Acting
J. Farrell MacDonald
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia John Farrell MacDonald (June 6, 1875 – August 2, 1952) was an American character actor and director. He played supporting roles and occasional leads. He appeared in over 325 films over a 41-year career from 1911 to 1951, and directed forty-four silent films from 1912 to 1917. MacDonald was the principal director of L. Frank Baum's Oz Film Manufacturing Company, and he can frequently be seen in the films of Frank Capra, Preston Sturges and, especially, John Ford. Early in his career, MacDonald was a singer in minstrel shows, and he toured the United States extensively for two years with stage productions. He made his first silent film in 1911, a dramatic short entitled The Scarlett Letter made by Carl Laemmle's Independent Moving Pictures Company (IMP), the forerunner of Universal Pictures,. He continued to act in numerous films each year from that time on, and by 1912 he was directing them as well. The first film he directed was The Worth of a Man, another dramatic short, again for IMP, and he was to direct 43 more films until his last in 1917, Over the Fence, which he co-directed with Harold Lloyd. MacDonald had crossed paths with Lloyd several years earlier, when Lloyd was an extra and MacDonald had given him much-needed work – and he did the same with Hal Roach, both of whom appearing in small roles in The Patchwork Girl of Oz, which MacDonald directed in 1914. When Roach set up his own studio, with Lloyd as his principal attraction, he hired MacDonald to direct. By 1918, MacDonald, who was to become one of the most beloved character men in Hollywood, had given up directing and was acting full-time, predominantly in Westerns and Irish comedies. He first worked under director John Ford in 1919's A Fight for Love. In all, Ford would use MacDonald on twenty-five films between 1919 and 1950. With a voice that matched his personality, MacDonald made the transition to sound films easily, with no noticeable drop in his acting output – if anything, it went up. In 1931, for instance, MacDonald appeared in 14 films – among them the first version of The Maltese Falcon, in which he played "Detective Tom Polhaus" – and in 22 of them in 1932. Although he played laborers, policemen, military men and priests, among many other characters, his roles were usually a cut above a "bit part". His characters usually had names, and he was most often credited for his performances. A highlight of this period was his performance as the hobo "Mr. Tramp" in Our Little Girl with Shirley Temple (1935). In the 1940s, MacDonald was part of Preston Sturges' unofficial "stock company" of character actors, appearing in seven films written and directed by Sturges. MacDonald appeared in Sullivan's Travels, The Palm Beach Story, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, The Great Moment, The Sin of Harold Diddlebock, Unfaithfully Yours and The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend, Sturges' last American film. Earlier, MacDonald had also appeared in The Power and the Glory, which Sturges wrote. His work on Sturges' films was generally uncredited. He was notable in 1946 in John Ford's My Darling Clementine in which he played "Mac," the bartender in the town saloon. MacDonald also had uncredited roles in It's a Wonderful Life and Here Comes The Groom.
Filmography
Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down the Line
Film · 1997
Superman and the Mole Men
Film · 1951
Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell
Film · 1951
Here Comes the Groom
Film · 1951
Woman on the Run
Film · 1950
Hostile Country
Film · 1950
When Willie Comes Marching Home
Film · 1950
The Daltons' Women
Film · 1950
Dakota Lil
Film · 1950
You're My Everything
Film · 1949
Streets of San Francisco
Film · 1949
The Dalton Gang
Film · 1949
Panhandle
Film · 1948
The Walls of Jericho
Film · 1948
Fury at Furnace Creek
Film · 1948
Whispering Smith
Film · 1948
Belle Starr's Daughter
Film · 1948
Sitting Pretty
Film · 1948
If You Knew Susie
Film · 1948
Shep Comes Home
Film · 1948
Trouble Preferred
Film · 1948
The Sin of Harold Diddlebock
Film · 1947
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer
Film · 1947
Thunder in the Valley
Film · 1947
Keeper of the Bees
Film · 1947
Christmas Eve
Film · 1947
Web of Danger
Film · 1947
It's a Wonderful Life
Film · 1946
My Darling Clementine
Film · 1946
Smoky
Film · 1946
Goodbye, Weeds
Film · 1946
Joe Palooka, Champ
Film · 1946
Johnny Angel
Film · 1945
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Film · 1945
