Frank Shannon

Acting

Frank Shannon

Born — Died

1874-07-27 — 1959-02-01

Place of birth

Ireland

Known for

Acting

Credits

58 titles

Frank Shannon was an Irish-born stage and screen performer. He had his film debut in The Prisoner of Zenda (1913). He is most fondly remembered as the brilliant Dr. Zarkov in the three Flash Gordon serials.

Known for

You Can't Take It with You poster
7.5

Alice, the only relatively normal member of the eccentric Sycamore family, falls in love with Tony Kirby, but his wealthy banker father and snobbish mother strongly disapprove of the match. When the Kirbys are invited to dinner to become better acquainted with their future in-laws, things don't turn out the way Alice had hoped.

You Can't Take It with You

1938

The Return of Frank James poster
6.4

Farmer Frank and his ward hunt brother Jesse's killers, the back-shooting Fords.

The Return of Frank James

1940

Union Pacific poster
6.7

One of the last bills signed by President Lincoln authorizes pushing the Union Pacific Railroad across the wilderness to California. But financial opportunist Asa Barrows hopes to profit from obstructing it. Chief troubleshooter Jeff Butler has his hands full fighting Barrows' agent, gambler Sid Campeau; Campeau's partner Dick Allen is Jeff's war buddy and rival suitor for engineer's daughter Molly Monahan. Who will survive the effort to push the railroad through at any cost?

Union Pacific

1939

Batman poster
6.2

Japanese master spy Daka operates a covert espionage-sabotage organization located in Gotham City's now-deserted Little Tokyo, which turns American scientists into pliable zombies. The great crime-fighters Batman and Robin, with the help of their allies, are in pursuit.

Batman

1943

'G' Men poster
6.6

James “Brick” Davis, a struggling attorney, owes his education to a mobster, but always has refused to get involved with the underworld. When a friend of his is gunned down by a notorious criminal, Brick decides to abandon the exercise of the law and join the Department of Justice to capture the murderer.

'G' Men

1935

The Prisoner of Shark Island poster
6.8

After healing the leg of the murderer John Wilkes Booth — responsible for the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln — Dr. Samuel A. Mudd, considered part of the atrocious conspiracy, is sentenced to life imprisonment and sent to the sinister Shark Island Prison.

The Prisoner of Shark Island

1936

Film credits

1960s · 4 titles

1940s · 15 titles

The Return of Frank James poster
6.4

Farmer Frank and his ward hunt brother Jesse's killers, the back-shooting Fords.

The Return of Frank James

1940

Batman poster
6.2

Japanese master spy Daka operates a covert espionage-sabotage organization located in Gotham City's now-deserted Little Tokyo, which turns American scientists into pliable zombies. The great crime-fighters Batman and Robin, with the help of their allies, are in pursuit.

Batman

1943

Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe poster
5.8

A mysterious plague, the Purple Death, ravages the earth. Dr. Zarkov, investigating in his spaceship, finds a ship from planet Mongo seeding the atmosphere with dust. Sure enough, Ming the Merciless is up to his old tricks. So it's back to Mongo for Flash, Dale, and Zarkov.

Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe

1940

Crack-Up poster
5.8

Art curator George Steele experiences a train wreck...which never happened. Is he cracking up, or the victim of a plot?

Crack-Up

1946

A Dispatch from Reuters poster
6.4

In 19th-century England, German journalist Paul Julius Reuter and his partner, Max Wagner, utilize messenger pigeons to connect telegraph stations across Europe. As time passes and technology outdates his system, Reuter invents a wire system that transmits news stories directly to newspapers. But when a rival creates a faster means, Reuter must transmit high-profile news to stay on top of the industry.

A Dispatch from Reuters

1940

Brigham Young poster
4.6

Based on the story of the famous Mormon leader, it follows Brigham Young and his challenge to transport his people across the Rocky mountains to settle in Salt Lake City. The plot focuses on two fictitious characters, Jonathan Kent and Zina Webb and the hardships they have to face along the way.

Brigham Young

1940

A Dangerous Profession poster
5.7

A cop-turned-bail bondsman gets involved in a murder investigation involving a former flame.

A Dangerous Profession

1949

Ten Gentlemen from West Point poster
6.4

This historical drama tells the story of the first class to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. In the early 19th Century, Congress appropriated the money to build the school, but opponents who believed it to be an illegitimate expansion of the powers of the federal government decided to sabotage the school. They put the hard-as-nails Major Sam Carter in charge of the academy, and he ruthlessly put the recruits through grueling training -- until only ten prospective soldiers remained. They include Dawson, a patriotic farm boy and Howard Shelton, a selfish playboy who has come to West Point only because of its prestige. The two vie for Carolyn Bainbridge, while they, along with the other eight, try convince Carter that the school is worth keeping.

