Jack La Rue

Born: 1902-05-03

Jack La Rue (born Gaspere Biondolillo) was an American stage, screen, and television actor. La Rue went from high school to his first acting job, in Otis Skinner's road company production of Blood and Sand. He performed in Broadway plays from around 1923 to 1931. According to La Rue, while appearing in Mae West's play Diamond Lil, he was spotted by Howard Hawks, who offered him a part in the film Scarface, starring Paul Muni. He moved to Hollywood, where he appeared in numerous films. However, Scarface was not one of them. La Rue stated in a newspaper article that, after four days, Hawks had to replace him with George Raft because La Rue was taller than Muni and had a more powerful voice. Later, however, Raft turned down the role of the despicable villain in The Story of Temple Drake, fearing it would damage his screen image, so the part went to La Rue. Sometimes mistaken for Humphrey Bogart, he played thugs and gangsters for the most part. However, director Frank Borzage atypically cast him as a priest in the 1932 version of A Farewell to Arms simply because, according to newspaper columnist Hubbard Keavy, he was "tired of seeing conventional characters". La Rue stated he turned down a role in The Godfather and many parts in the television series The Untouchables because of the way they portrayed Italian-Americans. La Rue died of a heart attack at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California, at the age of 81. He was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California.


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Captains Courageous

as Priest
Released: 1937-06-25

Harvey, the arrogant and spoiled son of an indulgent absentee-father, falls overboard from a...

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Robin and the 7 Hoods

as Tomatoes
Released: 1964-06-24

Set in Prohibition era Chicago, bootlegger Robbo and his cronies refuse to pay the greedy Guy...

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The Sea Hawk

as Lt. Ortega
Released: 1940-08-10

Dashing pirate Geoffrey Thorpe plunders Spanish ships for Queen Elizabeth I and falls in love...

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42nd Street

as Thug (uncredited)
Released: 1933-03-11

A producer puts on what may be his last Broadway show, and at the last moment a chorus girl has...

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A Farewell to Arms

as Priest
Released: 1932-12-08

A tale of the World War I love affair, begun in Italy, between American ambulance driver Lt....

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I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang

as Ackerman (uncredited)
Released: 1932-11-09

A World War I veteran’s dreams of becoming a master architect evaporate in the cold light of...

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My Favorite Brunette

as Tony
Released: 1947-03-19

Ronnie Jackson is a lowly baby photographer who secretly fantasizes about being a private...

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Three on a Match

as Ace's Henchman (uncredited)
Released: 1932-10-29

Although Vivian Revere is seemingly the most successful of a trio of reunited schoolmates, she...

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The Story of Temple Drake

as Trigger
Released: 1933-05-06

The coquettish granddaughter of a respected small-town judge is stranded at a bootleggers’...

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The Spanish Main

as Lt. Escobar
Released: 1945-10-01

Laurent van Horn is the leader of a band of Dutch refugees on a ship seeking freedom in the...

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20,000 Years in Sing Sing

as Prisoner at Check-In (uncredited)
Released: 1932-12-24

Brash hoodlum Tom Connors enters Sing Sing cocksure of himself and disrespectful toward...

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Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood

as Silent Film Villain
Released: 1976-07-26

A would-be filmmaker and actress shake up the industry with a trick dog who gets discovered by a...

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40 Pounds of Trouble

as Nick the Greek
Released: 1962-12-31

Hilarity ensues when a casino manager spends a day at Disneyland with a cute but troublesome...

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Follow the Leader

as Larry
Released: 1944-06-03

Muggs and Glimpy, two East Side Kids in the army, return to their neighborhood, supposedly on...

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The Kennel Murder Case

as Eduardo Grassi
Released: 1933-10-28

Philo Vance, accompanied by his prize-losing Scottish terrier, investigates the locked-room...

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Dangerous Passage

as Mike
Released: 1944-12-18

Joe Beck leaves Central America so that he can return to Texas and collect a large inheritance,...

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Road to Utopia

as LeBec
Released: 1946-02-27

While on a ship to Skagway, Alaska, Duke and Chester find a map to a secret gold mine, which had...

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Waterfront Lady

as Tom Braden
Released: 1935-10-04

When a young man is befriended by a gambling ship operator and made a partner in the business,...

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To the Last Man

as Jim Daggs
Released: 1933-09-15

In Kentucky just after the Civil War, the Hayden-Colby feud leads to Jed Colby being sent to...

