James Gleason

Actor

About

Also Known As

Jimmy Gleason

Birth Place

New York City, New York, USA

Born

May 23, 1882

Died

April 12, 1959

Biography

Filmography

Money, Women and Guns (1959)

Henry Devers

Rock-a-Bye Baby (1958)

Dr. Simkins

The Last Hurrah (1958)

Cuke Gillen

The Female Animal (1958)

Tom Maloney

Photos & Videos

View All

Meet John Doe -- (Movie Clip) Opening, Streamlined

Penguin Pool Murder (1932) -- (Movie Clip) I Could Get A Substitute

Family & Companions

Lucille Gleason

Wife

Actor. Died in 1947.

Notes

Another actor named James Gleason has credits in TV and films beginning in the mid-1970s; there is also a sound recordist of the late 1950s and early 1960s generally credited as James A. Gleason.

Biography

Former Broadway performer and playwright who began regular screen appearances, usually in hard-boiled comic character parts, in the late 1920s. The invaluable Gleason, often in acid comedy roles with more than a touch of Damon Runyonesque New Yorkness about them, justly received an Oscar nomination for his delightful Max Corkle in "Here Comes Mr. Jordan" (1941), and graced dozens of films before his death in 1959. He often worked with his wife Lucille Gleason; with their son, actor Russell Gleason they made a series of Higgins family comedies for Republic in the late 30s and early 40s.

Filmography

Life Events

1922

Film actor

1935

Film director "Hot Tip"

Photo Collections

Here Comes Mr. Jordan - Movie Poster

Here is an original release movie poster from Columbia Pictures' Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941), starring Robert Montgomery. This is an Insert poster, measuring 14 x 36 inches.

Videos

Meet John Doe -- (Movie Clip) Opening, Streamlined Opening titles followed by a searing exercise in newsroom house-cleaning, featuring Ann (Barbara Stanwyck) pleading with Connell (James Gleason) in Frank Capra's Meet John Doe, 1941.

Penguin Pool Murder (1932) -- (Movie Clip) I Could Get A Substitute Dropping by her pad to collect her exemplary notes on his interviews, cop Piper (James Gleason) is surprised by the royal spread provided by Miss Withers (Edna May Oliver, in her first appearance as the character from the Stuart Palmer novels), with much sparking as he realizes her hat-pin may have been the weapon, in Penguin Pool Murder, 1932.

My Gal Sal (1942) -- (Movie Clip) What's Your Answer? Joining the number midway, headliner Sally (Rita Hayworth) performing a song in fact written by Paul Dresser, the brother of the novelist Theodore Dreiser, played here by Victor Mature, who's come to New York seeking redress, James Gleason his agent, in My Gal Sal, 1942.

Suddenly (1954) -- (Movie Clip) Nothing Wrong Yet At this point, as far as we know Baron (Frank Sinatra) and posse (Paul Frees, Christopher Dark) might be legitimate, as they visit Ellen (Nancy Gates), son Pidge (Kim Carney) and Pops (James Gleason) before a still-secret presidential visit to a California town called Suddenly, 1954.

Falcon Takes Over, The (1942) -- (Movie Clip) My Name Is Dittenfriss Series regular cop O’Hara (James Gleason) and star George Sanders as Gay Lawrence, the suave amateur detective title character, enter the night club shot up that night by a thug named Moose Malloy, Allen Jenkins as “Goldie,” who accidentally got involved, in The Falcon Takes Over, 1942, based on a Raymond Chandler novel.

Bishop's Wife, The (1948) -- (Movie Clip) Ice Skating Dudley (Cary Grant), whom we know to be an angel sent to help her husband, shares an unexpected gift for ice-skating with Julia (Loretta Young, title character) and Sylvester (James Gleason) in a famous scene from Samuel Goldwyn's The Bishop's Wife, 1948.

Meet John Doe (1941) -- (Movie Clip) It's Worth Living For! Significant SPOILER here, as “John Doe” (Gary Cooper) contemplates jumping after all, power broker Norton (Edward Arnold) and his men offering cynical advice, and Ann (Barbara Stanwyck) breaks down in a desperate last attempt, nearing the climax of Frank Capra’s Meet John Doe, 1941.

Meet John Doe (1941) -- (Movie Clip) The Greed, The Lust, The Hate, The Fear Staff-slashing editor Connell (James Gleason) doesn’t know that Ann (Barbara Stanwyck), whom he fired the day before, invented “John Doe,” whose suicidal letter she featured in her final column, and she offers a blinding pitch to launch the stunt and win back her job, in Frank Capra’s Meet John Doe, 1941.

