James Finlayson

Born: 1887-08-26

James Henderson "Jimmy" Finlayson (August 27, 1887 – October 9, 1953) was a Scottish actor who worked in both silent and sound comedies. Bald, with a fake moustache, Finlayson had many trademark comic mannerisms and is famous for his squinting, outraged, "double take and fade away" head reaction, and characteristic expression "d'ooooooh", and as the most famous comic foil of Laurel and Hardy.


Placeholder

Way Out West

as Mickey Finn
Released: 1937-04-16

Stan and Ollie try to deliver the deed to a valuable gold mine to the daughter of a dead...

Movie page

Foreign Correspondent

as Dutch Peasant (uncredited)
Released: 1940-08-16

American crime reporter John Jones is reassigned to Europe as a foreign correspondent to cover...

Movie page

Block-Heads

as Man on Stairs
Released: 1938-08-19

It's 1938, but Stan doesn't know the war is over; he's still patrolling the trenches in France,...

Movie page

To Be or Not to Be

as Scottish Farmer with Mustache (uncredited)
Released: 1942-03-06

During the Nazi occupation of Poland, an acting troupe becomes embroiled in a Polish soldier's...

Movie page

Pack Up Your Troubles

as General
Released: 1932-09-16

The story begins in 1917 with Stan and Ollie being drafted into the U.S. Army to fight in World...

Movie page

The Flying Deuces

as Jailor
Released: 1939-11-03

Ollie falls in love with a woman. When he discovers she's already married, he unsuccessfully...

Movie page

She-Wolf of London

as Constable (uncredited)
Released: 1946-05-17

A young heiress finds evidence suggesting that at night she acts under the influence of a family...

Movie page

Angel

as Barker's 2nd Butler (uncredited)
Released: 1937-10-29

While vacationing without her busy British diplomat husband, a married woman falls for another man.

Movie page

A Chump at Oxford

as Baldy Vandevere (uncredited)
Released: 1940-01-25

The boys get jobs as a butler and maid-- Stan in drag-- for a dinner party. When that ends in...

Movie page

Royal Wedding

as Cabby (uncredited)
Released: 1951-03-08

Tom and Ellen are asked to perform as a dance team in England at the time of Princess...

Movie page

Bonnie Scotland

as Sgt. Maj. Finlayson
Released: 1935-08-23

Stan and Ollie stow away to Scotland expecting to inherit the MacLaurel estate. When things...

Movie page

Another Fine Mess

as Col. Wilburforce Buckshot (uncredited)
Released: 1930-11-29

Two homeless vagabonds hide out in a vacant mansion and pose as the residents when prospective...

Movie page

Pardon Us

as Schoolteacher
Released: 1931-08-15

It's Prohibition, and the boys wind up behind bars after Stan sells some of their home-brew beer...

Movie page

Big Business

as Homeowner
Released: 1929-04-20

Stan and Ollie play door-to-door Christmas tree salesmen in California. They end up getting into...

Movie page

Saps at Sea

as Dr. J.H. Finlayson (uncredited)
Released: 1940-04-29

Stan and Ollie work in a horn factory. Ollie starts having violent fits every time he hears a...

Movie page

Love 'Em and Weep

as Titus Tillsbury
Released: 1927-06-12

Titus Tillsbury is a successful businessman who is visited by a blackmailing old flame. He...

Movie page

Our Relations

as Finn
Released: 1936-09-15

Two sailors get caught in a mountain of mix-ups when they meet their long-lost twins. Laurel and...

Movie page

The Chimp

as Ringmaster
Released: 1932-05-21

Stan and Ollie play bumbling circus performers who inadvertently drive the circus into...

Movie page

The Second Hundred Years

as Browne Van Dyke
Released: 1927-10-08

Laurel and Hardy are convicts making an escape from prison.

Movie page

Chickens Come Home

as Butler
Released: 1931-02-21

Ollie is running for mayor when an old flame tries to blackmail him with a old photo.

Movie page

The Devil's Brother

as Lord Rocburg
Released: 1933-05-05

Two wannabe bandits join the service of a dashing nobleman, who secretly masquerades as Fra...

