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John Alexander

John Alexander

Actor · Died July 13, 1982, aged 84 · Newport, Kentucky, USA

Making his stage debut at age 16, John Alexander joined a Shakespearean repertory company and in 1917 appeared on Broadway in "The Merchant of Venice." Although he played many parts on both stage and in films, his best known role was that of the crazed Teddy Brewster--the son who thinks he's Theodore Roosevelt - in Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), a part he played both on stage and in the movie.

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Biography from IMDb.

Born
November 29, 1897
Died
July 13, 1982 (aged 84)
From
Newport, Kentucky, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
19 on MovieCove · 32 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 20% in 30 days

What are John Alexander's films like?

Across their 14 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 63rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 69th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Crime4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 51st percentile
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
34%
Bonds
26%
Self
12%
Society
12%
Power
7%
Survival
5%
Ideas
4%
Romantic love4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception4 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDuty2 titles, browse their movies with this themePrejudice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeClass2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 14 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 5 · Stylized 8 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 4 · Charged 7 · Intense 3

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 7 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 5

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 6 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 7 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 2

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 12 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

2 analyzed roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
8
Melancholic
7
Joyful
4
Absurd
3
Warm
3
Other
14

How their films linger

Bittersweet7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy6
  • Bittersweet7
  • Ambiguous1

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 John Alexander's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 19 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for John Alexander's 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

32 credits, 19 with a MovieCove page.

  • The Defenders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Show 1 episode · as Judd Forrest

  • One Foot in Hell(1960)

    as Sam Giller - Storekeeper

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • The Man in the Net(1959)

    as Mr. Carey

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Keep in Step (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    as The General

  • The Mugger(1958)

    as Chief of Police

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Inner Sanctum (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Untamed Frontier (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Max Wickersham

  • The Marrying Kind (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Howard Shipley

  • The Model and the Marriage Broker(1951)

    as Mr. Perry

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • The Sleeping City(1950)

    as Insp. Gordon

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Fancy Pants(1950)

    as Teddy Roosevelt

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Winchester '73(1950)

    as Jack Riker

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Night Has a Thousand Eyes(1948)

    as Mr. Gilman

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Summer Holiday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Mr. Dave McComber

  • Where There's Life(1947)

    as Mr. Herbert Jones

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Cass Timberlane(1947)

    as Dr. Roy Drover

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Living in a Big Way(1947)

    as Attorney Ambridge

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • New Orleans(1947)

    as Colonel McArdle

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • The Jolson Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Lew Dockstader

  • The Horn Blows at Midnight(1945)

    as First Trumpeter / Doremus

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • A Tree Grows in Brooklyn(1945)

    as Steve Edwards

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Doughgirls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Warren Buckley

  • Arsenic and Old Lace(1944)

    as 'Teddy Roosevelt' Brewster

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Mr. Skeffington(1944)

    as Jim Conderley

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • The Flag of Humanity (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Robert Todd Lincoln (uncredited)

  • Calling All Husbands (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Ben Barnes

  • Flowing Gold (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Sheriff

  • On Such a Night(1937)

    as District attorney

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Special Agent(1935)

    as Arcade Manager (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • The Arizonian (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Billy

  • The Ghost Rider (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Sheriff

  • Baby, Take a Bow(1934)

    as Ragpicker (Uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 85th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 31 titles from 1934 to 1961.

Highest rated

Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

Midcredits 97th

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting31 of 31: 31 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score61st

By decade

1930s5 · acting1940s14 · acting1950s10 · acting1960s2 · acting

Billing

usually 8th · top billed in 0% of 6 roles

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.

How do John Alexander's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 61st percentile, the median of all 19; across their 14 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 64th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

64thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Approval · how many liked their films

67thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Reach · how many have seen their films

48thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Midcredits score across 19 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up6
  • 50th to 74th8
  • 25th to 49th5

Shape of the crowd

10 of their 19 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser10
  • Broadly Agreed4

Most divisive · actor

On Such a Night (1937)

90th percentile spread · 41% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

Midcredits 97th · 85% liked

Reviewers score the acting 73/100 in their films, across 14 reviewed titles; fans 80, detractors 48. 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 John Alexander work with?

People who share at least 2 of John Alexander's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Richard L. Breen shares the most, 2.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers