Jean Arthur
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Bibliography
Notes
"Never have I seen a performer plagued with such a chronic case of stage jitters . . . When the cameras stopped she'd run to her dressing room, lock herself in--and cry. . . . When called for another scene she would come out looking like a mop; walk aimlessly around muttering a torrent of non-sequitur excuses for not being ready. And it wasn't an act. Those weren't butterflies in her stomach. They were wasps. But push that neurotic girl forcibly, but gently, in front of the camera and turn on the lights--and that whining mop would magically blossom into a warm, lovely poised and confident actress." --Frank Capra in his memoir "The Name Above the Title"
"I guess I became an actress because I didn't want to be myself." --Jean Arthur in 1972, quoted in The New York Times, obituary, June 20, 1991.
Biography
After a brief time on the New York stage, Jean Arthur made her feature film debut in John Ford's "Cameo Kirby" (1923) and appeared as an ingenue in numerous low-budget silent westerns and comedy shorts. Arthur's smooth transition to sound was aided by her nasal voice, sometimes sexy, other times squeaky, and she won immense popularity in John Ford's "The Whole Town's Talking" (1935). A deft comedienne and prickly, sometimes tomboyish heroine, she hit her peak post-1935 playing a string of down-to-earth, independent types, often working women, and costarring in three celebrated Frank Capra films: "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" (1936), "You Can't Take It with You" (1938) and "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (1939).
With her increased prestige, Arthur chose her later roles wisely, her last decade of work including Billy Wilder's superior romantic comedy "A Foreign Affair" (1948) and the George Stevens classics "The Talk of the Town" (1942), "The More the Merrier" (1943) and "Shane" (1953). The latter was her final film, made after a five year absence from the screen. Her acting work from the 1950s on was intermittent, somewhat curtailed by Arthur's longstanding shyness and discomfort about her chosen profession. She did occasional stage work (such as a charming turn as "Peter Pan"), a try at a TV series (the short-lived "The Jean Arthur Show" 1966), and much time teaching acting at the university level.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Misc. Crew (Special)
Life Events
1923
Screen debut in short, "Somebody Lied"
1923
Feature film debut in John Ford's "Cameo Kirby"
1928
First leading film role in "Warming Up"
1932
Dissatisfied with Hollywood career, returned to NY stage
1934
Signed with Columbia Pictures and re-launched career
1939
Last film with Capra, "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"
1942
First film with director George Stevens, "The Talk of the Town"
1944
Last film for four years, "The Impatient Years"
1948
Returned to films to play a starring role opposite Marlene Dietrich and John Lund in Billy Wilder's "A Foreign Affair"
1950
Returned to Broadway in Leonard Bernstein's "Peter Pan"
1953
Again returned to films to star in her last, George Stevens' western "Shane", opposite Van Heflin and Alan Ladd
1966
Starred as a lawyer on short-lived TV series, "The Jean Arthur Show"
1985
Appeared as herself in the feature documentary, "George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey"
Photo Collections
Videos
Movie Clip
Trailer
Promo
Companions
Bibliography
Notes
"Never have I seen a performer plagued with such a chronic case of stage jitters . . . When the cameras stopped she'd run to her dressing room, lock herself in--and cry. . . . When called for another scene she would come out looking like a mop; walk aimlessly around muttering a torrent of non-sequitur excuses for not being ready. And it wasn't an act. Those weren't butterflies in her stomach. They were wasps. But push that neurotic girl forcibly, but gently, in front of the camera and turn on the lights--and that whining mop would magically blossom into a warm, lovely poised and confident actress." --Frank Capra in his memoir "The Name Above the Title"
"I guess I became an actress because I didn't want to be myself." --Jean Arthur in 1972, quoted in The New York Times, obituary, June 20, 1991.
"When pressed by Hollywood to choose a stage name, she selected one honoring two idols: Jeanne d'Arc and King Arthur." --Peter B Flint in Arthur's The New York Times obituary, June 20, 1991.
