I still plan to get my hands dirty with a night of research and put together a good Wallace Beery biographical post some time in the future, but April 1 is Wally Beery’s birthday and I didn’t want to let it pass unnoticed because he’s yet another of those Golden Age stars who tend to be overlooked.
Beery’s no minor star, this guy was absolutely huge in the early thirties coming off of the success of 1930’s Min and Bill, which also sprung previously forgotten Marie Dressler to an even more unlikely superstardom, and following up with his Oscar winning performance as Jackie Cooper’s idolized alcoholic father in The Champ (1931).
This post is a further testament to his popularity during the period—Wallace Beery is pictured in nearly every single movie card and promotional issue of the 1930’s and the slew of pics below are only a small sample!
By the way, for more information on any specific card or collectible issue just click the image. From there you’ll be taken to the appropriate things-and-other-stuff.com Photo ID Page. Use your browser’s back button to return.
Check for availability: Wallace Beery in my eBay Store
My own favorite Wallace Beery movies:
5. Grand Hotel (1932) Wally is slimy preying on stenographer Joan Crawford as appropriately named Preysing.
4. China Seas (1935) Wally is full of backhanded compliments as the outgoing but mutinous Jamesy MacArdle.
3. Beggars of Life (1928) Wally is nasty hobo Oklahoma Red who puts his claim in on young Louise Brooks. He never looked cooler than he does in the court scene!
2. The Big House (1930) Wally as dim-witted ultra tough guy “Machine Gun” Butch Smith. You’ve got to like him at the same time he scares the hell out of you!
1. Dinner at Eight (1933) Wally is perfect as boisterous Dan Packard, so cocky it pretty much kills Lionel Barrymore. Interactions with his wife played by Jean Harlow are priceless. A total lout!
Yes, I’ve seen Min and Bill (1930), no Bill doesn’t make my list. As for The Champ (1932), I saw it awhile back, but honestly I’m not a big Jackie Cooper fan so I don’t have current plans to renew my acquaintance. No, I haven’t seen Treasure Island (1934), but I recently bought it
and am really looking forward to watching it! Long John Silver definitely has the potential to crack the Top 5! I also haven’t seen Viva Villa (1934) as I was saving it on my old DVR but it, along with 100 hours of other films, went up in smoke once that piece of machinery broke down. Thankfully TCM seems to play it often enough, so I’m sure to catch it sometime this year (I hope!).
What’s your favorite Wallace Beery role? Please let us know below, I’m always looking for recommendations to hunt down!
1929 Carreras Paramount Stars Tobacco Card
Over 20 additional Wallace Beery Movie Card and Collectible images follow:
1929 Movie Land Keeno Game Card
1930’s Film Weekly Postcard
Beery with John Mack Brown in Billy the Kid on this 1931 Wills Film Stars tobacco card
1932 B.A.T. Cinema Artistes Tobacco Card
1933 M.G.M. 8.5”X 11” Promotional Portrait
1934 Ardath Famous Film Stars Tobacco Card
Circa 1933 MGM 5” X 7” Promotional Portrait
1934 Carreras Film Stars Tobacco Card
1934 Lux Toilet Soap 9” X 12” Promotional Portrait
1935 Carreras Film Stars Tobacco Card
With Jackie Cooper in Treasure Island on a 1935 Gallaher Shots From Famous Films Tobacco Card
1936 Ardath Who Is This? Tobacco Card
1936 Carreras Film Stars Tobacco Card
1936 Godfrey Phillips Screen Stars Tobacco Card
1936 Godfrey Phillips Stars of the Screen Tobacco Card
With Jackie Cooper in O’Shaughnessy’s Boy on a 1936 Peter Jackson Film Scenes Tobacco Card
1938 Carreras Film Favourites Tobacco Card
1939 Gallaher My Favourite Part Tobacco Card
1939 R.J. Lea Famous Film Stars Tobacco Card
Circa 1940 Made in USA Arcade Card
1973 John Ford Presents Cowboy Kings of the Western World
11” X 16” color book insert
Check for availability: Wallace Beery in my eBay Store
He’s great in Dinner at Eight! I have Min and Bill in the Tivo but haven’t watched it. I seem to remember that when Louis B. Mayer first saw Spencer Tracy he groaned and said, “but we already have one Wallace Beery. We don’t need another.”
I enjoy anything that Wallace Beery has done…I even love his later films from the 40’s a lot of westerns..STABLEMATES with Mickey Rooney is fun..there isn’t a whole lot of information on the BEERY’S it’s suprising being they were a acting family, his brothers Noah Beery Sr., and William C. Beery ( who I can’t find anything on!) and of course his nephew Noah jr…Wallace was a pilot and was in the Navy Reserve..he also owned a few ranches in places like Idaho and Wyoming…he didn’t seem to have a good reputation in Hollywood…hard to get along with…how true all that is I don’t know..not too many people had nice things to say about him…but his on screen image is wonderful….good luck!
Hey Dave, thanks for taking the time to comment. Checking in on this post is a good reminder that I’ve still yet to do a decent Wallace Beery biographical post! I should front-burner that.
I haven’t caught too much of his later stuff myself, but yeah, you’re right, not a lot of info out there and I think you may have nailed the reason, he’s so often reported as unpleasant. Ironically as I make my way through The Rockford Files season by season on Netflix I’ve been exposed to a lot more Noah, Jr. than Wally lately!