Alan Mowbray
Encyclopedia
Alan Mowbray MM
, (18 August 1896 - 25 March 1969), was an English
stage and film actor who found success in Hollywood.
Born Alfred Ernest Allen in London
, England
, he served with distinction the British Army
in World War I
, being awarded the Military Medal
for bravery. He began as a stage actor, making his way to the United States
where he appeared in Broadway
plays and toured the country as part of a theater troupe.
As Alan Mowbray, he made his motion picture debut in 1931, going on to a career primarily as a character actor in more than 140 films including the sterling butler role in the comedy Merrily We Live
, and playing the title role in the TV series The Adventures of Colonel Flack. During World War II, he made a memorable appearance as the Devil in the Hal Roach
propaganda comedy The Devil with Hitler
. He appeared in some two dozen guest roles on various television series.
Mowbray was a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild
, with outside interests that led to membership in Britain's Royal Geographic Society.
He played the title role in the television series Colonel Humphrey Flack
, which first appeared in 1953-1954 and then was revived in 1958-1959. In the 1954-1955 television season Mowbray played Mr. Swift, the drama coach of the character Mickey Mulligan, in NBC
's short-lived situation comedy
The Mickey Rooney Show: Hey, Mulligan
.
Mowbray died of a heart attack in 1969 in Hollywood and was interred in the Holy Cross Cemetery
in Culver City, California
.
Military Medal
The Military Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land....
, (18 August 1896 - 25 March 1969), was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
stage and film actor who found success in Hollywood.
Born Alfred Ernest Allen in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, he served with distinction the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
in World War I
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...
, being awarded the Military Medal
Military Medal
The Military Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land....
for bravery. He began as a stage actor, making his way to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where he appeared in Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
plays and toured the country as part of a theater troupe.
As Alan Mowbray, he made his motion picture debut in 1931, going on to a career primarily as a character actor in more than 140 films including the sterling butler role in the comedy Merrily We Live
Merrily We Live
Merrily We Live is a 1938 comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod. It stars Constance Bennett and Brian Aherne and features Ann Dvorak, Bonita Granville, Billie Burke, Tom Brown, Alan Mowbray, Clarence Kolb and Patsy Kelly. The film was produced by Hal Roach for Hal Roach Studios, and was...
, and playing the title role in the TV series The Adventures of Colonel Flack. During World War II, he made a memorable appearance as the Devil in the 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...
propaganda comedy The Devil with Hitler
The Devil with Hitler
The Devil with Hitler is a 1942 comedy short propaganda film that was one of Hal Roach's Streamliners. When the board of directors of Hell want Adolf Hitler to take charge, the Devil tries to save his job by making the German dictator perform a good deed....
. He appeared in some two dozen guest roles on various television series.
Mowbray was a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
, with outside interests that led to membership in Britain's Royal Geographic Society.
He played the title role in the television series Colonel Humphrey Flack
Colonel Humphrey Flack
Colonel Humphrey Flack is an early American television series which ran from October 7, 1953 to July 2, 1954 on the DuMont Television Network, then revived from 1958 to 1959 for first-run syndication....
, which first appeared in 1953-1954 and then was revived in 1958-1959. In the 1954-1955 television season Mowbray played Mr. Swift, the drama coach of the character Mickey Mulligan, in NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's short-lived situation comedy
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
The Mickey Rooney Show: Hey, Mulligan
The Mickey Rooney Show: Hey, Mulligan
The Mickey Rooney Show: Hey, Mulligan is an American sitcom that aired from 1954 to 1955 on NBC. The series stars Mickey Rooney who was particularly remembered for his starring role in numerous Andy Hardy films made between 1937 and 1958, which overlapped with Hey Mulligan.-Synopsis:Rooney stars...
.
Mowbray died of a heart attack in 1969 in Hollywood and was interred in the Holy Cross Cemetery
Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City
Holy Cross Cemetery is a Roman Catholic cemetery at 5835 West Slauson Avenue in Culver City, California, operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles....
in Culver City, California
Culver City, California
Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 38,883, up from 38,816 at the 2000 census. It is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Culver...
.
Selected filmography
- God's Gift to WomenGod's Gift to WomenGod's Gift to Women is a Pre-Code musical romantic comedy film released by Warner Brothers, and starring Frank Fay and Laura LaPlante....
(1931) - Alexander HamiltonAlexander Hamilton (film)Alexander Hamilton is a 1931 American biographical film about Alexander Hamilton, based on a play by George Arliss and Mary Hamlin. It was directed by John G. Adolfi and stars Arliss in the title role...
