Allyn Joslyn
Allyn Joslyn | |
---|---|
Joslyn in McKeever and the Colonel | |
Born | Allyn Morgan Joslyn July 21, 1901 Milford, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Died | (aged 79) |
Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park Hollywood Hills, California, US |
Occupation | Actor |
Spouse | Dorothy Yockel (1935-1978) (her death) |
Children | 1 |
Allyn Morgan Joslyn[1] (July 21, 1901 – January 21, 1981) was an American character actor of theatre, radio, film and television, specializing in comic roles.[2][3][4]
Early life and career
[edit]Born in Milford, Pennsylvania,[5] Joslyn was the son of Orlando West Joslyn Jr. and Gertrude Meyer.[1] He studied drama with Professor E. C. Durfee at Chestnut Hill Academy in Philadelphia,[6] and later attended Columbia University.[7]
By 1921, Joslyn had joined the Greenwich Village Follies.[8]
It was his acclaimed performance as Robert Law—a character reputedly modeled on screenwriter Charles MacArthur[9]—in the 1935 hit Broadway comedy Boy Meets Girl that first caught Hollywood producer-director Mervyn LeRoy's eye, leading to Joslyn making his 1937 screen debut, alongside that of Lana Turner, in LeRoy's They Won't Forget.[3][10]
Personal life and death
[edit]One of Joslyn's great uncles was the former governor of New York, Edwin D. Morgan.[11][3]
From 1935 until her death in 1978, Joslyn was married to Dorothy Yockel, Philadelphia-born stage and radio actress—and fellow fishing enthusiast[12]—with whom he had frequently co-starred during the late 1920s.[13][4][14][15] Their union produced one child, a daughter.[4]
On January 21, 1981, at age 79, Joslyn died of heart failure at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles.[16] Predeceased by his wife, he was survived by his daughter.[4] His remains are interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills section of Los Angeles.[5]
Selected Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]- They Won't Forget (1937) as Bill Brock[17][18][19]
- Expensive Husbands (1938) as Joe Craig[20]
- Sweethearts (1938) as Dink[21]
- Cafe Society (1939) as Sonny De Witt[22][23]
- Only Angels Have Wings (1939) as Les Peters[24]
- The Great McGinty (1940) as George[25]
- No Time for Comedy (1940) as Morgan Carrel[26]
- This Thing Called Love (1940) as Harry Bertrand[27]
- I Wake Up Screaming (1941) as Larry Evans[28]
- Bedtime Story (1941) as William Dudley[29]
- The Wife Takes a Flyer (1942) as Major Zellfritz[30]
- Immortal Sergeant (1943) as Cassidy[31]
- Young Ideas (1943) as Adam Trent[32]
- Heaven Can Wait (1943) as Albert Van Cleve[33]
- Dangerous Blondes (1943) as Barry Craig[34]
- The Impostor (1944) as Bouteau[35]
- Bride by Mistake (1944) as Phil Vernon[36]
- Strange Affair (1944) as Bill Harrison[37]
- The Horn Blows at Midnight (1945)[38]
- Junior Miss (1945) as Harry Graves[39]
- It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog (1946) as Henry Barton[40]
- The Thrill of Brazil (1946) as John Habour[41]
- If You Knew Susie (1948) as Mike Garrett[42]
- Moonrise (1948) as Sheriff Clem Otis[43]
- Harriet Craig (1950) as Billy Birkmire[44]
- As Young as You Feel (1951) as George Hodges[45]
- I Love Melvin (1953) as Frank Schneider[46]
- Titanic (1953) as Earl Meeker[47]
- Island in the Sky (1953) as J.H. Handy[48]
- The Fastest Gun Alive (1956) as Harvey Maxwell[49]
Television
[edit]- The Eve Arden Show (1957-1958) (9 episodes) as George Howell
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1959) (Season 4 Episode 22: "The Right Price") as Mort Barnhardt
- Gunsmoke (1960) (Season 5 Episode 31: "I Thee Wed") as Sam
- Have Gun - Will Travel (1961) (Season 4 Episode 23: "The Fatal Flaw") as Marshal Lyle McKendrick
- The Untouchables (1962) (Season 3 Episode 14: "Silent Partner") as Wallace Laughton
- Target: The Corruptors (1962) (Season 1 Episode 29: A Book of Faces") as Frank Brandon
- McKeever and the Colonel (1962-1963) (26 episodes) as Colonel Harvey T. Blackwell
- Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1964) (Season 1 Episode 18: "The Square Peg") as Keegan
- Rawhide (1964) (Season 6 Episode 25: "Incident of the Banker") as Albert Ashton-Warner
- My Three Sons (1964) (Season 5 Episode 6: "One of Our Moose is Missing") as George Summers
- The Addams Family (1964) (Season 1 Episode 1: "The Addams Family Goes to School") as Mr. Hilliard
- The Addams Family (1964) (Season 1 Episode 4: "Gomez, the Politician") as Mr. Hilliard
- F Troop (1965) (Season 1 Episode 16: "Iron Horse Go Home") as Colonel Parmenter
- Ben Casey (1965) (Season 5 Episode 11: "When Givers Prove Unkind") as Alec Bateman
- The Addams Family (1966) (Season 2 Episode 25: "Addams Cum Laude") as Sam Hilliard
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Real Name—and He Has Proof". Tulare Advance-Register. January 25, 1958. p. 4. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
- ^ Monush, Barry (2003). Screen World Presents the Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors From the Silent Era to 1965. New York: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. pp. 374–375. ISBN 1-55783-551-9.
