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Joel McCrea
1905-1990
Updated 7/13/2007 with more films available on DVD.
biography
Born in Pasadena, California, in November 1905, famed western actor Joel McCrea began pursuing an acting career while still a child. By the time he was a teenager, McCrea was working as a stunt double and extra in silent films, a vocation he continued while he attended college at Pomona. After college, McCrea gained acting experience onstage and continued appearing in silent films, usually in bit parts. His breakthrough role came in the 1929 release The Jazz Age, a starring vehicle for Douglas Fairbanks Jr; this was followed by a meatier role in Cecil B. DeMille's Dynamite (1929). In 1930, he was put under contract by RKO Radio Pictures, and the studio cast him in a string of big-budget films. Later in his career, McCrea was under contract to Paramount and Universal-International.
McCrea met fellow RKO contract player Frances Dee when they appeared in The Silver Cord (1933), and the couple married not long after filming was completed. McCrea and Dee had three children, including actor Jody McCrea, who appeared in a number of films in the 1950s and 1960s, including Bikini Beach, Muscle Beach Party, and Pajama Party.
the films of joel mccrea
Although McCrea is now best known for his many western pictures, early in his career he was usually cast as a leading man in comedies and dramas. In fact, he didn't star in a western until he left RKO and signed with Paramount; this studio released his first western, Wells Fargo (1937).
The Common Law (1931)
With Constance Bennett in The Common Law
Bird of Paradise (1932)
With Dolores del Rio in Bird of Paradise. This film was remade in 1951 with Debra Paget
The Most Dangerous Game (1932)
With Fay Wray in RKO's thriller The Most Dangerous Game
Banjo on My Knee (1936)
LEFT: With Katherine DeMille in Banjo on My Knee. RIGHT: With Tony Martin and frequent co-star Barbara Stanwyck
Sullivan's Travels (1942)
From Sullivan's Travels. LEFT: With Veronica Lake and Franklin Pangborn. CENTER and RIGHT: With Veronica Lake
Buffalo Bill (1944)
As William 'Buffalo Bill' Cody in Buffalo Bill
The Great Moment (1944)
In the period comedy The Great Moment, William Demarest tries to help dentist Joel McCrea in his quest convince the medical community to use ether as an anesthetic
Cattle Drive (1951)
With Dean Stockwell in the Universal-International release Cattle Drive
Lone Hand (1953)
Images from Lone Hand. LEFT: With Alex Nicol and James Arness. CENTER and RIGHT: With Barbara Hale
Black Horse Canyon (1954)
Images from the Universal-International western Black Horse Canyon. LEFT: Promotional still. CENTER and RIGHT: With Mari Blanchard
Border River (1954)
From Border River
Fort Massacre (1958)
later years
McCrea proved to be a good businessman with his investments and real estate holdings, which made him wealthy. He continued acting in films through the early 1960s, when he went into retirement. In 1959, McCrea and his son Jody McCrea starred in the half-hour NBC TV series Wichita Town, but the series got lost in the glut of westerns airing during the season and was canceled in 1960. After Wichita Town left the air, McCrea made just a few more film appearances; his last film was Mustang Country in 1976. He passed away in October 1990 at the age of 84.
Alfred Hitchcock: The Signature Collection [DVD] DVD
Ten-disc boxed set includes "Foreign Correspondent," "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," "Suspicion," "Stage Fright," "Strangers on a Train" (two-disc special edition), "I Confess," "Dial M for Murder," "The Wrong Man," and "North by Northwest."
Sam Peckinpah's The Legendary Westerns Collection [DVD] DVD
Six-disc set includes "Ride the High Country," "The Wild Bunch" (Special Edition), "The Ballad of Cable Hogue," and "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid" (Special Edition).
Vintage Thrillers (Special Edition) (Six-DVD Set) [DVD] DVD
Packaged in a black leatherette case, this four-disc set includes "The Most Dangerous Game" (1932), "The Sphinx" (1933), "Murder by Television," and "Torture Ship."
