Dean Jagger Movies
An Ohio farm boy, Dean Jagger dropped out of school several times before attending Wabash College. He was a schoolteacher for several years before opting to study acting at Chicago's Lyceum Art Conservatory. By the time he made his first film in 1929, Jagger had worked in stock, vaudeville and radio. At first, Hollywood attempted to turn Jagger into a standard leading man, fitting the prematurely balding actor with a lavish wig and changing his name to Jeffrey Dean. It wasn't long before the studios realized that Jagger's true calling was as a character actor. One of his few starring roles after 1940 was as the title character in Brigham Young, Frontiersman--though top billing went to Tyrone Power, cast as a fictional Mormon follower. Jagger won an Academy Award for his sensitive performance in Twelve O'Clock High (1949) as one of General Gregory Peck's officers (and the film's narrator). Physically and vocally, Jagger would have been ideal for the role of Dwight D. Eisenhower, but he spent his career studiously avoiding that assignment. Having commenced his professional life as a teacher, Dean Jagger came full circle in 1964 when cast as Principal Albert Vane on the TV series Mr. Novak. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1943
In this bit of WWII propaganda (designed to boost support of America's alliance with Russia against Germany), Kolya (Dana Andrews), Kurin (Walter Huston), Damian (Farley Granger), and Marina (Anne Baxter) are members of a farming collective in the Ukraine known as the North Star. The hard-working but happy members of the North Star find their way of life shattered when Germany, in defiance of previous treaties, storms the nation and begins a brutal occupation. Dr. Otto Von Harden (Erich Von Stroheim) begins gathering children -- who are to be used for blood transfusions and medical experiments. Many of the outraged farmers take to the hills to fight with the anti-Nazi resistance, while those who stay behind bravely destroy precious crops and materiel rather than turn them over to the Nazi war machine. Producer Samuel Goldwyn made The North Star at the request of President Franklin D. Roosevelt (whose son James was an executive at Goldwyn's studio). Ironically, several members of the film's creative team (including screenwriter Lilian Hellman) later found their motivations for making the film questioned by the House Un-American Activities Committee, who declared it Communist propaganda. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Baxter, Dana Andrews, (more)
- 1943
With a title like I Escaped from the Gestapo, it's a wonder that there's any suspense at all in this Monogram programmer. Dean Jagger stars as Lane, an imprisoned counterfeiter who is sprung from jail by a group of sinister-looking gentlemen. It soon develops that Lane is expected to apply his counterfeiting skills on behalf of the Nazis, who hope to destroy America's economy by flooding the market with phony money. But Lane's patriotism outweighs his mercenary instincts, and he turns the tables on the villains. Particularly well cast, I Escaped from the Gestapo features such reliables as John Carradine, Sidney Blackmer and Ian Keith, as well as Mary Brian in one of her handful of "comeback" films. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dean Jagger, John Carradine, (more)
- 1942
- NR
Though officially based on a Saturday Evening Post story by Clarence Buddington Kelland, RKO Radio's Valley of the Sun was obviously inspired by the blockbuster comedy western Destry Rides Again (indeed, both films were directed by George Marshall). James Craig stars as Indian scout Jonathan, whose pro-Native American sentiments do not rest well with crooked civilian Indian agent Jim Sawyer (Dean Jagger), who intends to benefit from an impending tribal uprising. Court-martialed on a trumped-up charge fomented by Sawyer, Jonathan escapes the stockade with the help of a friendly sergeant and rides off to Washington DC, hoping to forestall an all-out Indian war. En route, he makes the acquaintance of Sawyer's snooty fiancee Christine (Lucille Ball), forcing her into a marriage for plot reasons too complicated to go into here. After juggling comedy and melodrama for nearly eight reels, the film turns serious towards the climax, when the fate of the protagonists falls into the hands of level-headed Indian chieftan Cochise (Antonio Moreno) and his hotheaded rival Geronimo (Tom Tyler). RKO's first big-budget western in several years, Valley of the Sun lost $158,000 at the box office, temporarily discouraging any followups. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lucille Ball, James Craig, (more)
- 1942
