Jerome Cowan
Encyclopedia
Jerome Palmer Cowan was an American film and television actor. At eighteen he joined a travelling stock company, shortly afterwards enlisting in the navy in World War I
. After the war he returned to the stage and became a vaudeville
headliner, then gained success on the New York stage. He was spotted by Samuel Goldwyn
and was given a film contract, his first film being Beloved Enemy
.
He appeared in over 100 films, but is probably best remembered for two roles in classic films: Miles Archer, the doomed private eye partner of Sam Spade
in The Maltese Falcon
and Thomas Mara, the hapless district attorney who has to prosecute Santa Claus in Miracle on 34th Street
.
The New York-born actor also played Dagwood Bumstead
's boss Mr. Radcliffe in several installments of Columbia Pictures
' Blondie
series. He also appeared in Deadline at Dawn
, June Bride
, and High Sierra.
In the 1960-1961 television
season, Cowan starred as John Larsen, the owner of Comics, Inc., and the boss of Paul Morgan, a young cartoonist portrayed by Tab Hunter
in the 32-segment The Tab Hunter Show
on NBC. In 1962, he guest starred on Fess Parker
's ABC
sitcom, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
. In 1964 and 1965, Cowan appeared as the demanding Herbert Wilson alongside Walter Brennan
in the 32-episode ABC
series The Tycoon
.
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...
. After the war he returned to the stage and became a 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...
headliner, then gained success on the New York stage. He was spotted by Samuel Goldwyn
Samuel Goldwyn
Samuel Goldwyn was an American film producer, and founding contributor executive of several motion picture studios.-Biography:...
and was given a film contract, his first film being Beloved Enemy
Beloved Enemy
Beloved Enemy is a 1936 American drama film directed by H.C. Potter and starring Merle Oberon, Brian Aherne, and David Niven. It was loosely based on the life of Michael Collins.-Plot:...
.
He appeared in over 100 films, but is probably best remembered for two roles in classic films: Miles Archer, the doomed private eye partner of Sam Spade
Sam Spade
Sam Spade is a fictional character who is the protagonist of Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel The Maltese Falcon and the various films and adaptations based on it, as well as in three lesser known short stories by Hammett....
in The Maltese Falcon
The Maltese Falcon (1941 film)
The Maltese Falcon is a 1941 Warner Bros. film based on the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett and a remake of the 1931 film of the same name...
and Thomas Mara, the hapless district attorney who has to prosecute Santa Claus in Miracle on 34th Street
Miracle on 34th Street
Miracle on 34th Street is a 1947 Christmas film written by George Seaton from a story by Valentine Davies, directed by George Seaton and starring Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Natalie Wood and Edmund Gwenn...
.
The New York-born actor also played Dagwood Bumstead
Dagwood Bumstead
Dagwood Bumstead is a main character in comic artist Chic Young's long-running comic strip Blondie. He first appeared sometime prior to 17 February 1933....
's boss Mr. Radcliffe in several installments of Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
' Blondie
Blondie (film)
Blondie is a 1938 movie directed by Frank Strayer, based on the comic strip of the same name. The screenplay was written by Chic Young and Richard Flournoy....
series. He also appeared in Deadline at Dawn
Deadline at Dawn
Deadline at Dawn is a 1946 film noir, the only film directed by stage director Harold Clurman. It was written by Clifford Odets and based on a novella by Cornell Woolrich . The RKO Radio Picture was the only cinematic collaboration between Clurman and his former Group Theatre associate,...
, June Bride
June Bride
June Bride is a 1948 American comedy film directed by Bretaigne Windust. Ranald MacDougall's screenplay, based on the unproduced play Feature for June by Eileen Tighe and Graeme Lorimer, was nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Comedy. The film starred Bette...
, and High Sierra.
