence dreamed up by servant girl “Ella” (Leslie Caron), who’s been told that Prince Charles (Michael Wilding) is just “the son of the cook of the palace of the duke,” she joins the first dance number, Charles Walters directing, dance by Roland Petit for Ballet de Paris, in MGM’s The Glass Slipper, 1955.

Great Race, The (1965) -- (Movie Clip) I Never Mix My Pies Jack Lemmon in two roles, first as Professor Fate impersonating the prince, later as the prince, with the general (George MacReady), Leslie (Tony Curtis), Maggie (Natalie Wood), Max (Peter Falk), Hezekiah (Keenan Wynn) et al, in Blake Edwards' famous pie fight, from The Great Race, 1965.

Phone Call From A Stranger (1952) -- (Movie Clip) You're All Married Binky (top-billed Shelley Winters), nervous about the weather before her first airplane flight, makes a second approach to Gary Merrill, whom we know is leaving his wife and traveling under an assumed name, when they’re joined by Keenan Wynn and Michael Rennie, with extensive exposition, in Jean Negulesco’s Phone Call From A Stranger, 1952, produced and written by Nunnally Johnson from an I.A.R. Wylie novelette.

Song Of The Thin Man (1947) -- (Movie Clip) Mrs. Charles Always Wears Her Mouth Open Clarinet player “Klinker” (Keenan Wynn) is helping Nick (William Powell) find a fellow musician so he meets Nora (Myrna Powell) but they’re intercepted by bookie Amboy (William Bishop) who thinks Nick has proof he didn’t kill the bandleader, in the last title in the MGM series, Song Of The Thin Man, 1947.

Song Of The Thin Man (1947) -- (Movie Clip) Right Down To Their Fingerprints At a charity event on a gambling boat anchored off New York, we join Nick and Nora Charles (William Powell, Myrna Loy) observing bandleader Philip Reed, soloist Don Taylor, sideman Keenan Wynn, Gloria Grahame the sexy singer, and Bruce Cowling who owns the joint, exposition early in Song Of The Thin Man, 1947.

Man In The Gray Flannel Suit, The (1956) -- (Movie Clip) Mystery Picnic In a WWII flashback, married American Captain Rath (Gregory Peck) in Rome with buddy Caesar (Keenan Wynn) then with Italian girlfriend Maria (Marisa Pavan), just before shipping out for the Pacific theatre, in The Man In The Gray Flannel Suit, 1956, from the Sloan Wilson novel.

Finian's Rainbow (1968) -- (Movie Clip) Look To The Rainbow Petula Clark sings the Burton Lane and E.Y. Harburg tune, as she and Fred Astaire (playing her Irish father) traverse the United States, in Francis Coppola's charming, if geographically incoherent, opening credit sequence, from Finian's Rainbow, 1968.

It's A Big Country -- (Movie Clip) Matter Of Some Importance Louis Calhern's narration beginning "Episode Two," directed by John Sturges, in which Mrs. Riordan (Ethel Barrymore) meets editor Callaghan (George Murphy), in the MGM anthology It's A Big Country, 1952.

Clock, The - (Original Trailer) A G.I. en route to Europe falls in love during a whirlwind two-day leave in New York City in The Clock (1945).

Neptune's Daughter (1949) -- (Original Trailer) A polo player romances a bathing suit designer in MGM's Neptune's Daughter (1949), starring Esther Williams.

Dr. Strangelove - (Original Trailer) Peter Sellers is an RAF officer, the President and the title character, all facing the end of the world in Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove (1964).

That Kind Of Woman (1959) -- Original Trailer Theatrical trailer for the unsuccessful but ambitious racy semi-comedy, starring Sophia Loren, produced by her husband Carlo Ponti, directed by Sidney Lumet, with teen heart-throb Tab Hunter as the leading man, That Kind Of Woman 1959.

Great Race, The - (Original Trailer) A bumbling villain (Jack Lemmon) plots to win an early 20th-century auto race in Blake Edwards' The Great Race (1965).

Pretty Maids All in a Row - (Original Trailer) A young man's first sexual explorations are threatened by a string of murders in Pretty Maids All in a Row (1971) written by Gene Roddenberry, starring Rock Hudson and Angie Dickinson.

Code Two - (Original Trailer) Three young men train to become motorcycle cops in Code Two (1953).

Cockeyed Miracle, The - (Original Trailer) The ghosts of a father (Keenan Wynn) and son (Frank Morgan) sort out their family's problems in The Cockeyed Miracle (1946).

Annie Get Your Gun - (Original Trailer) Betty Hutton stars as Annie Oakley in the film version of Irving Berlin's musical Annie Get Your Gun (1950).

Ziegfeld Follies - (Original Trailer) Legendary showman Flo Ziegfeld imagines the kind of Follies he could produce with MGM's musical stars in Ziegfeld Follies (1946) starring Judy Garland.

Don't Go Near The Water - (Original Trailer) Navy office workers scheme to build a recreation hall on a remote Pacific island in the military comedy Don't Go Near The Water (1957) starring Glenn Ford.

Kind Lady - (Original Trailer) A con artist (Maurice Evens) and his criminal cohorts hold an old lady (Ethel Barrymore) hostage in her own home in KInd Lady, 1951, directed by John Sturges.

Family

Frank Keenan

Grandfather

Actor, director, producer. Had been a stage star and rival of Edwin Booth before working in silent films as an actor, director and producer; died in 1929.

Isaiah Edwin Leopold

Father

Actor, vaudevillian. Born on November 9, 1886; Jewish; married Hilda Keenan in 1914 and divorced from her in 1937; subsequently was married and divorced twice; died on June 19, 1966.

Hilda Keenan

Mother

Actor. Daughter of actor Frank Keenan; raised Roman Catholic; married Ed Wynn in 1914; divorced Wynn in 1937; died in 1940.

Ned Wynn

Son

Screenwriter, actor, producer. Born c. 1941; worked in film-connected jobs (as extra, in summer stock) during the 1960s and 70s; appeared in several films with his father; wrote memoir "We Will Always Live in Beverly Hills" (1990).

Tracy Keenan Wynn

Son

Screenwriter. Born on February 24, 1945; named Tracy in honor of Wynn's friend Spencer Tracy; shared Emmy for 1970s script "Tribes".

Hilda Keenan Wynn

Daughter

Born January 15, 1955; married to singer-songwriter Paul Williams in 1993.

Edwyna Keenan Wynn

Daughter

Born on February 26, 1957.

Emily Keenan Wynn

Daughter

Born on February 2, 1960; died in 1980 from complications from lupus.

Companions

Eve Abbott

Wife

Married on May 11, 1939; divorced in 1947; married Van Johnson soon after; renowned Hollywood hostess in the 1940s.

Betty Jane Butler

Wife

Married in 1949; divorced in 1953.

Sharley Hudson

Wife

Married in 1954.

Bibliography

"Ed Wynn's Son"

Keenan Wynn as told to James Brough (1959)

About

Biography

Filmography

Photos & Videos

Family & Companions

Bibliography

Biography

Filmography

Cast (Feature Film)

Cast (Special)

Cast (Short)

Cast (TV Mini-Series)

Life Events

1935

1942

Photo Collections

Videos

Movie Clip

Trailer

Family

Companions

Bibliography

TCM Emails