James Gleason Movies
Character actor James Gleason usually played tough-talking, world-weary guys with a secret heart-of-gold. He is easily recognized for his tendency to talk out of the side of his mouth. Gleason's parents were actors, and after serving in the Spanish-American War, Gleason joined their stock company in Oakland, California. His career was interrupted by service in World War I, following which he began to appear on Broadway. He debuted onscreen in 1922, but didn't begin to appear regularly in films until 1928. Meanwhile, during the '20s he also wrote a number of plays and musicals, several of which were later made into films. In the early sound era, Gleason collaborated on numerous scripts as a screenwriter or dialogue specialist; he also directed one film, Hot Tip (1935). As an actor, he appeared in character roles in over 150 films, playing a wide range of hard-boiled (and often semi-comic) urban characters, including detectives, reporters, marine sergeants, gamblers, fight managers, and heroes' pals. In a series of films in the '30s, he had a recurring lead role as slow-witted police inspector Oscar Piper. James Gleason was married to actress Lucille Webster Gleason; their son was actor Russell Gleason. ~ All Movie Guide- 1941
Perhaps nine lives weren't enough, but 63 minutes was plenty of time to relate the plot of this Ronald Reagan vehicle. Reagan plays a newspaper reporter who has a story "that'll break this town wide open!" The story involves a mysterious, unsolved boarding house murder. The suspects include the seductive Faye Emerson, wide-eyed Joan Perry, and brainless Peter Whitney. Wanna bet none of them did it? Reagan solves the case, wins the girl, and doesn't retire to politics...yet. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ronald Reagan, Joan Perry, (more)
- 1940
Earl of Puddlestone was released minus a director credit out of respect for megger Gus Meins, who committed suicide shortly after its completion. This latest entry in Republic's "Higgins Family" series once more stars James Gleason, his wife Lucille and his son Russell as Joe, Lil and Sidney Higgins. Thanks to a joke perpetrated by Grandpa Higgins (Harry Davenport), poor Joe finds himself posing as one Henry Potter-Potter, aka the Earl of Puddlestone. He manages to successfully pull off the ruse until the real Potter-Potter (William Halligan) arrives on the scene, leading to a hectic finale. The role of Higgins daughter Betty, played by a variety of actresses in the past (including Russell Gleason's wife Shirley Deane), is herein portrayed by Lois Ranson, a singer-dancer whom Republic was hoping to groom for stardom. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Gleason, Lucille Gleason, (more)
- 1940
In this episode of the Higgins Family series, pandemonium ensues when Ma enters a dog biscuit contest. The prize is a whopping $50,000. Unfortunately, the company is represented by Pa's ad agency and his wife cannot legally enter. The trouble is, to win, Ma purchased every dog biscuit in town. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1940
Venerable character actor Harry Davenport (best remembered as Dr. Meade in Gone with the Wind) takes center stage in the "Higgins Family" entry Grandpa Goes to Town. The story gets under way when Joe and Lil Higgins (James and Lucille Gleason) invest their life savings in a frontier hotel. Upon arrival, the family discovers that the establishment is smack dab in the middle of a ghost town that hasn't seen a human face in years. Fortunately, Grandpa Higgins (Davenport) discovers gold on the property, leading to a spectacular upsurge in business-and a bit of unexpected trouble from a few unsavory types. In keeping with its policy of hiring the losers of Joe Louis' heavyweight championship bouts for their films, Republic Pictures provides a sizeable role in Grandpa Goes to Town for Louis' latest victim, Arturo Godoy, who appears in a dance sequence with his attractive wife Ledda. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Gleason, Lucille Gleason, (more)
- 1939
This comedy chronicles the further exploits of the hilarious "Higgins Family." In this entry, the father eagerly awaits a promotion. Unfortunately, he is temporarily derailed when his wife accidentally reveals a business secret concerning an upcoming merger. This results in the wife taking over her husband's position while he tries to manage the home front. Predictably funny mayhem ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Gleason, Lucille Gleason, (more)
- 1939
In this musical, a composer abandons vaudeville in favor of the legitimate stage. He soon finds himself entangle with a Russian ballet company that contains his old childhood lover, but when the troupe mistake him for a traitor trouble ensues. Perhaps the film is most notable for Balanchine's choreography of "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue." Songs include: "There's a Small Hotel," "Quiet Night," "On Your Toes," "Princess Zenobia Ballet." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vera Zorina, Eddie Albert, (more)
