Birthday:
09-06-1891
Deathday:
02-06-1970 (78 years)
Birthplace:
San Bernardino, California, USA
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Roscoe Karns (September 7, 1891 – February 6, 1970) was an American actor who appeared in nearly 150 films between 1915 and 1964. He specialized in cynical, wise-cracking (and often tipsy) characters, and his rapid-fire delivery enlivened many comedies and crime thrillers in the 1930s and 1940s. Though he appeared in numerous silent films, such as Wings and Beggars of Life, his career didn't really take off until sound arrived. Arguably his best-known film role was the annoying bus passenger Oscar Shapeley, who tries to pick up Claudette Colbert in the Oscar-winning comedy It Happened One Night (1934), quickly followed by one of his best performances as the boozy press agent Owen O'Malley in Howard Hawks' Twentieth Century. (Six years later, he co-starred as one of the reporters in another Hawks classic, His Girl Friday.) In 1937, Paramount teamed him with Lynne Overman as a pair of laconic private eyes in two B comedy-mysteries, Murder Goes to College and Partners in Crime. From 1950 to 1954, Karns played the title role in the popular DuMont Television Network series Rocky King, Inside Detective. His son, character actor Todd Karns, also appeared in that series.
From 1959 to 1962, Karns was cast as Admiral Walter Shafer in seventy-three of the ninety-five episodes of the CBS military sitcom/drama series, Hennesey, starring Jackie Cooper in the title role of a United States Navy physician, and Abby Dalton as nurse Martha Hale.
His final film was another Hawks comedy, Man's Favorite Sport?, in 1964.
Karns was born in San Bernardino, California, and died in Los Angeles. Description above from the Wikipedia article Roscoe Karns, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
Roscoe Karns (September 7, 1891 – February 6, 1970) was an American actor who appeared in nearly 150 films between 1915 and 1964. He specialized in cynical, wise-cracking (and often tipsy) characters, and his rapid-fire delivery enlivened many comedies and crime thrillers in the 1930s and 1940s. Though he appeared in numerous silent films, such as Wings and Beggars of Life, his career didn't really take off until sound arrived. Arguably his best-known film role was the annoying bus passenger Oscar Shapeley, who tries to pick up Claudette Colbert in the Oscar-winning comedy It Happened One Night (1934), quickly followed by one of his best performances as the boozy press agent Owen O'Malley in Howard Hawks' Twentieth Century. (Six years later, he co-starred as one of the reporters in another Hawks classic, His Girl Friday.) In 1937, Paramount teamed him with Lynne Overman as a pair of laconic private eyes in two B comedy-mysteries, Murder Goes to College and Partners in Crime. From 1950 to 1954, Karns played the title role in the popular DuMont Television Network series Rocky King, Inside Detective. His son, character actor Todd Karns, also appeared in that series.
From 1959 to 1962, Karns was cast as Admiral Walter Shafer in seventy-three of the ninety-five episodes of the CBS military sitcom/drama series, Hennesey, starring Jackie Cooper in the title role of a United States Navy physician, and Abby Dalton as nurse Martha Hale.
His final film was another Hawks comedy, Man's Favorite Sport?, in 1964.
Karns was born in San Bernardino, California, and died in Los Angeles. Description above from the Wikipedia article Roscoe Karns, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
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It Happened One Night
Act like Oscar Shapeley
event1934 star_border 7.8
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A runaway heiress makes a deal with the rogue reporter trailing her but the mismatched pair end up stuck with each other when their bus leaves them behind.
His Girl Friday
Act like McCue
event1940 star_border 7.4
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Walter Burns is an irresistibly conniving newspaper publisher desperate to woo back his paper’s star reporter, who also happens to be his estranged wife. She’s threatening to quit and settle down with a new beau, but, as Walter knows, she has a weakness: she can’t resist a juicy scoop.
The Family Honor
Act like Dal Tucker
event1920
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Beverly Tucker, the daughter of an impoverished aristocratic Southern family, has scraped together her last pennies to put her brother Dal through college in the hope that he will support the family after graduation. However, Dal harbors no such ambition and instead spends his time gambling and drinking in a saloon owned by the town's mayor, Curran. During a raid led by Curran's crusading son Merle, a detective is killed and Dal is accused of the crime.
Woman of the Year
Act like Phil Whittaker
event1942 star_border 6.9
top_panel_open
Rival reporters Sam Craig and Tess Harding fall in love and get married, only to find their relationship strained when Sam comes to resent Tess' hectic lifestyle.
Twentieth Century
Act like Owen O'Malley
event1934 star_border 6.8
top_panel_open
A temperamental Broadway producer trains an untutored actress, but when she becomes a star, she proves a match for him.
The Ten Commandments
Act like The Boy in the Rain (uncredited)
event1923 star_border 6.6
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The first part tells the story of Moses leading the Jews from Egypt to the Promised Land, his receipt of the tablets and the worship of the golden calf. The second part shows the efficacy of the commandments in modern life through a story set in San Francisco. Two brothers, rivals for the love of Mary, also come into conflict when John discovers Dan used shoddy materials to construct a cathedral.
