James Dunn worked on the stage, in vaudeville and as an extra in silent movies before he was signed by Fox in 1931. His first movie with Fox was 1931's Sob Sister (1931). While at Fox, he appeared with Shirley Temple in her first three features: Baby Take a Bow (1934), Stand Up and Cheer! (1934) and Bright Eyes (1934). Dunn's screen character was usually the boy next door or the nice guy. In 1935 musicals at the new 20th Century-Fox were out and Dunn would move to the "B" list, from which he would never return. In The Payoff (1935) he plays the nice guy newspaper columnist whose wife ruins his career. By the late 1930s he was drinking heavily and become unemployable. He would appear in small roles in films during the early 1940s, but those parts were few. In 1945 he was able to make a comeback and win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945), but his rejuvenated career would not continue. By 1951 he would again be unemployed and bankrupt. Television would later supply some work and he would be a regular on the series It's a Great Life (1954).
James Dunn worked on the stage, in vaudeville and as an extra in silent movies before he was signed by Fox in 1931. His first movie with Fox was 1931's Sob Sister (1931). While at Fox, he appeared with Shirley Temple in her first three features: Baby Take a Bow (1934), Stand Up and Cheer! (1934) and Bright Eyes (1934). Dunn's screen character was usually the boy next door or the nice guy. In 1935 musicals at the new 20th Century-Fox were out and Dunn would move to the "B" list, from which he would never return. In The Payoff (1935) he plays the nice guy newspaper columnist whose wife ruins his career. By the late 1930s he was drinking heavily and become unemployable. He would appear in small roles in films during the early 1940s, but those parts were few. In 1945 he was able to make a comeback and win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945), but his rejuvenated career would not continue. By 1951 he would again be unemployed and bankrupt. Television would later supply some work and he would be a regular on the series It's a Great Life (1954).
Dunn was born 2 November 1901, New York City, New York, USA, and he died 1 September 1967, Santa Monica, California, USA (following abdominal surgery)
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0007223
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q471281
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Filmography (Movies)
Hollywood’s Children
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:24/02/1982
The Biggest Little Star of the 30's
Character:Self(archive footage)
Release Date:01/01/1976
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:06/08/1975
Shadow Over Elveron
Character:Luke Travers
Release Date:05/03/1968
The Oscar
Character:TV executive
Release Date:04/03/1966
Hemingway’s Adventures of a Young Man
Character:Telegrapher
Release Date:25/07/1962
Journey to the Day
Character:Melville Cooper
Release Date:22/04/1960
The Bramble Bush
Character:Stew Schaffer
Release Date:24/02/1960
Mr. Broadway
Character:
Release Date:11/05/1957
The Ninth Day
Character:
Release Date:10/01/1957
A Wonderful Life
Character:Henry Wood
Release Date:10/08/1950
The Golden Gloves Story
Character:Joe Riley
Release Date:22/03/1950
Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven
Character:Mike
Release Date:16/07/1948
Killer McCoy
Character:Brian McCoy
Release Date:01/12/1947
That Brennan Girl
Character:Denny Reagan
Release Date:23/12/1946
The Caribbean Mystery
Character:Mr. Smith
Release Date:01/06/1945
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Character:Johnny Nolan
Release Date:28/02/1945
Leave It to the Irish
Character:Terry Moran
Release Date:26/08/1944
Take It or Leave It
Character:(archive footage) (uncredited)
Release Date:17/07/1944
Government Girl
Character:Sergeant Joe Blake
Release Date:05/11/1943
The Ghost and the Guest
Character:Webster Frye
Release Date:19/04/1943
The Living Ghost
Character:Nick Trayne
Release Date:11/08/1942
Hold That Woman!
