Frank Coghlan, Jr. Movies
Born in Connecticut and raised in Los Angeles, Frank Coghlan Jr. began appearing in films at age 3; his meager income helped to pay his father's way through chiropractic college. Though his mother was reluctant to allow her son to appear before the cameras, young Frank took to performing with ease, playing bits in 2-reel comedies. Placed under contract to Cecil B. DeMille, who considered the boy "the perfect example of a homeless waif," Frank became a popular juvenile performer. Billed as Junior Coghlan, he appeared prominently in such major silent films as The Yankee Clipper (1926), Let 'Er Go Gallegher (1927) and Slide, Kelly, Slide (1927). During the early talkie era, Coghlan was co-starred with fellow child actor Leon Janney in Penrod and Sam (1930) and played James Cagney as a boy in Public Enemy (1931). As a free-lancer, Coghlan appeared in several serials, including 1941's The Adventures of Captain Marvel, in which he was top-billed as the Captain's youthful alter ego Billy Batson. He also showed up in many bit roles, usually playing a Western Union messenger boy. With the onslaught of World War II, Coghlan began his 23-year Navy career as an aviator. He rose to the rank of Commander, and from 1952 through 1954 was in charge of the movie section of the Pentagon's Office of Information, acting as liaison and technical advisor for such films as The Caine Mutiny (1954) and Bridges of Toko-Ri (1955). He was later in charge of the navy's Hollywood office, coordinating official naval cooperation for films like In Harm's Way (1964) and TV series like Hennessey. After retiring from the Navy, Coghlan worked in public relations for the Los Angeles Zoo and the Port of Los Angeles. He also resumed his acting career, spending seven years as commercial spokesman for Curtis Mathes. As of 1995, Frank Coghlan Jr. was still very active on the nostalgia-convention circuit, and still as unfailingly courteous and likeable as ever. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1942
Incredible as it may seem, rambunctious 18-year-old Andy Hardy (Mickey Rooney) finally makes it to college in Andy Hardy's Double Life. Just as he did at Carvel High School, Andy majors in "girls" at college, at one point finding himself engaged simultaneously to two different coeds. On a more serious note, Andy has his first major row with his father Judge Hardy (Lewis Stone) over such vital matters as money and poor grades. But in keeping with the "honor thy parents" edicts of MGM head-man Louis B. Mayer, the plot manages to reunite father and son in the final footage, with Andy respectfully bowing to the wisdom of the good gray judge. Much of Andy Hardy's Double Life is a showcase for MGM's new swimming star Esther Williams, as cute as all get out in a two-piece bathing suit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lewis Stone, Mickey Rooney, (more)
Childhood chums Rocky Sullivan (James Cagney) and Jerry Connelly (Pat O'Brien) grow up on opposite sides of the fence: Rocky matures into a prominent gangster, while Jerry becomes a priest, tending to the needs of his old tenement neighborhood. Rocky becomes a hero to a gang of teenaged boys (played by Dead End Kids Billy Halop, Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Gabriel Dell, Bobby Jordan and Bernard Punsley). Father Jerry despairs at this, asking Rocky to lay off so he can keep the kids on the straight and narrow. Then Rocky's crooked business associates George Bancroft and Humphrey Bogart attempt to end Father Jerry's radio campaign against the rackets by killing the priest. Rocky (whose cynical outlook on life has been softened by his romance with true-blue Anne Sheridan) shoots them down and takes it on the lam. Arrested and convicted of murder, Rocky sits smugly on death row, fully intending to go to the chair with a smile on his face. A few moments before the execution, Father Jerry pleads with Rocky to "turn yellow" so that the tenement kids will despise his memory. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, (more)
- 1937
This upbeat, socially-conscious drama offered viewers a look into the benefits of the Civilian Conservation Corps, a program begun by Roosevelt during the Depression. It tells the tale of two potential juvenile delinquents from the city who end up in a CCC camp. There they are forced to live in rugged, primitive conditions and work hard while maintaining high moral standards. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frank Coghlan, Jr., Florine McKinney, (more)
- 1939
Boys' Reformatory was the third of Frankie Darro's tough-guy vehicles for Monogram Pictures. Darro is cast as orphaned teenager Tommy, who to avoid breaking his foster-mother's heart takes the rap for a crime committed by his foster-brother Eddie (Frank Coghlan Jr.). Sent to a dismal reform school, Tommy finds a friend in the form of school doctor Owens (Grant Withers), a tireless crusader for improved reformatory conditions. With Owens' help, Tommy is able to take a "vacation" from the institution and round up the crooks responsible for leading Eddie astray. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frankie Darro, Grant Withers, (more)