- 1939
My Wife's Relatives is an easy-to-take entry in Republic's "Higgins Family" series. It all begins when Joe Higgins (James Gleason), business manager of a prosperous candy-manufacturing firm, is ordered by his pompous boss Ellis (Purnell Pratt) to break up the romance between Ellis' son Bill (Henry Arthur) and Joe's daughter Jean (Mary Higgins). Refusing, Joe quits his job and sets up his own candy company. It's a money-losing enterprise until Joe's wife Lil (Lucille Gleason) loses her diamond ring in a batch of candy and offers a $5000 reward to anyone who can retrieve the ring. The ensuing "run" on the Higgins Family's product puts them on the same footing financially with Ellis, who is now more amenable to the marriage between Bill and Mary. In addition to real life husband and wife James and Lucille Gleason, My Wife's Relatives also stars the Gleason's son Russell as Sid Higgins. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1939
In this entry in the comedy series the "Higgins Family," the group must cancel a cruise to South America after the check they needed does not arrive. To save face before their neighbors, the family embarks upon a wilderness fishing trip. The family made a wise decision to forego the cruise as the boat sinks and everyone is lost. This creates havoc for the Higgins family neighbors who believe they went down with the ship. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Gleason, Lucille Gleason, (more)
- 1938
With The Higgins Family, Republic Pictures launched its own economical variation on MGM's popular "Andy Hardy" series. The gimmick here was that three of the members of the Higgins clan-dad Joe, mom Lillian, grown son Sidney-were played by real-life husband and wife James and Lucile Gleason and their son Russell (daughter Marian was portrayed by Lynne Roberts, while crusty old Grandpop was essayed by Harry Davenport). In this initial entry, Joe Higgins' future at the advertising agency where he works is jeopardized by the radio popularity of wife Lillian. Pretty soon the Higgins kids are taking to the airwaves, leading inexorably to a serious conflict of interests and a divorce-court showdown. In the course of the hearing, Joe and Lillian tearfully admit that they're still in love with one another, and everybody lives happily ever after-until the next "Higgins Family" entry, that is. The film was produced by Sol C. Siegel, who went on to such loftier projects as The African Queen and Lawrence of Arabia. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Gleason, Lucille Gleason, (more)
- 1938
Goddbye Broadway is wrapped up by two stage & screen veterans, Alice Brady and Charles Winninger. The stars play vaudevillians Molly and Pat Malloy, who are suckered into investing $4000 in a ramschackle New England hotel. After a variety of predictable but amusing complications, the Malloys turn the tables on the sharpsters (Jed Prouty and Frank Jenks) who unloaded the property on them. Radio fans will enjoy seeing comedian Tommy Riggs, whose squeaky-voiced "Betty Lou" alter ego was a major airwaves attraction throughout the 1930s and 1940s. Directed by Leo McCarey's brother Raymond, Goodbye Broadway is based on James Gleason's 1927 stage comedy The Shannons of Broadway, previously filmed in 1929. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alice Brady, Charles Winninger, (more)
- 1938
The trials faced by the US Army when it first attempted to trade horses for tanks provides the basis of this actioner. The tale centers upon the love affair between an Army post commander's daughter and a young tank specialist who is trying to prove that the new technology is better than horses. The old soldiers disagree and a race upon a special course is arranged. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Madge Evans, Preston S. Foster, (more)
- 1937
RKO Radio's "Hildegarde Withers" series, based on the mystery stories by Stuart Palmer, ground to a half with 40 Naughty Girls. ZaSu Pitts is once more miscast as crime-solving schoolmarm Hildegarde Withers, while James Gleason is rather better served as Inspector Oscar Piper. The title refers to a "Follies"-style Broadway revue, which serves as the backdrop for a baffling murder mystery. When the show's leading man is killed in full view of the audience, suspicion immediately falls upon the hapless prop man (Frank M. Thomas). But Hildegarde suspects that someone else was responsible, and, acting upon her impulses, assimilates a dizzying succession of contradictory clues to finger the actual killer. Among the "40 Naughty Girls" is 17-year-old Marjorie Lord, some 20 years before her TV fame as Danny Thomas's "wife." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Gleason, ZaSu Pitts, (more)
- 1937