Having done just fine at the box office with 1942's Apache Trail, MGM turned out another "pocket" western, The Omaha Trail. The story boils down to a battle of wits and sixguns between hero Pat Candel (James Craig) and villain Pipestone Ross (Dean Jagger). The latter is a wagon-train entrepreneur who doesn't want the railroad to encroach upon his territory, and he backs up this resolve with hired hooligans. Comedy relief Chill Wills sings two songs (one of them written by director Eddie Buzzell, a former musical-comedy star), while Pamela Blake is the antiseptic heroine. Unschooled in the making of budget westerns, MGM seemed uncertain whether to take Omaha Trail seriously or to play it tongue-in-cheek. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Craig, Pamela Blake, (more)
- 1941
Loretta Young is (mis)cast as a prima ballerina, who reaches the top of her profession and marries her demanding instructor (Conrad Veidt). Still, Loretta can't help reminiscing on the past loves in her life. She flashes back to her early days as a circus bareback rider and recalls all her former beaux (including Dean Jagger and John Shepperd, a.k.a. Shepperd Strudwick). Loretta comes to the conclusion that the most important person in her life has been her loving mother (Eugene Leontovich), with whom she has a tear-stained reconciliation. Men in Her Life was based on the novel Ballerina, by Lady Eleanor Smith. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Loretta Young, Conrad Veidt, (more)
- 1941
20th Century-Fox's Western Union was loosely based on a story by Zane Grey. The basic historical facts behind the connecting of telegraph wires between Omaha and Salt Lake City serve as a backdrop for a fictional story straight out of Manhattan Melodrama. Randolph Scott and Barton MacLane are cast as brothers who pursue wildly divergent paths in adulthood: Scott, an ex-outlaw, goes to work for Western Union, while MacLane remains a criminal, leading a concerted effort to sabotage the telegraph company. The Indians, too often merely villains in films of this nature, are treated with relative sympathy. When they do attack the whites, it is principally because they have been falsely accused of crimes committed by MacLane and his bunch. Western Union was the second Technicolor western effort from director Fritz Lang; the first was the equally popular The Return of Frank James. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Young, Randolph Scott, (more)
Inspired by the true story of the leader of the Mormon Church, this film features Dean Jagger in the title role. The members of the Church of Latter Day Saints are subjected to religious persecution by the people of Nauvoo, Illinois, where they've settled; so under the leadership of Brigham Young, the Mormons head west, facing tremendous adversity along the way. However, a gravely ill Young has a prophetic dream in which he sees what he believes is his people's promised land, where they will be allowed to live and worship as they see fit. Soon they discover the land Young saw in his dream -- Salt Lake City, Utah. Young and his followers settle there, but their hardship does not end soon. The first winter in Utah is cruel, and while the spring brings the promises of a bountiful planting season, soon a plague of locusts appears, threatening to devour the crops the settlers have just planted. A huge flock of seagulls arrives to save the day by consuming the insects. Tyrone Power and Linda Darnell play a pair of settlers who fall in love in the course of the journey. Brigham Young downplays the more controversial aspects of the Mormon church (particularly polygamy) in favor of portraying Young as a trail-blazing man of the land; in some markets, the film was shown as Brigham Young, Frontiersman. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, (more)
- 1938
Based upon Arthur Kober’s play (which was subsequently musicalized onstage as Wish You Were Here, Having Wonderful Time stars Ginger Rogers as Teddy Shaw, a typist who goes to a summer camp for a little rest and relaxation. She’s also getting away from Emil (Jack Carson), whose interest in Teddy is no longer returned. Arriving at Camp Kare-Free, she’s offered a ride by Chick (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.), who works at the camp as a waiter. Unfortunately, they get off to a bumpy start when Chick spills her suitcase and an argument ensues. Once at camp, she makes friends with Fay (Peggy Conklin), Miriam (Lucille Ball) and Henrietta(Eve Arden). Chick apologizes to Teddy, and over the next six days their relationship blossoms, concurrently with that of Miriam and another guest, Buzzy. However, when Chick makes an improper advance during her last night at the camp, Teddy gets angry and leaves him. She dances with Buzzy to make Chick jealous and makes sure she is seen entering Buzzy’s cabin. She takes steps to see that nothing happens and leaves unscathed the next morning, but not before causing trouble between Buzzy and Miriam. Emil has arrived and plans to bring her home after breakfast. While they are eating, Emil proposes to Teddy. Both Chick and Miriam overhear this proposal, after which Miriam loudly comments that Teddy stayed overnight with Buzzy. In the ensuing confusion, Chick decks both Buzzy and Emil, and offers his own proposal to Teddy – which she happily accepts. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ginger Rogers, Peggy Conklin, (more)
