Matthew O. McHugh (January 22, 1894 – February 22, 1971 ) was an American film actor who appeared in more than 200 films between 1931 and 1955, primarily in small parts.

Career

McHugh came from a theatrical family. His parents ran a stock theatre company and, as a young child, he performed on stage. His brother, Frank, who went on to become part of the

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

stock company in the 1930s and 1940s, and sister Kitty performed an act with him by the time he was fourteen years old, but the family quit the stage around 1930. His brother Ed became an agent in New York. McHugh made his Broadway debut in

Elmer Rice Elmer Rice (born Elmer Leopold Reizenstein, September 28, 1892 – May 8, 1967) was an American playwright. He is best known for his plays '' The Adding Machine'' (1923) and his Pulitzer Prize-winning drama of New York tenement life, '' Street Sce ...

's '' Street Scene'' in 1929, along with his brother Ed, and also appeared in ''Swing Your Lady'' in 1936. Despite his actual origins, McHugh usually performed his roles with a Brooklyn accent, and was often cast as characters explicitly from Brooklyn. In '' Star Spangled Rhythm'' (1941), his one scene is a protracted monologue during the climactic "Old Glory" sequence, in which McHugh plays a character who literally embodies the spirit of Brooklyn.

Partial filmography

* '' Street Scene'' (1931) as Vincent Jones * '' Woman from Monte Carlo'' (1932) as Chief Petty Officer Vincent * '' Freaks'' (1932) as One of the Rollo Brothers * '' The Loud Mouth'' (1932) as Loud Mouth * ''

Hypnotized Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychological ...

'' (1932) as Drummer * '' The Devil's Brother'' (1933) as Francesco * ''

Bed of Roses Bed of roses is an English expression that represents a carefree life. This idiomatic expression is still popular. In the thirteenth-century work Le Roman de la Rose (called "The French Iliad" in Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable), a L ...

'' (1933) as "Jones" * '' The Last Trail'' (1933) as Looney McGann * '' The Mad Game'' (1933) as McGee * '' The Prizefighter and the Lady'' (1933) as Bar Patron * ''

Lost in the Stratosphere ''Lost in the Stratosphere'' is a 1934 American aviation Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Melville W. Brown and starring William Cagney, Edward J. Nugent, and June Collyer. In one of his few roles in front of the cameras, Cagne ...

'' (1934) as Matt O'Toole * '' She Loves Me Not'' (1934) as Andy * '' The Cat's-Paw'' (1934) as Taxi Driver * '' Murder in the Private Car'' (1934) as Policeman Stopping John (uncredited) * '' Wings in the Dark'' (1935) * '' Ladies Crave Excitement'' (1935) * '' Party Wire'' (1935) as Bert West * '' If You Could Only Cook'' (1935) as Pete * ''

Mannequin A mannequin (sometimes spelled as manikin and also called a dummy, lay figure, or dress form) is a doll, often articulated, used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, window dressers and others, especially to display or fit clothing and show off dif ...

'' (1937) * '' The Big Broadcast of 1937'' (1937) as a Cafe diner (uncredited) * '' The Mad Miss Manton'' (1938) as Driscoll "from Headquarters" * ''

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington ''Mr. Smith Goes to Washington'' is a 1939 American political comedy-drama film directed by Frank Capra, starring Jean Arthur and James Stewart, and featuring Claude Rains and Edward Arnold. The film is about a naive, newly appointed United ...

'' (1939) (uncredited) * ''

The Boys from Syracuse ''The Boys from Syracuse'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Lorenz Hart, based on William Shakespeare's play '' The Comedy of Errors'', as adapted by librettist George Abbott. The score includes swing and other contemp ...

'' (1940) * '' The Wild Man of Borneo'' (1941) as Buggy Driver * ''Don't Talk'' (1942, Short) as Plant Employee * '' A Gentleman at Heart'' (1942) * '' Sappy Birthday'' (1942) * ''

San Diego, I Love You ''San Diego, I Love You'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Reginald Le Borg and starring Jon Hall, Louise Allbritton and Edward Everett Horton. The screenwriters for the film included Ruth McKenney, author of '' My Sister Eileen'' ...

'' (1944) * '' Secret Command'' (1944) * '' Vacation in Reno'' (1945) * '' Pardon My Clutch'' (1948) * '' Bodyhold'' (1949) * '' Wham Bam Slam'' (1955)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:McHugh, Matt 1894 births 1971 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors Male actors from Pennsylvania