Hero of the Month: James Durkin
Many respected supporting players in film came from the stage. Though they never became major stars they worked constantly and always delivered solid performances. One such dependable supporting player from the theater was James Durkin, who came to Hollywood after decades of playing the boards.
Starting with Shadow of the Law (1930), Durkin was a tireless performer who worked constantly for five years until his untimely death in 1934. Some of his over twenty film appearances included The Conquering Horde (1931), The Vice Squad (1931), The House of Mystery(1931), South of the Rio Grande (1932), The Secret of the Blue Room (1933), The Devil’s Mate (1933) and Underworld (1934).
He also made two serials for Universal. Perils of Pauline (1933), he played Pauline’s father, a chemist and archeologist searching for an ancient formula for a deadly gas while trying to prevent villain John Davidson from getting it first. His second serial was The Vanishing Shadow (1934) playing a scientist who uses his inventions to help Onslow Stevens clear his name from a murder charge framed by a political group that had hounded his father to his death.
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