Charles Winninger

Acting

Charles Winninger

Born — Died

1884-05-25 — 1969-01-27

Place of birth

Athens, Wisconsin, USA

Known for

Acting

Credits

65 titles

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Charles Winninger (May 26, 1884 – January 27, 1969) was an American stage and film actor, most often cast in comedies or musicals, but equally at home in dramas.

Known for

I Love Lucy poster
7.9

Cuban Bandleader Ricky Ricardo would be happy if his wife Lucy would just be a housewife. Instead she tries constantly to perform at the Tropicana where he works, and make life comically frantic in the apartment building they share with landlords Fred and Ethel Mertz, who also happen to be their best friends.

I Love Lucy

1951

The Ed Sullivan Show poster
6.8

The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the CBS Sunday Night Movie, which ran only one season and was eventually replaced by other shows. In 2002, The Ed Sullivan Show was ranked #15 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.

The Ed Sullivan Show

1948

The Millionaire poster
5.8

An anthology series that explored the ways sudden and unexpected wealth changed life for better or for worse. It told the stories of people who were given one million dollars from a benefactor who insisted they never know him, with one exception.

The Millionaire

1955

The Whistler poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

The Whistler

1954

Ziegfeld Girl poster
6.6

Discovery by Flo Ziegfeld changes a girl's life but not necessarily for the better, as three beautiful women find out when they join the spectacle on Broadway: Susan, the singer who must leave behind her ageing vaudevillian father; vulnerable Sheila, the working girl pursued both by a millionaire and by her loyal boyfriend from Flatbush; and the mysterious European beauty Sandra, whose concert violinist husband cannot endure the thought of their escaping from poverty by promenading her glamor in skimpy costumes.

Ziegfeld Girl

1941

Destry Rides Again poster
7.2

Tom Destry, son of a legendary frontier peacekeeper, doesn’t believe in gunplay. Thus he becomes the object of widespread ridicule when he rides into the wide-open town of Bottleneck, the personal fiefdom of the crooked Kent.

Destry Rides Again

1939

Film credits

1950s · 6 titles

The Sun Shines Bright poster
6.6

With the election approaching, a judge in a Southern town at the turn of the 20th century is involved variously in revealing the real identity of a young woman, reliving his Civil War memories, and preventing the lynching of an African youth.

The Sun Shines Bright

1953

Las Vegas Shakedown poster
5.8

A teacher writing a book about gambling meets a hotel/casino owner threatened by a gangster.

Las Vegas Shakedown

1955

Torpedo Alley poster
10.0

After carrier pilot Lt Bingham is rescued at sea by a submarine when he crashes, he applies for submarine duty. During training he competes with Commander Heywood for the affection of Navy nurse Lt Susan Peabody. Heywood gets a new sub command at the outbreak of the Korean war and Bingham is assigned to his sub.

Torpedo Alley

1953

Father Is a Bachelor poster
7.4

Johnny Rutledge is a drifter who comes to and discovers a cabin in the forest where five kids: January, February, March, April, and May are living without parents. Their parents died a while ago, and they want to keep that secret from the townspeople, especially the young school teacher, Prudence Millett, to avoid being sent to a children's home and eventual separation. Johnny moves in with the kids and poses as their uncle to take care of them while romancing Prudence. But in order to keep the children, he has to get married.

Father Is a Bachelor

1950

Champ for a Day poster
7.0

An up-and-coming heavyweight fighter, George Wilson, arrives in Vulcan City, a small mid-western town over-run by racketeers, to fight a heavily-favored Frankie Sebastian. George arrives but his manager Dolan is nowhere to be found. But Ma and Pa Karlsen, owners of Karlsen's Kozy Kottages motel and restaurant take him under their wing. He meets Miss Gormley who is also there to meet the no-show manager who is blackmailing her brother. Dolan still hasn't arrived by the date of the fight but, to the surprise of sports-promoters Tom Healy and Dominic Guido, George shows up and wins the fight. This wins him the friendship of trainer Al Muntz and the enmity of Willie Foltis, a punchy ex-fighter and a Healy henchman. This leads George to a fight with "Soldier" Freeman, whose manager Scotty Cameron has made arrangements for the favored-Freeman to take a dive, so he and Healy and Guido can clean up betting on the underdog. But Honest George has other plans.

