Remembering James Gleason On His Birthday

James Gleason (23 May 1882 to 12 April 1959), known as Jimmy to his friends, is another one of those character actors that always caught my eye. I love that New York tough guy with a kind heart character that he is so well known for playing. He was loved by his fellow actors as well. His friends (including Eddie Cantor and Gloria Swanson) had their monograms made of gold, silver, platinum or enamel and had them placed on his plain platinum cigarette case.

Did you know that he was also a playwright and screenwriter? He co-wrote and had a small part in Janet Gaynor's Broadway stage play, Change of Heart (1934). Gleason also had his own sitcom on radio with Robert Armstrong, Gleason and Armstrong (1931). His television credits include Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Public Defender, and The Real McCoys.

Gleason enlisted in the U. S. Army at the age of 16 and served three years but didn't hesitate to re-enlist when his country needed him in WWI. It was after the war that his acting career took off. He had a small part in The Broadway Melody (1929) which was only the second film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. But my two favorite James Gleason films were A Free Soul (1931) with Leslie Howard, Norma Shearer, and newcomer, Clark Gable, and as the hot dog vendor in The Clock (1945), with Judy Garland and Robert Walker. Gleason will also be remembered for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945), Meet John Doe (1941) and Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941). I also loved him in Crash Dive (1943) with Tyrone Power and as the taxi cab driver in The Bishop's Wife (1947). I could go on and on.

Happy Birthday, James Gleason.

Learn More About James Gleason

[James Gleason in
Miss Grant Takes Richmond, 1949]

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