James Gleason
Acting · Writing · Crew · Directing
Born May 23, 1882, New York City, New York, USA
James Gleason was born in New York City to William Gleason and Mina Crolius, who were both in the theatre. He was married to Lucile Gleason (born Lucile Webster), and had a son, Russell Gleason. As a young man James fought in the Spanish-American War. After the war he joined the stock company at the Liberty Theater in Oakland, California, which his parents were running. James and his wife then moved to Portland, Oregon, where they played in stock at the Baker Theater. For several years afterward they toured in road shows until James enlisted in the army during World War I. When he returned he appeared on the stage in "The Five Million." He then turned to writing, including "Is Zat So", which he produced for the NY stage. He also wrote and acted in "The Fall Guy" and "The Shannons on Broadway." Next he wrote The Broadway Melody (1929) for MGM. He collaborated, in 1930, on The Swellhead (1930), Dumbbells in Ermine (1930), What a Widow! (1930), Rain or Shine (1930) and His First Command (1929). He and his wife were then contracted to Pathe, Lucille to act, and James (or Jimmie as he was known) as a writer. Probably his most famous acting role was as Max Corkle, the manager of Joe Pendleton who was wrongly plucked from this life into the next, in the hit fantasy Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941).
Filmography
- 1958Man or Gun — Sheriff Jim Jackson
- 1958Money, Women and Guns — Henry Devers
- 1958No Time at All — Dolph Grimes
- 1958Once Upon a Horse... — Postmaster
- 1958Rock-a-Bye Baby — Doc Simpkins
- 1958The Female Animal — Tom Maloney
- 1958The Last Hurrah — Cuke Gillen
- Leave It to Beaver — Pete
- 1957Loving You — Carl Meade
- 1957Man in the Shadow — Hank James
- 1957Spring Reunion — Collie
- 1956Star in the Dust — Orval Jones
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents — Mr. Jorgy, Howard Fieldstone
- Cheyenne
- 1955Rookie of the Year — Ed Shafer
- Screen Director's Playhouse — Ed Shafer
- 1955The Girl Rush — Ether Ferguson
- The Millionaire — Charles Hartford Simpson
- 1955The Night of the Hunter — Uncle Birdie Steptoe
- Climax! — Reverend Mr. McCarkle
- 1954Hollywood Thrill-Makers — Risky Russell
- 1954Suddenly — Peter 'Pop' Benson
- 1953Forever Female — Eddie Woods
- Cavalcade of America — Noah Larkin
- 1952The Story of Will Rogers — Bert Lynn
- 1952We're Not Married! — Duffy
- 1952What Price Glory — General Cokely
- 1951Come Fill the Cup — Charley Dolan
- 1951I'll See You in My Dreams — Fred Townsend
- Racket Squad
- 1951Triple Cross — Knobby Walsh
- 1951Two Gals and a Guy — Max Howard
- 1950Joe Palooka in the Squared Circle — Knobby Walsh
- 1950Key to the City — Sergeant Hogan
- 1950Riding High — Racing Secretary
- 1950The Jackpot — Harry Summers
- 1950The Yellow Cab Man — Mickey Corkins
- 1949Bad Boy — Chief
- 1949Miss Grant Takes Richmond — Timothy Gleason
- 1949Take One False Step — Captain Gledhill
- 1949The Life of Riley — Gillis
- 1948Smart Woman — Sam Corkle
- 1948The Dude Goes West — Sam Briggs
- 1948The Return of October — Uncle Willie Ramsey
- 1948When My Baby Smiles at Me — Lefty Moore
- 1947Down to Earth — Max Corkle
- 1947The Bishop's Wife — Sylvester
- 1947The Homestretch — Doc Kilborne
- 1947Tycoon — Pop Mathews
- 1946Home Sweet Homicide — Sgt. O'Hare
- 1946Lady Luck — Sacramento Sam
- 1946The Hoodlum Saint — Snarp
- 1946The Well Groomed Bride — Captain Hornby
- 1945A Tree Grows in Brooklyn — McGarrity
- 1945Captain Eddie — Tom Clark
- 1945The Clock — Al Henry
- 1945This Man's Navy — Jimmy Shannon
- 1944A Guy Named Joe — “Nails” Kilpatrick
- 1944Arsenic and Old Lace — Lt. Rooney
- 1944Once Upon a Time — Moke McGillicuddy
- 1944The Keys of the Kingdom — Rev. Dr. Wilbur Fiske
- 1943Crash Dive — Chief Mike 'Mac' McDonnell
- 1942A Date with the Falcon — Inspector Michael 'Mike' O'Hara
- 1942Footlight Serenade — Bruce McKay
- 1942Hay Foot — Colonel J. A. Barkley
- 1942Manila Calling — Tim O'Rourke
- 1942My Gal Sal — Pat Hawley
- 1942Tales of Manhattan — Father Joe
- 1942The Falcon Takes Over — Inspector Mike O'Hara
- 1941Affectionately Yours — 'Chet' Phillips
- 1941Babes on Broadway — Thornton Reed
- 1941Here Comes Mr. Jordan — Max Corkle
- 1941Meet John Doe — Henry Connell
- 1941Nine Lives Are Not Enough — Sergeant Daniels
- 1941Tanks a Million — Col. 'Spitfire' Barkley
- 1940Earl of Puddlestone — Joe Higgins
- 1940Grandpa Goes To Town — Joe Higgins
- 1939Money To Burn — Joe Higgins
- 1939My Wife's Relatives — Joe Higgins
- 1939On Your Toes — Phil Dolan Sr.