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American Empire

as Pierre - Beauchard Henchman
Released: 1942-12-11

Richard Dix as Dan Taylor and Preston S. Foster as Paxton Bryce are two longtime friends seeking...

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For Those Who Think Young

as Cronin's Business Associate
Released: 1964-06-01

A wealthy young man tries to woo a university student, while her two uncles work to popularize a...

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Fugitive from a Prison Camp

as Red Nelson
Released: 1940-10-05

Sheriff Holt is determined to prove that prisoners can be rehabilitated and released into...

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Valley of the Giants

as Ed Morrell
Released: 1938-09-17

A lumberman takes on a sleezy corporate giant wanting to move in and do whatever it takes to...

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Dakota

as Suade
Released: 1945-12-15

In 1871, professional gambler John Devlin elopes with Sandra "Sandy" Poli, daughter of Marko...

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The Woman Accused

as Little Maxie
Released: 1933-02-17

Jeffrey and Glenda are two lovers about to embark on a three-day cruise to nowhere. Their plan...

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Pardon My Sarong

as Tabor (uncredited)
Released: 1942-08-07

A pair of bus drivers accidentally steal their own bus. With the company issuing a warrant for...

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The Desert Song

as Lt. Bertin
Released: 1943-12-17

Paul Hudson, leads a group of desert bandits against some Nazis, who want to use them as cheap...

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Footsteps in the Dark

as Ace Vernon
Released: 1941-03-08

A high-society gent has a secret life - he writes murder mysteries and hangs out with the police...

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The Spy in the Green Hat

as Federico 'Feet' Stilletto
Released: 1967-02-03

"Spy in the Green Hat, The (1966)" on the other hand, is both exciting AND funny. Especially the...

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The Payoff

as John Angus
Released: 1942-11-24

The city's District Attorney is murdered, and a newspaper reporter investigates. He starts...

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Girl 27

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2007-07-27

The reclusive Patricia Douglas comes out of hiding to discuss the 1937 MGM scandal, in which the...

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Bogart: The Untold Story

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1997-01-05

Stephen H. Bogart narrates the rise to fame of his father, Humphrey Bogart through the use of...

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Night World

as Henchman (uncredited)
Released: 1932-05-04

"Happy" MacDonald and his unfaithful wife own a Prohibition era night club. On this eventful...

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Christopher Strong

as Carlo
Released: 1933-03-09

A romance develops between a happily married middle-aged British politician and an adventurous...

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Virtue

as Toots O'Neil
Released: 1932-10-25

Given a second chance after her arrest for prostitution, Mae decides to go straight. Mae is soon...

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The Last Ride

as Joe Genna
Released: 1944-10-07

A police lieutenant is determined to bust the gang of crooks selling defective automobile tires.

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Complicated Women

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 2003-05-06

Looks at the stereotype-breaking films of the period from 1929, when movies entered the sound...

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Charlie Chan in Panama

as Emil Manolo
Released: 1940-03-01

Charlie impersonates an employee of the U.S. government to foil an espionage plot which would...

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The Bridge of Sighs

as Packy Lacy
Released: 1936-02-14

Assistant District Attorney Jeffery Powell has just sent an innocent man to prison for the...

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Good Dame

as Bluch Brown
Released: 1934-03-16

A chorus girl gets stranded in a small midwestern town. Against her better judgement, she hooks...

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Lawyer Man

as Spike Murphy (uncredited)
Released: 1932-12-24

Idealistic attorney Anton Adam makes headlines when he successfully prosecutes a prominent New...

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The Headline Woman

as Phil Zarias
Released: 1935-05-14

When the daughter of a newspaper publisher is falsely charged with murder, a reporter on her...

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You Can't Beat the Law

as Cain
Released: 1943-01-29

A wild playboy is framed by crooks for a robbery he didn't commit and eventually lands in...

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Dancing Pirate

as Lt. Chago (Baltazar's Aide)
Released: 1936-05-22

Jonathan Pride is a mild-mannered dance instructor in 1820 Boston. En route to visit relatives,...

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Follow the Leader

as A Gangster
Released: 1930-12-06

A kooky waiter and sometimes vaudevillian promises to get his employer's daughter into a...

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Ringside Maisie

as Ricky Du Prez
Released: 1941-08-01

Young undefeated boxer Terry Dolan, who's been lying to his invalid mother about his career,...