- 1936
En route from Honolulu to Los Angeles by steamship, Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) is pressed into action when a fellow passenger is killed. The dead man was a prominent horse breeder, whose favorite stallion has been entered in the Santa Anita handicap. At first glance, it appears as though the victim has been kicked to death by his own horse, but further investigation reveals the complicity of a crooked gambling ring. The excitement of the "photo finish" climax is amplified when Charlie and Number One Son Lee (Keye Luke) are kidnapped by the gamblers -- and the murderer still hasn't been revealed! The best line in Charlie Chan at the Race Track occurs at the end, when Lee excitedly bursts into a room with a vital clue that Charlie has already revealed, whereupon Mr. Chan murmurs: "Please -- save clue for next case." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warner Oland
- 1939
The extramarital shenanigans of a young married couple provide the basis of this surprisingly racy (for 1939 Hollywood) comedy. The trouble begins on the couple's second anniversary when he calls to say that he will be held up at the office. Later the wife finds lipstick on his collar and becomes very suspicious so she goes to her more worldly best friend who advises the distraught wife to go out and get a job so she can turn the tables on her husband. She ends up working for a lusty architect and sure enough he makes it very clear that he likes the way she is built. The two go out for dinner one night and who should they run into but her husband and his secretary out for a little tete-a-tete. The foursome end up in the architect's penthouse and everyone has a wonderful time until the architect's wife shows up. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, (more)
- 1969
Filmed in 1966 (when screenwriter Richard Breen was still around), this made-for-TV feature marked the return of Jack Webb's classic 1950s cop series Dragnet after a seven-year absence. Ordered to cut his vacation short, Sgt. Joe Friday (played by Jack Webb) is assigned to investigate the mysterious disappeances of two beautiful models and a pretty young war widow. In concert with partner Bill Gannon (Harry Morgan), Friday does his best to follow the trail of evidence, only to be continually stymied by contradictory or reluctant eyewitnesses. Before arriving at the disturbing conclusion that the missing girls have been the victims of a voyeuristic serial killer, Joe and Bill manage to solve another, unrelated murder involving a visiting Frenchman. Several members of Jack Webb's radio and TV Dragnet stock company are cast in colorful supporting roles, including Virginia Gregg, Victor Perrin, and Herb Ellis, while L.A. Dodgers catcher John Roseboro is seen as a fellow cop. A powerful opening sequence and an thrilling action climax more than compensate for the unevenness of the script (the last such by veteran Webb collaborator Richard Breen) and the occasional pokiness of the direction. Although this 97-minute Dragnet was good enough to convince NBC to revive the vintage Jack Webb series on a weekly, half-hour basis (it ran successfully for three seasons), the film itself was shelved for several years, not making its network TV debut until January 27, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Produced by Poverty Row company KBS (formerly Sono Art-World Wide), this above-average B-Western starred Ken Maynard as an embattled rancher who gets assistance from the Boy Scouts (Troop No. 107, Los Angeles Council), headed, in this instance, by Ken's real-life brother, Kermit Maynard. Along with pretty girl rancher Eileen Carey (Dorothy Dix) and the scouts, Ken is able to defeat a nefarious plot to defraud the local ranchers by ruthless Bradley Skinner (Hooper Atchley). Strangely, Atchley, along with veteran actor/director Lloyd Ingraham, who played the heroine's grandfather, appeared unbilled. Maynard enjoyed working with blonde Dorothy Dix and cast her again in Wheels of Destiny (1934). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothy Dix, Charles Stevens, (more)
- 1939
Bing Crosby plays a tune-happy cab driver who finds himself the reluctant recipient of an abandoned baby. Together with his roommate, dour doorman Mischa Auer, Crosby offers care and shelter to the infant until he can locate the parents. The baby brings in some unwanted publicity for Crosby, which costs him his job--no real problem, in that a happy ending is obviously in the offing. East Side of Heaven was the first of a two-picture deal between Bing Crosby and Universal Pictures, which turned out to be a smart move money wise for both parties. Crosby's leading lady is the vivacious Joan Blondell, who later characterized her costar as "Aloof...I think he was born that way." The infant in the story is played by Baby Sandy (Sandra Henville), who was subsequently launched into a brief "B" series of her own before retiring at the advanced age of four. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bing Crosby, Joan Blondell, (more)
- 1943