Petticoat Politics
Act like Joe Higgins
event1941
top_panel_open
Pa Higgins has decided to retire but winds up being forced to run for mayor. Ladd is both boyfriend to the Higgins girl and the son of Pa's opponent.
Alice in Wonderland
Act like Tweedledee
event1933 star_border 6.1
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In Victorian England, a bored young girl dreams that she has entered a fantasy world called Wonderland, populated by even more fantastic characters.
You Can't Escape Forever
Act like 'Mac' McTurk
event1942 star_border 5.4
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A demoted reporter (George Brent) and his girlfriend (Brenda Marshall) seek to expose a crime kingpin.
Moran of the Marines
Act like Swatty
event1928
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Adventures of a marine in China.
Footsteps in the Dark
Act like Monahan
event1941 star_border 6.9
top_panel_open
A high-society gent has a secret life - he writes murder mysteries and hangs out with the police attempting to solve crimes. This causes him no end of problems when his wife wants to know about his little disappearances and exceptionally late nights out.
You and Me
Act like Cuffy
event1938 star_border 6.7
top_panel_open
Mr. Morris, the owner of a large metropolitan department store, gives jobs to paroled ex-convicts in an effort to help them reform and go straight. Among his 'employed-prison-graduates' are Helen Roberts and Joe Dennis, working as sales clerks. Joe is in love with Helen and asks her to marry him, but she is forbidden to marry as she is still on parole, but she says yes and they are married. In spite of their poverty-level life, their marriage is a happy one until Joe discovers she has lied about her past, in order to marry him. Disillusioned, he leaves, goes back to his old gang and plans to rob the department store.
They Drive by Night
Act like Irish McGurn
event1940 star_border 6.9
top_panel_open
Joe and Paul Fabrini are Wildcat, or independent, truck drivers who have their own small one-truck business. The Fabrini boys constantly battle distributors, rivals and loan collectors, while trying to make a success of their transport company.
Man's Favorite Sport?
Act like Major Phipps
event1964 star_border 7
top_panel_open
Roger Willoughby is a renowned fishing expert, who, unbeknownst to his friends, co-workers, or boss, has never cast a line in his life. One day, he crosses paths with Abigail Paige, a sweetly annoying girl who has just badgered his boss into signing Roger up for an annual fishing tournament.
Devil's Cargo
Act like Lt. Hardy
event1948 star_border 5.5
top_panel_open
John Calvert takes over as the Falcon in this Poverty-Row continuation of the film series.
Her Own Money
Act like Jerry Woodward
event1922
top_panel_open
After five years of marriage, Mildred comes to the realization that her husband, Lew, is going nowhere in the real estate business. Mildred, however, has managed to squirrel away two thousand dollars from the household budget -- enough to buy a home. But it turns out that Lew needs just that sum to avoid a financial disaster
Night After Night
Act like Leo
event1932 star_border 6.1
top_panel_open
A former boxer purchases a classy speakeasy and falls in love with a wealthy society girl.
Ten Modern Commandments
Act like Benny Burnaway
event1927
top_panel_open
A chorus girl falls in love with a budding composer.
Wings in the Dark
Act like Nick Williams
event1935 star_border 6.4
top_panel_open
In his dedicated pursuit of technology that will aid pilots to safely "fly blind" during adverse conditions, aerial innovator Ken Gordon is literally blinded in an accident, but this setback doesn't deter him from his goal.
Double Alibi
Act like Jeremiah Jenkins
event1940 star_border 4.5
top_panel_open
A man's ex-wife is found murdered, and he finds himself to be the prime suspect.
A Lady's Profession
Act like Tony
event1933
top_panel_open
A couple of down-and-out British aristocrats buy an American roadhouse.
Laughing Sinners
Act like Fred Geer
event1931 star_border 5.4
top_panel_open
Ivy Stevens is a cafe entertainer in love with a shifty salesman who deserts her. In attempting to commit suicide, she is saved by Carl, a Salvation Army officer. Encouraged by Carl, Ivy joins the Salvation Army. When her old flame re-enters her life, Ivy finds she is still attracted and begins another affair with him.
Four Hours to Kill!
Act like Johnson
event1935 star_border 5
top_panel_open
A detective who has "four hours to kill" before delivering his prisoner, an escaped killer, spends the time in the lobby of a Broadway theater where a musical is playing. The film focuses on the relationship between the two men, and also between various characters in the theater audience, staff and cast.
Other Men's Daughters
Act like Hubert
event1923
top_panel_open
Dorothy Kane leaves home after being denounced by her father, a businessman, who is dictatorial with his family but very lavish to his female companions in the city. Dorothy unwittingly becomes involved with his nightclub friends, Lottie, Trixie, and Alaska. At a dinner party attended by elderly men and young girls, Dorothy meets her father and decides to decry him to Mrs. Kane, but later feels that it would bring much sorrow to her already neglected mother.
If I Had a Million
Act like Private O'Brien
event1932 star_border 6.5
top_panel_open
An elderly business tycoon, believed to be dying, decides to give a million dollars each to eight strangers chosen at random from the phone directory.