Exiled to Shanghai uses the then-waging wars in Spain and China as backdrops for a familiar "rival reporters" yarn. Wallace Ford plays Ted Young, a brash newsreel cameraman who is fired by his dyspeptic editor Fred Sears (Dean Jagger) for photographing the wrong general during the Spanish Civil War. Down but not out, Ted embraces a new form of technology, establishing the first television newsreel service (and this was two years before commercial TV made its "official" American debut at the New York World's Fair). As a result, Ted is rehired and promoted to editor, while poor Fred ends up being transferred to China (hence the film's title). While all this is going on, Ted and Fred still find time to battle over heroine Nancy Jones (June Travis). A pretty good film on its own merits, Exiled to Shanghai has gained curiosity value by virtue of its use of TV journalism as a dramatic device. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wallace Ford, June Travis, (more)
- 1937
In this romantic crime drama, a newspaper reporter and his female rival learn that a priceless Rembrandt, believed to have been destroyed years before, is still around. The mayhem begins as they compete to retrieve it from the thieves who swiped it from the elderly spinster who owns it. Fortunately, the spinster marked the back of the canvas with some distinctive indecipherable markings and the crooks are unable to fence the masterpiece. Angered, they decide to kill her. The female reporter, who moved in with the woman to save her, is also endangered when the crooks torch the old woman's house. Fortunately, the other reporter gets there in time to save the ladies and bring the crooks to justice. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- May Robson, Irene Hervey, (more)
- 1937
For a studio specializing in glossy soap operas, costume pictures and musicals, MGM made an inordinate number of "B"-grade crime thrillers in 1937. The first on the docket that year was Under Cover of Night, starring Edmund Lowe as intrepid sleuth Christopher Cross. This time the killer is an overachieving psychopath who strikes only at night, and is unaware that he is a murderer. Thus, the question here is not "who done it," but rather -- when will Christopher Cross catch on to what the audience knows almost from the beginning. The best performance is rendered by Henry Daniell as the respectable college professor who literally moonlights as the killer. MGM would resurrect the "Christopher Cross" character as a female private eye (played by Joyce Compton) in 1939's Sky Murder. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edmund Lowe, Florence Rice, (more)
- 1937
The Dangerous Number of the title is madcap showgirl Elinor (Ann Sothern). Notorious throughout Manhattan for her zany antics, Elinor is also quite a handful for her conservative husband Hank (Robert Young). In addition, Hank must contend with the heroine's flamboyant ex-burlesque queen mother Gypsey (Cora Witherspoon). Not that Hank's family is anything to write home about; the most eccentric member of his clan is cousin William (Reginald Owen), who has lost one girlfriend after another because he refuses to shave off his beard. Trying very, very hard to qualify as a "screwball" comedy, Dangerous Number succeeds about three-fourths of the time. PS: This was Ann Sothern's first starring assignment at MGM. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Young, Ann Sothern, (more)
- 1937
In this drama, a milque-toast socialite is drowning in San Francisco Bay. Fortunately, he is saved by a kindly Italian fisherman who takes him in and teaches him how to be manly. During his slow recovery, the wimpy fellow is cared for by the fisherman's lovely daughter who is studying to become an opera singer. Trouble ensues when they all find themselves entangled with mobsters. Suddenly the boy becomes a real man and saves them. While San Francisco burns to the ground, he and the daughter finally acknowledge their love. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Margaret Lindsay, J. Carrol Naish, (more)
- 1937
In this pastoral drama, a ruthless gang of fugitives, hide from the law on a remote farm. There they find themselves profoundly affected by the old blind man and his loyal dog that lives there. They also gradually begin to respect the honest toil and simple rewards of country life. When the gang leader finally asks them to come out of hiding, the former criminals turn him in. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Hall, Anne Nagel, (more)
- 1936
