From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia James Ellison May 4 1910 December 23 1993 was an American actor born James Ellison Smith in Guthrie Center Iowa son of Edward James Smith and Ona Mary Ellis Ellison appeared in nearly seventy films between 1932 and 1962 Ellison worked for a time in a film laboratory and while there was offered a screen test He developed it himself and when he saw it decided it was not satisfactory so he would not show it to the director But he saw it anyway and Ellison got a contract Despite his rugged good looks and height of 6 feet 3 inches Ellisons limited range and somewhat wooden screen presence kept him from the first or even second ranks of stardom He spent much of his career in Westerns including a stint in the midthirties as the sidekick of Hopalong Cassidy in Paramounts successful series In 1938 he played a charming romantic character opposite 26 year old Lucille Ball in the comedy Next Time I Marry a film where Ball had her first top billing on screen credits Before that in 1936 he played his highestprofile role as Buffalo Bill in Cecil B DeMilles The Plainsman which also starred Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur Despite that films success Ellison spent most of the remainder of his career shuttling between cowboy pictures and more varied roles primarily in B movies with titles like Mr District Attorney in the Carter Case and The Undying Monster He had a supporting role in 1941s Charleys Aunt which starred Jack Benny and played the romantic lead in 1943s The Gangs All Here a Twentieth Century Fox musical in which he seemed somewhat lost among the vivid antics of Carmen Miranda Charlotte Greenwood and Edward Everett Horton and was the only principal not to sing a note He also costarred with Tom Conway and Frances Dee in Val Lewtons production of I Walked with a Zombie directed by Jacques Tourneur Ellison landed another romantic lead role as Jerry Gibson in the musical film Lady Lets Dance 1944 which starred ice skating sensation Belita In the early 1950s Ellison moved from acting to real estate Joining fellow veteran Jackie Coogan Ellison returned to the screen only once to play Axel Longhorn Gates in a picture called When the Girls Take Over 1962 James Ellison died at age 83 in Monterey California after suffering a broken neck as the result of a fall Description above from the Wikipedia article James Ellison actor licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia
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