James Gleason
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- May 23, 1882
- Died
- April 12, 1959
- Birthplace
- 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
The Last Hurrah 1958
as Cuke Gillen
Money, Women and Guns 1958
as Henry Devers
Once Upon a Horse... 1958
as Postmaster
Rock-a-Bye Baby 1958
as Doc Simpkins
Man or Gun 1958
as Sheriff Jim Jackson
No Time at All 1958
as Dolph Grimes
The Female Animal 1958
as Tom Maloney
Man in the Shadow 1957
as Hank James
Loving You 1957
as Carl Meade
Spring Reunion 1957
as Collie
Star in the Dust 1956
as Orval Jones
Rookie of the Year 1955
as Ed Shafer
The Girl Rush 1955
as Ether Ferguson
The Night of the Hunter 1955
as Uncle Birdie Steptoe
Suddenly 1954
as Peter 'Pop' Benson
Hollywood Thrill-Makers 1954
as Risky Russell
Forever Female 1953
as Eddie Woods
What Price Glory 1952
as General Cokely
The Story of Will Rogers 1952
as Bert Lynn
We're Not Married! 1952
as Duffy
I'll See You in My Dreams 1951
as Fred Townsend
Come Fill the Cup 1951
as Charley Dolan
Triple Cross 1951
as Knobby Walsh
Two Gals and a Guy 1951
as Max Howard
Joe Palooka in the Squared Circle 1950
as Knobby Walsh
The Jackpot 1950
as Harry Summers
Riding High 1950
as Racing Secretary
The Yellow Cab Man 1950
as Mickey Corkins
Key to the City 1950
as Sergeant Hogan
Miss Grant Takes Richmond 1949
as Timothy Gleason
Take One False Step 1949
as Captain Gledhill
The Life of Riley 1949
as Gillis
Bad Boy 1949
as Chief
When My Baby Smiles at Me 1948
as Lefty Moore
The Return of October 1948
as Uncle Willie Ramsey
The Dude Goes West 1948
as Sam Briggs
Smart Woman 1948
as Sam Corkle
Tycoon 1947
as Pop Mathews
The Bishop's Wife 1947
as Sylvester
Down to Earth 1947
as Max Corkle
The Homestretch 1947
as Doc Kilborne
Lady Luck 1946
as Sacramento Sam
Home Sweet Homicide 1946
as Sgt. O'Hare
The Well Groomed Bride 1946
as Captain Hornby
The Hoodlum Saint 1946
as Snarp
Captain Eddie 1945
as Tom Clark
The Clock 1945
as Al Henry
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn 1945
as McGarrity
This Man's Navy 1945
as Jimmy Shannon
The Keys of the Kingdom 1944
as Rev. Dr. Wilbur Fiske
Arsenic and Old Lace 1944
as Lt. Rooney
Once Upon a Time 1944
as Moke McGillicuddy
A Guy Named Joe 1944
as “Nails” Kilpatrick
Crash Dive 1943
as Chief Mike 'Mac' McDonnell
Manila Calling 1942
as Tim O'Rourke
Tales of Manhattan 1942
as Father Joe
Footlight Serenade 1942
as Bruce McKay
The Falcon Takes Over 1942
as Inspector Mike O'Hara
My Gal Sal 1942
as Pat Hawley
A Date with the Falcon 1942
as Inspector Michael 'Mike' O'Hara
Hay Foot 1942
as Colonel J. A. Barkley
Babes on Broadway 1941
as Thornton Reed
Breakdowns of 1941 1941
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Nine Lives Are Not Enough 1941
as Sergeant Daniels
Tanks a Million 1941
as Col. 'Spitfire' Barkley
Here Comes Mr. Jordan 1941
as Max Corkle
Affectionately Yours 1941
as 'Chet' Phillips
Meet John Doe 1941
as Henry Connell
Earl of Puddlestone 1940
as Joe Higgins
Grandpa Goes To Town 1940
as Joe Higgins
Money To Burn 1939
as Joe Higgins
The Covered Trailer 1939
as Joe Higgins
On Your Toes 1939
as Phil Dolan Sr.
