JAMES FLAVIN

May 14, 1906

James William Flavin Jr. was born in Portland, Maine. Flavin was a graduate of the United States Military Academy, where he played football.

Flavin worked his way across the country in stock productions and tours, arriving in Los Angeles around 1932. 

He made his screen debut in a leading role in 1932′s The Air Mail Mysteries, a serial in twelve adventures from Universal.

The next year (1934) he appeared with Lucille Ball in Fox’s The Affairs of Cellini.  Both Flavin and Ball were uncredited. He was a palace guard and she was a lady in waiting.  

Eleven years later (1945) Ball was credited (and billed) as Kitty Trimble in Without Love, while Flavin played an uncredited police sergeant. 

The following year (1946) Flavin was credited as Joe, with Ball in the leading role of Gladys Benton in Easy To Love. He made his television debut on a March 1950 episode of “The Lone Ranger”. In 1952, just after the beginning of “I Love Lucy” Flavin appeared with William Frawley (Fred Mertz) in the film Rhubarb: The Millionaire Cat. He played a police chief, another of his credits as an officer of the law. 

Ten years later he appeared on “I Love Lucy” as the Immigration Officer in “Visitor From Italy” (ILL S6;E5) filmed on September 24, 1956, and first aired on October 29, 1956. He had just finished up playing the recurring role of Detective Sawyer on “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show” so he was high on the casting list to play law enforcement on television. 

In March 1961 he returned to Desilu to play Judge Ambrose Gherkin on Desilu’s “The Real McCoys”.  The episode reunited him with Walter Brennan, who had starred with him in 1932′s The Air Mail Mysteries.

In 1962 he did a Desilu pilot titled “Ernestine” (aka “The Soft Touch”) which never went to series.  Marie Wilson played the title role and it also featured Lucy regulars Charles Lane, Madge Blake, Hayden Rorke, and Nancy Kulp.  In October 1962, he was seen in “The Jack Benny Program” filmed at Desilu Studios. As usual, he played a cop. 

In 1963 he joined Lucy (and Bob Hope) as a Security Guard (uncredited) in Critic’s Choice.  

He was back in blue with Ball in an episode of “The Lucy Show” called “Lucy and the Safe Cracker” (TLS S2;E5) aired on October 28, 1963.  Coincicentally, the title safe cracker was Jay Novello, who played “The Visitor from Italy” on his only episode of “I Love Lucy.” 

He returned to “The Lucy Show” two episodes later to play Sgt. Wilcox again in another bank-themed episode, “Lucy and the Bank Scandal” (TLS S2;E7).  He was a sergeant again – this time named Wilcox. 

His final screen appearance was in a TV film about Francis Gary Powers that aired in September 1976 where he played President Eisenhower.  It was a posthumous appearance as Flavin had died on April 23, 1976 at age 69.  He had more than 500 film and TV credits on his resume.