Allen Jenkins
Allen Jenkins ( born April 9, 1900 in Staten Iceland, New York as David Allen Curtis Jenkins, † 20 July 1974 in Santa Monica, California ) was an American actor.
Life and career
Allen Jenkins parents worked as an actor in musical comedies in New York. After his schooling Jenkins was initially for the United States in World War I, and later he worked as a stage designer. Through this work he became interested in acting and studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He made his debut on Broadway in December 1922 in the play Secrets and went there regularly in the next few years. In 1928, he starred in the original cast of the Broadway hit The Front Page and 1931 he replaced Spencer Tracy for three weeks in the play The Last Mile.
His film debut was in 1931 in the short film Stright and Narrow, his breakthrough Jenkins little later with the gangster film Pursuing James A. and the musical comedy The 42nd Street. Mostly he embodied silly guys with their hearts in the right place. Often he was seen as a gangster, taxi driver or police officer. Overall, Jenkins entered the 1930s on in so many movies from Warner Brothers that they jokingly called him the "Fifth Warner Brother". He was friends with his film colleagues James Cagney, Frank McHugh and Pat O'Brien, known collectively as the " Irish Mafia " were also known. He was also a member of the Screen Actors Guild. In 1939 he had a supporting role in the comedy Western Destry Rides on the side of Marlene Dietrich and James Stewart.
Allen Jenkins was temporarily an alcoholic who could deal with his money poorly. He went with his illness in the public and founded the first club of Alcoholics Anonymous in California.
After use in World War II Jenkins was not able also because of his alcohol problems on earlier successes and had to mostly make do with appearances in B movies or television series. On television, he had including a supporting role in the sitcom Hey, Jeannie (1956). In the 1960s, he could work as an actor only with difficulty, because it was increasingly blind, and was so restricted his freedom of movement on stage. Jenkins worked temporarily as a toolmaker and car salesman, sometimes in undeclared work. In 1974, Billy Wilder gave him a small appearance as Telegrapher in his comedy special edition, a remake of the play The Front Page, in which Jenkins had 46 years previously starred in the original cast.
Only eleven days after the twisting of these scenes Jenkins died of lung cancer. He was married to Mary Landee, with whom he had three children. His ashes were burned.