Champ for a Day

1953

A Perilous Journey poster
4.5

A ship of women embarks on a voyage to California. Director R. G. Springsteen's 1953 adventure drama stars Vera Ralston, David Brian, Virginia Grey, Charles Winninger, Veda Ann Borg and Hope Emerson.

A Perilous Journey

1953

1940s · 25 titles

Ziegfeld Girl poster
6.6

Discovery by Flo Ziegfeld changes a girl's life but not necessarily for the better, as three beautiful women find out when they join the spectacle on Broadway: Susan, the singer who must leave behind her ageing vaudevillian father; vulnerable Sheila, the working girl pursued both by a millionaire and by her loyal boyfriend from Flatbush; and the mysterious European beauty Sandra, whose concert violinist husband cannot endure the thought of their escaping from poverty by promenading her glamor in skimpy costumes.

Ziegfeld Girl

1941

Belle of the Yukon poster
5.8

Left by a con man, Belle De Valle, a dancer, finds him again in gold-rush Alaska running an honest casino/dance hall.

Belle of the Yukon

1944

My Love Came Back poster
4.9

Amelia is a gifted violinist who is in danger of quitting the Brissac Academy of Music. Julius arranges to have a scholarship given to her through his employee Tony so that Julius can escort Amelia to every musical event in the city. The trouble begins when he cannot meet her one night and Tony goes in his place. Tony believes that Julius and Amelia are a couple and then son Paul thinks that Tony and Amelia are a couple as he is sending her the money. The worst part is that Amelia might leave classical music for swing music with classmates Dusty, Joy and the band.

My Love Came Back

1940

State Fair poster
6.6

During their annual visit to the Iowa State Fair, the Frake family enjoy many adventures. Proud patriarch Abel has high hopes for his champion swine Blueboy; and his wife Melissa enters the mincemeat and pickles contest...with hilarious results.

State Fair

1945

Flesh and Fantasy poster
7.1

Anthology film of three tales of the supernatural. The first story is set at the Mardi Gras in New Orleans. The second involves a psychic who predicts murder. The third is about a man who literally meets the girl of his dreams.

Flesh and Fantasy

1943

If I Had My Way poster
7.0

Construction worker Buzz Blackwell becomes the guardian of 12-year-old Pat Johnson after one of his buddies, her father, is killed. Buzz and Pat, along with their chum Axel Swensen, head to New York to look for the girl's uncle. The trio soon unexpectedly become owners of a tired restaurant.

If I Had My Way

1940

Living in a Big Way poster
6.0

A World War II pilot (Gene Kelly) comes home to a bride (Marie McDonald) who, spoiled by her father (Charles Winninger), now wants a divorce.

Living in a Big Way

1947

A Lady Takes a Chance poster
5.9

A city girl on a bus tour of the West encounters a handsome rodeo cowboy who helps her forget her city suitors.

A Lady Takes a Chance

1943

Beyond Tomorrow poster
6.1

The ghosts of three elderly industrialists killed in an airplane crash return to Earth to help reunite a young couple whom they initially brought together.

Beyond Tomorrow

1940

Little Nellie Kelly poster
6.8

Nellie Kelly, the daughter of Irish immigrants, patches up differences between her father and maternal grandfather while rising to the top on Broadway.

Little Nellie Kelly

1940

The Inside Story poster
6.6

A collection agent arrives in a small town with $1000 for a local farmer. Whilst waiting for the farmer to arrive the money is put in a safe at a hotel for safe keeping. However, it is removed by mistake and solves a number of financial problems before it is returned.

