The Sign of the Cross1932
As Christian on Stairway (uncredited)
TMDb 6.4 / 10
Dave O'Brien
Born
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Dave O'Brien (born David Poole Fronabarger, May 31, 1912 – November 8, 1969) was an American film actor, director, and writer. O'Brien was best known to movie audiences in the 1940s as the hero of the 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. He also appeared in many low-budget Westerns, often billed as Tex O'Brien. In 1942, O'Brien starred in the movie serial Captain Midnight. Modern audiences perhaps best remember O'Brien as a frantic dope addict in the 1936 low-budget exploitation film Tell Your Children (better known under its reissue title, Reefer Madness). 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. O'Brien died, aged 57, of a heart attack while competing in a yachting race.
Filmography (181)
42nd Street1933
As Chorus Boy (uncredited)
TMDb 6.9 / 10
Kiss Me Kate1953
As Ralph
TMDb 6.5 / 10
That's Entertainment, Part II1976
As (archive footage) (uncredited)
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Murder at the Vanities1934
As Chorus Boy (uncredited)
TMDb 5.6 / 10
Double Trouble1941
As Sparky Barton
TMDb 10.0 / 10
Wonder Bar1934
As Chorus Boy (uncredited)
TMDb 6.0 / 10
The Big Parade of Comedy1964
As Actor in the Pete Smith Shorts (archive footage)
TMDb 7.2 / 10
Outlaw Roundup1944
As Tex Wyatt
TMDb 10.0 / 10
She Married Her Boss1935
As Shopper
TMDb 7.3 / 10
Devil and the Deep1932
As Submarine Crewman (uncredited)
TMDb 5.1 / 10
Rasputin and the Empress1932
As Soldier (uncredited)
TMDb 5.5 / 10
T.V. of Tomorrow1953
As Man on TV
TMDb 6.6 / 10
The Man Who Walked Alone1945
As Marion Scott
TMDb 5.9 / 10
The Gunman From Bodie1941
As Joe Martin
TMDb 5.3 / 10
The Kettles in the Ozarks1956
As Conductor
TMDb 6.4 / 10
Madam Satan1930
As Zeppelin Reveler
TMDb 5.9 / 10
The Phantom of 42nd Street1945
As Tony Woolrich
TMDb 4.8 / 10
One Man's Journey1933
As Dance Extra (uncredited)
TMDb 6.7 / 10
Pest Control
Pest Control1950
As Cruising Wolf
The World Changes1933
As Otto Peterson (uncredited)
TMDb 4.8 / 10
Forbidden Trails1941
As Jim Cramer
TMDb 5.6 / 10
Studio Visit1946
As O'Brien
TMDb 5.5 / 10
That Gang of Mine1940
As Knuckles Dolan
TMDb 5.8 / 10
We're Rich Again1934
As Pete (uncredited)
TMDb 6.2 / 10
New Frontier1939
As Jason Braddock
TMDb 5.7 / 10
Music in the Air1934
As Karl Roder (singing voice) (uncredited)
TMDb 5.6 / 10
The Devil Bat1940
As Johnny Layton
TMDb 5.3 / 10
Victory Quiz1942
TMDb 6.3 / 10
Is My Face Red?1932
As Chorus Boy (uncredited)
TMDb 5.0 / 10