(1931) - Honor of the FamilyHonor of the FamilyHonor of the Family is a dramatic film released by First National Pictures, , starring Bebe Daniels and Warren William. It was based on the play by Emil Fabre, from a story by Honoré de Balzac....
(1931) - The Man from Yesterday (1932)
- Winner Take AllWinner Take All (1932 film)Winner Take All is a 1932 film starring James Cagney, who had electrified the industry the previous year with his performances in The Public Enemy and Smart Money, as a boxer...
(1932) - Jewel RobberyJewel RobberyJewel Robbery is a 1932 comedy film directed by William Dieterle and starring William Powell and Kay Francis. It was based on the play Ekszerrablás a Váci-uccában by Ladislas Fodor and the English adaptation, Jewel Robbery, by Bertram Bloch.-Plot:...
(1932) - Two Against the WorldTwo Against the World (1932 film)Two Against the World is a 1932 drama film starring Constance Bennett as a woman who tries her best to keep her sister and brother out of trouble...
(1932) - Our BettersOur BettersOur Betters is a 1933 American satirical comedy film directed by George Cukor. The screenplay by Jane Murfin and Harry Wagstaff Gribble is based on the 1923 play of the same title by W. Somerset Maugham.-Plot:...
(1933) - A Study in ScarletA Study in Scarlet (1933 film)A Study in Scarlet is a drama film directed by Edwin L. Marin and starring Reginald Owen as Sherlock Holmes and Anna May Wong as Mrs. Pyke. The title comes from Arthur Conan Doyle's novel of the same name, the first in the Holmes series, but the screenplay by Robert Florey was original.Despite her...
(1933) - Peg o' My HeartPeg o' My Heart (1933 film)Peg o' My Heart is a 1933 film adaptation of the play of the same name by J. Hartley Manners. It starred Marion Davies as a poor Irish girl who stands to inherit a fortune if she satisfies certain conditions.-Cast:...
(1933) - The Midnight ClubThe Midnight Club (1933 film)Midnight Club is a 1933 crime film about a gang of London jewel thieves infiltrated by an undercover agent . The movie was directed by Alexander Hall and George Somnes.This film is not related to the video game of the same name.-Cast:...
(1933) - VoltaireVoltaire (film)Voltaire is a 1933 biographical film starring George Arliss as the renowned 18th century French writer and philosopher.-Cast:*George Arliss as Voltaire*Doris Kenyon as Madame Pompadour*Margaret Lindsay as Nanette Calas...
(1933) - Berkeley SquareBerkeley Square (film)Berkeley Square is a drama film produced by Fox Film Corporation, directed by Frank Lloyd, and starring Leslie Howard, Heather Angel, Valerie Taylor, and Colin Keith-Johnston. The film was thought to be a lost film until rediscovered in the 1970s....
(1933) - Roman ScandalsRoman ScandalsRoman Scandals is a 1933 black-and-white American musical film starring Eddie Cantor, Ruth Etting, Gloria Stuart, Edward Arnold and David Manners. It was directed by Frank Tuttle....
(1933) - The House of Rothschild (1934)
- The Girl from MissouriThe Girl from MissouriThe Girl from Missouri is a 1934 American romantic comedy-drama film starring Jean Harlow and Franchot Tone. The movie was written by Anita Loos and directed by Jack Conway.-Plot:...
(1934) - Charlie Chan in LondonCharlie Chan in LondonCharlie Chan in London is a 1934 American mystery film directed by Eugene Forde. The film stars Warner Oland as Charlie Chan, with Drue Leyton....
(1934) - Becky SharpBecky Sharp (film)Becky Sharp is a 1935 film directed by Rouben Mamoulian and starring Miriam Hopkins. Other supporting cast were Frances Dee, Cedric Hardwicke, Billie Burke, Alison Skipworth, Nigel Bruce, and Alan Mowbray. It is based on the play of the same name by Langdon Mitchell, which in turn is based on...
(1935) - The Gay DeceptionThe Gay DeceptionThe Gay Deception is a 1935 romantic comedy film starring Francis Lederer and Frances Dee. Writers Stephen Morehouse Avery and Don Hartman were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Story.-Plot:...
(1935) - She Couldn't Take ItShe Couldn't Take ItShe Couldn't Take It is a 1935 comedy film made at Columbia Pictures, directed by Tay Garnett, written by C. Graham Baker, Gene Towne and Oliver H.P...
(1935) - Rose-MarieRose-MarieRose-Marie is an operetta-style musical with music by Rudolf Friml and Herbert Stothart, and book and lyrics by Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II. The story takes place in the Canadian Rockies and concerns Rose-Marie La Flemme, a French Canadian girl who loves miner Jim Kenyon...
