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Frank Jenks is a Actor American born on 4 november 1902 at Des Moines (USA)
Frank Jenks (November 4, 1902 - May 13, 1962) was an acid-voiced American supporting actor of stage and films.
Jenks began in vaudeville and went on to a long career in movies and television, mostly in comedy. He was one of the more familiar faces and voices of the Hollywood Studio era. For almost ten years beginning in the early 1920s, Jenks was a song and dance man in vaudeville.
In 1933, when sound films had become the norm, and Broadway actors were moving to Hollywood in droves, Jenks's flat, sarcastic delivery landed him a film career. Internet Movie Data Base lists him appearing in 180 titles over the next 28 years (including TV) often as a sarcastic cabbie, reporter, cop or soldier. Usually a supporting actor, Jenks did appear occasionally as a film lead for low-budget films for PRC. Jenks appeared in not a few classics. In the Cary Grant- Rosalind Russell classic, His Girl Friday (1940), Jenks had his most famous role, as the cynical newsman "Wilson." When television began, Jenks made a successful transition.
His biggest continuing role was as the skeptical, proletarian right-hand man for the loquacious English conman Colonel Humphrey Flack (1953-1954), in the DuMont TV series of that name. He also had a leading role in the DuMont series Front Page Detective (1951-1952).
Source : Wikidata
Frank Jenks
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Nationality USA
Birth 4 november 1902 at Des Moines (USA)
Death 13 may 1962 (at 59 years) at Los Angeles (USA)
Birth 4 november 1902 at Des Moines (USA)
Death 13 may 1962 (at 59 years) at Los Angeles (USA)
Jenks began in vaudeville and went on to a long career in movies and television, mostly in comedy. He was one of the more familiar faces and voices of the Hollywood Studio era. For almost ten years beginning in the early 1920s, Jenks was a song and dance man in vaudeville.
In 1933, when sound films had become the norm, and Broadway actors were moving to Hollywood in droves, Jenks's flat, sarcastic delivery landed him a film career. Internet Movie Data Base lists him appearing in 180 titles over the next 28 years (including TV) often as a sarcastic cabbie, reporter, cop or soldier. Usually a supporting actor, Jenks did appear occasionally as a film lead for low-budget films for PRC. Jenks appeared in not a few classics. In the Cary Grant- Rosalind Russell classic, His Girl Friday (1940), Jenks had his most famous role, as the cynical newsman "Wilson." When television began, Jenks made a successful transition.
His biggest continuing role was as the skeptical, proletarian right-hand man for the loquacious English conman Colonel Humphrey Flack (1953-1954), in the DuMont TV series of that name. He also had a leading role in the DuMont series Front Page Detective (1951-1952).
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Filmography of Frank Jenks (99 films)
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War of the Colossal Beast (1958)
, 1h9Directed by Bert I. Gordon
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Horror
Themes Films about music and musicians, Musical films
Actors Frank Jenks, Americo "Rico" Alaniz, Warren Frost, Glenn Langan, Cathy Downs, William Hudson
Rating39%
Upon hearing of several recent robberies of food delivery trucks in Mexico, Joyce Manning (Sally Fraser), Army officer Lt. Col. Glenn Manning's sister, becomes convinced that her brother (Dean Parkin) survived his fall from the Boulder Dam (seen in The Amazing Colossal Man). Along with Army officer Major Mark Baird (Roger Pace) and scientist Dr. Carmichael (Russ Bender), she goes to Mexico to look for her brother.
The Amazing Colossal Man (1957)
, 1h20Directed by Bert I. Gordon
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Thriller, Adventure
Themes Films about music and musicians, Musical films
Actors Glenn Langan, Cathy Downs, William Hudson, Larry Thor, Lyn Osborn, James Seay
Roles Truck Driver
Rating46%
An early morning test explosion of the first atomic plutonium bomb is planned at a military site in Desert Rock, Nevada. When the chain reaction for the charge fails its cycle and does not detonate as expected, Lt. Col. Glenn Manning (Glenn Langan) receives orders to keep his men in the protective trench, as an explosion is still imminent, but its timing is now unknown. Moments later, an unidentified small civilian aircraft crash-lands near the bomb site, and Glenn leaps from the trench and runs into the detonation area to rescue the pilot. Once in the detonation area, the bomb goes off, and Glenn is caught in an atomic blast that burns him and immediately disintegrates his clothes and hair.
