Johnny Arthur
Encyclopedia
Johnny Arthur was an American
stage and motion picture actor.
, Arthur was a veteran of twenty-five years on stage before he made his screen debut in 1923's The Unknown Purple
. Arthur's screen personality was nebulous enough to allow him to play the romantic lead in the Lon Chaney
vehicle The Monster
(1925).
(1929) and Penrod and Sam (1931). When the Production Code
took effect on July 1, 1934, the "pansy" characters played by Arthur were banned from all Hollywood movies. He spent the rest of the 1930s playing fussy, long-suffering wimps, albeit certifiably "masculine roles". This new character served him well in low budget films like The Ghost Walks
, The Natzy Nuisance, Ellis Island and Danger on the Air, as well as big budget pictures like Crime and Punishment and Road to Singapore
.
Arthur is perhaps most remembered for his appearances as Darla Hood
's father in Hal Roach
's Our Gang
shorts. Most of his later roles were unbilled bits, with the notable exception of the 1942 serial, The Masked Marvel.
on December 31, 1951 at the Motion Picture Country Home. He is buried in Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
, but sadly still in an unmarked grave.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
stage and motion picture actor.
Early years
Born John Lennox Arthur Williams in Scottdale, PennsylvaniaScottdale, Pennsylvania
Scottdale is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh. Scottdale is the home of the Southmoreland Scotties. Early in the 20th century, Scottdale was the center of the Frick coke interests...
, Arthur was a veteran of twenty-five years on stage before he made his screen debut in 1923's The Unknown Purple
The Unknown Purple
The Unknown Purple is a 1923 stage-play-based, science-fiction genre, silent film, written and directed by Roland West. The film could probably be the first dealing with the subject of invisibility and might have been based upon the novel The Invisible Man by H.G...
. Arthur's screen personality was nebulous enough to allow him to play the romantic lead in the Lon Chaney
Lon Chaney, Sr.
Lon Chaney , nicknamed "The Man of a Thousand Faces," was an American actor during the age of silent films. He was one of the most versatile and powerful actors of early cinema...
vehicle The Monster
The Monster (1925 film)
The Monster is a 1925 silent comedy horror directed by Roland West, based on the play by Crane Wilbur. It stars Johnny Arthur and Lon Chaney, and is remembered as an antecedental Old Dark House movie, as well as a precedent to many subgenre of horror films. The film has been shown on TCM network...
(1925).
Talkie era
With the coming of sound, Arthur developed his first comedic image, a limp-wristed, ultra-effeminate "Nancy Boy" in films such as The Desert SongThe Desert Song (1929 film)
The Desert Song is a musical operetta film photographed partly in two-color Technicolor. This was the first movie released by Warner Bros. to be in color. Although some of the songs from the show have been omitted, the film is otherwise virtually a duplicate of the stage production...
(1929) and Penrod and Sam (1931). When the Production Code
Production Code
The Motion Picture Production Code was the set of industry moral censorship guidelines that governed the production of the vast majority of United States motion pictures released by major studios from 1930 to 1968. It is also popularly known as the Hays Code, after Hollywood's chief censor of the...
took effect on July 1, 1934, the "pansy" characters played by Arthur were banned from all Hollywood movies. He spent the rest of the 1930s playing fussy, long-suffering wimps, albeit certifiably "masculine roles". This new character served him well in low budget films like The Ghost Walks
The Ghost Walks
The Ghost Walks is a 1934 horror film, directed by Frank R. Strayer.-Plot:On a stormy night, a theatrical producer, his secretary, and playwright Prescott Ames are stranded when their car skids off the road and gets stuck. The three take refuge in the nearby home of Dr. Kent, a friend of Ames...
, The Natzy Nuisance, Ellis Island and Danger on the Air, as well as big budget pictures like Crime and Punishment and Road to Singapore
Road to Singapore
Road to Singapore is a 1940 Paramount Pictures film starring Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour, and Bob Hope, which marked the debut of the long-running and popular "Road to …" series of pictures spotlighting the trio.-Plot:...
.
Arthur is perhaps most remembered for his appearances as Darla Hood
Darla Hood
Darla Jean Hood was an American child actress, best known as the leading lady in the Our Gang series from 1935 to 1941. She was born in Leedey, Oklahoma, the only child of James Claude Hood and Elizabeth Davner...
