Jean Arthur
Date of birth: 1900-10-17
Place of birth: Plattsburgh, New York, USA
Known for: Acting
Also known as: Gladys Georgianna Greene
Biography
Jean Arthur was an American actress and a major film star of the 1930s and 1940s. She remains arguably the epitome of the female screwball comedy actress. As James Harvey wrote in his recounting of the era, "No one was more closely identified with the screwball comedy than Jean Arthur. So much was she part of it, so much was her star personality defined by it, that the screwball style itself seems almost unimaginable without her." Arthur has been called "the quintessential comedic leading lady." Arthur is best known for her feature roles in three Frank Capra films: Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), You Can't Take It With You (1938), and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), films that championed the everyday heroine. Her last performance was the memorable—and distinctly non–comedic—role as the rancher's wife in George Stevens' Shane (1953). Arthur was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1944 for her performance in The More the Merrier (1943). Description above from the Wikipedia article Jean Arthur, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Movie Credits
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
1939-10-19
After the death of a United States Senator, idealistic Jefferson Smith is appointed as his replaceme
Shane
1953-04-23
A weary gunfighter attempts to settle down with a homestead family, but a smouldering settler and ra
The Talk of the Town
1942-08-20
Hilarity ensues when a falsely accused fugitive from justice hides at the house of his childhood fri
Frank Capra Jr. Remembers... You Can't Take It With You
2008-12-09
The director's son gives interesting anecdotes about Frank Capra's making of the 1938 hit comedy, "Y
History Is Made at Night
1937-03-05
An American woman falls in love with a romantic Parisian head waiter who tries to save her from her
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
1936-04-09
Longfellow Deeds lives in a small town, leading a small town kind of life. When a relative dies and
Public Hero Number 1
1935-05-31
G-Man Jeff Crane poses as a crook to infiltrate the notorious Purple Gang, a band of hoodlums which
You Can't Take It with You
1938-09-01
Alice, the only relatively normal member of the eccentric Sycamore family, falls in love with Tony K
Arizona
1940-12-25
Phoebe Titus is a tough, swaggering pioneer woman, but her ways become decidedly more feminine when
The Devil and Miss Jones
1941-04-11
The wealthiest man in the world, John P. Merrick, is a private person who likes to stay anonymous. O
Only Angels Have Wings
1939-05-15
A traveling performer arrives at a remote South American port town where the head of an air freight
The Plainsman
1936-11-16
Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane and Buffalo Bill go up against Indians and a gunrunner.
A Foreign Affair
1948-08-20
In occupied Berlin, an army captain is torn between an ex-Nazi café singer and the US congresswoman
Yesterday and Today
1953-12-02
A compilation of early-day silent films that serves as a glimpse back to the formative days of the m
A Lady Takes a Chance
1943-08-19
A city girl on a bus tour of the West encounters a handsome rodeo cowboy who helps her forget her ci
Easy Living
1937-07-16
J.B. Ball, a rich financier, gets fed up with his free-spending family. He takes his wife's just-bou
The Whole Town's Talking
1935-02-22
Ordinary man-in-the-street Arthur Ferguson Jones leads a very straightforward life. He's never late
The Canary Murder Case
1929-02-16
A beautiful showgirl, name "the Canary" is a scheming nightclub singer. Blackmailing is her game and
The More the Merrier
1943-05-13
It's World War II and there is a severe housing shortage everywhere - especially in Washington, D.C.
The Iron Horse
1925-10-04
Brandon, a surveyor, dreams of building a railway to the west. He sets off with his son, Davy, to su
The Ex-Mrs. Bradford
1936-04-24
A doctor is driven into an investigation of sinister goings-on at a horse race track by his mystery
The Greene Murder Case
1929-08-11
Philo Vance investigates when a murderer preys upon members of a wealthy family on New York's Upper
Adventure in Manhattan
1936-10-08
The story of an egotistical crime writer who gets involved with the case of a notorious art thief (w
Too Many Husbands
1940-04-03
Long-missing Bill Cardew returns to find his wife Vicky remarried...and in no hurry to settle for ju
Most Precious Thing in Life
1934-06-15
An unwed mother watches as her illegitimate son is raised by others. Director Lambert Hillyer's 1934
If You Could Only Cook
1935-12-30
An auto engineer and a professor's daughter pose as married servants in a mobster's mansion.
Party Wire
1935-04-27
When a small-town girl's boyfriend leaves in disgrace, gossips spread false reports of her pregnancy
The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu
1929-08-10
A Chinese doctor vows revenge against the allied troops who killed his wife and child during the Box
The Silver Horde
1930-10-24
A salmon fisherman has to choose between a bad girl and a society doll.
