American actor (1899?1983)
Pat O'Brien
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Pat O'Brien in 1931
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Born
| William Joseph Patrick O'Brien
(
1899-11-11
)
November 11, 1899
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Died
| October 15, 1983
(1983-10-15)
(aged 83)
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Occupation
| Actor
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Years active
| 1925–1983
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Spouse
|
Eloise Taylor
(
m.
1931)
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Children
| 4
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William Joseph Patrick O'Brien
(
Irish
:
Padraig O Briain
; November 11, 1899 ? October 15, 1983) was an American film actor with more than 100 screen credits. Of Irish descent, he often played
Irish
and
Irish-American
characters and was referred to as "Hollywood's Irishman in Residence" in the press. One of the best-known screen actors of the 1930s and 1940s, he played priests, cops, military figures, pilots, and reporters. He is especially well-remembered for his roles in
Knute Rockne, All American
(1940),
Angels with Dirty Faces
(1938), and
Some Like It Hot
(1959). He was frequently paired onscreen with
Hollywood
star
James Cagney
. O'Brien also appeared on stage and television.
Early life
[
edit
]
O'Brien was born in 1899 to an Irish-American
Catholic
family in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
.
[1]
All four of his grandparents had come from Ireland. The O'Briens were originally from
County Cork
. His grandfather, Patrick O'Brien, for whom he was named, was an architect who was killed while trying to break up a saloon fight in New York City. His mother's parents, the McGoverns, emigrated from
County Galway
in the west of Ireland in the mid- to late-19th century.
[2]
As a child, O'Brien served as an
altar boy
at
Gesu Church
, while growing up near 13th and Kilbourn Streets in Milwaukee. He attended
Marquette Academy
with fellow actor
Spencer Tracy
, who was a lifelong friend. During
World War I
, O'Brien and Tracy joined the
United States Navy
. They both attended boot camp at the
Great Lakes Naval Training Center
, but they never went to sea. The war ended before their training had finished.
[3]
Jack Benny
was also at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center at the same time as O'Brien and Tracy. According to his autobiography, Benny performed a number on the violin at a show one evening, when the sailors started booing and heckling him. O'Brien walked on stage and whispered in his ear, "For heaven's sake, Ben, put down the damn fiddle and talk to 'em." Benny stopped playing his violin and made a series of comments that got laughs from the audience. In this way, O'Brien indirectly helped to start Benny's career in comedy.
[4]
After the war, O'Brien finished his secondary schooling at Marquette Academy and later attended
Marquette University
. While still at college, he decided to seek work as an actor. He and Spencer Tracy moved to New York, where they both attended the
American Academy of Dramatic Arts
. The two struggling young actors shared a small studio apartment, and began their careers on the stage.
[5]
Early career
[
edit
]
O'Brien spent a decade in plays on
Broadway
and in the New York City area.
O'Brien made his film debut in the
Vitaphone Varieties
short film,
The Nightingale
, produced in New York and released in August 1930.
[6]
: 57
His first starring role was as ace reporter Hildy Johnson in the original 1931 version of
The Front Page
with
Adolphe Menjou
. In 2010, this film was selected by the
National Film Preservation Board
for preservation in the
Library of Congress
's
National Film Registry
as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
[7]
He was the lead in Paramount's
Personal Maid
(1931), and appeared in a
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
musical
Flying High
(1931), supporting
Bert Lahr
. He was
Irene Dunne
's love interest in RKO's
Consolation Marriage
(1932), then co-starred opposite a young
Bette Davis
in
Hell's House
(1932). O'Brien stayed in leads, going from studio to studio:
Scandal for Sale
(1932), at Universal;
The Strange Case of Clara Deane
(1932), at Paramount;
Hollywood Speaks
(1932),
American Madness
(1932) and
Virtue
(1932).
O'Brien played a heroic pilot in Universal's
Air Mail
(1932), directed by
John Ford
. While at that studio he was in the compelling
Laughter in Hell
(1932) and
Destination Unknown
(1933). At the small
Majestic Pictures
he starred in
The World Gone Mad
(1933).
Warner Bros
[
edit
]
O'Brien's first Warner Bros. movie was
Bureau of Missing Persons
(1933), starring Bette Davis. He went to RKO for
Flaming Gold
(1933) and MGM for
Bombshell
(1933), then Warners signed O'Brien to a long-term contract. He would remain with the studio until 1940, when he left after a dispute over the terms of his contract renewal.
