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Frank McHugh

Frank McHugh

Actor · Died September 11, 1981, aged 83 · Homestead, Pennsylvania, USA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.   Francis Curray "Frank" McHugh (May 23, 1898 – September 11, 1981) was an American film and television actor. Born in Homestead, Pennsylvania, McHugh came from a theatrical family. His parents ran a stock theatre company and as a young child he performed on stage. His brother Matt and sister Kitty performed an act with him by the time he was ten years old, but the family quit the stage around 1930. Another brother, Ed, became a stage manager and agent in New York. McHugh debuted on Broadway in The Fall Guy in 1925. Warner Bros. hired him as a contract player in 1930. McHugh played everything from lead actor to sidekick and would often provide comedy relief. He appeared in over 150 films and television productions and worked with almost every star at Warner Bros. He was a close friend of James Cagney and appeared in more Cagney movies than any other actor. He appeared with him in eleven movies between 1932 and 1953. Their friendship lasted until McHugh's death. By the 1950s his film career had begun to decline, as evinced by his smaller role in Career (1959). From 1964 to 1965 he played the role of Willie Walters, a live-in handyman, on ABC's sitcom The Bing Crosby Show. His last television appearance was as Charlie Wingate in the episode "The Fix-It Man" on CBS's Lancer western series. McHugh played a handyman in that role too. McHugh was married to Dorothy Spencer. He had three children and two grandchildren. Description above from the Wikipedia article Frank McHugh, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
May 22, 1898
Died
September 11, 1981 (aged 83)
From
Homestead, Pennsylvania, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
54 on MovieCove · 141 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 38 days to Oct 27Up 22% in 30 days

What are Frank McHugh's films like?

Across their 50 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Comedy20 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 67th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 64th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Action7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 62nd percentile
: browse their Action movies
Crime7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 74th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Adventure4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 37th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Western2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 79th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Western 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
Bonds
34%
Morality
28%
Self
20%
Power
6%
Society
5%
Survival
5%
Ideas
2%
Romantic love19 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition17 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds11 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice7 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception9 titles, browse their movies with this themeDuty4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty6 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 50 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 24 · Serious 17 · Dark 9

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

Grounded 22 · Stylized 25 · Heightened 3

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

Gentle 14 · Charged 26 · Intense 10

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

A split, not a type: Steady 28 · Shifting 17 · Whiplash 5

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

Straight-faced 15 · Some laughs 25 · Funny 10

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

Slow burn 15 · Even-paced 30 · Relentless 5

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

Casual 33 · Engaged 17 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 45 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

24 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 17 of 24 analyzed roles.

Ally
17 of 24
Trickster
7 of 24
Show the 24 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
20
Joyful
20
Thrilling
18
Warm
15
Melancholic
16
Other
44

How their films linger

Feel-good24 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun18 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet17 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy27
  • Bittersweet17
  • Tragic3
  • Ambiguous2
  • Cyclical1

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 Frank McHugh's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 20 of their 54 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (11).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Frank McHugh'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

141 credits, 54 with a MovieCove page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Lancer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Way Down Cellar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    as Constable Seely

  • Easy Come, Easy Go(1967)

    as Captain Jack

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • F Troop(1965)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all shows

  • The Bing Crosby Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Show 28 episodes · as Willie Walters

  • A Tiger Walks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    as Bill Watkins

  • Going My Way (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Lucy Show(1962)

    Show 1 episode · as Mr. Snowden

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all shows

  • The Spiral Staircase (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    as Constable Williams

  • Cain's Hundred (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Show 1 episode · as Wilbur Morton

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

    Show 1 episode · as Henry Schell

  • Route 66(1960)

    Show 2 episodes · Actor

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows

  • Outlaws (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Career (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    as Charlie Gallagher

  • Say One for Me(1959)

    as Jim Dugan

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • The Last Hurrah(1958)

    as Festus Garvey

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • DuPont Show of the Month (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Show 1 episode · as Lefty

