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Johnny Mack Brown
Acting
Biography
An All-American halfback while attending the University of Alabama, Johnny Mack Brown chose the silver screen over the green grass of the football field when he graduated. Signed to a contract with MGM in 1926, Brown debuted in Slide, Kelly, Slide (1927) with William Haines in a film about - baseball. This was followed by The Bugle Call (1927), which starred the fading Jackie Coogan. In 1928 he appeared in the last Norma Shearer silent film, A Lady of Chance (1928). After that, he worked with Greta Garbo, Marion Davies and Mary Pickford. His muscular good looks only carried him so far in films, however, and by 1930 he had yet to find his place. At MGM Clark Gable was taking the roles that Br…
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An All-American halfback while attending the University of Alabama, Johnny Mack Brown chose the silver screen over the green grass of the football field when he graduated. Signed to a contract with MGM in 1926, Brown debuted in Slide, Kelly, Slide (1927) with William Haines in a film about - baseball. This was followed by The Bugle Call (1927), which starred the fading Jackie Coogan. In 1928 he appeared in the last Norma Shearer silent film, A Lady of Chance (1928). After that, he worked with Greta Garbo, Marion Davies and Mary Pickford. His muscular good looks only carried him so far in films, however, and by 1930 he had yet to find his place. At MGM Clark Gable was taking the roles that Brown was up for, so he went into a western for director King Vidor, Billy the Kid (1930). While Vidor did not want him for the part to begin with, the picture was successful; however, Brown's career at MGM soon ended. By 1933 he was still making westerns, but they were for low-rung studios like Mascot. More westerns at even lower-rung Supreme Pictures followed, as well as serials like Wild West Days (1937) at Universal. In 1943 Brown took his boots over to Monogram Pictures, where he made over 60 westerns. He started off as "Nevada Jack McKenzie" in the Rough Riders series, but the name soon changed to Johnny. As with most of the early cowboy stars, he was a hero to millions of young children and consistently among the top ten money-makers in westerns from 1942-50. The bubble burst, though, just as it did for Allan Lane, in 1953, as the days of the "B" western came to an end.
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BODY OF WORK
Johnny Mack Brown's Filmography
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Golden Saddles, Silver Spurs
as (archive footage)
Mae West and the Men Who Knew Her
as Self (archive footage)
Legends of the West
as Billy the Kid in 'Billy the Kid' (archive footage) (uncredited)
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
as (archive footage)
It's Showtime
as Self (archive footage)
Apache Uprising
as Sheriff Ben Hall
The Bounty Killer
as Sheriff Green
Requiem for a Gunfighter
as Enkoff
The Marshal's Daughter
as Johnny Mack Brown - Poker-Game Player
Canyon Ambush
as Johnny Mack Brown
Dead Man's Trail
as Johnny Mack Brown
Man from the Black Hills
as Johnny Mack Brown
Texas City
as Johnny Mack Brown
Texas Lawmen
as Marshal Johnny Mack Brown
Whistling Hills
as Johnny Mack Brown
Oklahoma Justice
as Johnny Mack Brown
Montana Desperado
as Johnny Mack Brown
Blazing Bullets
as Johnny Mack Brown
Man from Sonora
as Johnny Mack Brown
Colorado Ambush
as Johnny Mack Brown
Short Grass
as Sheriff Ord Keown
Outlaw Gold
as Johnny Mack Brown
Law of the Panhandle
as U.S. Marshal Johnny Mack Brown
Six Gun Mesa
as Johnny Mack Brown
Over the Border
as Johnny Mack Brown
West of Wyoming
as Johnny Mack Brown
Western Renegades
as Johnny Mack Brown
Range Justice
as Johnny Mack Brown
West of El Dorado
as Johnny Mack
Stampede
as Sheriff Aaron Ball
Trails End
as Johnny Mack
Law of the West
as Federal Agent Johnny Mack
Hidden Danger
as Johnny Mack
Gunning for Justice
as Johnny Mack
The Sheriff of Medicine Bow
as Johnny Mack Brown
The Fighting Ranger
as Johnny Brown
Back Trail
as Johnny Mack
Triggerman
as Johnny Mack Brown
Frontier Agent
as Johnny Mack Brown
Crossed Trails
as Johnny Mack
Overland Trails
as Johnny Murdock
Gun Talk
as Johnny McVey
Prairie Express
as Johnny Hudson
Valley of Fear
as Johnny Williams
Flashing Guns
as Johnny Mack
Code of the Saddle
as John Macklin
Trailing Danger
as Johnny
The Law Comes to Gunsight
as Johnny Mackey
Land of the Lawless
as Johnny Mack
Raiders of the South
as Captain Brownell posing Johnny Langdon
Silver Range
