PROFILBARU.COM

J. Farrell MacDonald
J. Farrell MacDonald
	J. Farrell Macdonald in The Last Alarm (1940)
Born	Joseph Farrell MacDonald; June 6, 1875; Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S.
Died	August 2, 1952 (aged 77); Hollywood, California, U.S.
Other names	J.F. Mcdonald
Education	Yale University (B.A.)
Occupations	Actor; film director; singer;
Years active	1911–1951
Spouse(s)	Edith Bostwick; (m. 19??; died 1943)

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 four-decade 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 years

MacDonald was born in Waterbury, Connecticut. George A. Katchme's A Biographical Dictionary of Silent Film Western Actors and Actresses gives his date of birth as April 14, 1875.^[1] He was sometimes billed as Joseph Farrell MacDonald, J.F. Mcdonald and Joseph Farrell Macdonald as well as other variations.

MacDonald graduated from Yale University with a B.A. degree in 1903 and played football while he was there.^[1]

Career

Publicity photograph of J. Farrell MacDonald

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,.^[2] 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.^[2]

By 1918, MacDonald, who was to become one of the most beloved character men in Hollywood,^[2] 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 and was to make three more with the director that same year. In all, Ford would use MacDonald on twenty-five films between 1919 and 1950, during the silent era notably in The Iron Horse (1924), 3 Bad Men (1926) and Riley the Cop (1927).^[2]

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); he also had large comedic roles in Alexander Hall's Madame Racketeer (1932) with Alison Skipworth and Richard Bennett as well as Raoul Walsh's Me and My Gal (1932) with Spencer Tracy and Richard Bennett's daughter Joan Bennett.

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 starring Spencer Tracy, which Sturges wrote. His work on Sturges' films was generally uncredited, which was more often the case as his career went on – although the quality of his work was undiminished. He was notable in 1946 in John Ford's My Darling Clementine in which he played "Mac," the bartender in the town saloon.^[2] MacDonald also had uncredited roles in It's a Wonderful Life and Here Comes the Groom.

MacDonald made his last film in 1951, a comedy called Elopement. His few television appearances also occurred in that same year.

Death

MacDonald died in Hollywood on August 2, 1952, at the age of 77. He was married to actress Edith Bostwick^[1] until her death in 1943, and they had a daughter, Lorna. His grave is located at Chapel of the Pines Crematory.^{[citation needed]}

Filmography

Silent

The Scarlet Letter (1911, Short) – Minor Role (film debut)
The Worth of a Man (1912, director)
Rory o' the Bogs (1913, director)
Samson (1914, director)
The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1914, director)
The Magic Cloak of Oz (1914, director)
His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz (1914, director)
The Last Egyptian (1914, director) – Kara, the Last Egyptian
The Heart of Maryland (1915) – Col. Thorpe
Rags (1915) – Paul Ferguson
Lonesome Luke, Social Gangster (1915, director)
Over the Fence (1917, director)
The Best Man (1917) – Minor Role (uncredited)
$5,000 Reward (1918) – Norcross
Fair Enough (1918) – Chief of Police Morgan
Roped (1919) – Butler
Molly of the Follies (1919) – Swannick
A Fight for Love (1919) – The Priest
A Charge to Keep (1919) – Officer Hennessey
Riders of Vengeance (1919) – Buell
Trixie from Broadway (1919) – Slim Hayes
A Sporting Chance (1919) – Luther Ripley aka Kennedy
The Outcasts of Poker Flat (1919)
This Hero Stuff (1919) – Softnose Smith
Marked Men (1919) – Tom Placer McGraw
Bullet Proof (1920) – Jim Boone
The Path She Chose (1920) – Father
Hitchin' Posts (1920) – Joe Alabam
The Freeze-Out (1921) – Bobtail McGuire
Desperate Youth (1921) – 'Mendocino' Bill
The Wallop (1921) – Neuces River
Little Miss Hawkshaw (1921) – Inspector Hahn
Action (1921) – Mormon Peters
Bucking the Line (1921) – Dave Kinsey
Riding with Death (1921) – Sheriff Pat Garrity
Trailin' (1921) – Joseph Piotto
Sky High (1922) – Jim Frazer
Come on Over (1922) – Michael Morahan
The Bachelor Daddy (1922) – Joe Pelton
Tracks (1922) – Jack Bess
Over the Border (1922) – Peter Galbraith
The Bonded Woman (1922) – Captain Gaskell
The Ghost Breaker (1922) – Sam Marcum
Manslaughter (1922) – (uncredited)
The Young Rajah (1922) – Amhad Beg – Prime Minister
While Paris Sleeps (1923) – George Morier
Quicksands (1923) – Col. Patterson
Racing Hearts (1923) – Silas Martin
Drifting (1923) – Murphy
The Age of Desire (1923) – Dan Reagan
Fashionable Fakers (1923) – Pat O'Donnell
Fair Week (1924) – Jasper Remus
The Storm Daughter (1924) – Con Mullaney
Mademoiselle Midnight (1924) – Duc de Moing (Prologue)
Western Luck (1924) – 'Chuck' Campbell
The Signal Tower (1924) – Pete
The Iron Horse (1924) – Cpl. Casey
Gerald Cranston's Lady (1924) – Rennie
Those Who Dare (1924)
The Brass Bowl (1924) – Hickey
Let Women Alone (1925) – Commodore John Gordon
The Scarlet Honeymoon (1925) – Joshua Thorpe
Lightnin' (1925) – Lemuel Townsend
The Lucky Horseshoe (1925) – Mack
Kentucky Pride (1925) – Donovan
Thank You (1925) – Andy
The Fighting Heart (1925) – Jerry
The First Year (1926) – Mr. Barstow
The Dixie Merchant (1926) – Jean Paul Fippany
The Shamrock Handicap (1926) – Con O'Shea
A Trip to Chinatown (1926) – Benjamin Strong
The Last Frontier (1926) – Wild Bill Hickok
3 Bad Men (1926) – Mike Costigan
The Family Upstairs (1926) – Joe Heller
The Country Beyond (1926) – Sgt. Cassidy
Bertha, the Sewing Machine Girl (1926) – Sloan
The Scarlet Honeymoon (1926)
Ankles Preferred (1927) – McGuire
Love Makes 'Em Wild (1927) – W. Barden
Rich But Honest (1927) – Diamond Jim O'Grady
Cradle Snatchers (1927) – George Martin
Colleen (1927) – Mr. O'Flynn
Paid to Love (1927) – Peter Roberts
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) – The Photographer
East Side, West Side (1927) – Pug Malone
The Cohens and the Kellys in Paris (1928) – Patrick Kelly
Bringing Up Father (1928) – Jiggs
None but the Brave (1928) – John Craig
4 Devils (1928) – The Clown
Riley the Cop (1928) – James 'Aloysius' Riley
Strong Boy (1929) – Angus McGregor
Masked Emotions (1929) – Will Whitten

