| Year |
Movie |
Role |
Other notes |
| 1930 |
King of Jazz |
cowboy (walk-on) |
Cromwell can be seen in the Song of the Dawn number. |
| 1930 |
Tol'able David |
David |
Directed by John Blystone, starred opposite Noah Beery Sr. Silent star Richard Barthelmess, who gave his blessing to Cromwell's portrayal, was the original David in the 1921 classic directed by Henry King. Gary Cooper was also originally offered this role and very interested but Adolph Zukor at Paramount Pictures refused to loan out his top star to Columbia, then perceived as a "lower-class" studio (according to Larry Swindell's bio of Cooper, The Last Hero, Doubleday, 1980). |
| 1931 |
Fifty Fathoms Deep |
x |
First of several pairings with Jack Holt for Columbia. |
| 1931 |
Shanghaied Love |
x |
Third feature for Columbia, co-starred Sally Blane and again, Noah Beery Sr. |
| 1931 |
Maker of Men |
x |
Jack Holt co-starred and a very young Marion Morrison aka John Wayne appeared with his Trojan Football teammates; Gridiron scenes filmed at USC. |
| 1932 |
The Age of Consent |
Mike |
Cromwell's first loanout to RKO; this film was directed by Gregory LaCava and was the screen debut for Mildred Shay. |
| 1932 |
Emma |
Ronnie |
Cromwell was on loan out to MGM for director Clarence Brown; this production's cast also included Jean Hersholt. |
| 1932 |
Tom Brown of Culver |
x |
Universal's William Wyler directed Cromwell here along with H.B. Warner, Slim Summerville, Tom Brown, Ben Alexander, and Sidney Toler. Also, Tyrone Power's first onscreen appearance is as a bit player in a scene opposite Cromwell in this film. |
| 1932 |
The Strange Love of Molly Louvain |
James "Jimmy" Cook, the bellhop |
Director: Michael Curtiz for Warner Bros., with Ann Dvorak, Lee Tracy, Guy Kibbee, and Charles Middleton. |
| 1932 |
That's My Boy |
x |
Another football flick wherein Cromwell plays opposite Mae Marsh, Dorothy Jordan, and Douglass Dumbrille. |
| 1933 |
This Day and Age |
Steve Smith |
For DeMille at Paramount Pictures, Cromwell stars with Charles Bickford and Judith Allen. |
| 1933 |
Hoop-La |
x |
Directed by Frank Lloyd for Fox pictures. Final major starring role for Clara Bow. Cromwell co-starred with Preston Foster and James Gleason. |
| 1934 |
Carolina |
drugstore clerk |
Opposite Janet Gaynor, originally entitled: "The House of Connelly." |
| 1935 |
Life Begins at 40 |
x |
Opposite Will Rogers and Rochelle Hudson, this was one of Rogers' last films. |
| 1935 |
Lives of a Bengal Lancer |
Lt. Stone |
Cromwell's favorite role. |
| 1935 |
Star Night at The Cocoanut Grove |
as himself |
MGM Technicolor Short showing celebs at play in Hollywood. Cromwell is seated at a table with Gary Cooper. |
| 1936 |
Poppy |
Billy Farnsworth |
One of many pairings for Cromwell opposite Rochelle Hudson. |
| 1937 |
The Road Back |
Ludwig |
Very large cast including Noah Beery, Jr.-Cromwell was one of the few actors to work with both Beery Sr. and Jr. Fine camera work was done here by cinematographer John J. Mescall. |
| 1937 |
The Wrong Road |
Jimmy |
Cromwell's director here was James Cruze. Other members of the cast were Marjorie Main, Joseph Crehan, Arthur Horst, and Rex Evans. Costumes were by Eloise. |
| 1938 |
Jezebel |
Ted Dillard |
Cromwell's second role in a William Wyler-directed film. |
| 1939 |
Young Mr. Lincoln |
Matt Clay |
Henry Fonda, who played Lincoln, was quoted in an interview that he had a professional admiration for the "always dependable Richard Cromwell." |
| 1940 |
Enemy Agent |
Jimmy Saunders |
Exactly one hour in length, this film has Cromwell in the role of a draftsman who is wrongly accused of crimes perpetrated by Nazi spies. Jack Carson stands out in an early role as a G-Man feigning drunkenness to help thwart the crooks who've stolen aircraft factory blueprints. |
| 1940 |
The Villain Still Pursued Her |
Edward Middleton |
Co-starring Buster Keaton, this take-off of the long-running Los Angeles stage hit The Drunkard, also co-starred Margaret Hamilton. It was recently re-released on DVD. |
| 1942 |
Baby Face Morgan |
Edward "Baby Face" Morgan |
This is the best of the several of Cromwell's "B" efforts for PRC. Cromwell's co-star here was Robert Armstrong, of King Kong fame. Cromwell and Armstrong had also worked together in Enemy Agent. |
| 1948 |
Bungalow 13 |
x |
Cromwell's comeback that never was. |
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