Pick-up1933
As Party Boy (uncredited)
TMDb 5.1 / 10
Tennessee Champ1954
As Luke MacWade
TMDb 6.5 / 10
Born to Be Wild1938
As Trucker (uncredited)
TMDb 7.5 / 10
Three in the Saddle1945
As Dave Wyatt
TMDb 9.0 / 10
The Dawn Patrol1930
As Pilot (uncredited)
TMDb 6.6 / 10
Gift of Gab1934
As Dancer (uncredited)
TMDb 5.2 / 10
The Cowboy from Sundown1940
As Steve Davis
TMDb 9.0 / 10
Spooks Run Wild1941
As Jeff Dixon
TMDb 5.1 / 10
Lightnin' Crandall1937
As Tommy Shannon
TMDb 4.0 / 10
Gangsters of the Frontier1944
As Dave Wyatt
TMDb 4.3 / 10
The Girl on the Front Page1936
As Nightclub Patron
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Flaming Bullets1945
As Dave Wyatt / Steve Carson
TMDb 6.0 / 10
Undercover Agent1939
As Billiards Player
TMDb 4.2 / 10
Mutiny in the Big House1939
As Daniels
TMDb 5.3 / 10
College Humor1933
As Student
TMDb 5.6 / 10
East Side Kids1940
As Knuckles Dolan
TMDb 6.4 / 10
Water Rustlers1939
As Bob Lawson
TMDb 4.7 / 10
Queen of the Yukon1940
As Bob Adams
TMDb 6.0 / 10
Good News1930
As Student
TMDb 6.3 / 10
Hold That Woman!1940
As Miles Hanover
TMDb 6.7 / 10
The Desperados Are in Town1956
As Dock Lapman / Mr. Brown
TMDb 8.0 / 10
Carry Harry1942
As Arthur - Harry's Friend
TMDb 4.2 / 10
Boys of the City1940
As Knuckles Dolan
TMDb 5.3 / 10
The Adventures of Frank Merriwell1936
As George Baldwin
TMDb 5.7 / 10
Roar of the Dragon1932
As Submarine Crewman
TMDb 6.5 / 10
Bowery at Midnight1942
As Det. Pete Crawford
TMDb 5.0 / 10
Billy the Kid in Santa Fe1941
As Texas Joe
TMDb 6.0 / 10
Song of the Buckaroo1938
As Tex Alden
TMDb 10.0 / 10
The Return of the Rangers1943
As Tex Wyatt
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Crashing Thru1939
As Fred Chambers
TMDb 7.5 / 10
On Your Toes1939
As Man in Audience
TMDb 4.5 / 10
Sheriff of Sage Valley1942
As Jeff
TMDb 5.7 / 10
Riders of the Sage1939
As Tom Martin
TMDb 6.5 / 10
No More Ladies1935
As Party Guest (uncredited)
TMDb 5.0 / 10
Captain Midnight1942
As Captain Albright / Captain Midnight
TMDb 6.3 / 10
The Rangers Take Over1942
As Tex Wyatt
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Billy the Kid's Smoking Guns1942
As Jeff
TMDb 6.3 / 10
King of the Stallions1942
TMDb 7.3 / 10
Tell Your Children1938
As Ralph
TMDb 4.4 / 10
42nd Street: From Book to Screen to Stage2006
As Self (archive footage)
TMDb 6.0 / 10
Bad Men of Thunder Gap1943
As Tex Wyatt
TMDb 8.0 / 10
Woman Wanted1935
As Steve - Tap Dancer at Baxter's Party (uncredited)
TMDb 6.8 / 10
Student Tour1934
As Student
TMDb 6.7 / 10
Billy the Kid Wanted1941
As Jeff
TMDb 5.6 / 10
I Love My Wife BUT!
I Love My Wife BUT!1947
As The Husband
TMDb 7.0 / 10
College Coach1933
As Student on Tennis Court (uncredited)
TMDb 4.6 / 10
Guns of the Law1944
As Tex Wyatt
TMDb 6.0 / 10
Enemy of the Law1945
As Dave Wyatt
TMDb 6.0 / 10
Fighting Valley1943
As Tex Wyatt
Just Suppose1948
As Husband (uncredited)
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Son of the Navy1940
As Nelson
TMDb 6.2 / 10
Consolation Marriage1931
As Man Picking Up Stack of Newspapers (uncredited)
TMDb 6.4 / 10
Flying Wild1941
As Tom Lawson
TMDb 6.1 / 10
'Neath Brooklyn Bridge1942
As Sgt. Phil Lyons
TMDb 6.3 / 10
Murder on the Yukon1940
As Constable Kelly
TMDb 5.7 / 10
Meet the O'Briens1954
As Dave
Fighting Mad1939
As Constable Kelly
TMDb 4.5 / 10
Neighbor Pests
Neighbor Pests1947
Murder by Invitation1941
As Michael, the chauffeur
TMDb 6.0 / 10
Safety Sleuth
Safety Sleuth1944
As Careless Man
Where the Buffalo Roam1938
As Jeff Gray
TMDb 5.5 / 10
Daughter of the Tong1939
As Jerry Morgan
TMDb 5.2 / 10
Whirlwind Horseman1938
As Henchman Slade
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Gun Code1940
As Henchman Gale
TMDb 8.0 / 10
Tahiti Nights1944
As Jack
TMDb 9.0 / 10
Danger Ahead1940
As Corporal Kelly
TMDb 8.0 / 10
Wyoming Outlaw1939
As Acacia Park Game Warden
TMDb 5.8 / 10
Spook Town1944
As Tex Wyatt
TMDb 7.0 / 10
The Spider Returns1941
As Jackson, Wentworth's Aide
TMDb 8.5 / 10
Movie Pests1944
As Feet-in-the-Aisle Pest
TMDb 6.1 / 10
Down Texas Way1942
As Dave Dodge
TMDb 6.5 / 10
Brand of the Devil1944
As Tex Wyatt
TMDb 7.0 / 10
The Arizona Kid1939
As Soldier
TMDb 6.1 / 10
Buzzy and the Phantom Pinto1941
As Jim Dana
TMDb 10.0 / 10
The Secret of Treasure Island1938
As Det. Jameson [Chs. 4-7]
TMDb 4.5 / 10
Code of the Cactus1939
As Bob Swane
TMDb 6.2 / 10
Tomorrow's Children1934
As Interne (uncredited)
TMDb 5.0 / 10
Dead or Alive1944
As Dave Wyatt
TMDb 5.0 / 10
The Yanks Are Coming1942
As Sgt. Callahan
TMDb 5.3 / 10
Flying High1931
As Dancer (uncredited)
TMDb 5.8 / 10
Isle Of Destiny1940
As Whitey - Navy Radio Man
TMDb 5.7 / 10
Phantom Rancher1940
As Henchman Lucke
TMDb 4.6 / 10
Ain't It Aggravatin'1954
As Parking Space Hog / Apartment House Manager / Frugal Man / Harry Hollowhead
TMDb 6.0 / 10
On the Spot1940
As Charlie
TMDb 5.8 / 10
70,000 Witnesses1932
As Football Player (uncredited)
TMDb 5.7 / 10
Search for Beauty1934
As Talent Contestant (uncredited)
TMDb 5.5 / 10
Flaming Lead1939
As Frank Gordon
TMDb 5.5 / 10
Man's Country1938
As Bat
TMDb 8.0 / 10
Doubting Thomas1935
As Member of Audience
TMDb 7.5 / 10
Frontier Scout1938
As Steve Norris
TMDb 6.0 / 10
The Fighting Renegade1939
As Dr. Jerry Leonard
TMDb 6.8 / 10
Brothers of the West1937
As Bart
TMDb 6.3 / 10
Sitting Pretty1933
As Assistant Cameraman (uncredited)
TMDb 8.0 / 10
Lover Come Back1931
As Pool Party Boy (uncredited)
TMDb 3.3 / 10
Law and Order1942
As Jeff Travis
TMDb 7.5 / 10
Hot Saturday1932
As Party Guest (Uncredited)
TMDb 6.5 / 10
Prisoner of Japan1942
As U. S. Marine
TMDb 5.0 / 10
The Deadly Game1941
As Ralph Spencer
TMDb 7.0 / 10
I Love My Mother-In-Law But...
I Love My Mother-In-Law But...1948
As The Son-In-Law / Husband
TMDb 7.2 / 10
The Texas Marshal1941
As Buzz Weston
TMDb 8.0 / 10
Gun Packer1938
As Red Baker - Henchman
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Buried Alive1939
As Carson
TMDb 5.1 / 10
Yukon Flight1940
As Constable Kelly
TMDb 4.1 / 10
Texas Wildcats1939
As Ed Arden
TMDb 8.0 / 10
Frontier Fugitives1945
As Dave Wyatt
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Ship Cafe1935
As Young Man (uncredited)
TMDb 8.0 / 10
Rough Riding Rhythm1937
As Detective Waters
TMDb 9.0 / 10
Trail of Terror1943
As Tex Wyatt / Curly Wyatt
TMDb 8.0 / 10
Rollin' Westward1939
As Ranch hand Red
TMDb 5.8 / 10
Trigger Smith1939
As Duke
TMDb 9.0 / 10
I Love My Husband, But!
I Love My Husband, But!1946
As The Husband
TMDb 10.0 / 10
Welcome Home1935
As Stanley Phillips
TMDb 9.0 / 10
Gunsmoke Mesa1944
As Tex Wyatt
TMDb 4.5 / 10
Do Someone a Favor!
Do Someone a Favor!1954
As George Dibson
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Starlight Over Texas1938
As Henchman
TMDb 7.0 / 10
The Man Around the House
The Man Around the House1955
As Hugo Hightonsil (uncredited)
The Black Coin1936
As Terry Navarro
TMDb 6.5 / 10
Drifting Westward1939
As Henchman Trigger
TMDb 8.0 / 10
Border Buckaroos1943
As Tex Wyatt
TMDb 10.0 / 10
Boss of Rawhide1943
As Tex Wyatt
TMDb 6.7 / 10
The Pinto Bandit1944
As Tex Wyatt
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Million Dollar Racket1937
As Johnny Henessey
TMDb 6.5 / 10
West of Texas1943
As Tex Wyatt
TMDb 8.0 / 10
A Wife's Life
A Wife's Life1950
As George T. Hardnose (uncredited)
TMDb 6.0 / 10
Marked for Murder1945
As Dave Wyatt
TMDb 5.0 / 10
Have You Ever Wondered?
Have You Ever Wondered?1947
As Husband / Driver / Man at Gumball Machine / Toupee Wearer
TMDb 6.5 / 10
Reducing1952
As Man on Bench (uncredited)
TMDb 5.3 / 10
Calling All Pa's1942
As Joe Thunderstruck
TMDb 6.7 / 10
Outlaws' Paradise1939
As Henchman Meggs
TMDb 8.0 / 10
The Whispering Skull1944
As Dave Wyatt
TMDb 6.0 / 10
Wanted - A Master1936
As Dog's Master (uncredited)
TMDb 6.8 / 10
Sky Bandits1940
As Constable Kelly
TMDb 5.7 / 10
The Singing Cowgirl1938
As Dick Williams
TMDb 7.5 / 10
Equestrian Quiz: What's Your I.Q.? No. 11
Equestrian Quiz: What's Your I.Q.? No. 111946
As Horace
TMDb 6.5 / 10
You Can't Win1948
As Harried Homeowner
TMDb 4.9 / 10
I Love Children, But!1952
As The Daddy
TMDb 10.0 / 10
Just What I Needed
Just What I Needed1955
As Harry Horseknuckle
Utah Trail1938
As Mason - Bookkeeper
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Out for Fun
Out for Fun1954
As Businessman Seeking Relaxation
TMDb 9.0 / 10
Treasures from Trash1946
As Alonzo T. Mousebrain
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Those Good Old Days
Those Good Old Days1949
TMDb 8.0 / 10
Things We Can Do Without1953
As Thaddeus E. Thud III
TMDb 7.3 / 10
The Fall Guy
The Fall Guy1955
As Himself as Various Characters (archive footage)
TMDb 7.5 / 10
Sportsman's Memories
Sportsman's Memories1944
As Fabian Tecumseh 'Joe' Funk (uncredited)
Let's Cogitate1948
As Oliver T. Aseltafel
TMDb 7.5 / 10
What About Daddy?1942
As The Husband
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Did'ja Know?1950
As Expectant Father / Greeting Card Shopper / Hospital Patient / Job Applicant
TMDb 5.0 / 10
Sure Cures1946
As Xavier T. Schneckendorf
TMDb 5.7 / 10
Wrong Way Butch1950
As Butch
TMDb 6.4 / 10
Seventh Column1943
As Falstaff Pratt the Indestructible Man
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Cash Stashers1953
As A Shmoe Named Joe
TMDb 6.8 / 10
Filmography and biography: TMDb