In the 1960-1961 television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
season, Cowan starred as John Larsen, the owner of Comics, Inc., and the boss of Paul Morgan, a young cartoonist portrayed by Tab Hunter
Tab Hunter
Tab Hunter is an American actor, singer, former teen idol and author who has starred in over forty major films.-Background:...
in the 32-segment The Tab Hunter Show
The Tab Hunter Show
The Tab Hunter Show is a 32-episode situation comedy starring former teen idol Tab Hunter. The series ran new episodes on NBC from September 18, 1960, to April 30, 1961; rebroadcasts then aired from May until September 18.-Synopsis:...
on NBC. In 1962, he guest starred on Fess Parker
Fess Parker
Fess Elisha Parker, Jr. was an American film and television actor best known for his portrayals of Davy Crockett in the Walt Disney 1955-56 TV mini-series and as TV's Daniel Boone from 1964-70...
's ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
sitcom, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (TV series)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a 1962-1963 ABC sitcom starring Fess Parker as Eugene Smith, an honest but unsophisticated U.S. senator from an unidentified small-populated state. The half-hour program is based on the 1939 Frank Capra film, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, starring James Stewart in...
. In 1964 and 1965, Cowan appeared as the demanding Herbert Wilson alongside Walter Brennan
Walter Brennan
Walter Brennan was an American actor. Brennan won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor on three separate occasions, which is currently the record for most wins.-Early life:...
in the 32-episode ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
series The Tycoon
The Tycoon (TV series)
The Tycoon is a 32-episode American situation comedy television series broadcast by ABC. It starred Walter Brennan as the fictitious businessman Walter Andrews...
.
Partial filmography
- Beloved EnemyBeloved EnemyBeloved Enemy is a 1936 American drama film directed by H.C. Potter and starring Merle Oberon, Brian Aherne, and David Niven. It was loosely based on the life of Michael Collins.-Plot:...
(1936) - You Only Live Once (1937)
- Shall We Dance (1937)
- Vogues of 1938Vogues of 1938Vogues of 1938 is a 1937 musical film distributed by United Artists, directed by Irving Cummings, written by Bella Spewack and Sam Spewack, and starring by Warner Baxter and Joan Bennett...
(1937) - The HurricaneThe Hurricane (1937 film)The Hurricane is a 1937 film set in the South Seas, directed by John Ford and produced by Samuel Goldwyn, about a Polynesian who is unjustly imprisoned. The climax features a special effects hurricane. It stars Dorothy Lamour and Jon Hall, with Mary Astor, C. Aubrey Smith, Thomas Mitchell, Raymond...
(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) - There's Always a WomanThere's Always a WomanThere's Always a Woman is a 1938 comedy mystery film starring Joan Blondell and Melvyn Douglas as married detectives investigating a murder...
(1938) - St. Louis BluesSt. Louis Blues (1939 film)St. Louis Blues is a 1939 musical film directed by Raoul Walsh that was set on a Mississippi River showboat. Although the plot was not related to the song, the "St. Louis Blues" was sung as one of the numbers. Artists included jazz singer Maxine Sullivan and composer/singer/actor Hoagy Carmichael...
(1939) - The Saint Strikes BackThe Saint Strikes BackThe Saint Strikes Back, released in 1939, is the second film featuring the crimefighting crusader Simon Templar, alias "The Saint". George Sanders replaced Louis Hayward, who had played the Saint in The Saint in New York. The movie was produced by RKO and also featured Wendy Barrie as female gang...
(1939) - The Old Maid (1939)
- The Great Victor HerbertThe Great Victor Herbert-Cast:* Allan Jones as John Ramsey* Mary Martin as Louise Hall* Walter Connolly as Victor Herbert* Lee Bowman as Dr. Richard Moore* Susanna Foster as Peggy* Judith Barrett as Marie Clark* Jerome Cowan as Barney Harris* John Garrick as Warner Bryant...
(1939) - Castle on the HudsonCastle on the HudsonCastle on the Hudson is a 1940 American drama film directed by Anatole Litvak and starring John Garfield, Ann Sheridan, and Pat O'Brien. A thief gets sent to Sing Sing Prison, where he is befriended by the reform-minded warden. The film was based on the book Twenty Thousand Years in Sing Sing,...
(1940) - Torrid ZoneTorrid ZoneTorrid Zone is a 1940 adventure film starring James Cagney, Ann Sheridan and Pat O'Brien.-Plot summary:Steve Case has to deal with trouble at his tropical fruit company's Central American banana plantation...
(1940) - City for ConquestCity for ConquestCity for Conquest is a 1940 American drama film directed by Anatole Litvak, starring James Cagney, Ann Sheridan, and Arthur Kennedy. It is based on the novel of the same name by Aben Kandel.-Plot:...
(1940) - Melody RanchMelody RanchMelody Ranch is a 1940 Western film which tells the story of a singing cowboy who returns to his hometown to restore order when his former childhood enemies take over the frontier town.-Movie:...
(1940) - High Sierra (1941)
- The Great LieThe Great LieThe Great Lie is a 1941 American drama film directed by Edmund Goulding and starring Bette Davis, George Brent, and Mary Astor. The screenplay by Lenore J...
(1941) - Affectionately Yours (1941)
- Out of the FogOut of the Fog (film)Out of the Fog is a 1941 film noir directed by Anatole Litvak, starring John Garfield, Ida Lupino and Thomas Mitchell. A gangster falls in love with the daughter of one of the fisherman from whom he extorts "protection" money...
(1941) - One Foot in HeavenOne Foot in HeavenOne Foot in Heaven is a 1941 American biographical film starring Fredric March, Martha Scott, Beulah Bondi, Gene Lockhart and Elisabeth Fraser.The movie was adapted by Casey Robinson from the autobiography by Hartzell Spence...
(1941) - The Maltese FalconThe Maltese Falcon (1941 film)The Maltese Falcon is a 1941 Warner Bros. film based on the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett and a remake of the 1931 film of the same name...
(1941) - Mr. and Mrs. NorthMr. and Mrs. North (film)Mr. and Mrs. North is a 1942 American mystery film directed by Robert B. Sinclair, starring Gracie Allen and William Post Jr. as detectives Pam and Jerry North. A dizzy socialite and her husband Jerry, returning home from a vacation, find a dead body in their home...
(1942) - MoontideMoontideMoontide is a 1942 drama film about a man who fears he has committed a murder when he was drunk. It stars Jean Gabin, Ida Lupino, and Thomas Mitchell. It was adapted from the novel of the same name by Willard Robertson.Charles G...
(1942) - Street of Chance (1942)
- Who Done It? (1942)
- Mission to MoscowMission to MoscowMission to Moscow is a book by the former U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union Joseph E. Davies published by Simon and Schuster in 1941. It was adapted into a film directed by Michael Curtiz in 1943....
(1943) (uncredited) - The Song of BernadetteThe Song of Bernadette (film)The Song of Bernadette is a 1943 drama film which tells the story of Saint Bernadette Soubirous, who, from February to July 1858 in Lourdes, France, reported 18 visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was directed by Henry King....
(1943) - Mr. SkeffingtonMr. SkeffingtonMr. Skeffington is a 1944 American drama film directed by Vincent Sherman, based on the novel of the same name by Elizabeth von Arnim.The film stars Bette Davis as a beautiful woman whose many suitors, and self-love, distract her from returning the affections of her husband, Job Skeffington...
(1944) - The Jungle CaptiveThe Jungle CaptiveThe Jungle Captive is a 1945 sequel to Jungle Woman , which had been preceded by Captive Wild Woman . The Jungle Captive features Otto Kruger, Amelita Ward, and Rondo Hatton . Vicky Lane plays Paula Dupree, a lead character from the two earlier films. The movie was written by Dwight V...
(1945) - DivorceDivorce (film)Divorce is a 1945 drama film about a much-divorced woman who sets her sights on her married childhood friend. It stars Kay Francis, Bruce Cabot, and Helen Mack.-Cast:*Kay Francis as Diane Carter*Bruce Cabot as Bob Phillips*Helen Mack as Martha Phillips...