- ^ a b c Matta, Burt (January , 1981). "Allyn Morgan Joslyn, suave character actor". Philadelphia Inquirer. p.22-D. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Stammer, Larry (January 22, 1981). "Allyn Joslyn, 79, Wise-Cracking Actor, Dies". Los Angeles Times. September 27, 1928. pt. II, p. 18. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
- ^ a b Ellenburger, Allan R. (2001). Celebrities on Los Angeles Cemeteries. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 89. ISBN 0-7864-0983-5.
- ^ "Chestnut Hill Academy Boys to Give Play". The Philadelphia Inquirer. May 7, 1916. Sec. III, p. 6. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
- ^ Zylstra, Frieda (September 14, 1962). "Allyn Needs No Coaxing to Stay Out of Kitchen!". Chicago Tribune. pt. 3. p. 4. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
- ^ "Personals". Perth Amboy Evening News. September 12, 1921. p. 2. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
- ^ Knox, Victor (January 6, 1936). "'Boy Meets Girl' Satire on Metro Studio, It Seems; Prominent Hollywoodians Caricatured in Spewack Comedy Opening at Erlanger—Notes on Players.". The Buffalo News. p. 12. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
- ^ Ferris, John (June 15, 1941). "Allyn Joslyn Runs Scale From Pigs to Critics; 'Arsenic and Old Lace' Player Flicks a Tear at Radio's Past; 'Act of God' Prevents New York Birth; Broadway Success Brings Hollywood Job". The Atlanta Journal. p. 22. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
- ^ United Press International (January 23, 1981). "Actor Allyn Joslyn Dies at 79". Oakland Tribune. p. C-11. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
- ^ Corby, Jane (May 7, 1941). "Stage Tradition Played No Part in Stage Career of Allyn Joslyn; He Just Succeeds in Easy Strides; Now He's a Hero or Something". The Brooklyn Eagle. p. 21. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
- ^ "New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1938", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:24DB-RC5 : Tue Feb 20 18:44:09 UTC 2024), Entry for Allyn Joslyn and Dorothy Yockel, 7 Mar 1935.
- ^ "On the Air: Allyn Joslyn in War Drama Presentation". The Brooklyn Citizen. September 7, 1928. p. 14. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
- ^ "What the Drama Has to Offer". The Philadelphia Inquirer. July 18, 1926. p. SO-8. Retrieved August 26, 2024. See also:
- "In the Air: New York". New York Daily News. September 7, 1927. p. 31.
- "Study in Radio-Balance, WOR's Thursday Offering; Promises an Odyssey in High Class Entertainement—'Hedda Gabler' a Feature". The Brooklyn Daily Times. July 29, 1928. p. 1.
- "'White Man' Presented on Hedgerow Stage; Samuel Raphaelson's New Play Has Premiere at Moylan-Rose Valley". The Philadelphia Inquirer. July 12, 1929. p. 2.
- "Repertory Theater to Give Drama Tonight". The Courier-News. December 12, 1929. p. 7.
- "On the Air". The Brooklyn Citizen. December 26, 1929. p. 14.
- "'Cohan of France' Represented in Play". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. January 19, 1930. p. 8E.
