J. Farrell MacDonald
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Farrell MacDonald (June 6, 1875 – August 2, 1952) was an American character actor and director. He played supporting roles and occasional leads. He appeared in over 325 films over a 41-year career from 1911 to 1951, and directed forty-four silent films from 1912 to 1917.
MacDonald was the principal director of L. Frank Baum's Oz Film Manufacturing Company, and he can frequently be seen in the films of Frank Capra, Preston Sturges and, especially, John Ford.
Early in his career, MacDonald was a singer in minstrel shows, and he toured the United States extensively for two years with stage productions. He made his first silent film in 1911, a dramatic short entitled The Scarlett Letter made by Carl Laemmle's Independent Moving Pictures Company (IMP), the forerunner of Universal Pictures,. He continued to act in numerous films each year from that time on, and by 1912 he was directing them as well. The first film he directed was The Worth of a Man, another dramatic short, again for IMP, and he was to direct 43 more films until his last in 1917, Over the Fence, which he co-directed with Harold Lloyd. MacDonald had crossed paths with Lloyd several years earlier, when Lloyd was an extra and MacDonald had given him much-needed work – and he did the same with Hal Roach, both of whom appearing in small roles in The Patchwork Girl of Oz, which MacDonald directed in 1914. When Roach set up his own studio, with Lloyd as his principal attraction, he hired MacDonald to direct.
By 1918, MacDonald, who was to become one of the most beloved character men in Hollywood, had given up directing and was acting full-time, predominantly in Westerns and Irish comedies. He first worked under director John Ford in 1919's A Fight for Love. In all, Ford would use MacDonald on twenty-five films between 1919 and 1950.
With a voice that matched his personality, MacDonald made the transition to sound films easily, with no noticeable drop in his acting output – if anything, it went up. In 1931, for instance, MacDonald appeared in 14 films – among them the first version of The Maltese Falcon, in which he played "Detective Tom Polhaus" – and in 22 of them in 1932. Although he played laborers, policemen, military men and priests, among many other characters, his roles were usually a cut above a "bit part". His characters usually had names, and he was most often credited for his performances. A highlight of this period was his performance as the hobo "Mr. Tramp" in Our Little Girl with Shirley Temple (1935).
In the 1940s, MacDonald was part of Preston Sturges' unofficial "stock company" of character actors, appearing in seven films written and directed by Sturges. MacDonald appeared in Sullivan's Travels, The Palm Beach Story, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, The Great Moment, The Sin of Harold Diddlebock, Unfaithfully Yours and The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend, Sturges' last American film. Earlier, MacDonald had also appeared in The Power and the Glory, which Sturges wrote. His work on Sturges' films was generally uncredited. He was notable in 1946 in John Ford's My Darling Clementine in which he played "Mac," the bartender in the town saloon. MacDonald also had uncredited roles in It's a Wonderful Life and Here Comes The Groom.
Acted in
Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line
1997
as Self (archive footage)
Superman and the Mole Men
1951
as Pop Shannon
Here Comes the Groom
1951
as Husband on Airplane
Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell
1951
as Mr. Kroeger
Woman on the Run
1950
as Cap, the Retired Ferryboat Captain
Hostile Country
1950
as Mr. Lane (uncredited)
The Daltons' Women
1950
as Alvin
When Willie Comes Marching Home
1950
as Gilby - Pharmacist (uncredited)
Dakota Lil
1950
as Ellis
The Dalton Gang
1949
as Judge Price
You're My Everything
1949
as Doorman (uncredited)
Streets of San Francisco
1949
as Pop Lockhart
Trouble Preferred
1948
as Apartment House Manager (uncredited)
Whispering Smith
1948
as Bill Baggs
Shep Comes Home
1948
as Sheriff Cap Weatherby
The Walls of Jericho
1948
as Bailiff (uncredited)
Belle Starr's Daughter
1948
as Doc Benson
Fury at Furnace Creek
1948
as Pops Murphy (uncredited)
Sitting Pretty
1948
as Cop (uncredited)
Panhandle
1948
as Doc Cooper
If You Knew Susie
1948
as Police Sergeant (uncredited)
Thunder in the Valley
1947
as McPherson - Innkeeper
Christmas Eve
1947
as Policeman (uncredited)
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer
1947
as Mac, Bailiff (uncredited)
Keeper of the Bees
1947
as Postmaster
Web of Danger
1947
as Scotty MacKronish - Bus Driver
The Sin of Harold Diddlebock
1947
as Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
It's a Wonderful Life
1946
as Man Whose Grandfather Planted Tree (uncredited)
Goodbye, Weeds
1946
as Gardener
My Darling Clementine
1946
as Mac the barman
Smoky
1946
as Jim, the Cook
Joe Palooka, Champ
1946
as Long-Count Bowman
Pillow of Death
1945
Fallen Angel
1945
as Bank Guard (uncredited)
Johnny Angel
1945
as Capt. Angel
Circumstantial Evidence
1945
as Jury Foreman
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
1945
as Mr. Carney The Junkman (uncredited)
Hangover Square
1945
as Street Vendor (uncredited)
Greenwich Village
1944
as O'Shea, policeman
The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek
1944
as Sheriff (uncredited)
The Great Moment
1944
as The Priest
Texas Masquerade
1944
as John Martindale
True to Life
1943
as Man (uncredited)
Tiger Fangs
1943
as Geoffrey MacCardle
The Ape Man
1943
as Captain O'Brien
Harrigan's Kid
1943
as Frank (uncredited)
The McGuerins from Brooklyn
1942
as Cop
Bowery at Midnight
1942
as Capt. Mitchell
Phantom Killer
1942
as Police Captain
The Palm Beach Story
1942
as Officer O'Donnell (uncredited)
The Living Ghost
1942
as Police Lt. 'Pete' Peterson
One Thrilling Night
1942
as Police Sergeant Haggerty
Reap the Wild Wind
1942
as Port Captain
Captains of the Clouds
1942
as Dr. Neville (from Churchtown)
Wild Bill Hickok Rides
1942
as Henry Hathaway
Private Snuffy Smith
1942
as Gen. Rosewater
Law of the Timber
1941
as Adams
Riders of the Timberline
1941
as Jim Kerrigan
Broadway Limited
1941
as Mulcahey
The Great Lie
1941
as Dr. Ferguson
In Old Cheyenne
1941
as Tim Casey
Meet John Doe
1941
as 'Sourpuss'
Friendly Neighbors
1940
as Sheiff Potts
Untamed
1940
as Dr. Billar
Pony Express Days
1940
as Nevada Jim
Stagecoach War
1940
as Jeff Chapman
The Last Alarm
1940
as Jim Hadley
Prairie Law
1940
as Sheriff Jim Austin
I Take This Oath
1940
as Insp. Tim Ryan
Light of Western Stars
1940
as Bill Stillwell
Dark Command
1940
as Dave
Knights of the Range
1940
as Cappy
The Gentleman from Arizona
1939
as Wild Bill Coburn
The Housekeeper's Daughter
1939
as Captain
Full Confession
1939
as Joe, Police Sergeant (uncredited)
They Shall Have Music
1939
as Police Chief (uncredited)
Coast Guard
1939
as Capt. Hansen (uncredited)
Conspiracy
1939
as Captain of the Falcon
Mickey the Kid
1939
as Sheriff J.J. Willoughby
Susannah of the Mounties
1939
as Pat O'Hannegan
Zenobia
1939
