Pat O'Brien | |
|---|---|
 Pat O'Brien in 1936 | |
| Born | William Joseph Patrick O'Brien (1899-11-11)November 11, 1899 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Died | October 15, 1983(1983-10-15) (aged 83) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1925–1983 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
William Joseph Patrick O'Brien (November 11, 1899 – October 15, 1983) was an American film actor with more than 100 screen credits. Of Irish descent, he often playedIrish andIrish-American characters and was referred to as "Hollywood's Irishman in Residence" in the press. One of the best-known screen actors of the 1930s and 1940s, he played priests, cops, military figures, pilots, and reporters. He is especially well-remembered for his roles inKnute Rockne, All American (1940),Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), andSome Like It Hot (1959). He was frequently paired onscreen withHollywood star and close friendJames Cagney. O'Brien also appeared on stage and television.
O'Brien was born in 1899 to an Irish-AmericanCatholic family inMilwaukee, Wisconsin.[1] All four of his grandparents had come from Ireland. The O'Briens were originally fromCounty Cork. His grandfather, Patrick O'Brien, for whom he was named, was an architect who was killed while trying to break up a saloon fight in New York City. His mother's parents, the McGoverns, emigrated fromCounty Galway in the west of Ireland in the mid- to late-19th century.[2]
As a child, O'Brien served as analtar boy atGesu Church, while growing up near 13th and Kilbourn Streets in Milwaukee. He attendedMarquette Academy with fellow actorSpencer Tracy, who was a lifelong friend. DuringWorld War I, O'Brien and Tracy joined theUnited States Navy. They both attended boot camp at theGreat Lakes Naval Training Center, but they never went to sea. The war ended before their training had finished.[3]
Jack Benny was also at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center at the same time as O'Brien and Tracy. According to his autobiography, Benny performed a number on the violin at a show one evening, when the sailors started booing and heckling him. O'Brien walked on stage and whispered in his ear, "For heaven's sake, Ben, put down the damn fiddle and talk to 'em." Benny stopped playing his violin and made a series of comments that got laughs from the audience. In this way, O'Brien indirectly helped to start Benny's career in comedy.[4]
After the war, O'Brien finished his secondary schooling at Marquette Academy and later attendedMarquette University. While still at college, he decided to seek work as an actor. He and Spencer Tracy moved to New York, where they both attended theAmerican Academy of Dramatic Arts. The two struggling young actors shared a small studio apartment, and began their careers on the stage.[5]
O'Brien spent a decade in plays onBroadway and in the New York City area.
O'Brien made his film debut in theVitaphone Varieties short film,The Nightingale, produced in New York and released in August 1930.[6]: 57 His first starring role was as ace reporter Hildy Johnson in the original 1931 version ofThe Front Page withAdolphe Menjou. In 2010, this film was selected by theNational Film Preservation Board for preservation in theLibrary of Congress'sNational Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."[7]
He was the lead in Paramount'sPersonal Maid (1931), and appeared in aMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer musicalFlying High (1931), supportingBert Lahr. He wasIrene Dunne's love interest in RKO'sConsolation Marriage (1932), then co-starred opposite a youngBette Davis inHell's House (1932). O'Brien stayed in leads, going from studio to studio:Scandal for Sale (1932), at Universal;The Strange Case of Clara Deane (1932), at Paramount;Hollywood Speaks (1932),American Madness (1932) andVirtue (1932).
O'Brien played a heroic pilot in Universal'sAir Mail (1932), directed byJohn Ford. While at that studio he was in the compellingLaughter in Hell (1932) andDestination Unknown (1933). At the smallMajestic Pictures he starred inThe World Gone Mad (1933).
O'Brien's first Warner Bros. movie wasBureau of Missing Persons (1933), starring Bette Davis. He went to RKO forFlaming Gold (1933) and MGM forBombshell (1933), then Warners signed O'Brien to a long-term contract. He would remain with the studio until 1940, when he left after a dispute over the terms of his contract renewal.[8]
O'Brien supportedDick Powell inCollege Coach (1933) andJoan Blondell inI've Got Your Number (1934).[9] He was third lead to Barbara Stanwyck andJoel McCrea inGambling Lady (1934), then was with Powell again inTwenty Million Sweethearts (1934).
Here Comes the Navy (1934) was O'Brien's first film withJames Cagney, also under contract to Warners. The two originally met in 1926 and remained friends for almost six decades. After O'Brien's death, Cagney referred to him as his "dearest friend."[10] O'Brien played the lead, a boxer, inThe Personality Kid (1934), supported Powell inFlirtation Walk (1934) and was an auctioneer inI Sell Anything (1935).
