Allen Jenkins

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

152

Gender

Male

Birthday

1900-04-08

Day of death

1974-07-20 (74 years old)

Place of Birth

Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA

Allen Jenkins

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Allen Jenkins (April 9, 1900 – July 20, 1974) was an American character actor on stage, screen and television. He was born Alfred McGonegal on Staten Island, New York. He studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. In his first stage appearance, he danced next to James Cagney in a chorus line for an off-Broadway musical called Pitter-Patter. He made five dollars a week. He also appeared one thousand times in Broadway plays between 1924 and 1962, including The Front Page with Lee Tracy (1928). His big break came when he replaced Spencer Tracy for three weeks in the Broadway play The Last Mile. He was called to Hollywood by Darryl F. Zanuck and signed first to Paramount Pictures and shortly afterwards to Warner Bros. He originated the character of Frankie Wells in the Broadway production of Blessed Event and reprised the role in the film adaptation, both in 1932. With the advent of talking pictures, he made a career out of playing comic henchmen, stooges, policemen and other "tough guys" in numerous films of the 1930s and 1940s, especially for Warner Bros. He was labeled the "greatest scene-stealer of the 1930s" by the New York Times. He voiced the character of "Officer Dibble" on the Hanna-Barbera television cartoon Top Cat and was a regular on the 1956-1957 television situation comedy Hey, Jeannie! (1956), starring Jeannie Carson. He was also a guest star on The Red Skelton Show, I Love Lucy, Playhouse 90, The Ernie Kovacs Show, Zane Grey Theater, and The Sid Caesar Show. Eleven days before his death he made his final appearance, at the end of Billy Wilder's 1974 film adaptation of The Front Page. He went public with his alcoholism and was the first actor to speak in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate about it. He helped start the first Alcoholics Anonymous programs in California prisons for women. Jenkins, James Cagney, Pat O'Brien and Frank McHugh were the original members of the so-called "Irish Mafia". He was the seventh member of the Screen Actors Guild. Description above from the Wikipedia article Allen Jenkins, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

  • Batman

    Batman

  • The Red Skelton Show

    The Red Skelton Show

  • Bewitched

    Bewitched

  • Bewitched

    Bewitched

  • Wagon Train

    Wagon Train

  • Adam-12

    Adam-12

  • I Love Lucy

    I Love Lucy

  • Four Star Playhouse

    Four Star Playhouse

  • Ben Casey

    Ben Casey

  • Tortilla Flat

    Tortilla Flat

  • Brother Orchid

    Brother Orchid

  • December Bride

    December Bride

  • 42nd Street

    42nd Street

  • The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

    The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

  • Bedside

    Bedside

  • Lady on a Train

    Lady on a Train

  • Professional Sweetheart

    Professional Sweetheart

  • Margie

    Margie

  • The Merry Frinks

    The Merry Frinks

  • Studio 57

    Studio 57

  • Bodyhold

    Bodyhold

  • Top Cat

    Top Cat

  • Blondie Johnson

    Blondie Johnson

  • Sweet Music

    Sweet Music

  • The Abbott and Costello Show

    The Abbott and Costello Show

  • Three on a Match

    Three on a Match

  • Honey West

    Honey West

  • Robin and the 7 Hoods

    Robin and the 7 Hoods

  • Crazy Over Horses

    Crazy Over Horses

  • Sins of Man

    Sins of Man

  • King Kong

    King Kong

  • Jimmy the Gent

    Jimmy the Gent

  • Lawyer Man

    Lawyer Man

  • Boston Blackie

    Boston Blackie

  • Let's Go Navy!

    Let's Go Navy!

  • Racket Squad

    Racket Squad

  • A Date with the Falcon

    A Date with the Falcon

  • The Gay Falcon

    The Gay Falcon

  • I'd Rather Be Rich

    I'd Rather Be Rich

  • The Girl Habit

    The Girl Habit

  • Mr. & Mrs. North

    Mr. & Mrs. North

  • Naughty But Nice

    Naughty But Nice

  • Hey, Jeannie!

    Hey, Jeannie!

  • Rackety Rax

    Rackety Rax

  • It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

    It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

  • Breakdowns of 1938

    Breakdowns of 1938

  • The Big Wheel

    The Big Wheel

  • The Silk Express

    The Silk Express

  • They All Kissed the Bride

    They All Kissed the Bride

  • I Live for Love

    I Live for Love

  • My Wife's an Angel

    My Wife's an Angel

  • The Front Page

    The Front Page

  • Breakdowns of 1936

    Breakdowns of 1936

  • Tin Pan Alley

    Tin Pan Alley

  • Pillow Talk

    Pillow Talk

  • James Stewart: A Wonderful Life

    James Stewart: A Wonderful Life

  • Breakdowns of 1937

    Breakdowns of 1937

  • Sing Me a Love Song

    Sing Me a Love Song

  • Grand Hotel

    Grand Hotel

  • Behave Yourself!

    Behave Yourself!

