Walter Connolly

Walter Connolly

The name may have been forgotten, especially today (seven decades later), but the portly, apoplectic, exasperated figure on the 1930s screen wasn't. While his film career, save a couple of silents, lasted a paltry seven years (1932-1939), character actor Walter Connolly certainly ran the distance. While some film historians complain that a number of his performances were annoying or overbaked, he was for the most part applauded for his zesty contributions to a number of comedy classics. Frank Capra's Lady for a Day (1933), Broadway Bill (1934) and It Happened One Night (1934), not to mention the Carole Lombard/Fredric March screwball farce Nothing Sacred (1937) as news reporter March's hot-headed editor boss are sure-fire examples. The Cincinnati, Ohio native was born on April 8, 1887 and schooled there. The son of the head of the Western Union relay office, he attended St. Xavier College and the University of Dublin in Ireland before making his New York debut in 1910 in an outdoor presentation of "As You Like It". For the next year or so he was a member of E.H. Sothern's touring company and played supporting roles in a number of Shakespearean shows on the road. After a few silent pictures left him unimpressed with film-making, he turned to the Broadway stage in the 1920s and scored quite well. Somewhat short and tubby, it was not difficult for the jowly, mustachioed actor to seize laughs and he found his share in such outings as "The Talking Parrot" (1923), "Applesauce" (1925), "The Springboard" (1927), "The Happy Husband" (1928), "Stepping Out" (1929), "Your Uncle Dudley" (1930), "Anatol" (1931), "Six Characters in Search of an Author" (1931), "The Good Fairy" (1932) and "The Late Christopher Bean" (1932). With his talents as a stage farceur firmly established, it was time to make a second attempt at a film career and Hollywood (specifically, Columbia) wisely opened their doors to him. Interestingly, his debut in a full-length talking picture came at age 45 in the form of a drama, Washington Merry-Go-Round (1932), where he was third-billed as a rather benign senator. For the next seven years Connolly, often playing older than he really was, could be found everywhere giving good fluster to the greatest and glossiest of stars -- Janet Gaynor, Carole Lombard, Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Myrna Loy, Paul Muni, Spencer Tracy, and Ginger Rogers, among hordes of others. His hobbies were collecting old books and theatre programmes. Connolly was married to actress Nedda Harrigan from 1923 to his death. They had one daughter, Ann (1924–2006). Connolly suffered a fatal stroke on May 28, 1940, and was buried in New St. Joseph Cemetery in Cincinnati.

  • Title : Walter Connolly
  • Popularity : 2.944
  • Known For : Acting
  • Birthday : 1887-04-08
  • Place of Birth : Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
  • Homepage :
  • Also Known As :
img

Walter Connolly Movies

  • 1934
    imgMovies

    It Happened One Night

    It Happened One Night

    7.8 1934 HD

    A runaway heiress makes a deal with the rogue reporter trailing her but the mismatched pair end up stuck with each other when their bus leaves them...

    img
  • 1934
    imgMovies

    Twentieth Century

    Twentieth Century

    6.813 1934 HD

    A temperamental Broadway producer trains an untutored actress, but when she becomes a star, she proves a match for him.

    img
  • 1936
    imgMovies

    Libeled Lady

    Libeled Lady

    7.3 1936 HD

    When a major newspaper accuses wealthy socialite Connie Allenbury of being a home-wrecker, and she files a multi-million-dollar libel lawsuit, the...

    img
  • 1938
    imgMovies

    Too Hot to Handle

    Too Hot to Handle

    5.8 1938 HD

    While in Shanghai reporting on the Sino-Japanese war, Chris Hunter, a shrewd news reporter, meets pilot Alma Harding. She does not trust him, but he...

    img
  • 1932
    imgMovies

    The Bitter Tea of General Yen

    The Bitter Tea of General Yen

    6.124 1932 HD

    An American missionary is gradually seduced by a courtly warlord holding her in Shanghai.

    img
  • 1932
    imgMovies

    Man Against Woman

    Man Against Woman

    3.5 1932 HD

    Johnny McCloud, a tough police inspector given more to fisticuffs than investigating has the hots for torch-singer Lola Parker, but Miss Parker is...

    img
  • 1937
    imgMovies

    The Good Earth

    The Good Earth

    6.2 1937 HD

    China, during the rule of the Qing Dynasty. The arranged marriage between Wang Lung, a humble farmer, and O-Lan, a domestic slave, will endure the...

    img
  • 1933
    imgMovies

    Lady for a Day

    Lady for a Day

    7.049 1933 HD

    Never-wed, poor, rough around the edges Apple Annie has always written to her daughter, Louise, in Spain that she is married and a member of New...

