James Gleason
Date of birth: 1882-05-23
Place of birth: New York City, New York, USA
Known for: Acting
Also known as: James Austin Gleason, Jimmy Gleason
Biography
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).
Movie Credits
Arsenic and Old Lace
1944-09-01
Mortimer Brewster, a newspaper drama critic, playwright, and author known for his diatribes against
The Night of the Hunter
1955-07-27
In Depression-era West Virginia, a serial-killing preacher hunts two young children who know the whe
Blondie of the Follies
1932-09-01
New York City tenement dwelling neighbors Blondie and Lottie are longtime best friends. When Lottie
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
1945-02-28
In Brooklyn circa 1900, the Nolans manage to enjoy life on pennies despite great poverty and Papa's
Take One False Step
1949-08-14
Catherine Sykes disappears after a midnight drive with Professor Andrew Gentling . When she's presum
We're Not Married!
1952-07-11
A Justice of the Peace performed weddings a few days before his license was valid. A few years later
Earl of Puddlestone
1940-08-31
When Betty's father sees the condescending attitude displayed toward her by a rich family, he decide
The Covered Trailer
1939-11-10
The Higgins family prepares for a long-awaited cruise to Rio, but while father Joe bids farewell to
Meet John Doe
1941-03-14
As a parting shot, fired reporter Ann Mitchell prints a fake letter from unemployed "John Doe," who
Tales of Manhattan
1942-08-05
Ten screenwriters collaborated on this series of tales concerning the effect a tailcoat cursed by it
A Guy Named Joe
1949-01-08
A cocky U.S. Army Air Force pilot stationed in England during World War II falls for a daring female
I'll See You in My Dreams
1951-12-06
Songwriter Gus Kahn fights to make his name, then has to fight again to survive the Depression.
Miss Grant Takes Richmond
1949-10-20
A bookie uses a phony real estate business as a front for his betting parlor. To further keep up the
Footlight Serenade
1942-08-01
Conceited World Champion boxer Tommy Lundy decides to test his popularity in a Broadway show. Tommy
A Date with the Falcon
1942-01-16
In the second film of the series (and not a second part of anything), Gay Lawrence, aka The Falcon,
The Big Gamble
1931-09-04
A gambler, hopelessly in debt, agrees to pay off his debt by allowing his creditor to take out a lif
Hollywood Thrill-Makers
1954-01-15
Biplane action scenes highlight this story of the lives and loves of two Hollywood stuntmen.
The Falcon Takes Over
1942-05-29
While an escaped convict, Moose Malloy, goes in search of his ex-girlfriend Velma, police inspector
Here Comes Mr. Jordan
1941-08-07
Boxer Joe Pendleton, flying to his next fight, crashes...because a Heavenly Messenger, new on the jo
Polly of the Follies
1922-01-30
A romantic comedy, focusing on the love triangle between Bob Jones, Alysia Potter and Polly Meachum.
Murder on a Bridle Path
1936-04-17
When the body of Violet Feverel is discovered on the Central Park bridle path, Inspector Oscar Piper
Once Upon a Time
1944-06-29
Broadway producer Jerry Flynn is anxious to recapture the magic and reclaim the crowds after a set o
Down to Earth
1947-08-21
Upset at a new Broadway musical mocking The Nine Muses, Greek goddess Terpsichore comes down to eart
Loving You
1957-07-09
Deke Rivers is a delivery man who is discovered by publicist Glenda Markle and country-western music
The Keys of the Kingdom
1944-12-15
A young priest, Father Chisholm is sent to China to establish a Catholic parish among the non-Christ
Suddenly
1954-09-17
The tranquility of a small town is marred only by sheriff Tod Shaw's unsuccessful courtship of widow
The Bishop's Wife
1947-12-25
An Episcopal Bishop, Henry Brougham, has been working for months on the plans for an elaborate new c
A Free Soul
1931-06-02
An alcoholic lawyer who successfully defended a notorious gambler on a murder charge objects when hi
Oh, Yeah!