Fallen Angel
Film · 1945
Circumstantial Evidence
Film · 1945
Hangover Square
Film · 1945
Pillow of Death
Film · 1945
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek
Film · 1944
Greenwich Village
Film · 1944
Texas Masquerade
Film · 1944
The Great Moment
Film · 1944
The Ape Man
Film · 1943
Harrigan's Kid
Film · 1943
Tiger Fangs
Film · 1943
True to Life
Film · 1943
The Palm Beach Story
Film · 1942
Captains of the Clouds
Film · 1942
The Living Ghost
Film · 1942
Bowery at Midnight
Film · 1942
Reap the Wild Wind
Film · 1942
Phantom Killer
Film · 1942
Private Snuffy Smith
Film · 1942
One Thrilling Night
Film · 1942
Wild Bill Hickok Rides
Film · 1942
The McGuerins from Brooklyn
Film · 1942
Riders of the Timberline
Film · 1941
In Old Cheyenne
Film · 1941
The Great Lie
Film · 1941
Law of the Timber
Film · 1941
Meet John Doe
Film · 1941
Broadway Limited
Film · 1941
The Last Alarm
Film · 1940
I Take This Oath
Film · 1940
Stagecoach War
Film · 1940
Untamed
Film · 1940
The Light of Western Stars
Film · 1940
Dark Command
Film · 1940
Knights of the Range
Film · 1940
Pony Express Days
Film · 1940
Friendly Neighbors
Film · 1940
Prairie Law
Film · 1940
Full Confession
Film · 1939
Zenobia
Film · 1939
Conspiracy
Film · 1939
Susannah of the Mounties
Film · 1939
The Lone Ranger Rides Again
Film · 1939
East Side of Heaven
Film · 1939
They Shall Have Music
Film · 1939
Coast Guard
Film · 1939
The Housekeeper's Daughter
Film · 1939
The Gentleman from Arizona
Film · 1939
Mickey the Kid
Film · 1939
Barefoot Boy
Film · 1938
Come On, Rangers
Film · 1938
Submarine Patrol
Film · 1938
White Banners
Film · 1938
Gang Bullets
Film · 1938
The Crowd Roars
Film · 1938
There Goes My Heart
Film · 1938
My Old Kentucky Home
Film · 1938
The Last Express
Film · 1938
Numbered Woman
Film · 1938
Little Orphan Annie
Film · 1938
State Police
Film · 1938
Extortion
Film · 1938
Topper
Film · 1937
The Hit Parade
Film · 1937
Flying Fists
Film · 1937
Slave Ship
Film · 1937
My Dear Miss Aldrich
Film · 1937
County Fair
Film · 1937
Maid of Salem
Film · 1937
The Game That Kills
Film · 1937
Slim
Film · 1937
Roaring Timber
Film · 1937
Parnell
Film · 1937
Courage of the West
Film · 1937
The Great Barrier
Film · 1937
Parnell
Film · 1937
Riffraff
Film · 1936
Exclusive Story
Film · 1936
Mysterious Crossing
Film · 1936
Florida Special
Film · 1936
Show Boat
Film · 1936
Stormy
Film · 1935
The Whole Town's Talking
Film · 1935
Swellhead
Film · 1935
The Healer
Film · 1935
Danger Ahead
Film · 1935
Shadows of the Orient
Film · 1935
Waterfront Lady
Film · 1935
The Best Man Wins
Film · 1935
Hitch Hike Lady
Film · 1935
Let 'em Have It
Film · 1935
Our Little Girl
Film · 1935
Maybe It's Love
Film · 1935
Northern Frontier
Film · 1935
Square Shooter
Film · 1935
Star of Midnight
Film · 1935
Front Page Woman
Film · 1935
The Irish in Us
Film · 1935
The Arizonian
Film · 1935
Fighting Youth
Film · 1935
The Crime Doctor
Film · 1934
Romance in Manhattan
Film · 1934
Man of Two Worlds
Film · 1934
Beggar's Holiday
Film · 1934
Once to Every Woman
Film · 1934
The Crosby Case
Film · 1934
The Cat's-Paw
Film · 1934
The Vanishing Frontier
Film · 1933
The Working Man
Film · 1933
The Power and the Glory
Film · 1933
I Loved a Woman
Film · 1933
Peg o' My Heart
Film · 1933
Murder on the Campus
Film · 1933
Laughing at Life
Film · 1933
Myrt and Marge
Film · 1933
Under Secret Orders
Film · 1933
The Iron Master
Film · 1933
How to Break 90 #6: Fine Points
Film · 1933
This Sporting Age
Film · 1932
No Man of Her Own
Film · 1932
Steady Company
Film · 1932
The Thirteenth Guest
Film · 1932
The Phantom Express
Film · 1932
Under Eighteen
Film · 1932
Heritage of the Desert
Film · 1932
Hotel Continental
Film · 1932
Scandal for Sale
Film · 1932
Discarded Lovers
Film · 1932
Hearts of Humanity
Film · 1932
The Pride of the Legion
Film · 1932
Probation
Film · 1932
Men Are Such Fools
Film · 1932
The Racing Strain
Film · 1932
Week-End Marriage
Film · 1932
Me and My Gal
Film · 1932
Madame Racketeer
Film · 1932
The Hurricane Express
Film · 1932
The Strange Love of Molly Louvain
Film · 1932
70,000 Witnesses
Film · 1932
The Maltese Falcon
Film · 1931
The Stolen Jools
Film · 1931
The Easiest Way
Film · 1931
The Squaw Man
Film · 1931
The Millionaire
Film · 1931
Sporting Blood
Film · 1931
Other Men's Women
Film · 1931
The Painted Desert
Film · 1931
The Brat
Film · 1931
Too Young to Marry
Film · 1931
How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 9: 'The Driver'
Film · 1931
Woman Hungry
Film · 1931
Stranger in Town
Film · 1931
The Spirit of Notre Dame
Film · 1931
Touchdown!
Film · 1931
The Truth About Youth
Film · 1930
River's End
Film · 1930
Men Without Women
Film · 1930
Song o' My Heart
Film · 1930
The Girl of the Golden West
Film · 1930
Masquerade
Film · 1929
South Sea Rose
Film · 1929
Happy Days
Film · 1929
Masked Emotions
Film · 1929
Strong Boy
Film · 1929
The Painted Angel
Film · 1929
4 Devils
Film · 1928
Riley the Cop
Film · 1928
None But the Brave
Film · 1928
Bringing Up Father
Film · 1928
Abie's Irish Rose
Film · 1928
The Cohens and the Kellys in Paris
Film · 1928
In Old Arizona
Film · 1928
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
Film · 1927
Paid to Love
Film · 1927
East Side, West Side
Film · 1927
Cradle Snatchers
Film · 1927
Ankles Preferred
Film · 1927
3 Bad Men
Film · 1926
A Trip to Chinatown
Film · 1926
Bertha the Sewing Machine Girl
Film · 1926
The Shamrock Handicap
Film · 1926
The First Year
Film · 1926
The Dixie Merchant
Film · 1926
The Family Upstairs
Film · 1926
The Country Beyond
Film · 1926
The Last Frontier
Film · 1926
Let Women Alone
Film · 1925
The Iron Horse
Film · 1925
Lightnin'
Film · 1925
Kentucky Pride
Film · 1925
The Fighting Heart
Film · 1925
Thank You
Film · 1925
The Lucky Horseshoe
Film · 1925
The Brass Bowl
Film · 1924
The Signal Tower
Film · 1924
Mademoiselle Midnight
Film · 1924
Western Luck
Film · 1924
Those Who Dare
Film · 1924
Gerald Cranston's Lady
Film · 1924
The Storm Daughter
Film · 1924
Drifting
Film · 1923
Quicksands
Film · 1923
Racing Hearts
Film · 1923
While Paris Sleeps
Film · 1923
The Age of Desire
Film · 1923
Fashionable Fakers
Film · 1923
Over the Border
Film · 1922
Manslaughter
Film · 1922
Sky High
Film · 1922
Come on Over
Film · 1922
The Young Rajah
Film · 1922
The Ghost Breaker
Film · 1922
The Bonded Woman
Film · 1922
The Bachelor Daddy
Film · 1922
Tracks
Film · 1922
The Wallop
Film · 1921
The Freeze-Out
Film · 1921
Riding with Death
Film · 1921
Desperate Youth
Film · 1921
Trailin'
Film · 1921
Action
Film · 1921
Bullet Proof
Film · 1920
Hitchin' Posts
Film · 1920
The Path She Chose
Film · 1920
Roped
Film · 1919
A Fight For Love
Film · 1919
Riders of Vengeance
Film · 1919
A Sporting Chance
Film · 1919
Marked Men
Film · 1919
The Outcasts of Poker Flat
Film · 1919
This Hero Stuff
Film · 1919
Molly of the Follies
Film · 1919
Trixie from Broadway
Film · 1919
$5,000 Reward
Film · 1918
Fair Enough
Film · 1918
Rags
Film · 1915
The Calling of Louis Mona
Film · 1913
A Timely Repentance
Film · 1912
The Scarlet Letter
Film · 1911
The Dream
Film · 1911
The Lighthouse Keeper
Film · 1911
'Tween Two Loves
Film · 1911
The Time-Lock Safe
Film · 1910