John Brown

Born: 1904-04-04

Brown had major roles in several popular radio shows: He was "John Doe" in the Texaco Star Theater's version of Fred Allen's Allen's Alley,[2] played Irma's love interest Al in My Friend Irma, both "Gillis" and Digby "Digger" O'Dell in The Life of Riley, (a role he reprised for the first incarnation of the television show), "Broadway" in The Damon Runyon Theatre, and "Thorny" the neighbor on the radio version of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Perhaps his most memorable piece of work is the ‘Broadway’ role; once heard, many find it impossible to think of the narrator of Damon Runyon’s stories as anyone else. It was a measure of Brown’s talent that this quintessentially American character was portrayed by an Englishman. Brown appeared in some notable films: as the inebriated professor in Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train (1951), The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951, uncredited), and The Wild One (1953); he supplied the voice of "Ro-Man" in the 1953 cult science fiction B-film Robot Monster.


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The Day the Earth Stood Still

as George Barley, boarder
Released: 1951-09-28

An alien and a robot land on Earth after World War II and tell mankind to be peaceful or face...

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Strangers on a Train

as Prof. Collins
Released: 1951-06-27

Having met on a train, a smooth-talking psychotic socialite shares his theory on how two...

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The Stranger

as Passport Photographer (uncredited)
Released: 1946-07-02

An investigator from the War Crimes Commission travels to Connecticut to find an infamous Nazi,...

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The Wild One

as Bill Hannegan
Released: 1953-12-30

The Black Rebels Motorcycle Club ride into the small California town of Wrightsville, eager to...

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Robot Monster

as Ro-Man / Great Guidance (voice)
Released: 1953-06-25

Ro-Man, an alien robot who greatly resembles a gorilla in a diving helmet, is sent to earth to...

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Hans Christian Andersen

as Schoolmaster
Released: 1952-12-19

A small-town shoemaker with a knack for spinning yarns, Hans encounters happiness and heartbreak...

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The Bigamist

as uncredited
Released: 1953-12-03

San Francisco businessman Harry Graham and his wife and business partner, Eve, are in the...

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Symphony in Slang

as The Hipster / Noah Webster (voice) (uncredited)
Released: 1951-06-16

At the gates of Heaven, the admitting officials have a hard time understanding a newcomer's life...

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Man Crazy

as Mr. Duncan
Released: 1953-12-02

Three women come to Hollywood to break into the movies.

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The Horn Blows at Midnight

as Lou the waiter (uncredited)
Released: 1945-04-28

A trumpet player in a radio orchestra falls asleep during a commercial and dreams he's Athanael,...

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Jennifer

as Service Station Attendant (uncredited)
Released: 1953-10-25

A young woman is hired to take care of an eerie old mansion, where she finds herself entangled...

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A Peach of a Pair

as John
Released: 1934-12-29

Vaudeville performers Cook and Butler are mistaken for domestic servants; hilarity ensues.

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Dixieland Droopy

as Narrator / Pee Wee Runt (voice) (uncredited)
Released: 1954-12-04

John Pettibone (Droopy), a dog whose love of Dixieland music is not appreciated by those around...

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The Life of Riley

as Digger O'Dell
Released: 1949-04-16

Inspired by the popular '40s radio show of the same title, director Irving Brecher's 1949 comedy...

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Crazylegs

as Keller
Released: 1953-11-15

The story of the life and career of football star Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch (who plays himself).

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I Love Lucy

as Mr. Murdoch
First aired: 1951-10-15

Cuban Bandleader Ricky Ricardo would be happy if his wife Lucy would just be a housewife....

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Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

as uncredited
First aired: 1951-10-05

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars is an anthology series that was telecast from 1951 until 1959 on CBS....

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