James Ellison
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- May 4, 1910
- Died
- December 23, 1993 (aged 83)
- Birthplace
- Guthrie Center, Iowa, USA
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.
Known For
Photos
Filmography
When the Girls Take Over
Movie · as Alex 'Longhorn' Gates (as Jimmy Ellison)
Dead Man's Trail
Movie · as Dan Winslow
Man from the Black Hills
Movie · as Jim Fallon (as Jimmy Ellison)
Texas City
Movie · as Jim Kirby (as Jimmy Ellison)
Texas Lawmen
Movie · as Sheriff Tod Merrick
Kentucky Jubilee
Movie · as Jeff Benson
Oklahoma Justice
Movie · as Clancy
Whistling Hills
Movie · as Sheriff Dave Holland
Crooked River
Movie · as Shamrock Ellison
The Texan Meets Calamity Jane
Movie · as Gordon Hastings
Everybody's Dancin'
Movie · as Jimmy Ellison
Fast on the Draw
Movie · as Shamrock Ellison
Colorado Ranger
Movie · as Shamrock Kid
Hostile Country
Movie · as Shamrock Ellison
Marshal of Heldorado
Movie · as Shamrock Ellison
West of the Brazos
Movie · as Shamrock Ellison
I Killed Geronimo
Movie · as Capt. Jeff Packard
Last of the Wild Horses
Movie · as Duke Barnum
The Ghost Goes Wild
Movie · as Monte Crandall
Calendar Girl
Movie · as Steve Adams
G.I. War Brides
Movie · as Steve Giles
Hollywood and Vine
Movie · as Larry Winters
Johnny Doesn't Live Here Anymore
Movie · as Mike Burke
Lady, Let's Dance
Movie · as Jerry Gibson
I Walked with a Zombie
Movie · as Wesley Rand
The Gang's All Here
Movie · as Andy Mason
Dixie Dugan
Movie · as Roger Hudson
Best Foot Forward
Movie · as Cadet
The Undying Monster
Movie · as Robert Curtis
Careful, Soft Shoulders
Movie · as Thomas Aldrich
That Other Woman
Movie · as Henry Summers
Army Surgeon
Movie · as Capt. James Mason
Charley's Aunt
Movie · as Jack Chesney
Play Girl
Movie · as Thomas Elwood Dice
Ice-Capades
Movie · as Bob Clemens
They Met in Argentina
Movie · as Tim Kelly
Mr. District Attorney in the Carter Case
Movie · as P. Cadwallader Jones
Anne of Windy Poplars
Movie · as Tony Pringle
You Can't Fool Your Wife
Movie · as Andrew Hinklin
Fifth Avenue Girl
Movie · as Mike
Zenobia
Movie · as Jeff Carter
Hotel for Women
Movie · as Jeff Buchanan
Sorority House
Movie · as Bill Loomis
Almost a Gentleman
Movie · as Dan Preston
Vivacious Lady
Movie · as Keith
Mother Carey's Chickens
Movie · as Ralph Thurston
Next Time I Marry
Movie · as Anthony J. Anthony
Borderland
Movie · as Johnny Nelson
Annapolis Salute
Movie · as William J. "Bill" Martin
23 1/2 Hours Leave
Movie · as Sgt. Robert Gray
The Barrier
Movie · as Lt. Burrell
The Plainsman
Movie · as William "Buffalo Bill" Cody
Three on the Trail
Movie · as Johnny Nelson
Call of the Prairie
Movie · as Johnny Nelson
Heart of the West
Movie · as Johnny Nelson
Trail Dust
Movie · as Johnny Nelson
The Leathernecks Have Landed
Movie · as Mac MacDonald
The Eagle's Brood
Movie · as Johnny Nelson
Hop-a-long Cassidy
Movie · as Johnny Nelson
Bar 20 Rides Again
Movie · as Johnny Nelson
The Winning Ticket
Movie · as Jimmy
Buried Loot
Movie · as Detective (uncredited)
Hitch Hike Lady
Movie · as Jimmy Peyton
Reckless
Movie · as Dale Every
Play Girl
Movie · as Elmer
The Famous Ferguson Case
Movie · as Reporter Lane (uncredited)