Sound

Abie's Irish Rose (1928) – Patrick Murphy
In Old Arizona (1928) – Stage Passenger (uncredited)
Masquerade (1929) – Joe Hickey
Happy Days (1929) – Train Conductor
The Painted Angel (1929) – Pa Hudler
South Sea Rose (1929) – Hackett
Men Without Women (1930) – Costello
Song o' My Heart (1930) – Rafferty
The Girl of the Golden West (1930) – Sonora Slim
Born Reckless (1930) – Pat O'Toole
The Truth About Youth (1930) – Colonel Graham
Other Men's Women (1931) – Peg-Leg
The Painted Desert (1931) – Jeff Cameron
The Easiest Way (1931) – Ben
Woman Hungry (1931) – Buzzard
The Millionaire (1931) – Dan Lewis
Too Young to Marry (1931) – Rev. Stump
The Maltese Falcon (1931) – Det. Sgt. Tom Polhouse
Sporting Blood (1931) – MacGuire
The Brat (1931) – Timothy Timson – the Butler
The Squaw Man (1931) – Big Bill
The Spirit of Notre Dame (1931) – Coach
Touchdown (1931) – Pop Stewart
Under Eighteen (1931) – Pop Evans
Discarded Lovers (1932) – Chief Sommers
Hotel Continental (1932) – Detective Martin
Steady Company (1932) – Hogan
Probation (1932) – Uncle George
Scandal for Sale (1932) – Treadway
The Strange Love of Molly Louvain (1932) – Police Sgt. J.B. Antrim (uncredited)
Week-End Marriage (1932) – Mr. Davis
Stranger in Town (1932) – Scout (uncredited)
Madame Racketeer (1932) – John Adams
The Vanishing Frontier (1932) – Waco
The Hurricane Express (1932) – Jim Baker
The Thirteenth Guest (1932) – Police Capt. Ryan
The Phantom Express (1932) – D.J. 'Smokey' Nolan
Hearts of Humanity (1932) – Tom O'Hara
70,000 Witnesses (1932) – State Coach
This Sporting Age (1932) – Jerry O'Day
Heritage of the Desert (1932) – Adam Naab
The Pride of the Legion (1932) – Police Chief Scott
Men Are Such Fools (1932) – Prison Warden Randolph
Me and My Gal (1932) – Pop Riley
No Man of Her Own (1932) – 'Dickie' Collins
The Racing Strain (1932) – Mr. Martin
The Iron Master (1933) – J.C. Stillman
The Working Man (1933) – Henry Davis
Peg o' My Heart (1933) – Patrick Shamus 'Pat' O'Connell
Laughing at Life (1933) – Prison Warden
The Power and the Glory (1933) – Mulligan
I Loved a Woman (1933) – Shuster
Murder on the Campus (1933) – Police Capt. Ed Kyne
Myrt and Marge (1933) – Grady
Under Secret Orders (1933) – John Burke
Man of Two Worlds (1934) – Michael
The Crosby Case (1934) – The Doorman—Mike Costello
The Crime Doctor (1934) – Kemp
Once to Every Woman (1934) – Flannigan
She Made Her Bed (1934) – Bookmaker (uncredited)
The Cat's-Paw (1934) – Shigley
Beggar's Holiday (1934) – Pop Malloy
The Best Man Wins (1935) – Captain—Harbor Patrol
Romance in Manhattan (1935) – Officer Murphy
Maybe It's Love (1935) – The Cop
Square Shooter (1935) – Sheriff
Northern Frontier (1935) – Inspector McKenzie
The Whole Town's Talking (1935) – Prison Warden (uncredited)
Star of Midnight (1935) – Police Inspector Doremus
Swellhead (1935) – Umpire
Let 'Em Have It (1935) – Mr. Keefer
Our Little Girl (1935) – Mr. Tramp
The Healer (1935) – Applejack
The Arizonian (1935) – Marshal Andy Jordan
Shadows of the Orient (1935) – Inspector Sullivan
Front Page Woman (1935) – Hallohan
Danger Ahead (1935) – Harry Cromwell – City Editor
The Irish in Us (1935) – Capt. Jackson
The Farmer Takes a Wife (1935) – (uncredited)
Waterfront Lady (1935) – Capt. O'Brien
Stormy (1935) – Trinidad Dorn
Fighting Youth (1935) – Coach Parker
Hitch Hike Lady (1935) – Judge Hale
Riffraff (1936) – 'Brains' McCall
Exclusive Story (1936) – Michael Devlin
Florida Special (1936) – Captain Timothy Harrigan
Show Boat (1936) – Windy McClain
Mysterious Crossing (1936) – Police Chief Bullock
Maid of Salem (1937) – Captain of Ship
The Great Barrier (1937) – Major Rogers
The Hit Parade (1937) – Sgt. O'Hara
Parnell (1937) – Irish Laborer (uncredited)
Slave Ship (1937) – Proprietor
Slim (1937, Warner Bros) – Pop
Flying Fists (1937) – Bill 'One-Punch' Fagin
Roaring Timber (1937) – Andrew MacKinley
Topper (1937) – Policeman
My Dear Miss Aldrich (1937) – 'Doc' Howe
The Game That Kills (1937) – Joe Holland
County Fair (1937) – Calvin Williams – Julie's Father
Courage of the West (1937) – Buck Saunders
My Old Kentucky Home (1938) – Mayor Jim Hopkins
White Banners (1938) – Dr. Thompson
State Police (1938) – Charlie Wheeler
Extortion (1938) – Coach Pearson
Numbered Woman (1938)
Barefoot Boy (1938) – Warden
The Crowd Roars (1938) – Father Ryan
The Last Express (1938) – William Barton
There Goes My Heart (1938) – Officer
Submarine Patrol (1938) – CWO 'Sails' Quincannon
Gang Bullets (1938) – Chief Reardon
Come On, Rangers (1938) – Colonel Forbes
Little Orphan Annie (1938) – 'Pop' Corrigan
The Lone Ranger Rides Again (1939, Serial) – Craig Dolan
East Side of Heaven (1939) – Doorman (uncredited)
Zenobia (1939) – Judge
Susannah of the Mounties (1939) – Pat O'Hannegan
Mickey the Kid (1939) – Sheriff J.J. Willoughby
They Shall Have Music (1939) – Police Chief (uncredited)
Conspiracy (1939) – Captain of the Falcon
Coast Guard (1939) – Capt. Hansen (uncredited)
Full Confession (1939) – Joe, Police Sergeant (uncredited)
The Housekeeper's Daughter (1939) – Police Captain (uncredited)
The Gentleman from Arizona (1939) – Wild Bill Coburn
Knights of the Range (1940) – Cappy
Dark Command (1940) – Dave
The Light of Western Stars (1940) – Bill Stillwell
I Take This Oath (1940) – Insp. Tim Ryan
Prairie Law (1940) – Sheriff Jim Austin
The Last Alarm (1940) – Jim Hadley
Untamed (1940) – Doctor Billar
Stagecoach War (1940) – Jeff Chapman
Friendly Neighbors (1940) – Sheiff Potts
Meet John Doe (1941) – 'Sourpuss'
In Old Cheyenne (1941) – Tim Casey
The Great Lie (1941) – Dr. Ferguson
Broadway Limited (1941) – RR Line Supt. Mulcahey (uncredited)
Riders of the Timberline (1941) – Jim Kerrigan
Sullivan's Travels (1941) – Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
Law of the Timber (1941) – Adams
Private Snuffy Smith (1942) – General Rosewater
Wild Bill Hickok Rides (1942) – Judge Henry Hathaway
Captains of the Clouds (1942) – Dr. Neville
Reap the Wild Wind (1942) – Port Captain
One Thrilling Night (1942) – Police Sgt. Haggerty
Little Tokyo, U.S.A. (1942) – Capt. Wade
The Palm Beach Story (1942) – Officer O'Donnell (uncredited)
Phantom Killer (1942) – Police Captain
Bowery at Midnight (1942) – Capt. Mitchell
The Living Ghost (1942) – Police Lt. 'Pete' Peterson
The McGuerins from Brooklyn (1942) – Cop
The Ape Man (1943) – Police CaptainO'Brien
Harrigan's Kid (1943) – Frank (uncredited)
Clancy Street Boys (1943) – Police Sgt. Flanagan
Tiger Fangs (1943) – Geoffrey MacCardle