Today We Live
Act like McGinnis
event1933 star_border 6.2
top_panel_open
Two lovers are living together and are not married; they had made a promise as children to get married when they grew up, but they "didn't wait."
This Thing Called Love
Act like Harry Bertrand
event1929
top_panel_open
A romance runs into difficulties because the girl has seen a great deal of the turbulence in her sister's household, and has no illusions about married bliss.
Alibi Ike
Act like Carey
event1935 star_border 5.8
top_panel_open
Idiosyncratic new recruit Francis "Ike" Farrell tries to help the Cubs to the pennant with his pitching and hitting.
One Sunday Afternoon
Act like Snappy Downer
event1933 star_border 6.3
top_panel_open
Middle-aged dentist Biff Grimes reminisces about his unrequited love for beautiful Virginia Brush and her husband Hugo, his ex-friend, who betrayed him.
Saturday's Children
Act like Willie Sands
event1940 star_border 6.4
top_panel_open
An inventor and his bride get testy in the city as they try to make ends meet.
Front Page Woman
Act like Toots O'Grady
event1935 star_border 5.8
top_panel_open
Ace reporter Curt Devlin and fellow reporter Ellen Garfield love one another, but Curt believes women are "bum newspapermen". When a murder investigation ensues, the two compete every step of the way, determined to not be scooped by the other.
New York Nights
Act like Johnny Dolan
event1929 star_border 4.8
top_panel_open
Show girl Jill Deverne is married to song writer Fred Deverne, and everyone is involved in the Broadway night life and endless parties. Jill is being pursued by a gangster, and she leaves her husband after he spends the night with a floozie. Jill ends up as the gangster's moll, but she soon gets tired of the lifestyle.
Week-End Marriage
Act like Jim Davis
event1932 star_border 6
top_panel_open
In this comedy, a hard-working husband loses his job and his wife becomes the bread winner.
Win That Girl
Act like Johnny Norton II
event1928
top_panel_open
A gridiron rivalry between two colleges is entering its third generation, and the Norton family (father and grandfather were members of teams defeated by rival squads captained by members of the Brawn family) rears Johnny Norton, 3d, to be a star football player. The lad is underweight, however, and initially shows a talent only for drop kicking. During the big game, Johnny is substituted for another player and leads his team to victory, winning for himself the love of Gloria Havens.
A Tragedy at Midnight
Act like Cassidy
event1942 star_border 4
top_panel_open
The host of a whodunit radio show finds himself involved in his own mystery when he awakens to find a woman with a knife in her back in his bedroom.
Avalanche
Act like Red Kelly
event1946
top_panel_open
Two T-men track a tax evader and his money to an Idaho ski resort, where a raven tends bar.
That's Right – You're Wrong
Act like Mal Stamp
event1939 star_border 5.7
top_panel_open
J. D. Forbes, head of the almost-bankrupt Four Star Studios in Hollywood contacts band leader Kay Kyser, who puts on a radio and-live theatre program called "The Kollege of Musical Knowledge," to appear in films. When manager Chuck Deems gets the studio offer, he and band members Ginny Simms, Sully Mason, Ish Kabiddle, Harry Babbitt and the others are all fired up at the prospect of going to Hollywood and working in the movies, but band-leader Kay is all against it and says his old grandmother has told him to stay in his own back yard, but he relents. Once there, Stacey Delmore, a Four Star associate producer left in charge of the studio while Forbes is out of town, discovers that the screenplay writers have prepared a script that has Kay Kyser playing a glamorous lover in an exotic European setting.
The Inside Story
Act like Eustace Peabody
event1948 star_border 6.5
top_panel_open
A collection agent arrives in a small town with $1000 for a local farmer. Whilst waiting for the farmer to arrive the money is put in a safe at a hotel for safe keeping. However, it is removed by mistake and solves a number of financial problems before it is returned.
Cain and Mabel
Act like Reilly
event1936 star_border 6.2
top_panel_open
A chorus girl and a heavyweight boxer are paired romantically as a publicity stunt.
Two Against the World
Act like Segall, reporter
event1932 star_border 5.6
top_panel_open
A socialite finds herself involved in a murder trial that is prosecuted by her boyfriend.
Safety in Numbers
Act like Bertram Shapiro
event1930 star_border 5
top_panel_open
Before handing over a large inheritance, a guardian hires three chorus girls to educate his charge about the "underside" of big-city life.
My Son, The Hero
Act like Big-Time Morgan
event1943
top_panel_open
Learning that his long-unseen son is soon to arrive for a visit, a small-time con-man enlists the help of his cronies to help him pretend to be a wealthy and important businessman. Comedy.
Thanks for the Memory
Act like George Kent
event1938 star_border 5.7
top_panel_open
Steve Merrick is an out of work writer who stays home and plays house husband while his wife goes to work for her former fiancé and Merrick's publisher who is still carrying a torch for her.
Pleasure
Act like Arnie
event1931 star_border 3.5
top_panel_open
A novelist and his younger brother fall in love with the same woman.