In this musical drama, a Vermont farm lad goes to the Big Apple to become a member of the National Dairy Association. He happens to bring with him his beloved trombone. Soon, with the help of bandleader Skinnay Ennis, the boy gets a job in a nightclub and subsequently becomes a popular radio star. His girlfriend back home is not amused. Eventually she slides on back into his life. Songs include: "My Melancholy Baby," "My Devotion," "Ain't Misbehavin," "Swingin' the Blues," "Spellbound," "Hilo Hattie," "The Army Air Corps," "Rosie the Riveter," and "Don't Tread on the Tail of Me Coat." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Quillan, Mary Beth Hughes, (more)
- 1942
Victor Mature plays an arrogant champion boxer who opts for an acting career on Broadway. He falls in love with his costar Betty Grable, who's secretly married to actor John Payne. Unwilling to make public her marriage lest it adversely affect her career, Grable is unsuccessful in fending off Mature's advance, which causes her hubby's blood to boil. As it happens, Payne is also in the show, cast as Mature's sparring partner, and it is within the bounds of this role that he gets his revenge on the pushy pugilist. With the three leading actors playing for laughs, one wonders why 20th Century-Fox put Phil Silvers in the picture. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Payne, Betty Grable, (more)
- 1940
Free, Blonde and 21 was one of a handful of films directed by former leading man Ricardo Cortez. Two of 20th Century-Fox's busiest leading ladies, Mary Beth Hughes and Lynn Bari, head the cast of this soap opera-style yarn about life in a hotel catering to women. Hughes plays Jerry, a duplicitious wench who gets involved with gangsters ends up behind bars, while Bari plays Carol, an honest lass who is rewarded at fadeout time with a happy marriage to millionaire Dr. Mayberry (Henry Wilcoxon). Joan Davis injects a few moments of hilarity as the hotel chambermaid, while Alan Baxter is his usual steely-eyed self as a stickup man. For its original New York run, Free, Blonde and 21 was paired with Fox's The Grapes of Wrath, leading several reviewers to note that both films would have been better off with a single-feature presentation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lynn Bari, Mary Beth Hughes, (more)
- 1923
Its title notwithstanding, the silent, two-reel Our Gang comedy Giants vs. Yanks devotes only a few minutes of its running time to baseball. After a lively sandlot contest involving Gang members Mickey Daniels, Jackie Condon, Jackie Davis, Joe Cobb, and -- breaking baseball's "color line" long before Jackie Robinson -- black youngsters "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison and Allen "Farina" Hoskins, the plot goes in a different direction entirely, as the kids are quarantined in the house of a wealthy couple. The best gags are centered around Mickey's ingenious methods for washing and drying his family's laundry, an operation involving a bicycle and a "carousel" clothesline. Giants vs. Yanks was originally released on May 18, 1923, some seven months after the second "Subway Series" between the real-life Giants and Yanks. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1942
In this comedy, set in WW II, a Venezuelan rubber planter's son must travel to New York to try and secure a loan for the expansion of the family business. There he encounters an impoverished American girl whose fortune lies frozen in England until the war ends. To make ends meet, she rents her apartment to the Venezuelan and becomes his personal maid. Mayhem ensues as the two get involved in merry mix-ups, fall in love, fall out of love, and fall in love again. Eventually, she helps him get the loan he needs. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Ameche, Joan Bennett, (more)
- 1940
Filmed with the full cooperation of the Golden Gloves Tournament Association, this Paramount programmer stars Richard Denning as promising pugilist Bill Crane. Though tempted to sign up with crooked Joe Taggerty (J. Carrol Naish) for a series of fixed bouts, Crane is saved from himself by sportswriter Wally Matson (Robert Paige), the organizer of the local Golden Gloves program. Taggerty tries to get even by pitting the amateur Crane against a seasoned professional, but to no avail. James Cagney's sister Jeanne Cagney is an appealing heroine, while Crane's duplicitious ring opponent is played by Robert Ryan in his first screen appearance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Denning, J. Carrol Naish, (more)