  • Three Men on a Horse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    as Charlie

  • The Millionaire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Show 1 episode · as Charles N. Bradwell

  • There's No Business Like Show Business(1954)

    as Eddie Dugan

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • A Lion Is in the Streets(1953)

    as Frank Rector

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • It Happens Every Thursday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Fred Hawley

  • My Son John (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Father O'Dowd

  • The Gulf Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Pace That Thrills(1952)

    as Rocket Anderson

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Tales of Tomorrow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Tougher They Come (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    as Gig Rafferty

  • Armstrong Circle Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Paid in Full (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    as Ben, Bartender

  • Miss Grant Takes Richmond(1949)

    as Kilcoyne

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Mighty Joe Young(1949)

    as Windy

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Studio One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Show 1 episode · as Barney · as Ben Ames · as Horace Potter · as Nobby Bishop

  • The Velvet Touch(1948)

    as Ernie Boyle

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Easy Come, Easy Go(1947)

    as Carey

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Carnegie Hall (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as John Donovan

  • The Runaround (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Wally Quayle

  • The Hoodlum Saint (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Three Finger

  • Little Miss Big (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Charlie Bryan

  • State Fair(1945)

    as McGee

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • A Medal for Benny (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as Edgar Lovekin

  • Bowery to Broadway (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Joe Kirby

  • Marine Raiders(1944)

    as Sgt. Louis Leary

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Going My Way(1944)

    as Father Timothy O'Dowd

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Her Cardboard Lover (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Chappie Champagne

  • All Through the Night(1942)

    as Barney

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Manpower (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Omaha

  • Back Street(1941)

    as Ed Porter

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Four Mothers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Ben Crowley

  • City for Conquest(1940)

    as 'Mutt'

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • I Love You Again(1940)

    as 'Doc' Ryan

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • 'Til We Meet Again(1940)

    as Rockingham T. Rockingham

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Virginia City(1940)

    as Mr. Upjohn

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Alex in Wonderland (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • The Fighting 69th(1940)

    as "Crepe Hanger" Burke

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Four Wives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Ben Crowley

  • The Roaring Twenties(1939)

    as Danny Green

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • On Your Toes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Paddy Reilly

  • Dust Be My Destiny(1939)

    as Caruthers

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Indianapolis Speedway (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Spuds Connors

  • Daughters Courageous(1939)

    as George

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Dodge City(1939)

    as Joe Clemens

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Wings of the Navy(1939)

    as Scat Allen

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Breakdowns of 1938 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Popeye Bronson (archive footage) (uncredited)

  • Valley of the Giants(1938)

    as 'Fingers' McCarthy

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Boy Meets Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Rossetti

  • Four Daughters(1938)

    as Ben Crowley

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Little Miss Thoroughbred (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Tod Harrington

  • He Couldn't Say No (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Lambert T. Hunkins

  • Swing Your Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Popeye Bronson

  • Submarine D-1 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as "Lucky" Jones

  • Sunday Night at the Trocadero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Frank McHugh

  • Mr. Dodd Takes the Air (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Sniffer Sears

  • Ever Since Eve (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Mike 'Mabel DeCraven' McGillicuddy

  • Marry the Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as David Partridge

  • A Day at Santa Anita (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Frank McHugh (uncredited)

  • Three Men on a Horse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Erwin Trowbridge

  • Stage Struck (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Sid

  • Bullets or Ballots(1936)

    as Herman

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Snowed Under (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Orlando Rowe

  • Moonlight Murder(1936)

    as William

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Freshman Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Coach Hammond

  • Stars Over Broadway (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Offkey Cramer

  • A Midsummer Night's Dream(1935)

    as Quince

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Page Miss Glory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Ed Olson

  • The Irish in Us(1935)

    as Mike O'Hara

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Gold Diggers of 1935(1935)

    as Humbolt Prentiss

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Devil Dogs of the Air (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Crash Kelly