- 1939Should Husbands Work? — Joe Higgins
- 1939The Covered Trailer — Joe Higgins
- 1938Army Girl — Hennessy
- 1938Screen Snapshots Series 17, No. 12 — James Gleason
- 1938The Higgins Family — Joe Higgins
- 1937Forty Naughty Girls — Police Insp. Oscar Piper
- 1937Manhattan Merry-Go-Round — Danny The Duck
- 1936Don't Turn 'em Loose — Detective Daniels
- 1936Murder on a Bridle Path — Police Insp. Oscar Piper
- 1936The Big Game — George Scott
- 1936The Ex-Mrs. Bradford — Inspector Corrigan
- 1936The Plot Thickens — Police Insp. Oscar Piper
- 1936Yours for the Asking — Saratoga
- 1935Helldorado — Sam Barnes
- 1935Hot Tip — Jimmy McGill, Director
- 1935Murder in the Fleet — Additional Writing
- 1935Murder on a Honeymoon — Police Insp. Oscar Piper
- 1935We're Only Human — Detective Danny Walsh
- 1935West Point of the Air — Joe 'Bags'
- 1934Change of Heart — Hot Dog Vendor (uncredited), Screenplay
- 1934Murder on the Blackboard — Police Insp. Oscar Piper
- 1934Search for Beauty — Dan Healy
- 1934The Meanest Gal in Town — Duke Slater
- 1933Clear All Wires! — Lefty Williams
- 1933Hoopla — Jerry
- 1933Orders Is Orders — Ed Waggermeyer, Screenplay
- 1933The Billion Dollar Scandal — "Ratsy" Harris
- 1933The Bowery — Screenplay
- 1932Always Kickin' — Director
- 1932Blondie of the Follies — Pa McClune
- 1932Fast Companions — Silk Henley
- 1932High Hats and Low Brows — Danny Ruff
- 1932Lady and Gent — Pin Streaver
- 1932Off His Base — Picture in Opening Credits, Director
- 1932Rule 'Em and Weep — Spike Mc Gorey
- 1932The All-American — Chick Knipe
- 1932The Crooked Circle — Arthur Crimmer
- 1932The Devil Is Driving — 'Beef' Evans
- 1932The Penguin Pool Murder — Police Insp. Oscar Piper
- 1932Yoo-Hoo — Jimmy Gleason
- 1931A Free Soul — Eddie
- 1931Beyond Victory — Jim Mobley, Writer
- 1931It's a Wise Child — Cool Kelly
- 1931Suicide Fleet — Skeets
- 1931Sweepstakes — Sleepy Jones
- 1931The Big Gamble — Fred 'Squint' Dugan
- 1931Three Hollywood Girls — Writer
- 1930Big Money — Tom
- 1930Don't Believe It — Jimmy
- 1930Dumb-bells in Ermine — Mike, Writer
- 1930Her Man — Steve
- 1930Mammy — Theatre Play
- 1930Puttin' on the Ritz — James 'Jimmy' Tierney, Dialogue
- 1930Rain or Shine — Writer
- 1930Swellhead — Johnny Trump, Dialogue
- 1930The Fall Guy — Writer
- 1930The Matrimonial Bed — Gustave Corton
- 1930What a Widow! — Screenplay, Adaptation
- 1929Fairways and Foul — Husband
- 1929High Voltage — Screenplay, Dialogue
- 1929His First Command — Screenplay, Story
- 1929Meet the Missus — Bert La Motte
- 1929Oh, Yeah! — Dusty
- 1929The Broadway Melody — Music Publisher (uncredited), Dialogue
- 1929The Flying Fool — Additional Dialogue
- 1929The Shannons of Broadway — Mickey Shannon, Writer
- 1928The Count of Ten — Johnny's Manager
- 1922Polly of the Follies — Paul Gordon
Appearances as themselves (7)
- This Is Your Life — Self
- The Colgate Comedy Hour — Self
- 1941Breakdowns of 1941 — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1938Screen Snapshots Series 17, No. 6 — Self
- 1937Cinema Circus — Himself
- 1935Hollywood Hobbies — Himself
- 1930Screen Snapshots Series 10, No. 1 — Self