1904-09-01 Dothan, Alabama, USA
An All-American halfback while attending the University of Alabama, Johnny Mack Brown chose the silver screen over the green grass of the football field when he graduated. Signed to a contract with MGM in 1926, Brown debuted in Slide, Kelly, Slide (1927) with William Haines in a film about - baseball. This was followed by The Bugle Call (1927), which starred the fading Jackie Coogan. In 1928 he appeared in the last Norma Shearer silent film, A Lady of Chance (1928). After that, he worked with Greta Garbo, Marion Davies and Mary Pickford. His muscular good looks only carried him so far in films, however, and by 1930 he had yet to find his place. At MGM Clark Gable was taking the roles that Brown was up for, so he went into a western for director King Vidor, Billy the Kid (1930). While Vidor did not want him for the part to begin with, the picture was successful; however, Brown's career at MGM soon ended. By 1933 he was still making westerns, but they were for low-rung studios like Mascot. More westerns at even lower-rung Supreme Pictures followed, as well as serials like Wild West Days (1937) at Universal. In 1943 Brown took his boots over to Monogram Pictures, where he made over 60 westerns. He started off as "Nevada Jack McKenzie" in the Rough Riders series, but the name soon changed to Johnny. As with most of the early cowboy stars, he was a hero to millions of young children and consistently among the top ten money-makers in westerns from 1942-50. The bubble burst, though, just as it did for Allan Lane, in 1953, as the days of the "B" western came to an end.
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Golden Saddles, Silver Spurs | (archive footage) | 2000-01-01 |
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Mae West and the Men Who Knew Her | Self (archive footage) | 1994-08-09 |
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Legends of the West | Billy the Kid in 'Billy the Kid' | 1992-09-08 |
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Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch | (archive footage) | 1976-05-01 |
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It's Showtime | Self (archive footage) | 1976-03-31 |
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Requiem for a Gunfighter | Enkoff | 1965-06-30 |
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Apache Uprising | Sheriff Ben Hall | 1965-12-29 |
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The Bounty Killer | Sheriff Green | 1965-07-30 |
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The Marshal's Daughter | Johnny Mack Brown - Poker-Game Player | 1953-06-25 |
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Man from the Black Hills | Johnny Mack Brown | 1952-03-30 |
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Texas City | Johnny Mack Brown | 1952-01-27 |
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Canyon Ambush | Johnny Mack Brown | 1952-10-12 |
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Dead Man's Trail | Johnny Mack Brown | 1952-07-19 |
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Texas Lawmen | Marshal Johnny Mack Brown | 1951-12-02 |
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Man from Sonora | Johnny Mack Brown | 1951-03-11 |
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Whistling Hills | Johnny Mack Brown | 1951-10-06 |
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Blazing Bullets | Johnny Mack Brown | 1951-05-05 |
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Montana Desperado | Johnny Mack Brown | 1951-06-17 |
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Colorado Ambush | Johnny Mack Brown | 1951-01-14 |
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Oklahoma Justice | Johnny Mack Brown | 1951-08-18 |
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Short Grass | Sheriff Ord Keown | 1950-12-24 |
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West of Wyoming | Johnny Mack Brown | 1950-02-19 |
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Over the Border | Johnny Mack Brown | 1950-03-12 |
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Six Gun Mesa | Johnny Mack Brown | 1950-04-30 |
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Law of the Panhandle | U.S. Marshal Johnny Mack Brown | 1950-09-17 |
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Outlaw Gold | Johnny Mack Brown | 1950-11-26 |
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Western Renegades | Johnny Mack Brown | 1949-10-08 |
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Trails End | Johnny Mack | 1949-04-02 |
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West of El Dorado | Johnny Mack | 1949-06-04 |
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Law of the West | Federal Agent Johnny Mack | 1949-02-20 |
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Stampede | Sheriff Aaron Ball | 1949-05-01 |
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Range Justice | Johnny Mack Brown | 1949-07-16 |
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Overland Trails | Johnny Murdock | 1948-01-31 |
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The Sheriff of Medicine Bow | Johnny Mack Brown | 1948-10-02 |
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Gunning for Justice | Johnny Mack | 1948-11-06 |
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Frontier Agent | Johnny Mack Brown | 1948-05-16 |
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Crossed Trails | Johnny Mack | 1948-04-10 |
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Back Trail | Johnny Mack | 1948-07-18 |
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Hidden Danger | Johnny Mack | 1948-12-12 |
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Triggerman | Johnny Mack Brown | 1948-06-19 |
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The Fighting Ranger | Johnny Brown | 1948-08-15 |
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Flashing Guns | Johnny Mack | 1947-07-16 |
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Trailing Danger | Johnny | 1947-05-29 |
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Land of the Lawless | Johnny Mack | 1947-04-25 |
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Prairie Express | Johnny Hudson | 1947-10-24 |
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The Law Comes to Gunsight | Johnny Mackey | 1947-05-24 |