Should Husbands Work? 1939
as Joe Higgins
My Wife's Relatives 1939
as Joe Higgins
Army Girl 1938
as Hennessy
Screen Snapshots Series 17, No. 12 1938
as James Gleason
The Higgins Family 1938
as Joe Higgins
Screen Snapshots Series 17, No. 6 1938
as Self
Manhattan Merry-Go-Round 1937
as Danny The Duck
Forty Naughty Girls 1937
as Police Insp. Oscar Piper
- Cinema Circus
Cinema Circus 1937
as Himself
The Plot Thickens 1936
as Police Insp. Oscar Piper
The Big Game 1936
as George Scott
Don't Turn 'em Loose 1936
as Detective Daniels
Yours for the Asking 1936
as Saratoga
The Ex-Mrs. Bradford 1936
as Inspector Corrigan
Murder on a Bridle Path 1936
as Police Insp. Oscar Piper
We're Only Human 1935
as Detective Danny Walsh
Hot Tip 1935
as Jimmy McGill, Director
- Hollywood Hobbies
Hollywood Hobbies 1935
as Himself
Murder in the Fleet 1935
Additional Writing
West Point of the Air 1935
as Joe 'Bags'
Murder on a Honeymoon 1935
as Police Insp. Oscar Piper
Helldorado 1935
as Sam Barnes
Murder on the Blackboard 1934
as Police Insp. Oscar Piper
Change of Heart 1934
as Hot Dog Vendor (uncredited), Screenplay
Search for Beauty 1934
as Dan Healy
The Meanest Gal in Town 1934
as Duke Slater
Hoopla 1933
as Jerry
The Bowery 1933
Screenplay
Orders Is Orders 1933
as Ed Waggermeyer, Screenplay
Clear All Wires! 1933
as Lefty Williams
The Billion Dollar Scandal 1933
as "Ratsy" Harris
The Devil Is Driving 1932
as 'Beef' Evans
The Penguin Pool Murder 1932
as Police Insp. Oscar Piper
Always Kickin' 1932
Director
- Yoo-Hoo
Yoo-Hoo 1932
as Jimmy Gleason
The All-American 1932
as Chick Knipe
The Crooked Circle 1932
as Arthur Crimmer
- Off His Base
Off His Base 1932
as Picture in Opening Credits, Director
Blondie of the Follies 1932
as Pa McClune
High Hats and Low Brows 1932
as Danny Ruff
Lady and Gent 1932
as Pin Streaver
Fast Companions 1932
as Silk Henley
Rule 'Em and Weep 1932
as Spike Mc Gorey
Suicide Fleet 1931
as Skeets
The Big Gamble 1931
as Fred 'Squint' Dugan
Sweepstakes 1931
as Sleepy Jones
A Free Soul 1931
as Eddie
It's a Wise Child 1931
as Cool Kelly
Beyond Victory 1931
as Jim Mobley, Writer
Three Hollywood Girls 1931
Writer
Big Money 1930
as Tom
Her Man 1930
as Steve
What a Widow! 1930
Screenplay, Adaptation
Screen Snapshots Series 10, No. 1 1930
as Self
Rain or Shine 1930
Writer
The Matrimonial Bed 1930
as Gustave Corton
The Fall Guy 1930
Writer
Dumb-bells in Ermine 1930
as Mike, Writer
Mammy 1930
Theatre Play
Swellhead 1930
as Johnny Trump, Dialogue
Puttin' on the Ritz 1930
as James 'Jimmy' Tierney, Dialogue
- Don't Believe It
Don't Believe It 1930
as Jimmy
His First Command 1929
Screenplay, Story
The Shannons of Broadway 1929
as Mickey Shannon, Writer
- Fairways and Foul
Fairways and Foul 1929
as Husband
Oh, Yeah! 1929
as Dusty
The Flying Fool 1929
Additional Dialogue
High Voltage 1929
Dialogue, Screenplay
Meet the Missus 1929
as Bert La Motte
The Broadway Melody 1929
as Music Publisher (uncredited), Dialogue
The Count of Ten 1928
as Johnny's Manager
Polly of the Follies 1922
as Paul Gordon
Credits from TMDB.