Edward Brophy

• Name — Edward Brophy • Born — 27 February 1895 • Birthplace — New York City, U.S. • Died — 27 May 1960 • Place of death — Pacific Palisades, California, U.S. • Birth Name — Edward Santree Brophy • Occupation — * Actor • comedian • Resting Place — Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery • Years Active — 1920–1960

Edward Santree Brophy was born on February 27, 1895, in New York City and attended the University of Virginia.

His screen debut was in Yes or No? (1920). In 1928, with only a few minor film roles to his credit, Brophy was working as a production manager for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer when he was on location with Buster Keaton for the feature film The Cameraman. An actor failed to show up, and rather than having to wait for the studio to send a substitute, Keaton recruited Brophy on the spot to take the actor's place. As two occupants of a bath-house, Brophy and Keaton attempt to undress and put on bathing suits while sharing a single tiny changing room. Each time Keaton attempts to hang his clothes on one hook, Brophy removes the clothes and hands them back to Keaton and gestures to the other hook. He manhandles the smaller, more slender Keaton, at one point picking him up by the feet and dumping him out of his trousers. Appearing only in this one brief scene, Brophy attracted enough attention to receive more and better roles. Keaton used Brophy again in his military comedy Doughboys (1930), with Brophy as a loud-mouthed drill sergeant. This defined Brophy's screen persona as a Brooklyn-accented, streetwise character. His subsequent films for MGM cast him in the same vein: comic foils in four more Keaton features; the loyal fight manager in The Champ (1931); a circus proprietor in Freaks (1932); and as a hired gun in The Thin Man (1934). • Illustration — Edward Brophy (center) with Jackie Cooper and Wallace Beery in The Champ (1931) • Illustration — Calling Philo Vance (1940) Edward Brophy (pictured right) with James Stephenson By 1940 Brophy was so identified as a Runyonesque character with a Brooklynese speech pattern that he was cast as the voice of Timothy Q. Mouse in Dumbo, even though he was uncredited for this role. Brophy worked steadily through the 1950s, in both featured roles and uncredited bits, almost always in light film fare. Very rarely was he called upon to display dramatic ability, as in the police procedural Arson, Inc. (1949), in which he played a potentially dangerous firebug. He also made several appearances in the films of director John Ford, notably as "Ditto" Boland in The Last Hurrah (1958), Brophy's last film. Critic Leslie Halliwell described him thus, "American character actor, often a gangster or a very odd kind of valet; a rotund, cigar-chewing little man in a bowler hat, oddly likeable despite his pretence of toughness." Brophy was the model for comic-book character Doiby Dickles, the cab-driving sidekick to Green Lantern in the 1940s.

Brophy died on May 27, 1960, during the production of Ford's Two Rode Together. (One source says Brophy "died while watching a prizefight on television.") He was 65.

• Year — Film — Role — Ref. • 1920 — Yes or No? — Tom Martin • 1921 — The Sign on the Door — Newspaper Photographer (uncredited) • 1927 — Spring Fever — Golf Game Spectator (uncredited) • West Point — Team Manager (uncredited) • 1928 — The Cameraman — Man in Bath-House (uncredited) • 1930 — Free and Easy — Benny - The Stage Manager (uncredited) • Estrellados — assistant director (uncredited) • Our Blushing Brides — Joe Munsey • Doughboys — Sergeant Brophy • Those Three French Girls — Yank • Remote Control — Al • Paid — Burglar (uncredited) • 1931 — Parlor, Bedroom and Bath — Detective • A Free Soul — Slouch (uncredited) • Sporting Blood — Newsreel Cameraman (uncredited) • A Dangerous Affair — Nelson • The Champ — Tim • The Big Shot — Minor Role (scenes deleted) • The Passionate Plumber — Man Outside Beauty Parlor (uncredited) • 1932 — Freaks — as Rollo Brother • The Beast of the City — Police Dispatcher (uncredited) • Skyscraper Souls — Man in Elevator (uncredited) • Speak Easily — Reno • Prosperity — Ice Cream Salesman (uncredited) • Flesh — Dolan - a Referee • 1933 — What! No Beer? — Spike Moran • Beer and Pretzels (Short) — Theater Manager (uncredited) • Broadway to Hollywood — Joe Mannion (uncredited) • Hello Pop! (Short) — Brophy (uncredited) • 1934 — The Poor Rich — Flannigan • The Thin Man — Morelli • Paris Interlude — Ham • Hide-Out — Detective Britt • Have a Heart — Mac (uncredited) • Death on the Diamond — Grogan • Evelyn Prentice — Eddie Delaney • I'll Fix It — Tillie Tilson • Sequoia — Forest Ranger Pete (uncredited) • Forsaking All Others — (scenes deleted) • 1935 — Devil Dogs of the Air — Minor Role (scenes deleted) • Shadow of Doubt — Fred Wilcox • The Whole Town's Talking — 'Slugs' Martin • Naughty Marietta — Zeke • People Will Talk — Pete Ranse • Mad Love — Rollo • She Gets Her Man — Flash • China Seas — Wilbur Timmons • I Live My Life — Pete (uncredited) • 1,000 Dollars a Minute — Benny Dolan • Remember Last Night? — Maxie • Show Them No Mercy! — Buzz • 1936 — Strike Me Pink — Killer • Here Comes Trouble — Crowley • Woman Trap — George Meade • The Case Against Mrs. Ames — Sid • Kelly the Second — Ike Arnold • Spendthrift — Bill McGuire • Wedding Present — Squinty • All American Chump — Pudgy Murphy • Mr. Cinderella — Detective McNutt • Hideaway Girl — Bugs Murphy • Career Woman — Doc Curley • Great Guy — Pete Reilly • 1937 — Oh, Doctor — Meg Smith • Jim Hanvey, Detective — Romo • The Soldier and the Lady — Packer • The Hit Parade — Mulrooney • The Great Gambini — 'Butch' • Varsity Show — Mike Barclay • Trapped by G-Men — Lefty • The Girl Said No — Pick • The Last Gangster — 'Fats' Garvey • Blossoms on Broadway — Mr. Prussic • 1938 — A Slight Case of Murder — Lefty • Romance on the Run — Whitey Whitehouse • Hold That Kiss — Al • Gold Diggers in Paris — Mike Coogan • Passport Husband — Spike • Come On, Leathernecks! — Max 'Curly' Maxwell • Vacation from Love — Barney Keenan, Band Leader • Gambling Ship — Cuthbert Innocent • 1939 — You Can't Cheat an Honest Man — Corbett • Pardon Our Nerve — Nosey Nelson • Society Lawyer — Max • For Love or Money — Sleeper • The Kid from Kokomo — Eddie Black • Golden Boy — Roxy Lewis • Mr. Smith Goes to Washington — Newspaper employee (uncredited) • Kid Nightingale — Mike Jordon • The Amazing Mr. Williams — Buck Moseby • The Big Guy — Dippy • 1940 — Calling Philo Vance — Ryan • Alias the Deacon — Stuffy • Golden Gloves — Potsy Brill • The Great Profile — Sylvester • Dance, Girl, Dance — Dwarfie Humblewinger • Sandy Gets Her Man — Fireman Junior • The Invisible Woman — Bill • 1941 — Sleepers West — George Trautwein • Thieves Fall Out — Rork • The Bride Came C.O.D. — Hinkle • A Dangerous Game — Bugs • Nine Lives Are Not Enough — Officer Slattery • Buy Me That Town — Ziggy • Dumbo — Timothy Q. Mouse (voice, uncredited) • The Gay Falcon — Officer Bates • Steel Against the Sky — Pete Evans • 1942 — All Through the Night — Joe Denning • Broadway — Porky • Larceny, Inc. — Weepy Davis • Madame Spy — Mike Reese • 1943 — Lady Bodyguard — Harry Gargan • Air Force — Marine Sgt. J.J. Callahan • Destroyer — Casey • A Scream in the Dark — Eddie Tough • 1944 — Cover Girl — Joe - Cafe Owner (uncredited) • It Happened Tomorrow — Jake Shomberg • A Night of Adventure — Steve • The Thin Man Goes Home — Brogan • 1945 — See My Lawyer — Otis Fillmore • I'll Remember April — Shadow • Wonder Man — Torso • Penthouse Rhythm — Bailey • The Falcon in San Francisco — Goldy Locke • 1946 — Girl on the Spot — Fingers Foley • Swing Parade of 1946 — Moose • Sweetheart of Sigma Chi — Artie • The Falcon's Adventure — Goldie Locke • Renegade Girl — Bob Crandall • 1947 — It Happened on 5th Avenue — Cecil Felton • 1949 — Arson, Inc. — Pete Purdy • 1951 — Danger Zone — Prof. Frederick Simpson Schicker • Roaring City — 'Professor' Frederick Simpson Schicker • Pier 23 — Prof. Shicker • 1956 — Bundle of Joy — Dance Contest Judge • 1958 — The Last Hurrah — 'Ditto' Boland • 1960 — The Slowest Gun in the West (TV Movie) — The Bartender • 1961 — Two Rode Together — Minor Role (uncredited, final role)