Michael Whalen(1902-1974)
- Actor
A dark, debonair, mustachioed, slick-looking leading man who cut a fine
figure in 1930s Fox movies, Michael Whalen's good looks were
interestingly offset by a slightly prominent Romanesque nose. Born
Joseph Shovlin on June 30, 1902, in Wilkes-Barre, Penssylvania, he took
piano lessons as a child but the talent never went anywhere. He
eventually was hired by the Woolworths department store chain and
worked his way up to manager by the time he resigned at the age of 23.
During an extensive period of travel, he stopped in New York City and
became hooked on acting after catching a Broadway show. He apprenticed
and made his stage debut with
Eva Le Gallienne's repertory company.
To make do, the handsome hopeful worked as an artist's model, including
the renowned
'James
Montgomery Flagg'.
Whalen came to Hollywood in 1933 and started out on the L.A. stage with
roles in "When Knighthood Was in Flower" (as the Dauphin) and "Common
Flesh." Noticed by Twentieth Century-Fox talent agents, he made his
debut with a second-lead role in
Professional Soldier (1935)
starring Victor McLaglen. On screen he
appeared opposite a bevy of Hollywood lovelies, notably
Alice Faye,
Gloria Stuart,
Claire Trevor and
June Lang, in standard "B" filmmaking,
playing a series of virile, flashy roles including Hollywood producers
and sports editor types. He also had the adult male leads in two of
little Shirley Temple's popular vehicles
--
Poor Little Rich Girl (1936)
and Wee Willie Winkie (1937).
In 1938 he starred as newsman Barney Callahan in a string of murder
mystery tales
(Time Out for Murder (1938),
While New York Sleeps (1938)
and Inside Story (1939)) alongside
love interest Jean Rogers.
By the early 1940s his leading man career started to falter. He went to
Broadway for two years in "Ten Little Indians" (1944), then toured with
the show on the road. By the 1950s he was appearing less frequently on
film and more and more into character roles. TV became a source of
income for him. His last movie was an unbilled bit in
Elmer Gantry (1960), and in 1964 he
made his final appearance on an episode of
My Three Sons (1960).
Once engaged to sultry actress
Ilona Massey, the couple never made it to
the altar. Whalen remained a bachelor and lived with his mother until
her death in the 1960s. He collected antiques and enjoyed gardening
until his death of bronchial pneumonia in 1974 at age 71.
figure in 1930s Fox movies, Michael Whalen's good looks were
interestingly offset by a slightly prominent Romanesque nose. Born
Joseph Shovlin on June 30, 1902, in Wilkes-Barre, Penssylvania, he took
piano lessons as a child but the talent never went anywhere. He
eventually was hired by the Woolworths department store chain and
worked his way up to manager by the time he resigned at the age of 23.
During an extensive period of travel, he stopped in New York City and
became hooked on acting after catching a Broadway show. He apprenticed
and made his stage debut with
Eva Le Gallienne's repertory company.
To make do, the handsome hopeful worked as an artist's model, including
the renowned
'James
Montgomery Flagg'.
Whalen came to Hollywood in 1933 and started out on the L.A. stage with
roles in "When Knighthood Was in Flower" (as the Dauphin) and "Common
Flesh." Noticed by Twentieth Century-Fox talent agents, he made his
debut with a second-lead role in
Professional Soldier (1935)
starring Victor McLaglen. On screen he
appeared opposite a bevy of Hollywood lovelies, notably
Alice Faye,
Gloria Stuart,
Claire Trevor and
June Lang, in standard "B" filmmaking,
playing a series of virile, flashy roles including Hollywood producers
and sports editor types. He also had the adult male leads in two of
little Shirley Temple's popular vehicles
--
Poor Little Rich Girl (1936)
and Wee Willie Winkie (1937).
In 1938 he starred as newsman Barney Callahan in a string of murder
mystery tales
(Time Out for Murder (1938),
While New York Sleeps (1938)
and Inside Story (1939)) alongside
love interest Jean Rogers.
By the early 1940s his leading man career started to falter. He went to
Broadway for two years in "Ten Little Indians" (1944), then toured with
the show on the road. By the 1950s he was appearing less frequently on
film and more and more into character roles. TV became a source of
income for him. His last movie was an unbilled bit in
Elmer Gantry (1960), and in 1964 he
made his final appearance on an episode of
My Three Sons (1960).
Once engaged to sultry actress
Ilona Massey, the couple never made it to
the altar. Whalen remained a bachelor and lived with his mother until
her death in the 1960s. He collected antiques and enjoyed gardening
until his death of bronchial pneumonia in 1974 at age 71.