Gone With the Wind boils down to a story about a spoiled Southern girl's hopeless love for a married man. Producer David O. Selznick managed to expand this concept, and Margaret Mitchell's best-selling novel, into nearly four hours' worth of screen time, on a then-astronomical 3.7-million-dollar budget, creating what would become one of the most beloved movies of all time. Gone With the Wind opens in April of 1861, at the palatial Southern estate of Tara, where Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh) hears that her casual beau Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard) plans to marry "mealy mouthed" Melanie Hamilton (Olivia de Havilland). Despite warnings from her father (Thomas Mitchell) and her faithful servant Mammy (Hattie McDaniel), Scarlett intends to throw herself at Ashley at an upcoming barbecue at Twelve Oaks. Alone with Ashley, she goes into a fit of histrionics, all of which is witnessed by roguish Rhett Butler (Clark Gable), the black sheep of a wealthy Charleston family, who is instantly fascinated by the feisty, thoroughly self-centered Scarlett: "We're bad lots, both of us." The movie's famous action continues from the burning of Atlanta (actually the destruction of a huge wall left over from King Kong) through the now-classic closing line, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." Holding its own against stiff competition (many consider 1939 to be the greatest year of the classical Hollywood studios), Gone With the Wind won ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress (Vivien Leigh), and Best Supporting Actress (Hattie McDaniel, the first African-American to win an Oscar). The film grossed nearly 192 million dollars, assuring that, just as he predicted, Selznick's epitaph would be "The Man Who Made Gone With the Wind." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1935
Happiness C.O.D was one of the last productions from flagging Chesterfield. Perennial supporting player Maude Eburne assumes the leading role as Aunt Addie, philosophical matriarch of a large, rambunctious brood. Dipping deep into her own pockets, Addie must constantly bail out her less-practical brother Thomas Sheridan (Donald Cook), whose construction business is constantly overextended at the bank because of his selfish, spendthrift children. Eventually deserted by his ungrateful offspring, Sheridan faces eviction and bankruptcy. But Aunt Addie, fed up with seeing her brother stepped upon, rallies the whole family together in the nick of time. Cast as Sheridan's youngest son Larry was Frank Coghlan Jr., a prominent juvenile actor since the silent era. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maude Eburne, Donald Meek, (more)
- 1941
Henry Aldrich for President was the second of Paramount's "Henry Aldrich" series to star Jimmy Lydon in the teenaged title role. This time Henry is pitted against an arrogant jock for the presidency of the Centerville High School student council. Henry's chances don't seem bright, especially since a pompous teacher (Lucien Littlefield) is writing the opponent's speeches for him. As often happens in these films, a misunderstanding threatens not only to lose Henry the election but to get him expelled from school as well. Somehow the plot is resolved by a wild climactic airplane ride, with hapless Henry at the controls. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Smith, June Preisser, (more)
- 1938
In this comedy, a milquetoast clerk is betrothed to the socialite whose aunt holds a big account with his company. When the agency owner hears that the generous aunt is preparing to close her account and give all the money to the happy couple, the boss decides to stop the wedding. To do so, he hires the seductive blonde wife of a vaudevillian friend to play a "practical joke" upon the hapless clerk. The joke almost succeeds when he comes very close to losing his beloved. Fortunately, the gal is loyal and totally trusting. The marriage takes place and all is well. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlie Ruggles, Richard Lane, (more)
- 1934
Evidently inspired by Paramount's screwball comedy Three Cornered Moon, Chesterfield-Invincible Studio's In the Money is actually more entertaining than its costlier predecessor. The main characters are members of a zany, perpetually improvident family, all of whom take polite little bows as they're introduced to the audience by narrator-co-star Skeets Gallagher, cast as a two-bit fight manager. Our genial host then tells the viewers exactly what each character is going to do in the course of the next 66 minutes -- and, by golly, they do just what they're supposed to. Facing financial ruin after purchasing a worthless stock, Gallagher and his confreres Lois Wilson, Sally Starr, Frank Coghlan Jr. et al. are rescued by the pugilistic skills of punchdrunk Warren Hymer. Coghlan Jr. went on to repeat his role in the 1936 remake of In the Money, Red Lights Ahead. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lois Wilson, Warren Hymer, (more)
- 1931
A remake of a 1919 silent film based on the stage farce by Roi Cooper Megrue and Walter C. Hackett, the light romantic comedy It Pays to Advertise stars comedienne Carol Lombard in one of her early Paramount talkies. Rodney Martin (Norman Foster) is the son of wealthy soap manufacturer Cyrus Martin (Eugene Pallette). Rodney has to make it on his own, so he starts up a rival soap company with the slogan "Thirteen - Unlucky for Dirt." After he hires advertising manager Ambrose Peale (Richard "Skeets" Gallagher) and loyal secretary Mary Grayson (Carole Lombard), his company takes off and his supply can't keep up with the demand. Dad Cyrus buys him out and he falls in love with trusty secretary Mary. Silent film star Louise Brooks appears in a small role. Paramount also made a French language version of this film with different actors called Criez-Le Sur Les Toits. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Norman Foster, Carole Lombard, (more)