The Inside Story

1948

She Wouldn't Say Yes poster
6.4

Susan Lane is a gifted psychiatrist, grounded in self-control. Before returning by train to her practice in Chicago, she spends time back East with war veterans, building their self-esteem, but frowning on the impulsive, as represented by a favorite comic strip called "The Nixie." She bumps into Michael Kent, an officer and the comic strip's author. He likes her instantly and she dislikes him. He's headed to the Pacific, sees her on the train, gets off in Chicago, and with her father's help, pursues her and hatches a plan to marry her. Meanwhile, she has her own plan to get rid of him with the help of a blond patient. Will the Nixie get into her psyche?

She Wouldn't Say Yes

1945

Pot o' Gold poster
5.7

Jimmy, the owner of a failed music shop, goes to work with his uncle, the owner of a food factory. Before he gets there, he befriends an Irish family who happens to be his uncle's worst enemy because of their love for music and in-house band who constantly practices. Soon, Jimmy finds himself trying to help the band by getting them gigs and trying to reconcile the family with his uncle.

Pot o' Gold

1941

Coney Island poster
6.3

Set at the turn of the century, smooth talking con man Eddie Johnson weasels his way into a job at friend and rival Joe Rocco's Coney Island night spot. Eddie meets the club's star attraction (and Joe's love interest), Kate Farley, a brash singer with a penchant for flashy clothes. Eddie and Kate argue as he tries to soften her image. Eventually, Kate becomes the toast of Coney Island and the two fall in love. Joe then tries to sabotage their marriage plans.

Coney Island

1943

A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound poster
6.8

This short documentary, presented and directed by MGM sound engineer Douglas Shearer, goes behind the scenes to look at how the sound portion of a talking picture is created.

A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound

1940

Something in the Wind poster
7.0

A grandson of a recently deceased millionaire mistakes a beautiful female disc jockey for her aunt, who once dated the grandfather.

Something in the Wind

1947

Broadway Rhythm poster
6.3

Broadway producer Johnny Demming is only interested in big-name talent and scoffs that his sister, father and other small-time talent could be used in a successful show.

Broadway Rhythm

1944

Hers to Hold poster
7.0

Deanna Durbin is all grown up in Hers to Hold, the unofficial sequel to her "Three Smart Girls" films of the 1930s. Durbin plays Penelope Craig, the starry-eyed daughter of wealthy Judson and Dorothy Craig (Charles Winninger, Nella Walker). Developing a crush on much-older playboy Bill Morley (Joseph Cotton), Penelope stops at nothing to land the elusive Morley as her husband. Highlights include Durbin's renditions of "Begin the Beguine" and the "Seguidilla" from Carmen, and a captivating sequence that includes highlights from Durbin's earlier films, presented as home movies!

Hers to Hold

1943

Give My Regards to Broadway poster
7.5

A family vaudeville act is threatened when the eldest son is offered a contract to play baseball. Musical.

Give My Regards to Broadway

1948

Mr. Gardenia Jones poster
5.0

Documentary short film depicting the work of the United Service Organizations (USO) in providing recreational and morale-boosting services for American troops.

Mr. Gardenia Jones

1942

My Life with Caroline poster
6.8

A man thinks his high-spirited wife is cheating on him.

My Life with Caroline

1941

Sunday Dinner for a Soldier poster
5.5

A poor family in Florida saves all the money they can in order to plan something special for the soldier they've invited to Sunday dinner. They don't realize that their request to invite the soldier never got mailed. On the day of the scheduled dinner, another soldier is brought to their home and love soon blossoms between him and Tessa, the young woman who runs the home.

Sunday Dinner for a Soldier

1944

Friendly Enemies poster
6.0

During World War I, two German men friends who emigrated to the US and become millionaires agree on most things, with one major difference: one has taken the US side against Germany regarding the war, while the other stays stubbornly loyal to "the old country". His stubbornness results in tragedy for his old friend and a lesson in the consequences of blind loyalty.