  • Maybe It's Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Willie Sands

  • Happiness Ahead (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Tom

  • 6 Day Bike Rider (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Clinton

  • Here Comes the Navy(1934)

    as Droopy Mullins

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Return of the Terror (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Joe Hastings

  • Smarty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as George

  • Let’s Be Ritzy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Bill Damroy Robert

  • Merry Wives of Reno (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Al

  • Heat Lightning(1934)

    as Frank

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Fashions of 1934(1934)

    as Snap

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The House on 56th Street(1933)

    as Chester Hunt

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Convention City(1933)

    as Will Goodwin

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • Son of a Sailor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Gaga

  • Havana Widows (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Mr. Duffy, the Lawyer

  • Footlight Parade(1933)

    as Francis

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Professional Sweetheart(1933)

    as Speed

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Tomorrow at Seven(1933)

    as Clancy

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Hold Me Tight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Billy Wade

  • Ex-Lady(1933)

    as Hugo Van Hugh

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Lilly Turner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as David 'Dave' Dixon

  • Elmer, the Great (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Healy High-Hips

  • Private Jones (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as 'Greasy' - the Cook

  • The Telegraph Trail(1933)

    as Corporal Tippy

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Grand Slam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Philip 'Speed' McCann

  • Mystery of the Wax Museum(1933)

    as Jim

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Parachute Jumper(1933)

    as Toodles Cooper

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • One Way Passage(1932)

    as Skippy

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Blessed Event(1932)

    as Reilly

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Life Begins (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Ringer Banks

  • The Dark Horse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Joe

  • The Strange Love of Molly Louvain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Skeets, a Reporter

  • The Crowd Roars(1932)

    as Spud Connors

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Extra! Extra! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Peter Burke

  • Union Depot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as The Drunk

  • High Pressure (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Mike Donahey

  • The Wide Open Spaces (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Matt - a Gambler

  • Corsair(1931)

    as 'Chub' Hopping

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • The Big Scoop (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Pete

  • The Great Junction Hotel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Peeping Tom

  • Bad Company (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Doc-Henchmen

  • The Hot Spot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Peter Burke

  • Traveling Husbands (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Pinkie

  • Men of the Sky (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Actor

  • Up for Murder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Collins

  • The Front Page(1931)

    as McCue

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Millie(1931)

    as John Holmes

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Kiss Me Again (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Francois

  • Going Wild (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    as 'Ricky' Freeman

  • The Widow from Chicago (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    as Slug O'Donnell

  • College Lovers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    as Speed Haskins

  • Bright Lights (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    as Fish

  • Top Speed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    as Tad Jordan

  • The Dawn Patrol(1930)

    as Flaherty

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 97th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 141 titles from 1930 to 1968.

Biggest box office

A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)

$2.6M worldwide

Highest rated

The Roaring Twenties (1939)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

Mighty Joe Young (1949)

Film career

Top draw in 8 MovieCove titles.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting141 of 141: 141 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score67th

By decade

1930s86 · acting1940s25 · acting1950s17 · acting1960s13 · acting

Billing

usually 5th · top billed in 0% of 25 roles
30354045

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; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Frank McHugh's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 67th percentile, the median of all 51; across their 50 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 65th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

65thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 50

Approval · how many liked their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 50

Reach · how many have seen their films

45thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 50

Midcredits score across 54 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up17
  • 50th to 74th22
  • 25th to 49th13
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

34 of their 54 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser34
  • Broadly Agreed7
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · actor

Convention City (1933)

87th percentile spread · 24% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Roaring Twenties (1939)

Midcredits 97th · 88% liked

Reviewers score the acting 71/100 in their films, across 49 reviewed titles; fans 78, detractors 47. 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 Frank McHugh work with?

People who share at least 2 of Frank McHugh's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Hal B. Wallis shares the most, 17.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles