Joe Devlin

Christopher Joseph Devlin (February 7, 1894 – October 1, 1973), better known as Joe Devlin, was a vaudeville and burlesque performer, and American actor with over 170 film and television credits.

A singer, comedian, and actor, he toured extensively in vaudeville and burlesque between 1911 and 1937. Devlin was a member of the Minsky Winter Garden house company in New York City for a few seasons. He relocated to California in 1937 and worked as a character actor in film and TV until 1967, often playing henchmen, bartenders, and cops. He had a co-starring role in Dick Tracy TV series in the early 1950s.

Early life Devlin was born on February 7, 1894, in a tenement on Vandam Street in Manhattan, New York, the son of Anna (Bird) Devlin and John Francis Devlin, a fireman. His father was Irish, from County Meath, and his mother was of Irish and English ancestry. Devlin attended NYC Public School #8 and LaSalle Academy. and briefly took a job with the McKinley Music Company in 1918, then the world’s largest producer of sheet music.

Vaudeville Devlin entered vaudeville in 1918 and toured for nearly 20 years.

In the fall of 1920 he and his girlfriend, Iva Boudry, toured extensively on the Orpheum Circuit through the Dakotas and Indiana, where Joe performed as a blackface singer, using the "skill" he learned in the Cohan and Harris Minstrels show.

He also performed at summertime attractions including aboard the SS Canadiana in the summer of 1921 and a Detroit amusement park in the summer of 1922.

His vaudeville partners included yodeler Paul Van Dyke, with whom he performed as Van Dyke & Devlin and the Billboard.

His last burlesque appearance was at the Gayety in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on December 8, 1937.

Broadway Joe played Vincent Jones as C. Joseph Devlin in Street Scene at the Ambassador Theater from December 1929 to the show's closing in 1930. He reprised the role for the touring production in 1930. He and Harry Rose tried to launch a radio program in the fall of 1934. He appeared on Joe Penner's The Park Avenue Penners in 1938, broadcast on CBS from Los Angeles.

Film and television Devlin started his acting career in 1938, and was under contract to Warner Brothers in the late 1930s. appearing in films such as Held for Ransom, King of the Underworld, Chasing Trouble, Tight Shoes, Murder in the Big House, Sweethearts of the U.S.A. and Shoot to Kill.

He also appeared in TV series like Front Page Detective, My Hero, The Whistler, Damon Runyon Theater and Hey, Jeannie! among others.

Devlin was famous for his resemblance to Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, whom he played in three films during World War II. and to Christopher Mathews in 1918 when he entered vaudeville.

Devlin married Anna Helen Woods in Manhattan on October 1, 1913 (as Christopher JA Devlyn), with whom he had a daughter, Rita Devlin (1914–1914). Joe was also in a relationship with Iva Mae Boudry from 1918 to 1922, and the couple had two sons, Robert "Bob" Mathews and William "Bill" Mathews. Joe and Iva were vaudeville performers and Iva was a tea leaf reader. His second marriage was to his long-time partner Pearl Christina White in Sherman Oaks, California on December 27, 1952.

Joe built a house at 4248 Vantage Avenue in Studio City in 1940, where he lived until his death. The house was torn down in 2018.

He was friends with Joe Yule, Sr., the father of MGM child actor Mickey Rooney.

Death Devlin died on October 1, 1973, in Burbank, California, at the age of 79.

