James Bradbury Jr.
James Bradbury Jr. (left) in Deadline at Eleven (1920)
Born
James Horatio Bradbury Jr.

(1894-10-05)October 5, 1894
New York City, U.S.
DiedJune 21, 1936(1936-06-21) (aged 41)
Los Angeles, California, United States

James Horatio Bradbury Jr. (October 5, 1894 – June 21, 1936)[1][2] was an American character actor in supporting roles on stage and in films of the 1920s and 1930s.

Biography

The son of veteran character actor James Horatio Bradbury (1857–1940) and former actress Ruth Drake Torbett,[3][4] New York-born Bradbury Jr. began his career on stage as a child in Madame Butterfly.[3] In 1919, following his military service in World War I,[2] he arrived in Hollywood. Notable roles included Richard Barthelmess' romantic rival in both Classmates (1924) and The Drop Kick (1927),[3] as well as appearances in numerous budget westerns such as Cheyenne (1929),[5] Smilin' Guns (1929)[6] and The Cisco Kid (1931).[7]

Bradbury also co-authored, with Edward Poland, one of his own stage vehicles, a well-received vaudeville playlet entitled "Psycho Bill",[8] which debuted in June 1921 at Proctor's 23rd Street Theatre in Manhattan.[9] By no later than December of that year, James Bradbury Sr. had joined the cast, portraying the father of Bradbury Jr.'s protagonist.[10] The two also collaborated on at least one other vaudeville sketch, "Solitaire," in 1928, written by Bradley Jr. and staged by his father.[11]

Towards the end of his brief career, however, Bradbury's roles trended towards the smaller and uncredited, as in Warner Brothers' Night Nurse (1931) and Paramount's Dancers in the Dark (1932),[12][13] and even in what promised to be a high profile appearance in one of his last films, as the "third vampire" opposite Bela Lugosi in Tod Browning's Mark of the Vampire (1935), ended up on the cutting room floor.[14] By that time, however, even small parts were eluding him.

One possible explanation for this decline can be gleaned from the reactions of two 21st-century observers, authors John Booker and John Howard Reid, to whom—even in the context of silent film performers struggling, often unsuccessfully, to make the transition to sound—two of Bradbury's most prominently featured talking picture performances appear conspicuously, bordering on ridiculously, overwrought. Regarding his central role in the 1928 two-reeler Hollywood Bound, Reid notes that "Bradbury was never given another [such] star opportunity [...] And no wonder! Bradbury's ripe over-acting has to be seen (and heard) to be believed. It ranks as one of the hammiest performances I've ever seen."[15] Scarcely more diplomatic is Brooker's assessment of Bradbury's unintentionally conspicuous contribution to the 1932 Ken Maynard vehicle, Between Fighting Men.

If you find the stuttering and stammering of Fuzzy Knight and Roscoe Ates irritating, best stay away from this movie as Bradbury's stutter is ten times worse! Shame because otherwise this is a good vehicle for Ken Maynard and a rare chance to see Wallace MacDonald...[16]

Personal life and death

Bradbury never married; indeed, apart from casual film acquaintances such as Viola Dana and Philo McCullough (cited in a July 1927 news item dubbing Bradbury "an enthusiastic swimmer" and frequenter of "various beach clubs [and] seaside homes"), one of the few individuals with whom he was reported to have a personal relationship—apart from family of origin—was actor Robert Armstrong, described in that same 1927 story as "an old friend and stage associate from the east [to whom Bradbury] has been extending hospitality lately in various other directions."[17] Not quite two months later, it was reported by Oakland Tribune that the two were on the verge of being paired by an undisclosed "big studio" as a comedy team in a series of upcoming films,[18] a project which evidently never got beyond the planning stage. The following month, the Los Angeles Evening Citzen News reported that Armstrong was one of ten guests attending a birthday party Bradbury Jr. had given for his father.[19]

On June 21, 1936, after having concluded that the "buddy" to whom he had recently entrusted over two hundred fifty dollars for the purpose of purchasing travelers checks had simply absconded with the funds, Bradford made an attempt to kill himself by turning on the gas in his room on West 11th Street in Los Angeles. Eventually growing impatient, he lit a match, setting off a gas explosion, thus turning himself, as reported by the Los Angeles Daily News, "into a human torch." Within two hours of his arrival at Georgia Street Receiving Hospital, Bradbury had died, at age 41.[20]

Partial filmography

References

  1. ^ New York, New York City Births, 1846-1909," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2WSS-2ZB : 11 February 2018), James Horatio Bradbury, 05 Oct 1894; citing Manhattan, New York, New York, United States, reference cn 45665 New York Municipal Archives, New York; FHL microfilm 1,322,305.
  2. ^ a b "United States, Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPZB-H9F8 : 3 September 2021), James Horatio Bradbury Jr, 25 Feb 1919; citing Military Service, NARA microfilm publication 76193916 (St. Louis: National Archives and Records Administration, 1985), various roll numbers.
  3. ^ a b c Katchmer, George A. (2009). A Biographical Dictionary of Silent Film Western Actors and Actresses. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-7864-4693-3.
  4. ^ "New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1938", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2434-6VY : 20 June 2023), James Horatio Bradbury and Ruth Drake Torbett, 1887.
  5. ^ "Film Reviews: Cheyenne". Variety. March 20, 1929. p. 22. ProQuest 1475773689. Fans missing the first reel of this one will figure that Mack Sennett has Ken Maynard working in slapstick. It's supposed to be a western meller, but attempts at comedy take up 90 per cent of the footage. [...] Rodeo stuff is like a circus, even with Bradbury clowning through serious moments with a couple of cops trailing his pal.
  6. ^ "Movie Sidelights: Hoot Gibson is Funny in 'Smilin' Guns'". The Daily Nonpareil. June 10, 1929. p. 7. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  7. ^ "Double Feature on Plaza Program; 'The Cisco Kid' Featured at Plaza". Mount Vernon Argus. December 17, 1931. p. 19. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  8. ^ Library of Congress (1921). Catalog of Copyright Entries, Part 1, Volume 18, Issue 1. Washington: Government Printing Office. p. 445.
  9. ^ "New Acts". The Billboard. June 18, 1921. p. 11. ProQuest 1031648514. James Bradbury, Jr., and Company, in "Psycho Jim," a comedy playlet by Ed Poland and James Bradbury, Jr. Reviewed Jun 8 at Proctor's Twenty-third Street Theater, New York. Let it be said at the very start that "Psycho Jim" is good. It is clever, diverting, skillfully constructed, well cast and admirably acted. In addition to this it is clean an wholesome, a very precious combination indeed. Young Bradbury is something of a comedian, and he has gathered about himself a most capable supporting company. [...] This act should ha little difficulty in making the best houses.
  10. ^ "Orpheum Theater Offers Exceptional Program". The Morning Call. December 9, 1921. p. 10. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  11. ^ "Masquers Will Dedicate Club House Tomorrow". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. April 27, 1928. p. 3. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  12. ^ AnnyasLogos (September 1, 2022). "Night Nurse 1931 title sequence". YouTube. See also:
  13. ^ Dickstein, Martin (March 19, 1932). "The Screen: Miriam Hopkins Brightens 'Dancers in the Dark' at the Paramount". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. p. 8. Retrieved August 10, 2023. See also:
  14. ^ Willis, Donald (2019). Chronology of Classic Horror Films: The 1930s. Midnight Marquee Press. ISBN 978-1644300824.
  15. ^ Reid, John Howard (2012). 140 All-Time Must-See Movies for Film Lovers Now Available On DVD. Lulu. p. 238. ISBN 978-1-105-75295-7.
  16. ^ Brooker, John (2017). The Happiest Trails. CP Entertainment Books. p. 100. ISBN 978-1-365-74122-7.
  17. ^ "Mr. Bradbury Is Host". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. July 28, 1927. p. 8. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  18. ^ "Exits and Entrances". The Oakland Tribune. September 21, 1927. p. 12. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  19. ^ Shaw, Edna L. (October 20, 1927). "Society in Filmland – The Week in Review; Birthday Party Given for Mr. Bradbury". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. p. 7. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  20. ^ "Vet, Robbed by Pal, Ends Life in Gas Blast". Los Angeles Daily News. June 22, 1936. p. 3. Retrieved August 10, 2023
  21. ^ "James Bradbury In It". The Los Angeles Times. November 9, 1927. p. 24. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  22. ^ Altomara, Rita Ecke (1983). Hollywood on the Palisades : a filmography of silent features made in Fort Lee, New Jersey, 1903-1927. New York: Garland Publishing. p. 159. ISBN 0-8240-9225-2.

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