Scenes from “Bad Girl” (1931)

A heart-tugging performance, from the film that made him a star.

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Complete Film: “A Wonderful Life” (1950)

Henry Wood (James Dunn) and man loved and respected by his community has passed away. He was a hard-working, unassuming man, and it isn’t until his passing that his children and the community realize what a treasure of a human being he was. A heartwarming tale, produced by the Protestant Film Commission. Jack Larson, best known as TV’s Jimmy Olsen on “The Adventures of Superman,” guest stars as Henry’s son.

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“Jimmy Dunn’s Face Reveals All His Secrets” (May 1932)

To view each page of the article full size, click on a thumbnail, then select “view full size” when the photo viewer pops up. The “view full size” link appears beneath the “Comment” and “Like” options in the photo viewer.

Movie Classic Magazine – May 1932

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Harvey (New York Production)

Here is the complete program from Jimmy’s star turn in “Harvey.” As always, click a thumbnail image for a larger version. Please credit RememberingJimmy.com if you wish to use any of these images. Enjoy!

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“When Romance Ran Out of Gas” (April 1936)

To view each page of the article full size, click on a thumbnail, then select “view full size” when the photo viewer pops up. The “view full size” link appears beneath the “Comment” and “Like” options in the photo viewer.

Silver Screen Magazine – April 1936

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Scene from “Killer McCoy” (1947)

Delightful and unique version of “Swanee River (Old Folks At Home)” by James Dunn and Mickey Rooney. This scene is from the breathtaking 1947 drama “Killer McCoy” which starred Rooney as a young prize-fighter, and Dunn as his n’er-do-well father.

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Lux Radio Theatre: “Sing, You Sinners” (1945)

The cast of the film version.

Originally broadcast May 7, 1945. In this delightful adaptation of the hit film, James Dunn stars alongside Bing Crosby, Joan Caulfield and Elizabeth Patterson (best known as the reliable Mrs. Trumbull on I Love Lucy!)

This was the second time Lux adapted the film for the radio…but of course we prefer this one with James Dunn!

The embedded audio player should work in most browsers, if your browser is not compatible you will see a download link instead.

If you enjoyed this program, it can be downloaded at the Internet Archive.

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Lux Radio Theatre: “Wake Up and Live” (1944)

Detail from the theatrical poster.

Delightful radio adaptation of the film “Wake Up and Live” starring Frank Sinatra, Bob Crosby, James Gleason, Marilyn Maxwell and our very own James Dunn!

If you enjoyed this program, it can be downloaded at the Internet Archive.

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Scene from “365 Nights in Hollywood” (1934)

Delightful, fun and hilarious production number from “365 Nights in Hollywood” featuring the talents of James Dunn and Alice Faye. This great clip sees them both at the start of their careers, and it’s easy to see why they became legends! In addition to the James Dunn channel, I run a channel dedicated to Alice Faye. You will find a link in the links section of this site. Enjoy!

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Film Review: “Baby, Take a Bow” (1934)

 

Theatrical Poster

(1934-Fox Film)

Cast: Shirley Temple, James Dunn, Claire Trevor, Ray Walker, Dorothy Libaire, Alan Dinehart

Director: Harry Lachman

Plot: Two ex-cons (James Dunn and Ray Walker) try to go straight while being constantly hounded by an over-zealous detective. When an expensive set of pearls goes missing, the boys are the prime suspects. When one of the men’s toddler daughter gets into the act, she finds herself in mortal peril.

Review: This film was the first to feature young Shirley Temple as a headliner, and she certainly shines! Despite top billing, however, her character does little in the first 3/4ths of the film besides be cute. However, Temple shows her acting chops in the latter portion of the film, completely obscuring the grown-ups alongside her. James Dunn and Claire Trevor do much with the threadbare script, quite effectively playing a young couple struggling to get by. The one musical number, “On Account-A I Love You,” while not as strong as the Dunn/Temple classic from Stand Up and Cheer, is still delightful, although Jimmy is offscreen for much of the dance portion, the camera squarely on Temple. The ending may frighten some younger children, as Temple is at the mercy of a desperate criminal, but older children will probably enjoy this film, as will their parents. Despite being an “A” picture, it plays like a “B” and that actually adds quite a bit of charm.

Lobby Card

Notes: The new DVD release contains both a restored Black and White version as well as a (surprisinly nice looking) colorized version. Beware of older DVD editions, as they used the video masters from the old colorized VHS release. The version contained in the Shirley Temple Collection series of DVD packs is the newer release.

