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Allen Jenkins

Allen Jenkins

Actor · Died July 20, 1974, aged 74 · Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Allen Jenkins (April 9, 1900 – July 20, 1974) was an American character actor on stage, screen and television. He was born Alfred McGonegal on Staten Island, New York. He studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. In his first stage appearance, he danced next to James Cagney in a chorus line for an off-Broadway musical called Pitter-Patter. He made five dollars a week. He also appeared one thousand times in Broadway plays between 1924 and 1962, including The Front Page with Lee Tracy (1928). His big break came when he replaced Spencer Tracy for three weeks in the Broadway play The Last Mile. He was called to Hollywood by Darryl F. Zanuck and signed first to Paramount Pictures and shortly afterwards to Warner Bros. He originated the character of Frankie Wells in the Broadway production of Blessed Event and reprised the role in the film adaptation, both in 1932. With the advent of talking pictures, he made a career out of playing comic henchmen, stooges, policemen and other "tough guys" in numerous films of the 1930s and 1940s, especially for Warner Bros. He was labeled the "greatest scene-stealer of the 1930s" by the New York Times. He voiced the character of "Officer Dibble" on the Hanna-Barbera television cartoon Top Cat and was a regular on the 1956-1957 television situation comedy Hey, Jeannie! (1956), starring Jeannie Carson. He was also a guest star on The Red Skelton Show, I Love Lucy, Playhouse 90, The Ernie Kovacs Show, Zane Grey Theater, and The Sid Caesar Show. Eleven days before his death he made his final appearance, at the end of Billy Wilder's 1974 film adaptation of The Front Page. He went public with his alcoholism and was the first actor to speak in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate about it. He helped start the first Alcoholics Anonymous programs in California prisons for women. Jenkins, James Cagney, Pat O'Brien and Frank McHugh were the original members of the so-called "Irish Mafia". He was the seventh member of the Screen Actors Guild. Description above from the Wikipedia article Allen Jenkins, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
April 8, 1900
Died
July 20, 1974 (aged 74)
From
Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
77 on MovieCove · 141 credits in all
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 35% in 30 days

What are Allen Jenkins' films like?

Across their 58 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

What they feel like to watch

their average across 57 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category

Light 42 · Serious 9 · Dark 6

A split, not a type: Grounded 32 · Stylized 24 · Heightened 1

Gentle 25 · Charged 27 · Intense 5

Steady 29 · Shifting 27 · Whiplash 1

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 21 · Funny 28

Slow burn 18 · Even-paced 27 · Relentless 12

Casual 40 · Engaged 16 · Full focus 1

Resolved 52 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

32 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 16 of 32 analyzed roles.

Ally
16 of 32
Trickster
9 of 32
Threshold guardian
3 of 32
Shadow
3 of 32
Herald
1 of 32
Show the 32 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
27
Tense
23
Warm
19
Absurd
17
Romantic
16
Other
43

How their films end · 11 with a twist

  • Happy41
  • Bittersweet12
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous2
  • Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Allen Jenkins' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 22 of their 77 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (15).

Subscription and free streaming for Allen Jenkins' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

141 credits, 77 with a MovieCove page; 10 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Front Page(1974)

    as Telegrapher

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
  • Getting Away from It All(1972)

    as Doorman

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
  • Adam-12(1968)

    Show 1 episode · as Jobey

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows
  • Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films
  • The Spy in the Green Hat(1967)

    as Enzo 'Pretty' Stilletto

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
  • Batman(1966)

    Show 1 episode · as Little Al

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows
  • Honey West (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Show 1 episode · as Gate Guard

  • The Man from U.N.C.L.E.(1964)

    Show 2 episodes · as Enzo 'Pretty' Stilletto

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows
  • Bewitched(1964)

    Show 3 episodes · as Janitor

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows
  • I'd Rather Be Rich(1964)

    as Fred

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
  • Robin and the 7 Hoods(1964)

    as Vermin

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
  • For Those Who Think Young(1964)

    as Col. Leslie Jenkins

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
  • It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World(1963)

    as Cop (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
  • Ben Casey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Top Cat(1961)

