![Harry James](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/5eborPUQeLIeYlvOULPgM26uZvY.jpg)
Harry James
Harry James was born in a rundown hotel next to the city jail in Albany, Georgia. His mother and father were members of a circus - she as a trapeze artist and he a band leader - with the Mighty Haag Circus. At seven, they settled in Beaumont, Texas where Harry learned yo play drums. By twelve, he was playing trumpet in the Christy Brothers circus band. In 1936 James joined Ben Pollack's band, soon leaving to lead the brass section of Benny Goodman's band. He even once applied to Lawrence Welk's band but was turned down because they said he played too loud and it was not Welk's style. After three years with Goodman, he wanted to leave, and with Goodman's backing, he formed the Music Makers. In 1943 he married pinup queen Betty Grable, his second of four wives. He had earlier married and divorced Louise Tobin, a singer. Grable kept appearing in movies and Harry kept playing while they raised horses. He made his debut in Philadelphia at the Ben Franklin Hotel and soon was a nationwide favorite of dance lovers and jazz addicts, rocking the rafters at the Hollywood Paladium, Chicago's famous College Inn at the Hotel Sherman, Frank Dailey's Meadowbrook in Cedar Cove, NJ, and then onto New York City. It was the Lincoln Hotel in NYC that the Music Makers called home, but James also starred at the Paramount Theater in the spring of 1943, with thousands of teenagers flocking to see him. His version of You Made Me Love You was a big hit and a favorite of many through the war years. James was a great discoverer of talent, finding Frank Sinatra working as a waiter in a New Jersey restaurant and giving him a job singing in his band. Dick Haymes, Kitty Kallen, Connie Haines and Helen Forrest can all thank James for giving them their first real break. In 1963 his band was featured at Disneyland, still known as the Music Makers. He played his last gig at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles on June 26, 1983, just a few days before dying of lymphatic cancer.
Known For | Acting |
---|---|
Most Rating | 2.791 |
Birthday | 1916-03-15 |
Place of Birth | Albany, Georgia, USA |
Also Known As | Harry Haag James, |
![The Ladies Man](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/c15TotHYrXPZSzjZCBfbup3fz4V.jpg)
1961
![The Ladies Man](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/c15TotHYrXPZSzjZCBfbup3fz4V.jpg)
The Ladies Man
6.3/115
After his girl leaves him for someone else, Herbert gets really depressed and starts searching for a job. He finally finds one in a big house which is...
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The Ladies Man
![Springtime in the Rockies](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/sudJK7ZCwvgUHow7FpH14wLe3Vc.jpg)
1942
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Springtime in the Rockies
6.7/12
Broadway partners Vicky Lane and Dan Christy have a tiff over Christy's womanizing. Jealous Vicky takes up with her old flame and former dance partner...
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Springtime in the Rockies
![Hollywood Hotel](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/67WhlzMM4u847dl45lMKN3THmg7.jpg)
1938
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Hollywood Hotel
5.2/9
After losing a coveted role in an upcoming film to another actress, screen queen Mona Marshall (Lola Lane) protests by refusing to appear at her curre...
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Hollywood Hotel
![Carnegie Hall](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/3ZJoP8XSzQET6vdUxEHpKo4lh5K.jpg)
1947
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Carnegie Hall
5.2/5
A young Irishwoman comes to the United States to live and work with her mother as a cleaning lady at Carnegie Hall. She becomes attached to the place...
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![Do You Love Me](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/mOLC3dhy5az6gVOqplFxAmFxn7n.jpg)
1946
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Do You Love Me
4.3/3
Katharine Hilliard, mousy dean of a stuffy music school, meets and is insulted by swing band leader Barry Clayton on a train. To "show" him she takes...
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Do You Love Me
![On Our Merry Way](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/r7F4aCepd6bF25XbY0UX8xCTEEc.jpg)
1948
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On Our Merry Way
5.5/14
Oliver Pease gets a dose of courage from his wife Martha and tricks the editor of the paper (where he writes lost pet notices) into assigning him the...
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On Our Merry Way
![If I'm Lucky](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/9iDC1U4CDtkNDUrBe3JRCRtxRCs.jpg)
1946
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If I'm Lucky
6.5/2
Out of work swing band maneuvers a gig working for a political campaign, by drawing in and entertaining prospective voters at rallies. The candidate i...
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![Swing Fever](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/3LVnKs7j1wY0kLjx5Ax2nJLnT2Q.jpg)
1943
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Swing Fever
5/3
Comedy about a bandleader with hypnotic powers.
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Swing Fever
![I'll Get By](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/t8mwwnBnWUAAOwBMBfMYgpAu8Ns.jpg)
1950
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I'll Get By
5.5/5
I'll Get By is an updated remake of the 1940 20th Century-Fox musical Tin Pan Alley. William Lundigan and Dennis Day play William Spencer and Freddie...
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![The Shining Future](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/4NA3Gz1ALgHwHGlCTtUkneTzNbh.jpg)
1944
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The Shining Future
4/2
Documentary short film intended to drum up support for the Fifth War Loan Campaign. It shows a happy family in the future of 1960 enjoying the prosper...
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1944
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Two Girls and a Sailor
5.7/10
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![Bathing Beauty](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/9vqXU1hFpyLkJK4Wvt3bfUVMbqI.jpg)
1944
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Bathing Beauty
5.7/28
After breaking up with her fiancé, a gym teacher returns to work at a women's college, but a legal loophole allows him to enroll as one of her student...