In this musical comedy, a crooked record producer uses his mob connections to force performers to do their stuff. The trouble really begins when the gangster's strong-arm tactics nearly cause a singer to lose his fiancée. A wide variety of entertainers appear including cowboy crooner Gene Autry, baseball hero Joe DiMaggio, and big band stars Cab Calloway, Ted Lewis, and the Kay Thompson Singers. Songs include "Mamma I Wanna Make Rhythm," "Manhattan Merry-Go-Round," "Heaven?," "I Owe You," and "It's Round-up Time in Reno." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Phil Regan, Leo Carrillo, (more)
- 1936
Future best-selling novelist Irwin Shaw made his screenwriting bow with the modest RKO Radio sports drama The Big Game. The story revolves around the efforts by a group of crooked gamblers to fix the outcomes of college football games. When star quarterback Clark (Philip Huston) refuses to be bribed, the villains kidnap him on the eve of the titular Big Game. Clark is rescued by his burly teammates just in the nick of time, but the film's not over yet: there's a riot on the football field during the final scenes, reportedly inspired by a real-life incident during a 1935 NYU-Fordham game. Adding to the enjoyment of The Big Game is the presence of several genuine members of the 1936 All-American football squad: The University of Chicago's Jay Berwanger, Notre Dame's William Shakespeare, Southern Methodist's Bobby Wilson, NYU's Irwin "King Kong" Klein, Ohio State's Gomer Jones, and Stanford's Robert "Bones" Hamilton, Monk Moscrip and Frank Alustiza. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Philip Huston, James Gleason, (more)
- 1936
In this action film, a rebellious cop doesn't hesitate to bend the rules when it comes to roughing up prisoners and bringing in deadly gangsters. His insistence on working alone and on using excessive violence causes conflict with his superiors. They change their minds when he engages in a great shoot-out with a notorious gun-toting gang leader and brings him to justice. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Preston S. Foster, Jane Wyatt, (more)
- 1936
When Edna May Oliver decided to leave RKO Radio's "Hildegarde Withers" series, the studio came up with an unorthodox replacement in the form of the dry-witted Helen Broderick. Murder on a Bridle Path turned out to be Broderick's only appearance in the series, after which she was succeeded by ZaSu Pitts. The plot begins to thicken when flirtatious society bride Violet (Sheila Terry) is killed early one morn while riding her horse in New York's Central Park. Investigating the case is Inspector Piper (James Gleason), who once more is flustered by the well-intentioned interference of crime-solving schoolmarm Hildegarde Withers. The clues this time include a sinister ex-husband, a broken bicycle, and a phony prison pardon. As always, Hildegarde arrives at the solution before Piper does -- and, as always, nearly loses her own life in the process. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Gleason, Helen Broderick, (more)
- 1936
The "ex" of the title is daffy mystery-writer Jean Arthur, former wife of urbane doctor William Powell. When Powell becomes the prime suspect in a murder case, Arthur endeavors to solve the case herself -- and to reclaim her ex-hubby in the process. After a well-directed semiclimax at a race track, the killer is revealed during one of those expository scenes in which all the suspects are gathered together in one room. The murderer attempts to escape, and Powell is knocked cold in the process. When he awakens, he discovers that Arthur has set up some projection equipment, and is running a film of a minister reciting the wedding vows. Curses! Trapped again! Like William Powell's previous RKO effort Star of Midnight, The Ex-Mrs. Bradford was an attempt to cash in on the popularity of Powell's Thin Man films. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Powell, Jean Arthur, (more)
- 1936
In this crime drama a high-school principal's principles are put to the test when he, also a member of a parole board, is given the ultimate power to decide whether his son, a brutal criminal is to be paroled. The others do not know about the inmate's relationship to their colleague and the son tries to use this to his advantage. Sure enough his blackmail works and the heartless crook is freed to go on an unparalleled crime spree with his moll until his father comes forth and gives him final justice. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Gleason, Bruce Cabot, (more)
- 1936
