Adolphe Menjou
Encyclopedia
Adolphe Jean Menjou was an American
actor. His career spanned both silent films and talkies, appearing in such films as The Sheik
, A Woman of Paris
, Morocco
, and A Star is Born
. He was nominated for an Academy Award for The Front Page
in 1931.
to a French
father, Albert Menjou, and an Irish
mother from Galway
, Nora (née Joyce). He was raised Catholic
and attended the Culver Military Academy, graduating from Cornell University
with a degree in engineering. Attracted to the vaudeville
stage, he made his movie debut in 1916 in The Blue Envelope Mystery. During World War I
, he served as a captain in the ambulance service.
and The Three Musketeers. When he starred in 1923's A Woman of Paris
, he solidified the image of a well-dressed man-about-town, and was later voted the Best Dressed Man in America nine times. His career stalled with the coming of talkies, but in 1930, he starred in Morocco
, with Marlene Dietrich
. He was nominated for an Academy Award
for The Front Page
(1931).
in Hollywood. Menjou was a leading member of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals
, a group formed to oppose Communist influence in Hollywood. Other members included John Wayne
, Barbara Stanwyck
(with whom he co-starred in Forbidden
in 1932 and Golden Boy in 1939) and her husband, actor Robert Taylor
.
Because of his political sympathies, Menjou came into conflict with actress Katharine Hepburn
. Menjou appeared with her in the films Stage Door
and State of the Union
, which also starred Spencer Tracy
. Hepburn was strongly opposed to Americans co-operating with the McCarthy hearings. It was reported by William Mann in his biography of Hepburn, Kate, that during the filming of State of the Union
, she and Menjou only spoke to each other when required to in the film script.
, and as the town curmudgeon in Pollyanna
in 1960.
He guest starred as Fitch, with Orson Bean
and Sue Randall
as John and Ellen Monroe, in an 1961 episode, "The Secret Life of James Thurber", based on the works of the American humorist James Thurber
, of the CBS anthology series The DuPont Show with June Allyson
. He also appeared in the Thanksgiving
episode of NBC
's The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford
, which aired on November 22, 1956. His final film, Disney's Pollyanna
(1960) was one his best known roles.
Menjou died on October 29, 1963 of hepatitis
in Beverly Hills. He was interred at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
.
at 6822 Hollywood Blvd.
Menjou had a brother Henri Menjou (1891–1956) who made an attempt to become an actor. He made three films for Paramount in the mid 1930s.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor. His career spanned both silent films and talkies, appearing in such films as The Sheik
The Sheik (film)
The Sheik is a 1921 silent film produced by Famous Players-Lasky, directed by George Melford and starring Rudolph Valentino, Agnes Ayres, and Adolphe Menjou...
, A Woman of Paris
A Woman of Paris
A Woman of Paris is a feature-length silent film that debuted in 1923. The film, an atypical drama film for its creator, was written, directed, produced and later scored by Charlie Chaplin. It is also known as A Woman of Paris: A Drama of Fate....
, Morocco
Morocco (1930 film)
Morocco is a 1930 film in which a Foreign Legionnaire meets and falls in love with a singer. It was directed by Josef von Sternberg and stars Gary Cooper, Marlene Dietrich and Adolphe Menjou. The story was adapted by Jules Furthman from the novel Amy Jolly by Benno Vigny...
, and A Star is Born
A Star Is Born (1937 film)
A Star Is Born is a 1937 Technicolor romantic drama film produced by David O. Selznick and directed by William A. Wellman, with a script by Wellman, Robert Carson, Dorothy Parker and Alan Campbell. It stars Janet Gaynor as an aspiring Hollywood actress, and Fredric March as an aging movie star who...
. He was nominated for an Academy Award for The Front Page
The Front Page (1931 film)
The Front Page is a 1931 American comedy film, directed by Lewis Milestone and starring Adolphe Menjou and Pat O'Brien. Based on a Broadway play of the same name, the film was produced by Howard Hughes, written by Bartlett Cormack and Charles Lederer, and distributed by United Artists. The...
in 1931.
