J. Farrell MacDonald
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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.
Known for
It's a Wonderful Life
Man Whose Grandfather Planted Tree (uncredited)
Sitting Pretty
Cop (uncredited)
Me and My Gal
Pop Riley
Zenobia
Judge
Show Boat
Windy MacLaine
Extortion
Coach Pearson
Fallen Angel
Bank Guard (uncredited)
Hangover Square
Street Vendor (uncredited)
Flying Fists
Bill 'One-Punch' Fagin
Greenwich Village
O'Shea, policeman
Swellhead
Umpire
Full Confession
Joe, Police Sergeant (uncredited)
Drifting
Murphy
Slim
Pop
The Millionaire
Dan Lewis
Waterfront Lady
Capt. O'Brien
Whispering Smith
Bill Baggs
Happy Days
Train Conductor
My Darling Clementine
Mac the barman
Parnell
Irish Laborer (uncredited)
Parnell
Irish Laborer
Front Page Woman
Hallohan
Shep Comes Home
Sheriff Cap Weatherby
South Sea Rose
Hackett
The Crime Doctor
Kemp
Our Little Girl
Hobo
Thank You
Andy
Madame Racketeer
John Adams
Riffraff
'Brains'
Action
Mormon Peters
The Dalton Gang
Judge Price
Ankles Preferred
McGuire
Lightnin'
Lemuel Townsend
Pillow of Death
White Banners
Dr. Thompson
I Take This Oath
Insp. Tim Ryan
The Bachelor Daddy
Joe Pelton
Rags
Paul Ferguson (as Joseph Farrell MacDonald)
Gang Bullets
Chief Reardon
4 Devils
The Clown
Touchdown!
Pop Stewart
Captains of the Clouds
Dr. Neville
3 Bad Men
Mike Costigan
This Hero Stuff
Softnose Smith
One Thrilling Night
Police Sergeant Haggerty
The Lucky Horseshoe
Mack
The Brat
Timson, the butler
Men Without Women
Costello
Desperate Youth
Abie's Irish Rose
Patrick Murphy
East Side, West Side
Pug Malone
Roped
Butler
Goodbye, Weeds
Gardener
Hostile Country
Mr. Lane (uncredited)
Under Eighteen
Pop Evans
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
The Photographer
Topper
Policeman
Other Men's Women
Peg-Leg
Discarded Lovers
Sommers
The Maltese Falcon
Det. Sgt. Tom Polhaus
Smoky
Jim, the Cook
Star of Midnight
Inspector Doremus
Reap the Wild Wind
Port Captain
The Ghost Breaker
Sam Marcum
Riders of Vengeance
Buell
Masked Emotions
Will Whitten
The Painted Angel
Pa Hudler
In Old Arizona
Stage Passenger (uncredited)
I Loved a Woman
Shuster
Marked Men
Tom Placer McGraw
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Mr. Carney The Junkman (uncredited)
Men Are Such Fools
Prison Warden Randolph
Superman and the Mole Men
Pop Shannon
The Great Lie
Dr. Ferguson
Meet John Doe
'Sourpuss'
Law of the Timber
Adams
This Sporting Age
Jerry O'Day
Phantom Killer
Police Captain
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer
Mac, Bailiff (uncredited)
Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line
Self (archive footage)
Western Luck
'Chuck' Campbell
70,000 Witnesses
State Coach
Belle Starr's Daughter
Doc Benson
Cradle Snatchers
George Martin
When Willie Comes Marching Home
Gilby - Pharmacist (uncredited)
Dark Command
Dave
The Palm Beach Story
Officer O'Donnell (uncredited)
Pony Express Days
Nevada Jim
Susannah of the Mounties
Pat O'Hannegan
Untamed
Dr. Billar
The Iron Horse
Corporal Casey
Wild Bill Hickok Rides
Henry Hathaway
Woman on the Run