[8]
O'Brien supported
Dick Powell
in
College Coach
(1933) and
Joan Blondell
in
I've Got Your Number
(1934).
[9]
He was third lead to Barbara Stanwyck and
Joel McCrea
in
Gambling Lady
(1934), then was with Powell again in
Twenty Million Sweethearts
(1934).
Here Comes the Navy
(1934) was O'Brien's first film with
James Cagney
, also under contract to Warners. The two originally met in 1926 and remained friends for almost six decades. After O'Brien's death, Cagney referred to him as his "dearest friend."
[10]
O'Brien played the lead, a boxer, in
The Personality Kid
(1934), supported Powell in
Flirtation Walk
(1934) and was an auctioneer in
I Sell Anything
(1935).
Cagney and O'Brien were reteamed in
Devil Dogs of the Air
(1935). He was a critic in love with
Dolores del Rio
in
In Caliente
(1935) and had the lead in the
bio-pic
Oil for the Lamps of China
(1935), which he called "one of my favorite pictures."
[11]
"That was a sweetheart," he said.
[12]
He and Cagney were in
The Irish in Us
(1935) then it was back to supporting Powell in
Page Miss Glory
(1935). He headlined a musical
Stars Over Broadway
(1935) then was back with Cagney for
Howard Hawks
'
Ceiling Zero
(1935). Cagney later sued Warners for billing O'Brien's name above his.
[13]
"Jimmy's grand to work with," said O'Brien in 1935. "You couldn't ask for a better partner but there's a limit to all that. I think one picture a year with Jimmy would be fine. But as it is I've been with him in every uniform ? the army, the navy, the police, the marines, the air corps ? and it's always a case of me falling for his girl or him falling for mine. It gets tiresome... I don't just want to be a fast-talking Charlie all my life."
[12]
Warners gave him some starring parts:
I Married a Doctor
(1936),
Public Enemy's Wife
(1936),
China Clipper
(1936),
The Great O'Malley
(1937), and
Slim
(1937) with
Henry Fonda
. He was Captain of the Guard (on special leave from the US Army) in
San Quentin
(1937) opposite
Humphrey Bogart
, romanced Blondell in
Back in Circulation
(1937) and was a veteran sailor in
Submarine D-1
(1938).
O'Brien was pulled out of
Swing Your Lady
to co-star with
Kay Francis
in
Women Are Like That
(1938)
[14]
and was back with Powell for
Cowboy from Brooklyn
(1938). He and Cagney reteamed for
Boy Meets Girl
(1938), and he was meant to be back with Powell in
Garden of the Moon
(1938), but Powell refused to do it ? he was replaced by
John Payne
.
O'Brien has one of his best ever roles as the former street kid turned priest in
Angels with Dirty Faces
(1938) with Cagney. He was with Blondell in
Off the Record
(1939) and
The Kid from Kokomo
(1939), and co-starred with
Gale Page
in
Indianapolis Speedway
(1939).
He went over to Paramount for
The Night of Nights
(1939), part of a deal in which Warners bought the rights to
The Old Maid
from Paramount. He then made
Slightly Honorable
(1939) for United Artists.
Back at Warner Bros he was reunited with Cagney for
The Fighting 69th
(1940) then made
Castle on the Hudson
(1940) with Sheridan and
John Garfield
. He was a cop in
'Til We Meet Again
(1940), with Cagney and Sheridan in
Torrid Zone
(1940). He co-starred with Garfield and
Frances Farmer
in
Flowing Gold
(1940).
O'Brien was then given his best known role, as the famous
University of Notre Dame
football coach
Knute Rockne
in
Knute Rockne, All American
(1940). In the film, he gave the speech to "win just one for the Gipper," referring to recently deceased football player,
George Gipp
, portrayed in the film by a young
Ronald Reagan
. Reagan later used this saying as a slogan for his campaign for president in 1980.
O'Brien was at a career peak. He was considered for the role of
Alvin York
in the film
Sergeant York
.
[15]
From this high point, however, O'Brien left Warner Bros in July 1940.
Leaving Warner Bros
[
edit
]
After he left Warner Bros. in 1940, O'Brien signed a contract with
20th Century Fox
for two films a year.