Early life
Menjou was born in Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
to a French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
father, Albert Menjou, and an Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
mother from Galway
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
, Nora (née Joyce). He was raised Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
and attended the Culver Military Academy, graduating from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
with a degree in engineering. Attracted to the vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
stage, he made his movie debut in 1916 in The Blue Envelope Mystery. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he served as a captain in the ambulance service.
Stardom
Returning from the war, he became a star in such films as The SheikThe Sheik (film)
The Sheik is a 1921 silent film produced by Famous Players-Lasky, directed by George Melford and starring Rudolph Valentino, Agnes Ayres, and Adolphe Menjou...
and The Three Musketeers. When he starred in 1923's A Woman of Paris
A Woman of Paris
A Woman of Paris is a feature-length silent film that debuted in 1923. The film, an atypical drama film for its creator, was written, directed, produced and later scored by Charlie Chaplin. It is also known as A Woman of Paris: A Drama of Fate....
, he solidified the image of a well-dressed man-about-town, and was later voted the Best Dressed Man in America nine times. His career stalled with the coming of talkies, but in 1930, he starred in Morocco
Morocco (1930 film)
Morocco is a 1930 film in which a Foreign Legionnaire meets and falls in love with a singer. It was directed by Josef von Sternberg and stars Gary Cooper, Marlene Dietrich and Adolphe Menjou. The story was adapted by Jules Furthman from the novel Amy Jolly by Benno Vigny...
, with Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich was a German-American actress and singer.Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself, professionally and characteristically. In the Berlin of the 1920s, she acted on the stage and in silent films...
. He was nominated for an Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for The Front Page
The Front Page (1931 film)
The Front Page is a 1931 American comedy film, directed by Lewis Milestone and starring Adolphe Menjou and Pat O'Brien. Based on a Broadway play of the same name, the film was produced by Howard Hughes, written by Bartlett Cormack and Charles Lederer, and distributed by United Artists. The...
(1931).
McCarthy era
In 1947, Menjou cooperated with the House Committee on Un-American Activities in its hunt for CommunistsCommunism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
in Hollywood. Menjou was a leading member of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals
Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals
The Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals was an American organization of high-profile, politically conservative members of the Hollywood film industry...
, a group formed to oppose Communist influence in Hollywood. Other members included John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
, Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck was an American actress. She was a film and television star, known during her 60-year career as a consummate and versatile professional with a strong screen presence, and a favorite of directors including Cecil B. DeMille, Fritz Lang and Frank Capra...
(with whom he co-starred in Forbidden
Forbidden (1932 film)
Forbidden is a 1932 American melodrama film directed by Frank Capra and starring Barbara Stanwyck as a librarian who falls in love with a married man played by Adolphe Menjou, with tragic consequences.-Cast :*Barbara Stanwyck as Lulu...
in 1932 and Golden Boy in 1939) and her husband, actor Robert Taylor
Robert Taylor (actor)
Robert Taylor was an American film and television actor.-Early life:Born Spangler Arlington Brugh in Filley, Nebraska, he was the son of Ruth Adaline and Spangler Andrew Brugh, who was a farmer turned doctor...
.
Because of his political sympathies, Menjou came into conflict with actress Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn was an American actress of film, stage, and television. In a career that spanned 62 years as a leading lady, she was best known for playing strong-willed, sophisticated women in both dramas and comedies...
. Menjou appeared with her in the films Stage Door
Stage Door
Stage Door is a RKO film, adapted from the play by the same name, that tells the story of several would-be actresses who live together in a boarding house at 158 West 58th Street in New York City. The film stars Ginger Rogers, Katharine Hepburn, Adolphe Menjou, Gail Patrick, Constance Collier,...
and State of the Union
State of the Union (film)
State of the Union is a 1948 film adaptation written by Myles Connolly and Anthony Veiller of the Russel Crouse, Howard Lindsay play of the same name. Directed by Frank Capra and starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, the film is Capra's first and only project for MGM Pictures...
