What's After the Movie
Frank McHugh
Frank McHugh (born Francis Curry McHugh on May 23, 1898 in Homestead, Pennsylvania) emerged from a theatrical family of Irish descent, where his parents Edward A. "Cutie" McHugh and Katherine Curry "Katie" McHugh ran a stock theater company in nearby Braddock, giving him a stage debut before he was ten years old alongside his brother Matt and sister Kitty. By the time he was seventeen he left the family troupe and took a leading man and stage‑manager role at the Empire Theater in Pittsburgh, spending nine years honing his craft in stock companies and road shows before making a Broadway entrance in 1925 with The Fall Guy, a production by George Abbott and James Gleason. His Broadway credentials quickly expanded to include the musical Show Girl in 1929, and that same year he entered the film world with the short If Men Played Cards as Women Do, after which First National Pictures signed him to a contract in January 1930, launching a prolific screen career that would see him appear in more than 200 films. McHugh became a beloved character actor in the 1930s and 1940s, known for his quick wit and affable presence, and he also cultivated a strong presence on radio, starring as Fairchild Finnegan in Phone Again, Finnegan (1946‑1947) and co‑hosting the program Hotel for Pets (1954‑1956). During World War II he joined the Hollywood Victory Caravan and later organized his own USO troupe, "McHugh’s Revue," which toured frontline bases across France, Holland, Belgium and Germany, earning a citation from the U.S. Army for exceptionally meritorious service. A member of Hollywood's informal "Irish Mafia," his close friendships with James Cagney, Pat O’Brien and Spencer Tracy cemented his status as a well‑liked figure both on‑ and off‑screen. In the 1950s and 1960s he transitioned to television, most notably playing handyman Willie Walters on The Bing Crosby Show (1964‑1965) and making his final film appearance as a comic sea captain in Elvis Presley's Easy Come, Easy Go (1967). His last television role was as handyman Charlie Wingate in the western series Lancer (1969), after which he retired from acting. Frank McHugh passed away on September 11, 1981 in Greenwich, Connecticut, leaving behind a legacy of over four decades of versatile performance across stage, screen, radio, and television.
Biography, Career & Filmography
Learn more about Frank McHugh, including a detailed biography, career timeline, personal life insights, and complete filmography. Discover how Frank McHugh rose to fame, their major roles, industry impact, and personal milestones in the world of film.
Given Name: Francis Curry McHugh
Born: Homestead, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Citizenship: American
Birthday: May 23, 1898
Occupations: stage actor, radio actor, film actor, television actor
Years Active: 1925-1969
Children: 3
Spouses: Dorothy Spencer McHugh
External Links and Streaming Options
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Movies Featuring Frank McHugh
The Front Page
A Lion Is in the Streets
Footlight Parade
Going My Way
A Tiger Walks
Millie
Parachute Jumper
Union Depot
Marine Raiders
One Way Passage
Life Begins
The Velvet Touch
The Hoodlum Saint
My Son John
Carnegie Hall
The Runaround
There’s No Business Like Show Business
Up for Murder
Maybe It’s Love
Havana Widows
Bad Company
The Strange Love of Molly Louvain
Hollywood Newsreel
Back Street
Gold Diggers of 1935
Ex-Lady
Manpower
6 Day Bike Rider
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Ever Since Eve
Marry the Girl
Freshman Love
A Dream Comes True
Happiness Ahead
High Pressure
The Last Hurrah
Mystery of the Wax Museum
Paid in Full
Four Wives
Career
Virginia City
Snowed Under
Bullets or Ballots
The Roaring Twenties
Dodge City
He Couldn’t Say No
Fashions of 1934
Sunday Night at the Trocadero
Lilly Turner
Indianapolis Speedway
Tomorrow at Seven
Submarine D-1
Moonlight Murder
The Dawn Patrol
Stars Over Broadway
I Love You Again
Devil Dogs of the Air
Blessed Event
Her Cardboard Lover
Corsair
Professional Sweetheart
State Fair
A Day at Santa Anita
Easy Come, Easy Go
Stage Struck
The Crowd Roars
Smarty
Merry Wives of Reno
Kiss Me Again
Mr. Dodd Takes the Air
Top Speed
Valley of the Giants
Three Men on a Horse
The Widow from Chicago
Going Wild
Here Comes the Navy
A Medal for Benny
It Happens Every Thursday
An Intimate Dinner in Celebration of Warner Bros. Silver Jubilee
Four Mothers
Grand Slam
Swing Your Lady
Elmer, the Great
Boy Meets Girl
The Telegraph Trail
The Fighting 69th
Four Daughters
All Through the Night
Little Miss Thoroughbred
Dust Be My Destiny
Bright Lights
Breakdowns of 1938
City for Conquest
The House on 56th Street
Career Timeline
Track the complete movie timeline of Frank McHugh, including all film releases, career breakthroughs, and notable roles. Follow their journey from early performances to recent blockbusters and upcoming projects.
1940
Virginia City
Mr. Upjohn
I Love You Again
'Doc' Ryan
The Fighting 69th
"Crepe Hanger" Burke
City for Conquest
'Mutt'
1939
Four Wives
Ben Crowley
The Roaring Twenties
Danny Green
Dodge City
Joe Clemens
Indianapolis Speedway
Spuds Connors
Dust Be My Destiny
Caruthers
1938
He Couldn’t Say No
Lambert T. Hunkins
Valley of the Giants
'Fingers' McCarthy
Swing Your Lady
Popeye Bronson
Boy Meets Girl
Rossetti
Four Daughters
Ben Crowley
Little Miss Thoroughbred
Tod Harrington
Breakdowns of 1938
Popeye Bronson (archive footage) (uncredited)
1937
Ever Since Eve
Mike 'Mabel DeCraven' McGillicuddy
Marry the Girl
David Partridge
Sunday Night at the Trocadero
Frank McHugh
Submarine D-1
"Lucky" Jones
A Day at Santa Anita
Frank McHugh (uncredited)
Mr. Dodd Takes the Air
Sniffer Sears
1936
Snowed Under
Orlando Rowe
Bullets or Ballots
Herman
Moonlight Murder
William
Stage Struck
Sid
Three Men on a Horse
Erwin Trowbridge
1935
Maybe It’s Love
Willie Sands
Gold Diggers of 1935
Humbolt Prentiss
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Quince
Freshman Love
Coach Hammond
A Dream Comes True
Himself (uncredited)
Stars Over Broadway
Offkey Cramer
Devil Dogs of the Air
Crash Kelly
1934
Hollywood Newsreel
Himself
6 Day Bike Rider
Clinton
Happiness Ahead
Tom
Fashions of 1934
Snap
Smarty
George
Merry Wives of Reno
Al
Here Comes the Navy
Droopy Mullins
1933
Footlight Parade
Parachute Jumper
Toodles Cooper
Havana Widows
Mr. Duffy, the Lawyer
Ex-Lady
Hugo Van Hugh
Mystery of the Wax Museum
Editor Jim
Lilly Turner
David 'Dave' Dixon
Tomorrow at Seven
Clancy
Professional Sweetheart
Speed
Grand Slam
Philip 'Speed' McCann
Elmer, the Great
Healy High-Hips
The Telegraph Trail
Corporal Tippy
The House on 56th Street
Chester Hunt
1932
Union Depot
The Drunk
One Way Passage
Skippy
Life Begins
Ringer Banks
The Strange Love of Molly Louvain
Skeets, a Reporter
High Pressure
Mike Donahey
Blessed Event
Reilly
The Crowd Roars
Spud Connors
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