James Dunn
Biography
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)
Known For
Bonanza
1959
The Fugitive
1963
Matinee Theater
1955
Robert Montgomery Presents
1950
Climax!
1954
Climax!
1954
The Virginian
1962
Studio One
1948
Studio One
1948
Naked City
1958
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
1963
Ben Casey
1961
Filmography
Bonanza
as Danny Lynch · 1959
The Fugitive
as Lou Bragan · 1963
Matinee Theater
· 1955
Robert Montgomery Presents
· 1950
Climax!
as Eldon Abernathy · 1954
Climax!
as Warren · 1954
The Virginian
as Congressman Matthew J. Cosgrove · 1962
Studio One
· 1948
Studio One
as Frank Gabriel · 1948
Naked City
as Peter Wilkin · 1958
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
· 1963
Ben Casey
· 1961
Rawhide
· 1959
Rawhide
as Dr. Soloman Flood · 1959
Wanted: Dead or Alive
as Gabe Henshaw · 1958
Route 66
· 1960
Branded
· 1965
Branded
as Sam Manning · 1965
Lux Video Theatre
as Joey · 1950
The Great Adventure
as Indian Agent McLean · 1963
Screen Director's Playhouse
as Sheriff Garrett · 1955
The Wonderful World of Disney
as J. Henry Newman · 1954
Going My Way
· 1962
Vacation Playhouse
as P.J. Cunningham · 1963
The Investigators
as Chief Reynolds · 1961
General Electric Theater
· 1953
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
· 1951
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
as Dan McLain · 1951
It's a Great Life
as Earl Morgan · 1954
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
as Johnny Nolan · 1945
The Oscar
as TV executive · 1966
Mercy Plane
as 'Speed' Leslie · 1939
Bad Girl
as Eddie Collins · 1931
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
as Self (archive footage) · 1975
Government Girl
as Sergeant Joe Blake · 1943
Hemingway’s Adventures of a Young Man
as Telegrapher · 1962
Hello, Sister!
as Jimmy · 1933
Sob Sister
as Garry Webster · 1931
A Wonderful Life
as Henry Wood · 1950
Leave It to the Irish
as Terry Moran · 1944
Deliverance
as Life Saver · 1919
Baby Take a Bow
as Eddie Ellison · 1934
Stand Up and Cheer!
as Jimmy Dugan · 1934
Take It or Leave It
as (archive footage) (uncredited) · 1944
Bright Eyes
as Loop Merritt · 1934
Journey to the Day
as Melville Cooper · 1960
The Girl in 419
as Dr. Daniel French · 1933
We Have Our Moments
as John Wade · 1937
The Daring Young Man
as Don McLane · 1935
Don’t Get Personal
as Bob McDonald · 1936
The Bramble Bush
as Stew Schaffer · 1960
Society Girl
as Johnny Malone · 1932
Pride of the Navy
as Speed Brennan · 1939
365 Nights in Hollywood
as James 'Jimmy' Dale · 1934
That Brennan Girl
as Denny Reagan · 1946
George White's 1935 Scandals
as Eddie · 1935
Son of the Navy
as Chief Gunners Mate Mike Malone · 1940
The Ghost and the Guest
as Webster Frye · 1943
In the Nick of Time
· 1929
Over the Hill
as Johnny Shelby as an Adult · 1931
Hold That Woman!
as Jimmy Parker · 1940
Bad Boy
as Eddie Nolan · 1935
The Biggest Little Star of the 30's
as Self(archive footage) · 1976
The Golden Gloves Story
as Joe Riley · 1950
Hold That Girl
as Barney Sullivan · 1934
Mr. Broadway
as Jerry Cohan · 1957
Handle with Care
as Bill Gordon · 1932
The Living Ghost
as Nick Trayne · 1942
Killer McCoy
as Brian McCoy · 1947
Hollywood’s Children
as Self (archive footage) · 1982
The Ninth Day
as Jackson · 1957
Living on Love
as Gary Martin · 1937
The Last Stop
as Yigal · 1956
Hearts in Bondage
as Lt. Kenneth Reynolds · 1936
Change of Heart
as Mark McGowan · 1934
Shadows Over Shanghai
as Johnny McGinty · 1938
The Payoff
as Joe McCoy · 1935
Have a Heart
as James 'Jimmie' Flaherty · 1934
Shadow Over Elveron
as Luke Travers · 1968
Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven
as Mike · 1948
Two-Fisted Gentleman
as Mickey · 1936
The Caribbean Mystery
as Mr. Smith · 1945
Sailor's Luck
as Jimmy Fenimore Harrigan · 1933
The Song Plugger
as Man in Record Shop · 1930
Mysterious Crossing
as Addison Francis Murphy · 1936
Take a Chance
as Duke Stanley · 1933
Come Closer, Folks
as Jim Keene · 1936
Dance Team
as Jimmy Mulligan · 1932
Jimmy and Sally
as Jimmy O'Connor · 1933
Welcome Home
as Richard Foster · 1935
Arizona to Broadway
as Smiley Wells · 1933
Venus Makes Trouble
as Buzz Martin · 1937
Hold Me Tight
as Chuck Evans · 1933