Selmer Jackson
Selmer Jackson (May 7, 1888 - March 30, 1971) was an American stage, film and television actor who appeared in nearly 400 films between 1921 and 1963.
Featured Characters
Roles you can spot in Whatthemovie snapshots
The Wheeler Dealers
Henry J. Tyroon leaves Texas, where his oil wells are drying up, and arrives in New York with a lot of oil money to play with in the stock market. He meets stock analyst Molly Thatcher, who tries to ignore the lavish attention he spends on her but, in the end, she falls for his charm.
The Atomic Submarine
Ships disappear on route across the Arctic Sea, and a special submarine is sent to investigate.
Autumn Leaves
A woman falls for a younger man with severe mental problems.
Devil Goddess
Jungle-Jim type Johnny Weissmuller helps Professor Blakely look for a missing colleague who is now playing "god" for a bunch of natives.
We're Not Married!
A Justice of the Peace performed weddings a few days before his license was valid. A few years later five couples learn they have never been legally married. Annabel Norris, already Mrs. Mississippi and ready to enter the Mrs. America contest, is now free to enter the Miss Mississippi contest.
Deadline - U.S.A.
New York City newspaper The Day is in trouble. Even though editor Ed Hutcheson has worked hard running the paper, its circulation has been steadily declining. Now the publisher's widow wants to sell the paper, which will most likely mean its end. Hutcheson's only hope is to finish his exposé on a dangerous gangster before the sale is finalized.
That's My Boy
The greatest player in Ridgefield College history uses his influence and reputation to get his only son, a sickly, uncoordinated nerd, on the college football team with comic results.
Bowery Battalion
Slip, Sach and the gang think an air-raid test is for real and join the Army.
Pygmy Island
Jungle Jim searches for a female Army captain who's gone missing.
No Man of Her Own
A penniless pregnant woman adopts the identity of a rich woman killed in a train crash.
Mark of the Gorilla
Nazis dressed to look like Great Apes are looking for gold, and Jungle Jim must stop them.
Lucky Losers
Slip and Sach's boss, David J. Thurston, has allegedly committed suicide. Slip finds a book of matches with the name of a local nightclub on his boss' desk and finds out from Gabe that a gambling casino is being run out of it. Slip comes to the conclusion that the club had something to do with his boss' death and sets out to find his murderer.
Tulsa
It's Tulsa, Oklahoma at the start of the oil boom and Cherokee Lansing's rancher father is killed in a fight with the Tanner Oil Company. Cherokee plans revenge by bringing in her own wells with the help of oil expert Brad Brady and childhood friend Jim Redbird.
The Fountainhead
An uncompromising, visionary architect struggles to maintain his integrity and individualism despite personal, professional and economic pressures to conform to popular standards.
Renegades of the Sage
The plot finds Steve/Durango attempting to capture ex-Civil War guerilla fighter Miller who may be the man who's been going around knocking down telegraph wires.
The Dark Past
A gang hold a family hostage in their own home. The leader of the escaped cons is bothered by a recurring dream that the doctor of the house may be able to analyze.
Pitfall
Based on Jay Dratler's novel The Pitfall, André de Toth's gripping film is a classic L.A. noir in the tradition of Detour, and shows the spiraling, epic consequences resulting from one fateful decision.
Every Girl Should Be Married
Anabel Sims is determined to find the perfect husband. She thinks she's found her man in Madison Brown, a handsome pediatrician. She then prepares an elaborate scheme to trap him into marriage
Blonde Ice
A golddigging femme fatale leaves a trail of men behind her, rich and poor, alive and dead.
The Thirteenth Hour
In this drama, a trucker's business is nearly destroyed after he is wrongfully accused of killing a policeman with whom he recently quarreled.
The Pretender
Story of an investment agent who embezzles a large sum from an estate, hoping to cover his crime by marrying the estate's heiress. The girl is already engaged, so he arranges to have the fiance killed. A mix up involving the society section of the newspaper places him in the sights of his own hired gun.
Magic Town
Rip Smith's opinion-poll business is a failure...until he discovers that the small town of Grandview is statistically identical to the entire country. He and his assistants go there to run polls cheaply and easily, in total secrecy (it would be fatal to let the townsfolk get self-conscious).
Key Witness
A man takes over the identity of a dead man while on the lam from a crime he didn't commit.
High Wall
Steven Kenet, suffering from a recurring brain injury, appears to have strangled his wife. Having confessed, he's committed to an understaffed county asylum full of pathetic inmates. There, Dr. Ann Lorrison is initially skeptical about Kenet's story and reluctance to undergo treatment.