Cap, the Retired Ferryboat Captain
The Working Man
Henry 'Hank' Davis
Johnny Angel
Capt. Angel
Here Comes the Groom
Husband on Airplane (uncredited)
Coast Guard
Capt. Hansen (uncredited)
Heritage of the Desert
Adam Naab
Slave Ship
Proprietor
There Goes My Heart
Officer
Manslaughter
(uncredited)
Laughing at Life
Prison Warden
The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek
Sheriff (uncredited)
Christmas Eve
Policeman (uncredited)
The Sin of Harold Diddlebock
Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
The Truth About Youth
Colonel Graham
The Lone Ranger Rides Again
Craig Dolan
Panhandle
Doc Cooper
The Stolen Jools
Policeman
No Man of Her Own
"Dickie" Collins
Circumstantial Evidence
Jury Foreman
The Walls of Jericho
Bailiff (uncredited)
The Arizonian
Marshal Andy Jordan
The Crowd Roars
Father Patrick Ryan
Texas Masquerade
John Martindale
Romance in Manhattan
Murphy
They Shall Have Music
Police Chief (uncredited)
The Family Upstairs
Joe Heller
The Light of Western Stars
Bill Stillwell
Come on Over
Michael Morahan
Gerald Cranston's Lady
Rennie
You're My Everything
Doorman (uncredited)
The Whole Town's Talking
Prison Warden (uncredited)
In Old Cheyenne
Tim Casey
Mysterious Crossing
Police Chief Bullock
Strong Boy
Angus McGregor
Stagecoach War
Jeff Chapman
The Iron Master
J.C. Stillman
Masquerade
Joe Hickey
Bowery at Midnight
Capt. Mitchell
Mickey the Kid
Sheriff J.J. Willoughby
The Great Moment
The Priest
Once to Every Woman
Flannigan
Tracks
Jack Bess
The Squaw Man
Big Bill
True to Life
Man (uncredited)
Fury at Furnace Creek
Pops Murphy (uncredited)
Hearts of Humanity
Tom O'Hara
The Easiest Way
Ben Murdock
East Side of Heaven
Doorman (uncredited)
The Spirit of Notre Dame
The Coach
Murder on the Campus
Police Capt. Ed Kyne
'Tween Two Loves
Farmer Howard
Week-End Marriage
Mr. Davis
Thunder in the Valley
McPherson - Innkeeper
Maybe It's Love
The Cop
The Housekeeper's Daughter
Captain
The Best Man Wins
Captain--Harbor Patrol
Man of Two Worlds
Michael
The Strange Love of Molly Louvain
Police Sgt. J.B. Antrim (uncredited)
Florida Special
Harrigan
Joe Palooka, Champ
Long-Count Bowman
The Great Barrier
Major Rogers
Stormy
Trinidad Dorn
Peg o' My Heart
Patrick Shamus 'Pat' O'Connell
The Irish in Us
Capt. Jackson
A Sporting Chance
Luther Ripley aka Kennedy
Steady Company
Hogan
Kentucky Pride
Donavan
Submarine Patrol
CWO 'Sails' Quincannon
If You Knew Susie
Police Sergeant (uncredited)
The Hurricane Express
Jim Baker
Maid of Salem
Captain of Ship
Bringing Up Father
Jiggs
The Game That Kills
Joe Holland
Private Snuffy Smith
Gen. Rosewater
Broadway Limited
Mulcahey
The Fighting Heart
Jerry
The Pride of the Legion
Chief Scott
The Girl of the Golden West
Sonora Slim
The Racing Strain
Mr. Martin
The Daltons' Women
Alvin
The Ape Man
Captain O'Brien
My Dear Miss Aldrich
'Doc' Howe
Northern Frontier
Inspector
Stranger in Town
Scout
Sporting Blood
MacGuire
Courage of the West
Buck Saunders
Riley the Cop
James 'Aloysius' Riley
Tiger Fangs
Geoffrey MacCardle
Fighting Youth
Coach Parker
Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell
Mr. Kroeger
Barefoot Boy
Warden
The Living Ghost
Police Lt. 'Pete' Peterson
Shadows of the Orient
Inspector Sullivan
Conspiracy
Captain of the Falcon
Friendly Neighbors
Sheiff Potts
Trouble Preferred
Apartment House Manager (uncredited)
The Dixie Merchant
Jean Paul Fippany
Dakota Lil
Ellis
Scandal for Sale
Treadway
The Signal Tower
Pete
State Police
Charlie Wheeler
Myrt and Marge
Grady
Prairie Law
Sheriff Jim Austin
Let 'em Have It
Mr. Keefer
Keeper of the Bees
Postmaster
The Young Rajah
Amhad Beg - Prime Minister
Hotel Continental
Detective Martin
Exclusive Story
Michael Devlin
The Gentleman from Arizona
Wild Bill Coburn
Riders of the Timberline
Jim Kerrigan
My Old Kentucky Home
Mayor Jim Hopkins
Hitch Hike Lady
Judge Hale
The Dream
Secondary Role (uncredited)
The Hit Parade
Sgt. O'Hara
Numbered Woman
Capt. Mike Ryan
Hitchin' Posts
Joe Alabam (as J. Farrell McDonald)
Quicksands
Col. Patterson
A Timely Repentance
Louis Nordell
Streets of San Francisco
Pop Lockhart
Web of Danger
Scotty MacKronish - Bus Driver
The Crosby Case
The Doorman--Mike Costello
The Age of Desire
Dan Reagan
Woman Hungry
Buzzard
Harrigan's Kid
Frank (uncredited)
The First Year
Mr. Barstow
The Thirteenth Guest
Captain Ryan
Probation
George Holman
The Painted Desert
Jeff Cameron
Mademoiselle Midnight
Duc de Moing (Prologue)
Bertha the Sewing Machine Girl
Sloan
Riding with Death
Sheriff Pat Garrity
Song o' My Heart
Rafferty
The Healer
Applejack
The Bonded Woman
Captain Gaskell
Paid to Love
Peter Roberts
The Wallop
Neuces River
The Last Express
William Barton (Detective Agency Head)
Roaring Timber
Andrew MacKinley
Knights of the Range
Cappy
Sky High
Jim Frazer (as J. Farrel MacDonald)
The Power and the Glory
Mulligan
The Scarlet Letter
The Path She Chose
Father
The Shamrock Handicap
Con O'Shea
Too Young to Marry
Rev. Stump
Beggar's Holiday
Pop Malloy
The Cohens and the Kellys in Paris
Patrick Kelly
The Phantom Express
D.J. 'Smokey' Nolan
Come On, Rangers
Colonel Forbes
The Brass Bowl
Hickey
The Vanishing Frontier
Waco
River's End
O'Toole
Let Women Alone
Commodore John Gordon
Trailin'
Joseph Piotto
A Fight For Love
The Priest
The Last Alarm
Jim Hadley
How to Break 90 #6: Fine Points
Himself
Fair Enough
Chief of Police Morgan
Danger Ahead
Harry Cromwell
The Freeze-Out
Bobtail McGuire
The McGuerins from Brooklyn
Cop
While Paris Sleeps
Those Who Dare
The Country Beyond
Sgt. Cassidy
The Outcasts of Poker Flat
Square Shooter
Sheriff
Trixie from Broadway
Slim Hayes
$5,000 Reward
Norcross
None But the Brave
John Craig
Racing Hearts
Silas Martin
The Storm Daughter
Con Mullaney
Little Orphan Annie
'Pop' Corrigan
How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 9: 'The Driver'
The Last Frontier
Wild Bill Hickok
A Trip to Chinatown
Benjamin Strong
Under Secret Orders
John Burke
Over the Border
Peter Galbraith
The Time-Lock Safe
Office Worker
Molly of the Follies
Swannick
Fashionable Fakers
Pat O'Donnell
Bullet Proof
Jim Boone
County Fair
Calvin Williams
The Lighthouse Keeper
The Lighthouse Keeper