Cagney and O'Brien were reteamed inDevil Dogs of the Air (1935). He was a critic in love withDolores del Río inIn Caliente (1935) and had the lead in thebio-picOil for the Lamps of China (1935), which he called "one of my favorite pictures."[11] "That was a sweetheart," he said.[12]
He and Cagney were inThe Irish in Us (1935) then it was back to supporting Powell inPage Miss Glory (1935). He headlined a musicalStars Over Broadway (1935) then was back with Cagney forHoward Hawks'Ceiling Zero (1935). Cagney later sued Warners for billing O'Brien's name above his.[13]
"Jimmy's grand to work with," said O'Brien in 1935. "You couldn't ask for a better partner but there's a limit to all that. I think one picture a year with Jimmy would be fine. But as it is I've been with him in every uniform – the army, the navy, the police, the marines, the air corps – and it's always a case of me falling for his girl or him falling for mine. It gets tiresome... I don't just want to be a fast-talking Charlie all my life."[12]
Warners gave him some starring parts:I Married a Doctor (1936),Public Enemy's Wife (1936),China Clipper (1936),The Great O'Malley (1937), andSlim (1937) withHenry Fonda. He was Captain of the Guard (on special leave from the US Army) inSan Quentin (1937) oppositeHumphrey Bogart, romanced Blondell inBack in Circulation (1937) and was a veteran sailor inSubmarine D-1 (1938).
O'Brien was pulled out ofSwing Your Lady to co-star withKay Francis inWomen Are Like That (1938)[14] and was back with Powell forCowboy from Brooklyn (1938). He and Cagney reteamed forBoy Meets Girl (1938), and he was meant to be back with Powell inGarden of the Moon (1938), but Powell refused to do it – he was replaced byJohn Payne.
O'Brien has one of his best ever roles as the former street kid turned priest inAngels with Dirty Faces (1938) with Cagney. He was with Blondell inOff the Record (1939) andThe Kid from Kokomo (1939), and co-starred withGale Page inIndianapolis Speedway (1939).
He went over to Paramount forThe Night of Nights (1939), part of a deal in which Warners bought the rights toThe Old Maid from Paramount. He then madeSlightly Honorable (1939) for United Artists.
Back at Warner Bros he was reunited with Cagney forThe Fighting 69th (1940) then madeCastle on the Hudson (1940) with Sheridan andJohn Garfield. He was a cop in'Til We Meet Again (1940), with Cagney and Sheridan inTorrid Zone (1940). He co-starred with Garfield andFrances Farmer inFlowing Gold (1940).
O'Brien was then given his best known role, as the famousUniversity of Notre Dame football coachKnute Rockne inKnute Rockne, All American (1940). In the film, he gave the speech to "win just one for the Gipper," referring to recently deceased football player,George Gipp, portrayed in the film by a youngRonald Reagan. Reagan later used this saying as a slogan for his campaign for president in 1980.
O'Brien was at a career peak. He was considered for the role ofAlvin York in the filmSergeant York.[15] From this high point, however, O'Brien left Warner Bros in July 1940.
After he left Warner Bros. in 1940, O'Brien signed a contract with20th Century Fox for two films a year.[16] However they ended up not using him.
He signed withColumbia Pictures to make two films a year.[17] He was inEscape to Glory (1940), then was idle for a year before makingTwo Yanks in Trinidad (1942) withBrian Donlevy andFlight Lieutenant (1942) withGlenn Ford. At Universal he was inBroadway (1942) withGeorge Raft.
Soon he signed a contract withRKO and appeared in several movies for that studio.[8] He mostly played authority/military roles such asThe Navy Comes Through (1942), andBombardier (1943).The Iron Major (1943) was an attempt to repeat the success ofKnute Rockne with O'Brien asFrank Cavanaugh.At Universal he supportedDeanna Durbin inFrank Borzage'sHis Butler's Sister (1943) then it was back to RKO forMarine Raiders (1944).
With his agent Phil Ryan, O'Brien set up his own production company, Teneen Productions. They signed a deal with Columbia to make a film with O'Brien,Secret Command (1944). (In 1955 the IRS would sue him for earnings on this film.[18]) At RKO he didHaving Wonderful Crime (1946) andMan Alive (1945). For Columbia he madePerilous Holiday (1946).
In 1946 he starred in the successfulfilm noir suspense film,Crack-Up. He was in a thriller,Riffraff (1947) and another biopicFighting Father Dunne (1948). He followed it withThe Boy with Green Hair (1948), andA Dangerous Profession (1949) with Raft.
While working as a Hollywood contract player, O'Brien made occasional appearances on the radio in the 1930s and 1940s. In 1946 he collaborated with the contraltoKate Smith on the popularViva America program for theCBS radio network.[19] In the summer of 1947, he starred withLynn Bari inSummer Theater, a program "dramatizing episodes in the life of a small town druggist."[20]
O'Brien's movie career slowed considerably by the early 1950s, although he still managed to get work in television. In his autobiography,The Wind at My Back, he professed to being completely flummoxed about the decline of his career. His close friend, Spencer Tracy, fought with his studio,MGM, to get roles for O'Brien in his filmsThe People Against O'Hara (1951) andThe Last Hurrah (1958).[21]
He still had leads in films likeOkinawa (1952),Inside Detroit (1956) andKill Me Tomorrow (1957). In 1959 O'Brien appeared in a supporting role in one of his best-known movies as a police detective oppositeGeorge Raft inSome Like It Hot, starringMarilyn Monroe,Jack Lemmon, andTony Curtis.