Wife Wanted
Career-slipping movie star Carole Raymond buys in as a real estate partner of Jeff Caldwell. Actually, through his secretary, Nola Reed, Caldwell runs a matrimonial bureau and, with the aid of his associate, Lee Kirby, they defraud and blackmail a large group of lonely people.
The Time of Their Lives
Two ghosts who were mistakenly branded as traitors during the Revolutionary War return to 20th century New England to retieve a letter from George Washington which would prove their innocence.
The Glass Alibi
Eying a large inheritance, a reporter marries a rich woman with failing health. When she begins feeling healthy after the wedding, the reporter takes drastic measures to make sure his wife dies.
Shock
In this thriller, psychiatrist Dr. Cross kills his wife and expects to get away with murder, until he discovers that the slaying was observed by a next-door neighbor, Janet Stewart. As Janet attempts to convince her husband of the doctor's dastardly deed, Cross shows up to advise him that Janet is in dire need of some in-depth counseling.
Mysterious Intruder
A private detective is hired to find a young heiress but finds himself accused of murder.
Dangerous Money
A treasury agent on the trail of counterfeit money confides to fellow ocean liner passenger, Charlie Chan, that there have been two attempts on his life.
Child of Divorce
An eight-year-old girl is an unwilling and disturbed witness of parental quarrels in her home, and when the parents finally secure a divorce, the judge decrees that the young girl live with her mother for eight months and her father the other four months. The divided life affects her both mentally and physically.
Boston Blackie and the Law
Blackie performs in a magic show at a women's prison, which gives an inmate an opportunity to escape.
Dillinger
The life of American public enemy number one who was shot by the police in 1934.
Dakota
In 1871 Dakota, two crooked businessmen oppose the local wheat farmers and the railroad development to control the town of Fargo.
Circumstantial Evidence
A man waits on death row while his son and friend try to prove that he did not kill a grocer with an ax.
Sheriff of Las Vegas
In this western, brave Red Ryder and his sidekick save a murdered judge's son from going to jail by proving that someone else killed his father.
Margin for Error
Margin for Error is a 1943 American drama film directed by Otto Preminger. The screenplay by Lillie Hayward and Samuel Fuller is based on the 1939 play of the same title by Clare Boothe Luce.
It Ain't Hay
Abbot and Costello must find a replacement for a woman's horse they accidentally killed after feeding it some candy. They head for the racetrack, find a look-a-like and take it. They do not realize that the nag is "Tea Biscuit," a champion racehorse.
Guadalcanal Diary
Concentrating on the personal lives of those involved, a war correspondent takes us through the preparations, landing and initial campaign on Guadalcanal during WWII.
Flight for Freedom
A fictionalized biopic about aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart. A female pilot breaks the Los Angeles to New York record and attracts the interest of the U.S. Navy, who want to send her on a spy mission.
Thunder Birds: Soldiers of the Air
A veteran American flyer trains new recruits, including the acrophobic son of his dead war buddy. Complications arise when the younger man falls in love with his mentor's girl.
The Strange Case of Doctor Rx
Private eye Jerry Church is hired by a criminal defense lawyer after five mobsters he has gotten acquitted are apparently strangled by a serial killer.
The Falcon Takes Over
A society sleuth and a lady reporter try to track down a murderous thug's lost girlfriend.Based on the Raymond Chandler book "Farewell, My Lovely".
Saboteur
Aircraft factory worker Barry Kane flees across the United States after he is wrongly accused of starting the fire that killed his best friend.
Romance on the Range
Romance on the Range is a 1942 American film. Fur theives are looting the traps on the ranch where Roy is foreman and they have murdered one of Roy's friends.
Cairo
Reporter Homer Smith accidentally draws Marcia Warren into his mission to stop Nazis from bombing Allied convoys with robot-planes.
A Date with the Falcon
A scientist has discovered how to make synthetic diamonds and a criminal gang (closely pursued by the Falcon) are out to discover the formula.
They Died with Their Boots On
The story follows General George Armstrong Custer's adventures from his West Point days to his death. He defies orders during the Civil War, trains the 7th Cavalry, appeases Chief Crazy Horse and later engages in bloody battle with the Sioux nation.
The Shepherd of the Hills
A mysterious but pleasant stranger arrives in the Missouri hills and befriends a young backwoods girl, which doesn't sit well with her moonshiner fiancé who has vowed to find and kill his own father.
Sergeant York
Alvin York a hillbilly sharpshooter transforms himself from ruffian to religious pacifist. He is then called to serve his country and despite deep religious and moral objections to fighting becomes one of the most celebrated American heroes of WWI.