's father in Hal Roach
Hal Roach
Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach, Sr. was an American film and television producer and director, and from the 1910s to the 1990s.- Early life and career :Hal Roach was born in Elmira, New York...
's Our Gang
Our Gang
Our Gang, also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals, was a series of American comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and the adventures they had together. Created by comedy producer Hal Roach, the series is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively...
shorts. Most of his later roles were unbilled bits, with the notable exception of the 1942 serial, The Masked Marvel.
Death
Arthur died of heart diseaseHeart disease
Heart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. , it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States.-Types:-Coronary heart disease:Coronary...
on December 31, 1951 at the Motion Picture Country Home. He is buried in Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery is located at 10621 Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood, California.The cemetery has a special section called the Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation that is the final resting place for a number of aviation pioneers — barnstormers, daredevils and...
, but sadly still in an unmarked grave.
Filmography
- The Unknown PurpleThe Unknown PurpleThe Unknown Purple is a 1923 stage-play-based, science-fiction genre, silent film, written and directed by Roland West. The film could probably be the first dealing with the subject of invisibility and might have been based upon the novel The Invisible Man by H.G...
(1923) - Mademoiselle Midnight (1924)
- Daring Love (1924)
- The MonsterThe Monster (1925 film)The Monster is a 1925 silent comedy horror directed by Roland West, based on the play by Crane Wilbur. It stars Johnny Arthur and Lon Chaney, and is remembered as an antecedental Old Dark House movie, as well as a precedent to many subgenre of horror films. The film has been shown on TCM network...
(1925) - The TouristThe Tourist (1925 film)The Tourist is a 1925 comedy film directed by Fatty Arbuckle....
(1925) - Cleaning UpCleaning Up (film)Cleaning Up is a 1925 comedy film directed by Fatty Arbuckle....
(1925) - Open House (1926)
- My StarsMy Stars-Cast:* Johnny Arthur - The Boy* Florence Lee - His Mother* Virginia Vance - The Girl* George Davis - The Butler* Glen Cavender - The Gardener...
(1926) - Home CuredHome CuredHome Cured is a 1926 comedy film directed by Fatty Arbuckle.-Cast:* Johnny Arthur* Virginia Vance* George Davis* Glen Cavender...
(1926) - Honest Injun (1926)
- The Humdinger (1926)
- Close Shaves (1926)
- Wedding Yells (1927)
- The Draw-Back (1927)
- Her Husky Hero (1927)
- Live News (1927)
- Scared Silly (1927)
- Wildcat Valley (1928)
- Visitors Welcome (1928)
- Blondes Beware (1928)
- Wedded Blisters (1928)
- On Trial (1928)
- The Eligible Mr. Bangs (1929)
- The Desert SongThe Desert Song (1929 film)The Desert Song is a musical operetta film photographed partly in two-color Technicolor. This was the first movie released by Warner Bros. to be in color. Although some of the songs from the show have been omitted, the film is otherwise virtually a duplicate of the stage production...
(1929) - Hot Lemonade (1929)
- The Gamblers (1929)
- Lovers' Delight (1929)
- Divorce Made Easy (1929)
- A Hint to Brides (1929)
- Adam's Eve (1929)
- The Show of ShowsThe Show of Shows (film)The Show of Shows is a lavish all talking Vitaphone musical revue film which cost $850,000 to make. The Show of Shows was Warner Bros. fifth color movie, the first four were The Desert Song , On With the Show , Gold Diggers of Broadway and Paris . This movie featured most of the contemporary...
(1929) - The AviatorThe Aviator (1929 film)The Aviator was a 1929 all talking Vitaphone comedy film released by Warner Bros. Directed by Roy Del Ruth, the film was based on the play of the same name by James Montgomery and starred Edward Everett Horton and Patsy Ruth Miller...
(1929) - Paper Hanging with Johnny Arthur (1930)
- Personality (1930)
- She Couldn't Say No (1930)
- Scrappily Married (1930)
- Down with Husbands (1930)
- Cheer Up and SmileCheer Up and SmileCheer Up and Smile is a 1930 American musical film directed by Sidney Lanfield. The film starred Arthur Lake, Dixie Lee and Olga Baclanova and a 23-year old John Wayne had a minor uncredited role.-Cast:*Arthur Lake as Eddie Fripp*Dixie Lee as Margie...