(1936) - DesireDesire (1936 film)Desire is an American romantic drama film released in 1936 and directed by Frank Borzage. It was produced by Borzage and Ernst Lubitsch. The picture is a remake of the 1933 German film Die Schönen Tage von Aranjuez. The screenplay was written by Samuel Hoffenstein, Edwin Justus Mayer and Waldemar...
(1936) - Mary of ScotlandMary of Scotland (film)Mary of Scotland is a 1936 RKO film starring Katharine Hepburn as the 16th century ruler, Mary, Queen of Scots. Directed by John Ford, it is an adaptation of the 1933 Maxwell Anderson play by Dudley Nichols. The play starred Helen Hayes as Mary...
(1936) - My Man GodfreyMy Man GodfreyMy Man Godfrey is a 1936 American screwball comedy film directed by Gregory La Cava. The screenplay was written by Morrie Ryskind, with uncredited contributions by La Cava, based on "1101 Park Avenue", a short story by Eric Hatch. The story concerns a socialite who hires a derelict to be her...
(1936) - Ladies in LoveLadies in LoveLadies in Love is a romantic comedy film directed by Edward H. Griffith. Starring Janet Gaynor, Constance Bennett and Loretta Young the film revolves around three roommates in exotic Budapest and their comical romantic adventures. Gaynor, Bennett, and Young were billed above the title, with...
(1936) - On the AvenueOn the AvenueOn the Avenue is a 1937 American musical film directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring Dick Powell, Madeleine Carroll, and Alice Faye. All of the songs in this film were composed by Irving Berlin.-Plot:...
(1937) - Topper (1937)
- Stand-InStand-InStand-In is a movie about Hollywood and the film industry starring Leslie Howard, Joan Blondell, and Humphrey Bogart. It was directed by Tay Garnett, produced by Walter Wanger, and released by United Artists.- Plot :...
(1937)
- Merrily We LiveMerrily We LiveMerrily We Live is a 1938 comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod. It stars Constance Bennett and Brian Aherne and features Ann Dvorak, Bonita Granville, Billie Burke, Tom Brown, Alan Mowbray, Clarence Kolb and Patsy Kelly. The film was produced by Hal Roach for Hal Roach Studios, and was...
(1938) - There Goes My HeartThere Goes My HeartThere Goes My Heart is a 1938 romantic comedy film starring Virginia Bruce as a wealthy heiress who goes to work under an alias at a department store owned by her grandfather. Fredric March plays the reporter who tracks her down. The film is based on a story by Ed Sullivan, better known for his...
(1938) - Topper Takes a TripTopper Takes a TripTopper Takes a Trip is a 1938 film sequel of Topper . Constance Bennett, Roland Young, Billie Burke and Alan Mowbray reprised their roles from the earlier movie; only Cary Grant was missing . A ghost tries to reunite a couple who she had a hand in splitting up in the prior film...
(1939) - Music in My Heart (1940)
- The Boys from SyracuseThe Boys from Syracuse (film)The Boys from Syracuse is a 1940 musical film directed by A. Edward Sutherland, based on a stage musical by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, which in turn was based on the play The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare...
(1940) - That Hamilton WomanThat Hamilton WomanThat Hamilton Woman, originally titled Lady Hamilton, is a 1941 black-and-white British historical film drama which takes place during the Napoleonic wars, produced and directed by Alexander Korda for Alexander Korda Films.-Production:...
(1941) - That Uncertain FeelingThat Uncertain FeelingThat Uncertain Feeling is a comic novel by Kingsley Amis, first published in 1956.In 1962, the book was made into a film starring Peter Sellers, with the title changed to Only Two Can Play...
(1941) - I Wake Up ScreamingI Wake Up ScreamingI Wake Up Screaming is a 1941 film noir. It is based on the novel of the same name by Steve Fisher, who co-wrote the screenplay with Dwight Taylor...
(1941) - The Devil with HitlerThe Devil with HitlerThe Devil with Hitler is a 1942 comedy short propaganda film that was one of Hal Roach's Streamliners. When the board of directors of Hell want Adolf Hitler to take charge, the Devil tries to save his job by making the German dictator perform a good deed....
(1942) - His Butler's SisterHis Butler's SisterHis Butler's Sister is a 1943 comedy film directed by Frank Borzage. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Sound Recording His Butler's Sister is a 1943 comedy film directed by Frank Borzage. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Sound Recording His Butler's Sister is a 1943...
(1943) - Slightly DangerousSlightly DangerousSlightly Dangerous is a 1943 American romantic comedy film starring Lana Turner and Robert Young. A bored young woman in a dead-end job runs away to New York City and ends up impersonating the long-lost daughter of a millionaire. The film was directed by Wesley Ruggles and written by Charles...
(1943) - Holy Matrimony (1943)
- Terror by NightTerror by NightTerror by Night is a 1946 Sherlock Holmes mystery film inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, loosely based on The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax and The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle. It was directed by Roy William Neill, and stars Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson...
(1946) - My Darling ClementineMy Darling ClementineMy Darling Clementine is a 1946 western movie. It was directed by John Ford, and based on the story of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral between the Earp brothers and the Clanton gang. It features an ensemble cast including Henry Fonda, Victor Mature, Ward Bond, Walter Brennan, and others.The movie...
(1946) - LuredLuredLured is the title of a film noir released by United Artists, directed by Douglas Sirk, and starring Lucille Ball, George Sanders, Boris Karloff, Charles Coburn, and Sir Cedric Hardwicke.-Plot:...
(1947) - Captain from CastileCaptain from CastileCaptain from Castile is an action historical drama and swashbuckler film released by 20th Century Fox in 1947. Directed by Henry King, the Technicolor film starred Tyrone Power, Jean Peters, and Cesar Romero. Shot on location in Michoacán, Mexico, the film includes scenes of the Parícutin...
(1947) - Every Girl Should Be MarriedEvery Girl Should Be MarriedEvery Girl Should Be Married is a 1948 romantic comedy film starring Cary Grant and Betsy Drake. -Plot summary:...
(1948) - Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris KarloffAbbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris KarloffAbbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff is a 1949 comedy horror film starring Abbott and Costello and Boris Karloff. The full onscreen title is Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff....
(1949) - Wagon MasterWagon MasterWagon Master is a 1950 Western film directed by John Ford and starring Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr., Joanne Dru, and Ward Bond.-Plot:Learning of their ability as experienced horsemen, Mormon Elder Wiggs , hires Travis Blue and Sandy Owens to guide a small group of Mormons across the West to the...
(1950) - The JackpotThe JackpotThe Jackpot is a 1950 American comedy film directed by Walter Lang with James Stewart and Barbara Hale in the lead roles. It features a young Natalie Wood....
(1950) - Blackbeard the PirateBlackbeard the PirateBlackbeard the Pirate is a 1952 Technicolor adventure film made by RKO. The film was directed by Raoul Walsh and produced by Edmund Grainger from a screenplay by Alan Le May based on the story by DeVallon Scott.-Plot:...
(1952) - Androcles and the Lion (1952)
- Ma and Pa Kettle at HomeMa and Pa Kettle at HomeMa and Pa Kettle at Home is a 1954 American comedy film directed by Charles Lamont and starring Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride as "Ma and Pa Kettle".-Synopsis:...
(1954) - Once Upon a Honeymoon (1956) (short)
- The Man Who Knew Too MuchThe Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 film)The Man Who Knew Too Much is a suspense film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring James Stewart and Doris Day. The film is a remake in widescreen VistaVision and Technicolor of Hitchcock's 1934 film of the same name....
(1956) - The King and IThe King and I (1956 film)The King and I is a 1956 musical film made by 20th Century Fox, directed by Walter Lang and produced by Charles Brackett and Darryl F. Zanuck. The screenplay by Ernest Lehman is based on the Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II musical The King and I, based in turn on the book Anna and the King...
(1956) - Around the World in Eighty DaysAround the World in Eighty Days (1956 film)Around the World in 80 Days is a 1956 adventure film produced by the Michael Todd Company and released by United Artists. It was directed by Michael Anderson. It was produced by Michael Todd, with Kevin McClory and William Cameron Menzies as associate producers. The screenplay was written by James...
(1956) - A Majority of OneA Majority of One-Plot:The comedy involves Mrs. Jacoby, a Jewish widow from Brooklyn, New York, and Koichi Asano, a millionaire widower from Tokyo. Mrs. Jacoby is sailing to Japan with her daughter and foreign service officer son-in-law who is being posted to the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo...
(1962)
TV appearances
- The Patty Duke ShowThe Patty Duke ShowThe Patty Duke Show is an American sitcom which ran on ABC from September 18, 1963, until May 4, 1966, with reruns airing through August 31, 1966. The show was created as a vehicle for rising star Patty Duke...
, as director of the high school play in which both Patty and Cathy appeared - MaverickMaverick (TV series)Maverick is a western television series with comedic overtones created by Roy Huggins. The show ran from September 22, 1957 to July 8, 1962 on ABC and stars James Garner as Bret Maverick, a cagey, articulate cardsharp. Eight episodes into the first season, he was joined by Jack Kelly as his brother...
, in "The Misfortune Teller" episode as Luke Abigor.