Allen Curtis Jenkins (born Alfred McGonegal; April 9, 1900 â€" July
20, 1974) was an American character actor and singer who worked on
stage, film, and television.Jenkins was born on Staten Island, New
York, on April 9, 1900. He studied at the American Academy of Dramatic
Arts. In his first stage appearance, he danced next to James Cagney in
a chorus line for an off-Broadway musical called Pitter-Patter,
earning five dollars a week. He also appeared in Broadway plays
between 1923 and 1962, including The Front Page (1928). His big break
came when he replaced Spencer Tracy for three weeks in the Broadway
play The Last Mile.Jenkins was called to Hollywood by Darryl F. Zanuck
and signed first to Paramount Pictures and shortly afterward to Warner
Bros. His first role in films came in 1931, when he appeared as an
ex-convict in the short Straight and Narrow. He had originated the
character of Frankie Wells in the Broadway production of Blessed Event
and reprised the role in its film adaptation, both in 1932. With the
advent of talking pictures, he made a career out of playing comic
henchmen, stooges, policemen, taxi drivers, and other 'tough guys' in
numerous films of the 1930s and 1940s, especially for Warner Bros.
Allen Jenkins was labeled the "greatest scene-stealer of the 1930s" by
The New York Times. In 1959, Jenkins played the role of elevator
operator Harry in the comedy Pillow Talk. He was a member of
Hollywood's so-called "Irish Mafia", a group of Irish-American actors
and friends which included Spencer Tracy, James Cagney, Pat O'Brien
and Frank McHugh.Jenkins later voiced the character of Officer Charlie
Dibble on the Hanna-Barbera TV cartoon, Top Cat (1961â€"62). He was a
regular on the television sitcom Hey, Jeannie! (1956â€"57), starring
Jeannie Carson and often portrayed Muggsy on the 1950s-1970s CBS
series The Red Skelton Show. He was also a guest star on many other
television programs, such as The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Mr. & Mrs.
North, I Love Lucy, Playhouse 90, The Tab Hunter Show, The Ernie
Kovacs Show, Zane Grey Theater, and Your Show of Shows. He had a cameo
appearance in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963). Eleven days
before his death, he made his final appearance, at the end of Billy
Wilder's remake of The Front Page (1974); it was released
posthumously.
20, 1974) was an American character actor and singer who worked on
stage, film, and television.Jenkins was born on Staten Island, New
York, on April 9, 1900. He studied at the American Academy of Dramatic
Arts. In his first stage appearance, he danced next to James Cagney in
a chorus line for an off-Broadway musical called Pitter-Patter,
earning five dollars a week. He also appeared in Broadway plays
between 1923 and 1962, including The Front Page (1928). His big break
came when he replaced Spencer Tracy for three weeks in the Broadway
play The Last Mile.Jenkins was called to Hollywood by Darryl F. Zanuck
and signed first to Paramount Pictures and shortly afterward to Warner
Bros. His first role in films came in 1931, when he appeared as an
ex-convict in the short Straight and Narrow. He had originated the
character of Frankie Wells in the Broadway production of Blessed Event
and reprised the role in its film adaptation, both in 1932. With the
advent of talking pictures, he made a career out of playing comic
henchmen, stooges, policemen, taxi drivers, and other 'tough guys' in
numerous films of the 1930s and 1940s, especially for Warner Bros.
Allen Jenkins was labeled the "greatest scene-stealer of the 1930s" by
The New York Times. In 1959, Jenkins played the role of elevator
operator Harry in the comedy Pillow Talk. He was a member of
Hollywood's so-called "Irish Mafia", a group of Irish-American actors
and friends which included Spencer Tracy, James Cagney, Pat O'Brien
and Frank McHugh.Jenkins later voiced the character of Officer Charlie
Dibble on the Hanna-Barbera TV cartoon, Top Cat (1961â€"62). He was a
regular on the television sitcom Hey, Jeannie! (1956â€"57), starring
Jeannie Carson and often portrayed Muggsy on the 1950s-1970s CBS
series The Red Skelton Show. He was also a guest star on many other
television programs, such as The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Mr. & Mrs.
North, I Love Lucy, Playhouse 90, The Tab Hunter Show, The Ernie
Kovacs Show, Zane Grey Theater, and Your Show of Shows. He had a cameo
appearance in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963). Eleven days
before his death, he made his final appearance, at the end of Billy
Wilder's remake of The Front Page (1974); it was released
posthumously.
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