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Bathing Beauty
![Best Foot Forward](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/vBFaaBxXwRRj55yhzlHaC89xE3I.jpg)
1943
![Best Foot Forward](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/vBFaaBxXwRRj55yhzlHaC89xE3I.jpg)
Best Foot Forward
6/4
Bud Hooper, a cadet at Winsocki Military Academy, sends an invitation to movie star Lucille Ball to come to Winsocki's big dance. Ball's publicity-hun...
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Best Foot Forward
![The Opposite Sex](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/piXpVWU67Y9XXJKSHAlP95vd3EG.jpg)
1956
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The Opposite Sex
5.2/20
Former radio singer Kay learns from her gossipy friends that her husband, Steve, has had an affair with chorus girl Crystal. Devastated, Kay tries to...
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![Private Buckaroo](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/fvtKHsB9ub5wqAA9lOb3L3m0Xms.jpg)
1942
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Private Buckaroo
5.4/6
The film tells the story of army recruits following basic training, with the Andrew Sisters attending USO dances. The film is a mixture of comedy and...
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![Too Many Girls](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/yUgJt3m2LAgL6rP2FM8XldFD4ko.jpg)
1940
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Too Many Girls
5.7/11
Mr. Casey's daughter, Connie, wants to go to Pottawatomie College and without her knowledge, he sends four football players as her bodyguards. The col...
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Too Many Girls
![Syncopation](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/7j3uU9FqDUNsADkpZ51NtB0Z2M4.jpg)
1942
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Syncopation
6.8/4
A young trumpeter rises through the jazz world and finds love.
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![The Sting II](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/oWySCxbLK4vB7BY5CzonJZuLYa7.jpg)
1983
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The Sting II
4.6/42
Hooker and Gondorf pull a con on Macalinski, an especially nasty mob boss with the help of Veronica, a new grifter. They convince this new victim that...
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The Sting II
![That's Entertainment! III](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/g6urKxs7CnXe3TNcKGkS8VVFlxh.jpg)
1994
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That's Entertainment! III
6.9/33
Some of MGM'S musical stars review the studios history of musicals. From The Hollywood Revue of 1929 to Brigadoon, from the first musical talkies to G...
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That's Entertainment! III
![Outlaw Queen](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/6E0NFspPzVi6ofTUGM759mJ80FJ.jpg)
1957
![Outlaw Queen](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/6E0NFspPzVi6ofTUGM759mJ80FJ.jpg)
Outlaw Queen
0/0
Christina, the daughter of a Greek-immigrant family who does not share their belief that a woman's place is with her husband at the fireside, is a tri...
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![How to Marry a Millionaire](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/dFwefYyEOOZaWVn15xGY6CbYYJ2.jpg)
1953
![How to Marry a Millionaire](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/dFwefYyEOOZaWVn15xGY6CbYYJ2.jpg)
How to Marry a Millionaire
6.792/506
Three women set out to find eligible millionaires to marry, but find true love in the process.
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![The All-Star Bond Rally](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/zweNhNOUw1R1puaqv5IgOSZpdNl.jpg)
1945
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The All-Star Bond Rally
5/2
Inspirational documentary short film featuring Hollywood stars promoting the sales of War Bonds through songs and skits. Preserved by the Academy Fil...
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The All-Star Bond Rally
![That's Entertainment, Part II](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/yuvgOvG0OSOS33EW1L42ZM7PEI0.jpg)
1976
![That's Entertainment, Part II](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/yuvgOvG0OSOS33EW1L42ZM7PEI0.jpg)
That's Entertainment, Part II
6.8/33
Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire present more golden moments from the MGM film library, this time including comedy and drama as well as classic musical num...
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That's Entertainment, Part II
![This Is Bob Hope...](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/8jy1ZfSV5YKyLc98io70Lk6kPEn.jpg)
2017
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This Is Bob Hope...
8/1
During his career, Bob Hope was the only performer to achieve top-rated success in every form of mass entertainment. American Masters explores the ent...
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This Is Bob Hope...
![L'empreinte rouge](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/jIptRLEIO4iYXLezp3QyQDiqVO.jpg)
1937
![L'empreinte rouge](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/jIptRLEIO4iYXLezp3QyQDiqVO.jpg)
L'empreinte rouge
0/0
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L'empreinte rouge
![Swing Fever](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/3LVnKs7j1wY0kLjx5Ax2nJLnT2Q.jpg)
1943
![Swing Fever](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/3LVnKs7j1wY0kLjx5Ax2nJLnT2Q.jpg)
Swing Fever
5/3
Comedy about a bandleader with hypnotic powers.
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Swing Fever
![Frank Sinatra: The First 40 Years](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/hy7NkyDm7oRBPPE9ySxzF63miOq.jpg)
1979
![Frank Sinatra: The First 40 Years](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/hy7NkyDm7oRBPPE9ySxzF63miOq.jpg)
Frank Sinatra: The First 40 Years
0/0
Gala tribute to the Chairman of the Board.
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![The Benny Goodman Story](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/pbxZjnYn2hcwHb4Vr20wu0k2HYa.jpg)
1956
![The Benny Goodman Story](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/pbxZjnYn2hcwHb4Vr20wu0k2HYa.jpg)
The Benny Goodman Story
6.4/15
Young Benny Goodman is taught clarinet by a music professor. He is advised to play whichever kind of music he likes best, but to make a living, Benny...
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![Showbiz Goes to War](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/jMcC78DYOVvXuUvoTRBZI8i9vFW.jpg)
1982
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Showbiz Goes to War
10/1
While a few Hollywood celebrities such as James Stewart and Clark Gable saw combat during World War II, the majority used their talents to rally the A...
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