James Ellison
James Ellison is known for I Walked with a Zombie (1943), Vivacious Lady (1938), The Gang's All Here (1943).
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
James Ellison (May 4, 1910 - December 23, 1993) was an American actor, born James Ellison Smith in Guthrie Center, Iowa, son of Edward James Smith and Ona Mary Ellis.
Ellison appeared in nearly seventy films between 1932 and 1962.
Ellison worked for a time in a film laboratory and while there was offered a screen test. He developed it himself and when he saw it, decided it was not satisfactory so he would not show it to the director. But he saw it anyway and Ellison got a contract.
Despite his rugged good looks and height of 6 feet 3 inches, Ellison's limited range and somewhat wooden screen presence kept him from the first (or even second) ranks of stardom. He spent much of his career in Westerns, including a stint in the mid-thirties as the sidekick of Hopalong Cassidy in Paramount's successful series. In 1938, he played a charming, romantic character opposite 26 year old Lucille Ball in the comedy, "Next Time I Marry", a film where Ball had her first top billing on screen credits. Before that, in 1936, he played his highest-profile role, as Buffalo Bill in Cecil B. DeMille's The Plainsman, which also starred Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur.
Despite that film's success, Ellison spent most of the remainder of his career shuttling between cowboy pictures and more varied roles, primarily in B movies with titles like Mr. District Attorney in the Carter Case and The Undying Monster. He had a supporting role in 1941's Charley's Aunt (which starred Jack Benny) and played the romantic lead in 1943's The Gang's All Here, a Twentieth Century Fox musical in which he seemed somewhat lost among the vivid antics of Carmen Miranda, Charlotte Greenwood, and Edward Everett Horton (and was the only principal not to sing a note). He also co-starred with Tom Conway and Frances Dee in Val Lewton's production of I Walked with a Zombie, directed by Jacques Tourneur.
Ellison landed another romantic lead role as 'Jerry Gibson' in the musical film Lady, Let's Dance (1944) which starred ice skating sensation 'Belita'.
In the early 1950s, Ellison moved from acting to real estate. Joining fellow veteran Jackie Coogan, Ellison returned to the screen only once to play Axel 'Longhorn' Gates in a picture called When the Girls Take Over (1962).
James Ellison died at age 83 in Monterey, California after suffering a broken neck as the result of a fall.
Description above from the Wikipedia article James Ellison (actor), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Questions about James Ellison
How many James Ellison films are in the catalogue?
The CineQuiz catalogue has 47 films with James Ellison, from 1932 to 1962.
What is the best rated James Ellison film?
The best rated James Ellison film in the catalogue is I Walked with a Zombie (1943), rated 6.8.
What was the first James Ellison film?
The first James Ellison film in the catalogue is Vivacious Lady, from 1938.
People data: TMDb.
Known for
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6.8 I Walked with a Zombie
1943
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7.0 Vivacious Lady
1938
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6.5 The Plainsman
1936
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5.0 Zenobia
1939
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5.9 The Gang's All Here
1943
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7.0 Fifth Avenue Girl
1939
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5.1 Reckless
1935
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5.8 The Undying Monster
1942
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3.3 Last of the Wild Horses
1948
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6.3 Charley's Aunt
1941
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6.7 That Other Woman
1942
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6.7 Bar 20 Rides Again
1935
Full filmography
66 films — 47 in the catalogue
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4.0 When the Girls Take Over
1962 · Alex 'Longhorn' Gates (as Jimmy Ellison)
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7.0 Dead Man's Trail
1952 · Dan Winslow
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9.0 Man from the Black Hills
1952 · Jim Fallon (as Jimmy Ellison)
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6.5 Texas City
1952 · Jim Kirby (as Jimmy Ellison)
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7.0 Texas Lawmen
1951 · Sheriff Tod Merrick
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7.0 Whistling Hills
1951 · Sheriff Dave Holland
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9.0 Oklahoma Justice
1951 · Clancy
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6.0 Kentucky Jubilee
1951 · Jeff Benson
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7.0 The Texan Meets Calamity Jane
1950 · Gordon Hastings
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9.0 I Killed Geronimo
1950 · Capt. Jeff Packard
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10.0 Fast on the Draw
1950 · Shamrock Ellison