1929-10-19
A couple of roving vagabonds hitch a freight to the railroad town of Linda, and between bouts with t
What Price Glory
1952-08-22
Two military men, Captain Flagg and Sergeant Quirt, who are rivals to begin with, grow more at odds
The Hoodlum Saint
1946-04-04
A former reporter comes back home after serving in the army during World War I and finds that it's m
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 Clock
1945-05-25
A G.I. en route to Europe falls in love during a whirlwind two-day leave in New York City.
Crash Dive
1943-04-22
A US Navy submarine, the USS Corsair, is operating in the North Atlantic, hunting German merchant ra
Hoopla
1933-11-30
A hula dancer at a carnival sets out to seduce the naive son of the show's manager.
The Last Hurrah
1958-12-31
In a changing world where television has become the main source of information, Adam Caulfield, a yo
Affectionately Yours
1941-05-10
A married reporter's assignments carry him all over the world, which gives him ample opportunity to
The Penguin Pool Murder
1932-12-09
New York schoolmarm Hildegarde Withers assists a detective when a body of unscrupulous stockbroker G
Tycoon
1947-12-27
Engineer Johnny Munroe is enlisted to build a railroad tunnel through a mountain to reach mines. His
Murder on a Honeymoon
1935-02-22
An amateur sleuth suspects foul play when a fellow passenger on a seaplane suddenly dies. The third
Man or Gun
1958-05-30
Gun-slinging drifter "Maybe" Smith's Colt .44 pistol and shooting skills are put to the test shortly
Helldorado
1935-01-05
Arthur T. Ryan, a hitchhiker, gets a ride from haughty, society girl Glenda Wynant and her fiance, w
Nine Lives Are Not Enough
1941-09-20
A reporter is constantly in trouble for jumping to conclusions.
Puttin' on the Ritz
1930-02-19
A vaudeville and nightclub performer becomes successful and forgets who his friends really are.
This Man's Navy
1945-01-04
During World War II, Chief Aviation Pilot Ned Trumpet is in charge of an airship at Lakehurst, New J
The Plot Thickens
1936-12-11
A priceless Cellini silver cup is stolen from a local museum with both Hildegarde and Oscar on the c
Hay Foot
1942-01-02
Colonel Barkley is very proud of his assistant, Sergeant Doubleday, who has a photographic memory. D
The Yellow Cab Man
1950-03-25
Pirdy is accident prone. He has been denied insurance from every company in town because he is alway
On Your Toes
1939-10-14
A Russian dance company agrees to stage the new ballet written by a vaudeville hoofer.
The Story of Will Rogers
1952-07-17
Biography of humorist and movie star Will Rogers
My Gal Sal
1942-04-30
Biopic chronicling the early life of gay nineties-era songwriter Paul Dresser as he outgrows his job
West Point of the Air
1935-03-23
An army sergeant inspires his son to become an ace flyer.
Money, Women and Guns
1958-10-01
Celebrated detective traces and finds beneficiaries to the will of a gold prospector murdered by bus
Key to the City
1950-02-02
At a mayors convention in San Francisco, ex-longshoreman Steve Fisk meets Clarissa Standish from New
Come Fill the Cup
1951-10-24
Alcoholic newspaperman Lew Marsh hits bottom, loses his job and is rehabilitated by Charley Dolan. A
Riding High
1950-04-12
A horse trainer who has fallen on hard times looks to his horse, Broadway Bill, to finally win the b
The Jackpot
1950-11-01
Bill Lawrence wins a bevy of prizes from a radio program, but ends up having to sell them in order t
Star in the Dust
1956-06-13
The sheriff of Gunlock is planning to hang Sam Hall, who shot three farmers found on cattle land, at
Smart Woman
1948-04-30
A crusading DA falls for a defense attorney with a criminal past.
Home Sweet Homicide
1946-10-02
Mystery writer Marian Carstairs is hard at work trying to finish her latest novel. Her three childre
Cinema Circus
1937-01-27
Actor Lee Tracy presides as ringmaster over a show that combines the best elements of cinema with th
Swellhead
1930-03-20
A young fighter, Bill Hickey, achieves success through the help and support of his friends and, once
The Crooked Circle
1932-09-25
A group of amateur detectives sets out to expose The Crooked Circle, a secretive group of hooded occ
Her Man
1930-09-21
A prostitute sees a friendly sailor as a way out of Havana's grimy underworld.