as Judge
East Side of Heaven
1939
as Doorman (uncredited)
The Lone Ranger Rides Again
1939
as Craig Dolan
Little Orphan Annie
1938
as 'Pop' Corrigan
Submarine Patrol
1938
as CWO 'Sails' Quincannon
Come On, Rangers
1938
as Colonel Forbes
Gang Bullets
1938
as Chief Reardon
The Last Express
1938
as William Barton (Detective Agency Head)
There Goes My Heart
1938
as Officer
The Crowd Roars
1938
as Father Patrick Ryan
Barefoot Boy
1938
as Warden
White Banners
1938
as Dr. Thompson
Numbered Woman
1938
as Capt. Ryan
Extortion
1938
as Coach Pearson
State Police
1938
as Charlie Wheeler
My Old Kentucky Home
1938
as Mayor Jim Hopkins
Courage of the West
1937
as Buck Saunders
County Fair
1937
as Calvin Williams
The Game That Kills
1937
as Joe Holland
My Dear Miss Aldrich
1937
as 'Doc' Howe
Topper
1937
as Policeman
Roaring Timber
1937
as Andrew MacKinley
Flying Fists
1937
as Bill 'One-Punch' Fagin
Slim
1937
as Pop
Slave Ship
1937
as Proprietor
Parnell
1937
as Irish Laborer (uncredited)
Parnell
1937
as Irish Laborer
The Hit Parade
1937
as Sgt. O'Hara
Maid of Salem
1937
as Captain of Ship
The Great Barrier
1937
as Major Rogers
Mysterious Crossing
1936
as Police Chief Bullock
Show Boat
1936
as Windy MacLaine
Florida Special
1936
as Captain Timothy Harrigan
Exclusive Story
1936
as Michael Devlin
Riffraff
1936
as 'Brains'
Hitch Hike Lady
1935
as Judge Hale
Fighting Youth
1935
as Coach Parker
Stormy
1935
as Trinidad Dorn
Waterfront Lady
1935
as Capt. O'Brien
Danger Ahead
1935
as Harry Cromwell
The Irish in Us
1935
as Capt. Jackson
Front Page Woman
1935
as Hallohan
Shadows of the Orient
1935
as Inspector Sullivan
The Arizonian
1935
as Marshal Andy Jordan
The Healer
1935
as Applejack
Let 'em Have It
1935
as Mr. Keefer
Swellhead
1935
as Umpire
Star of Midnight
1935
as Inspector Doremus
The Whole Town's Talking
1935
as Prison Warden (uncredited)
Northern Frontier
1935
as Inspector
Square Shooter
1935
as Sheriff
The Best Man Wins
1935
as Captain--Harbor Patrol
Maybe It's Love
1935
as The Cop
Romance in Manhattan
1935
as Murphy
Our Little Girl
1935
as Hobo
Beggar's Holiday
1934
as Pop Malloy
Once to Every Woman
1934
as John Flannigan
The Crime Doctor
1934
as Kemp
The Crosby Case
1934
as The Doorman--Mike Costello
Man of Two Worlds
1934
as Michael
Murder on the Campus
1933
as Police Capt. Ed Kyne
Under Secret Orders
1933
as John Burke
Myrt and Marge
1933
as Grady
The Power and the Glory
1933
as Mulligan
I Loved a Woman
1933
as Shuster
How to Break 90 #6: Fine Points
1933
as Himself
Laughing at Life
1933
as Prison Warden
Peg o' My Heart
1933
as Patrick Shamus 'Pat' O'Connell
The Working Man
1933
as Henry 'Hank' Davis
The Vanishing Frontier
1933
as Waco
The Iron Master
1933
as J.C. Stillman
No Man of Her Own
1932
as 'Dickie' Collins
The Racing Strain
1932
as Mr. Martin
Me and My Gal
1932
as Pop Riley
Men Are Such Fools
1932
as Prison Warden Randolph
The Pride of the Legion
1932
as Chief Scott
Heritage of the Desert
1932
as Adam Naab
This Sporting Age
1932
as Jerry O'Day
70,000 Witnesses
1932
as State Coach
Hearts of Humanity
1932
as Tom O'Hara
The Phantom Express
1932
as D.J. 'Smokey' Nolan
The Thirteenth Guest
1932
as Captain Ryan
The Hurricane Express
1932
as Jim Baker
Madame Racketeer
1932
as John Adams
Week-End Marriage
1932
as Mr. Davis
The Strange Love of Molly Louvain
1932
as Police Sgt. J.B. Antrim (uncredited)
Scandal for Sale
1932
as Treadway
Probation
1932
as George Holman
Steady Company
1932
as Hogan
Hotel Continental
1932
as Detective Martin
Discarded Lovers
1932
as Sommers
Under Eighteen
1932
as Pop Evans
Touchdown!