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Valley of Fear | Johnny Williams | 1947-09-14 |
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Code of the Saddle | John Macklin | 1947-06-28 |
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Gun Talk | Johnny McVey | 1947-12-20 |
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Raiders of the South | Captain Brownell posing Johnny Langdon | 1947-01-18 |
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Border Bandits | Marshal Nevada | 1946-01-12 |
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Silver Range | Johnny Bronton | 1946-11-16 |
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Drifting Along | Steve Garner | 1946-01-26 |
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Under Arizona Skies | Dusty Smith | 1946-05-27 |
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Trigger Fingers | Sam Hurricane Benton | 1946-09-20 |
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The Gentleman from Texas | Johnny Macklin | 1946-06-08 |
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Shadows on the Range | Steve Mason posing as Steve Saunders | 1946-10-15 |
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The Haunted Mine | Nevada Jack McKenzie | 1946-03-02 |
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The Navajo Trail | Marshal Nevada McKenzie | 1945-01-15 |
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Frontier Feud | Marshal Nevada Jack McKenzie | 1945-11-24 |
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Forever Yours | Maj. Tex O'Connor | 1945-01-26 |
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Flame of the West | Dr. John Poore | 1945-06-25 |
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Stranger from Santa Fe | U.S. Marshal Nevada McKenzie, posing as Roy Ferris | 1945-05-14 |
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Gun Smoke | Marshal Nevada Jack McKenzie | 1945-02-16 |
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The Lost Trail | Marshal 'Nevada Jack' McKenzie | 1945-10-19 |
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Range Law | U. S. Marshal Nevada McKenzie | 1944-06-24 |
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West of the Rio Grande | U.S. Marshal Nevada McKenzie | 1944-08-05 |
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Law Men | U.S. Marshal Nevada Jack McKenzie | 1944-04-25 |
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Raiders of the Border | Nevada Jack McKenzie | 1944-01-31 |
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Law of the Valley | Marshal Nevada McKenzie | 1944-11-04 |
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Land of the Outlaws | Marshal Nevada McKenzie | 1944-09-16 |
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Partners of the Trail | Jack McKenzie | 1944-04-28 |
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Ghost Guns | Marshal Nevada McKenzie | 1944-11-17 |
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Cheyenne Roundup | Buck Brandon & Gils Brandon | 1943-04-12 |
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The Stranger From Pecos | Nevada Jack McKenzie | 1943-07-10 |
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The Ghost Rider | Nevada Jack McKenzie | 1943-04-02 |
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Six Gun Gospel | Marshal Jack McKenzie | 1943-08-03 |
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Tenting Tonight on the Old Camp Ground | Wade Benson | 1943-02-05 |
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Raiders of San Joaquin | Rocky Morgan aka The Black Rider | 1943-05-01 |
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Crazy House | Johnny Mack Brown | 1943-10-08 |
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The Texas Kid | Jack McKenzie | 1943-11-26 |
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Outlaws of Stampede Pass | Marshal Nevada Jack McKenzie | 1943-10-15 |
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The Lone Star Trail | Blaze Barker | 1943-08-06 |
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Stagecoach Buckaroo | Steve Hardin | 1942-02-13 |
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Boss of Hangtown Mesa | Steve Collins | 1942-08-21 |
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Little Joe, the Wrangler | Neal Wallace | 1942-11-13 |
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The Old Chisholm Trail | Dusty Gardner | 1942-12-11 |
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The Silver Bullet | Silver Jim Donovan | 1942-08-05 |
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Ride 'Em Cowboy | Alabam' Brewster | 1942-02-13 |
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Deep in the Heart of Texas | Jim Mallory | 1942-09-25 |
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Fighting Bill Fargo | Bill Fargo | 1941-12-09 |
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The Masked Rider | Larry Prescott | 1941-10-24 |
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Man from Montana | Sheriff Bob Dawson | 1941-09-05 |
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Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie | Joe Henderson | 1941-03-21 |
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Arizona Cyclone | Tom Baxter | 1941-11-14 |
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Rawhide Rangers | Brand Calhoun | 1941-07-18 |
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Law of the Range | Steve Howard | 1941-06-20 |
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Son of Roaring Dan | Jim Reardon (Posing as Horace McPhail) | 1940-07-25 |
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Bad Man from Red Butte | Gils Brady / Buck Halliday | 1940-06-01 |
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Boss of Bullion City | Tom Bryant | 1940-03-01 |
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Law and Order | Bill Ralston | 1940-11-28 |
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Riders of Pasco Basin | Lee Jamison | 1940-04-04 |
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Pony Post | Cal Sheridan | 1940-12-01 |
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Ragtime Cowboy Joe | Steve Logan | 1940-09-19 |
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West of Carson City | Jim Bannister | 1940-01-19 |
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Land of Liberty | Billy the Kid (edited from 'Billy the Kid') | 1939-06-15 |