Jane Withers plays "little Miss Fixit" in Pepper with a minimum of sentimental goo and a maximum of laughs. Though she's been warned not to do so, Pepper Jolly (Withers) intrudes upon the solitude of grouchy old millionaire John Wilkes (Irvin S. Cobb). Her unbridled good spirits virtually strong-arm the old fellow into cracking a smile for the first time in his life -- and of course has a reciprocal positive effect on everyone whom Wilkes himself has previously made miserable. The plot winds to a close as Pepper and Wilkes join forces to prevent his daughter Helen's (Muriel Roberts) marriage to an oily gigolo (who else but Ivan Lebedeff?) The scene in which Pepper coerces Wilkes into taking all of her friends to an amusement park is a riot, especially when Wilkes himself endures the happy agony of a roller-coaster ride. Recalling her co-star Irvin S. Cobb in 1975, Jane Withers told film historian Don Stanke, "He was a wonderful gentlemen. He thought I was going to be what I was like in Bright Eyes (in which she played a hateful brat), and he got the surprise of his life when I wasn't. We got along marvelously." Indeed, the warm rapport between the two stars shines through every frame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Withers, Irvin S. Cobb, (more)
- 1936
Star for a Night is Lady for a Day in reverse. Jane Darwell plays Frau Lind, a blind Austrian woman who comes to the United States to visit her three children Nina (Claire Trevor), Anna (Evelyn Venable) and Fritz (Dean Jagger). The three siblings have written regularly to their mother, claiming that they've all become fabulously successful. The unvarnished truth is that "Broadway musical star" Nina is a minor-league chorus girl; "famed concert pianist" Anna sells sheet music in a department store; and "powerful automobile manufacturer" Fritz drives a taxi. They cook up a scheme so as not to spoil their mother's illusions, but Mom has a big surprise for them! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claire Trevor, Jane Darwell, (more)
- 1936
It's a Great Life served as a vehicle for once-popular radio singer Joe Morrison (who can also be seen in W.C. Fields' It's the Old Fashioned Way). Morrison plays a young unemployed fellow who joins the Civilian Conservation Corps. Enjoying the twin euphoria of steady work and fresh air, Morrison and his new pal, hobo Paul Kelly, burst into song at the slightest provocation. A rift comes between Morrison and Kelly when Morrison's girl Rosalind Keith falls in love with the tramp, but all differences are swept away during a climactic bursting-dam sequence. It's a Great Life was co-written by future "Dagwood Bumstead" Arthur Lake, who in 1943 would star in a Blondie entry titled...It's a Great Life. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joe Morrison, Paul Kelly, (more)
- 1936
Making a transcontinental plane flight in only thirteen hours was quite an achievement when this film was made in 1936 -- but it was not impossible, as indicated by Paramount's last-minute decision to "downsize" the film's original title, Twenty Hours by Air. In anticipation of Airport 34 years later, womanizing pilot Jack Gordon (Fred MacMurray) is called upon to safely guide his plane through a blinding blizzard. His task is complicated by a trio of crooks who are escaping from the law after pulling a jewel heist, and by a shady nobleman (Fred Keating) who offers Gordon a large amount of money if he will land the plane before San Francisco. In the climax, one of the passengers hijacks the plane, only to be foiled by -- of all people -- an obnoxious brat of a youngster (Bennie Bartlett). Oh yes, and before this eventful flight has reached its conclusion, self-styled Lothario Jack has decided to settle down with one girl, wealthy Felice Rollins (Joan Bennett), who, during one of the many crises, is briefly pressed into service as Jack's copilot. Thirteen Hours by Air was produced with the technical assistance of United Airlines. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred MacMurray, Joan Bennett, (more)
- 1936
Designed as a follow-up to the Halperin Brothers' phenomenally successful White Zombie, Revolt of the Zombies unfortunately isn't nearly as good. The story is set in Cambodia in the years following WWI. Evil Count Mazovia (Roy D'Arcy) has come into possession of the secret methods by which dead men can be transformed into walking zombies and uses these unholy powers to create a race of slave laborers. An expedition is sent to the ruins of Angkor Wat, in hopes of ending Mazovia's activities once and for all. Unfortunately, Armand (Dean Jagger), one of the members of the expedition, has his own agenda. Stealing a set of secret tablets, he sets about to create his own army of zombies, targeting those whom he considers to be enemies. But Armand is hoist on his own petard when the zombies rebel and turn against him. The anachronistic moviemaking techniques which contributed so much to the atmosphere and entertainment value of White Zombie are totally out of place in Revolt of the Zombies; also, Dean Jagger's performance lacks the conviction necessary for this sort of horror fare. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothy Stone, Dean Jagger, (more)
- 1936