Ten Gentlemen from West Point

1942

Emergency Squad poster
7.0

Betty Bryant is an ambitious newspaper reporter in love with Dan Barton, a member of a big-city Emergency Squad who are trained to deal with riots, cave-in, explosions, fires and other emergencies where lives are at stake. Slade Wiley, an unscrupulous tunnel builder, finds that his low bid on the Newford Tunnel project is causing him to lose a lot of money, and has underworld leader Nick Burton set off blasts to frighten the stockholders into selling their shares at a low price so he can buy up the stock. Betty is investigating the deal when Wiley and Burton take her on a "tour trip" to the tunnel.

Emergency Squad

1940

Wildcat Bus poster
5.4

A broke playboy signs on to help a young beauty save her ailing bus line.

Wildcat Bus

1940

The Phantom poster
6.6

Two expeditions are trying to reach the Lost City of Zoloz -- one headed by Professor Davidson, a scientist who wants to establish an archaeological site, and the other by a greedy treasure hunter who wants to keep the fabled treasures of the city for himself. An agent of a foreign power also wants to establish a secret airbase there, so he stirs up the natives against The Phantom, who has been able to get them to stay peaceful so far. When The Phantom is murdered, his son takes his place and sets out to restore peace to the jungle and stop the agents' and the treasure hunters' nefarious plans.

The Phantom

1943

The Phantom poster
6.6

Two expeditions are trying to reach the Lost City of Zoloz -- one headed by Professor Davidson, a scientist who wants to establish an archaeological site, and the other by a greedy treasure hunter who wants to keep the fabled treasures of the city for himself. An agent of a foreign power also wants to establish a secret airbase there, so he stirs up the natives against The Phantom, who has been able to get them to stay peaceful so far. When The Phantom is murdered, his son takes his place and sets out to restore peace to the jungle and stop the agents' and the treasure hunters' nefarious plans.

The Phantom

1943

The Secret Code poster
5.9

A superhero known as The Black Commando battles Nazi agents who use explosive gases and artificial lightning to sabotage the war effort.

The Secret Code

1942

Federal Fugitives poster
6.3

A government agent goes undercover in order to apprehend a saboteur who caused a plane crash.

Federal Fugitives

1941

Rawhide Rangers poster
6.7

A group of frontier businessmen set up a protective organization for the purpose of extorting money from the local ranchers.

Rawhide Rangers

1941

1930s · 33 titles

You Can't Take It with You poster
7.5

Alice, the only relatively normal member of the eccentric Sycamore family, falls in love with Tony Kirby, but his wealthy banker father and snobbish mother strongly disapprove of the match. When the Kirbys are invited to dinner to become better acquainted with their future in-laws, things don't turn out the way Alice had hoped.

You Can't Take It with You

1938

Union Pacific poster
6.7

One of the last bills signed by President Lincoln authorizes pushing the Union Pacific Railroad across the wilderness to California. But financial opportunist Asa Barrows hopes to profit from obstructing it. Chief troubleshooter Jeff Butler has his hands full fighting Barrows' agent, gambler Sid Campeau; Campeau's partner Dick Allen is Jeff's war buddy and rival suitor for engineer's daughter Molly Monahan. Who will survive the effort to push the railroad through at any cost?

Union Pacific

1939

'G' Men poster
6.6

James “Brick” Davis, a struggling attorney, owes his education to a mobster, but always has refused to get involved with the underworld. When a friend of his is gunned down by a notorious criminal, Brick decides to abandon the exercise of the law and join the Department of Justice to capture the murderer.

'G' Men

1935

The Prisoner of Shark Island poster
6.8

After healing the leg of the murderer John Wilkes Booth — responsible for the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln — Dr. Samuel A. Mudd, considered part of the atrocious conspiracy, is sentenced to life imprisonment and sent to the sinister Shark Island Prison.

The Prisoner of Shark Island

1936

Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars poster
6.3

When a deadly Nitron ray strikes Earth, Flash Gordon and his friends travel to Mars to battle Ming the Merciless and his new ally Queen Azura.

Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars

1938

Flash Gordon poster
6.4

Disaster seems imminent when scientists discover that the planet Mongo is about to crash into Earth. Luckily, heroic young Flash Gordon is on hand to lead an investigative mission into outer space and onto the speedily approaching planet. There, he and his best girl, Dale, who is along for the ride, learn that Ming, the devious ruler of Mongo, has purposely put the planet on a collision course with Earth, and only Flash can stop him.