Movie page

No Man's Law

as Jack Belcher
Released: 1927-05-01

A wild stallion (Rex the Wonder Horse) becomes the protector of a prospector and his foster...

Movie page

Mush and Milk

as Mr. Brown, the banker
Released: 1933-05-27

When Cap's back pension finally comes in, he treats the gang to a day at an amusement park.

Movie page

The Toast of New York

as Trick-Hat Inventor (uncredited)
Released: 1937-07-22

After the American Civil War, Jim Fisk, a former peddler and cotton smuggler, arrives in New...

Movie page

Yankee Doodle in Berlin

as Commander's Officer (uncredited)
Released: 1919-03-02

Behind enemy lines, Captain Bob White disguises himself as a woman in order to fool members of...

Movie page

The Bohemian Girl

as Captain Finn
Released: 1936-02-14

Stan and Ollie travel with a band of 18th-century Gypsies holding a nobleman's daughter.

Movie page

The Hoose-Gow

as Governor
Released: 1929-11-16

Stan and Ollie arrive as new inmates at a prison after apparently taking part in a hold-up raid,...

Movie page

Yes, Yes, Nanette

as Hillory, the new husband
Released: 1925-07-19

Nanette sends a letter to her family telling of her new husband, Hillory. When Hillory arrives...

Movie page

Men O'War

as Soda jerk
Released: 1929-06-29

Sailors Stan and Ollie offer to buy sodas for two women they meet in a park, even though they...

Movie page

Pick a Star

as Director
Released: 1937-05-21

A Cinderella story of a young country girl who comes to Hollywood and achieves movie stardom...

Movie page

Thicker Than Water

as Auction Manager
Released: 1935-03-16

Oliver's in trouble with his wife after missing a payment on their furniture, having given the...

Movie page

Do Detectives Think?

as Judge Foozle
Released: 1927-11-20

An escaped convict is out to kill the judge who sentenced him. Two inept detectives are hired to...

Movie page

Two Sisters from Boston

as Street Cleaner (uncredited)
Released: 1946-06-06

Abigail Chandler has written her stuffy Boston relatives that she's a successful opera singer in...

Movie page

Wife Tamers

as The Waiter
Released: 1926-03-25

Mr. Barry has a huge argument with his wife, and to make her jealous, he asks his valet to set...

Movie page

Liberty

as Store keeper
Released: 1929-01-26

While changing clothes in a getaway car, escaped convicts Stan and Ollie mistakenly put on each...

Movie page

Zeb vs. Paprika

as Major Glanders Botts
Released: 1924-03-16

Stan Laurel as a harness racing jockey who must win a big race.

Movie page

All Over Town

as MacDougal
Released: 1937-08-09

Two vaudevillian comedians try to stage a show in a theatre that has a reputation for being...

Movie page

Night Owls

as Meadows
Released: 1930-01-04

Policeman Edgar Kennedy is told by his chief he better stop a string of burglaries that have...

Movie page

Call of the Cuckoo

as Asylum Inmate
Released: 1927-10-15

Mishaps befall a new home owner located next door to an insane asylum.

Movie page

Our Wife

as Father of the bride
Released: 1931-05-16

Oliver is making plans to marry his sweetheart Dulcy with Stan as his best man, but the plans...

Movie page

With Love and Hisses

as Captain Bustle
Released: 1927-08-28

Dimwitted Cuthbert Hope is enlisted in the army, and gets himself and his sergeant in constant...

Movie page

Raffles

as Hansom Cab Driver
Released: 1939-11-11

Man about town and First Class cricketer A.J. Raffles keeps himself solvent with daring...

Movie page

One Good Turn

as A Community Player
Released: 1931-10-31

Down and out Stan and Ollie beg for food from a friendly old lady who provides them with...

Movie page

The Soilers

as Smacknamara
Released: 1923-11-24

During the Alaska gold rush, a miner hits the motherlode, but a corrupt sheriff jumps his claim,...

Movie page

The Perils of Pauline

as Comic Chef
Released: 1947-07-04

Funloving Pearl White, working in a garment sweatshop, gets her big chance when she "opens" for...