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. His subsequent adventures lead him to Mexico, where he makes the acquaintance of Ramirez (Akim Tamiroff), a bold bandido who isn't all that he seems to be. The story ends up with a kidnapping masterminded by smooth mob boss Riley Ferguson (Sidney Blackmer). The woman of the title is Barbara Andrews (Gertrude Michaels), the daughter of a U.S. senator (Samuel S. Hinds) who figures prominently in the various intrigues. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gertrude Michael, George Murphy, (more)
- 1935
No relation to the 1951 Cary Grant film of the same name, People Will Talk was another of Paramount's moneymaking comedies starring Charles Ruggles and Mary Boland. This time the middle-aged pair try to patch up the marriage of their daughter (Leila Hyams) and son-in-law (Dean Jagger, with hair). They do this to quell the local gossip mongers, who have been set abuzz by the fact that daughter has come home alone. Ruggles and Boland stage a fake fight, hoping to shame their daughter into returning to her husband--and, as expected, the phony quarrel turns into the genuine article. People Will Talk was coscripted by Broadwayite Herbert Fields, the son of famed 1890s comedian Lew Fields and brother of lyricist Dorothy Fields. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlie Ruggles, Leila Hyams, (more)
- 1935
A wealthy young heir rebels when his snooty parents refuse to allow him to marry a lovely young secretary. Deciding to teach them a lesson, he goes West where he falls in love and marries the daughter of a Native American chief. He brings her home to meet his parents, who are naturally appalled, and vengeance is his. Unfortunately their marital bliss is disturbed when a woman shoots her married lover and the Indian girl is blamed for the crime. The husband then goes to the police and confesses the crime to protect her. Fortunately, the astute police put the couple together in a room bugged with a concealed microphone. They then learn that both are innocent. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sylvia Sidney, Gene Raymond, (more)
- 1935
The title refers to those special government agents who go undercover to flush out criminal gangs. In his second starring role, Fred MacMurray plays a government man who travels incognito as he trails a team of crooks from Brooklyn to Kansas. Lynne Overman is MacMurray's easygoing partner, who (naturally) is rubbed out by the hoods. MacMurray inveigles his way into the gang and brings them to justice--the ones who survive, that is. Released at the very beginning of Hollywood's G-Man cycle, Men without Names was instrumental in securing more prestigious acting assignments for Fred MacMurray. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred MacMurray, Madge Evans, (more)
- 1935
Former child star Jackie Coogan made a somewhat awkward transition to adulthood in Home on the Range. Based on Zane Grey's novel Code of the West, the film casts Coogan and Randolph Scott as the Hatfield brothers, Tom and Jack. Owners of a racing stable, the boys figure that one of their ponies, a magnificent animal named Midnight is a sure winner. Before they're able to prove this, however, Tom and Jack fall victim to a gang of race-fixers who use high-powered rifles to ensure that their horses will win. This doesn't stop Tom from risking his life to ride Midnight to victory. Radio crooner Joe Morrison, whose chief claim to fame was the western ballad "Last Roundup", shows up in Home on the Range long enough to sing the title tune. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Coogan, Randolph Scott, (more)
- 1935
MGM loaned Myrna Loy to Paramount to co-star with Cary Grant in the roller coaster-paced romantic drama Wings in the Dark. Loy plays daredevil aviatrix Sheila Mason, who marries Ken Gordon (Grant), a flyer with serious aspirations to set groundbreaking world records. When Ken is accidentally blinded just before he jets off for Paris, Sheila prompts him to continue working at any cost. He decides to become a writer, dictating his work and mailing it off to several magazines; all he receives for his trouble is a pile of rejection slips, but Sheila doesn't let him know that. In the mean time, he works out a fantastic invention -- a plane designed for "blind flying," which enables the pilot to command the craft without the use of his eyes. His plane is repossessed for lack of payment, cluing him into what Sheila has been up to with his articles. Infuriated, he severs all communication with her. In an effort to drive Grant out of her mind, Sheila then undertakes a Moscow-to-Manhattan flight and thus attempts to set a new world record of her own. But on the last leg of her journey -- over Boston -- she becomes surrounded by thick blankets of heavy fog, and cannot locate the airport. At the last moment, Ken steals his own plane from Roosevelt Field, takes it up, and uses it to guide Sheila back to the ground, where he declares his undying love and devotion to her. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Myrna Loy, Cary Grant, (more)