as Johnny Bronton
Shadows on the Range
as Steve Mason posing as Steve Saunders
Trigger Fingers
as Sam Hurricane Benton
The Gentleman from Texas
as Johnny Macklin
Under Arizona Skies
as Dusty Smith
The Haunted Mine
as Nevada Jack McKenzie
Drifting Along
as Steve Garner
Border Bandits
as Marshal Nevada
Frontier Feud
as Marshal Nevada Jack McKenzie
The Lost Trail
as Marshal 'Nevada Jack' McKenzie
Flame of the West
as Dr. John Poore
Stranger from Santa Fe
as U.S. Marshal Nevada McKenzie, posing as Roy Ferris
Gun Smoke
as Marshal Nevada Jack McKenzie
Forever Yours
as Maj. Tex O'Connor
The Navajo Trail
as Marshal Nevada McKenzie
Ghost Guns
as Marshal Nevada McKenzie
Law of the Valley
as Marshal Nevada McKenzie
Land of the Outlaws
as Marshal Nevada McKenzie
West of the Rio Grande
as U.S. Marshal Nevada McKenzie
Range Law
as U. S. Marshal Nevada McKenzie
Partners of the Trail
as Jack McKenzie
Law Men
as U.S. Marshal Nevada Jack McKenzie
Raiders of the Border
as Nevada Jack McKenzie
The Texas Kid
as Jack McKenzie
Outlaws of Stampede Pass
as Marshal Nevada Jack McKenzie
Crazy House
as Johnny Mack Brown
The Lone Star Trail
as Blaze Barker
Six Gun Gospel
as Marshal Jack McKenzie
The Stranger From Pecos
as Nevada Jack McKenzie
Raiders of San Joaquin
as Rocky Morgan aka The Black Rider
Cheyenne Roundup
as Buck Brandon & Gils Brandon
The Ghost Rider
as Nevada Jack McKenzie
Tenting Tonight on the Old Camp Ground
as Wade Benson
The Old Chisholm Trail
as Dusty Gardner
Little Joe, the Wrangler
as Neal Wallace
Deep in the Heart of Texas
as Jim Mallory
Boss of Hangtown Mesa
as Steve Collins
The Silver Bullet
as Silver Jim Donovan
Ride 'Em Cowboy
as Alabam' Brewster
Stagecoach Buckaroo
as Steve Hardin
Fighting Bill Fargo
as Bill Fargo
Arizona Cyclone
as Tom Baxter
The Masked Rider
as Larry Prescott
Man from Montana
as Sheriff Bob Dawson
Rawhide Rangers
as Brand Calhoun
Law of the Range
as Steve Howard
Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie
as Joe Henderson
Pony Post
as Cal Sheridan
Law and Order
as Bill Ralston
Ragtime Cowboy Joe
as Steve Logan
Son of Roaring Dan
as Jim Reardon (Posing as Horace McPhail)
Bad Man from Red Butte
as Gils Brady / Buck Halliday
Riders of Pasco Basin
as Lee Jamison
Boss of Bullion City
as Tom Bryant
West of Carson City
as Jim Bannister
Chip of the Flying U
as 'Chip' Bennett
Oklahoma Frontier
as Jeff McLeod
Desperate Trails
as Steve Hayden
The Oregon Trail
as Jeff Scott
Land of Liberty
as Billy the Kid (edited from 'Billy the Kid')
Flaming Frontiers
as Tex Houston
Wells Fargo
as Talbot Carter
Born to the West
as Tom Fillmore
Hell Town
as Tom Fillmore
Boothill Brigade
as Lon Cardigan
Wild West Days
as Kentucky Wade
A Lawman Is Born
as Tom Mitchell
Guns in the Dark
as Johnny Darrel
Bar-Z Bad Men
as Jim Waters
Lawless Land
as Ranger Jeff Hayden
Trail of Vengeance
as Dude Ramsay
The Gambling Terror
as Jeff Hayes
Undercover Man
as Steve McLain
The Crooked Trail
as Jim Blake
Everyman's Law
as Johnny- aka The Dog Town Kid
Rogue of the Range
as Dan Doran
Desert Phantom
as Billy Donovan
Valley of the Lawless
as Bruce Reynolds
The Courageous Avenger
as Kirk Baxter
Between Men
as Johnny Wellington Jr.
Starlit Days at the Lido
as Self
Branded a Coward
as Johnny Hume
Rustlers of Red Dog
as Jack Wood
Star Night at the Cocoanut Grove
as Self
Against the Law
as Steve Wayne
Belle of the Nineties
as Brooks Clayburn
Cross Streets
as Adam Blythe
Marrying Widows
as The Husband
St. Louis Woman
as Jim Warren
Three on a Honeymoon
as Chuck Wells
Son of a Sailor
as 'Duke'
Female
as George P. Cooper
Saturday's Millions
as Alan Barry
Fighting With Kit Carson
as Kit Carson
The Vanishing Frontier
as Kirby Tornell
No Poster
Malay Nights
as Jim Wilson
70,000 Witnesses
as Wally Clark
Flames
as Charlie
No Poster
Hollywood Halfbacks
No Poster
Lasca of the Rio Grande
as Miles Kincaid
The Last Flight
as Bill Talbot
The Secret Six
as Hank Rogers
The Great Meadow
as Berk Jarvis
Billy the Kid
as Billy the Kid
Montana Moon
as Larry
Undertow
as Paul Whalen
Jazz Heaven
as Barry Holmes
Hurricane
as Dan
The Single Standard
as Tommy Hewlett
The Valiant
as Robert Ward
Coquette
as Michael Jeffery
A Woman of Affairs
as David Furness
A Lady of Chance
as Steve Crandall
Annapolis
as Bill
Our Dancing Daughters
as Ben Blaine
The Play Girl
as Bradley Lane
No Poster
Square Crooks
as Larry Scott
Soft Living
as Stockney Webb
The Divine Woman
as Jean Lery
The Fair Co-Ed
as Bob
After Midnight
as Party Boy (uncredited)
Mockery
as Russian Officer (uncredited)
The Bugle Call
as Bit (uncredited)
Slide, Kelly, Slide
as Johnny Mack Brown