In his later years, O'Brien often worked in television. He was cast in 1956 and 1957 in four episodes of the religionanthology series,Crossroads. In three of the four programs, he played priests. He also performed in two episodes ofThe Virginian in the mid-1960s. In the 1960–1961 television season, O'Brien played James Harrigan, Sr. in asitcom titledHarrigan and Son.
O'Brien made numerous appearances on television as himself, including several onThe Ed Sullivan Show. In 1957, he guest starred in the first season of theNBCvariety program,The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford. Other shows in which he appeared as himself include the interview programs:The David Frost Show,The Tonight Show,The Merv Griffin Show, andThe Joey Bishop Show. In 1957,Ralph Edwards profiled O'Brien's life and career for an episode ofThis Is Your Life. He was also the mystery guest on the game showWhat's My Line? in 1953 and 1957. In the "Jennifer and the Will" episode ofWKRP in Cincinnati, he has a memorably comic turn as Jennifer Marlowe's elderly boyfriend. Shortly thereafter, O'Brien's final filmed performance came in a 1982 episode ofHappy Days.
O'Brien spoke the Star Spangled Banner to the accompaniment ofDoc Severinsen on trumpet for the National Anthem opening ofSuper Bowl IV in 1970. He was invited to do this because of his role as Knute Rockne.
He had a small role asBurt Reynolds' father in the 1978 comedy filmThe End, oppositeMyrna Loy, cast as Reynolds' mother.
In later years, O'Brien recalled that he had had three "great" movie roles in his career: Knute Rockne, Hildy Johnson inThe Front Page, andFather Duffy inThe Fighting 69th.[22]
From the 1960s through the early 1980s, O'Brien often traveled around the United States as a one-man act and in road shows. He also performed frequently in nightclubs.[10]
Near the end of his life, he toured in a stage production ofOn Golden Pond, which he considered "absolutely the best play" he had ever read.[23][24] O'Brien appeared twice at the historic summer stock venue,Elitch Theatre, in 1980'sThe Second Time Around with his wife, Eloise O'Brien, and 1981'sOn Golden Pond, again with Eloise, as well as his daughter, Brigid.[25]
In the late 1930s, O'Brien and a small group of his actor friends began to meet to converse and exchange opinions and stories. Hollywood columnistSidney Skolsky dubbed them the "Irish Mafia," but they preferred to call their social group the "Boys Club." In addition to O'Brien, the original members of the club wereJames Cagney,Spencer Tracy,Allen Jenkins andFrank McHugh, all of whom were Irish-Americans. LaterLynne Overman joined their group and thenGeorge Brent,James Dunn,Louis Calhern,William Gargan,Paul Kelly,Regis Toomey,Brian Donlevy,Ralph Bellamy,Lloyd Nolan andFrank Morgan.James Gleason andBert Lahr were also frequent guests. The actors gathered to socialize, but they also occasionally used the group to discuss ideas about their latest movies. By the mid-1940s the group began to break up, as members either moved or died. Some of the surviving members kept in contact by telephone and occasional meetings.[26]
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O'Brien and his wife, Eloise, had four children: Mavourneen, Sean, Terry, and Brigid. Three of his children were adopted.[10] The youngest, Brigid O'Brien (1946-2016), was his biological child.[27][28] Eloise O'Brien occasionally appeared on stage with her husband.
Among those who knew him personally, O'Brien was known for his love of storytelling, jokes, and late-night parties.[10][29]Bob Hope specifically remembered him as araconteur.[10] Another friend recalled that he was always "the life, and I mean the lively life, of the party."[29] He traveled to Vietnam as part of a US tour in February 1969.[30]
O'Brien died on October 15, 1983, from aheart attack at age 83, following minorprostate surgery. PresidentRonald Reagan released a White House statement noting his sadness over his old friend's death. The president had called the actor at the hospital just days before his death.[10][31]
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Short Subjects:
| Year | Program | Episode | Co Star | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | Lux Radio Theatre | Alias Jimmy Valentine | w/ Madge Evans | |
| 1939 | Lux Radio Theatre | Angels With Dirty Faces | w/ James Cagney | |
| 1940 | Lux Radio Theatre | Knute Rockne, All American | w/ Ronald Reagan & Fay Wray | |
| 1942 | Lux Radio Theatre | The Fighting 69th | w/ Robert Preston | |
| 1943 | Lux Radio Theatre | The Navy Comes Through | w/ George Murphy & Ruth Hussey | |
| 1943 | Lux Radio Theatre | The Navy Comes Through | w/ Ruth Warrick & Chester Morris | |
| 1944 | Lux Radio Theatre | His Butler's Sister | w/ Deanna Durbin | |
| 1945 | Lux Radio Theatre | Grissly's Millions | w/ Lynn Bari | |
| 1946 | Lux Radio Theatre | Crack-Up | w/ Lynn Bari |
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