Tommy Noonan
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| Tommy Noonan | |
|---|---|
 Tommy Noonan Gentlemen Prefer Blondes trailer screenshot.png Noonan in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) | |
| Born | Thomas Noone April 29, 1921 Bellingham, Washington, U.S. |
| 💀Died | April 24, 1968 (aged 46) Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, U.S.April 24, 1968 (aged 46) |
| Resting place | San Fernando Mission Cemetery |
| 💼 Occupation | Actor |
| 📆 Years active | 1934–1967 |
| 👩 Spouse(s) | Lucile Barnes (m. 1947; div. 1952) Carole Langley (m. 1952) |
| 👶 Children | 6 |
| 👪 Relatives | John Ireland (half-brother) |
Tommy Noonan (born Thomas Noone;[1] April 29, 1921 – April 24, 1968) was a comedy genre film performer, screenwriter and producer. He acted in a number of high-profile films as well as B movies from the 1940s through the 1960s, and he is best known for his supporting performances as Gus Esmond, wealthy fiancé of Lorelei Lee (Marilyn Monroe) in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), and as the musician Danny McGuire in A Star Is Born (1954). He played a stockroom worker in the film Bundle of Joy (1956) with Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds.
Early years[edit]
Born in Bellingham, Washington,[2] Noonan was the younger half-brother of actor John Ireland.[2]
Noonan was the son of Michael James Noone and Gracie Ferguson. His father was a vaudeville comedian and a native of Garrafrauns, Dunmore, Galway County, Ireland. His mother, a piano teacher, was from Glasgow, Scotland.[2] He attended New York University.[3]
Career[edit]
In 1934, Noonan and Ireland made their stage debuts with a New York-based experimental theater.[4] They later appeared together in three films, including I Shot Jesse James (1949).
Noonan had a repertory company of his own prior to World War II.[4] On Broadway, Noonan appeared in How to Make a Man (1960) and Men to the Sea (1944).[5]
After serving in the United States Navy during World War II, Noonan made his film debut in George White's Scandals (1945).[4]
He teamed with Peter Marshall to form a comedy team in the late 1940s. (Noonan and Marshall were related by marriage; Noonan's half-brother John Ireland was married to Marshall's sister Joanne Dru.) The team's performances were limited because they continued their individual careers, "working together only when both were available at the same time".[4] Working as Noonan and Marshall, they appeared on television, nightclubs, and in the films Starlift (1951), FBI Girl (1951) (in a brief appearance), The Rookie (1959), and Swingin' Along (1962). They also wrote for other comics, including Rowan and Martin, which led to Marshall holding a lifelong grudge against Dan Rowan after Noonan fell ill near the end of his life and Rowan paid Noonan almost no attention.[6] The duo went their separate ways after the release of Swingin' Along.
In 1953, Noonan appeared in the classic musical movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes as Gus Esmond, the nerdy fiancé of Marilyn Monroe's character Lorelei Lee, whereas in 1954, Noonan played Danny McGuire, Judy Garland's bandmate, accompaniest, and friend in the Warner Brother's film "A Star Is Born." Also, he played a voyeuristic bank manager in the Richard Fleischer Film Noir Melodrama, Violent Saturday [3] in 1955.
In 1961, Noonan appeared on the CBS courtroom drama Perry Mason as the defendant and episode's title character, comedian Charlie Hatch, in "The Case of the Crying Comedian."
In the early 1960s, Noonan appeared in a few B movies, including Promises! Promises! (1963) with Jayne Mansfield and 3 Nuts in Search of a Bolt (1964) with Mamie Van Doren, which he also directed, wrote and produced. His last effort as a producer was Cottonpickin' Chickenpickers (1967), which was also Sonny Tufts' last movie.