Forever Female
1953-11-28
An aging actress has a hard time admitting she is too old to play the ingenue role anymore.
Forty Naughty Girls
1937-09-24
Hildegarde Withers and Inspector Piper try to solve a murder while attending a popular Broadway show
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 Girl Rush
1955-09-16
When her compulsive-gambler father dies, leaving her with an inheritance that amounts to zip, single
Clear All Wires!
1933-02-24
Buckley is an unethical reporter who manipulates the news for his own benefit as much as he reports
When My Baby Smiles at Me
1948-11-10
Bonny Kane and 'Skid' Johnson are vaudeville performers in the 1920s. The two of them suffer marital
Murder on the Blackboard
1934-06-15
There are plenty of guilty secrets at the school where Hildegarde Withers teaches. When she finds th
Lady and Gent
1932-07-10
Stag Bailey, a slow-witted prizefighter, and his girlfriend, speakeasy hostess Puff Rogers, take ove
Spring Reunion
1957-03-01
A spinster finally finds the right man when she returns to her alma mater after 15 years for a class
Army Girl
1938-08-11
A young captain hoping to replace the U.S. Army's horses with mechanized vehicles faces court-martia
Sweepstakes
1931-07-10
A popular jockey is disbarred from racing after he's accused of throwing a race.
The Return of October
1948-10-26
A wholesome girl believes her new racehorse, October, is the reincarnation of her favorite uncle, Wi
Suicide Fleet
1931-11-20
Three US sailors aboard a decoy ship fight German U-boats in World War I and try to win Sally who wo
High Hats and Low Brows
1932-07-10
Sixth entry in the Rufftown 2-reel comedy series based on stories by Arthur 'Bugs' Baer.
Meet the Missus
1929-03-30
When the story begins, James is confronted by his wife for his roving eyes! Soon after this, he goes
Manhattan Merry-Go-Round
1937-11-26
In this musical comedy, a crooked record producer uses his mob connections to force performers to do
Don't Turn 'em Loose
1936-09-18
A conscientious attorney who is a member of the State Parole Board, finds his own son, using an alia
We're Only Human
1935-12-27
A cop, who plays by his own rules, brings down a notorious gangster.
The Big Game
1936-10-09
A quarterback stands against gangsters out to control the college sports scene.
The Homestretch
1947-05-04
A young couple's marriage is threatened by the husband's love of horses and the racetrack circuit.
Off His Base
1932-09-18
It begins with the Mustangs in trouble in their championship series... all the players are banged up
The Life of Riley
1949-04-16
Inspired by the popular '40s radio show of the same title, director Irving Brecher's 1949 comedy sta
The Female Animal
1958-01-22
Jaded movie star Vanessa Windsor, saved from a studio accident by handsome extra Chris Farley, pursu
Lady Luck
1946-10-30
A woman marries a gambler with the hopes of reforming him, but things don't quite work out the way s
Dumb-bells in Ermine
1930-05-10
In a small town in Virginia, Faith Corey, daughter of a socially prominent family, meets and falls i
The Meanest Gal in Town
1934-01-12
A stranded actress turned manicurist affects the lives of people in a small American town.
Bad Boy
1949-02-22
A lawman tries to find the source of a juvenile delinquent's bad behavior.
The Devil Is Driving
1932-12-09
Gabby Denton, a hard-drinking, down-on-his-luck drifter, seems to get a chance at redemption when hi
Rock-a-Bye Baby
1958-07-23
An average television repairman must care for the newborn triplets of his former hometown sweetheart
The Matrimonial Bed
1930-08-01
Five years after Adolphe's death in a train wreck, he is discovered very much alive and with amnesia
Search for Beauty
1934-02-02
Three con artists dupe two Olympians into serving as editors of a new health and beauty magazine whi
The Dude Goes West
1948-05-30
Daniel Bone is aiming for success. A Brooklyn gunsmith by trade, he figures the place to be is where
Beyond Victory
1931-04-03
Four battle-weary American soldiers under fire reflect on the women they left behind.