Paper Bullets
Circumstances force naive Dorothy Adams into serving an unjust prison term, but she emerges from it a cynical criminal who rises to power in the local crime organization.
Meet John Doe
A penniless drifter is recruited by an ambitious columnist to impersonate a non-existent person who said he'd be committing suicide as a protest, and a social movement begins.
Love Crazy
William Powell and Myrna Loy are a couple whose marriage is on the verge of being broken up by his old girlfriend and her disapproving mother.
Here Comes Mr. Jordan
Boxer Joe Pendleton dies 50 years too soon due to a heavenly mistake and is given a new life as a millionaire playboy.
Dick Tracy vs. Crime Inc.
Dick Tracy goes up against a villain known as The Ghost, who can turn himself invisible.
Buck Privates
Petty con artists Slicker Smith and Herbie Brown mistakenly join the Army evading the cops. The cop chasing them winds up as their drill instructor. A rich young man and his former working class chauffeur are not only in the same unit, they're vying for a pretty girl who seems attracted to both.
Blossoms in the Dust
After losing her young son, Edna Gladney opposes the unfair laws discriminating against children whose parents are unknown, and opens an orphanage for those children.
The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath is a social drama filmed in 1939 based on the novel by the same name from acclaimed author John Steinbeck.
Santa Fe Trail
As a penalty for fighting fellow classmates days before graduating from West Point, J.E.B. Stuart, George Armstrong Custer and four friends are assigned to the 2nd Cavalry, stationed at Fort Leavenworth. While there they aid in the capture and execution of the abolitionist, John Brown following the 'Battle of Harper's Ferry'.
Murder in the Air
Enemy agents are everywhere and they are sabotaging all important war deliveries. The body of a hobo found in a train wreck had a money belt with $50,000 and a tattoo of a circle and arrow. This is a tattoo for saboteurs for hire and Brass must impersonate the dead man to find out what his orders are.
Johnny Apollo
Wall Street broker Robert Cain, Sr., is jailed for embezzling. His college graduate son Bob then turns to crime to raise money for his father's release. As assistant to mobster Mickey Dwyer, then falls for Dwyer's girl Lucky. He winds up in the same prison as his father.
City for Conquest
Danny is a content truck driver, but his girl Peggy shows potential as a dancer and hopes he too can show ambition. Danny acquiesces and pursues boxing to please her, but the two begin to spend more time working than time together.
Brigham Young
In 1844, after the assassination of Mormon leader Joseph Smith by an angry mob in Illinois, the Mormons choose Brigham Young as their new leader and follow him to a new promised land in Utah.
Union Pacific
In 1862, Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads compete westward across the wilderness toward California. A crooked politician tries to stop construction of the transcontinental railroad.
On Dress Parade
The final feature in the "Dead End Kids" film series finds a youth trying to adjust to life at a military school.
Mr. Moto in Danger Island
In Puerto Rico to investigate a glut of contraband diamonds that are flooding the world's jewel market, Mr. Moto and his sidekick, a wrestler, find themselves involved in murders by thrown daggers, the frame-up of an overstressed Army colonel, and a pirate gang led by an unknown boss who has inside knowledge of the ensuing investigation.
Invisible Stripes
A gangster is unable to go straight after returning home from prison.
Inside Information
A rookie cop and his girlfriend's uncle, a police captain, disagree on the methods that should be used to catch criminals.
Five Came Back
A small and disparate band of passengers board a small charter plane to South America, but a storm crashes them into a jungle. Facing off against the natural elements, a tribe of angry headhunters,and each other, the ragtag group of survivors soon must make a harrowing choice when the extent of the crash is made clear.
Each Dawn I Die
A corrupt D.A. (Thurston Hall) with political ambitions is angered by news stories implicating him in criminal activity and decides to frame the reporter (James Cagney) for manslaughter in order to silence him.
Confessions of a Nazi Spy
FBI agent Ed Renard investigates the pre-War espionage activities of the German-American Bund.
Blondie Brings Up Baby
Baby Dumpling, the six-year-old son of Blondie and Dagwood Bumstead disappears from sight during his first day at school.
Prison Nurse
A state prison is threatened by approaching floods, an epidemic of typhoid fever breaks out among the inmates, the prison's only doctor falls sick, there are only three nurses to administer vaccines and take care of stricken patients--and a group of prisoners is planning to use the chaos as a cover for a mass escape.
Arson Gang Busters
New York City fireman Bill O'Connell is assigned to the Arson Sqaud with the job of apprehending the for-profit gang of arsonists who are spreading terror and loss of property, including human life.
