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Joe E. Brown (1892–1973)


Joe E. Brown happily claimed that he was the only youngster in show business who ran way from home to join the circus with the blessings of his parents. In 1902, the ten-year-old Brown joined a circus tumbling act called the Five Marvellous Ashtons, which toured various circuses and vaudeville theaters... See full bio »

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Known For


Filmography

Hide HideActor (72 titles)
1955-1964 The Christophers (TV series)
 
1964 The Greatest Show on Earth (TV series)
Diamond 'Dimey' Vine
You're All Right, Ivy (1964) … Diamond 'Dimey' Vine
 
1963 The Comedy of Terrors
Cemetery Keeper
 
1962 Route 66 (TV series)
Sam Butler
Journey to Nineveh (1962) … Sam Butler
 
1961 Westinghouse Preview Theatre (TV series)
Harry Canover
Five's a Family (1961) … Harry Canover
 
1960 The Ann Sothern Show (TV series)
Mitchell Carson
Olive's Dream Man (1960) … Mitchell Carson
 
1956 Around the World in Eighty Days
Fort Kearney Station Master
 
1956 G.E. True Theater (TV series)
Earl Hall
The Golden Key (1956) … Earl Hall
 
1956 The People's Choice (TV series)
Charles Hollister
Sock and the Proxy Marriage (1956) … Charles Hollister
 
1955 Screen Directors Playhouse (TV series)
Arthur Vail
The Silent Partner (1955) … Arthur Vail
 
1955 Schlitz Playhouse (TV series)
Meet Mr. Justice (1955)
 
1955 The Eddie Cantor Comedy Theater (TV series)
The Practical Joker (1955)
 
1952 The Buick Circus Hour (TV series)
The Old Clown
 
1951 Toast to Our Brother (short)
 
1951 Showtime, U.S.A. (TV series)
Performer
Episode dated 4 March 1951 (1951) … Performer
 
1948 The Tender Years
Rev. Will Norris
 
1944 Hollywood Canteen
Joe E. Brown
 
1944 Pin Up Girl
Eddie Hall
 
1944 Casanova in Burlesque
Joseph M. Kelly Jr.
 
1943 Chatterbox
Rex Vane
 
1942 The Daring Young Man
Jonathan Peckinpaw/Grandma Peckinpaw
 
1942 Joan of Ozark
Cliff Little
 
1942 Shut My Big Mouth
Wellington Holmes
 
1940 Rodeo Dough (short)
Joe E. Brown
 
1940 So You Won't Talk
Whiskers/'Brute' Hanson
 
1939 Beware Spooks!
Roy L. Gifford
 
1939 $1000 a Touchdown
Marlowe Mansfield Booth
 
1938 Flirting with Fate
Dan Dixon
 
1938 Wide Open Faces
Wilbur Meeks
 
1937 Fit for a King
Virgil Ambrose Jeremiah Christopher 'Scoop' Jones
 
1937 Riding on Air
Elmer Lane
 
1937 When's Your Birthday?
Dustin Willoughby
 
1936 Polo Joe
Joe Bolton
 
1936 Earthworm Tractors
Alexander Botts
 
1936 Sons o' Guns
Jimmy Canfield
 
1935 A Midsummer Night's Dream
Flute - the Bellows-Mender
 
1935 Bright Lights
Joe Wilson
 
1935 Alibi Ike
Frank X. Farrell
 
1934 6 Day Bike Rider
Wilfred
 
1934 The Circus Clown
Happy Howard
 
1934 A Very Honorable Guy
'Feet' Samuels
 
1933 Son of a Sailor
'Handsome'
 
1933 Elmer, the Great
Elmer Kane
 
1932 You Said a Mouthful
Joe Holt
 
1932 The Tenderfoot
Calvin Jones
 
1932 Fireman, Save My Child
Joe Grant
 
1931 Local Boy Makes Good
John Augustus Miller
 
1931 The Stolen Jools (short)
Robbery Suspect
 
1931 Sit Tight
Jojo
 
1930 Screen Snapshots Series 10, No. 5 (short)
Joe E. Brown
 
1930 Going Wild
Rollo Smith
 
1930 The Lottery Bride
Hoke
 
1930 Maybe It's Love
Yates
 
1930 Top Speed
Elmer Peters
 
1930 Hold Everything
Gink Schiner
 
1930 Song of the West
Hasty
 
1929 Sally
Grand Duke Connie
 
1929 Painted Faces
Hermann/Beppo
 
1929 On with the Show!
Joe Beaton
 
1929 Molly and Me
Jim Wilson
 
1928 Take Me Home
Bunny
 
1928 The Circus Kid
King Kruger
 
1928 Hit of the Show
Twisty
 
1928 Crooks Can't Win
Jimmy Wells
 
1927 Twinkle, Twinkle (short)
P.T. Robinson
 
Show ShowSoundtrack (15 titles)
1951 Show Boat (performer: "Cakewalk" reprise / 1927 - uncredited)
 