1931
as Pop Stewart
The Spirit of Notre Dame
1931
as The Coach
The Brat
1931
as Timson, the butler
How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 9: 'The Driver'
1931
Sporting Blood
1931
as MacGuire
Stranger in Town
1931
as Scout
The Squaw Man
1931
as Big Bill
The Maltese Falcon
1931
as Det. Sgt. Tom Polhaus
Too Young to Marry
1931
as Rev. Stump
The Millionaire
1931
as Dan Lewis
The Stolen Jools
1931
as Policeman
Woman Hungry
1931
as Buzzard
The Easiest Way
1931
as Ben Murdock
The Painted Desert
1931
as Jeff Cameron
Other Men's Women
1931
as Peg-Leg
The Truth About Youth
1930
as Colonel Graham
River's End
1930
as O'Toole
The Girl of the Golden West
1930
as Sonora Slim
Song o' My Heart
1930
as Rafferty
Men Without Women
1930
as Costello
South Sea Rose
1929
as Hackett
The Painted Angel
1929
as Pa Hudler
Happy Days
1929
as Train Conductor
Masquerade
1929
as Joe Hickey
Masked Emotions
1929
as Will Whitten
Strong Boy
1929
as Angus McGregor
In Old Arizona
1928
as Stage Passenger (uncredited)
Riley the Cop
1928
as James 'Aloysius' Riley
4 Devils
1928
as The Clown
None But the Brave
1928
as John Craig
Abie's Irish Rose
1928
as Patrick Murphy
Bringing Up Father
1928
as Jiggs
The Cohens and the Kellys in Paris
1928
as Patrick Kelly
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
1927
as The Photographer
East Side, West Side
1927
as Pug Malone
Paid to Love
1927
as Peter Roberts
Cradle Snatchers
1927
as George Martin
Ankles Preferred
1927
as McGuire
Bertha the Sewing Machine Girl
1926
as Sloan
The Country Beyond
1926
as Sgt. Cassidy
The Family Upstairs
1926
as Joe Heller
3 Bad Men
1926
as Mike Costigan
A Trip to Chinatown
1926
as Benjamin Strong
The Shamrock Handicap
1926
as Con O'Shea
The Dixie Merchant
1926
as Jean Paul Fippany
The First Year
1926
as Mr. Barstow
The Fighting Heart
1925
as Jerry
Thank You
1925
as Andy
The Iron Horse
1925
as Corporal Casey
Kentucky Pride
1925
as Donavan
The Lucky Horseshoe
1925
as Mack
Lightnin'
1925
as Lemuel Townsend
Let Women Alone
1925
as Commodore John Gordon
Those Who Dare
1924
The Brass Bowl
1924
as Hickey
The Signal Tower
1924
as Pete
Western Luck
1924
as 'Chuck' Campbell
Mademoiselle Midnight
1924
as Duc de Moing (Prologue)
The Age of Desire
1923
as Dan Reagan
Drifting
1923
as Murphy
Racing Hearts
1923
as Silas Martin
Quicksands
1923
as Col. Patterson
While Paris Sleeps
1923
The Young Rajah
1922
as Amhad Beg - Prime Minister
Manslaughter
1922
as (uncredited)
The Ghost Breaker
1922
as Sam Marcum
The Bonded Woman
1922
as Captain Gaskell
Over the Border
1922
as Peter Galbraith
The Bachelor Daddy
1922
as Joe Pelton
Come on Over
1922
as Michael Morahan
Sky High
1922
as Jim Frazer (as J. Farrel MacDonald)
Trailin'
1921
as Joseph Piotto
Riding with Death
1921
as Sheriff Pat Garrity
Action
1921
as Mormon Peters
The Wallop
1921
as Neuces River
Desperate Youth
1921
The Freeze-Out
1921
as Bobtail McGuire
Hitchin' Posts
1920
as Joe Alabam (as J. Farrell McDonald)
The Path She Chose
1920
as Father
Bullet Proof
1920
as Jim Boone
Marked Men
1919
as Tom Placer McGraw
The Outcasts of Poker Flat
1919
A Sporting Chance
1919
as Luther Ripley aka Kennedy
Riders of Vengeance
1919
as Buell
A Fight For Love
1919
as The Priest
Roped
1919
as Butler
$5,000 Reward
1918
as Norcross
Rags
1915
as Paul Ferguson (as Joseph Farrell MacDonald)
The Calling of Louis Mona
1913
A Timely Repentance
1912
as Louis Nordell
'Tween Two Loves
1911
as Farmer Howard
The Lighthouse Keeper
1911
as The Lighthouse Keeper
The Scarlet Letter
1911
The Dream
1911
as Secondary Role (uncredited)
The Time-Lock Safe
1910
as Office Worker