Dave O'Brien | |
|---|---|
 O'Brien in Reefer Madness (1936) | |
| Born | David Poole Fronabarger May 31, 1912 Big Spring, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | November 8, 1969 (aged 57) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1930–1969 |
| Spouse(s) | Nancy O'Brien (m. 1955) |
| Children | 5 [1] |
Dave O'Brien (born David Poole Fronabarger, [2] May 31, 1912 – November 8, 1969) was an American film actor, director, and writer.
Born in Big Spring, Texas, O'Brien started his film career performing in choruses and working as a stunt double [2] before gradually winning larger roles, mostly in B pictures.
O'Brien was best known to movie audiences in the 1940s as the hero of the famous Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer comedy short film series Pete Smith Specialties narrated by Pete Smith. O'Brien wrote and directed many of these subjects under the name David Barclay. O'Brien also had a small dancing part with Bebe Daniels in the Busby Berkeley musical 42nd Street (1933).
He appeared in the first few of Monogram Pictures East Side Kids films, then appeared in many low-budget Westerns, such as Producers Releasing Corporation's Texas Rangers series, where he was often billed as "Tex" O'Brien, alluding to his home state.
He appeared in Queen of the Yukon (1940) as Bob Adams. In 1940, he appeared in The Devil Bat as part of a comedy team with Donald Kerr. They also appeared together in Son of the Navy (1940) and The Man Who Walked Alone (1945).
In 1942, O'Brien starred in the movie serial Captain Midnight , and had the lead role in the Western Brand of the Devil in 1944.
One of his later roles was in the MGM musical version of Kiss Me, Kate (1953), a rare featured role for the actor in an 'A' list big-budget production.
To modern audiences, he is most likely best to be remembered as a frantic dope addict in the 1936 low-budget exploitation film Tell Your Children (better known under its reissue title, Reefer Madness), yelling "Play it faster, play it faster!" to a piano-playing girl (Lillian Miles).
O'Brien married one of his co-stars of Reefer Madness, Dorothy Short, in 1936, but they divorced in 1954 after having two children. In 1955, he married Nancy O'Brien and had three more children. A keen yachtsman, he died aged 57 of a heart attack aboard a 60-foot sloop named The White Cloud while competing in a yachting race off the California coast near Catalina Island. He apparently had been experiencing symptoms of cardiac problems for several weeks, but did not seek medical attention.[ citation needed ]
As a writer for The Red Skelton Show , O'Brien shared an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series in 1961 and shared a nomination for the same award in 1963. [3]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | Calling All Pa's | Joe Thunderstruck | |
| 1943 | First Aid | Crandall K. Krumb, the Husband | |
| 1944 | Movie Pests | Feet-in-the-Aisle-Pest | Uncredited |
| 1946 | Treasures From Trash | Alonzo T. Mousebrain | Director and Screenplay Writer as David Barclay |
| 1946 | Sure Cures | Xavier T. Schneckendorf | Director and Screenplay Writer as David Barclay |
| 1947 | Have You Ever Wondered | Main Character | Director and Screenplay Writer as David Barclay |
| 1948 | Ice Aces | Director as David Barclay | |
| 1948 | You Can't Win | Director and Screenplay Writer as David Barclay | |
| 1948 | Let's Cogitate | Director and Screenplay Writer as David Barclay | |
| 1949 | Just Suppose | The Dad | Director as David Barclay |
| 1950 | Wrong Way Butch | Wrong Way Butch | Director as David Barclay |
| 1952 | I Love Children But... | The Dad/Papa Schlemiel | Director and Writer as David Barclay |
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Guns of the Law is a 1944 American Western film written and directed by Elmer Clifton. The film stars Dave O'Brien, James Newill and Guy Wilkerson, with Jennifer Holt, Budd Buster and Charles King. The film was released on 31 March 1944, by Producers Releasing Corporation.
Marked for Murder is a 1945 American Western film written and directed by Elmer Clifton. The film stars Dave O'Brien, Tex Ritter and Guy Wilkerson, with Marilyn McConnell, Ed Cassidy and Henry Hall. The film was released on 8 February 1945, by Producers Releasing Corporation.
Guy Owen Wilkerson was an American actor, known primarily for his roles in Western B movies, who with his tall, lanky frame, he often played sidekick or comedy relief parts.
The Whispering Skull is a 1944 American Western film directed by Elmer Clifton and written by Harry L. Fraser. The film stars Tex Ritter, Dave O'Brien, Guy Wilkerson, Denny Burke, I. Stanford Jolley and Henry Hall. The film was released on December 29, 1944, by Producers Releasing Corporation.
The Rangers Take Over is a 1942 American Western film directed by Albert Herman and written by Elmer Clifton. The film stars Dave O'Brien, James Newill, Guy Wilkerson, Iris Meredith, Forrest Taylor and I. Stanford Jolley. The film was released on December 25, 1942, by Producers Releasing Corporation.
Flaming Bullets is a 1945 American Western film written and directed by Harry L. Fraser. The film stars Tex Ritter, Dave O'Brien, Guy Wilkerson, Patricia Knox, Charles King and I. Stanford Jolley. The film was released on October 15, 1945, by Producers Releasing Corporation.
Frontier Fugitives is a 1945 American Western film directed by Harry L. Fraser and written by Elmer Clifton. The film stars Tex Ritter, Dave O'Brien, Guy Wilkerson, Lorraine Miller, I. Stanford Jolley and Jack Ingram. The film was released on September 1, 1945, by Producers Releasing Corporation.
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