1944 Hollywood Canteen (performer: "You Can Always Tell a Yank" 1944)
 
1944 Casanova in Burlesque (performer: "Casanova Joe")
 
1938 The Gladiator (performer: "On To Victory")
 
1936 Sons o' Guns (performer: "For a Buck and a Quarter a Day" 1936 - uncredited, "Over Here" - uncredited)
 
1935 Bright Lights (performer: "She Was an Acrobat's Daughter" 1935 - uncredited, "I'm All for You" 1935 - uncredited, "You're an Eyeful of Heaven" 1935 - uncredited, "Nobody Cares If I'm Blue" 1935 - uncredited)
 
1935 Alibi Ike (performer: "The Man on the Flying Trapeze" 1867 - uncredited)
 
1934 6 Day Bike Rider (performer: "Asleep in the Deep" 1897 - uncredited)
 
1934 A Very Honorable Guy (performer: "By a Waterfall" 1930 - uncredited)
 
1932 You Said a Mouthful (performer: "On the Road to Mandalay" 1907 - uncredited, "A Life on the Ocean Wave" 1838 - uncredited)
 
1931 Local Boy Makes Good ("In the Good Old Summertime" 1902 - uncredited)
 
1930 Top Speed (performer: "If You Were a Traveling Salesman and I Were a Chambermaid" 1930 - uncredited, "Knock Knees" 1930 - uncredited)
 
1930 Going Wild (performer: "A Little Bit of Heaven Shure They Call It Ireland" - uncredited, "My Hero Mine" - uncredited)
 
1930 Song of the West (performer: "The Bride Was Dressed in White" - uncredited)
 
1929 Sally (performer: "Sally" 1920 - uncredited, "Look for the Silver Lining" 1920 - uncredited)
 
Show ShowSelf (47 titles)
1961 The DuPont Show of the Week (TV series)
Himself
USO - Wherever They Go! (1961) … Himself
 
1960 The Jack Paar Tonight Show (TV series)
Himself
Episode #3.104 (1960) … Himself
 
1958 The Linkletter Show (TV series)
Himself
Episode dated 12 March 1958 (1958) … Himself
 
1957 The Steve Allen Plymouth Show (TV series)
Himself - Comedian / Himself - Guest
Episode #2.45 (1957) … Himself - Comedian
Episode #2.16 (1957) … Himself - Guest
 
1957 I've Got a Secret (TV series)
Himself
Episode dated 9 January 1957 (1957) … Himself
 
1956 Tonight! (TV series)
Himself - Guest
Kovacs (1956) … Himself - Guest
 
1956 Shower of Stars (TV series)
Himself
Bombshells (1956) … Himself
 
1956 Screen Snapshots: Playtime in Hollywood (documentary short)
Himself
 
1952-1955 The Name's the Same (TV series)
Himself - Celebrity Guest / Himself - Contestant
Episode dated 19 July 1955 (1955) … Himself - Celebrity Guest
Episode dated 24 December 1952 (1952) … Himself - Contestant
 
1954 This Is Your Life (TV series)
Himself
Joe E. Brown (1954) … Himself
 
1953 What's My Line? (TV series)
Himself - Mystery Guest
Episode dated 11 January 1953 (1953) … Himself - Mystery Guest
 
1952 Screen Snapshots: Hollywood on the Ball (short)
Himself
 
1952 The Colgate Comedy Hour (TV series)
Himself - Comedian
Episode #2.33 (1952) … Himself - Comedian
 
1952 Screen Snapshots: Memories of Famous Hollywood Comedians (documentary short)
Himself/Narrator
 
1951 TV Club (TV series documentary)
Himself
Episode #2.1 (1951) … Himself
 
1951 General Electric Guest House (TV series)
Himself
Episode #1.3 (1951) … Himself
 
1951 The Buick-Berle Show (TV series)
Himself - Comedian
Episode #3.24 (1951) … Himself - Comedian
 
1950 The Ed Wynn Show (TV series)
Himself - Comic Actor
Episode #1.26 (1950) … Himself - Comic Actor
 
1945/IX Universal Newsreel (documentary short)
Himself
 
1944 Memo for Joe (documentary short)
Himself
 
1943 Show-Business at War (documentary short)
Himself (uncredited)
 
1942 Soaring Stars (short)
Himself (uncredited)
 
1942 Personality Plus (documentary short)
Himself
 
1942 Screen Snapshots Series 21, No. 6 (short)
Himself
 
1941 Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 2 (documentary short)
Himself - Premiere Host (uncredited)
 
1941 Polo with the Stars (short)
Himself - Polo Player (uncredited)
 
1941 Meet the Stars #6: Stars at Play (documentary short)
Himself
 
1940 Screen Snapshots Series 19, No 6: Hollywood Recreations (documentary short)
Himself
 
1939 Screen Snapshots Series 18, No. 9 (documentary short)
Himself, Horse Owner
 
1939 Hollywood Hobbies (documentary short)
Himself (uncredited)
 
1938 Screen Snapshots Series 18, No. 4 (documentary short)
Himself
 
1937 Hollywood Party (short)
Himself (as Joe)
 
1936 Breakdowns of 1936 (short)
Himself
 
1935 Screen Snapshots Series 14, No. 8 (documentary short)
Himself
 
1935 Screen Snapshots Series 14, No. 7 (documentary short)
Himself
 
1935 A Dream Comes True (documentary short)
Himself (also archive footage) (uncredited)
 
1934 Hollywood Newsreel (short)
Himself (uncredited)
 
1933 How to Break 90 #1: The Grip (short)
Himself (uncredited)
 
1933 Hollywood on Parade No. A-7 (short)
Himself
 
1932/II Screen Snapshots (documentary short)
Himself
 
1931 Screen Snapshots Series 10, No. 8 (documentary short)
Himself
 
1931 How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 1: 'The Putter' (short)
Himself (uncredited)
 
1931 How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 10: 'Trouble Shots' (short)
Himself (uncredited)
 
1930 Screen Snapshots Series 10, No. 1 (short)
Himself
 
1930 The Voice of Hollywood No. 6 (short)
Himself (uncredited)
 
Show ShowArchive Footage (17 titles)
2009 30 Rock (TV series)
 
2008 Diálogos de cine (TV movie)
Osgood Fielding III
 
2006 ¿De qué te ríes? (TV movie)
Osgood Fielding III
 
1994 Biography (TV series documentary)
 
1994 Entertaining the Troops (documentary)
Himself
 
1984 Going Hollywood: The '30s (documentary)
Himself
 
1984 The Great Standups (TV documentary)
Himself
 
1983 Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage (documentary)
Himself (uncredited)
 
1982 Showbiz Goes to War (TV movie)
 
1976 It's Showtime (documentary)
Himself (uncredited)
 
1976 M*A*S*H (TV series)
 
1975 Brother Can You Spare a Dime (documentary)
Himself
 
1974 That's Entertainment! (documentary)
Clip from 'Show Boat' (uncredited)
 
1964 Hollywood and the Stars (TV series)
 
1963 Hollywood Without Make-Up (documentary)
Himself
 
1950 Cassino to Korea (documentary)
Himself - USO Show
 
1945 Circus Band (short)
Clown Aerialist
 

Related Videos

Riding on Air -- Smugglers are using a device for controlling airplanes in flight, and newspaper reporters from Chicago are vying for the story. Reporter Elmer Lane is out to scoop rival reporter Betty Harrison, and capture her heart in the process. Some Like It Hot -- Joe, disguised as Junior, leads Sugar into believing that he's a single millionaire with a yacht. Some Like It Hot -- Trailer for the classic comedy Some Like It Hot, starring Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, and Marilyn Monroe
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Personal Details

Other Works:

Active on Broadway in the following productions: See more »

Publicity Listings:

1 Biographical Movie  | 2 Print Biographies  | See more »

Alternate Names:

Joe Brown | Joe

Height:

5' 7½" (1.71 m)
Edit

Did You Know?

Personal Quote:

[In 1952] I'm not the comedian I once was. A comedian has to be slightly insulting, comedy has to be 70 per cent insults, and I'm always afraid today when I say something funny it may hurt someone. If another comic makes a crack about my mouth, I just can't insult him back. See more »

Trivia:

An ardent opponent of the Nazi regime, in 1939 Brown testified before the House Immigration Committee in support of a bill that would allow 20,000 German-Jewish refugee children into the United States. He would later adopt two German-Jewish refugee boys himself. See more »

Star Sign:

Leo