(1930) - Going Wild (1930)
- It's a Wise Child (1931)
- Penrod and Sam (1931)
- Should Crooners Marry (1933)
- Easy Millions (1933)
- Convention CityConvention CityConvention City is a 1933 pre-Code comedy film produced by First National Pictures and released by Warner Brothers, which has become notorious as a lost film. - Plot :...
(1933) - Hell in Heaven (1934)
- Twenty Million SweetheartsTwenty Million SweetheartsTwenty Million Sweethearts is a 1934 American musical comedy film directed by Ray Enright. The film stars Pat O'Brien, Dick Powell and Ginger Rogers.The film was remade in 1949, starring Doris Day and Jack Carson as My Dream Is Yours.-Plot:...
(1934) - Many Happy Returns (1934)
- DamesDamesDames is a 1934 Warner Bros. musical comedy film directed by Ray Enright with dance numbers created by Busby Berkeley. The film stars Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, Joan Blondell, Guy Kibbee, ZaSu Pitts, and Hugh Herbert...
(1934) - The Ghost WalksThe Ghost WalksThe Ghost Walks is a 1934 horror film, directed by Frank R. Strayer.-Plot:On a stormy night, a theatrical producer, his secretary, and playwright Prescott Ames are stranded when their car skids off the road and gets stuck. The three take refuge in the nearby home of Dr. Kent, a friend of Ames...
(1934) - Hell in the Heavens (1934)
- Anniversary TroubleAnniversary TroubleAnniversary Trouble is a 1935 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Gus Meins. It was the 134th Our Gang short that was released.-Plot:...
(1935) - Traveling Saleslady (1935)
- Doubting Thomas (1935)
- It's in the Air (1935)
- Crime and Punishment (1935)
- Too Tough to Kill (1935)
- The Bride Comes Home (1935)
- Freshman Love (1936)
- The Murder of Dr. Harrigan (1936)
- All-American Toothache (1936)
- The King Steps Out (1936)
- Stage Struck (1936)
- Ellis Island (1936)
- Under Cover of Night (1937)
- It Happened Out West (1937)
- Pick a Star (1937)
- Night 'n' GalesNight 'n' GalesNight 'n' Gales is a 1937 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Gordon Douglas. It was the 156th Our Gang short Night 'n' Gales is a 1937 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Gordon Douglas. It was the 156th Our Gang short Night 'n' Gales is a 1937 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Gordon...
(1937) - Make a Wish (1937)
- Something to Sing About (1937)
- Blossoms on Broadway (1937)
- Amateur CrookAmateur CrookAmateur Crook is a 1937 American film directed by Sam Katzman.The film is also known as Crooked But Dumb and Jewel Thief .- Cast :*Bruce Bennett as Jimmy Baxter...
(1937) (uncredited) - Exiled to Shanghai (1937)
- Feed 'em and WeepFeed 'em and WeepFeed 'em and Weep is a 1938 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Gordon Douglas. It was the 166th Our Gang short that was released.-Plot:...
(1938) - Half-way to Hollywood (1938)
- Danger on the Air (1938)
- Road to SingaporeRoad to SingaporeRoad to Singapore is a 1940 Paramount Pictures film starring Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour, and Bob Hope, which marked the debut of the long-running and popular "Road to …" series of pictures spotlighting the trio.-Plot:...
(1940) - Jeepers Creepers (1939)
- Li'l Abner (1940)
- Road Show (1941)
- Mountain Moonlight (1941)
- Shepherd of the Ozarks (1942)
- A Desperate Chance for Ellery Queen (1942)
- The Nazty Nuisance (1943)
- The Masked MarvelThe Masked MarvelThe Masked Marvel was a 12-chapter film serial created by Republic Pictures, who produced many of the best known of the serials. It was Republic's thirty-first serial, of the sixty-six they produced.-Plot:...
(1943) - It Happened on 5th AvenueIt Happened on 5th AvenueIt Happened on Fifth Avenue is a 1947 motion picture comedy, with an Academy Award nomination for original story.-Production:It marked the debut of Allied Artists Pictures, the higher-budget division of Monogram Pictures, formerly a low-budget film studio...
(1947) - I Want You (1951)