Movie page

She Sighed by the Seaside

as 1st Suitor
Released: 1921-05-08

Lifeguard Ben Turpin tries to keep order at the beach, where tennis players James Finlayson and...

Movie page

Wall Street

as Andy (as Jimmy Finalyson)
Released: 1929-12-01

A very topical early talkie from low-budget company Columbia Pictures, Wall Street starred Ralph...

Movie page

The Dawn Patrol

as Field Sergeant
Released: 1930-07-10

World War I ace Dick Courtney derides the leadership of his superior officer, but he soon is...

Movie page

Me and My Pal

as Peter Cucumber
Released: 1933-04-22

On the morning of his wedding to oil baron Peter Cucumber's daughter, Ollie receives a jigsaw...

Movie page

Scorching Sands

as James
Released: 1923-12-09

The misadventures of two intrepid explorers in the Egyptian desert.

Movie page

Don't Tell Everything

as Lawyer Goldblum
Released: 1927-07-02

Max and his son Asher are invited to a party, where Max meets a rich widow, but Asher keeps...

Movie page

Sugar Daddies

as Oil tycoon Cyrus Brittle
Released: 1927-09-10

After a night of carousing, a rich oil tycoon awakes to find that he was married the night...

Movie page

The Slappiest Days of Our Lives

as (archive footage)
Released: 1951-03-23

Laurel is a Scottish reporter suspected of being a spy by police detective James Finlayson....

Movie page

Hollywood

as James Finlayson
Released: 1923-08-19

Angela comes to Hollywood with only two things: Her dream to become a movie star, and Grandpa....

Movie page

The Caretaker's Daughter

as The Prohibition Sleuth (as Jimmie Finlayson)
Released: 1925-10-10

The two-reel silent film comedy The Caretaker's Daughter was distributed by Pathe in 1925....

Movie page

The Big Parade of Comedy

as Sergeant Major Finlayson in 'Bonnie Scotland' (archive footage)
Released: 1964-09-02

Film clips highlight the funniest scenes and brightest comic stars in MGM's history.

Movie page

Should Tall Men Marry?

as Joe Skittle
Released: 1928-01-15

This western comedy is about rancher Finlayson's beautiful daughter, Martha Sleeper, who refuses...

Movie page

The Great Victor Herbert

as Lamplighter
Released: 1939-12-29

In his last film assignment, portly Walter Connolly fills the title role (in more ways than one)...

Movie page

Don't Weaken!

as Lightfingered Luke - Professor Yonson's Assistant
Released: 1920-09-05

A dancing instructor gets involved with a newly rich family.

Movie page

Show Girl

as Mr. Dugan
Released: 1928-09-23

An aspiring dancer fakes her own kidnapping as a publicity stunt. Her new found fame causes...

Movie page

Innocent Husbands

as The Desk Clerk (as Jimmie Finlayson)
Released: 1925-08-01

Despite his faithfulness, Melvin is always under suspicion by wife Mame. Complications erupt...

Movie page

The Further Perils of Laurel and Hardy

as uncredited
Released: 1967-12-01

Film historian Robert Youngson presents a feature-length anthology of rarely seen silent films...

Movie page

Brothers Under the Chin

as uncredited
Released: 1924-04-13

Twin "babies" left at an orphanage bear the same birthmark under the chin. One of them is...

Movie page

The Nickel-Hopper

as Rupert
Released: 1926-12-04

Dance hall Romeos and an irresponsible father create comic complications in the life of a...

Movie page

A Man About Town

as Humko, Store Detective
Released: 1923-09-15

A feckless young man who wishes to switch from one streetcar to another is told to follow a...

Movie page

What's the World Coming To?

as The Father-in-Law
Released: 1926-01-16

Short comedy which posits that in a hundred years men's styles will revert to Regency garb, and...

Movie page

Flying Elephants

as Saxophonus
Released: 1928-02-12

Cavemen Stan and Ollie vie for the affections of a stone-age beauty.