The Silver Horde [DVD](1930) DVD
One of Joel McCrea's first starring breakthroughs was this macho role as an Alaskan salmon fisherman fighting a dirty-dealing rival with both fists. Also in an early role is Jean Arthur, as a society girl bidding for Joel's affection against a dancehall floozy. 74 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Plays All Regions.
Kept Husbands [DVD](1931) DVD
After a blue collar steelworker saves the lives of two co-workers, the socialite daughter of his boss falls for him and tries to make him more refined. But when he becomes unable to deal with his newfound status as a member of the upper-crust, he is forced to face the truth about his relationship. Joel McCrea, Dorothy Mackaill, Ned Sparks star. 76 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Plays All Regions.
The Common Law(1931) VHS
Fine social drama stars Constance Bennett as a woman whose meeting with a struggling Parisian artist leads her to abandon her life as a mistress of a wealthy man and seek the artist's hand in marriage. But his bohemian ways and her former lover's attempts of sabotage keep getting in the way. Joel McCrea and Hedda Hopper also star. 72 min.
The Most Dangerous Game (Criterion Collection) [DVD](1932) DVD
Leslie Banks is a big game hunter who forces his "guests" to become the quarry in his latest hunt. Exciting jungle thriller made by the creator of "King Kong" features many of the same sets and "Kong" stars Joel McCrea, Fay Wray and Robert Armstrong. 63 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English mono; Subtitles: English; audio commentary; scene access.
Bird Of Paradise [DVD](1932) DVD
Lavish Hawaiian location shots and great special effects highlight this early South Seas drama, with Joel McCrea as a Western playboy who falls for native beauty Dolores Del Rio. John Halliday, Lon Chaney, Jr. and an erupting volcano star; King Vidor directs. 82 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Plays All Regions.
Barbary Coast [DVD](1935) DVD
Howard Hawks' rousing story of the infamous San Francisco "red light district" during the 1850s Gold Rush era stars Miriam Hopkins as a beautiful woman caught in a web of corruption, Edward G. Robinson as a ruthless, power-hungry gambling boss, and Joel McCrea as a naive prospector from the East. 90 min. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital mono, French Dolby Digital mono, Spanish Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, French, Spanish.
Barbary Coast(1935) VHS
Howard Hawks' rousing story of the infamous San Francisco "red light district" during the California Gold Rush era stars Miriam Hopkins as a beautiful woman caught in a web of corruption, Edward G. Robinson as a ruthless, power-hungry gambling boss, and Joel McCrea as a naive prospector from the East. 90 min. NOTE: This Title Is Out Of Print; Limit One Per Customer.
Our Little Girl(1935) VHS
When her doctor dad ignores his family for his career and her mother receives amorous attention from a neighbor, poor Shirley Temple runs away from home in an attempt to bring her parents back together in this early soaper. 64 min.
Come And Get It [DVD](1936) DVD
Magnificent film from Edna Ferber's novel stars Edward Arnold as the lumberjack who rises to logging magnate but forfeits the love of Frances Farmer along the way. Oscar-winning support from Walter Brennan; co-directed by Howard Hawks and William Wyler. 99 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Spanish, French.
Dead End [DVD](1937) DVD
Landmark drama of life in the crime-ridden slums of Depression-era New York stars Humphrey Bogart as a hoodlum who returns to his old neighborhood and is idolized by the local youths (the Dead End Kids, in their film debut). William Wyler's classic crime tale, scripted by Lillian Hellman, also stars Joel McCrea, Sylvia Sidney, Wendy Barrie. 92 min. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital mono, Spanish Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Spanish, French; theatrical trailer.
The Cecil B. DeMille Collection [DVD] DVD
Cecil B. DeMille's epic "The Sign of the Cross" (1932) stars Fredric March as the Roman prefect in love with Christian martyr Elissa Landi, Charles Laughton as depraved emperor Nero, and Claudette Colbert as his scheming wife, Poppea. After abandoning a bubonic plague-infested ship, "Four Frightened People" (1934) take a perilous journey through a jungle inhabited by fierce animals and a tribe of wild natives. Colbert, Herbert Marshall star. "Cleopatra" (1934) is loaded with spectacular Roman sets, armies of soldiers, half-naked dancing girls, and a sultry Colbert as the seductive Queen of the Nile. With Henry Wilcoxon, Warren William. "The Crusades" (1935) is the sweeping drama of England's King Richard the Lion-Hearted leading his armies into battle in the Holy Land against the Muslim forces of Saladin. Wilcoxon, Loretta Young star. Feuding rail magnates, brave settlers, Indian attacks, and a timely arrival by the U.S. Cavalry were blended in "Union Pacific" (1939), DeMille's takeon the building of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869. Barbara Stanwyck, Joel McCrea star. 9 1/2 hrs. total on five discs. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English (SDH), French, Spanish.
Foreign Correspondent [DVD](1940) DVD
Tense thriller of Europe at the edge of World War II from Alfred Hitchcock. Joel McCrea is the reporter caught in the middle of a spy ring threatening a pacifist conference, with his fiancee's father the possible spy leader. Herbert Marshall, Laraine Day and George Sanders co-star. 120 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Spanish, French; documentary.
Sullivan's Travels [DVD](1941) DVD
Preston Sturges' gem of Hollywood self-satire stars Joel McCrea as a filmmaker who tires of comedies and light entertainment and wants to make "meaningful" tales of human suffering. To this end, he disguises himself as a bum and sets out across America to experience suffering first-hand. Veronica Lake co-stars. 90 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby mono; audio commentaries; documentary on Sturges; interviews; publicity materials; audio recording of Sturges; photo gallery; trailer.
Sullivan's Travels(1941) VHS
Preston Sturges' gem of Hollywood self-satire stars Joel McCrea as a filmmaker who tires of comedies and light entertainment and wants to make "meaningful" tales of human suffering. To this end, he disguises himself as a bum and sets out across America to experience suffering first-hand. Veronica Lake co-stars. 91 min.
The Palm Beach Story [DVD](1942) DVD
Preston Sturges displays his magic touch for the screwball comedy once again with this hilarious and frantic delight. Claudette Colbert encounters an entourage of zany characters, including "The Ale and Quail Club," after leaving hubby Joel McCrea. Rudy Vallee and Mary Astor co-star. 88 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: Spanish, French.
The More The Merrier [DVD](1943) DVD
Comic look at Washington's wartime housing shortage has Charles Coburn (who won an Oscar for his role) playing matchmaker for his "roommates," Jean Arthur and Joel McCrea. George Stevens directs this romantic farce, later remade as "Walk, Don't Run." 104 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
Preston Sturges: The Filmmaker Collection [DVD] DVD
Preston Sturges' directorial debut was the marvelously wicked political comedy "The Great McGinty" (1940), about a bum who works his way into the governor's office. Brian Donlevy stars. "Christmas in July" (1940) follows an office worker (Dick Powell) who, thinking he's won a company contest, goes on a wild shopping binge with hilarious complications. Barbara Stanwyck is a conniving cardsharp who sets her gold-digging sights on apparently gullible millionaire Henry Fonda, in "The Lady Eve" (1941). Joel McCrea stars as William Morton, the Boston dentist who invented anesthesia, in the historical drama "The Great Moment" (1944). Also includes "Sullivan's Travels," "The Palm Beach Story," and "Hail the Conquering Hero." 10 hrs. total on seven discs. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English (SDH), Spanish, French.
Buffalo Bill [DVD](1944) DVD
Joel McCrea stars as the legendary frontier scout, Indian fighter and bison killer in William Wellman's sweeping Western epic, one of the first made in color. Follow Bill Cody's career from his role as mediator in the settling of the west to his showman days in his "Wild West Show." Maureen O'Hara, Thomas Mitchell, Anthony Quinn, Linda Darnell, and Chief Thundercloud also star. 90 min. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital stereo, Dolby Digital mono, Spanish Dolby Digital mono, French Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Spanish.
Four Faces West [DVD](1948) DVD
Western drama of a man forced to rob a bank in order to save his father's ranch, only to be pursued by a relentless sheriff. Joel McCrea, Charles Bickford and Frances Dee star. 89 min.
Ride The High Country [DVD](1962) DVD
Western legends Randolph Scott and Joel McCrea made their sagebrush swan songs in this Sam Peckinpah tale. Two veteran gunslingers are hired to protect a gold shipment, only to find plenty of obstacles along the way. Sprawling, colorful thriller also stars Edgar Buchanan, Warren Oates and Mariette Hartley (her film debut). 94 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital mono, French Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, French, Spanish.
Cry Blood, Apache [DVD](1970) DVD
Unusual western drama about an Apache warrior seeking a brutal vengeance on the prospectors who killed his people and took his sister hostage on their search for gold. Jody McCrea and, in a cameo, dad Joel star; with Marie Gahva, Dan Kemp. 82 min.
filmography
FILM
Mustang Country (1976) with Patrick Wayne and Robert Fuller
Sioux Nation (1970)
Cry Blood, Apache (1970) with Jody McCrea and Don Henley
Ride the High Country (1962) with Randolph Scott and Mariette Hartley
The Gunfight at Dodge City (1959) with Julie Adams and Richard Anderson
Fort Massacre (1958) with Susan Cabot, John Russell, and Forrest Tucker
Cattle Empire (1958) with Gloria Talbott and Phyllis Coates
Gunsight Ridge (1957) with Mark Stevens, Jody McCrea, and Carolyn Craig
Trooper Hook (1957) with Barbara Stanwyck, Susan Kohner, and Earl Holliman
The Tall Stranger (1957) with Virginia Mayo, Michael Ansara, and Whit Bissell
The Oklahoman (1957) with Gloria Talbott and Barbara Hale
The First Texan (1956) with Jeff Morrow, Jody McCrea, and William Hopper
Wichita (1955) with Vera Miles, Peter Graves, and Lloyd Bridges
Stranger on Horseback (1955) with Kevin McCarthy and John Carradine
Black Horse Canyon (1954) with Mari Blanchard
Border River (1954) with Yvonne De Carlo
Rough Shoot (1953) with Laurence Naismith and Evelyn Keyes
Lone Hand (1953) with Alex Nicol, Barbara Hale, and James Arness
The San Francisco Story (1952) with Yvonne De Carlo
Cattle Drive (1951) with Dean Stockwell and Chill Wills
Hollywood Story (1951) with Julie Adams, Richard Egan, Jim Backus, Richard Conte, and Francis X. Bushman
Frenchie (1950) with Shelley Winters, Marie Windsor, John Russell, Paul Kelly, and Elsa Lanchester
The Outriders (1950) with Arlene Dahl, Ramon Novarro, and Barry Sullivan
Saddle Tramp (1950) with John Russell and Wanda Hendrix
Stars in My Crown (1950) with Ellen Drew, Amanda Blake, and Dean Stockwell
South of St. Louis (1949) with Zachary Scott, Alexis Smith, and Dorothy Malone
Colorado Territory (1949) with Virginia Mayo and Dorothy Malone
Four Faces West (1948) with Frances Dee, William Conrad, and Charles Bickford
Ramrod (1947) with Veronica Lake, Don DeFore, and Lloyd Bridges
The Virginian (1946) with Brian Donlevy, Fay Bainter, Sonny Tufts, and Barbara Britton
The Unseen (1945) with Gail Russell
Buffalo Bill (1944) with Maureen O'Hara, Linda Darnell, and Anthony Quinn
The Great Moment (1944) with Betty Field
The More the Merrier (1943) with Jean Arthur and Bruce Bennett
The Great Man's Lady (1942) with Barbara Stanwyck and Brian Donlevy
The Palm Beach Story (1942) with Claudette Colbert, Mary Astor, and Rudy Vallee
Sullivan's Travels (1941) with Veronica Lake
Reaching for the Sun (1941) with Ellen Drew, Albert Dekker, and Eddie Bracken
Foreign Correspondent (1940) with Laraine Day and George Sanders
The Primrose Path (1940) with Ginger Rogers
He Married His Wife (1940) with Roland Young, Nancy Kelly, Cesar Romero, and Elisha Cook Jr.
Espionage Agent (1939) with Brenda Marshall
They Shall Have Music (1939) with Walter Brennan, Marjorie Main, and Andrea Leeds
Union Pacific (1939) with Barbara Stanwyck, Brian Donlevy, Robert Preston, Anthony Quinn, and Evelyn Keyes
Youth Takes a Fling (1938) with Virginia Grey and Andrea Leeds
Three Blind Mice (1938) with Loretta Young, David Niven, and Jane Darwell
Wells Fargo (1937) with Frances Dee, Johnny Mack Brown, and Lloyd Nolan
Internes Can't Take Money (1937) with Barbara Stanwyck and Lloyd Nolan
Dead End (1937) with Humphrey Bogart, Sylvia Sidney, Marjorie Main, Huntz Hall, and Leo Gorcey
Woman Chases Man (1937) with Miriam Hopkins
Banjo on My Knee (1936) with Barbara Stanwyck, Buddy Ebsen, and Walter Brennan
Come and Get It (1936) with Frances Farmer, Walter Brennan, and Andrea Leeds
Adventure in Manhattan (1936) with Jean Arthur
Two in a Crowd (1936) with Joan Bennett and Nat Pendleton
These Three (1936) with Miriam Hopkins, Merle Oberon, and Bonita Granville
Splendor (1935) with Miriam Hopkins, David Niven, and Billie Burke
Barbary Coast (1935) with Miriam Hopkins, Edward G. Robinson, Brian Donlevy, and Walter Brennan
Woman Wanted (1935) with Maureen O'Sullivan
Our Little Girl (1935) with Shirley Temple and Lyle Talbot
Private Worlds (1935) with Claudette Colbert, Joan Bennett, and Charles Boyer
The Richest Girl in the World (1934) with Miriam Hopkins and Fay Wray
Half a Sinner (1934) with Sally Blane and Mickey Rooney
Gambling Lady (1934) with Barbara Stanwyck
Chance at Heaven (1933) with Ginger Rogers
One Man's Journey (1933) with Lionel Barrymore and Frances Dee
Bed of Roses(1933) with Constance Bennett
The Silver Cord (1933) with Irene Dunne and Frances Dee
Rockabye (1932) with Constance Bennett
The Sport Parade (1932) with Marian Marsh
The Most Dangerous Game (1932) with Fay Wray and Robert Armstrong
Bird of Paradise (1932) with Dolores del Rio and Lon Chaney Jr.
Business and Pleasure (1932) with Will Rogers and Boris Karloff
The Lost Squadron (1932) with Mary Astor, Richard Dix, Robert Armstrong, and Erich von Stroheim
Girls About Town (1931) with Kay Francis
The Common Law (1931) with Constance Bennett and Hedda Hopper
Born to Love (1931) with Constance Bennett
Kept Husbands (1931)
Once a Sinner (1931)
Lightnin' (1930) with Will Rogers
The Silver Horde (1930) with Evelyn Brent and Jean Arthur
Dynamite (1929) with Conrad Nagel and Charles Bickford
The Jazz Age (1929) with Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
The Five O'Clock Girl (1928) with Marion Davies
Freedom of the Press (1928)
Dead Man's Curve (1928) with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Sally Blane
TELEVISION SERIES
Wichita Town, 1959-1960 TV series. McCrea portrayed Marshal Mike Dunbar. Also starring in this series was Jody McCrea
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This page premiered February 4, 2003.
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