Francis William Albert Jenks (1902-62) had one of those faces that made him stand out in all of his 140-plus films.
Jenks started out as a teenager, playing the trombone in a band and, after attending university, became a song and dance man in vaudeville. He went to Hollywood in 1933, and his first three screen appearances were as band leaders. Over the next thirty years, Jenks moved smoothly between small, uncredited parts, usually as working men (mailmen, carnies, furniture removers, taxi drivers), and bigger roles fairly high up the credits. Examples of the latter would include the Paramount musical Dancing on a Dime (1940) and the male lead in PRC’s Shake Hands with Murder (1944). He had a small but key role in Barbara Stanwyck’s Christmas in Connecticut (1945).
Later in life, Jenks worked extensively in television, notably partnered with Alan Mowbray in Colonel Humphrey Flack (1953-59).
Jenks appeared in four MGM musicals, commencing with Broadway to Hollywood. His most prominent, and only credited, role was in Thousands Cheer. He also acted in Two Girls and a Sailor and was one of Danny Kaye’s fellow clowns in Merry Andrew.