Review by Jonathan Ruskin.

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“It’s A Great Life” Episode Guide

Welcome to the “It’s A Great Life” episode guide! This will be an ongoing project. When completed there will be plot summaries, screen captures and video clips from all 78 episodes. Episode titles that are hyperlinked can be clicked on for more information and multi-media.

Season One

1. House Hunting (Pilot Episode) September 7, 1954
2. Go Home to Your Mother September 14, 1954
3. The Babysitters September 21, 1954
4. Objective: Moon September 28, 1954
5. Daniel’s Department Store October 5, 1954
6. 50-50 October 12, 1954
7. I Can Get it For You Wholesale October 19, 1954
8. A Visit from Steve’s Mother October 26, 1954
9. Turkey Dinner November 2, 1954
10. Denny Buys a Steer November 9, 1954
11. The Boys Redecorate the Attic November 16, 1954
12. A Date for Mrs. Morgan November 23, 1954
13. The Closet November 30, 1954
14. The Vacuum Cleaner Salesman December 7, 1954
15. Denny’s Big Night December 14, 1954
16. There is a Santa Claus  December 21, 1954
17. The Driver’s License December 28, 1954
18. A Job for Kathy January 4, 1955
19. The Surprise Party January 11, 1955
20. The Missing Stamp January 18, 1955
21. The Borrowed TV Set January 25, 1955
22. Kathy’s Former Boyfriend February 1, 1955
23. Friendship February 8, 1955
24. The Engagement Ring February 15, 1955
25. Winter Sports February 22, 1955
26. The Night Watchman March 1, 1955
27. Foster Father March 8, 1955
28. Tijuana March 15, 1955
29. Kathy Goes to New York March 22, 1955
30. The Matchmakers March 29, 1955
31. The Hospital April 5, 1955
32. The Boys Clean House April 12, 1955
33. Formal for Amy April 19, 1955
34. Denny Sings April 26, 1955
35. Three Hungry Men May 3, 1955
36. The Missing Husband May 10, 1955
37. The Inheritance May 17, 1955
38. The Parakeet May 24, 1955
39. The Easy Chair May 31, 1955

Season Two

1. Call Michigan 4099 September 4, 1955
2. Hay Burner September 11, 1955
3. Fortune Hunters September 18, 1955
4. The Paper Drive September 25, 1955
5. Hash House October 2, 1955
6. Birthday for Earl October 9, 1955
7. The Girl Friend October 16, 1955
8. Man’s Best Friend October 23, 1955
9. Double Date October 30, 1955
10. High Pressure November 6, 1955
11. The Movie Star November 13, 1955
12. The Crystal Ball November 20th, 1955
13. The Big Game November 27th, 1955
14. The Private Line December 4, 1955
15. The Fabulous Foundling December 11, 1955
16. Hawaiian Holiday December 18, 1955
17. The Elusive Dime January 1, 1956
18. Beauty Contest January 8, 1956
19. The Lady and the Painting January 15, 1956
20. House Guest January 22, 1956
21. The Square Circle January 29, 1956 
22. Smog Gets in Your Eyes February 5, 1956
23. Screen Test February 12, 1956
24. Renee and the Survey February 19, 1956
25. Bachelor Party February 26, 1956
26. The Voice March 4, 1956
27. All For Amy March 11, 1956 
28. Private Eyes March 18, 1956
29. Glamour Doll (aka Glamour Girl) March 25, 1956
30. Kid Sister April 1, 1956
31. The Raffle Ticket April 8, 1956
32. The Return of Caroline April 15, 1956
33. The Palm Springs Story April 22, 1956
34. The Yachting Party April 29, 1956
35. Operation for Early May 6, 1956
36. Old Soldiers Never Die May 13, 1956
37. The Charity Drive May 20, 1956
38. Passport for Amy May 27, 1956
39. The Housekeeper June 3, 1956

Scenes from “The Payoff” (1936)

To begin, a couple of rare outtakes from “The Payoff!” Coming soon, a series of scenes from the film itself!

Clip One (Outtakes)

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Scene from “Jimmy and Sally” (1933)

From the 1933 film “Jimmy and Sally,” co-starring Claire Trevor, Jimmy gives us his rendition of “It’s the Irish in Me.”