Friendly Enemies

1942

Lover Come Back poster
7.1

A wife decides to take revenge when she learns her husband has been unfaithful.

Lover Come Back

1946

The Get-Away poster
6.0

A jailed cop befriends a mob chieftain and stages a breakout with him.

The Get-Away

1941

1930s · 26 titles

Destry Rides Again poster
7.2

Tom Destry, son of a legendary frontier peacekeeper, doesn’t believe in gunplay. Thus he becomes the object of widespread ridicule when he rides into the wide-open town of Bottleneck, the personal fiefdom of the crooked Kent.

Destry Rides Again

1939

Fighting Caravans poster
5.0

Clint Belmet is a bit of a firebrand and is sentenced to at least 30 days in jail, but his partners, Bill Jackson and Jim Bridger talk a sympathetic Frenchwoman named Felice into telling the bumbling, drunken marshal that Clint had married her the previous night. Clint is released so he can accompany Felice on the wagon train heading west to California.

Fighting Caravans

1931

Café Metropole poster
7.2

An American posing as a Russian prince woos a visiting Ohio heiress.

Café Metropole

1937

Nothing Sacred poster
6.3

When a small-town girl is incorrectly diagnosed with a rare, deadly disease, an unknowing newspaper columnist turns her into a national heroine.

Nothing Sacred

1937

The Bad Sister poster
5.6

Marianne falls in love with con man Valentine who uses their relation to get her father's endorsement on a money-raising scheme. He runs off with the money and Marianne, later dumping her. Her sister Laura loves Dr. Lindley although she knows he loves Marianne. Marianne returns and marries a wealthy young man, and Lindley turns his love toward Laura.

The Bad Sister

1931

Babes in Arms poster
6.4

Mickey Moran, son of two vaudeville veterans, decides to put up his own vaudeville show with his girlfriend Patsy Barton. But child actress Rosalie wants to make a comeback and replace Patsy both professionally and as Mickey's girl.

Babes in Arms

1939

Night Nurse poster
6.8

Lora Hart manages to land a job in a hospital as a trainee nurse. Upon completion of her training she goes to work as a night nurse for two small children who seem to be very sick, though something much more sinister is going on.

Night Nurse

1931

You Can't Have Everything poster
6.5

Starving playwright Judith Wells meets playboy writer of musicals, George Macrae, over a plate of stolen spaghetti. He persuades producer Sam Gordon to buy her ridiculous play "North Winds" just to improve his romantic chances, and even persuades her to sing in the sort of show she pretends to despise. But just when their romance is going well, Gordon's former flame Lulu reveals the ace up her sleeve...

You Can't Have Everything

1937

The Sin of Madelon Claudet poster
5.9

Out of jail for a crime she did not commit, Madelon turns to prostitution and thievery to send her illegitimate son to medical school.

The Sin of Madelon Claudet

1931

Soup to Nuts poster
5.9

Mr. Schmidt's costume store is bankrupt because he spends his time on Rube Goldberg-style inventions; the creditors send a young manager who falls for Schmidt's niece Louise, but she'll have none of him. Schmidt's friends Ted, Queenie, and some goofy firemen try to help out; things come to a slapstick head when Louise needs rescuing from a fire.

Soup to Nuts

1930

The Go-Getter poster
6.2

A Navy veteran with one leg fights to make himself a success.

The Go-Getter

1937

Show Boat poster
6.7

Sheltered beauty Magnolia Hawkes takes over as the leading lady on a Mississippi riverboat show when mixed-race Julie and her white husband are forced out of town by a prejudiced sheriff. Charismatic opportunist Gaylord Ravenal wins Magnolia's heart, but his gambling losses threaten to ruin their chances for a happy marriage.

Show Boat

1936

White Fang poster
7.0

A woman and her weakling brother inherit a mine. When the brother commits suicide the guide is accused of murder.

White Fang

1936

Three Smart Girls Grow Up poster
7.2

Three sisters who believe life is going to be easy, now that their parents are back together, until one sister falls in love with another's fiancé, and the youngest sister plays matchmaker.

