James Cardwell (born Albert Paine Cardwell; November 21, 1921 – January 31, 1954) was an American actor who appeared in more than 20 Hollywood films in the 1940s.

Career

Cardwell is probably best known for his debut as George Sullivan in 1944's

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

-nominated '' The Fighting Sullivans'', based on the true story of five navy brothers who died in action together when their ship was torpedoed in the

Pacific Theater The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

during World War II. His other significant roles included the

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader, known as the "King of Swing". His orchestra did well commercially. From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing bi ...

musical '' Sweet and Low-Down'' (1944), the World War II drama '' A Walk in the Sun'' (1945), and the police drama '' He Walked by Night'' (1948). Reviewing the 1945

Charlie Chan Charlie Chan is a fictional Honolulu Police Department, Honolulu police detective created by author Earl Derr Biggers for a series of mystery novels. Biggers loosely based Chan on Hawaiian detective Chang Apana. The benevolent and heroic Chan ...

mystery '' The Shanghai Cobra'', the ''

Kentucky New Era The ''Kentucky New Era'' is the major daily newspaper in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, in the United States. History The paper was founded in 1869 by John D. Morris and Asher Graham Caruth, as the ''Weekly Kentucky New Era.''Joan Barclay Joan Barclay (born Mary Elizabeth Greear; August 31, 1914 – November 22, 2002) was an American film actress of the 1930s and 1940s, starring mostly in B-movies and cliffhangers, with her career starting during the silent film era. Biograp ...

." However, he found himself consigned to

B-movies A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second half of a double feature, s ...

; 1949's '' Daughter of the Jungle'', in which Cardwell played the male lead opposite

Lois Hall Lois Grace Hall, (August 22, 1926 – December 21, 2006) was an American actress and, more often known as Lois Willows after her marriage, an active member of the Bahá'í Faith communities of California and Hawaii. Early years Hall was born on ...

, earned the dubious distinction of a listing in the 1978 book ''

The Fifty Worst Films of All Time ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

''. In 1950, Cardwell toured Australia with comedian Joe E. Brown in a production of the play '' Harvey''. He then joined the Colleano Troupe, a variety act, with whom he toured Australia, the UK, and the U.S. After returning to the U.S., he made two guest appearances in the Rod Cameron television series ''

City Detective ''City Detective'' is a half-hour syndicated television crime drama starring Rod Cameron as Bart Grant, a tough 1950s New York City police lieutenant. The show's title was a bit of a misnomer, as Grant fought crime "from Mexico to the Mojave ...

''. However, his movie career had stalled. He made only one additional appearance before his death: a small unbilled role in the 1954 monster film ''

Them! ''Them!'' is a 1954 black-and-white science fiction giant monster film starring James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon, and James Arness. Produced by David Weisbart, the film was directed by Gordon Douglas, based on an original story by ...

Personal life

Cardwell was born Albert Paine Cardwell in Camden, New Jersey, the son of Raymond Cardwell and Bessie McCarroll. He graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1940. In 1942, he married Esther Borton. They divorced two years later. In 1951, he became engaged to Australian model June Crocker, but she ended their relationship after she suffered serious burns in a stage accident. According to author Jeffery P. Dennis, Cardwell subsequently "came out" as gay.

Death

Apparently disheartened by his faltering career and financial difficulties, Cardwell fatally shot himself at the age of 32 in Los Angeles, California on January 31, 1954.

Filmography

* '' The Fighting Sullivans'' (1944) as George Thomas Sullivan * '' Sweet and Low-Down'' (1944) as Johnny Birch * '' The Shanghai Cobra'' (1945) as Ned Stewart * ''

Voice of the Whistler ''Voice of the Whistler'' is a 1945 American mystery film noir directed by William Castle and starring Richard Dix, Lynn Merrick, and Rhys Williams. It was the fourth of Columbia Pictures' eight " Whistler" films produced in the 1940s, all based ...

'' (1945) as Fred Graham * '' A Walk in the Sun'' (1945) as Sergeant Hoskins * ''

Fear Fear is an unpleasant emotion that arises in response to perception, perceived dangers or threats. Fear causes physiological and psychological changes. It may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the ...

'' (1946) as Ben * ''

Behind the Mask Behind the Mask may refer to: Film and television * Behind the Mask (1932 film), ''Behind the Mask'' (1932 film), a film featuring Boris Karloff * The Man Behind the Mask, ''Behind the Mask'' (1936 film) or ''The Man Behind the Mask'', a Britis ...

'' (1946) as Jeff Mann * '' Canyon Passage'' (1946) as Gray Bartlett * ''

The Missing Lady ''The Missing Lady'' is a 1946 American mystery film directed by Phil Karlson and starring Kane Richmond and Barbara Read. It was the third and final in a series of three films released by Monogram in 1946 starring Richmond as The Shadow, the ot ...

'' (1946) as Terry Blake * ''

The Devil on Wheels ''The Devil On Wheels'' is a 1947 American drama film directed by Crane Wilbur and starring Darryl Hickman. In addition to being the first film about street racing youth, it is also notable for being one of the first films to feature actresses ( ...

'' (1947) as Jeff Clark * ''

It Happened on Fifth Avenue ''It Happened on 5th Avenue'' (titled onscreen as ''It Happened on Fifth Avenue'') is a 1947 American romantic comedy film directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring Don DeFore, Ann Harding, Charles Ruggles, Victor Moore, and Gale Storm. The film ...

'' (1947) as Young man in barracks (uncredited) * '' Robin Hood of Texas'' (1947) as Duke Mantel * '' The Return of the Whistler'' (1948) as Charlie Barkley * ''

King of the Gamblers ''King of the Gamblers'' is a 1948 American crime film directed by George Blair and starring Janet Martin, William Wright and Thurston Hall.Martin p.470 The film's sets were designed by the art director Frank Hotaling. Cast * Janet Martin ...

'' (1948) as 'Speed' Lacey * ''

Daredevils of the Clouds ''Daredevils of the Clouds'' (aka ''Daredevils of the Sky'') is a 1948 American drama film directed by George Blair and produced by Republic Pictures. The film stars Robert Livingston, Mae Clarke and James Cardwell. ''Daredevils of the Clouds ...

'' (1948) as Johnny Martin * ''

Harpoon A harpoon is a long, spear-like projectile used in fishing, whaling, sealing, and other hunting to shoot, kill, and capture large fish or marine mammals such as seals, sea cows, and whales. It impales the target and secures it with barb or ...

'' (1948) as Red Dorsett Jr. * '' Parole, Inc.'' (1948) as Duke Vigili * '' He Walked by Night'' (1948) as Chuck Jones * '' Trouble Preferred'' (1948) as Hal 'Tuffy' Tucker * '' Daughter of the Jungle'' (1949) as Paul Cooper * '' Down Dakota Way'' (1949) as Saunders * '' San Antone Ambush'' (1949) as Clint Wheeler * '' Tokyo Joe'' (1949) as Military Police Captain (uncredited) * ''

And Baby Makes Three ''And Baby Makes Three'' is a 1949 American romantic comedy film directed by Henry Levin and starring Robert Young and Barbara Hale. The title comes from a line in the 1927 song " My Blue Heaven". Plot Jackie Walsh, recently divorced from Ver ...

'' (1949) as Police officer (uncredited) * '' The Arizona Cowboy'' (1949) as Hugh Davenport * ''

'' (1954) as Officer (uncredited) (final film role)

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cardwell, James 1921 births 1954 deaths 1954 suicides 20th-century American male actors American gay actors American male film actors Eastside High School (Camden, New Jersey) alumni LGBTQ people from New Jersey Male actors from Camden, New Jersey Suicides by firearm in California