Screen Snapshots Series 17, No. 12
1938-07-29
A visit to Buck Jones's new ranch and his horse, Silver, to James Gleason and his dog, to Charles Ru
The Saturday Night Kid
1929-10-25
Mayme and sister Janie are salesgirls in Ginsberg's Department Store. Mayme is in love with store cl
The Impatient Years
1944-09-10
Standing before a divorce court judge are Sergeant Andy Anderson and Janie Anderson asking him to di
Danger Lights
1931-01-09
Head railroad man Dan is as ugly as he is honorable. When he spots a drifter who'd hopped a freight
Street of Chance
1930-02-08
'Natural' Davis (William Powell) is a respected gambler who follows a ruthless code of honor with th
The Public Menace
1935-09-30
1935 comedy in which an immigrant (Jean Arthur), a reporter (George Murphy) and a gangster (Douglass
Wine of Youth
1924-09-15
Based on a play be Rachel Crothers, WINE OF YOUTH is a solid drama about "the modern young generatio
More Than a Secretary
1936-12-10
When the co-owner of a secretarial school visits a magazine editor to find out why he runs through s
The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu
1930-05-02
The sinister Dr. Fu Manchu returns to destroy the people he holds responsible for the death of his f
Clara Bow: Discovering the It Girl
1999-06-14
Clara Bow: Discovering the 'It' Girl features scenes from 25 of her films, as well as interviews wit
The Lawyer's Secret
1931-06-06
Sailor Joe Hart, who is spending his shore leave at a gambling joint, sells his gun to young Laurie
The Block Signal
1926-09-15
Joe Ryan, a veteran train engineer, is demoted to a flagman position after a disastrous crash-- one
Whirlpool
1934-04-10
An ex-convict tries to connect with the daughter who doesn't even know he exists.
The Defense Rests
1934-07-15
A sleazy lawyer's female assistant sets out to end his cheating ways.
Going Hollywood: The '30s
1984-01-01
Robert Preston hosts this documentary that shows what people of the 1930s were watching as they were
Flying Luck
1927-12-04
A naive young man joins the Army in order to become a pilot.
Cameo Kirby
1923-10-20
Wrongfully blamed for the death of Col. John Randall, Cameo Kirby (Gilbert) must find the true villa
Diamond Jim
1935-09-01
A loose biopic based on the life of Gilded Age tycoon "Diamond" Jim Brady.
Seven Chances
1925-03-15
Struggling stockbroker Jimmie Shannon learns that, if he gets married by 7 p.m. on his 27th birthday
Ex-Bad Boy
1931-07-15
A man gets in trouble with his girlfriend when a beautiful movie star and her fiance come to his sma
Young Eagles
1930-03-20
Lieut. Robert Banks, an American aviator on leave in Paris, meets Mary Gordon, a young American who
Brotherly Love
1928-12-23
Oscar, a tough guard at Newberry Prison, gets into an argument with Jerry, a smallish barber. He cau
The Poor Nut
1927-08-06
Half Way to Heaven
1929-12-14
A trapeze artist causes the death of another over their mutual love of a girl. When a new artist joi
Gary Cooper: The Face of a Hero
1998-03-17
Known for his personification of the Western Hero, it was Montana-born Gary Cooper's horse-riding sk
Winners Of The Wilderness
1927-01-15
During the French and Indian War the Indians under Pontiac kidnap Rene. Colonel O'Hara hopes to resc
Paramount on Parade
1930-04-22
This 1930 film, a collection of songs and sketches showcasing Paramount Studios' contract stars, cre
Warming Up
1928-08-04
Bert, a pitcher for a baseball team in a small town, is given the opportunity to try out for a team
The Past of Mary Holmes
1933-01-20
Mary Holmes (MacKellar), once a famous opera star known as Maria di Nardi, now lives in a run-down s
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
1988-10-01
This documentary revisits the making of Gone with the Wind via archival footage, screen tests, insig
The Drug Store Cowboy
1925-06-01
This comedy-melodrama focuses on Marmaduke Grandon, who's a drug store clerk with aspirations to be
Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1)
1936-09-11
Viewers are provided a visit to Ken Maynard's private circus; Bette Davis poses for her portrait; Fr
The Gang Buster
1931-01-17
Naïve insurance agent 'Cyclone' Case falls in love with Sylvia Martine, whose father has a dispute w
Horse Shoes
1927-04-17
A Monty Banks comedy that includes the 'Undressing in the Upper Berth' routine
The Cowboy Cop
1926-07-10
A cowboy joins the Low Angeles mounted police unit.
Screen Snapshots Series 19, No. 1
1939-09-22
The four Westmore brothers work their make-up magic on a variety of Hollywood stars.
Somebody Lied
1923-11-04
Two reeler served as Jean Arthur's screen debut.
