Pat O'Brien

Pat O'Brien had played Hildy Johnson in a stock company production of the play "The Front Page." He later titled his autobiography "Thank You, Alexander Graham Bell" in reference to how excited he was to receive a phone call from producer Howard Hughes offering him the part in the 1931 film version (below).

Look closely on the walls of the newspaper room and you'll see topless photographs of female models. Before the Production Code kicked in a few years later, films were able to get away with casual nudity like this. The last line of the play had to be partly obliterated by the sound of a typewriter being accidentally struck, however, because the censors (even of those pre-Production Code days) wouldn't allow the phrase "son-of-a-b!tch" to be used in a film.

Although he came to be called "Hollywood's Irishman in Residence"--and, along with good friends James Cagney, Allen Jenkins, Frank McHugh and a few others were called "The Irish Mafia"--and he often played Irish immigrants, O'Brien was US-born and bred. As a young boy the devoutly Roman Catholic O'Brien considered entering the seminary to study for the priesthood, but although he often played a Father, Monsignor or Bishop, he never actually followed through and entered the seminary. And although never a policeman, in movies he often wore the cop's badge and, although in real life he had no discernible Irish accent, he could pour on the "brogue" when the role called for it.

O'Brien was a longtime friend of fellow Irish-American actor James Cagney, from the early days of their career right up to Pat's death in 1983. He appeared with Cagney in nine films: "Here Comes the Navy" (1934), "Devil Dogs of the Air" (1935), "The Irish in Us" (1935), "Ceiling Zero" (1936) "Boy Meets Girl" (1938), "Angels with Dirty Faces" (1938), "The Fighting 69th" (1940), "Torrid Zone" (1940) and "Ragtime" (1981).

Happy Birthday, Pat O'Brien!