Alexander's Ragtime Band
Classical violinist Roger Grant disappoints his family and teacher when he organizes a jazz band, but he and the band become successful. Roger falls in love with the band's singer, Stella, but his reluctance to lose her leads him to thwart her efforts to become a solo star.
You're Only Young Once
Andy Hardy and his sister find romance during a family vacation in Catalina.
West of Shanghai
American businessmen and missionaries working in China are captured and held prisoner by a local warlord.
The Wrong Road
Bank teller Jimmy Caldwell and his fiance, Ruth Holden, grow weary of struggling to make ends meet and decide to rob Jimmy's bank. The selfish young couple agree that even if they spend ten years in prison, it will not matter because they will have the money when they are released.
The Case of the Stuttering Bishop
A Bishop from Australia comes to Perry to ask him to take a case of a woman wrongly accused of manslaughter 22 years before. The case would involve the wealthy Mr. Brownley and the fact that his alleged granddaughter may be an imposter. With that, the Bishop leaves and is clubbed in his hotel room.
Charlie Chan at the Olympics
Get ready for a Gold Medal murder mystery! This "tense, thrilling mystery" ('California Congress of Parents and Teachers') pits Charlie Chan against international spies who are using the Berlin Olympic games as the perfect cover...for cold-blooded murder!
A Family Affair
Judge Hardy faces problems at work and at home. Powerful men in town are upset with his decisions and want to see him impeached; his daughters, Joan and Marion, have romantic problems; and his son, Andy discovers Polly Benedict. As usual, Judge Hardy is concerned with everyone in the family and lends wisdom and calmness to all.
Three Smart Girls
The three Craig sisters, Penny, Kay, and Joan, go to New York to stop their divorced father from marrying gold digger, Donna Lyons, and re-unite him with their mother.
Revolt of the Zombies
On the Franco-Austrian Frontier during World War I, an oriental priest, chaplain of a French colonial regiment, is condemned to life imprisonment because he possesses the power to turn men into zombies. In his prison cell, the priest prepares to burn a parchment containing the location of the secret formula.
Postal Inspector
Postal inspectors track down money stolen from a railroad car.
My Man Godfrey
Fifth Avenue socialite Irene Bullock needs a "forgotten man" to win a scavenger hunt, and no one is more forgotten than Godfrey Park, who resides in a dump by the East River. Irene hires Godfrey as a servant for her riotously unhinged family, to the chagrin of her spoiled sister, Cornelia, who tries her best to get Godfrey fired.
Libeled Lady
When a major newspaper accuses wealthy socialite Connie Allenbury of being a home-wrecker, and she files a multi-million-dollar libel lawsuit, the publication's frazzled head editor, Warren Haggerty, must find a way to turn the tables on her.
Easy Money
Dan Adams resigns his position as prosecutor on the district attorney's staff and sets out to clean up a gang of fake-accident racketeers. He gets a job with an insurance company, and assures the company president he will get the goods on the gang or die in the attempt.
Charlie Chan at the Race Track
When a friend of Charlie's is found kicked to death by his own race horse on board a Honolulu-bound liner, the detective discovers foul play and uncovers an international gambling ring.
Ace Drummond
This 13 chapter serial is based on the comic strip character Ace Drummond created by Eddie Rickenbacker. Ace is a 'G-Man of the sky' working out of Washington D.C. He is sent to Mongolia to find out why a mysterious villain known only as 'The Dragon' is trying to prevent the newly formed International Airways from setting up an airport there.
A Night at the Opera
A sly business manager and two wacky friends of two opera singers help them achieve success while humiliating their stuffy and snobbish enemies.
The Richest Girl in the World
A wealthy heiress switches places with her secretary to test a man's love.
Sadie McKee
A maid (Joan Crawford) has romances with a two-timer (Gene Raymond), a boozing millionaire and the master (Franchot Tone) of the house.
The Little Giant
Prohibition is ending so bootlegger Bugs Ahearn decides to crack California society. He leases a house from down-on-her-luck Ruth and hires her as social secretary. He rescues Polly Cass from a horsefall and goes home to meet her dad who sells him some phony stock certificates. When he learns about this he sends to Chicago for mob help.
Picture Snatcher
An ex-con uses his street smarts to become a successful photojournalist.
Three on a Match
Although Vivian Revere is seemingly the most successful of a trio of reunited schoolmates, she throws it away by descending into a life of debauchery and drugs.
Doctor X
A wisecracking New York reporter intrudes on a research scientist's quest to unmask The Moon Killer.