Biff Bang Buddy
1924-09-15
Buddy Walters is a cowboy falsely accused of a crime actually committed by nasty Al Richmond.
Fast and Fearless
1924-09-15
Lightning Bill Lewis sets out to capture Gómez, the leader of a ruthless gang that has been tormenti
The Powerful Eye
1924-06-07
Two cowboys are in love with a single lass. A hypnotist shows up one as a sheik which turns her affe
Case Dismissed
1924-05-26
Slim appears as a police court judge and Bobby as one of the jurors who is later given a job as bail
Bringin' Home the Bacon
1924-11-15
Plot concerns happy-go-lucky rancher who decides to spruce up in order to win the affection of a gir
Spring Fever
1923-12-30
The College Boob
1926-08-15
Ally Appleby is a country boy headed for the college campus, courtesy of his Aunt Polly and Uncle Li
Stairs of Sand
1929-06-08
An outlaw with a Heart of Gold sacrificing his own life for the happiness of two young people in lov
Bigger and Better Blondes
1927-05-15
Following a jewelry store robbery, Charley becomes the prime suspect due to his flashy antics and ac
Born to Battle
1926-01-24
Dennis Terhune, ranch foreman for John Morgan, an eastern capitalist, discovers that there is oil on
Tearin' Loose
1925-09-04
Jim Dorn, owner of the Bar X Ranch, is accused of crime he actually committed by Bud Deering, his gi
Hello Lafayette
1927-01-23
A salmon taster enlists and is put to work passing out salmon to the troops. When he is assigned to
The Fighting Smile
1925-08-04
A cowboy who has been away from home for a long time returns, only to find that the area he grew up
Lightning Bill
1926-06-29
Lightnin' Bill Williams, the owner of a 50,000-acre ranch near the town of Cactusville, takes a fall
The Hurricane Horseman
1925-10-14
When a bank is robbed, the cashier is killed and suspicion for the murder unjustly falls on Jim Mard
The Broken Gate
1927-02-15
In the small farming community of Spring Valley, young Aurora Lane has caused a scandal by bearing a
The Mad Racer
1926-04-26
Van Bibber is spending his vacation with Colonel Paddock's party at the ranch owned by Paddock's fri
Ridin' Rivals
1926-05-02
Attracted to a girl, a cowboy takes a job on the adjoining ranch hoping to see her again and he gets
Wallflowers
1928-02-16
Sandra and her sister Dody (Theodora) leave the Virginia countryside to join Washington's social set
Thundering Romance
1924-12-15
A cowboy sets out to help a pretty young girl who is about to lose her ranch when crooks plan to for
The Fighting Cheat
1926-02-11
A drifter befriends wounded outlaw Lafe Wells. Having promised to deliver a sack of gold to the man'
Thundering Through
1925-12-13
Ruth Burroughs the daughter of a beleaguered rancher whose valuable property is threatened by a gree
The Roaring Rider
1926-01-02
A cowboy arrives to help a girl who has a note due. He plans to sell her cattle to raise the money b
Twisted Triggers
1926-07-11
Barely out of prison, Jim Regan is arrested once again, this time for the attempted shooting of Denv
Eight-Cylinder Bull
1926-04-18
Used-car salesman Ralph Slippery has found the perfect way to unload old worn-out automobiles; he pl
Travelin' Fast
1924-12-30
Evil Red Sampson and his band of rustlers shoot up Mineral Point, the ranch of William Conway, owner
Under Fire
1926-01-01
Lt. Tom Brennan is cashiered from the 7th Cavalry on two charges, both unjust: that of deserting his
Husband Hunters
1927-01-15
Marie Devere and Helen Gray are two sophisticated, gold-digging chorus girls on the look-out to marr
Double Daring
1926-06-11
A timid bank clerk has to toughen up during the search for a gang of bank robbers.
A Man of Nerve
1925-09-20
While romancing the millinery store owner, Custer finds himself falsely accused of murdering his bos
The Masked Menace
1927-10-12
The mill of an old woman and her ward, Faith Newton, is being terrorized by the masked menace of the
Sins of the Fathers
1928-12-28
A married restaurant owner is persuaded to become a bootlegger by a beautiful young girl. When he st
Virtuous Husband
1931-04-12
When a rich young man marries, he lets the books and letters left him by his dead mother guide his l
Get That Venus
1933-09-01
A fast-talking philanderer and sometime reporter gets caught up in an octogenarian antiquarian's sch
Monks a la Mode
1923-12-23
Dress shop owner Madame Maxine employs two chimps to serve in her establishment. It goes about as we
Becoming Cary Grant
2017-05-23
For the first time one of Hollywood's greatest stars tells his own story, in his own words. From a c