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Chip of the Flying U | 'Chip' Bennett | 1939-11-29 |
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Oklahoma Frontier | Jeff McLeod | 1939-10-09 |
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The Oregon Trail | Jeff Scott | 1939-07-04 |
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Desperate Trails | Steve Hayden | 1939-09-30 |
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Flaming Frontiers | Tex Houston | 1938-07-05 |
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Wild West Days | Kentucky Wade | 1937-07-05 |
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Lawless Land | Ranger Jeff Hayden | 1937-04-06 |
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Wells Fargo | Talbot Carter | 1937-12-31 |
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Born to the West | Tom Fillmore | 1937-12-10 |
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Bar-Z Bad Men | Jim Waters | 1937-04-21 |
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Guns in the Dark | Johnny Darrel | 1937-05-13 |
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The Gambling Terror | Jeff Hayes | 1937-02-15 |
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Boothill Brigade | Lon Cardigan | 1937-08-02 |
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A Lawman Is Born | Tom Mitchell | 1937-06-21 |
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Trail of Vengeance | Dude Ramsay | 1937-03-28 |
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Undercover Man | Steve McLain | 1936-09-23 |
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Rogue of the Range | Dan Doran | 1936-04-24 |
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The Crooked Trail | Jim Blake | 1936-07-25 |
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Valley of the Lawless | Bruce Reynolds | 1936-01-25 |
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Everyman's Law | Johnny- aka The Dog Town Kid | 1936-06-10 |
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Desert Phantom | Billy Donovan | 1936-03-09 |
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Branded a Coward | Johnny Hume | 1935-07-01 |
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Rustlers of Red Dog | Jack Wood | 1935-01-01 |
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Starlit Days at the Lido | Self | 1935-09-28 |
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Between Men | Johnny Wellington Jr. | 1935-10-29 |
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The Courageous Avenger | Kirk Baxter | 1935-12-12 |
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Three on a Honeymoon | Chuck Wells | 1934-03-22 |
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Cross Streets | Adam Blythe | 1934-07-05 |
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Against the Law | Steve Wayne | 1934-10-25 |
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Belle of the Nineties | Brooks Clayburn | 1934-09-21 |
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Star Night at the Cocoanut Grove | Self | 1934-12-01 |
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St. Louis Woman | Jim Warren | 1934-04-14 |
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Son of a Sailor | 'Duke' | 1933-11-29 |
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The Vanishing Frontier | Kirby Tornell | 1933-03-13 |
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Fighting With Kit Carson | Kit Carson | 1933-07-01 |
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Saturday's Millions | Alan Barry | 1933-09-30 |
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Female | George P. Cooper | 1933-11-11 |
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Flames | Charlie | 1932-05-29 |
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70,000 Witnesses | Wally Clark | 1932-09-09 |
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Malay Nights | Jim Wilson | 1932-11-03 |
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Hollywood Halfbacks | 1931-12-23 | |
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The Secret Six | Hank Rogers | 1931-04-18 |
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Lasca of the Rio Grande | Miles Kincaid | 1931-12-01 |
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The Last Flight | Bill Talbot | 1931-08-29 |
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The Great Meadow | Berk Jarvis (as John Mack Brown) | 1931-01-24 |
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Undertow | Paul Whalen | 1930-02-23 |
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Montana Moon | Larry | 1930-03-20 |
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Billy the Kid | Billy the Kid | 1930-10-16 |
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Jazz Heaven | Barry Holmes | 1929-11-03 |
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The Valiant | Robert Ward | 1929-05-19 |
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Hurricane | Dan | 1929-09-30 |
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Coquette | Michael Jeffery | 1929-03-30 |
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The Single Standard | Tommy Hewlett | 1929-07-27 |
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Our Dancing Daughters | Ben Blaine | 1928-09-01 |
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A Lady of Chance | Steve Crandall | 1928-12-01 |
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The Divine Woman | Jean Lery | 1928-01-13 |
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Soft Living | Stockney Webb | 1928-02-05 |
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The Play Girl | Bradley Lane | 1928-04-22 |
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A Woman of Affairs | David Furness | 1928-12-15 |
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Annapolis | Bill | 1928-11-18 |
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Mockery | Russian Officer (uncredited) | 1927-08-13 |
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Slide, Kelly, Slide | Johnny Mack Brown | 1927-03-12 |
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After Midnight | Party Boy (uncredited) | 1927-08-20 |
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The Bugle Call | Bit (uncredited) | 1927-08-06 |
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The Fair Co-Ed | Bob | 1927-10-22 |
