Michael Whalen

Joseph Kenneth Shovlin (June 30, 1902 – April 14, 1974), known professionally as Michael Whalen, was an American actor who starred in motion pictures and television, including Son of a Badman and Wee Willie Winkie.

The young Joe Shovlin was headed for a career in retail; he managed a Woolworth's department store in his native Pennsylvania until he resigned the post in 1925. A visit to New York led to his working on the stage and in radio; he sang on stations WGBS and WABC. He moved to Los Angeles in 1933 to continue his stage career, and was signed as a potential leading man by 20th Century-Fox in 1935. He adopted his mother's maiden name Whalen professionally.

Fox cast Whalen as the juvenile lead in four big-budget "A" pictures, where the darkly handsome actor registered pleasantly but not outstandingly. From then on Fox gave Whalen leading roles in lower-budget "B" pictures, in which he worked steadily. During the 1938-39 season, Whalen starred in three "Roving Reporters" features as crime-busting newspaperman Barney Callahan, but the series didn't catch on (the advertising for these films actually emphasized the supporting character players over Whalen). Whalen left Fox in 1939.

He freelanced at smaller studios for the next few years, before quitting the movies and returning to the Broadway stage. He returned to Hollywood in 1947 and worked in "B" pictures, mostly for producer Robert L. Lippert. With the major studios cutting back on their low-budget productions, many established players found themselves underemployed. Lippert could sign them economically for flat fees, giving his modest productions some luster for the marquee. Whalen also worked in television throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s.

Selected filmography