Flash Gordon

1936

The Texas Rangers poster
6.6

Two down-on-their-luck former outlaws volunteer to be Texas Rangers and find themselves assigned to bring in an old friend, now a notorious outlaw.

The Texas Rangers

1936

Torchy Blane in Panama poster
5.8

Torchy, Steve, and Gahagan are on the trail of a bank robber aboard an ocean liner traveling from New York to L.A. via the Panama Canal.

Torchy Blane in Panama

1938

Torchy Blane... Playing with Dynamite poster
6.8

Torchy Blane and Steve McBride try to nab a gangster by tracking his moll.

Torchy Blane... Playing with Dynamite

1939

Next Time I Marry poster
7.2

Heiress Nancy Crocker Fleming will only receive her inheritance if she marries a "plain American." Her late father was afraid a foreign gigolo would steal her heart and money. So Nancy pays Tony Anthony, working on a WPA road project, to marry, then divorce her. When Nancy inadvertently drives off with Tony's dog, Tony seemingly kidnaps her to retrieve the pooch, which leads to a cross-country race between the two to reach Reno and the divorce court since neither one wants to be the second to file papers.

Next Time I Marry

1938

Torchy Gets Her Man poster
5.9

A notorious counterfeiter passes himself off as a Secret Service agent to Steve and gets him to unwittingly help him bilk the racetrack out of tens of thousands.

Torchy Gets Her Man

1938

Road Gang poster
7.0

A crusading young reporter planning a series of articles about a corrupt politician is framed for a crime and sentenced to serve five years at a prison farm.

Road Gang

1936

The Eagle's Brood poster
5.8

When the outlaw El Toro saves Hoppy's life, Hoppy agrees to find his missing grandson.

The Eagle's Brood

1935

End of the Trail poster
8.7

In this western, a Spanish-American war veteran cannot find gainful employment. In desperation, he becomes a cattle rustler until he can get back on his feet. Just as he is ready to go straight, his girlfriend's younger brother is shot.

End of the Trail

1936

The Night of Nights poster
8.0

A playwright has his career ruined when he is drunk on the first night. His wife dies having left him, and when his daughter triumphs in the revival of the play he dies contented.

The Night of Nights

1939

Woman in the Dark poster
6.1

A recently released prisoner lives alone in his cabin so that his bad temper won't get him back in any more trouble, but his peaceful existence is disrupted when a mysterious woman arrives.

Woman in the Dark

1934

The Pace That Kills poster
3.1

A drug dealer on the run from the law meets an innocent young girl and her brother, and turns them into “cocaine fiends”.

The Pace That Kills

1935

The Ship That Died poster
5.9

This MGM An Historical Mystery short traces the final voyage of the Mary Celeste, a ship discovered at sea, in December 1872, devoid - for no discernible reason - of crew, passengers and captain. At "the famed nautical court of Gibraltar", investigators propose three hypotheses.

The Ship That Died

1938

The Adventurous Blonde poster
5.3

The third of nine Torchy Blane movies. Angry that police detective Steve McBride (Barton MacLane) is giving preferential treatment to his reporter-fiancée, Torchy Blane (Glenda Farrell), reporters from a rival newspaper plan a fake murder with the idea that Torchy's paper will print the story and look foolish. The tables are turned when the fake murder turns out to be the genuine article.

The Adventurous Blonde

1937

Torchy Runs for Mayor poster
5.9

Torchy conducts a one woman campaign against a corrupt mayor and crime boss, and when the reform candidate is murdered, she takes up the banner.

Torchy Runs for Mayor

1939

Rulers of the Sea poster
6.7

The struggle of a man to build a steam ship to take him across the Atlantic in spite of all setbacks, and his win against a crack sailing boat in the early 19th century.

Rulers of the Sea

1939

Torchy Blane in Chinatown poster
6.6

Torchy Blane joins her police-detective fiance to solve a series of murders involving a set of Chinese grave tablets taken and sold to a collector and death-threats written in Chinese characters.

Torchy Blane in Chinatown

1939

Ever Since Eve poster
5.8

Madge Winton, a beautiful secretary, makes herself look homely in order to avoid advances by lecherous bosses. When her new employer, writer Freddy Matthews, accidentally sees her without her disguise, she has to pretend to be her roommate Sadie.

Ever Since Eve

1937

Black Gold poster
5.3

Wildcat riggers risk their lives in the pursuit of oil. Their jobs get even more dangerous when ruthless oil baron J.C. Anderson sets his sights on their territory. When longtime driller Dan O'Reilly falls to his death from a well tower sabotaged by Anderson's strong-arm thugs, his teenage son 'Fishtail' inherits the property and the troubles that come with it. With the help of his geologist pal, Hank Langford, the boy fights to bring in a gusher before the deed to the well-site expires.

Black Gold

1936

Mannequin poster
6.0

Jessie, a young working class woman, seeks to improve her life by marrying her boyfriend, only to find out that he is no better than what she left behind.

Mannequin

1938

Men Without Names poster
6.3

A G-man woos a newswoman and corners bank robbers with a hostage in a factory.

Men Without Names

1935

A Burglar to the Rescue poster
7.5

He is working on the books to cover his crimes, when a visitor arrives with a gun. In the conversation that ensues, it is revealed that the visitor is an escaped convict that was a former employee of the bank. He was railroaded to prison to cover the crooked banker's crime. As with other entries in this series, there is a shadow projected every so often with a voice forecasting what is to come.

A Burglar to the Rescue

1931

The Murder of Dr. Harrigan poster
5.8

A young doctor is determined to expose the killer when a surgeon is found stabbed to death in a hospital elevator.

The Murder of Dr. Harrigan

1936

Mars Attacks the World poster
6.5

Feature version of the 1938 film serial FLASH GORDON'S TRIP TO MARS. Flash Gordon fights Ming the Merciless once again to ensure the survival of the Earth.

Mars Attacks the World

1938

Blondes at Work poster
6.3

When a rival newspaper publisher complains to his captain about possible collusion between himself and reporter Torchy Blane on scooping her rivals in crime news reporting, Det. Lt. Steve McBride determines to thwart her efforts to get inside information - and she determines to go on getting it, by whatever means necessary.

Blondes at Work

1938

The Perfect Set-Up poster
6.5

In this MGM "Crime Does Not Pay" series short, a radio and television engineer falls into a life of crime by dismantling alarms for robberies.

The Perfect Set-Up

1936

Over the Wall poster
5.7

When a singing, song-writing prizefighter is framed for murder and sent to the state pen, his girlfriend sets out to prove his innocence.

Over the Wall

1938

Rocket Ship poster
6.3

A heavy condensation of the 1936 serial Flash Gordon, with altered musical score. Flash Gordon, Dale Arden and Dr. Hans Zarkov visit the planet Mongo to thwart the evil schemes of Emperor Ming the Merciless, who has set his planet on a collision course with Earth. Released abroad as "Flash Gordon" for countries not interested in booking the serial, and never shown in the USA before 1950, where the title was changed to "Rocket Ship".

Rocket Ship

1938

1920s · 5 titles

The Bride's Play poster
5.2

A sweet-natured young Irish woman is courted by a romantic poet and a local country gentleman. Which man will she choose?

The Bride's Play

1922

Monsieur Beaucaire poster
5.6

The Duke of Chartres is in love with Princess Henriette, but she seemingly wants nothing to do with him. Eventually he grows tired of her insults and flees to England when Louis XV insists that the two marry. He goes undercover as Monsieur Beaucaire, the barber of the French Ambassador, and finds that he enjoys the freedom of a commoner’s life. After catching the Duke of Winterset cheating at cards, he forces him to introduce him as a nobleman to Lady Mary, with whom he has become infatuated. When Lady Mary is led to believe that the Duke of Chartres is merely a barber she loses interest in him. She eventually learns that he is a nobleman after all and tries to win him back, but the Duke of Chartres opts to return to France and Princess Henriette who now returns his affection.

Monsieur Beaucaire

1924

Boomerang Bill poster
4.5

When New York City police officer O'Malley learns of a young man who is about to embark on a life of crime by taking part in a robbery, he takes the boy aside and tells him the story of Boomerang Bill, another wanna-be gangster who wanted to be a big shot in the New York crime scene. It seems that Bill fell for a pretty young dance-hall girl, and went up against local gang boss Tony the Wop when he insulted her. Tony, who never forgot a slight, found a way to make things very, very tough for Boomerang Bill, in a way that he never saw coming.

Boomerang Bill

1922

Icebound poster
9.0

Ben Jordan runs away after accidentally setting fire to a barn in his small New England community. He returns when his mother dies to find that she has left everything to her ward, Jane Crosby.

Icebound

1924

Perjury poster
10.0

Robert Moore is the general manager of the firm run by John Gibson. After Gibson makes several visits to Moore's home, unfounded rumors begin of a relationship between Gibson and Moore's wife, Martha. Moore is discovered with a revolver in his hand, standing over Gibson's dead body. In fact, Moore’s best friend committed the murder, but Moore is convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Impulsively Martha remarries to a man who proves to be a brute. When Moore is set free after the real murderer confesses, he visits his former wife just as her husband attacks her. In a struggle, Moore shoots him in self-defense and is then reunited with his family.

Perjury

1921