    Show 30 episodes · as Officer Dibble (voice)

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all shows
  • Pillow Talk(1959)

    as Harry

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
  • Wagon Train(1957)

    Show 1 episode · as Mr. Gillespie

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows
  • Three Men on a Horse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    as Harry

  • Hey, Jeannie! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Show 26 episodes · as Al Murray

  • December Bride (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Studio 57 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Duke (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Show 1 episode · as Johnny

  • General Electric Theater (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Abbott and Costello Show(1952)

    Show 1 episode · as Retired Actors Home Man on Street

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows
  • The WAC from Walla Walla (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Mr. Redington

  • Mr. & Mrs. North(1952)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all shows
  • Four Star Playhouse(1952)

    Show 1 episode · as Fingers

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows
  • Oklahoma Annie(1952)

    as Lou

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
  • Chained for Life(1952)

    as Hinkley

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films
  • I Love Lucy(1951)

    Show 3 episodes · as Policeman

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows
  • The Red Skelton Hour(1951)

    Show 3 episodes · as Muggsy

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows
  • Behave Yourself! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Police Plainclothesman

  • Crazy Over Horses (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Weepin' Willie

  • Boston Blackie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Let's Go Navy!(1951)

    as CPO Mervin Longnecker

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
  • Racket Squad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Bodyhold (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    as Slats Henry

  • The Big Wheel(1949)

    as George

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
  • The Inside Story(1948)

    as Eddie

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
  • Wild Harvest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Higgins

  • The Case of the Baby-Sitter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Howard 'Harvard' Quinlan

  • The Hat Box Mystery (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as 'Harvard'

  • Fun on a Weekend(1947)

    as Joe Morgan

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
  • Easy Come, Easy Go(1947)

    as Nick

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
  • Singin' in the Corn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Glenn Cummings

  • The Dark Horse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Willis Trimble

  • Meet Me on Broadway (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Deacon McGill

  • Lady on a Train(1945)

    as Danny (Waring chauffeur)

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
  • Wonder Man(1945)

    as Chimp

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
  • Stage Door Canteen(1943)

    as Allen Jenkins

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
  • My Wife's an Angel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Sam

  • Three Cheers for the Girls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Marine Sergeant in Chorus (archive footage) (uncredited)

  • Eyes in the Night(1942)

    as Marty

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
  • They All Kissed the Bride(1942)

    as Johnny Johnson

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
  • Maisie Gets Her Man(1942)

    as 'Pappy' Goodring

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
  • The Falcon Takes Over(1942)

    as Jonathan 'Goldy' Locke

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
  • Tortilla Flat(1942)

    as Portagee Joe

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
  • A Date with the Falcon(1942)

    as Jonathan 'Goldy' Locke

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
  • Ball of Fire(1941)

    as Garbage Man

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
  • Go West, Young Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Hank

  • The Gay Falcon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Jonathan G. 'Goldie' Locke

  • Dive Bomber(1941)

    as Lucky James

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
  • Time Out for Rhythm (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Off-Beat Davis

  • Footsteps in the Dark(1941)

    as Wilfred

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
  • Tin Pan Alley (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Casey

  • Meet the Wildcat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Max Schwydel

  • Margie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Kenneth

  • Brother Orchid(1940)

    as Willie 'The Knife' Corson

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
  • Oh, Johnny, How You Can Love! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Ed aka The Weasel

  • Destry Rides Again(1939)

    as Gyp Watson

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
  • Five Came Back(1939)

    as Pete

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
  • Naughty But Nice(1939)

    as Joe Dirk

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
  • Sweepstakes Winner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Xerxes 'Tip' Bailey

  • Breakdowns of 1938 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Shiner Ward / Duke Dennis (archive footage) (uncredited)

  • Going Places (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Droopy

  • Heart of the North(1938)

    as Bill Hardsock

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
  • Hard to Get (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Roscoe

  • Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
  • Racket Busters(1938)

    as Skeets Wilson

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
  • Gold Diggers in Paris(1938)

    as Duke 'Dukie' Dennis

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
  • Fools for Scandal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Dewey Gibson

  • Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
  • Swing Your Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Shiner Ward

  • Sh! The Octopus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Dempsey

  • The Perfect Specimen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Pinky

  • Dead End(1937)

    as Hunk

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
  • Talent Scout (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Benefit Show Guest (archive footage) (uncredited)

  • Ever Since Eve (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Jake Edgall

  • Marry the Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Specs

  • Dance Charlie Dance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Alf Morgan

  • The Singing Marine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Sergeant Mike

  • A Day at Santa Anita (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Allen Jenkins (uncredited)

  • Marked Woman(1937)

    as Louie

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
  • Ready, Willing and Able(1937)

    as J. Van Courtland

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films
  • Sing Me a Love Song(1936)

    as Chris Cross

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
  • Three Men on a Horse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Charlie

  • Cain and Mabel(1936)

    as Dodo

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
  • Sins of Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Crusty

  • The Singing Kid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Joe Eddy

  • Miss Pacific Fleet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Bernard 'Kewpie' Wiggins

  • Broadway Hostess (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Fishcake Carter

  • The Case of the Lucky Legs(1935)

    as Spudsy Drake

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films
  • I Live for Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Mac

  • Page Miss Glory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Petey

  • The Irish in Us(1935)

    as Carbarn Hammerschlog

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
  • A Night at the Ritz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Gyp

  • While the Patient Slept(1935)

    as Police Sgt. Jim Jackson

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
  • Sweet Music (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Barney Cowan

  • The St. Louis Kid(1934)

    as Buck Willetts

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films
  • Happiness Ahead (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Chuck

  • The Case of the Howling Dog(1934)

    as Sgt. Holcomb

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
  • The Merry Frinks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Emmett Frink

  • Twenty Million Sweethearts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Pete

  • Whirlpool (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Mac

  • Jimmy the Gent(1934)

    as Lou

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
  • I've Got Your Number (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as John 'Johnny'

  • Bedside (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Sam Sparks

  • The Big Shakedown (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Lefty

  • Havana Widows (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Herman Brody

  • Bureau of Missing Persons(1933)

    as Detective Joe Musik

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
  • The Mayor of Hell(1933)

    as Mike

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
  • Professional Sweetheart(1933)

    as O'Connor

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
  • The Silk Express(1933)

    as Robert 'Rusty' Griffith

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
  • Tomorrow at Seven(1933)

    as Dugan

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
  • King Kong(1933)

    as Member of Ship's Crew (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
  • The Mind Reader(1933)

    as Frank

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
  • The Keyhole (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Hank Wales

  • 42nd Street(1933)

    as Mac Elroy

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
  • Blondie Johnson(1933)

    as Louie

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
  • Employees' Entrance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Sweeney, store detective (uncredited)

  • Hard to Handle(1933)

    as radio announcer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
  • Lawyer Man(1932)

    as Izzy Levine

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
  • Three on a Match(1932)

    as Dick

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
  • Rackety Rax (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Mike Dumphy

  • Grand Hotel(1932)

    as Hotel Meat Packer (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
  • Blessed Event(1932)

    as Frankie Wells

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
  • The Girl Habit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Tony Maloney

Career shape

Star power in the 97th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 141 titles from 1931 to 1974; peak year 1974.

Film career

MilestoneBreakout
19311974

Peak 1974 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 4 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting141 of 141: 141 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score65th

By decade

1930s71 · acting1940s34 · acting1950s21 · acting1960s13 · acting1970s2 · acting

Billing

usually 6th · top billed in 0% of 26 roles
323742

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Allen Jenkins' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 64th percentile, the median of all 66; across their 57 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 62nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 57

Approval · how many liked their films

63rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 57

Reach · how many have seen their films

41stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 57

Midcredits score across 77 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up24
  • 50th to 74th34
  • 25th to 49th15
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

47 of their 77 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved8
  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser47
  • Broadly Agreed12
  • Mixed8

Reviewers score the acting 71/100 in their films, across 56 reviewed titles; fans 78, detractors 46. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Allen Jenkins work with?

People who share at least 2 of Allen Jenkins' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Hal B. Wallis shares the most, 19.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles