Morgan Conway

Acting

Morgan Conway

Born 1903-03-16 · Newark, New Jersey, USA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Morgan Conway (March 16, 1903 in Newark, New Jersey – November 16, 1981 in Livingston, New Jersey) was an American actor, best known for his portrayals of Dick Tracy. Born Sydney Conway, he was educated at Columbia University in New York City. He arrived in Hollywood just in time to get on the ground floor of the industry's burgeoning labor movement. Conway was one of the founding members of the Screen Actors Guild. His first film appearance was in the 1934 film Looking for Trouble. For many years he freelanced, working for various studios in bits or supporting roles. His most familiar appearance from this period is probably in Charlie Chan in Reno (1939). By the mid-1940s he was a contract player for RKO Radio Pictures, and he was chosen to portray Chester Gould's comic-strip detective Dick Tracy in a pair of feature films: Dick Tracy and Dick Tracy vs. Cueball. RKO's earliest publicity photos posed Conway in profile, hoping to emulate Gould's square-jawed caricatures. Although this screen Tracy didn't resemble the print Tracy physically, Conway's dramatic interpretation was faithful; he gave the role an understated, businesslike quality totally in keeping with a police procedural. Morgan Conway is considered by many (including Dick Tracy writer Max Allan Collins) to be the best screen Dick Tracy. Morgan/Sydney Conway left the motion picture industry and returned to New Jersey, where he died of lung cancer at the age of 78.

Acting credits

Brother Orchid poster
6.6

When retired racket boss John Sarto tries to reclaim his place and former friends try to kill him, he finds solace in a monastery and reinvents himself as a pious monk.

Brother Orchid

1940

Grand Jury Secrets poster
7.0

A newspaper reporter gets involved with shady stock promoters when he listens in on a jury room session.

Grand Jury Secrets

1939

The Spellbinder poster
6.3

Jed Marlowe is a brilliant, scheming, unscrupulous criminal lawyer whose specialty is defending criminal he knows is guilty but gets them off through loop-holes or bribery. Then his daughter, misled by her father’s courtroom performance, but unaware of his back-room tactics, marries the killer her father has just unjustly save from the electric chair. What’s a poor father to do?

The Spellbinder

1939

Bells of Capistrano poster
7.0

America's favorite singing cowboy Gene Autry stars in this vintage tale as an up-and-coming rodeo singer caught in the middle of two rival companies, both angling to ride the talented crooner to riches. Featuring several memorable musical performances from Autry, including renditions of "Forgive Me" and "In Old Capistrano," this rousing Western co-stars Smiley Burnette, Virginia Grey and Lucien Littlefield.

Bells of Capistrano

1942

Badman's Territory poster
6.3

After some gun play with a posse, the James Gang head for Quinto in a section of land which is not a part of America. Anyone there is beyond the law so the town is populated with outlaws. Next to arrive is Sheriff Rowley, following his brother whom the Gang have brought in injured. Rowley has no authority and gets on well enough with the James boys but is soon involved in other local goings-on, including a move to vote for annexation with Oklahoma which would allow the law well and truly in.

Badman's Territory

1946

Dick Tracy poster
5.3

Dick is faced with a series of brutal murders in which the victims, all from different social and economic backgrounds, are viciously slashed to pieces. Suspects abound but Tracy, getting a clue that there will be 15 murders in all, must find the common thread among the victims before more are killed.

Dick Tracy

1945

Secret Service of the Air poster
6.1

Brass Bancroft and his sidekick Gabby Watters are recruited onto the secret service and go undercover to crack a ruthless gang that smuggles illegal aliens.

Secret Service of the Air

1939

The Truth About Murder poster
4.8

A young attorney (Bonita Granville) is convinced a murder suspect is innocent in the killing of his wife.

The Truth About Murder

1946

Dick Tracy vs. Cueball poster
5.5

A police detective uses his girlfriend to track down a homicidal maniac.

Dick Tracy vs. Cueball

1946

Crime Ring poster
5.8

Fake fortunetellers win the confidence of clients and then get them to part with their money by buying mining stocks which are worthless.

Crime Ring

1938

Sued for Libel poster
6.3

A New York City newspaper is sued for libel after reporting the wrong verdict in a murder trial.

Sued for Libel

1939

Smashing the Spy Ring poster
6.7

G-Men in Washington break up a powerful spy ring and capture the ringleaders.

Smashing the Spy Ring

1938

The Saint Takes Over poster
6.7

The Saint Takes Over, released in 1940 by RKO Pictures, was the fifth motion picture featuring the adventures of Simon Templar, a.k.a. "The Saint" the Robin Hood-inspired crimefighter created by Leslie Charteris. This film focuses on the character of Inspector Henry Farnack. When Farnack is framed by a gang he is investigating, it is up to The Saint to clear his name.

The Saint Takes Over

1940

Wings of the Navy poster
6.2

Jerry tries to out compete his older brother Cass, a lieutenant Naval aviator. Cass is both tough on and protective of his brother, but Jerry can give it right back.

Wings of the Navy

1939

Sinners in Paradise poster
5.4

The survivors from a plane crash are washed up on an island where the only inhabitants are Mr. Taylor and his servant, Ping. The mismatched group must learn to get along and work together if they are to convince Taylor to let them borrow his boat and return to the main land.

Sinners in Paradise

1938

Private Detective poster
6.8

A female private eye joins forces with a police detective to investigate the suspicious murder of a millionaire.

Private Detective

1939

Florian poster
4.5

Set against the backdrop of WWI Europe, a man and woman of different classes are brought together by their love of Lippizan horses.

Florian

1940

Charlie Chan in Reno poster
6.5

Mary Whitman has gone to Reno to obtain a divorce. While there she is arrested on suspicion of murdering a fellow guest at her hotel (which specializes in divorcers). There are many others at the hotel who wanted the victim out of the way. Charlie comes from his home in Honolulu to solve the murder.

Charlie Chan in Reno

1939

Illegal Traffic poster
6.6

G-Man Charles Bent Martin is sent out to break up a nationwide racket. A transport company is aiding fugitives making a getaway in exchange for the lion's share of their loot. Through an old friend, whom he once barnstormed in an air circus, Martin joins the gang as a pilot. He becomes interested in Carol Butler, a beautiful girl involved with the gang through the activities of her ne'er-do-well father.

Illegal Traffic

1938

Millionaires in Prison poster
6.1

A crop of millionaire inmates struggle to get accustomed to prison life, while inmate Nick Burton watches out for everyone's interests on the inside.

Millionaires in Prison

1940

Looking for Trouble poster
6.7

Joe and Casey trouble-shoot for the phone company. They try to prove that Joes's girl Ethel's boss Dan is a crook but are trapped by criminals and left in a burning building.

Looking for Trouble

1934

Blackwell's Island poster
5.5

A reporter gets himself sent to prison to expose a mobster.

Blackwell's Island

1939

Happy Landing poster
10.0

An action-filled film with outlaws-of-the-clouds at war with the men of the U. S. Flying Service. A young pilot, Nick Ferris, fights to track down a dangerous gang of smugglers and clear his name of an undeserved stigma.

Happy Landing

1934

North of Shanghai poster
8.0

In this newspaper drama, a female reporter and a newsreel cameraman are both assigned to cover the Sino-Japanese war. They meet on the boat ride over and decide to team up. They are further assisted by a Chinese cameraman. The three of them manage to expose of spy ring operating out of the Shanghai office of the woman's newspaper.

North of Shanghai

1939