Movie page

Rupert of Hee-Haw

as Rupert of Hee Haw
Released: 1924-06-07

Movie page

Moonlight and Noses

as Professor Sniff
Released: 1925-10-03

Two burglars break into the home of an eccentric doctor. The doctor catches them, but offers to...

Movie page

Dollar Dizzy

as House Detective
Released: 1930-10-03

Charley and Thelma are millionaires, each trying to elude suitors who are trying to marry them...

Movie page

California or Bust

as Campground neighbor
Released: 1923-04-28

After their house is blown away by a twister, a farmer and his wife decide to move to...

Movie page

Smithy

as Sergeant
Released: 1924-01-19

After being discharged from the 372nd infantry, on account of a bean shortage, smithy seeks...

Movie page

Fast Freight

as Spooky Wall Painting
Released: 1929-01-01

Fast Freight is a 1929 Our Gang short silent comedy film. It was the 85th Our Gang short that...

Movie page

Dick Turpin

as Jeremy
Released: 1933-12-01

The adventures of the eighteenth century highwayman Dick Turpin and his legendary ride to York.

Movie page

Short Kilts

as McGregor's Son
Released: 1924-08-03

As a way to make peace between two feuding Scottish clans, one invites the other over for...

Movie page

Hollywood Cavalcade

as Keystone Cop
Released: 1939-10-13

Starting in 1913 movie director Connors discovers singer Molly Adair. As she becomes a star she...

Movie page

Oranges and Lemons

as Worker
Released: 1923-08-12

After getting into a scuffle with his boss and some co-workers, an orange packer tries to help...

Movie page

A Small Town Idol

as J. Wellington Jones
Released: 1921-02-13

Sam, a young man in a small town, is accused of being a thief. Unable to prove his...

Movie page

Down on the Farm

as The Sportive Banker with the Mortgage
Released: 1920-04-17

The day starts off as any normal day on Roach's farm, where Teddy, the farmhouse dog, is doing...

Movie page

Grand Canyon Trail

as Sheriff
Released: 1948-11-04

Sintown is just a deserted ghost town until Vanerpool starts looking for silver. Cookie and...

Movie page

Raggedy Rose

as Simpson Sniffle
Released: 1926-11-06

Rose, who works for a penny-pinching junk dealer, dreams of romance with wealthy bachelor Ted Tudor.

Movie page

In Dutch

as uncredited
Released: 1918-06-26

Comedy short starring Alice Howell

Movie page

Pick and Shovel

as The Foreman
Released: 1923-06-16

Pick and Shovel, also known as The Miner, is a 1923 silent comedy film starring Stan Laurel.

Movie page

Scratch-As-Catch-Can

as uncredited
Released: 1931-11-06

Scratch-As-Catch-Can is a 1932 American short comedy film directed by Mark Sandrich. It was...

Movie page

For the Defense

as Parrott
Released: 1930-07-19

William Foster is a slick attorney who stays within the law, but specializes in representing...

Movie page

Hats Off

as Proprietor, Kwickway Washing Machine Co.
Released: 1927-11-05

Stan and Ollie are salesmen attempting to sell a washing machine; they fail constantly after...

Movie page

Chasing the Chaser

as Gilroy (the husband)
Released: 1925-07-04

A very good as a faithful husband, whose wife is looking for proof that more than his eyes have...

Movie page

Hasty Marriage

as Kitty's Father
Released: 1931-12-16

It's in three distinct segments. The first and probably best involves Charley, his girlfriend,...

Movie page

The Gay Nighties

as Mr. Amos Pipp
Released: 1933-06-22

This short features two women who run around in their nighties. Paul McCullough spends most of...

Movie page

Laurel & Hardy - Highlights

as uncredited
Released: 2002-01-22

Experience Stan and Ollie in their funniest scenes: whether they build a house as construction...

Movie page

Thunder Below

as Scotty
Released: 1932-06-17

Story of an unhappy wife of oil rigger who labors in a Central American oil field. The bored...

Movie page

Newly Rich

as uncredited
Released: 1922-12-10

Newly Rich is a silent comedy short

Movie page

Courtship of Miles Sandwich

as Miles Sandwich
Released: 1923-06-24

The story of the first Thanksgiving is re-imagined as a father tells it to his son.