[16]
However they ended up not using him.
He signed with
Columbia Pictures
to make two films a year.
[17]
He was in
Escape to Glory
(1940), then was idle for a year before making
Two Yanks in Trinidad
(1942) with
Brian Donlevy
and
Flight Lieutenant
(1942) with
Glenn Ford
. At Universal he was in
Broadway
(1942) with
George Raft
.
Soon he signed a contract with
RKO
and appeared in several movies for that studio.
[8]
He mostly played authority/military roles such as
The Navy Comes Through
(1942), and
Bombardier
(1943).
The Iron Major
(1943) was an attempt to repeat the success of
Knute Rockne
with O'Brien as
Frank Cavanaugh
.
At Universal he supported
Deanna Durbin
in
Frank Borzage
's
His Butler's Sister
(1943) then it was back to RKO for
Marine Raiders
(1944).
With his agent Phil Ryan, O'Brien set up his own production company, Teneen Productions. They signed a deal with Columbia to make a film with O'Brien,
Secret Command
(1944). (In 1955 the IRS would sue him for earnings on this film.
[18]
) At RKO he did
Having Wonderful Crime
(1946) and
Man Alive
(1945). For Columbia he made
Perilous Holiday
(1946).
In 1946 he starred in the successful
film noir
suspense film,
Crack-Up
. He was in a thriller,
Riffraff
(1947) and another biopic
Fighting Father Dunne
(1948). He followed it with
The Boy with Green Hair
(1948), and
A Dangerous Profession
(1949) with Raft.
While working as a Hollywood contract player, O'Brien made occasional appearances on the radio in the 1930s and 1940s. In 1946 he collaborated with the contralto
Kate Smith
on the popular
Viva America
program for the
CBS
radio network.
[19]
In the summer of 1947, he starred with
Lynn Bari
in
Summer Theater
, a program "dramatizing episodes in the life of a small town druggist."
[20]
Later career
[
edit
]
O'Brien's movie career slowed considerably by the early 1950s, although he still managed to get work in television. In his autobiography,
The Wind at My Back
, he professed to being completely flummoxed about the decline of his career. His close friend, Spencer Tracy, fought with his studio,
MGM
, to get roles for O'Brien in his films
The People Against O'Hara
(1951) and
The Last Hurrah
(1958).
[21]
He still had leads in films like
Okinawa
(1952),
Inside Detroit
(1956) and
Kill Me Tomorrow
(1957). In 1959 O'Brien appeared in a supporting role in one of his best-known movies as a police detective opposite
George Raft
in
Some Like It Hot
, starring
Marilyn Monroe
,
Jack Lemmon
, and
Tony Curtis
.
In his later years, O'Brien often worked in television. He was cast in 1956 and 1957 in four episodes of the religion
anthology series
,
Crossroads
. In three of the four programs, he played priests. He also performed in two episodes of
The Virginian
in the mid-1960s. In the 1960?1961 television season, O'Brien played James Harrigan, Sr. in a
sitcom
titled
Harrigan and Son
.
O'Brien made numerous appearances on television as himself, including several on
The Ed Sullivan Show
. In 1957, he guest starred in the first season of the
NBC
variety
program,
The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford
. Other shows in which he appeared as himself include the interview programs:
The David Frost Show
,
The Tonight Show
,
The Merv Griffin Show
, and
The Joey Bishop Show
. In 1957,
Ralph Edwards
profiled O'Brien's life and career for an episode of
This Is Your Life
. He was also the mystery guest on the game show
What's My Line?
in 1953 and 1957. In the "Jennifer and the Will" episode of
WKRP in Cincinnati
, he has a memorably comic turn as Jennifer Marlowe's elderly boyfriend. Shortly thereafter, O'Brien's final filmed performance came in a 1982 episode of
Happy Days
.
O'Brien spoke the Star Spangled Banner to the accompaniment of
Doc Severinsen
on trumpet for the National Anthem opening of
Super Bowl IV
in 1970. He was invited to do this because of his role as Knute Rockne.
He had a small role as
Burt Reynolds
' father in the 1978 comedy film
The End
, opposite
Myrna Loy
, cast as Reynolds' mother.
In later years, O'Brien recalled that he had had three "great" movie roles in his career: Knute Rockne, Hildy Johnson in
The Front Page
, and
Father Duffy
in
The Fighting 69th
.
