Allen Jenkins

Birthday: 1900-04-08
Deathday: 1974-07-20
Birthplace: Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA
Gender: Male
Owned By: Unowned

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Allen Jenkins (April 9, 1900 – July 20, 1974) was an American character actor on stage, screen and television. He was born Alfred McGonegal on Staten Island, New York.

He studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. In his first stage appearance, he danced next to James Cagney in a chorus line for an off-Broadway musical called Pitter-Patter. He made five dollars a week. He also appeared one thousand times in Broadway plays between 1924 and 1962, including The Front Page with Lee Tracy (1928). His big break came when he replaced Spencer Tracy for three weeks in the Broadway play The Last Mile.

He was called to Hollywood by Darryl F. Zanuck and signed first to Paramount Pictures and shortly afterwards to Warner Bros. He originated the character of Frankie Wells in the Broadway production of Blessed Event and reprised the role in the film adaptation, both in 1932. With the advent of talking pictures, he made a career out of playing comic henchmen, stooges, policemen and other "tough guys" in numerous films of the 1930s and 1940s, especially for Warner Bros. He was labeled the "greatest scene-stealer of the 1930s" by the New York Times. He voiced the character of "Officer Dibble" on the Hanna-Barbera television cartoon Top Cat and was a regular on the 1956-1957 television situation comedy Hey, Jeannie! (1956), starring Jeannie Carson. He was also a guest star on The Red Skelton Show, I Love Lucy, Playhouse 90, The Ernie Kovacs Show, Zane Grey Theater, and The Sid Caesar Show. Eleven days before his death he made his final appearance, at the end of Billy Wilder's 1974 film adaptation of The Front Page.

He went public with his alcoholism and was the first actor to speak in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate about it. He helped start the first Alcoholics Anonymous programs in California prisons for women.

Jenkins, James Cagney, Pat O'Brien and Frank McHugh were the original members of the so-called "Irish Mafia". He was the seventh member of the Screen Actors Guild.