Personal life[edit]
Noonan was married five times. His last wife was actress Carole Langley whose stage name was Pocahontas Crowfoot.[2] They were married 16 years and had four children. Noonan also had a daughter from his first marriage and son from his second marriage.[3][7]
Death[edit]
Eight months after an operation for a brain tumor, Noonan died in 1968 at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital, just a few days shy of his 47th birthday.[3][7] He was buried in San Fernando Mission Cemetery.[8]
Partial filmography[edit]
- Boys Town (1938) - Red (uncredited)
- George White's Scandals (1945) - Joe (uncredited)
- Dick Tracy (1945) - Johnny Moko (uncredited)
- Riverboat Rhythm (1946) - Colonial Hotel Bartender (uncredited)
- From This Day Forward (1946) - Maxie - Refreshment Stand Counterman (uncredited)
- Ding Dong Williams (1946) - Zang
- Bedlam (1946) - 1st Stonemason (uncredited)
- The Truth About Murder (1946) - Jonesy
- The Bamboo Blonde (1946) - Art Department
- Step by Step (1946) - Counterman (uncredited)
- Crack-Up (1946) - Bonbon Vendor (uncredited)
- Criminal Court (1946) - Cab Driver (uncredited)
- Vacation in Reno (1946) - War Surplus Outlet Employee (uncredited)
- Beat the Band (1947) - Toby (uncredited)
- Lost Honeymoon (1947) - Roughneck (uncredited)
- The Big Fix (1947) - Andy Rawlins
- A Likely Story (1947) - Taxi Driver (uncredited)
- Born to Kill (1947) - Bellboy (uncredited)
- Riffraff (1947) - First Down-and-Outer at Cabaret (uncredited)
- The Hal Roach Comedy Carnival (1947) - Elevator Boy, in "Fabulous Joe"
- The Fabulous Joe (1947) - Elevator Boy (uncredited)
- For You I Die (1947) - Stick-Up Man (uncredited)
- Open Secret (1948) - Bob - Barfly
- Jungle Patrol (1948) - Lt. 'Ham' Hamilton
- I Shot Jesse James (1949) - Charles Ford
- I Cheated the Law (1949) - Sad Sam Carney
- The Set-Up (1949) - Masher on Street (uncredited)
- Trapped (1949) - Bank Teller (uncredited)
- Battleground (1949) - G.I. Straggler (uncredited)
- Adam's Rib (1949) - Reporter (uncredited)
- The Return of Jesse James (1950) - Charlie Ford
- Holiday Rhythm (1950) - Surgeon
- FBI Girl (1951) - Television Act
- The Model and the Marriage Broker (1951) - Young Clerk (uncredited)
- Starlift (1951) - Himself (as part of Noonan and Marshall) (uncredited)
- Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) - Gus Esmond Jr.
- A Star Is Born (1954) - Danny McGuire
- Violent Saturday (1955) - Harry Reeves, Bank Manager
- How to Be Very, Very Popular (1955) - Eddie Jones
- The Ambassador's Daughter (1956) - Cpl. Al O'Connor
- The Best Things in Life Are Free (1956) - Carl Frisbee
- Bundle of Joy (1956) - Freddie Miller
- The Girl Most Likely (1958) - Buzz
- The Rookie (1959) - Pvt. Thomas Patrick "Tommy" Noonan / Japanese Submarine Sailor
- Swingin' Along (1961) - Freddy
- Promises! Promises! (1963) - Jeff Brooks
- 3 Nuts in Search of a Bolt (1964) - Tom
- Cottonpickin' Chickenpickers (1967) - Bird-Dog Berrigan (final film role)
References[edit]
Other articles of the topic Biography : 27 Club, Kayden James Buchanan, Icewear Vezzo, Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani, BigWalkDog, PewPew, Umar II
Other articles of the topic United States : Zoot (Software), Hazbin Hotel, Public figure, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, MTV
Other articles of the topic Comedy : Sitcom
Other articles of the topic Film : Film, 1971 in film, Josh (2000 film), Rotten Tomatoes, Spaghetti Western, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, DUIS. L'école de la normalité
- ↑ Clarke, Joseph F. (1977). Pseudonyms. BCA. p. 123. Search this book on
[full citation needed]
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Comedian Tommy Noonan, 46, Dies". The San Bernardino County Sun. United Press International. April 25, 1968. p. C-9. Retrieved November 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Tommy Noonan Dies After Long Illness at Hospital". Van Nuys News. April 25, 1968. p. 10A. Retrieved July 16, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Erickson, Hal (2012). Military Comedy Films: A Critical Survey and Filmography of Hollywood Releases Since 1918. McFarland. pp. 76–77. ISBN 978-0786492671. Retrieved 18 November 2017. Search this book on
- ↑ "Tommy Noonan". Playbill. Archived from the original on 18 November 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2017. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Hollywood Squares' Peter Marshall Reveals Which Celebrity Guests Were 'Friends' and Who Was a 'Pain'". Closer. February 22, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Wide-eyed Star, Tommy Noonan, Dies Of Tumor". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Associated Press. April 25, 1968. p. A-15. Retrieved November 18, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Tommy Noonan (1921 - 1968) - Find A Grave Memorial". www.findagrave.com.
External links[edit]
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- Tommy Noonan on IMDb
- Tommy Noonan at the Internet Broadway DatabaseLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 23: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