In this crime comedy, a street-savvy gangster involves himself with a Miami socialite. Together, they conspire to turn her familial mansion into a secret gambling casino. The hood is convinced her beauty will draw customers and with the ensuing profits, the two will be able to pay their debts. Unbeknownst to him, his own gang members, fearing that he will abandon his "roots" in favor of the high-life, are conspiring to break up his partnership with the girl. They hire two grifters to impersonate a British colonel and his niece; they then try to convince the hood that he and the high-society dame are a bad match. When the gangster meets the "niece," he falls head-over-heels in love and forgets all about the socialite. When she, who is really after his money, returns his affections, the gang suddenly realizes that their scheme has backfired. Fortunately, by the story's end, the hood figures it all out and returns to the loyal socialite whose love remained undaunted. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Raft, Ida Lupino, (more)
- 1935
The multitalented James Gleason was both star and co-director of the RKO Radio programmer Hot Tip. Gleason is cast as restaurant owner Jimmy McGill, an inveterate horse player who's a sucker for every race-track tout within a hundred-mile radius. But his wife Jane (ZaSu Pitts) detests gambling, so Jimmy promises to stop playing the ponies. This promise lasts only until our hero needs 200 bucks in a hurry to help out his future son-in-law Ben (played by Gleason's real-life son Russell Gleason). James Gleason and ZaSu Pitts worked so well together that RKO later reteamed them in two "Hildegarde Withers" entries, The Plot Thickens and 40 Naughty Girls. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- ZaSu Pitts, James Gleason, (more)
- 1935
In this drama, an impoverished dreamer saves a group of people during a terrible storm by leading them to shelter in a ghost town containing but one ancient resident. The stranded travelers are surprised by the high-style in which the codger lives. Soon they learn that the man and the drifter's grandfather co-owned a gold-mine. Unfortunately, the old resident cannot find it. The young dreamer finds it for him, and then marries an heiress who was among the travelers. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Arlen, Madge Evans, (more)
- 1935
Though it wasn't RKO Radio's final "Hildegarde Withers" mystery, Murder on a Honeymoon represented the final appearance of Edna May Oliver as Stuart Palmer's spinsterish schoolmarm sleuth. This entry was wittily adapted by Seton I. Miller and Robert Benchley from Palmer's Puzzle of the Pepper Tree. Vacationing in Catalina (where much of the film was shot), Hildegarde Withers gets mixed up in three murders. Her old friend, New York detective Oscar Piper (James Gleason), flies out to help, but of course it's Hildegarde who cracks the case. The top-heavy list of suspects includes one disreputable character who overpowers the formidable Hildegarde and locks her in a closet -- proving beyond all doubt that he's not the guilty party. After Murder on a Honeymoon, Oliver relinquished the role of Hildegarde to Helen Broderick and (of all people) ZaSu Pitts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edna May Oliver, James Gleason, (more)
- 1935
Big Mike (Wallace Beery) is a tough Army flyer who longs to see his son Little Mike (Robert Young) take to the air like himself. Little Mike's excessive attraction to Dare (Rosalind Russell) strains his relationship with his father, but eventually he finds the right woman -- Skip (Maureen O'Sullivan), the daughter of Army commandant General Carter (Lewis Stone) -- and an airborne Little Mike does his father proud. Bit-Part Alert: Watch for the brief appearance of then up-and-coming MGM contract player Robert Taylor as Jaskerelli. ~ Nicole Gagne, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wallace Beery, Robert Young, (more)
- 1935
Dithery ZaSu Pitts is miscast as novelist Stuart Palmer's crime-solving schoolmarm Hildegarde Withers in The Plot Thickens. As usual, Hildegarde tries to figure out the connection between two ostensibly unrelated murders. The unifying factor turns out to be a priceless museum artifact, targeted for pilfering by a gang of international art thieves. James Gleason, a holdover from RKO Radio's previous Hildegarde Withers films with Edna May Oliver and Helen Broderick, is back as Hildegarde's friendly nemesis, Inspector Oscar Piper. The Plot Thickens was released in Great Britain as The Swinging Pearl Mystery. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Gleason, ZaSu Pitts, (more)
- 1935
Two Fisted is based on the James Gleason-Richard Taber stage play Is Zat So?, previously filmed under its original title in 1927. Lee Tracy stars as fast-lipped fight manager Hay Hurley, while Roscoe Karns co-stars as slow-witted pugilist Chick Moran. Flat broke, Hay and Chick take servant jobs in the household of wealthy Sue Parker (Gail Patrick). Overstepping their bounds, our heroes manage to dissuade Sue from leaving her husband (Gordon Westcott) and son (Billy Lee) to run off with silly-ass Englishman Fitzstanley (G. P. Huntley Jr.) Grace Bradley is featured as Marie, Hay's dumb-dora girlfriend (suggesting perhaps that her role was originally intended for Gracie Allen). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Tracy, Roscoe Karns, (more)