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No Orchids for Miss Blandish

as Slim Grisson
Released: 1948-04-15

Filmed in England but set in New York, No Orchids For Miss Blandish tells of a sheltered heiress...

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The Girl from Monterrey

as Al Johnson
Released: 1943-10-04

Mexican club singer Lita Valdez is amazed to find that her younger brother Alberto is a talented...

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While Paris Sleeps

as Julot
Released: 1932-05-08

To save his daughter Manon from falling into the hands of a vicious gang of pimps, convict...

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The Girl in 419

as Sammy
Released: 1933-05-26

A hospital surgeon (James Dunn) protects a mystery woman (Gloria Stuart) who knows too much...

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X Marks the Spot

as Marty Clark
Released: 1942-11-04

A private detective, soon to enlist in the army, is drawn into one final case when his police...

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Cornered

as Diego, Hotel Valet
Released: 1945-11-23

A World War II veteran hunts down the Nazi collaborators who killed his wife.

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Dangerous Holiday

as Gollenger
Released: 1937-06-06

A young violin prodigy is assumed kidnapped after he runs away from home.

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Her Husband Lies

as 'Trigger'
Released: 1937-03-13

J. Ward Thomas of Park Avenue leads a double life as an investment broker and as notorious...

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The Law Rides Again

as Duke Dillon
Released: 1943-08-06

When a band of American Indians breaks a treaty with the federal government, U.S. Marshals Ken...

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Special Agent

as Jake Andrews
Released: 1935-09-14

Newspaperman Bill Bradford becomes a special agent for the tax service trying to end the career...

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For Heaven's Sake

as Tony Clark
Released: 1950-12-15

An angel takes on human form in order to persuade a theatrical couple to finally consummate...

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The Spanish Cape Mystery

as Gardner
Released: 1935-10-09

Ellery Queen's vacation is interrupted when murder strikes next door to his oceanside cabin.

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Enemy Agent

as Alex
Released: 1940-04-18

A man is framed for being a spy. After he is released, he sets out to find who the real spies are.

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Strike Me Pink

as Mr. Thrust
Released: 1936-01-24

Meek Eddie Pink becomes manager of an amusement park beset by mobsters.

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I Demand Payment

as Smiles Badolio
Released: 1938-12-13

A just-married young woman attempts suicide after her husband tells her he really doesn't love...

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Secret Service In Darkest Africa

as Hassan
Released: 1943-07-24

An American secret agent travels to Africa to infiltrate a Nazi spy ring.

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Blessed Event

as Louis De Marco
Released: 1932-09-10

A New York gossip columnist feuds with a singer and enjoys the power of the press.

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Ride the Man Down

as Kennedy
Released: 1952-11-25

After Celia's father dies, a war erupts over control of his land.

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The King On Main Street

as Member of King's Retinue in Paris Hotel Lobby (uncredited)
Released: 1925-10-24

A European Ruler falls in love with an American.

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Swamp Woman

as Pierre Pertinax Pontineau Briand Broussicourt d'Olivier, aka Pete Oliver
Released: 1941-12-05

Famed striptease artist Ann Corio stars as Annabelle, a cabaret dancer who returns to the...

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Little Big Shot

as Jack Doré
Released: 1935-09-07

A con man and his partner inherit a dead gangster's precocious daughter.

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Bush Pilot

as Paul Girard
Released: 1947-06-07

Two pilots, who happen to be half-brothers, compete for the same girl as well as the same air...

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Terror Aboard

as Gregory Cordoff
Released: 1933-04-14

An ocean liner is found at sea with everyone on board dead. An investigation is begun to find...

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Fine Manners

as New Year's Eve Celebrant
Released: 1926-08-29

The film depicts what happens when a rich boy accidentally meets a crude girl on New Year's Eve.

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The Fighting Rookie

as Patrolman Jim Trent
Released: 1934-05-15

Patrolman Jim Trent (Jack La Rue) hears the screams of a woman and rushes to her aid in an...

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Calling All Cars

as Jerry Kennedy
Released: 1935-01-25

A reporter out to break up a criminal gang finds time to make a play for a mobster's girlfriend.

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Forgotten Girls

as Eddie Nolan
Released: 1940-03-15

A disillusioned factory worker is charged with the attempted murder of her mother's lover.