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1943) – Sheriff (uncredited)
True to Life (1943) – Bit Role (uncredited)
Texas Masquerade (1944) – John Martindale
Pin Up Girl (1944) – Train Conductor (uncredited)
Ladies of Washington (1944) – Night Watchman (uncredited)
Follow the Leader (1944) – Clancy, Policeman
The Great Moment (1944) – The Priest
Shadow of Suspicion (1944) – Police Captain Mike Dolan
Greenwich Village (1944) – Police Officer O'Shea (uncredited)
Irish Eyes Are Smiling (1944) – Stage Doorman (uncredited)
Hangover Square (1945) – Street Vendor (uncredited)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945) – Carney The Junkman (uncredited)
Circumstantial Evidence (1945) – Jury Foreman (uncredited)
Nob Hill (1945) – Cabby with Katie (uncredited)
The Dolly Sisters (1945) – Opera Stage Doorman (uncredited)
Johnny Angel (1945) – Capt. Angel
Fallen Angel (1945) – Bank Guard (uncredited)
The Woman Who Came Back (1945) – Sheriff
Pillow of Death (1945) – The Graveyard Sexton (uncredited)
Pardon My Past (1945) – Policeman (uncredited)
Behind Green Lights (1946) – O'Malley – Morgue Attendant (uncredited)
Joe Palooka, Champ (1946) – Long-Count Bowman
Smoky (1946) – Jim – the Cook
My Darling Clementine (1946) – Mac the Barman
It's a Wonderful Life (1946) – Man Whose Grandfather Planted Tree (uncredited)
The Sin of Harold Diddlebock (1947) – Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
Web of Danger (1947) – Scotty MacKronish – Bus Driver
Thunder in the Valley (1947) – McPherson, Innkeeper (uncredited)
Keeper of the Bees (1947) – Postmaster
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947) – Mac – Bailiff (uncredited)
Christmas Eve (1947) – Policeman (uncredited)
If You Knew Susie (1948) – Police Sergeant (uncredited)
Panhandle (1948) – Doc Cooper
Sitting Pretty (1948) – Cop (uncredited)
Fury at Furnace Creek (1948) – Pops Murphy (uncredited)
The Walls of Jericho (1948) – Bailiff (uncredited)
Unfaithfully Yours (1948) – Stage Doorman (uncredited)
When My Baby Smiles at Me (1948) – Doorman (uncredited)
Belle Starr's Daughter (1948) – Doc Benson
Shep Comes Home (1948) – Sheriff Cap Weatherby
Whispering Smith (1948) – Bill Baggs
Trouble Preferred (1948) – Apartment House Manager (uncredited)
Law of the Barbary Coast (1949) – Sergeant O'Leary
Streets of San Francisco (1949) – Pop Lockhart
The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend (1949) – Sheriff Sweetser
You're My Everything (1949) – Doorman (uncredited)
Sand (1949) – Telegraph Operator (uncredited)
Fighting Man of the Plains (1949) – Partridge
The Dalton Gang (1949) – Judge Price
When Willie Comes Marching Home (1950) – Gilby – Pharmacist (uncredited)
Dakota Lil (1950) – Ellis
The Daltons' Women (1950) – Alvin – Stage Company Representative
Mother Didn't Tell Me (1950) – Train Conductor (uncredited)
Hostile Country (1950) – Mr. Lane (uncredited)
Woman on the Run (1950) – Sea Captain
Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell (1951) – Mr. Kroeger (uncredited)
Here Comes the Groom (1951) – Husband on Airplane (uncredited)
Golden Girl (1951) – Husband (uncredited)
Superman and the Mole Men (1951) – Pop Shannon
Elopement (1951) – Mr. Simpson (uncredited) (final film role)