Shoot the Works
Act like Sailor Burke
event1934 star_border 5
top_panel_open
The story of seedy sideshow barker Nicky, who uses everyone he meets to get ahead. Nicky isn't even above exploiting his singing sweetheart Lily to suit his purposes, but this time it is he who ends up the loser -- at least until he gets wise to himself.
Speed to Spare
Act like Kangaroo
event1948 star_border 5
top_panel_open
Stunt driver Cliff Jordan takes a job with his old pal Jerry McGee, branch manager of an express trucking firm. Jerry is married to Mary, Cliff's former girl friend. Also working for Jerry is Pete Simmons, son of the owner Al Simmons, and office secretary Jane Chandler, who is Pete's sweetheart. Before long, Cliff has made enemies of Pusher Wilks, a trucker whose run he takes over, and also Pete, whose girl he is trying to take over. Pusher sabotages Cliff's rig at every opportunity causing several near-fatal accidents.
Riding High
Act like Shorty
event1943 star_border 4
top_panel_open
No relation to the 1950 Frank Capra film of the same name, the 1943 Technicolor musical Riding High is a by-the-numbers vehicle for Dorothy Lamour and Dick Powell. Lamour stars as Ann Castle, a former burlesque queen who heads westward to claim her father's silver mine. Powell plays mining engineer Steve Baird, who like Ann has a vested interest in the worked-out mine. With the help of genial counterfeiter Mortimer J. Slocum (Victor Moore), Steve and Ann are able to peddle mining stock, thus saving her from bankruptcy. The stockholders are in a lynching mood when it appears that they've been flim-flammed, but a last minute "miracle" saves the day. Featured in the cast are Paramount stalwarts Cass Daley and Gil Lamb, the former doing her quasi-Martha Raye act and the latter swallowing his harmonica for the millionth time. Production values are excellent and the songs are exuberantly performed; it's only in its hackneyed plot that Riding High slows to a clip-clop.
Two-Fisted
Act like Chick Moran
event1935 star_border 7
top_panel_open
A fast-talking boxing manager and the somewhat hapless fighter he manages happen to run into a young man who was a good prizefighter in his day but is now out of the sport and has a drinking problem. They decide to train him for a big match, and in the process find themselves involved in romance, shady characters and a possible kidnapping.
The Woman in Red
Act like Man in court room (uncredited)
event1935 star_border 6.1
top_panel_open
A professional jockey struggles to fit in with her new husband's upper-crust family in this horsy-set drama.
On Such a Night
Act like Joe Flynn
event1937
top_panel_open
When her husband is accused of murder, an actress tries to prove his innocence.
Night of Mystery
Act like Sergeant Heath
event1937
top_panel_open
One of a series of movies based on the character Philo Vance
Ladies Must Live
Act like Pete Larrabee
event1940 star_border 6
top_panel_open
A small town farmer, who happens to be very wealthy, meets and falls for an actress, but his friends warn him she's only interested in his money.
Three Married Men
Act like Peter Cary
event1936
top_panel_open
Jennie Mullins and her fiancé Peter Cary are happily in love but their families are miserable about their relationship. The Carys and Mullinses have been feuding for years over the apparent failure of the Carys' business which was caused by the now-deceased Mr. Mullins. Despite familial pressure to the contrary, Jennie and Peter proceed with their wedding. Just before the wedding, Peter receives advice from his soon-to-be brothers-in-law, Jeff and Bill Mullins. Both men warn him about the drudgery of marriage, ply him with drink, and destroy his fantasy of an ideal, romantic marriage.
Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven
Act like Officer Carmody
event1948 star_border 6
top_panel_open
Eddie Tayloe's grandfather leaves him six thousand dollars and the money belt it came in, freeing Tayloe to leave his dull newspaper job in Texas and move to New York to become a playwright. Along the way, his car breaks down and a girl walking along the highway asks for a lift. It turns out she's a nice girl, named Perry, running away from a job at a gasoline station. Soon they're off to New York together, but part ways once they arrive. Time passes and Eddie is failing to sell his play; Perry is failing to find a job. Odd circumstances, involving an old pickpocket named Mandy, bring them together again.
Tip-Off Girls
Act like Tom Benson aka Tommy Logan
event1938 star_border 6
top_panel_open
A federal agent goes after a hijacking ring that uses beautiful women to help it hijack the rigs of unsuspecting truckers.
I Sell Anything
Act like Monk
event1934 star_border 4.5
top_panel_open
Auctioneer Spot Cash Cutler is planning the scam of a lifetime, but will he get burned?
Partners in Crime
Act like Sim Perkins
event1937
top_panel_open
Detective Hank Hyer investigates a blackmail case involving a candidate for mayor.
Troopers Three
Act like Bugs
event1930 star_border 7
top_panel_open
Eddie Haskins, a wisecracking young man, teams up with two ham-acrobats known as 'Bugs & Sunny', and ,when they are all kicked out of a vaudeville theater in California, they enlist in the U. S. Cavalry. Eddie falls in love with Dorothy Clark, the daughter of a sergeant and, following a moonlight tryst, they are discovered by Sergeant Hank Darby who himself is in love with Dorothy. They have a fist-fight in which Eddie comes out second best. When Darby is reprimanded for fighting with an enlisted man, the troopers incorrectly think that Eddie squealed on him, and they punish him with a conspiracy of silence. Dorothy also rejects him. Eddie has a problem. Maybe a fire will break out in the stables and he can rescue Sergeant Darby.
Lawyer Man
Act like Merritt - Reporter (uncredited)
event1932 star_border 5.8
top_panel_open
Idealistic attorney Anton Adam makes headlines when he successfully prosecutes a prominent New York racketeer named Gilmurry. Adam's sudden renown attracts the attention of high-profile legal eagle Granville Bentley, who asks Adam to become a partner in his law firm. But Adam's rising career takes a nosedive when he's framed by Gilmurry and a sexy actress in a trumped-up breach of promise suit. The only constant in Adam's life is the loyalty and unrequited love of his secretary Olga.
The Crooked Circle
Act like Harry Carter
event1932 star_border 4.8
top_panel_open
A group of amateur detectives sets out to expose The Crooked Circle, a secretive group of hooded occultists.
The Shopworn Angel
Act like Dance Director
event1928
top_panel_open
Shortly after the United States enters World War I in 1917, a Broadway actress agrees to let a naive soldier court her in order to impress his friends, but a real romance soon begins.
That's My Man
Act like Toby Gleeton
event1947 star_border 6
top_panel_open
A poor young man is finally able to achieve his dream of running a horse at the track, but when he starts becoming successful, he begins to lose sight of what mattered to him before.
Murder Goes to College
Act like Sim Perkins
event1937 star_border 3
top_panel_open
The policy-racket reaches it lean, bony fingers into the ivy-towers of a large university and the underworld trying to “beat the numbers-racket” with applied mathematics. One of the professors, Tom Barry is murdered in the Dean’s office.
King of Chinatown
Act like Rep Harrigan
event1939 star_border 5.8
top_panel_open
A Chinese-American surgeon faces a moral dilemma after operating on the mob boss in charge of vice and protection rackets in her city's Chinatown.
Dangerous to Know
Act like Duncan
event1938 star_border 6.5
top_panel_open
Racketeer Steve Recka, art patron and political power-maker, rules his town and Madame Lan Ying, his beautiful friend and hostess (read:mistress), with an iron hand. He meets Margaret Van Kase, a socialite not impressed by his power nor his wealth, having no money herself, and Steve makes frantic efforts to win her and turns away from the loyal Lin Yang.
One Way to Love
Act like Hobie Simmons
event1946 star_border 7
top_panel_open
A Chicago team of radio scriptwriters must split up when he takes a job with his bride-to-be's father, and the other must write commercial jingles.
Man Trouble
Act like Scott
event1930 star_border 5
top_panel_open
A hard-boiled nightclub owner saves a beautiful young girl from drowning. He promptly falls in love with her, but she prefers a younger, more-genteel lover.
The Women in His Life
Act like Aloysius Lester
event1933 star_border 4
top_panel_open
An immensely successful criminal lawyer is blindsided when he learns that his new case involves his ex-wife, who left him.
One Way Passage
Act like S.S. Maloa Bartender (uncredited)
event1932 star_border 7.2
top_panel_open
A terminally ill woman and a debonair murderer facing execution meet and fall in love on a trans-Pacific crossing, each without knowing the other's secret.
Vigilantes of Boomtown
Act like Bill Delaney
event1947
top_panel_open
The ranch of Red Ryder (Allan Lane) and his aunt, The Duchess (Martha Wentworth), is being used as the training site for "Gentleman Jim" Corbett (George Turner) for his upcoming fight in Carson City, Nevada for the heavyweight championship against Bob Fitzsimmons (John Dehner). Molly McVey (Peggy Stewart), the daughter of a U.S. Senator, crusading against prize-fighting in Nevada, complicates matters soemwhat when she conceives the bright idea of having Corbett kidnapped, thus causing the cancellation of the fight. The two men (George Chesebro and George Lloyd) she hires to do the kidnapping also add to the complications by kidnapping Ryder instead of Corbett. Meanwhile, a gang of crooks, led by McKean (Roy Barcroft), descend on the town intent on looting the town and also making off with the fight proceeds.
Copy
Act like City Editor John Mack
event1929
top_panel_open
On a slow news day, the wisecracking staff of a newspaper write articles about the serious safety issues of a local excursion steamboat line.
Hi, Good Lookin'!
Act like Archie
event1944 star_border 5.7
top_panel_open
An usher at a radio station studio pretends to be an executive at the station in order to help a pretty girl become a singer.
Red Hot Tires
Act like Bud Keene
event1935 star_border 5.8
top_panel_open
An escaped convict redeems himself by becoming an auto racing champion.
The Flying Fleet
Act like Shipwrecked Radio Operator (uncredited)
event1929 star_border 6.3
top_panel_open
Six friends, all hoping to become aviators, are to graduate the next day from the United States Naval Academy. When the officer of the day becomes sick, Tommy Winslow has to take his place, while the others go out and celebrate.