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The Sultan's Daughter

as Rata
Released: 1943-12-16

A sultan's lovely daughter finds herself courted by a handsome American.

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Under the Pampas Moon

as Bazan
Released: 1935-06-01

Cesare Campo is a hard-riding and hard-loving Argentine gaucho. Yvonne LaMarr is a famous...

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It Couldn't Have Happened (But It Did)

as Smiley Clark
Released: 1936-08-01

When a play's two producers are murdered, the playwright tries to solve the crime.

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That I May Live

as uncredited
Released: 1937-09-13

Crooks use a man's safe-cracking skills then involve him in more crime after he spends three...

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Gangs Inc.

as Mickey Roman
Released: 1941-06-13

Circumstances force naive Rita Adams into serving an unjust prison term, but she emerges from it...

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The Mouthpiece

as Joe Garland (Uncredited)
Released: 1932-03-21

A prosecutor quits his job and becomes a defense attorney when he finds out that a man he got...

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The Gang's All Here

as Alberni
Released: 1939-03-04

John Forrest is anticipating a quiet retirement spent penning detective fiction when he learns...

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Robin Hood of Monterey

as Don Ricardo Gonzales
Released: 1947-09-06

Eduardo Belmonte overhears his new step-mother, Maria, and her lover, Don Ricardo Gonzales...

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The All-American

as Joe Fiore
Released: 1932-10-01

The story of the rise and fall of an All-American football player.

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Big Town Czar

as Mike Luger
Released: 1939-05-03

When gangster Phil Daley gets rid of his chief Paul Burgess he has everything that money can...

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Miss Fane's Baby Is Stolen

as Bert
Released: 1934-01-12

Miss Madeline Fane is a famous California screen star who has been devoted to her baby son...

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Murder in Soho

as Steve Marco
Released: 1939-02-01

A London nightclub hostess pretends to fall for the mobster who killed her husband.

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Times Square Lady

as Jack Kramer
Released: 1935-03-08

A young Iowa woman inherits her late estranged father's New York business, but the dead man's...

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Gentleman from Dixie

as Thad Terrill
Released: 1941-09-02

A man is released from prison after serving time for a murder he didn't commit. He goes to live...

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Santa Fe Uprising

as Bruce Jackson
Released: 1946-11-15

The Duchess, the aunt of Red Ryder, comes to town to protect her property. Crawford, a town...

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In Old Caliente

as Manuel Delgardo / Sujarno
Released: 1939-06-19

Americans come west to California in the hope of peaceful settlement. Roy and Gabby sing a duet:...

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Yellow Cargo

as Al Perrelli
Released: 1936-11-07

An investigator looks into the activities of a movie producer he believes is involved in...

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East of the River

as Frank 'Frisco' Scarfi
Released: 1940-11-09

Two troublesome boys grow into very different men, one becoming a hoodlum and the other...

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Born to Fight

as Smoothy Morgan
Released: 1936-11-02

An honest boxer refuses to throw a fight for a gambler. They get into a fight and the boxer...

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Straight Is the Way

as Monk
Released: 1934-08-10

Just out of prison, Benny Horowitz tries to go straight. Things are complicated by his former...

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Headline Shooter

as Ricci
Released: 1933-07-28

A newsreel photographer neglects his love life to get the perfect shot.

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After the Dance

as Mitch
Released: 1935-06-25

Though he was protecting her when he accidentally killed a man, Mabel Kane (Thelma Todd) refuses...

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Machine Gun Mama

as Jose
Released: 1944-08-18

Two Americans stranded in Mexico with an elephant try to sell their animal to a traveling...

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Remember Last Night?

as Baptiste Bouclier
Released: 1935-10-28

After a night of wild partying at a friend's house, a couple wake up to discover the party's...

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Highways by Night

as Johnny Lieber, Gangster
Released: 1942-10-02

A young millionaire (Richard Carlson) joins the real world and meets a maid (Jane Randolph) and...

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Radio Patrol

as Slick (uncredited)
Released: 1932-06-02

A policeman in need of money is persuaded to take a $1000 bribe to stay away the night a packing...

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Arson Racket Squad

as Bud Morgan
Released: 1938-03-27

New York City fireman Bill O'Connell is assigned to the Arson Sqaud with the job of apprehending...