(1945) - My ReputationMy ReputationMy Reputation is a 1946 wartime love story, directed by Curtis Bernhardt. Barbara Stanwyck portrayed Jessica Drummond, an upper-class widow from Chicago who innocently falls in love with an army officer , much to the consternation of her gossipy friends and domineering mother...
(1946) - Deadline at DawnDeadline at DawnDeadline at Dawn is a 1946 film noir, the only film directed by stage director Harold Clurman. It was written by Clifford Odets and based on a novella by Cornell Woolrich . The RKO Radio Picture was the only cinematic collaboration between Clurman and his former Group Theatre associate,...
(1946) - The Kid from BrooklynThe Kid from BrooklynThe Kid from Brooklyn is a 1946 comedy film starring Danny Kaye and co-starring Virginia Mayo, Vera-Ellen, Steve Cochran, and Eve Arden, about a milkman who becomes world boxing champion....
(1946) - Murder in the Music HallMurder in the Music HallMurder in the Music Hall is a 1946 musical mystery starring Vera Ralston, William Marshall, Helen Walker, and Nancy Kelly...
(1946) - Mr. AceMr. AceMr. Ace is a 1946 film about a society woman who taps a gangster for his political support. The movie was written by Fred F. Finkelhoffe and directed by Edwin L...
(1946) - Miracle on 34th StreetMiracle on 34th StreetMiracle on 34th Street is a 1947 Christmas film written by George Seaton from a story by Valentine Davies, directed by George Seaton and starring Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Natalie Wood and Edmund Gwenn...
(1947) - The UnfaithfulThe UnfaithfulThe Unfaithful is a 1947 film noir based on the W. Somerset Maugham penned 1940 Bette Davis movie The Letter. The film was directed by Vincent Sherman.-Plot:Chris Hunter stabs a man in her home one night while her husband Bob is out of town...
(1947) - RiffraffRiffraff (1947 film)Riffraff is a 1947 black-and-white film starring Pat O'Brien, Anne Jeffreys and Walter Slezak. Considered a minor film noir entry more in the adventure genre, it was directed by Ted Tetzlaff, who also directed The Window and worked as a cinematographer for over 100 films, including another...
(1947) - Cry WolfCry Wolf (film)Cry Wolf is a 1947 mystery film starring Errol Flynn and Barbara Stanwyck, based on the novel of the same name by Marjorie Carleton.-Plot:A woman shows up to claim the inheritance of her late husband and receives a cold reception.-Cast:...
(1947) - Night Has a Thousand EyesNight Has a Thousand EyesNight Has a Thousand Eyes is a 1948 film noir, starring Edward G. Robinson and directed by John Farrow. The screenplay was written by Barré Lyndon and Jonathan Latimer. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Cornell Woolrich.- Plot :...
(1948) - So This Is New York (1948)
- June BrideJune BrideJune Bride is a 1948 American comedy film directed by Bretaigne Windust. Ranald MacDougall's screenplay, based on the unproduced play Feature for June by Eileen Tighe and Graeme Lorimer, was nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Comedy. The film starred Bette...
(1948) - The FountainheadThe Fountainhead (film)The Fountainhead is a 1949 American film directed by King Vidor, based on the best-selling book of the same name by Ayn Rand, who wrote the screenplay adaptation....
(1949) - Scene of the CrimeScene of the Crime (1949 film)Scene of the Crime is a 1949 film noir starring Van Johnson as a Los Angeles police detective.-Plot:Detective Mike Conovan investigates when a former partner is found murdered and carrying $1,000 in cash....
(1949) - Young Man with a HornYoung Man with a Horn (film)Young Man with a Horn is a 1950 drama film based on a biographical novel of the same name aboutBix Beiderbecke, the legendary jazz cornetist...
(1950) - The Fuller Brush GirlThe Fuller Brush GirlThe Fuller Brush Girl is a 1950 slapstick comedy starring Lucille Ball and directed by Lloyd Bacon. Animator Frank Tashlin wrote the script. Ball plays a quirky door-to-door cosmetics salesperson for the Fuller Brush Company...