[22]
From the 1960s through the early 1980s, O'Brien often traveled around the United States as a one-man act and in road shows. He also performed frequently in nightclubs.
[10]
Near the end of his life, he toured in a stage production of
On Golden Pond
, which he considered "absolutely the best play" he had ever read.
[23]
[24]
"Irish Mafia"
[
edit
]
In the late 1930s, O'Brien and a small group of his actor friends began to meet to converse and exchange opinions and stories. Hollywood columnist
Sidney Skolsky
dubbed them the "Irish Mafia," but they preferred to call their social group the "Boys Club." In addition to O'Brien, the original members of the club were James Cagney, Spencer Tracy,
Allen Jenkins
and
Frank McHugh
, all of whom were Irish-Americans. Later
Lynne Overman
joined their group and then
George Brent
,
James Dunn
,
Louis Calhern
,
William Gargan
,
Paul Kelly
,
Regis Toomey
,
Brian Donlevy
,
Ralph Bellamy
,
Lloyd Nolan
and
Frank Morgan
.
James Gleason
and
Bert Lahr
were also frequent guests. The actors gathered to socialize, but they also occasionally used the group to discuss ideas about their latest movies. By the mid-1940s the group began to break up, as members either moved or died. Some of the surviving members kept in contact by telephone and occasional meetings.
[25]
Personal life
[
edit
]
O'Brien and his wife, Eloise, had four children: Mavourneen, Sean, Terry, and Brigid. Three of his children were adopted.
[10]
The youngest, Brigid O'Brien (1946-2016), was his biological child.
[26]
[27]
Eloise O'Brien occasionally appeared on stage with her husband.
Among those who knew him personally, O'Brien was known for his love of storytelling, jokes, and late-night parties.
[10]
[28]
Bob Hope
specifically remembered him as a
raconteur
.
[10]
Another friend recalled that he was always "the life, and I mean the lively life, of the party."
[28]
He traveled to Vietnam as part of a US tour in February 1969.
[29]
O'Brien died on October 15, 1983, from a
heart attack
at age 83, following minor
prostate
surgery. President
Ronald Reagan
released a White House statement noting his sadness over his old friend's death. The president had called the actor at the hospital just days before his death.
[10]
[30]
Filmography
[
edit
]
Short Subjects
:
- A Dream Comes True
(1935)
- A Trip Thru a Hollywood Studio
(1935)
- Swingtime in the Movies
(1938)
- Out Where the Stars Begin
(1938)
- Screen Snapshots: Famous Fathers and Sons
(1946)
- Screen Snapshots: Hollywood's Happy Homes
(1949)
- Screen Snapshots: Motion Picture Mothers, Inc.
(1949)
- Screen Snapshots: Hopalong in Hoppy Land
(1951)
- Screen Snapshots: Memorial to Al Jolson
(1952)
- Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Mothers and Fathers
(1955)
- Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Beauty
(1955)
Television credits
[
edit
]
- Place the Face
(
CBS
television series
, March 11, 1954)
- Crossroads
(three episodes, 1955?1957) as Father Patrick O'Neil / Father Edward Sullivan / Father Jim / Father Edmund Boyle
- Science Fiction Theatre
(1955) (Are We Invaded?) as Dr. Arnold
- What's My Line?
(10/13/1957) (Episode #384) (Season 9, Ep 7) as Mystery Guest
- Walt Disney Presents
(1959) (I Captured the King of the Leprechauns) as Himself
- Joyful Hour
(1960, TV Movie) as Host
- Harrigan and Son
(1960?1961) as James Harrigan Sr.
- Going My Way
in "The Boss of the Ward" (1963) as Frank McCaffey
- Hazel
(1966) as Uncle Jerome Van Meter
- The Over-the-Hill Gang
(1969, TV Movie) as Capt. Oren Hayes
- Welcome Home, Johnny Bristol
(1972, TV Movie) as Sgt. McGll
- Adventures of Nick Carter
(1972, TV Movie) as Hallelujah Harry (unsold pilot)
- McCloud
(1973) as Mac Ferguson
- Kiss Me, Kill Me
(1976, TV Movie) as Jimmy, morgue attendant
- Scout's Honor
(1980, TV Movie) as Mr. Caboose
- WKRP In Cincinnati
(1981) as Col. H. Buchanan
- Happy Days
(1980?1982) as Uncle Joe (final appearance)
Radio appearances
[
edit
]
Further reading
[
edit
]
- Wise, James.