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Scenes from “Hello, Sister!” (1933)

Erich Von Stroheim’s final film, a gritty tale of rape, young love, unplanned pregnancy and deception, was recut and significantly reshot to become “Hello, Sister!” Von Stroheim’s original cut no longer exists, but we do have “Hello, Sister” and can only wonder what might have been. A selection of scenes, split across two videos…

Clip One

Clip Two

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Scenes from “Baby, Take a Bow” (1934)

A series of scenes, split across two videos, from the 1934 classic “Baby Take a Bow” co-starring Claire Trevor and Shirley Temple. Also, as a treat, we have a sing-a-long version of Jimmy and Shirley’s number “On Account-a I Love You!”

Clip One

Clip Two

Sing-A-Long Video

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Complete Film: “The Face in the Mirror” (1940)

In 1940, James Dunn starred in this short film from the famed Jam Handy Corporation, an educational short on good salesmanship. Here is the film in it’s entirety, enjoy!

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

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Scenes from “The Bramble Bush” (1960)

Scenes from one of Jimmy Dunn’s last films, 1960’s “The Bramble Bush,” co-starring Richard Burton, Barbara Rush, Jack Carson and Angie Dickinson.

Scenes from “Sailor’s Luck” (1933)

Delightful pre-code film starring classic onscreen duo James Dunn and Sally Eilers. Definitely worth a look! There’s some surprisingly saucy goings-on in this one! Oh, and if you ever wanted to see James Dunn, Sally Eilers or Frank Moran in clingy bathing suits, here ya go!

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Scenes from “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” (1945)

Four scenes from James Dunn’s finest motion picture, divided across two videos. Also appearing in these clips: Dorothy McGuire, Peggy Ann Garner, Ted Donaldson and Joan Blondell.

Clip One

Clip Two

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The Hallmark Playhouse: “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” (1949)

Co-star Connie Marshall

In the April 28, 1949 episode of The Hallmark Playhouse, James Dunn reprises the role of Johnny Nolan, opposite Connie Marshall as Francie in this delightful adaptation of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

Connie Marshall gives a sensitive and beautiful performance opposite Jimmy. This adaptation borrows heavily from the book, and includes several touching scenes not seen in the film.

The embedded audio player should work in most browsers, if your browser is not compatible you will see a download link instead.

If you enjoyed this program, it can be downloaded at the Internet Archive.

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Scenes from “Stand Up and Cheer” (1934)

The one bright spot in a rather, erm, odd film, Jimmy Dunn and Shirley Temple do their bit to cheer up a Depression-era country with a delightful song-and-dance routine. I’ve also included their dialogue scenes.

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Film Review: “Stand Up and Cheer” (1934)

Theatrical Poster

(1934-Fox Film)

Cast: Warner Baxter, Madge Evans, James Dunn, Sylvia Froos, John Boles, Arthur Byron, Shirley Temple, Aunt Jemima (Tess Gardella), Stepin Fetchit

Director: Hamilton McFadden

Plot: As the Great Depression grips tighter around the nation, the President appoints a Secretary of Amusement (Warner Baxter) to cheer up the nation. Meanwhile, Conservative politicians do their darndest to stop him.

Review: It’s really hard to resist the temptation to call this film out for being drab, dated and somewhat (unintentionally) absurd. Seeing as it’s rarely seen uncut these days (including on video) the film really makes little sense. While some of the musical numbers are amusing and diverting, the whole affair seems dingy and much of the humor is unmistakably racially stereotypical (Stepin Fetchit and the Jimmy Durante-esque penguin-yikes!) People often site the “mores of the time” to gloss over this, but it really is most distracting.

James Dunn and Shirley Temple

However, there is a bright spot, and a bright spot it is indeed! James Dunn and Shirley Temple (appearing together in three scenes) are a delight to behold! They have more chemistry than Hepburn and Tracy ever could imagine. Their show-stopper, “Baby Take a Bow” makes this film worthwhile, and made Temple a star. The number still holds up today. Jimmy weaves his way in and out of an endless line of chorus girls before Temple appears and the two of them tear up the screen with an amazing and complex tap dance. Sheer magic! Jimmy appears again later (sans Temple) to give a rousing speech declaring the end of the Depression. If only it were that easy! Worth your time for the Dunn/Temple moments, but hard going otherwise.

Notes: The VHS version suffers from minor print and sound damage, but is quite watchable. The film is occasionally seen on television in a colorized edition, however all home media releases (in the US, at least) are in the film’s original black and white.

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