, which also starred Spencer Tracy
Spencer Tracy
Spencer Bonaventure Tracy was an American theatrical and film actor, who appeared in 75 films from 1930 to 1967. Tracy was one of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, ranking among the top ten box office draws for almost every year from 1938 to 1951...
. Hepburn was strongly opposed to Americans co-operating with the McCarthy hearings. It was reported by William Mann in his biography of Hepburn, Kate, that during the filming of State of the Union
State of the Union (film)
State of the Union is a 1948 film adaptation written by Myles Connolly and Anthony Veiller of the Russel Crouse, Howard Lindsay play of the same name. Directed by Frank Capra and starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, the film is Capra's first and only project for MGM Pictures...
, she and Menjou only spoke to each other when required to in the film script.
Later years and death
Menjou ended his film career with such roles as French General George Broulard in 1957's Paths of GloryPaths of Glory
Paths of Glory is a 1957 American anti-war film by Stanley Kubrick based on the novel of the same name by Humphrey Cobb. Set during World War I, the film stars Kirk Douglas as Colonel Dax, the commanding officer of French soldiers who refused to continue a suicidal attack...
, and as the town curmudgeon in Pollyanna
Pollyanna (1960 film)
Pollyanna is a Walt Disney Productions feature film starring child actress Hayley Mills, Jane Wyman, Karl Malden and Richard Egan in a story about a cheerful orphan changing the outlook of a small town. Based upon the novel Pollyanna by Eleanor Porter, the film was written and directed by David...
in 1960.
He guest starred as Fitch, with Orson Bean
Orson Bean
Orson Bean is an American film, television, and Broadway actor. He appeared frequently on televised game shows in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, including being a long-time panelist on the television game show To Tell the Truth....
and Sue Randall
Sue Randall
Marion Burnside Randall, who acted under the name Sue Randall, was an American actress best known for her role as the kindly Alice Landers, Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver's grade-school teacher in ABC's sitcom, Leave It to Beaver.Philadelphia-born Randall's debut on the small screen was in the 1955...
as John and Ellen Monroe, in an 1961 episode, "The Secret Life of James Thurber", based on the works of the American humorist James Thurber
James Thurber
James Grover Thurber was an American author, cartoonist and celebrated wit. Thurber was best known for his cartoons and short stories published in The New Yorker magazine.-Life:...
, of the CBS anthology series The DuPont Show with June Allyson
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
The DuPont Show with June Allyson is an American anthology drama series which aired on CBS from September 21, 1959 to April 3, 1961 with rebroadcasts continuing until June 12, 1961...
. He also appeared in the Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
episode of NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford
The Ford Show
The Ford Show is a half-hour comedy/variety program, starring singer and folk humorist Tennessee Ernie Ford, which aired in color on NBC television on Thursday evenings from October 4, 1956 to June 29, 1961....
, which aired on November 22, 1956. His final film, Disney's Pollyanna
Pollyanna (1960 film)
Pollyanna is a Walt Disney Productions feature film starring child actress Hayley Mills, Jane Wyman, Karl Malden and Richard Egan in a story about a cheerful orphan changing the outlook of a small town. Based upon the novel Pollyanna by Eleanor Porter, the film was written and directed by David...
(1960) was one his best known roles.
Menjou died on October 29, 1963 of hepatitis
Hepatitis
Hepatitis is a medical condition defined by the inflammation of the liver and characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. The name is from the Greek hepar , the root being hepat- , meaning liver, and suffix -itis, meaning "inflammation"...
in Beverly Hills. He was interred at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery, originally called Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery, is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angeles, California. It is located at 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard in the Hollywood...
.
Legacy
In 1948, he published his autobiography, It Took Nine Tailors. Menjou has a star on the Hollywood Walk of FameHollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 6822 Hollywood Blvd.
Menjou had a brother Henri Menjou (1891–1956) who made an attempt to become an actor. He made three films for Paramount in the mid 1930s.
Filmography
- Nearly a King (1916)
- The Blue Envelope Mystery (1916)
- The SheikThe Sheik (film)The Sheik is a 1921 silent film produced by Famous Players-Lasky, directed by George Melford and starring Rudolph Valentino, Agnes Ayres, and Adolphe Menjou...
(1921) - The Three Musketeers (1921)
- Head Over HeelsHead Over Heels (1922 film)Head Over Heels is a 1922 film starring Mabel Normand and directed by Paul Bern and Victor Schertzinger. This is a surviving comedy at the Library of Congress. The supporting cast includes Raymond Hatton and Adolphe Menjou.-Cast:*Mabel Normand ... Tina...
(1922) - ClarenceClarence (1922 film)Clarence is a silent comedy drama, based on a play by Booth Tarkington, produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed through Paramount Pictures. It was directed by William C. deMille and starred Wallace Reid in his penultimate screen appearance. The play starred Alfred Lunt, in Reid's part,...
(1922) - A Woman of ParisA Woman of ParisA Woman of Paris is a feature-length silent film that debuted in 1923. The film, an atypical drama film for its creator, was written, directed, produced and later scored by Charlie Chaplin. It is also known as A Woman of Paris: A Drama of Fate....
(1923) - Bella Donna (1923)
- The Marriage CircleThe Marriage CircleThe Marriage Circle is a 1924 silent film produced by Ernst Lubitsch and Warner Brothers with direction by Lubitsch and distribution by the Warners. Based on the play Only a Dream by Lothar Schmidt, the screenplay was written by Paul Bern...
(1924) - Forbidden ParadiseForbidden ParadiseForbidden Paradise is a 1924 American silent drama film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by German film director Ernst Lubitsch, a recent immigrant to the United States. The film is based on a 1922 Broadway play, The Czarina, by Edward Sheldon...
(1924) - The King on Main StreetThe King on Main Street (1925 film)__notoc__The King on Main Street is a silent film romantic comedy directed by Monta Bell, released by Paramount Pictures, and starring Adolphe Menjou and Bessie Love. Carlotta Monterey, later wife of Eugene O'Neill from 1929 to 1953, has a small role as Mrs...
(1925) - Are Parents People?Are Parents People?Are Parents People? is a comedy film starring Betty Bronson, Florence Vidor, Adolphe Menjou, George Beranger, and Lawrence Gray. The film was directed by Malcolm St. Clair and released by Paramount Pictures.-Plot:...
(1925) - A Social CelebrityA Social CelebrityA Social Celebrity is a silent comedy drama starring Louise Brooks as a small town manicurist who goes to New York with her boyfriend , a barber who poses as a French count...
(1926) - The Sorrows of SatanThe Sorrows of Satan (film)The Sorrows of Satan is a silent film by D. W. Griffith based on the novel The Sorrows of Satan by Marie Corelli. At this point in his career Griffith had given up his independent filmmaker status by joining Paramount Pictures....
(1926) - A Gentleman of ParisA Gentleman of Paris (1927 film)A Gentleman of Paris is a 1927 comedy silent film directed by Harry d'Abbadie d'Arrast and starring Adolphe Menjou, Shirley O'Hara, Arlette Marchal, Ivy Harris, Nicholas Soussanin, Lawrence Grant, William B. Davidson and Lorraine MacLean.- Cast :...
(1927) - His Private LifeHis Private LifeHis Private Life is a 1926 comedy film directed by Fatty Arbuckle.-Cast:* Lupino Lane* George Davis* Glen Cavender* Wallace Lupino...
(1928) with Kathryn CarverKathryn CarverKathryn Carver was a silent filmactress from New York City.Carver played in motion pictures during a brief career from 1925-1929. She co-starred with Adolphe Menjou in Service For Ladies and His Private Life .She was married first to photographer Ira Hill... - A Night of MysteryA Night of MysteryA Night of Mystery is a 1928 silent American drama film directed by Lothar Mendes and starring Evelyn Brent.- Cast :* Adolphe Menjou as Captain Ferreol* Evelyn Brent as Gilberte Boismartel* Nora Lane as Thérèse D'Egremont...
(1928) - Mysterious Mr. ParkesMysterious Mr. ParkesMysterious Mr. Parkes is a 1930 comedy drama film made by Paramount Pictures, directed by Louis J. Gasnier.-Cast:*Adolphe Menjou as Courtenay Parkes*Claudette Colbert as Lucy Stavrin...
(1930) - MoroccoMorocco (1930 film)Morocco is a 1930 film in which a Foreign Legionnaire meets and falls in love with a singer. It was directed by Josef von Sternberg and stars Gary Cooper, Marlene Dietrich and Adolphe Menjou. The story was adapted by Jules Furthman from the novel Amy Jolly by Benno Vigny...
(1930) - The Easiest WayThe Easiest WayThe Easiest Way is a 1931 American MGM drama film directed by Jack Conway. Adapted from the 1909 play of the same name by David Belasco, the film stars Constance Bennett, Adolphe Menjou, Robert Montgomery, Clark Gable, and Anita Page.-Plot:...
(1931) - The Front PageThe Front Page (1931 film)The Front Page is a 1931 American comedy film, directed by Lewis Milestone and starring Adolphe Menjou and Pat O'Brien. Based on a Broadway play of the same name, the film was produced by Howard Hughes, written by Bartlett Cormack and Charles Lederer, and distributed by United Artists. The...
(1931) - Friends and Lovers (1932)
- ForbiddenForbidden (1932 film)Forbidden is a 1932 American melodrama film directed by Frank Capra and starring Barbara Stanwyck as a librarian who falls in love with a married man played by Adolphe Menjou, with tragic consequences.-Cast :*Barbara Stanwyck as Lulu...
(1932) - A Farewell to ArmsA Farewell to Arms (1932 film)A Farewell to Arms is a 1932 American romantic drama film directed by Frank Borzage, and starring Gary Cooper and Helen Hayes. The screenplay by Oliver H.P...
(1932) - Morning Glory (1933)
- Convention CityConvention CityConvention City is a 1933 pre-Code comedy film produced by First National Pictures and released by Warner Brothers, which has become notorious as a lost film. - Plot :...
(1933) - Wife Beware (1933; first film ever shown at a drive-inDrive-in theaterA drive-in theater is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor screen, a projection booth, a concession stand and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers can view movies from the privacy and comfort of their cars.The screen can be as simple as a...
) - The Trumpet BlowsThe Trumpet BlowsThe Trumpet Blows is a film directed by Stephen Roberts, featuring George Raft as a Mexican matador, Adolphe Menjou as a retired bandito clearly based on Pancho Villa, and Frances Drake as Chulita, the woman they both want to marry....
(1934) - Little Miss MarkerLittle Miss MarkerLittle Miss Marker is a 1934 American drama film directed by Alexander Hall. The screenplay was written by William R. Lipman, Sam Hellman, and Gladys Hellman after a short story by Damon Runyon. The film stars Shirley Temple, Adolphe Menjou, and Dorothy Dell in a story about a little girl held...
(1934) - Journal of a Crime(1934)
- The Mighty BarnumThe Mighty BarnumThe Mighty Barnum is a 1934 film starring Wallace Beery as P.T. Barnum. The movie was written by Gene Fowler and Bess Meredyth, and directed by Walter Lang. Beery had played Barnum four years earlier in A Lady's Morals, a highly fictionalized biography of singer Jenny Lind.-Cast:*Wallace Beery as...
(1934) - Gold Diggers of 1935Gold Diggers of 1935Gold Diggers of 1935 is a Warner Bros. musical film directed and choreographed by Busby Berkeley and starring Dick Powell, Gloria Stuart, Adolphe Menjou, Winifred Shaw, Alice Brady, Hugh Herbert and Frank McHugh...
(1935)
- The Milky WayThe Milky Way (1936 film)The Milky Way is a 1936 comedy film starring Harold Lloyd. Directed by comedy veteran Leo McCarey, the film was written by Grover Jones, Frank Butler and Richard Connell based on a play of the same name by Lynn Root and Harry Clork which was presented on Broadway in 1934.An example of the popular...
(1936) - A Star Is BornA Star Is Born (1937 film)A Star Is Born is a 1937 Technicolor romantic drama film produced by David O. Selznick and directed by William A. Wellman, with a script by Wellman, Robert Carson, Dorothy Parker and Alan Campbell. It stars Janet Gaynor as an aspiring Hollywood actress, and Fredric March as an aging movie star who...
(1937) - One Hundred Men and a GirlOne Hundred Men and a GirlOne Hundred Men and a Girl is a 1937 musical comedy film, written by Charles Kenyon, Bruce Manning and James Mulhauser from a story by Hanns Kräly and directed by Henry Koster...
(1937) - Stage DoorStage DoorStage Door is a RKO film, adapted from the play by the same name, that tells the story of several would-be actresses who live together in a boarding house at 158 West 58th Street in New York City. The film stars Ginger Rogers, Katharine Hepburn, Adolphe Menjou, Gail Patrick, Constance Collier,...
(1937) - The Goldwyn FolliesThe Goldwyn FolliesThe Goldwyn Follies is a 1938 Technicolor film written by Ben Hecht, Sid Kuller, Sam Perrin and Arthur Phillips, with music by George Gershwin, Vernon Duke, and Ray Golden, and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. Some sources credit Kurt Weill as one of the composers, but this is apparently incorrect...
(1938) - Golden BoyGolden Boy (film)Golden Boy is a 1939 black-and-white Columbia Pictures drama film based on the Clifford Odets play of the same name. It features William Holden in the role that made him a star: a promising violinist who wants to be a boxer. Barbara Stanwyck plays his love interest. The supporting cast included Lee J...
(1939) - The Housekeeper's DaughterThe Housekeeper's DaughterThe Housekeeper's Daughter is a 1939 comedy film directed and produced by Hal Roach. The film stars by Joan Bennett, Adolphe Menjou and John Hubbard...
(1939) - That’s Right You’re WrongThat’s Right You’re WrongThat's Right You're Wrong is a musical film, directed by David Butler and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The film starred Kay Kyser and his band, with a cast that included Adolphe Menjou, Lucille Ball, Edward Everett Horton, Roscoe Karns, and Ginny Simms .-Cast:*Kay Kyser as Kay Kyser*Adolphe...
(1939) - Road ShowRoad Show (film)- Cast :*Adolphe Menjou*Carole Landis*John Hubbard*Charles Butterworth*Patsy Kelly*Shemp Howard*George E. Stone*Margaret Roach*Polly Ann Young*Edward Norris*Marjorie Woodworth*Florence Bates*Willie Best*The Charioteers- Soundtrack :...
(1941) - Father Takes a Wife (1941)
- Roxie HartRoxie Hart (film)Roxie Hart is a 1942 film directed by William A. Wellman and starring Ginger Rogers, Adolphe Menjou, George Montgomery, Nigel Bruce, Phil Silvers, William Frawley, and Spring Byington....
(1942) - You Were Never LovelierYou Were Never LovelierYou Were Never Lovelier is a 1942 Hollywood musical comedy film, set in Buenos Aires. It starred Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth, Adolphe Menjou and Xavier Cugat, with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. The film was directed by William A...
(1942) - Hi Diddle DiddleHi Diddle DiddleHi Diddle Diddle is a black-and-white American comedy film made in 1943 directed by Andrew L. Stone and starring Adolphe Menjou, Martha Scott, Dennis O'Keefe, June Havoc, Billie Burke, and Pola Negri....
(1943) - Step LivelyStep Lively (1944 film)Step Lively is a 1944 musical film directed by Tim Whelan and starring Frank Sinatra. Step Lively was based on the play Room Service, by Allen Boretz and John Murray.-Cast:* Frank Sinatra - Glenn Russell* George Murphy - Gordon Miller...
(1944) - Heartbeat (1946)
- The HuckstersThe HuckstersThe Hucksters is a 1947 MGM film directed by Jack Conway and starring Clark Gable that marked the debut of Deborah Kerr in an American film. It also featured Sydney Greenstreet, Adolphe Menjou, Keenan Wynn, Edward Arnold and Ava Gardner...
(1947) - State of the UnionState of the Union (film)State of the Union is a 1948 film adaptation written by Myles Connolly and Anthony Veiller of the Russel Crouse, Howard Lindsay play of the same name. Directed by Frank Capra and starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, the film is Capra's first and only project for MGM Pictures...
(1948) - My Dream Is YoursMy Dream Is YoursMy Dream Is Yours is a 1949 musical romantic comedy film starring Doris Day, Jack Carson and Lee Bowman.The film is perhaps best remembered today for an extended dream sequence combining animation and live action which featured a cameo appearance by Bugs Bunny, dancing with Jack Carson and Doris...
(1949) - To Please a LadyTo Please a LadyTo Please a Lady is a 1950 drama film produced and directed by Clarence Brown and starring Clark Gable and Barbara Stanwyck. The climactic race scene was shot at the Indianapolis Speedway, Indiana, USA.-Plot synopsis:...
(1950) - The Tall TargetThe Tall TargetThe Tall Target is a 1951 thriller film starring Dick Powell as a detective who tries to stop the assassination of Abraham Lincoln on a train taking the newly-elected president to his inauguration...
(1951) - Across the Wide MissouriAcross the Wide Missouri (film)Across the Wide Missouri is a 1951 American film based on historian Bernard DeVoto's book, Across the Wide Missouri. The film dramatizes an account of several fur traders and their interaction with the Native Americans....
(1951) - The SniperThe Sniper (1952 film)The Sniper is a black-and-white film noir, directed by Edward Dmytryk, written by Harry Brown, and based on a story by Edna Anhalt and Edward Anhalt. The film features Adolphe Menjou, Arthur Franz, Gerald Mohr, Marie Windsor, among others....
(1952) - The Ambassador's DaughterThe Ambassador's Daughter (1956 film)The Ambassador's Daughter is a 1956 romantic comedy film starring Olivia de Havilland and John Forsythe. When a visiting American Senator decides to make Paris off-limits to rowdy military personnel, the daughter of the Ambassador to France decides to show him that American servicemen can be...
(1956) - Bundle of JoyBundle of JoyBundle of Joy is a musical remake of the comedy film Bachelor Mother . It stars Eddie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds, and Adolphe Menjou. An unmarried salesgirl at a department store finds and takes care of an abandoned baby...
(1956) - The Fuzzy Pink NightgownThe Fuzzy Pink NightgownThe Fuzzy Pink Nightgown is an American comedy film made by Russ-Field Productions and released by United Artists. It was directed by Norman Taurog from a screenplay by Richard Alan Simmons, based on a novel by Sylvia Tate....
(1957) - Paths of GloryPaths of GloryPaths of Glory is a 1957 American anti-war film by Stanley Kubrick based on the novel of the same name by Humphrey Cobb. Set during World War I, the film stars Kirk Douglas as Colonel Dax, the commanding officer of French soldiers who refused to continue a suicidal attack...
(1957) - I Married a WomanI Married a WomanI Married a Woman is a 1958 film made in 1956, starring Diana Dors and George Gobel. It also features John Wayne in a cameo role as himself. It was filmed in RKO-Scope and black and white except for one of Wayne's two scenes, which was shot in Technicolor...
(1958) - PollyannaPollyanna (1960 film)Pollyanna is a Walt Disney Productions feature film starring child actress Hayley Mills, Jane Wyman, Karl Malden and Richard Egan in a story about a cheerful orphan changing the outlook of a small town. Based upon the novel Pollyanna by Eleanor Porter, the film was written and directed by David...
(1960)