Movie page

MGM 1935 Promo Reel

as Manager
Released: 1935-12-09

Promo for MGM's upcoming 1935-36 releases hosted by Laurel & Hardy and Jimmy Finlayson. Brief...

Movie page

So This Is Harris!

as Golf Pro
Released: 1933-08-13

The film is a series of comical musical numbers and skits following Phil Harris around, starting...

Movie page

Hard Knocks and Love Taps

as Plato's Rival
Released: 1921-07-24

When a well off man from the city arrives in a hick town to woo a wealthy widow, he encounters...

Movie page

Happy Times and Jolly Moments

as (archive footage)
Released: 1943-01-01

This short film takes a nostalgic look at the Mack Sennett comedies of the silent cinema era.

Movie page

Jus' Passin' Through

as Drunk (uncredited)
Released: 1923-10-14

At Thanksgiving, a tramp arrives in a homeless-hostile town.

Movie page

Here We Go Again

as Plato's Rival
Released: 1952-11-15

When a well off man from the city arrives in a hick town to woo a wealthy widow, he encounters...

Movie page

Mother's Joy

as Baron Buttontop
Released: 1923-12-23

Mother's Joy is a 1923 silent comedy film starring Stan Laurel.

Movie page

Madame Mystery

as Struggling Author
Released: 1926-03-12

A female secret agent has gotten ahold of a new type of explosive gas. She has to avoid the...

Movie page

Thundering Fleas

as Justice of the Peace
Released: 1926-07-18

The kids from Our Gang have to attend a wedding, and they bring along their flea...

Movie page

Frozen Hearts

as General Sappovitch
Released: 1923-10-27

In the trembling Russian village of Popoffski, a young woman (Katherine Grant) is wooed by a...

Movie page

Roughest Africa

as Hans Downe
Released: 1923-09-29

Two bungling adventures go on a big game hunt in Africa.

Movie page

Anything Once!

as Mabel's Boss
Released: 1927-01-02

ANYTHING ONCE! is a Cinderella story. Mabel works in a tailor shop, pressing clothes and...

Movie page

Nature in the Wrong

as Voice of lion (uncredited)
Released: 1933-03-18

Charley, hoping to find cultured people in his ancestry in order to be suitable to Muriel's...

Movie page

Seeing the World

as 'Old Buzz-Fuzz,' teacher
Released: 1927-02-13

In this Our Gang film, James Finlayson plays the gang's schoolteacher who takes the kids to...

Movie page

Forgotten Sweeties

as uncredited
Released: 1927-04-10

Thurston's former sweetheart has married a big brute, and they move in down the hall from him.

Movie page

Wide Open Spaces

as Jack McQueen
Released: 1924-07-06

Wide Open Spaces is a 1924 Western silent film starring Stan Laurel.

Movie page

Near Dublin

as Sir Patrick
Released: 1924-05-10

Sir Patrick attempts to marry a young lady against her will. Nice guy Stan Laurel tries to help...

Movie page

The Haunted Honeymoon

as uncredited
Released: 1925-03-29

The Haunted Honeymoon is a 1925 American silent comedy film directed by Fred Guiol and Ted...

Movie page

Thundering Landlords

as The Landlord
Released: 1925-06-21

Thundering Landlords is a 1925 short

Movie page

Flaming Flappers

as uncredited
Released: 1925-12-27

Mother - The hand that rocks the family - and rocks it often! A family comedy.

Movie page

Manhattan Monkey Business

as Joyce's Father
Released: 1935-11-09

When Charley can't pay his bill at a restaurant, he is forced to become a waiter.

Movie page

One Hour Married

as uncredited
Released: 1927-02-27

A newly-married woman disguises herself as a doughboy in order to stay close to her husband.

Movie page

Young Eagles

as Scotty
Released: 1930-03-20

Lieut. Robert Banks, an American aviator on leave in Paris, meets Mary Gordon, a young American...

Movie page

The Crossroads of New York

as Lawyer
Released: 1922-06-22

A young man from the country travels to the city to find his fortune. Although he has a letter...