- ^ "Allyn Morgan Joslyn, Character Actor, 79; In 3,500 Radio Shows". The New York Times. Los Angeles. Associated Press. 1981-01-23. p. A21. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522. Archived from the original on 2023-04-09. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
- ^ "'WON'T FORGET' DRAMATIC THUNDERBOLT FOR LEROY: Debuts Of Dickson Norris, Turner Hits". The Hollywood Reporter. June 9, 1937. p. 3. ProQuest 2297324974.
All the other important roles are filled by screen newcomers, and a more promising group of debuts have seldom been seen in one picture. [...] Short in playing time is the role of the murdered schoolgirl, but as played by Lana Turner it is worthy of more than passing note. This young lady has vivid beauty, personality and charm. Allyn Joslyn scores decisively as a newspaperman. Clinton Rosemond is a standout as the colored porter, making much of his distinctive voice. Elisha Cook Jr. is notable in a small part...
- ^ Carroll, Harrison (June 17, 1937). "Behind the Scenes in Hollywood". The Binghamton Press. p. 3. ProQuest 2042798441.
Allyn Joslyn, playing a conscienceless reporter, was so good that [when] he entered the Warners commissary the other day, the whole room broke into applause. First time it ever happened in the history of the studio.
- ^ Coons, Robbin (June 17, 1937). "Film Paralleling Real Life May Stir Up Southern Fans". Asbury Park Evening Press. p. 3. ProQuest 2002680814.
Meanwhile, the producer has unearthed a couple of genuine finds in Gloria Dickson, a young leading lady of much emotional depth and sincerity, and Allyn Joslyn, a lanky character actor who as the reporter gives his role, unpleasant at best, a certain grim charm.
- ^ Cameron, Kate (January 8, 1938). "Hollywood Scene of Palace, Rialto Films". New York Daily News. p. 24. ProQuest 2284100064.
The delightful fooling of Beverly Roberts, Patrick Knowles and Allyn Joslyn does much to enliven the romantic comedy [...] Allyn Joslyn does well by the agent role and the rest of the cast is excellent.
- ^ D., R.W. (December 23, 1938). "On the Screen: 'Sweethearts'—Capitol". New York Herald Tribune. p. 10. ProQuest 1248233699.
[T]he introduction of certain farcical elements, which are handled smartly by Mischa Auer, Herman Bing, Frank Gardiner, Frank Morgan and Allyn Joslyn, does much to relieve a succession of sequences that become top-heavy with sweetness.
- ^ Abel. (February 8, 1939). "Film Reviews: Cafe Society". Variety. p. 24. ProQuest 1505721801.
When MacMurray discovers she leapyeared him into nuptials, just to get into Allyn Joslyn's society column, the plot becomes one of those taming-the-shrew affairs [...] Joslyn, a composite of Winchell and Cholly Knickerbocker, is good as the light menace, better than the role is written.
- ^ Cameron, Kate (January 23, 1939). "'Cafe Society' Adds to Town's Gaiety". New York Daily News. p. 47. ProQuest 2284829366.
Joslyn gives an amusing but definitely unflattering characterization of a gossip columnist.
- ^ Poague, Leland A. (1982). Howard Hawks. Boston : Twayne Publishers. pp. 28–29. ISBN 0-8057-9285-6.
- ^ Cameron, Kate (August 25, 1940). "'Great McGinty' Lively Comedy". New York Daily News. p. 31. ProQuest 2285056222.
William Demarest, Allyn Joslyn and Thurston Hall contribute excellent support in their lesser roles.
- ^ Cameron, Kate (September 7, 1940). "'No Time for Comedy' A Hit at the Strand". New York Daily News. p. B24. ProQuest 2285136780.
Allyn Joslyn has most of the good comedy lines and he handles them brilliantly.
- ^ "THIS THING' RIOTOUS FUN: Top Perlberg Prod.; Al Hall Has Picnic". The Hollywood Reporter. December 23, 1940. p. 3. ProQuest 2298031973.
Allyn Joslyn shapes a hit performance from his supporting role, and Sig Arno finds a new kind of butler for another excellent job.
- ^ Martin, Mildred (September 7, 1940). "'Hot Spot' Opens on Fox Screen; 'Hot Spot,' a 20th Century-Fox picture; from the novel, 'I Wake Up Screaming,' by Steve Fisher". Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 20. ProQuest 1832969885.
Others lending dramatically helpful hands are Allyn Joslyn as the columnist; Alan Mowbray, the 'falling star,' and Elisha Cook, Jr., the hallboy.
- ^ "'BEDTIME STORY' WAKES UP: Whirlwind Finale Delightful Farce". The Hollywood Reporter. December 8, 1941. p. 3. ProQuest 2297906165.
Robert Benchley is in for one of his typically potted parts,[sic] and Allyn Joslyn does quite a bit of scene stealing on his own. His embarrassed bridegroom is a gem.
- ^ "'WIFE TAKES FLYER' SUREFIRE: Joslyn A Wow In Funniest Nazi Farce". The Hollywood Reporter. April 17, 1942. p. 3. ProQuest 2297937105.
Screams greet the posturing parody Allyn Joslyn draws with consummate skill, and his Major Zellfritz of the German Gestapo is a gorgeous romp. [...] The highlights are really choice and among those must be listed are Joslyn's Heils, the divorce judge's methods of keeping a he-she score, the banquet set with foods from conquered lands that omits caviar, Joslyn's ja-ja-ja mutterings and countless delightful escape switches. If this review appears as heavily pro-Joslyn as it is anti-Nazi, it is because his role conclusively takes the show.
- ^ "IMMORTAL SERGEANT' FINE DRAMA OF TODAY'S WARFARE: Fonda, Trotti, Stahl Deliver Timely Hit". The Hollywood Reporter. January 11, 1943. p. 3. ProQuest 2298649011.
The four survivors of the patrol are splendidly personified by Allyn Joslin, Melville Cooper, Bramwell Fletcher and Morton Lowry, the latter as the single coward in the group.
- ^ "'YOUNG IDEAS' BRIGHT FARCE: Peters, Reid, Astor, Marshall Top Cast". The Hollywood Reporter. July 30, 1943. p. 4. ProQuest 2298606584.
Richard Carlson makes a mighty nice thing of his instructor of modern drama. Allyn Joslyn sores sharply as the literary agent, and George Dolenz proves a find in his work as a French student.
- ^ "'HEAVEN' HELLUVA FUNNY HIT IN LUBITSCH'S BEST STYLE: Ameche's Portrayal Finest Of Career". The Hollywood Reporter. July 21, 1943. p. 3. ProQuest 2298591465.
Spring Byington and Louis Calhern are grand as Henry's mother and father, and Allyn Joslyn as Cousin Albert has an assignment he matchlessly realizes.
- ^ Cameron, Kate (October 9, 1943). "'Dangerous Blondes' Humorous Mystifier". New York Daily News. p. 15C. ProQuest 2286005665.
The murders and the mystery are subordinated to the comedy, furnished by Joslyn as a story-writing detective; Frank Craven, as the police inspector; and Evelyn Keyes, as Joslyn's helpful little wife. [...] This 'Dangerous Blondes' is not the formularized, spine-chilling mystery with all the silly old tricks. It's more the adventures of Mr. and Mrs. Craig, a couple who just can't sit by and let the police solve or bungle a case. They're a charming pair, whose home life is as entertaining as sleuthing. You'll like them and we hope we see more of them in other mysteries if they are produced as nicely as this one.
- ^ Walt. (February 9, 1944). "Film Reviews: The Impostor". Variety. p. 12. ProQuest 1285854504.
Duvivier dwells much on characterizations, neatly etching the various characters assembled in the Free French forces. Gabin turns in a good performance while support, including Richard Whorf, Allyn Joslyn, John Qualen, Peter Van Eyck and Eddie Quillen, is uniformly good.
- ^ Cameron, Kate (September 16, 1944). "Romantic Comedy on Place Screen". New York Daily News. p. 16. ProQuest 2286491076.
A bridge game, in which two of the players are on tenterhooks because their respective loved ones are tete-a-teting behind a closed door, is the most amusing scene in the picture, as Laraine Day, in the role of Norah, and Allyn Joslyn, as the secret husband of Norah's secretary, react expertly to Richard Wallace's slick direction.
- ^ Edba. (November 29, 1944). "Film review: Strange Affair". Variety. p. 18. ProQuest 1285857809.
Whodunit packs plenty of fun and should more than hold its own on duals. Allyn Joslyn and Evelyn Keyes, who did so niftily in 'Dangerous Blondes,' are teamed again. Joslyn plays the creator of a whodunit comic strip who has a penchant for injecting his artist's theories in solving homicides.
- ^ Brog. (April 4, 1945). "Film review: The Horn Blows at Midnight". Variety. p. 10. ProQuest 1285841361.