Slightly Scarlet (1956)
, 1h39Directed by Allan Dwan
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Documentary, Action, Noir, Crime
Actors John Payne, Rhonda Fleming, Arlene Dahl, Kent Taylor, Ted de Corsia, Lance Fuller
Rating64%
The ruthless Solly Caspar is fighting to retain control of Bay City's criminal activities when Frank Jansen (Kent Taylor), an honest man and mayoral hopeful, begins a strong anti-crime campaign. Caspar tasks his right-hand man Ben Grace to dig up some dirt on the candidate and ruin his chances of election.
Friendly Persuasion (1956)
, 2h17Directed by William Wyler
Origin USA
Genres Drama, War, Comedy, Historical, Romance, Western
Themes Films about religion, Political films
Actors Gary Cooper, Dorothy McGuire, Anthony Perkins, Richard Eyer, Richard Hale, Robert Middleton
Roles Shell Game Man (uncredited)
Rating72%
The film is set in Jennings County, Indiana in 1863. Jess Birdwell (Gary Cooper) is a farmer and patriarch of the Birdwell family whose Quaker religion conflicts with his love for the worldly enjoyments of music and horse racing. Jess's wife Eliza, (Dorothy McGuire) a Quaker minister, is deeply religious and steadfast in her refusal to engage in violence. Jess's daughter Mattie (Phyllis Love) wants to remain a Quaker but has fallen in love with dashing cavalry officer Gard Jordan (Peter Mark Richman), a love that is against her mother's wishes. Jess's youngest child "Little" Jess (Richard Eyer) is a feisty child whose comical feud with his mother's pet goose causes her heartache. Jess's elder son Josh (Anthony Perkins) is torn between his hatred of violence and a conviction that to protect his family he must join the home guard and fight the invaders.
Shake, Rattle and Rock! (1956)
, 1h12Directed by Edward L. Cahn
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Comedy-drama, Musical
Themes Musical films
Actors Mike Connors, Lisa Gaye, Sterling Holloway, Douglass Dumbrille, Raymond Hatton, Margaret Dumont
Roles Frank
Rating55%
The She-Creature (1956)
, 1h17Directed by Edward L. Cahn
Origin USA
Genres Fantastic, Fantasy, Horror, Romance
Themes Films about music and musicians, Musical films
Actors Chester Morris, Marla English, Tom Conway, Cathy Downs, Lance Fuller, Frieda Inescort
Roles Plainclothes Sgt. with Lt James
Rating38%
The plot concerns an oily carnival hypnotist (Chester Morris), whose experiments in hypnotic regression take his unwitting female subject (Marla English) to a past life as a prehistoric humanoid form of sea life. He uses the physical manifestation of the prehistoric creature to commit murders. The hypnotist's motives are never explicitly described, and the murders happen, apparently, either for revenge or notoriety.
The Houston Story (1956)
, 1h19Directed by William Castle
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Crime
Actors Gene Barry, Barbara Hale, Edward Arnold, Paul Richards, Jeanne Cooper, Frank Jenks
Roles Louie Phelan
Rating60%
Frank Duncan (Barry), a shrewd oil driller from Galveston, Texas, conceives a plan to sneakily siphon millions of dollars' worth of oil from the oil fields and sell it as his own. He goes through nightclub singer Zoe Crane (Hale) to insinuate himself with a Houston mobster, Paul Atlas (Arnold) to get financing for his scheme.
Artists and Models (1955)
, 1h42Directed by Frank Tashlin
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Musical theatre, Musical
Themes La bande dessinée, Spy films, Films about music and musicians, Musical films, Political films
Actors Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Dorothy Malone, Shirley MacLaine, Eva Gabor, Anita Ekberg
Rating64%
Rick Todd (Dean Martin) is a struggling painter and smooth-talking ladies' man. His goofy young roommate Eugene Fullstack (Jerry Lewis) is an aspiring children's author who has a passion for comic books, especially those of the mysterious and sexy "Bat Lady."
Dig That Uranium (1955)
, 1h1Directed by Edward Bernds
Origin USA
Genres Comedy
Actors Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, David Gorcey, Bernard Gorcey, Benny Bartlett, Raymond Hatton
Roles The Mechanic
Rating60%
An old friend of the boys returns to town and tells them stories of getting rich out west. He proceeds to sell them a uranium mine and they head west. When they arrive, local thugs try to chase them off. When they find out the boys own a mine they decide to let them stay in town with the plans to follow them and take the mine from them. Eventually the boys defeat the thugs and find the uranium, only to discover that it is on an Indian reservation and doesn't belong to them.
Sudden Danger (1955)
, 1h5Origin USA
Genres Drama, Crime
Actors Wild Bill Elliott, Tom Drake, Beverly Garland, Dayton Lummis, Sr., Minerva Urecal, Lucien Littlefield
Roles Kenny the Bartender
Rating61%
Police detective Doyle (Elliott) is investigating the alleged suicide of a woman who heads a clothing manufacturing company. He suspects that the victim was murdered, and that the perpetrator was her son, Curtis (Drake), who was blinded by her in an accident several years before. Hoping to clear himself, Curtis begins searching for clues on his own. By fadeout time he and Doyle have cornered the actual killer.
Outlaw Treasure (1955)
, 1hDirected by Oliver Drake
Origin USA
Genres Western
Actors Johnny Carpenter, Adele Jergens, Glenn Langan, Harry Lauter, Joseph Kenneth Shovlin, Frank Jenks
Roles Sergeant
Rating77%
Highway Dragnet (1954)
, 1h10Directed by Nathan Juran
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Crime
Actors Richard Conte, Joan Bennett, Wanda Hendrix, Reed Hadley, Mary Beth Hughes, Iris Adrian
Roles Marine in Civvies
Rating61%
A former Korean War-era Marine hitches a ride with a female fashion photographer and her young assistant to escape from the Las Vegas police on a murder charge.
White Lightning (1953)
, 1h1Directed by Edward Bernds
Origin USA
Genres Drama
Themes Sports films
Actors Lee Van Cleef, Stanley Clements, Gloria Blondell, Lyle Talbot, Steve Brodie, Frank Jenks
Roles Benny Brown
Rating69%
The film centers around a professional ice hockey team called the Red Devils who are in the midst of an extended losing streak. The losing streak is due to the team's proprietor Jack Monohan (Steve Brodie) taking bribes from gamblers. The team receives fresh hope in the form of a new player, Mike Connors (Stanley Clements). Mike is an arrogant and self-assured man, who is also Jack's former childhood friend. His talent helps the team regain their formerly winning ways. However, the new star quickly becomes disliked for his egocentric attitude and playing style. Matters worsen when Jack's sister Margaret (Barbara Bestar) becomes attracted in Mike. This romantic interest leads to an out-and-out brawl between the two men. The fight is stopped after a local drifter named Brutus steps in but tragically is stabbed by Mike. The situation takes a turn for the worse when an angered Mike takes a bribe - to throw the extremely important final game - from a gambler named Rocky Gibraltar (Lyle Talbot). Fortunately, during the game, Mike sees sense with the help of a young, admiring fan named Davey (Duncan Richardson). He helps win the game.
Bowery Battalion (1951)
, 1h9Directed by William Beaudine
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Action
Themes Military humor in film
Actors Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, David Gorcey, William Benedict, Buddy Gorman, Bernard Gorcey
Roles Recruiting Sergeant
Rating61%
The military is performing a practice air raid on New York City. Sach convinces the boys that it is real and they go down to the recruiter's office and enlist. Meanwhile, Slip arrives at Louie's and finds out what just happened and goes down there to stop them. He is too late, as they have already joined, and is tricked into enlisting himself.
Let's Go Navy! (1951)
, 1h8Directed by William Beaudine
Origin USA
Genres Comedy
Themes Military humor in film
Actors Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, David Gorcey, William Benedict, Buddy Gorman, Allen Jenkins
Roles Shell game sailor
Rating63%
A local charity has raised sixteen hundred dollars and entrusted the boys with it. They are then robbed of the cash by two men dressed as sailors. Believing them to be real sailors, and in order to catch them, they enlist in the Navy under fake names. They spend a year at sea, but cannot locate the thieves. However, Sach is able to win two thousand dollars gambling and the boys return to the Bowery. It is there that they are robbed by the same two men, but with the Navy captain helping, they are able to capture the crooks. They return to the navy office to receive their commendations, but are mistakenly re-enlisted!