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5.0 Crooked River
1950 · Shamrock Ellison
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5.3 West of the Brazos
1950 · Shamrock Ellison
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5.0 Colorado Ranger
1950 · Shamrock Kid
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4.0 Marshal of Heldorado
1950 · Shamrock Ellison
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7.5 Everybody's Dancin'
1950 · Jimmy Ellison
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4.3 Hostile Country
1950 · Shamrock Ellison
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3.3
Last of the Wild Horses
1948 · Duke Barnum
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6.0 The Ghost Goes Wild
1947 · Monte Crandall
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5.6 Calendar Girl
1947 · Steve Adams
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9.0 G.I. War Brides
1946 · Steve Giles
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4.4 Hollywood and Vine
1945 · Larry Winters
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7.0 Johnny Doesn't Live Here Anymore
1944 · Mike Burke
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6.7 Dançarina Loura
1944 · Jerry Gibson
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5.9
The Gang's All Here
1943 · Andy Mason
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6.8 Best Foot Forward
1943 · Cadet
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6.8
I Walked with a Zombie
1943 · Wesley Rand
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6.5 Dixie Dugan
1943 · Roger Hudson
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6.0 Army Surgeon
1942 · Capt. James Mason
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5.8
The Undying Monster
1942 · Robert Curtis
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6.7
That Other Woman
1942 · Henry Summers
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6.5 Careful, Soft Shoulders
1942 · Thomas Aldrich
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7.5 Mr. District Attorney in the Carter Case
1941 · P. Cadwallader Jones
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5.9 Ice-Capades
1941 · Bob Clemens
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6.3
Charley's Aunt
1941 · Jack Chesney
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5.2 They Met in Argentina
1941 · Tim Kelly
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6.4 Play Girl
1941 · Thomas Elwood Dice
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6.0 Paraíso de Ilusões
1940 · Tony Pringle
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5.5 You Can't Fool Your Wife
1940 · Andrew Hinklin
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7.0
Fifth Avenue Girl
1939 · Mike
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7.5 Hotel for Women
1939 · Jeff Buchanan
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7.3 Sorority House
1939 · Bill Loomis
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5.0
Zenobia
1939 · Jeff Carter
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8.0 Almost a Gentleman
1939 · Dan Preston
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7.2 Next Time I Marry
1938 · Anthony J. Anthony
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6.0 Mother Carey's Chickens
1938 · Ralph Thurston
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7.0
Vivacious Lady
1938 · Keith
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10.0 The Barrier
1937 · Lt. Burrell
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6.7 Annapolis Salute
1937 · William J. "Bill" Martin
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6.0 23 1/2 Hours Leave
1937 · Sgt. Robert Gray
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7.5 Borderland
1937 · Johnny Nelson
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5.3 Missão Bem Cumprida
1936 · Johnny Nelson
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6.5
The Plainsman
1936 · William "Buffalo Bill" Cody
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6.0 Three on the Trail
1936 · Johnny Nelson
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5.8 Call of the Prairie
1936 · Johnny Nelson
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5.3 Heart of the West
1936 · Johnny Nelson
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7.0 The Leathernecks Have Landed
1936 · Mac MacDonald
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7.8 Hitch Hike Lady
1935 · Jimmy Peyton
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6.7
Bar 20 Rides Again
1935 · Johnny Nelson
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5.8 Olho de Águia
1935 · Johnny Nelson
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6.5 Hop-a-long Cassidy
1935 · Johnny Nelson
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5.1
Reckless
1935 · Dale Every
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4.3 The Winning Ticket
1935 · Jimmy
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6.4 Buried Loot
1935 · Detective (uncredited)
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6.6 The Famous Ferguson Case
1932 · Reporter Lane (uncredited)
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5.0 Play Girl
1932 · Elmer
People data: TMDb.
Cast