Filmography Film Held for Ransom (1938) – Mark (uncredited) Racket Busters (1938) – Truck Driver (uncredited) Paroled from the Big House (1938) – Jed Cross Tenth Avenue Kid (1938) – Card player (uncredited) Gangster's Boy (1938) – Jim – Cop (uncredited) Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) – Gangster (uncredited) Up the River (1938) – Football player (uncredited) Sweethearts (1938) – New York Taxi Driver (uncredited) King of the Underworld (1939) – Porky The Oklahoma Kid (1939) – Keely – Bartender The Mystery of Mr. Wong (1939) – Police Lt. George Devlin The Adventures of Jane Arden (1939) – Vanders' Henchman #2 (uncredited) Outside These Walls (1939) – Circulation Man (uncredited) Panama Lady (1939) – Joe – New York Bartender (uncredited) Torchy Runs for Mayor (1939) – Stone – Dolan Henchman (uncredited) Another Thin Man (1939) – Barney – Macfay's Bodyguard (uncredited) Hell's Kitchen (1939) – Nails – a Henchman (uncredited) Waterfront (1939) – Heintzie – Committee Man (uncredited) Calling All Marines (1939) – Dutch No Place to Go (1939) – Spud Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) – Waiter (uncredited) Beware Spooks! (1939) – Shooting Gallery Man (uncredited) The Roaring Twenties (1939) – Order-Taker (uncredited) Invisible Stripes (1939) – Mug Who Brings Drink to Chuck (uncredited) The Shadow (1940, Serial) – Henchman (uncredited) Chasing Trouble (1940) – Cassidy, Motorcycle Cop Three Cheers for the Irish (1940) – Man in Bar with Callagan (uncredited) Half a Sinner (1940) – Steve Terry and the Pirates (1940, Serial) as Henchman (uncredited) Two Girls on Broadway (1940) – Taxi Driver (uncredited) Gangs of Chicago (1940) as Lugo, Matty's butler (uncredited) A Fugitive from Justice (1940) – Hinky-Dink Millionaires in Prison (1940) – Vince Connell (uncredited) Carolina Moon (1940) – Racetrack Bookie (uncredited) They Drive by Night (1940) – Fatso (uncredited) Golden Gloves (1940) – Cloudy Maple (uncredited) Strike Up the Band (1940) – 3 Balls 10¢ Attendant (uncredited) The Green Hornet Strikes Again! (1941, Serial) – Joe Dolan – Henchman Maisie Was a Lady (1941) – Man with Seal (uncredited) The Great Mr. Nobody (1941) – Used Car Dealer (uncredited) A Man Betrayed (1941) – Tramp at Soup Kitchen (uncredited) The Penalty (1941) – Shorty (uncredited) Sis Hopkins (1941) – Police Detective (uncredited) The Flame of New Orleans (1941) – Fourth Sailor (uncredited) The People vs. Dr. Kildare (1941) – Cook at Mike's (uncredited) Country Fair (1941) – (uncredited) Tight Shoes (1941) – Truck Driver (uncredited) Whistling in the Dark (1941) – Taxi Driver (uncredited) Manpower (1941) – Bartender (uncredited) Honky Tonk (1941) – Masher in Saloon (uncredited) They Died with Their Boots On (1941) – Joe (uncredited) Shadow of the Thin Man (1941) – Mug Starting Fight at Wrestling Match (uncredited) Unholy Partners (1941) – Airplane Mechanic (uncredited) Steel Against the Sky (1941) – Ed (scenes deleted) True to the Army (1942) – Waiter (uncredited) Shepherd of the Ozarks (1942) – Louie Murder in the Big House (1942) – Mulligan – Motorcycle Policeman (uncredited) Larceny, Inc. (1942) – Spud the Umpire (uncredited) Syncopation (1942) – House Detective (uncredited) Wings for the Eagle (1942) – Service Station Owner (uncredited) The Old Homestead (1942) – Henchman Geetus (uncredited) The Devil with Hitler (1942, Short) – Benito Mussolini Gentleman Jim (1942) – Hogan (uncredited) Fall In (1942) – Sergeant (uncredited) They Got Me Covered (1943) – Mussolini (uncredited) Slightly Dangerous (1943) – Painter (uncredited) Taxi, Mister (1943) – Henchman Stretch Lady of Burlesque (1943) – Detective (uncredited) That Nazty Nuisance (1943) – Benito Mussolini Hi Diddle Diddle (1943) – Dan Hannigan The Phantom (1943, Serial) – Singapore Smith (uncredited) The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944) – Benito Mussolini (uncredited) Sweethearts of the U.S.A. (1944) – Boss – 1st Robber See Here, Private Hargrove (1944) – Mess Hall Sergeant (uncredited) Gambler's Choice (1944) – 'Studs' Franco (uncredited) Mr. Skeffington (1944) – Boat Employee (uncredited) Sensations of 1945 (1944) – Silas Hawkins (uncredited) Johnny Doesn't Live Here Any More (1944) – Ice Man (uncredited) Delinquent Daughters (1944) – Detective Hanahan Dixie Jamboree (1944) – Police Sgt. My Buddy (1944) – Nicky Piastro Mystery of the River Boat (1944, Serial) – Louis Schaber The Woman in the Window (1944) – Toll Collector on Henry Hudson Parkway Brenda Starr, Reporter (1945, Serial) – Police Sgt. Tim Brown (uncredited) Roughly Speaking (1945) – Man at Shipyard (uncredited) Without Love (1945) – Soldier (uncredited) The Master Key (1945, Serial) – Bauer (uncredited) Pillow to Post (1945) – Al – Army Sergeant in Jeep (uncredited) Bedside Manner (1945) – Augustus (uncredited) Captain Eddie (1945) – Brewery Worker (uncredited) Boston Blackie's Rendezvous (1945) – Cab Driver Steve Caveroni (uncredited) The Shanghai Cobra (1945) – Taylor Her Highness and the Bellboy (1945) – Bartender (uncredited) Abbott and Costello in Hollywood (1945) – Kelly – Bartender (uncredited) Scarlet Street (1945) – Joe Williams, Morning World (uncredited) The Hoodlum Saint (1946) – Bartender (scenes deleted) The Bachelor's Daughters (1946) – Briggs (uncredited) Criminal Court (1946) – Clark J. 'Brownie' Brown Bringing Up Father (1946) – Casey – the Hotel Superintendent San Quentin (1946) – 'Broadway' Johnson The Man I Love (1947) – Waiter (uncredited) The Mighty McGurk (1947) – Dog Man (uncredited) That Way with Women (1947) – Police Desk Sergeant Shoot to Kill (1947) – Smokey Fun on a Weekend (1947) – Clothing Shop Proprietor (uncredited) Body and Soul (1947) – Prince (uncredited) Always Together (1947) – First Cab Driver (uncredited) My Wild Irish Rose (1947) – Man in Olympic Theatre Balco (uncredited) Killer McCoy (1947) – Cigar Smoking Fight Fan (uncredited) If You Knew Susie (1948) – Silent Cy (uncredited) The Enchanted Valley (1948) – Bugs Mason Bodyguard (1948) – Detective Sgt. Burch (uncredited) A Song Is Born (1948) – Adams' Henchman (uncredited) Blood on the Moon (1948) – Barney – Bartender (uncredited) El Paso (1949) – Bartender at Casa Grande (uncredited) A Kiss in the Dark (1949) – Stage Electrician (uncredited) Night Unto Night (1949) – Joe, Truckman (uncredited) Mighty Joe Young (1949) – Reporter (uncredited) Jiggs and Maggie in Jackpot Jitters (1949) – Casey (uncredited) The Jackie Robinson Story (1950) – Tough Lodge Members in Stands (uncredited) Our Very Own (1950) – Card Player (uncredited) Pretty Baby (1950) – Waiter (uncredited) Insurance Investigator (1951) – Malone's Henchman (uncredited) Stop That Cab (1951) – Short Cop (uncredited) All That I Have (1951) – Louie Lumpkin On Dangerous Ground (1951) – Bartender (uncredited) Double Dynamite (1951) – Frankie Boy (uncredited) Bitter Creek (1954) – Pat – Bartender Silver Lode (1954) – Wait Little (uncredited) Prince of Players (1955) – Theatre Shill (uncredited) Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops (1955) – Mike – Policeman (uncredited) Tennessee's Partner (1955) – Prendergast While the City Sleeps (1956) – Newspaper Teletype Operator (uncredited) Three for Jamie Dawn (1956) – 1st Jury Room Guard (uncredited) Shake, Rattle & Rock! (1956) – Squad Car Officer The Wayward Bus (1957) – Bus Dispatcher (uncredited) The Restless Breed (1957) – Morton (uncredited) Calypso Heat Wave (1957) – Room Service Waiter (uncredited) Up in Smoke (1957) – Al The Gift of Love (1958) – Bar & Grill Waiter (uncredited) Hell's Five Hours (1958) – Cook (uncredited) The Decks Ran Red (1958) – Crewman (uncredited) The Last Hurrah (1958) – Man (uncredited) The Ugly Dachshund (1966) – Dog Owner (uncredited) The Last of the Secret Agents? (1966) – Waiter-Spy (uncredited) Good Times (1967) – Bartender (final film role)