Stars in Blue: Movie Actors in America's Sea Services
. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1997.
ISBN
1557509379
OCLC
36824724
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Top Catholic of the Century Number 94: Pat O'Brien (dailycatholic.org)
- ^
O'Brien, Pat (1964).
The Wind at My Back: The Life and Times of Pat O'Brien
. New York: Doubleday. pp. 18?21.
- ^
O'Brien, pp. 39?44.
- ^
Benny, Jack (1990).
Sunday Nights at Seven
. New York: Warner Books. pp.
15?17
.
ISBN
0446515469
.
- ^
B.R.C. "
Film Gossip of the Week
".
The New York Times
, January 31, 1937.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Liebman, Roy (2003).
Vitaphone Films: A Catalogue of the Features and Shorts
. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc.
ISBN
978-0786446971
.
- ^
Barnes, Mike (December 28, 2010).
"
'Empire Strikes Back,' 'Airplane!' Among 25 Movies Named to National Film Registry"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
. Retrieved
December 20,
2012
.
- ^
a
b
O'Brien, pp. 260?261.
- ^
Scott, J. "
Telephone Romance Opens
".
Los Angeles Times
February 17, 1934.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
"Heart Attack Kills Actor Pat O'Brien"
. Washington, PA: Observer-Reporter. AP. October 17, 1983
. Retrieved
June 8,
2014
.
- ^
O'Brien, p. 251.
- ^
a
b
F. S. "
Sentimental Irishman
".
The New York Times
, December 1, 1935.
- ^
"
Cagney tells court warners book him below pat O'brien
".
Chicago Daily Tribune
, March 7, 1936.
- ^
"
News of the Screen
".
The New York Times
, August 31, 1937.
- ^
Schallert, E. "
Pat O'brien probably will play sergt. york
".
Los Angeles Times
, May 2, 1940.
- ^
"
Pat O'brien will make 'manila calling' at fox ? reagan in 'dangerous journey'
".
The New York Times
, January 16, 1942.
- ^
Douglas W. Churchill. "News of the Screen: Martha Scott Borrowed by Columbia for Role in 'They Dare Not Love' ? Two Swedish Films Open Here Of Local Origin".
The New York Times
, December 27, 1940.
- ^
"Pat O'Brien v. Commission | 25 T.C. 376 (1955) | avtc3761354 | Leagle.com"
.
- ^
Photograph of actor Pat O'Brien and singer Kate Smith on the Viva America program for CBS Radio on Getty Images.com
- ^
"New Shows Take Over Radio's Favorite Spots"
.
The Morning Herald
. Naugatuck Daily News. June 7, 1947. p. 6
. Retrieved
July 28,
2015
– via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
Davidson, Bill (1987).
Spencer Tracy: Tragic Idol
. New York: E. P. Dutton. pp.
175?176
.
ISBN
0525246312
.
- ^
O'Brien, p. 243.
- ^
"Pat O'Brien On Golden Pond (news report and interview)"
.
YouTube
.
Archived
from the original on 2021-12-21
. Retrieved
9 June
2014
.
- ^
M. K. "
Portrait of A pro
".
The Washington Post
, April 4, 1981.
- ^
McCabe, John (1997).
Cagney
. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. pp. 127?130, 329.
ISBN
0679446079
.
- ^
O'Brien, pp. 288?290.
- ^
"Kathleeen O'Brien Obituary"
. Los Angeles Times. August 28, 2016
. Retrieved
May 4,
2024
.
- ^
a
b
McCabe, p. 223.
- ^
Pike, Thomas,
Operations and Intelligence
, I Corps Reporting: February 1969, p. 24,
ISBN
978-1519486301
- ^
Eve Zibart. "
Pat O'brien dies.
".
The Washington Post
, October 16, 1983.
- ^
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"Pat O'Brien"
.
AFI Catalog of Feature Films
.
American Film Institute
. Retrieved
2017-10-28
.
- ^
a
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"Pat O'Brien"
.
British Film Institute
. Archived from
the original
on April 18, 2017
. Retrieved
2017-10-28
.
External links
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