Meet John Doe (1941) -- (Movie Clip) Tear Down All The Fences! "John Doe" (Gary Cooper) delivers his first radio address, written by Ann (Barbara Stanwyck), who invented his persona, to an audience including his pal "the colonel" (Walter Brennan), editor Connell (James Gleason) and evil magnate Norton (Edward Arnold) in Frank Capra's Meet John Doe, 1941.

Suddenly (1954) -- (Movie Clip) You're A Careful Man In the town for which the movie is named, Sheriff Shaw (Sterling Hayden), who’s just heard of the imminent presidential visit, greets Carney (Willis Bouchey), who finds out his old partner Pops (James Gleason), lives up on the hill with his family (Nancy Gates, Kim Charney) in Suddenly, 1954.

Suddenly (1954) -- (Movie Clip) Your Guts Are Showing Assassin Baron (Frank Sinatra) and crew (Paul Frees, Christopher Dark) have dropped their FBI cover, after killing a secret service agent and wounding the sheriff (Sterling Hayden), now a hostage along with Ellen, Pops and Pidge (Nancy Gates, Kim Charney, James Gleason), in Suddenly, 1954.

Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941) -- (Movie Clip) I Dont See Me Around Sax-playing fighter Joe (Robert Montgomery) and bumbling Messenger 7013 (Edward Everett Horton), who snatched him from a plane crash in which he would not have died, rush to the home of his manager Max (James Gleason), intending to install his person back into his body, in Here Comes Mr. Jordan, 1941.

Bishop's Wife, The - (Original Trailer) Cary Grant, Loretta Young and David Niven, stars of the romantic fantasy The Bishop's Wife (1947), introduce the...we'll let them explain.

West Point Of The Air - (Original Trailer) An army sergeant (Wallace Beery) inspires his son to become an ace flyer and join the West Point of the Air (1935).

Arsenic and Old Lace - (Original Trailer) A young man (Cary Grant) about to be married discovers his two aunts are poisoning lonely old men in Arsenic and Old Lace, (1944).

Affectionately Yours - (Original Trailer) A foreign correspondent hurries home to stop his wife from getting a divorce in the romantic comedy, Affectionately Yours (1941) starring Merle Oberon, Dennis Morgan and Rita Hayworth.

Babes On Broadway - (Original Trailer) Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney "put on a show" in Busby Berkeley's Babes On Broadway (1941).

What Price Glory (1952) - (Black-and-white Trailer) A marine captain (James Cagney) and his top sergeant are assigned to take their company from a small village to the brutal reality of war in the trenches in John Ford's What Price Glory (1952).

This Man's Navy - (Original Trailer) The director of Wings (1927), William Wellman, turns his attention to dirigibles in This Man's Navy (1945) starring Wallace Beery.

Ex-Mrs. Bradford, The - (Original Trailer) A detective (William Powell) teams with his ex-wife (Jean Arthur) to solve a murder in The Ex-Mrs. Bradford (1936).

Penguin Pool Murder, The - (Original Trailer) A feisty school teacher (Edna May Oliver) sets out to solve a murder in an aquarium in The Penguin Pool Murder (1932).

Yellow Cab Man, The - (Original Trailer) Red Skelton is a cab-driving inventor whose unbreakable glass attracts the attention of businessmen and gangsters in The Yellow Cab Man (1950).

Meanest Gal in Town, The - (Original Trailer) A stranded carnival girl comes between a lady show owner and the town barder in The Meanest Gal in Town (1934) starring Zazu Pitts.

Guy Named Joe, A -- (Re-issue Trailer) A downed World War II pilot (Spencer Tracy) becomes the guardian angel for his successor (Van Johnson) in love and war in A Guy Named Joe (1943).

Family

Russell Gleason

Son

Actor. Born 1908, died in 1945; committed suicide.

Companions

Lucille Gleason

Wife

Actor. Died in 1947.

Bibliography

Notes

Another actor named James Gleason has credits in TV and films beginning in the mid-1970s; there is also a sound recordist of the late 1950s and early 1960s generally credited as James A. Gleason.

About

Biography

Filmography

Photos & Videos

Family & Companions

Notes

Biography

Filmography

Director (Feature Film)

Cast (Feature Film)

Writer (Feature Film)

Producer (Feature Film)

Sound (Feature Film)

Life Events

1922

1935

Photo Collections

Videos

Movie Clip

Trailer

Family

Companions

Bibliography

Notes

TCM Emails