Television Front Page Detective – Death of a Hero (1951) TV Episode .... uncredited My Hero – Horse Trail (1952) TV Episode .... Spike The Abbott and Costello Show – Las Vegas (1953) TV Episode .... Bit – From Bed to Worse (1954) TV Episode .... Man – Barber Lou (1954) TV Episode .... Motorcycle Cop (uncredited) I Married Joan – Party Line (1954) TV Episode .... uncredited – Two Saint Bernards (1954) TV Episode .... Police Dispatcher The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin – Rin Tin Tin, Outlaw (1954) TV Episode .... Major Phillips Topper – Topper's Amnesia (1955) TV Episode .... Max TV Reader's Digest – How Charlie Faust Won a Pennant for the Giants (1955) TV Episode .... uncredited The Whistler – Death Sentence (1955) TV Episode .... Bartender My Little Margie – Buried Treasure (1953) TV Episode .... Joe – Margie's Elopement (1955) TV Episode .... Mr. Rivers Celebrity Playhouse – Bachelor Husband (1956) TV Episode .... Phone Man Damon Runyon Theater – Tobias the Terrible (1955) TV Episode .... Happy – Blonde Mink (1955) TV Episode .... uncredited – Cleo (1956) TV Episode .... uncredited – The Pigeon Gets Plucked (1956) TV Episode .... uncredited NBC Matinee Theater – Statute of Limitations (1956) TV Episode .... Mervin Our Miss Brooks – Geraldine (1956) TV Episode .... Policeman Hey, Jeannie! – Jeannie's Here (1956) TV Episode .... N.Y. policeman The Life of Riley – Riley, the Animal Lover (1953) TV Episode .... Policeman – Vacation Plans (1957) TV Episode .... The Guard Death Valley Days – Solomon in All His Glory (1953) TV Episode .... Paddy the Bartender (uncredited) – Quong Kee (1957) TV Episode .... Charlie Moran Wanted Dead or Alive – Baa Baa (1961) TV Episode .... Larry Holiday Lodge – Wanted: Two Recreation Directors (1961) TV Episode .... Smitty The Dick Van Dyke Show – Forty-Four Tickets (1961) TV Episode .... Shabby Man The Hathaways – The Paint Job (1962) TV Episode .... Gateman Gunsmoke – Catawomper (1962) TV Episode .... Jester – Reprisal (1962) TV Episode .... Dan Binny – The Boys (1962) TV Episode .... Drummer The Danny Thomas Show – The Baby Hates Charley (1962) TV Episode .... Policeman Dennis the Menace – Poor Mr. Wilson (1962) TV Episode .... Needy Man #1 (uncredited) Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre – The Square Peg (1964) TV Episode .... Zakaris