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Smart Guy

as Matt Taylor
Released: 1943-12-17

A gambler is about to stand trial for a crime he actually didn't commit. In order to brush up...

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Never a Dull Moment

as Joey
Released: 1943-11-19

Nightclub gangsters hire a vaudeville act called the Three Funny Bunnies (Ritz Brothers).

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Trapped by G-Men

as Fred Drake
Released: 1937-09-09

Granite-jawed Jack Holt performs a dual role in Columbia's Trapped by G-Men.

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Take the Stand

as George Gaylord
Released: 1934-08-07

A radio columnist is threatened by gangsters and later murdered during a broadcast. A detective...

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His Night Out

as Joe Ferranza
Released: 1935-10-01

When a meek purchasing agent is told by a quack doctor that he only has three months to live, he...

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The House of Terror

as uncredited
Released: 1928-01-01

A 10 chapter cliffhanger serial made by William M. Pizor Productions. 1. Missing Men 2. Tongues...

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Murder in the Music Hall

as Bruce Wilton
Released: 1946-04-10

An orchestra leader turns sleuth to clear his ice-skating girlfriend for murder.

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A Tenderfoot Goes West

as James "Killer" Madden
Released: 1936-10-15

Wellington Pike, author of 'Wild and Bloody Tales of the West', has never been away from the...

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The Lucky Devil

as Prizefight Attendant
Released: 1925-07-13

Richard Dix, a displayer in a department store, enters a raffle and wins the so-called 'hoodoo'...

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Man Against Woman

as Alberti
Released: 1932-11-15

Johnny McCloud, a tough police inspector given more to fisticuffs than investigating has the...

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Mind Your Own Business

as Cruger
Released: 1936-12-18

Nature reporter Orville Shanks retreats to the woods for material for his "Our Wild Friends"...

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In Old Sacramento

as Laramie
Released: 1946-05-31

Dashing Johnny Barrett has a secret identity: Spanish Jack, the masked bandit. Always one step...

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Steppin' in Society

as Bow Tie
Released: 1945-07-09

In this crime comedy, a prominent judge's vacation is interrupted during a sudden storm that...

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Under the Big Top

as Ricardo Le Grande
Released: 1938-08-31

Director Karl Brown's 1938 circus drama stars Marjorie Main as a tough, fur-coat-wearing circus...

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Gambling Ship

as Pete Manning
Released: 1933-06-23

Tired of the dangerous life as gambling boss, Ace Corbin 'retires' from the racket and travels...

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A Scream in the Dark

as Cross
Released: 1943-10-15

A detective tries to prove that a woman is killing her spouses with a spiked umbrella.

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A Desperate Chance for Ellery Queen

as Tommy Gould
Released: 1942-05-07

A man is framed for embezzlement and runs off to San Francisco. His wife hires Ellery Queen to...

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Hard Guy

as Vic Monroe
Released: 1941-10-17

Investigators crack down on a gang of nightclub con artists that has been victimizing wealthy...

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Pistol Packin' Mama

as Johnny Rossi
Released: 1943-12-15

Two tuneful gamblers gambol across the country in a struggle for the money they need to run...

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The Daring Young Man

as Cubby
Released: 1935-07-17

The Daring Young Man is hotshot-reporter Don McLane, played by James Dunn. Always on the prowl...

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Secret of the Chateau

as Lucien Vonaire
Released: 1934-12-03

Murder results when a group of houseguests converge on a chateau, each plotting to steal a...

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Perry Mason

as Cafe Proprietor
First aired: 1957-09-21

The cases of master criminal defense attorney Perry Mason and his staff who handled the most...

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Love, American Style

as Mr. Smith
First aired: 1969-09-29

An anthology comedy series featuring a line up of different celebrity guest stars appearing in...

TV Show page

The Millionaire

as Cricket Rosselli
First aired: 1955-01-19

An anthology series that explored the ways sudden and unexpected wealth changed life for better...

TV Show page

Lights Out

as Narrator (voice)
First aired: 1949-07-19

Lights Out was an extremely popular American old-time radio program, an early example of a...

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The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.

as uncredited
First aired: 1966-09-13

The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. is an American spy-fi TV series that aired on NBC for one season from...

TV Show page

General Electric Theater

as Nick Rocco
First aired: 1953-02-01

General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was...

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General Electric Theater

as Ralphie Fargo
First aired: 1953-02-01

General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was...

TV Show page