Movie page

Trying to Get Along

as The Beauty Parlor Operator
Released: 1919-07-05

Café de Luxe's owner comes back to his restaurant after a vacation.

Movie page

White Wings

as Dental Patient
Released: 1923-05-12

Pursued by the law, a street cleaner finds refuge by impersonating a dentist.

Movie page

Thieves

as uncredited
Released: 1930-01-07

Police officer Edgar Kennedy is warned by his police chief to make arrests to stop a burglary...

Movie page

Playing at Politics

as Criado
Released: 1931-05-01

Ollie is running for mayor and an old flame threatens to blackmail him.

Movie page

A Punch in the Nose

as uncredited
Released: 1926-01-03

A troupe of actors stranded in a small town take job as recreation directors in a sanitarium and...

Movie page

Jack Frost

as Wicked Man from the Wicked City
Released: 1923-07-22

Jack Frost is a silent comedy short

Movie page

Lady Be Good

as Trelawney West
Released: 1928-05-06

Two engaged vaudeville magicians quarrel and go their separate ways.

Movie page

Unfriendly Enemies

as The Cameraman
Released: 1925-09-13

Finlayson plays an intrepid army cameraman on the battlefield in the world war, and Rowe plays...

Movie page

The Noon Whistle

as uncredited
Released: 1923-04-28

Stan is a lazy employee at a lumber company. Much of the first portion of the film has to do...

Movie page

Ladies' Night in a Turkish Bath

as Pa Slocum
Released: 1928-03-31

Ma and Pa Slocum sell up their thriving packed-lunch business (based on Ma's home cooking, Pa's...

Movie page

One of the Smiths

as Wine Brewer (uncredited)
Released: 1931-05-23

Charley, representing a manufacturer of musical instruments, is sent to investigate why certain...

Movie page

Madame Sans Jane

as uncredited
Released: 1925-08-09

A young couple want to marry, but the girl's father doesn't like her beau. To separate them, the...

Movie page

Wise Guys Prefer Brunettes

as Dean of Pinkham University
Released: 1926-10-02

The crotchety dean of Pinkham University blames the "bad behavior of the school's female...

Movie page

Merry Widower

as The Hunter
Released: 1926-08-01

Julius loses his wife to Rudy because he's too busy going on hunting trips. But when she...

Movie page

A Tough Winter

as uncredited
Released: 1923-02-04

An ice-cold Snub adopts a gamin and her brother; A mean landlord seeking rent complicates...

Movie page

Hard Boiled

as uncredited
Released: 1925-03-15

Hard Boiled comedy short

Movie page

Sure-Mike!

as The Floorwalker
Released: 1925-05-23

Vermuda, a saleswoman in a department store, is very late for work. She relies on a ruse to fool...

Movie page

The Whole Truth

as Defense lawyer
Released: 1923-11-03

A prosecutor instructs the audience of a courtroom to observe the tearful and slightly...

Movie page

Two Weeks Off

as Pa Weaver
Released: 1929-05-11

Frances, a salesgirl, is planning a summer vacation at the beach with a girlfriend, who also...

Movie page

Postage Due

as Postal Inspector Hawke
Released: 1924-02-17

Stan does his best to recover a post-card, which he has forgotten to stamp. He attempts the...

Movie page

Hard to Get

as Pa Martin
Released: 1929-08-04

A dress shop employee falls in love with a millionaire.

Movie page

Welcome Home

as uncredited
Released: 1925-05-17

Fred Prouty and his wife, Nettie, are living happily until the day that his aged father shows up...

Movie page

His Silent Racket

as James
Released: 1933-04-29

James Finlayson manages to con Charley into becoming his partner in a failing dry cleaning shop...

Movie page

Pitfalls of a Big City

as The Hired Man
Released: 1923-09-02

Pitfalls of a Big City is a 1923 short comedy

Movie page

Where's My Wandering Boy This Evening?

as The Hired Man
Released: 1923-07-08

Where's My Wandering Boy This Evening? is a comedy short released in 1923

Movie page