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Credits

Year Title Character
1974-11-01 The Front Page Telegrapher
1972-01-18 Getting Away from It All Doorman
1967-05-10 Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding! Joe Bonney
1967-02-03 The Spy in the Green Hat Enzo 'Pretty' Stilletto
1964-08-25 I'd Rather Be Rich Fred
1964-06-24 Robin and the 7 Hoods Vermin Witowski
1964-06-01 For Those Who Think Young Col. Leslie Jenkins
1963-11-07 It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World Cop (uncredited)
1959-10-07 Pillow Talk Harry
1952-10-10 The WAC From Walla Walla Mr. Redington
1952-03-24 Oklahoma Annie Lou
1952-01-01 Chained for Life Hinkley
1951-09-22 Behave Yourself! Police Plainclothesman
1951-09-09 Crazy Over Horses Weepin' Willie
1951-07-29 Let's Go Navy! CPO Mervin Longnecker
1949-12-08 Bodyhold Slats Henry
1949-11-04 The Big Wheel George
1948-03-14 The Inside Story Eddie
1947-12-31 The Senator Was Indiscreet Farrell
1947-09-26 Wild Harvest Higgins
1947-07-26 The Case of the Baby-Sitter Howard 'Harvard' Quinlan
1947-06-12 The Hat Box Mystery 'Harvard'
1947-05-15 Fun on a Weekend Joe Morgan
1947-03-07 Easy Come, Easy Go Nick
1946-12-26 Singin' in the Corn Glenn Cummings
1946-07-19 The Dark Horse Willis Trimble
1946-01-26 Meet Me on Broadway Deacon McGill
1945-08-03 Lady on a Train Danny (Waring chauffeur)
1945-06-08 Wonder Man Chimp
1943-06-24 Stage Door Canteen Allen Jenkins
1943-06-22 My Wife's an Angel
1942-10-16 Eyes in the Night Marty
1942-06-11 They All Kissed the Bride Johnny Johnson
1942-06-01 Maisie Gets Her Man 'Pappy' Goodring
1942-05-29 The Falcon Takes Over Jonathan 'Goldy' Locke
1942-05-21 Tortilla Flat Portagee Joe
1942-01-16 A Date with the Falcon Jonathan 'Goldy' Locke
1941-12-02 Ball of Fire Garbage Man
1941-11-27 Go West, Young Lady Hank
1941-10-24 The Gay Falcon Jonathan G. 'Goldie' Locke
1941-06-05 Time Out for Rhythm Off-Beat Davis
1941-03-08 Footsteps in the Dark Wilfred
1941-01-01 Dive Bomber Lucky James
1940-11-29 Tin Pan Alley Casey
1940-10-22 Meet the Wildcat Max Schwydel
1940-09-01 Margie Kenneth
1940-06-07 Brother Orchid Willie 'The Knife' Corson
1940-01-01 Oh, Johnny, How You Can Love! Ed aka The Weasel
1939-11-30 Destry Rides Again Gyp Watson
1939-08-12 Torchy Blane.. Playing with Dynamite Steve McBride
1939-06-23 Five Came Back Pete
1939-06-23 Naughty But Nice Joe Dirk
1939-05-20 Sweepstakes Winner Xerxes 'Tip' Bailey
1938-12-31 Going Places Droopy
1938-12-10 Heart of the North Bill Hardsock
1938-11-05 Hard to Get Roscoe
1938-07-20 The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse Okay
1938-07-16 Racket Busters Skeets Wilson
1938-06-11 Gold Diggers in Paris Duke 'Dukie' Dennis
1938-04-16 Fools for Scandal Dewey Gibson
1938-02-26 A Slight Case of Murder Mike
1938-01-08 Swing Your Lady Shiner Ward
1937-12-11 Sh! The Octopus Dempsey
1937-10-23 The Perfect Specimen Pinky
1937-08-27 Dead End Hunk
1937-07-15 Ever Since Eve Jake Edgall
1937-07-13 Marry the Girl Specs
1937-07-06 Dance Charlie Dance Alf Morgan
1937-07-03 The Singing Marine Sergeant Mike
1937-05-22 A Day at Santa Anita
1937-04-10 Marked Woman Louie
1937-03-06 Ready, Willing and Able J. Van Courtland
1936-12-25 Sing Me a Love Song Chris Cross
1936-11-21 Three Men on a Horse Charlie
1936-09-26 Cain and Mabel Dodo
1936-06-19 Sins of Man Crusty
1936-04-10 The Singing Kid Joe Eddy
1935-12-14 Miss Pacific Fleet Bernard 'Kewpie' Wiggins
1935-12-07 Broadway Hostess Fishcake Carter
1935-10-05 The Case of the Lucky Legs Spudsy Drake
1935-09-28 I Live for Love Mac
1935-09-07 Page Miss Glory Petey
1935-07-31 The Irish in Us Carbarn Hammerschlog
1935-04-13 The Case of the Curious Bride Spudsy
1935-03-23 A Night at the Ritz Gyp
1935-03-09 While the Patient Slept Police Sgt. Jim Jackson
1935-02-23 Sweet Music Barney Cowan
1934-11-10 The St. Louis Kid Buck Willetts
1934-10-27 Happiness Ahead Chuck
1934-09-22 The Case of the Howling Dog Sgt. Holcomb
1934-05-26 The Merry Frinks Emmett Frink
1934-05-26 Twenty Million Sweethearts Pete
1934-04-10 Whirlpool Mac
1934-03-09 Jimmy the Gent Lou
1934-02-24 I've Got Your Number John 'Johnny'
1934-01-27 Bedside Sam Sparks
1934-01-06 The Big Shakedown Lefty
1933-11-18 Havana Widows Herman Brody
1933-09-16 Bureau of Missing Persons Detective Joe Musik
1933-06-24 The Mayor of Hell Mike
1933-06-09 Professional Sweetheart O'Connor
1933-06-01 Tomorrow at Seven Dugan
1933-06-01 The Silk Express Robert 'Rusty' Griffith
1933-04-01 The Mind Reader Frank
1933-03-25 The Keyhole Hank Wales
1933-03-15 King Kong Member of Ship's Crew (uncredited)
1933-03-11 42nd Street Mac Elroy
1933-02-25 Blondie Johnson Louie
1933-02-11 Employees' Entrance Sweeney, store detective (uncredited)
1933-01-28 Hard to Handle radio announcer
1932-12-24 Lawyer Man Izzy Levine
1932-11-09 I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang Barney Sykes
1932-10-29 Three on a Match Dick
1932-10-23 Rackety Rax Mike Dumphy
1932-09-10 Blessed Event Frankie Wells
1932-05-25 Grand Hotel Hotel Meat Packer (uncredited)
1931-06-27 The Girl Habit Tony Maloney