(1950) - The West Point StoryThe West Point Story (film)The West Point Story is a 1950 musical comedy film directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring James Cagney, Virginia Mayo and Doris Day.-Plot:...
(1950) - Gold RaidersGold RaidersGold Raiders is a comedy Western film, directed by Edward Bernds with a script by B-movie writer William Lively and veteran comedy writer Elwood Ullman. The film was an attempt by independent producer Bernard Glasser to inaugurate a new western series starring George O'Brien, the lead in F. W....
(1951) - Have Rocket, Will TravelHave Rocket, Will TravelHave Rocket, Will Travel is a 1959 comedy film starring The Three Stooges. By this time, the trio consisted of Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Joe DeRita . Released by Columbia Pictures, the feature was produced to capitalize on the comedy trio's late 1950s resurgence in popularity...
(1959) - The Sixteen-Millimeter ShrineThe Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine"The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.- Synopsis :Aging film star Barbara Jean Trenton secludes herself in her private screening room, where she reminisces about her past by watching her old films...
(1959) - Visit to a Small PlanetVisit to a Small PlanetVisit to a Small Planet is a 1960 Paramount Pictures film starring Jerry Lewis, based on a play by Gore Vidal. It was released on February 4, 1960.-Plot:...
(1960) - All in a Night's WorkAll in a Night's Work (film)All in a Night's Work is a 1961 romantic screwball comedy starring Dean Martin and Shirley MacLaine, and directed by Joseph Anthony.-Plot:Tony Ryder's uncle, the wealthy owner of a newspaper, has just died...
(1961) - Pocketful of MiraclesPocketful of MiraclesPocketful of Miracles is a 1961 American comedy film that stars Bette Davis and Glenn Ford, directed by Frank Capra. The screenplay by Hal Kanter and Harry Tugend is based on the screenplay Lady for a Day by Robert Riskin, which was adapted from the Damon Runyon short story "Madame La Gimp".The...
(1961) - Critic's ChoiceCritic's Choice (1963 film)Critic's Choice is a 1963 film comedy directed by Don Weis. Based on the 1960 Broadway play of the same name by Ira Levin, the movie starred Bob Hope and Lucille Ball and included Rip Torn, Marilyn Maxwell, Jim Backus, Marie Windsor and Jerome Cowan in the cast.This was the last of four films that...
(1963) - Black ZooBlack ZooBlack Zoo is a 1963 American horror film produced and co-written by Herman Cohen. It is a violent, gore-filled tale directed by Robert Gordon.- Plot :Michael Conrad is a private zookeeper who owns Conrad's Animal Kingdom...
(1963) - John Goldfarb, Please Come HomeJohn Goldfarb, Please Come HomeJohn Goldfarb, Please Come Home is a 1963 novel by William Peter Blatty that was adapted as a film by the same title, released in 1965.-Synopsis:...
! (1965) - Frankie and JohnnyFrankie and Johnny (1966 film)Frankie and Johnny is a 1966 musical film starring Elvis Presley as a riverboat gambler. The role of "Frankie" was played by Donna Douglas from The Beverly Hillbillies TV series. The film reached #40 on the Variety weekly national box office list for 1966. The budget of the film was estimated at...
(1966) (uncredited) - PenelopePenelope (1966 film)Penelope is a 1966 comedy film directed by Arthur Hiller and starring Natalie Wood, Ian Bannen, Peter Falk, Jonathan Winters, and Dick Shawn.-Plot:Penelope Elcott is the wife of wealthy banker of James Elcott...
(1966) - The Gnome-MobileThe Gnome-MobileThe Gnome-Mobile is a 1967 Disney musical film, directed by Robert Stevenson. It was one of the last films personally produced by Walt Disney....
(1967) - The ComicThe ComicThe Comic is a 1969 drama/black comedy film co-written, co-produced and directed by Carl Reiner. It stars former Disney regulars Dick Van Dyke as Billy Bright and Michele Lee as Bright's love interest...
(1969)