    img
  • 1937
    imgMovies

    Nothing Sacred

    Nothing Sacred

    6.21 1937 HD

    When a small-town girl is incorrectly diagnosed with a rare, deadly disease, an unknowing newspaper columnist turns her into a national heroine.

    img
  • 1939
    imgMovies

    Fifth Avenue Girl

    Fifth Avenue Girl

    7 1939 HD

    A wealthy man hires a poor girl to play his mistress in order to get more attention from his neglectful family.

    img
  • 1938
    imgMovies

    Four's a Crowd

    Four's a Crowd

    5.1 1938 HD

    A public relations man falls for his most difficult client's granddaughter.

    img
  • 1934
    imgMovies

    Lady by Choice

    Lady by Choice

    6.25 1934 HD

    To improve her image, a fan dancer "adopts" an old woman to be her mother.

    img
  • 1939
    imgMovies

    The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

    The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

    6.412 1939 HD

    Huckleberry Finn, a rambunctious boy adventurer chafing under the bonds of civilization, escapes his humdrum world and his selfish, plotting father...

    img
  • 1934
    imgMovies

    Broadway Bill

    Broadway Bill

    6.079 1934 HD

    Tycoon J.L. Higgins controls his whole family, but one of his sons-in-law, Dan Brooks, and his daughter Alice are fed up with that. Brooks quits his...

    img
  • 1937
    imgMovies

    Nancy Steele Is Missing!

    Nancy Steele Is Missing!

    1 1937 HD

    After being in jail for seventeen years a crook is met by the girl he kidnapped as a baby. She now thinks he's her father. When he returns her to her...

    img
  • 1937
    imgMovies

    First Lady

    First Lady

    6.2 1937 HD

    A politician's wife plots for her husband to become the next U.S. President.

    img
  • 1939
    imgMovies

    Good Girls Go to Paris

    Good Girls Go to Paris

    7.1 1939 HD

    Jenny Swanson, a waitress on a college campus, is dying to visit Paris. Thanks to English professor Ronald Brooke, she manages to make her dream come...

    img
  • 1936
    imgMovies

    The Music Goes 'Round

    The Music Goes 'Round

    1 1936 HD

    Harry Wallace (Harry Richman) is the star of a musical comedy who, while on a leave of absence from Broadway, encounters a troupe of untalented...

    img
  • 1939
    imgMovies

    Coast Guard

    Coast Guard

    5 1939 HD

    Steady, dependable Coast Guard Lieutenant Raymond "Ray" Dower and reckless aviator Thomas "Speed" Bradshaw are the closest of friends. Ray saves the...

    img
  • 1938
    imgMovies

    Start Cheering

    Start Cheering

    7 1938 HD

    After retiring from movies to get an education, a man discovers his ex-staff is trying to have him expelled.

    img
  • 1937
    imgMovies

    The League of Frightened Men

    The League of Frightened Men

    6 1937 HD

    Nero Wolfe agrees to investigate a series of murders that seem to be tied in with a past Harvard hazing prank that went awry.

    img
  • 1939
    imgMovies

    Those High Grey Walls

    Those High Grey Walls

    6.2 1939 HD

    Dr. MacAuley, a kindly, beloved country doctor, is sent to Fillmore Prison. His crime was for removing a bullet from a young man who was escaping...

    img
  • 1936
    imgMovies

    The King Steps Out

    The King Steps Out

    5.889 1936 HD

    Princess is destined to marry the Emperor, until her sister steps in.

    img
  • 1932
    imgMovies

    No More Orchids

    No More Orchids

    6.8 1932 HD

    Despite loving another man, a young woman is talked into marrying a wealthy and boorish prince in order to help her financially-strapped father.

    img
  • 1933
    imgMovies

    Paddy the Next Best Thing

    Paddy the Next Best Thing

    1 1933 HD

    In Ireland, Major Adair’s older daughter Eileen is about to marry Lawrence Blake for his money in order to pay off her father’s debts,...

    img
  • 1938
    imgMovies

    The Girl Downstairs

    The Girl Downstairs

    4.5 1938 HD

    A wealthy playboy surreptitiously romances a scullery maid to gain access to her mistress with whom he is in love, but doesn't count on the maid...

    img
  • 1939
    imgMovies

    The Great Victor Herbert

    The Great Victor Herbert

    5 1939 HD

    In his last film assignment, portly Walter Connolly fills the title role (in more ways than one) in The Great Victor Herbert. Very little of...

    img
  • 1937
    imgMovies

    Let's Get Married

    Let's Get Married

    5 1937 HD

    Let's Get Married is a 1937 American comedy film starring Ida Lupino, who plays the daughter of a political consultant, Joe Quinn. From Wikipedia

    img
  • 1934
    imgMovies

    Father Brown, Detective

    Father Brown, Detective

    6.5 1934 HD

    After notorious jewel thief Flambeau meets Evelyn Fischer during a raid on a casino, he falls deeply in love with her. Later Flambeau sends notes to...