- 1935
In this crime drama, a jockey, wrongfully imprisoned for riding at an "illegal" racetrack, escapes from prison just prior to his parole so he can ride Blue Streak in the Kentucky Derby. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Knute Rockne-All American was Pat O'Brien's finest hour: thanks to intensive rehearsals and numerous makeup applications, he so closely resembled the title character that, in the words of Rockne's widow, "I almost expected him to make love with me". The life of the legendary Notre Dame football coach is recounted from his childhood, when young Rockne (played by Johnny Sheffield) startles his Norwegian-immigrant parents by announcing at the dinner table that he's just been introduced to "the most wonderful game of the world." As an adult, Rockne works his way through Indiana's Notre Dame university, under the watchful and benevolent eye of Father Callahan (Donald Crisp) A brilliant student, Rockne is urged by Father Nieuwland (Albert Basserman) to become a chemist, or at the very least remain a chemistry teacher. Newly married to Bonnie Skilles (Gale Page), Rockne at first sticks to academics, but the call of the gridiron is too loud for him to ignore, and before long he has built his reputation as the winningest college football coach in America. One of his most significant contributions to the game is the invention of the tactical shift, inspired by the precision choreography of a team of nightclub dancers! Among the players nurtured by Rockne are the immortal Four Horsemen-Miller (William Marshall), Stuhlreder (Harry Lukats), Laydon (Kane Richmond) and Crowley (William Byrne), and of course the tragic George Gipp, superbly enacted by Ronald Reagan. His career continues unabated until his death in a plane crash in 1931. The screenplay of Knute Rockne-All American tends to be all highlights and little story, with several of the more dramatic passages telegraphed well in advance (just before her husband's death, Bonnie Rockne comments forebodingly "It's gotten cold all of a sudden"). Still, the film remains one of the best and most inspirational sports biographies ever made, with a heart-wrenching conclusion guaranteed to moisten the eyes of even the most jaundiced viewer. Ironically, the film's most famous scene, George Gipp's deathbed admonition to "Win one for the Gipper", was for many years excised from all TV prints due to a legal entanglement stemming from an earlier radio dramatization of Rockne's life; fortunately, this and several related scenes were restored to the film in the early 1990s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pat O'Brien, Gale Page, (more)
- 1928
Long before Richard Harding Davis' "Gallegher" stories were serialized for television by Walt Disney, popular silent-screen juvenile actor Frank Coghlan Jr. played the title role in Let 'Er Go Gallegher. A street urchin who aspires to be a detective, Gallegher (Coghlan) gets more than he bargained for when he witnesses a murder. Though he doesn't see the killer's face, he knows that the culprit had only four fingers on one hand. Gallegher passes on this information to hotshot newspaper reporter Callahan (Harrison Ford), who rises to journalistic fame when the boy's scoop hits the headlines. Unfortunately, Callahan's newspaper runs a picture of Gallegher, billing the boy as the sole witness to the crime. In due time, the young scamp is kidnapped by the murderer, Four Fingered Dan (Ivan Lebedeff). Just as Dan is about to remove Gallegher's head from his body, the boy is rescued by Callahan and virtually the entire New York police force. Outside of the "Boy's Own Paper" plotline, the real selling angle of Let 'Er Go Gallegher was an extended sequence in which the 12-year-old hero mans the controls of a car, only to find himself wedged between two speeding fire engines! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harrison Ford, Elinor Fair, (more)
- 1939
An heiress gets a crash course in the simple life when she marries a penniless man in this comedy. Calvin Jordan (Henry O'Neill) is the prosperous owner of a successful steel mill, and the apple of his eye is his daughter Cora (Myrna Loy). Cora stands to inherit Calvin's firm, and he's taken it upon himself to find a good husband for her. However, free-spirited Cora doesn't think much of her father's skills as a matchmaker, and makes it clear she's going to marry whomever she pleases. One day, Cora meets Bill Overton (Robert Taylor), a jobless and homeless man camping out on a park bench. After bumming fifty cents from a cop, Bill offers to take Cora out to dinner; instead, they end up gambling, and turn the four bits into a bankroll. After a few too many celebratory drinks, Bill and Cora decide true love and good fortune are shining upon them, and they get married the same evening. However, the next day the newlyweds realize they are indeed husband and wife, and after defying her father Cora can't count on her dad's help in paying the bills anymore. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Myrna Loy, Robert Taylor, (more)
