Skip to content
MovieCove
Arline Judge

Arline Judge

Actor · Died February 7, 1974, aged 61 · Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA

This pert and pretty number was probably better known for her not-so-private off-camera escapades than for her commendable "B" work as a light comedienne in 30s and 40s films. Nevertheless, actress Arline Judge enlivened a number of them with her blue-eyed, brunette beauty and colorful characterizations. Her numerous marriages and divorces (8) equaled that of the more notable Hollywood husband-hunter Lana Turner. She topped Ms. Turner only if you consider that Arline married 8 different men; Lana's eight marriages included one remarriage (to actor Stephen Crane). The two ladies even shared an ex-husband! While she was originally from Connecticut, her father, a newspaperman, moved his family to New York City while Arline was still young. She was eventually enrolled at the Ursuline Academy in the Bronx where, among other things, she studied dance. Briefly working in vaudeville, nightclubs and other New York musical shows, the petite-framed, eye-catching gal was noticed for films in 1930 by an RKO talent agent who spotted her in the Broadway revue "The Second Little Show," and signed. Arline made her film debut with a flashy bit part in Bachelor Apartment (1931). After appearing fairly non-descriptively in An American Tragedy (1931) and Three Who Loved (1931), among others, she finally had people taking notice of her as a tawdry good-time girl in Are These Our Children (1931). 1931 also marked the year of marriage #1 to Wesley Ruggles, nearly 24 years her senior (she was 19; he was 42), who directed her in the aforementioned movie. She subsequently gave birth to their son Wesley, Jr. Nicknamed "One-Take Sally", Arline proved adaptable at both snappy comedy and teary drama, easily alternating her services between a wacky Wheeler and Woolsey farce such as Girl Crazy (1932) or Helen Twelvetrees weepie such as Young Bride (1932). Her characters were often more trouble than they were worth as her scheming waitress in Is My Face Red? (1932) and adulterous wife in Flying Devils (1933) can attest. After losing her RKO contract in 1933, Arline freelanced with lesser studios as various suspiciously-motivated ladies and was often cast for amusement. She enjoyed her many couplings with comic actor Jack Oakie in Looking for Trouble (1934), Shoot the Works (1934) and King of Burlesque (1936), and also worked time and again with her husband in the films Roar of the Dragon (1932), Shoot the Works (1934), and Valiant Is the Word for Carrie (1936). Arline could always be counted on to sparkle up lightweight comedy material such as College Scandal (1935), Here Comes Trouble (1936) and, the Sonja Henie caper One in a Million (1936) with her trademark effervescence. Divorced from Ruggles by 1937, she immediately got caught up in a tabloid triangle that resulted in marriage #2 (only hours after her divorce was finalized) with one of her battling beaus, Daniel Reid Topping, owner of football's Brooklyn Dodgers. This marriage to Topping, who in 1945 (after their 1940 divorce) co-purchased the New York Yankees, lasted about two years and produced another son, Daniel, Jr. Marriage #3 less than a month and came in the form of hotel executive James Bryant. The trials and tribulations of Arline's hectic private life took up a lot of time and severely hampered the momentum of her film career. Five years after her last movie, she finally resurfaced again in the uneventful comedy Harvard, Here I Come! (1941), which led to a few war-era "B" and "C" movies including The Lady Is Willing (1942), Song of Texas (1943), G.I. Honeymoon (1945) and From This Day Forward (1946). A bit part as a manicurist in the Harold Lloyd comedy The Sin of Harold Diddlebock (1947) (aka _Mad Wednesday) ended her 1940s movie run. In between there an eight-day marriage #4 to Royal Air Force Captain James Adams in 1942; a slightly longer marriage #5 to ad exec Vincent Morgan Ryan in 1945); and marriage #6 to wealthy sportsman Henry (Bob) Topping, brother of second husband Daniel. After her second Topping family divorce, Henry went on to marry Lana Turner. Marriage #7 was to insurance man George Ross III (1949-1950), and marriage #8 in 1955 to Beverly Hills inventor Edward Cooper Heard, her final union ending a lengthy (for her) 5 years. Interspersed with all this marriage mayhem were some isolated TV guest roles in the 50s and early 60s in such series as "Perry Mason" and a final leap back in films as the mom of William Wellman Jr. in the poorly acted drama A Swingin' Summer (1965), which included surf music (!), and a role as one of the strangling victims of The Crawling Hand (1963), a low-grade horror opus. By the mid-60s Arline had given up on pursuing both career (save a few commercials) and husbands. She lived out her final years in her West Hollywood digs and was found dead of natural causes ("aspiration of gastric contents") on February 7, 1974, just 2 weeks shy of her 62nd birthday. She was survived by her two sons and buried in her home state of Connecticut.

Read more

Biography from IMDb.

Born
February 21, 1912
Died
February 7, 1974 (aged 61)
From
Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
17 on MovieCove · 50 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 37 days to Oct 26Down 9% in 30 days

What are Arline Judge's films like?

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

Genres

Drama5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 39th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 15th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 56th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy 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
Self
37%
Bonds
27%
Power
15%
Morality
11%
Survival
7%
Society
2%
Ambition7 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival3 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 14 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 12 · Serious 1 · Dark 1

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 10 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 6 · Charged 8 · Intense 0

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

Steady 9 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 1

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 5 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 5

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

Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 12 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

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

5 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 4 of 5 analyzed roles.

Ally
4 of 5
Shapeshifter
1 of 5

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Hopeful
7
Tense
6
Warm
4
Absurd
5
Joyful
3
Other
8

How their films linger

Fun9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet6
  • 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 Arline Judge's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 8 of their 17 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Arline Judge'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

50 credits, 17 with a MovieCove page.

  • The Crawling Hand(1963)

    as Mrs. Hotchkiss

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • A Swingin' Affair (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    as Marge

  • Perry Mason(1957)

    Show 1 episode · as Emmalou Schneider

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Mr. & Mrs. North(1952)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all shows

  • The Sin of Harold Diddlebock(1947)

    as Manicurist

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • From This Day Forward(1946)

    as Margie Beesley

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • G.I. Honeymoon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as Flo LaVerne

  • Take It Big (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Pert Martin

  • The Contender(1944)

    as Linda Martin

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Song of Texas(1943)

    as Hildegarde Gray

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Girls in Chains(1943)

    as Helen Martin

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • The McGuerins from Brooklyn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Marcia Marsden

  • Smith of Minnesota (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Gwyn Allen

  • Wildcat(1942)

    as Nan Deering

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • The Lady Is Willing(1942)

    as Frances

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Law of the Jungle(1942)

    as Nona Brooks

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Harvard, Here I Come!(1941)

    as Francie Callahan

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Actor

  • One in a Million (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Billie Spencer

  • Pigskin Parade(1936)

    as Sally Saxon

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Valiant Is the Word for Carrie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Lady

  • Star for a Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Mamie de la Mont

  • Here Comes Trouble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Margie Simpson

  • It Had to Happen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Miss Sullivan

  • King of Burlesque(1936)

    as Connie

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • Ship Cafe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Ruby

  • Music Is Magic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Theatre Customer (uncredited)

  • Welcome Home (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Gorgeous

  • College Scandal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Sally Dunlap

  • George White's 1935 Scandals (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Midgie

  • The Mysterious Mr. Wong (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Peg

  • Million Dollar Baby (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Actor

  • One Hour Late (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Hazel

  • The Party's Over (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Phyllis

  • Name the Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Betty Adams

  • When Strangers Meet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Ruth Crane

  • Shoot the Works (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Jackie Donovan

  • Looking for Trouble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Maizie Bryan

  • Hollywood on Parade No. B-1 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Actor

  • Sensation Hunters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Jerry Royal

  • Flying Devils (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Mrs. Ann Hardy

  • The Age of Consent(1932)

    as Dora Swale

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Roar of the Dragon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Hortense O'Dare

  • Is My Face Red?(1932)

    as Bee - Poster's Secretary

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Young Bride (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Maisie

  • Girl Crazy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Molly Gray

  • Are These Our Children? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Flo Carnes

  • An American Tragedy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Bella Griffiths (uncredited)

  • Three Who Loved (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Helga's Party Girl Friend

  • Bachelor Apartment(1931)

    as Second Girl in Ladies Room (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 53rd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 50 titles from 1931 to 1963.

Highest rated

The Sin of Harold Diddlebock (1947)

Midcredits 60th

Most popular right now

The Lady Is Willing (1942)

Film career

  • 1935Screen debut· The Mysterious Mr. Wong

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting50 of 50: 50 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score39th

By decade

1930s32 · acting1940s14 · acting1950s2 · acting1960s2 · acting

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.

How do Arline Judge's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 38th percentile, the median of all 15; across their 14 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 40th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

40thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Approval · how many liked their films

33rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Reach · how many have seen their films

19thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Midcredits score across 17 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th6
  • Below 25th6

Shape of the crowd

8 of their 17 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser5
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · actor

The Crawling Hand (1963)

63rd percentile spread · 74% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Sin of Harold Diddlebock (1947)

Midcredits 60th · 54% liked

Reviewers score the acting 60/100 in their films, across 14 reviewed titles; fans 72, detractors 43. 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 Arline Judge work with?

People who share at least 2 of Arline Judge's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Harry Tugend shares the most, 2.

Writers

Actors

Composers

Producers