Three Smart Girls Grow Up

1939

You're a Sweetheart poster
4.6

A Broadway producer is in a quandary when he discovers that the opening of his newest big production coincides with that of a major charity event. He despairs that the show will close after opening night until an ingenious writer suggests that he simply give the production snob-appeal by making the tickets nearly impossible to get by fabricating a story that they were all purchased by a flamboyant Texas oil baron who is totally besotted by the show's star.

You're a Sweetheart

1937

Every Day's a Holiday poster
5.7

In turn-of-the-century New York City, con artist Peaches O'Day befriends Captain Jim McCarey, a cop who must turn her in unless she leaves town. The clever Peaches returns transformed as sultry brunette and Parisian sensation Mademoiselle Fifi. After catching her show, a crooked mayoral candidate tries to shut it down when Peaches demurely declines his romantic overtures. McCarey jumps in the race for mayor, and the loyal Peaches fervently campaigns for him.

Every Day's a Holiday

1937

Hard to Get poster
6.3

When spoiled young heiress Maggie Richards tries to charge some gasoline at an auto camp run by Bill Davis, he makes her work out her bill by making beds. Resolving to get even, she pretends to have forgiven him, and sends him to her father to get financing for a plan Bill has. What happens next was not part of her original revenge plan.

Hard to Get

1938

God's Gift to Women poster
4.8

A notorious womanizer sets his sights on a pretty American tourist, only to be told by his doctor that he must give up all romance for his health.

God's Gift to Women

1931

Husband's Holiday poster
9.0

A stuffy family man cheats on his wife but she refuses him a divorce at first. Meanwhile his mistress resents her second class status.

Husband's Holiday

1931

Gun Smoke poster
6.7

Following a killing and robbery in a big city back east, gang leader Kedge Darvas and some of his henchies take a train to a small western town in Idaho, with intentions of hiding out there until things cool down back in Chi or NYC, or wherever they lammed from.They are welcomed with open arms by the citizens under the impression they are there as capital investors with money to spend. Before long, Darvas figures the town is ripe for the taking and sends word for reinforcements, and each arriving train unloads a few suits and snappy-brim hats.Then they get rough, kill Sheriff Posey Meed and rile up the citizens, led by cowhand Brad Farley, who had Darvas spotted for a wrong number just by the way he made moves on Sue Vancey.

Gun Smoke

1931

Barricade poster
6.5

In China, a singer and a journalist meet while traveling on a train attacked by bandits.

Barricade

1939

Goodbye Broadway poster
10.0

Pat and Molly Malloy, once famed vaudeville and Broadway performers, arrive to play the small town of Hamilton, Conn. with a troupe of dancers, singers, a trained dog and an educated seal. Harry Clark, the clerk at the rundown Swanzey Hotel, insults Pat and the latter uses the $4000, that he and Molly have been saving for years to buy a retirement farm, to buy the hotel so he can fire Harry. Local skinflint, J.A. Higgins wants the hotel as he knows the state has intentions to buy it for a museum, but Pat won't sell.

Goodbye Broadway

1938

Three Smart Girls poster
6.5

The three Craig sisters – Penny, Kay, and Joan – go to New York to stop their divorced father from marrying gold digger Donna Lyons and reunite him with their mother.

Three Smart Girls

1936

Woman Chases Man poster
5.9

A pretty architect devises a wild scheme to convince a handsome millionaire to fund a new housing development project.

Woman Chases Man

1937

Flying High poster
5.8

An inventor and his lanky girlfriend set an altitude record in his winged contraption.

Flying High

1931

Children of Dreams poster
7.0

One day, Molly Standing is picking apples in her father's apple orchard in California, with her friend Gertie (Marion Byron), when they meet two boys, Tommy Melville and Gus Schultz. Molly falls in love with Tommy while Gertie falls in love with Gus. They plan a double wedding.

Children of Dreams

1931

Series credits