The Gorilla
Act like Simmons
event1930
top_panel_open
A series of murders that take place in an old, dark mansion are suspected of being committed by an ape. (lost film)
The Life of the Party
Act like Sam Perkins
event1920 star_border 5.2
top_panel_open
An attorney is thrust into wild adventures by an attractive young woman.
Old Acquaintance
Act like Charlie Archer
event1943 star_border 6.9
top_panel_open
Two writers, friends since childhood, fight over their books and lives.
Dancing Co-Ed
Act like Joe Drews
event1939 star_border 6.2
top_panel_open
After discovering his star dancer is expecting and can't perform, film producer H.W. Workman and his publicist concoct a scheme to stage a college dance contest to find a new star.
I Ring Doorbells
Act like Stubby
event1946
top_panel_open
Set at a major newspaper, this crime drama centers on a fellow who returns to newspaper reporting after he bombs as a playwright. Believing his grown son is in danger of marrying a gold digger, the paper's publisher assigns his new reporter to expose her.
Dirigible
Act like Sock McGuire
event1931 star_border 5.6
top_panel_open
Dirigible commander Jack Braden and Navy pilot 'Frisky' Pierce fight over the glory associated with a successful expedition to the South Pole and the love of beautiful Helen, Frisky's wife. After Braden's dirigible expedition fails, Frisky tries an expedition by plane. Unfortunately he crashes and strands his party at the South Pole. Braden must decide between a risky rescue attempt by dirigible and remaining safely at home with Helen.
Everything's on Ice
Act like Felix Miller
event1939 star_border 4.8
top_panel_open
Comedy about a little girl who's uncle makes her an ice skating star, only to take all of her money.
Under-Cover Man
Act like Dannie
event1932 star_border 4.5
top_panel_open
When his father is murdered, erstwhile conman Nick Darrow asks the cops if he can go undercover to find the killers, and maybe even stop a crime ring that has been plaguing the police. The sister of another innocent victim joins him as they infiltrate the syndicate. Any wrong move could lead to instant death.
The Gay Vagabond
Act like Arthur Dixon / Jerry Dixon
event1941
top_panel_open
Farce of identical twins and a wife who takes up real estate business.
Yokel Boy
Act like Al Devers
event1942 star_border 4.7
top_panel_open
A film company hires a gangster to mock himself holding up a bank, but he succeeds too well and makes off with the money. But all ends well.
The Jazz Singer
Act like Agent (uncredited)
event1927 star_border 6.1
top_panel_open
A young Jewish man is torn between tradition and individuality when his old-fashioned family objects to his career as a jazz singer. This is the first full length feature film to use synchronized sound, and is the original film musical.
The Trail of '98
Act like Man on Ship (uncredited)
event1928 star_border 6.2
top_panel_open
Fortune hunters from all over the country rushing to the Klondike in 1897 to seek their fortunes in the gold are tested by hardships of the journey.
The Roadhouse Murder
Act like Dale
event1932 star_border 3.8
top_panel_open
After he stumbles across a murder, a young reporter devises an elaborate scene to keep his newspaper stories about the crime front-page news.
You'd Be Surprised
Act like Party Guest (uncredited)
event1926 star_border 6.3
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A diamond is stolen at a houseboat party given by the district attorney. He gives the thief a chance to return it by putting an empty box on a table and turning out the lights. When the lights are turned back on the box is gone, and the district attorney has a knife in his back and is quite dead. The police and the coroner arrive. There are several attempts made on the life of the coroner. Ruth Whitman is found hiding in a grandfather-clock, holding the gem box. She claims the box was pushed into her hands and she was pushed into the clock. The district attorney's butler/valet tells the coroner he saw who killed his employer and a few minutes later he is also murdered. The mystery deepens.
Woman Trap
Act like Mopsy
event1936
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A gangland murder is the motivating factor of this fast-moving crime drama. George Murphy stars as reporter Kent Shevlin, whose investigation of the murder leads to a tenure as a temporary FBI agent.
Clarence
Act like Clarence Smith
event1937
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The title character is a resourceful young man who knows a whole little about a whole lot of things, and who concentrates by playing his saxophone. Clarence ingratiates himself with the wealthy and eccentric Wheeler family, though daughter Cora can't stand the boy.
Stage Door Canteen
Act like Roscoe Karns
event1943 star_border 6.1
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A young soldier on a pass in New York City visits the famed Stage Door Canteen, where famous stars of the theater and films appear and host a recreational center for servicemen during the war. The soldier meets a pretty young hostess and they enjoy the many entertainers and a growing romance
Minstrel Man
Act like Lasses White
event1944 star_border 5
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Unusually elaborate for a PRC film, Minstrel Man is a lively musical drama built around the talents of veteran vaudevillian Benny Fields. The star is cast as Dixie Boy Johnson, who rises from the ranks of minstrel shows to become a top Broadway attraction. On the opening night of his greatest stage triumph, Dixie Boy's wife dies in childbirth. Profoundly shaken, he walks out of the show, leaving the baby to be raised by his showbiz pals Mae and Lasses White (Gladys George, Roscoe Karns). The kid grows up to be an attractive young woman named Caroline (Judy Clark), who follows in her dad's footsteps by billing herself as-that's right-Dixie Girl Johnson. This leads to a tearful reunion between Caroline and the father she'd long assumed to be dead. If Minstrel Man seems at times to be a dress rehearsal for Columbia's The Jolson Story (1946), it shouldn't surprising: the PRC film was directed by Joseph H. Lewis, who went on to helm Jolson Story's musical highlights.
The Navy Way
Act like Frankie Gimble
event1944 star_border 5.7
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The experiences of a disparate group of young men as they make their way through Navy boot camp.
Road to Happiness
Act like Charley Grady
event1941 star_border 5.5
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A struggling singer, devoted to his young son, fears the child's super-spoiled, unloving but wealthy mother will gain custody of the boy.
Wings
Act like Lieutenant Cameron
event1927 star_border 7.2
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Two young men, one rich, one middle class, both in love with the same woman, become US Air Corps fighter pilots and, eventually, heroic flying aces during World War I. Devoted best friends, their mutual love of the girl eventually threatens their bond. Meanwhile, a hometown girl who's the lovestruck lifelong next door neighbor of one of them pines away.
Ladies of the Big House
Act like Frank - Twenty Questions player (uncredited)
event1931 star_border 6
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A woman tries to save her husband from the electric chair after both are sent to prison for a murder they didn't commit.
Onionhead
Act like 'Windy' Woods
event1958 star_border 5.5
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An irresponsible student enlists in the Coast Guard expecting to sit out World War II.
Gambling Ship
Act like Blooey
event1933 star_border 5.2
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Tired of the dangerous life as gambling boss, Ace Corbin 'retires' from the racket and travels cross-country by train to begin a new life with a new name. On the train, he meets Eleanor and they fall in love. Eleanor is afraid to tell Ace she's a soiled dove and Ace doesn't tell Eleanor of his shady past. Old enemies won't let Ace begin his new life, and old commitments's won't free Eleanor of her sordid ties. Ace's old life and Eleanor's deception collide with the typical results. But love conquers all!
They Call It Sin
Act like Brad - Rehearsal Director (uncredited)
event1932 star_border 5.8
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An innocent, young, small-town church organist is thrown out of her home, told she was adopted, and that her mother was an evil woman. She follows a crush to the big city and is left fending for herself.
Stowaway
Act like Insp. Redding
event1932 star_border 5
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On her first night as a dockside dancer, Mary Foster loses her job when she tries to fend of the advances of first mate Groder. On the street and being pursued by a Policeman who thinks she is a prostitute, Mary seeks shelter on an old freighter. She is soon discovered by second mate Tommy and they quickly fall in love, but with first mate Groder lurking around will their lives work out in the end?
Jazz Mad
Act like Sol Levy
event1928
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A composer and his daughter emigrate to America in the hope that he can sell his symphony. But he meets with little success and begins to give up hope. His daughter and her friends, however, never give up hope.
Grand Slam
Act like Contest Radio Announcer
event1933 star_border 3.7
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A Russian waiter in New York City becomes a national celebrity after he develops a "system" for winning at contract bridge.
Play Girl
Act like Gambler (uncredited)
event1932 star_border 5.2
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A young innocent falls for a compulsive gambler.
The Vanishing Pioneer
Act like Ray Hearn
event1928
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A western settlement of pioneer descendants is threatened with the loss of its water supply through the encroachments of nearby townspeople.
Come On, Marines!
Act like Spud McGurke
event1934 star_border 5
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"Lucky" Davis, a ladies-man and a devil-may-care U. S. Marine Sergeant, is leading a Marine-squadron on an expedition through a Phillipine jungle where an outlaw bandit is leading a guerilla-war rebellion. Their assignment is to rescue a group of children from an island mission that has been cut off from all communication. It comes as a bit of a surprise when Davis discovers that the "children" are a group of 18-25 year-old girls blissfully bathing in a pool while awaiting rescue.
His Butler's Sister
Act like Fields
event1943 star_border 7.1
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Aspiring singer Ann Carter visits her stepbrother in New York, hoping to make it on Broadway.
Border Flight
Act like Calico Smith
event1936 star_border 6
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Frances Farmer's second film is a typical B-programmer from the Paramount lot of 1936--up and coming stars (John Howard, Robert Cummings, Grant Withers, Farmer) in a concerning the Coast Guard and smugglers. The chief points of interest are the truly exceptional aerial sequences and Farmer's early performance.
Black Eyes and Blues
Act like Alfred Harmon
event1941
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Roscoe's wife decides to divorce him and heads for Reno.
Half Shot at Sunrise
Act like Henry Warren
event1941
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After his wife walks out on him, obnoxious Roscoe takes his son to the movies and creates havoc in the theater.
Meet the Missus
Act like Joe Higgins
event1940
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Gran Higgins falls under the spell of a love-starved widow.
Left Over Ladies
Act like 'Scoop'
event1931
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Two married couples are involved in divorce proceedings; Patricia and Ronny, who are still in love with each other, and Jerry and Amy who couldn't care less for each other. Patricia's friendship with "Duchess," a tragic, aging lady well versed in making mistakes, leads her and Ronny to the avoidance of a mistake.
Little Accident
Act like Gilbert
event1930
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On the day before his second wedding, a man finds out that his bride-to-be has had a baby.
Warming Up
Act like Hippo
event1928
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Bert, a pitcher for a baseball team in a small town, is given the opportunity to try out for a team in the big leagues. Unfortunately, he incurs the enmity of McRae, the league's leading home-run hitter. In addition, he falls for the team owner's daughter, who McRae has designs on.
The Costello Case
Act like Blair
event1930
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An Irish policeman handles gangsters, a mystery woman and a wise-guy reporter.
Beau Sabreur
Act like Buddy
event1928
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The film is about a desert-bound member of the French Foreign Legion who exposes a betrayer to the Legion and is then sent on a mission among the Arabs to conclude the signing of a crucial peace treaty.
The Midnight Express
Act like Switch Hogan
event1924 star_border 3
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Wastrel son of a railroad magnate, Jack's father becomes frustrated with his son's wild ways. To prove himself, Jack goes to work in the railroad yard as a laborer. An escaped convict, Silent Bill Brachley, steals Jack's car, and the chase leads to a meeting between Jack, the engineer of the Midnight Express, and the engineer's pretty daughter, Mary. As he is led back to jail, Brachley swears revenge.
Scandal Street
Act like Austin Brown
event1938
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Joe McKnight temporarily leaves his fiancée, Nora Langdon, for an expedition in a South American jungle. Nora gets a position as librarian in the small town of Midberg, where she boards with the Smith family. Nora is befriended by her next-door neighbor Austin Brown, who, unknown to his wife, is engaged in a moneymaking scheme with James Wilson.
The Desert Bride
Act like Pvt. Terry
event1928 star_border 4.7
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Captain Maurice de Florimont, a French Army intelligence officer, is captured by Arab nationalists while on an espionage mission. His sweetheart Diane Duval is also taken prisoner. Both are tortured by Kassim Ben Ali, leader of the Arab nationalists, but they refuse to divulge any information. They are finally rescued by French troops who storm the fortress and kill Kassim.
The Trouper
event1922
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Working as a wardrobe girl in a cheap traveling stock company, Mamie Judd secretly loves Jenks, the leading man, who scarcely notices the young girl. She saves Neal Selden, son of a small-town banker, from being accused of robbery and murder, acts committed by the company's manager and leading lady.
Beggars of Life
Act like Lame Hoppy
event1928 star_border 7.1
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After killing her treacherous step-father, a girl tries to escape the country with a young vagabond. She dresses as a boy, they hop freight trains, quarrel with a group of hobos, and steal a car in their attempt to escape the police, and reach Canada.
Many a Slip
Act like Stan Price
event1931
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Comedy centering on the question of whether a man's wife is or isn't pregnant.
December Bride
(1 ep.)
event1954 star_border 5.5
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December Bride is an American sitcom that aired on the CBS television network from 1954 to 1959, adapted from the original CBS radio network series that aired from June 1952 through September 1953.
The Lucy Show
Act like Mr. Foley (1 ep.)
event1962 star_border 7
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The Lucy Show is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 1962–68. It was Lucille Ball's follow-up to I Love Lucy. A significant change in cast and premise for the 1965–66 season divides the program into two distinct eras; aside from Ball, only Gale Gordon, who joined the program for its second season, remained. For the first three seasons, Vivian Vance was the co-star.
The earliest scripts were entitled The Lucille Ball Show, but when this title was declined, producers thought of calling the show This Is Lucy or The New Adventures of Lucy, before deciding on the title The Lucy Show. Ball won consecutive Emmy Awards as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for the series' final two seasons, 1966–67 and 1967–68.
Hennesey
(96 ep.)
event1959 star_border 6
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Hennesey is an American military sitcom/drama television series with Jackie Cooper in the title role that aired on CBS from 1959 to 1962.
Cooper played a United States Navy physician, Lt. Charles J. "Chick" Hennesey, with Abby Dalton as Navy nurse Lt. Martha Hale. In the story line, they are assigned to the hospital at the U.S. Naval Station in San Diego, California.
Richard Diamond, Private Detective
Act like Ed Church (1 ep.)
event1957 star_border 6.2
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Richard Diamond, Private Detective is an American detective drama which aired on radio from 1949 to 1953, and on television from 1957 to 1960.
Rocky King, Detective
Act like Police Inspector Rocky King (248 ep.)
event1950
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Rocky King, Inside Detective is an American television series broadcast on the DuMont Television Network on Sundays at 9pm ET from January 15, 1950 to December 26, 1954. This series was one of DuMont's most popular programs, and was a live crime series set in New York City.
The show not only kept Roscoe Karns from retirement, but cast him opposite his son, Todd Karns. The DuMont offices and corridors were used as sets. At the end of each program, King would exchange telephone small talk with his unseen wife Mabel and, after hanging up, say to no one in particular, "Great girl, that Mabel".
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