    img
  • 1935
    imgMovies

    She Couldn't Take It

    She Couldn't Take It

    4.5 1935 HD

    The wealthy Van Dyke family are constantly in the media for outrageous behavior, much to the frustration of the patriarch, Dan Van Dyke. His...

    img
  • 1935
    imgMovies

    So Red the Rose

    So Red the Rose

    6 1935 HD

    During the American Civil War, Valette Bedford waits patiently for her husband Duncan Bedford, to return home, praying that she will not become a...

    img
  • 1933
    imgMovies

    East of Fifth Avenue

    East of Fifth Avenue

    6 1933 HD

    A kindly, elderly couple who run a New York City boarding house form the steady center around which the lives and loves of their various residents...

    img
  • 1932
    imgMovies

    Washington Merry-Go-Round

    Washington Merry-Go-Round

    6.7 1932 HD

    Button Gwinett Brown is a freshman congressman on a mission to rid Washington of corruption. He quickly runs afoul of the powerful Senator Norton...

    img
  • 1934
    imgMovies

    Whom the Gods Destroy

    Whom the Gods Destroy

    5.5 1934 HD

    Broadway's most successful producer, John Forrester, is deeply in love with his wife Margaret and dreams of the future when his son Jack will step...

    img
  • 1939
    imgMovies

    Bridal Suite

    Bridal Suite

    5.1 1939 HD

    A carefree playboy with an aversion to marriage falls for a lass he meets in the French Alps.

    img
  • 1934
    imgMovies

    The Captain Hates the Sea

    The Captain Hates the Sea

    6.5 1934 HD

    Alcoholic newspaperman Steve Bramley boards the San Capador for a restful cruise, hoping to quit drinking and begin writing a book. Also on board are...

    img
  • 1933
    imgMovies

    Man's Castle

    Man's Castle

    6.903 1933 HD

    Bill takes Trina into his depression camp cabin. Later, just as he finds showgirl LaRue who will support him, Trina becomes pregnant.

    img
  • 1934
    imgMovies

    Servants' Entrance

    Servants' Entrance

    1 1934 HD

    Heiress Hedda Nillson certain that her family is about to lose all its money, takes a job as a maid. After the usual trials and tribulations, Hedda...

    img
  • 1935
    imgMovies

    One Way Ticket

    One Way Ticket

    5 1935 HD

    A convict marries the warder's daughter after his escape and she eventually persuades him to finish his sentence.

    img
  • 1933
    imgMovies

    Master of Men

    Master of Men

    1 1933 HD

    One of ten films that Fay Wray made in 1993 (including King Kong), Master of Men casts her as Kay Walling, a woman who is being ignored by her...

    img
  • 1934
    imgMovies

    Once to Every Woman

    Once to Every Woman

    5.8 1934 HD

    An able nurse clashes with a new doctor at her hospital.

    img
  • 1934
    imgMovies

    Eight Girls in a Boat

    Eight Girls in a Boat

    1 1934 HD

    In an exclusive Swiss school for young girls, Christa Storm discovers she is going to have a baby, and keeps the secret from everyone but her lover,...

    img
  • 1935
    imgMovies

    White Lies

    White Lies

    6 1935 HD

    A powerful publisher John Mitchell whose pursuit of sensational headlines at the expense of all else takes a personal toll when his daughter Joan is...

    img
  • 1938
    imgMovies

    Breakdowns of 1938

    Breakdowns of 1938

    5 1938 HD

    Flubs and bloopers that occurred on the set of some of the major Warner Bros. pictures of 1938.

    img
  • 1934
    imgMovies

    Hollywood on Parade No. B-1

    Hollywood on Parade No. B-1

    6 1934 HD

    Short film in which Frankie Darro as a Telegram delivery boy visits various Hollywood locations to make deliveries. He visits the Los Angeles Pier...

    img
  • 1936
    imgMovies

    Soak the Rich

    Soak the Rich

    1 1936 HD

    Tycoon Humphrey Craig is fearful that a "soak the rich" bill will pass in the United States Senate.

    img
  • 1975
    imgMovies

    Black Shadows on a Silver Screen

    Black Shadows on a Silver Screen

    1 1975 HD

    Ossie Davis narrates a history of "race films," films made before 1950 which catered to a primarily black audience.

    img
  • 1938
    imgMovies

    Penitentiary

    Penitentiary

    1 1938 HD

    The story of a D.A. who becomes a prison warden and winds up overseeing the sentence of a man he prosecuted.

    img