Alexis Smith [...] hasn't too much to do in the plotting. Same goes for Dolores Moran as hotel cigaret girl who has a yen for super-crook Reginald Gardiner. Latter, along with Allyn Joslyn and John Alexander, two fallen angels, whip over some of the picture's funniest moments.
- ^ "'JUNIOR MISS' ROLLICKING FUN: Cast, Seaton Cover Work With Honors". The Hollywood Reporter. June 13, 1945. p. 3. ProQuest 2320408462.
It isn't just because this is the story of a couple of teen-age kids who manage to create all kinds of mischief that this picture is so funny. It's because it's got really funny lines in it and because a guy named Allyn Joslyn is just about one of the most human and funniest parents you've ever seen.
- ^ "Film review: It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog". Variety. May 22, 1946. p. 10. ProQuest 1285878849.
With Allyn Joslyn on the celluloid for the full running time, film is a fast mix of gay situations and bright gags with no letdown at any point. [...] Joslyn gives full sway to his talents in this pic showing himself off as a maestro with the gag line. Using his unhandsome face to best advantage, Joslyn muggs and double-takes with a sense of timing that puts him in the top-draw class of comics.
- ^ Grant, Jack D. (September 6, 1946). "'Thrill of Brazil' So Thin: 'White Tie & Tails' Switch; Wynn Has to Carry Musical 'Front Page'". The Hollywood Reporter. pp. 1, 4. ProQuest 2320722076.
Ellen Keyes impresses as being worth any trick to retain her affections. Allyn Joslyn plays the stuffed shirt suitor as only he can.
- ^ "Cantor, Davis Top-notch in RKO Bill". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. February 20, 1948. p. 28. ProQuest 1928229266.
Allyn Joslyn, as the excitable newspaperman who runs the Cantor-Davis affairs, does an elegant job. He's completely convivncing.
- ^ "Moonrise at Mayfair". The Baltimore Sun. October 8, 1948. p. 14. ProQuest 541925381.
The best performance is that of Allyn Joslyn, as the informal, friendly, countrified but shrewd sheriff. Mr. Joslyn, with a complete change of pace and style, may be entering a new phase of a career which seemed to be running down because of type-casting.
- ^ "'HARRIET CRAIG' IMPRESSES AS ABSORBING WORK OF ART: Dozier-Sherman Pic of highest Quality". The Hollywood Reporter. October 27, 1950. p. 3. ProQuest 2322762440.
Allyn Joslyn gets full value out of his role of the husband's carefree pal.
- ^ "'As Young as You Feel' (Continued from Page 3)". The Hollywood Reporter. June 5, 1951. pp. 3, 8. ProQuest 2322747656.
Allyn Joslyn is quite funny as the hypochondriac father.
- ^ "'I LOVE MELVIN' PLEASANT: Zany Musical Makes Good Entertainment". The Hollywood Reporter. February 3, 1953. p. 3. ProQuest 2338156344.
Fine performances by the two stars, with able assists from Allyn Joslyn, Una Merkel, Richard Anderson and Jim Backus, help make this an agreeable item trhat should be well received. [...] Allyn Joslyn is genuinely funny as Debbie's irritable father.
- ^ Brog. (April 15, 1953). "Film review: Titanic". Variety. p. 6. ProQuest 1016974776.
Allyn Joslyn is good as a coward who sneaks aboard a lifeboat disguised as a woman.
- ^ "'ISLAND IN SKY' SOLID B.O. SMASH FOR WAYNE-FELLOWS: John Wayne Tops In Wellman Picture". The Hollywood Reporter. August 7, 1953. p. 3. ProQuest 2338376480.
Andy Devine is better—and bigger—than ever, turning in a top stint as one of the rescue pilots, with Lloyd Nolan, James Arness and Allyn Joslyn standing out as other pilots.
- ^ "'FASTEST GUN' TOP WESTERN MARKED BY OFF-BEAT STORY: Ford, Crain Star In Greene-Rouse Film". The Hollywood Reporter. June 20, 1956. p. 3. ProQuest 2338188766.
Allyn Joslyn, J. M. Kerrigan, Rhys Williams, Virginia Gregg, John Doucette, Chubby Johnson, John Dehner, and Noah Beery all contribute important and valuable portrayals, well done.
External links
[edit]- Allyn Joslyn at IMDb
- Allyn Joslyn at the Internet Broadway Database
- Allyn Joslyn at Find a Grave
Media related to Allyn Joslyn at Wikimedia Commons