Michael O'Shea

His five brothers all became policemen, encouraged on by their father, but Hartford-born Irish-American 'Michael O'Shea' (qv) defied family tradition and turned to acting. Born on March 17, 1906, Michael dropped out of school at age 12 and went the vaudeville route, touring with his boxing idol 'Jack Johnson' (qv)'s show. He tried everything. During the Prohibition years, he became a comedian and emcee at speakeasies. He put together his own dance band, "'Michael O'Shea' (qv) and His Stationary Gypsies", and later broke into radio.His career advanced with the legit stage, where he was billed for a time as "Eddie O'Shea". His noticeable performance in "The Eve of St. Mark" in 1942 led to a string of '40s films, notably as 'Barbara Stanwyck' (qv)'s boyfriend comic in _Lady of Burlesque (1943)_ (qv). He also managed great reviews repeating his stage role in the film _The Eve of St. Mark (1944)_ (qv). Other WWII-era films included the leading role opposite 'Anne Shirley' (qv) in the romantic drama _Man from Frisco (1944)_ (qv); a military man lead in the musical _Something for the Boys (1944)_ (qv) in which he managed to show off a little of his Irish tenor in the song "Wouldn't It Be Nice?" with 'Vivian Blaine' (qv), 'Phil Silvers' (qv) and 'Carmen Miranda' (qv); the male co-star in the 'Sonja Henie' (qv) skating vehicle _It's a Pleasure (1945)_ (qv); and lead and support roles in a string of crime dramas including _Circumstantial Evidence (1945)_ (qv), _Mr. District Attorney (1947)_ (qv), _Violence (1947)_ (qv), _Parole, Inc. (1948)_ (qv) and _The Underworld Story (1950)_ (qv).The father of two, Michael met his second wife, the beautiful actress 'Virginia Mayo' (qv), during the time he was filming the title role of _Jack London (1943)_ (qv). They married four years later and had one daughter. The couple subsequently appeared on the stock stage together in such productions as "George Washington Slept Here", "Tunnel of Love" and Fiorello! One of those fine talents who did not make a big name for himself, Michael was out of films by 1952, but revitalized on TV and starred in the mild TV sitcom _It's a Great Life (1954)_ (qv) also starring 'James Dunn' (qv), 'William Bishop' (qv), 'Frances Bavier' (qv) and 'Barbara Bates' (qv) playing a former GI trying to find a civilian job.Interestingly, Michael became a plainclothes operative for the CIA after retiring from show business in the 1960s. He died suddenly of a heart attack in 1973.::Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net