  • I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang

    I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang

  • Ball of Fire

    Ball of Fire

  • Breakdowns of 1940

    Breakdowns of 1940

  • Dead End

    Dead End

  • The Big Shakedown

    The Big Shakedown

  • Wonder Man

    Wonder Man

  • Dive Bomber

    Dive Bomber

  • The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse

    The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse

  • General Electric Theater

    General Electric Theater

  • Bureau of Missing Persons

    Bureau of Missing Persons

  • The Singing Marine

    The Singing Marine

  • A Slight Case of Murder

    A Slight Case of Murder

  • Blessed Event

    Blessed Event

  • Five Came Back

    Five Came Back

  • The Inside Story

    The Inside Story

  • For Those Who Think Young

    For Those Who Think Young

  • The Spy in the Green Hat

    The Spy in the Green Hat

  • Ready, Willing and Able

    Ready, Willing and Able

  • Stage Door Canteen

    Stage Door Canteen

  • Destry Rides Again

    Destry Rides Again

  • Eyes in the Night

    Eyes in the Night

  • The Case of the Howling Dog

    The Case of the Howling Dog

  • Oklahoma Annie

    Oklahoma Annie

  • Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage

    Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage

  • The Mayor of Hell

    The Mayor of Hell

  • The Perfect Specimen

    The Perfect Specimen

  • Marked Woman

    Marked Woman

  • The Dark Horse

    The Dark Horse

  • Fools for Scandal

    Fools for Scandal

  • Hard to Handle

    Hard to Handle

  • Page Miss Glory

    Page Miss Glory

  • Fun on a Weekend

    Fun on a Weekend

  • Go West, Young Lady

    Go West, Young Lady

  • The Senator Was Indiscreet

    The Senator Was Indiscreet

  • Sh! The Octopus

    Sh! The Octopus

  • Ever Since Eve

    Ever Since Eve

  • The Falcon Takes Over

    The Falcon Takes Over

  • The Duke

    The Duke

  • Whirlpool

    Whirlpool

  • Blow-Ups of 1947

    Blow-Ups of 1947

  • Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding!

    Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding!

  • I've Got Your Number

    I've Got Your Number

  • Miss Pacific Fleet

    Miss Pacific Fleet

  • Going Places

    Going Places

  • The Case of the Lucky Legs

    The Case of the Lucky Legs

  • Cain and Mabel

    Cain and Mabel

  • Twenty Million Sweethearts

    Twenty Million Sweethearts

  • Talent Scout

    Talent Scout

  • Complicated Women

    Complicated Women

  • Racket Busters

    Racket Busters

  • Heart of the North

    Heart of the North

  • Three Men on a Horse

    Three Men on a Horse

  • Easy Come, Easy Go

    Easy Come, Easy Go

  • While the Patient Slept

    While the Patient Slept

  • Swing Your Lady

    Swing Your Lady

  • Marry the Girl

    Marry the Girl

  • Hard to Get

    Hard to Get

  • Gold Diggers in Paris

    Gold Diggers in Paris

  • Time Out for Rhythm

    Time Out for Rhythm

  • Employees' Entrance

    Employees' Entrance

  • Footsteps in the Dark

    Footsteps in the Dark

  • The Singing Kid

    The Singing Kid

  • Wild Harvest

    Wild Harvest

  • Things You Never See on the Screen

    Things You Never See on the Screen

  • Havana Widows

    Havana Widows

  • Three Cheers for the Girls

    Three Cheers for the Girls

  • A Day at Santa Anita

    A Day at Santa Anita

  • Dance Charlie Dance

    Dance Charlie Dance

  • 42nd Street: From Book to Screen to Stage

    42nd Street: From Book to Screen to Stage

  • The Hat Box Mystery

    The Hat Box Mystery

  • The Case of the Baby-Sitter

    The Case of the Baby-Sitter

  • Broadway Hostess

    Broadway Hostess

  • The Case of the Curious Bride

    The Case of the Curious Bride

  • Maisie Gets Her Man

    Maisie Gets Her Man

  • A Night at the Ritz

    A Night at the Ritz

  • Getting Away from It All

    Getting Away from It All

  • The St. Louis Kid

    The St. Louis Kid

  • Tomorrow at Seven

    Tomorrow at Seven

  • Singin' in the Corn

    Singin' in the Corn

  • Happiness Ahead

    Happiness Ahead

  • Meet the Wildcat

    Meet the Wildcat

  • The Keyhole

    The Keyhole

  • Torchy Blane... Playing with Dynamite

    Torchy Blane... Playing with Dynamite

  • The Mind Reader

    The Mind Reader

  • Behind the Scenes of Cain and Mabel

    Behind the Scenes of Cain and Mabel

  • Oh, Johnny, How You Can Love!

    Oh, Johnny, How You Can Love!

  • Meet Me on Broadway

    Meet Me on Broadway

  • The Irish in Us

    The Irish in Us

  • Sweepstakes Winner

    Sweepstakes Winner

  • Chained for Life

    Chained for Life

  • The WAC from Walla Walla

    The WAC from Walla Walla

  • Three Men on a Horse

    Three Men on a Horse