Character:Jimmy Parker
Release Date:28/06/1940
Son of the Navy
Character:Chief Gunners Mate Mike Malone
Release Date:30/03/1940
Mercy Plane
Character:'Speed' Leslie
Release Date:04/12/1939
Pride of the Navy
Character:Speed Brennan
Release Date:23/01/1939
Shadows Over Shanghai
Character:Johnny McGinty
Release Date:14/10/1938
Living on Love
Character:Gary Martin
Release Date:12/11/1937
Venus Makes Trouble
Character:Buzz Martin
Release Date:14/05/1937
We Have Our Moments
Character:John Wade
Release Date:28/03/1937
Mysterious Crossing
Character:Addison Francis Murphy
Release Date:27/12/1936
Come Closer, Folks
Character:Jim Keene
Release Date:07/11/1936
Two-Fisted Gentleman
Character:Mickey
Release Date:15/08/1936
Hearts in Bondage
Character:Lt. Kenneth Reynolds
Release Date:26/05/1936
Bad Boy
Character:Eddie Nolan
Release Date:25/10/1935
Welcome Home
Character:Richard Foster
Release Date:09/08/1935
The Daring Young Man
Character:Don McLane
Release Date:17/07/1935
George White's 1935 Scandals
Character:Eddie
Release Date:29/03/1935
The Payoff
Character:Joe McCoy
Release Date:09/01/1935
Bright Eyes
Character:Loop Merritt
Release Date:28/12/1934
365 Nights in Hollywood
Character:James 'Jimmy' Dale
Release Date:11/12/1934
Have a Heart
Character:James 'Jimmie' Flaherty
Release Date:07/09/1934
Baby Take a Bow
Character:Eddie Ellison
Release Date:30/06/1934
Change of Heart
Character:Mark McGowan
Release Date:18/05/1934
Stand Up and Cheer!
Character:Jimmy Dugan
Release Date:04/05/1934
Hold That Girl
Character:Barney Sullivan
Release Date:23/03/1934
Take a Chance
Character:Duke Stanley
Release Date:25/11/1933
Jimmy and Sally
Character:Jimmy O'Connor
Release Date:04/11/1933
Arizona to Broadway
Character:Smiley Wells
Release Date:22/07/1933
The Girl in 419
Character:Dr. Daniel French
Release Date:26/05/1933
Hold Me Tight
Character:Chuck Evans
Release Date:20/05/1933
Hello, Sister!
Character:Jimmy
Release Date:14/04/1933
Sailor's Luck
Character:Jimmy Fenimore Harrigan
Release Date:17/03/1933
Handle with Care
Character:Bill Gordon
Release Date:25/12/1932
Society Girl
Character:Johnny Malone
Release Date:29/05/1932
Dance Team
Character:Jimmy Mulligan
Release Date:17/01/1932
Over the Hill
Character:Johnny Shelby as an Adult
Release Date:29/11/1931
Sob Sister
Character:Garry Webster
Release Date:25/10/1931
Bad Girl
Character:Eddie Collins
Release Date:13/08/1931
The Song Plugger
Character:Man in Record Shop
Release Date:08/06/1930
In the Nick of Time
Character:
Release Date:01/10/1929
Television Appearances
Branded
Character:
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
Character:
The Great Adventure
Character:Indian Agent McLean
The Fugitive
Character:Lou Bragan
Vacation Playhouse
Character:P.J. Cunningham
Going My Way
Character:
The Virginian
Character:Congressman Matthew J. Cosgrove
The Investigators
Character:Chief Reynolds
Ben Casey
Character:
Route 66
Character:
Rawhide
Character:
Rawhide
Character:Dr. Soloman Flood
Naked City
Character:Peter Wilkin
Wanted: Dead or Alive
Character:Gabe Henshaw
Matinee Theater
Character:
Screen Director's Playhouse
Character:Sheriff Garrett
The Wonderful World of Disney
Character:J. Henry Newman
Climax!
Character:Eldon Abernathy
Climax!
Character:Warren
It's a Great Life
Character:Earl Morgan
General Electric Theater
Character:
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Character:
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Character:Dan McLain
Lux Video Theatre
Character:Joey
Robert Montgomery Presents
Character:
Studio One
Character:
Studio One
Character:Frank Gabriel
Images