Manila Calling
1942-10-16
During WWII, a group of brave Americans spy on the Japanese after their invasion of the Philippines
Two Gals and a Guy
1951-07-01
A singing couple gets their own television show, and the strains of putting on a TV show every week
The Well Groomed Bride
1946-05-17
A man and a woman fight over the last bottle of champagne left in San Francisco--she wants it for a
Yours for the Asking
1936-07-23
Casino operator Johnny Lamb hires down-on-her-luck socialite Lucille Sutton as his casino hostess, i
Man in the Shadow
1957-12-12
In a modern cow town, the powerful ranch owner’s henchmen kill a ranch hand, prompting the sheriff t
Change of Heart
1934-05-18
Catherine and Mack and their close friends Chris and Madge graduate from a West Coast college and fl
No Time at All
1958-02-13
An airliner flying nonstop at night from Miami to New York fails to check in, then disappears from r
Joe Palooka in the Squared Circle
1950-11-04
Joe Palooka encounters gangsters and tries to alert the law.
Should Husbands Work?
1939-07-26
Joe Higgins' wife gets the job meant for him, so he stays home to do the housework. A Higgins Famil
Don't Believe It
1930-02-08
Before taking his wife to a play called Florida, Jimmie gets drunk and winds up on a beach in the st
It's a Wise Child
1931-04-10
In this comedy, a conservative family becomes alarmed when they begin believing their daughter is pr
The Higgins Family
1938-03-28
Pa Higgins' attempts at success in the advertising business are constantly frustrated by his eccentr
My Wife's Relatives
1939-05-20
It all begins when Joe Higgins, business manager of a prosperous candy-manufacturing firm, is ordere
Money To Burn
1939-12-31
In this episode of the Higgins Family series, pandemonium ensues when Ma enters a dog biscuit contes
Rule 'Em and Weep
1932-05-02
King Bool returns to Bulvania to claim his throne and his girl.
Grandpa Goes To Town
1940-04-13
Joe and Lil Higgins invest their life savings in a frontier hotel. Upon arrival, the family discover
Tanks a Million
1941-09-12
Chubby William Tracy starred as Dodo Doubleday, a feckless Army draftee blessed (or cursed) with a p
Babes on Broadway
1941-12-31
Penny Morris and Tommy Williams are both starstruck young teens but nobody seems to give them any ch
Captain Eddie
1945-06-18
WWI flyer Eddie Rickenbaker remembers his life which brought him from a car salesman, race driver an
Breakdowns of 1941
1941-11-14
Flubs and bloopers that occurred on the set of some of the major Warner Bros. pictures of 1941.
Hot Tip
1935-08-20
An amateur handicapper must help his future son-in-law recoup the money he lost while playing the po
Yoo-Hoo
1932-10-04
James Gleason picks up abused kid and tries to clean him up.
The Broadway Melody
1929-02-08
The vaudeville act of Harriet and Queenie Mahoney comes to Broadway, where their friend Eddie Kerns
Fast Companions
1932-06-22
A crooked jockey tries to reform.
The All-American
1932-10-01
The story of the rise and fall of an All-American football player.
Fairways and Foul
1929-10-19
Two couples meet on the fairway for a golfing competition.
Joe Palooka in Triple Cross
1951-09-16
Joe Palooka and two friends are taking hostage by three criminals.
Orders Is Orders
1933-07-18
A brash American movie producer arrives at an army base in England wanting to shoot a movie and use
The Billion Dollar Scandal
1933-01-06
An ex-convict working for a wealthy oil baron uncovers trouble while his brother becomes involved wi
Hollywood Hobbies
1935-07-05
This short documentary narrated by sportscaster Ted Husing explores the free-time activities of some
Big Money
1930-10-28
A go-getting bank messenger falls in with unsuccessful gambler.
Once Upon a Horse...
1958-09-01
Two zany cowboys steal a herd of cattle only to discover it costs more to feed them than they are wo
Screen Snapshots Series 17, No. 6
1938-02-04
Fernand Gravey and Danielle Darrieux arrive in Hollywood; the Ritz Brothers achieve immortality, lea
Screen Snapshots Series 10, No. 1
1930-09-01
The Shannons of Broadway
1929-12-08
The Shannons, a vaudeville act, are performing in a New England town when the local hotel owner barg