Future Favorites — James Blakeley (1936) 🇺🇸

February 03, 2023

He is a bachelor and one of the best "catches" in town ... He is just over six feet ... weighs 155 pounds and has seen quite a bit of the world ... He is by way of being a "man about town," but it doesn't show in Jimmy ...

by Hal Whitehead

There is nothing he likes better than to "beat" it out of town on a fishing trip ... He recently caught a record tarpon off the Florida coast ... He is twenty-six, but looks younger, is slim and athletic ...

He is a pal of Bing Crosby and plays quite a bit of golf with him over at the Lakeside Golf Club ... also plays badminton, tennis and baseball ... He swims and rides like a champion ... He is equally at home on the dance floor and, as a consequence, has been rumored engaged five times ... among the girls whose names have been attached to his in a romantic fashion are Mary Carlisle and Olivia de Havilland, beautiful Warner star ...

A columnist recently said that Olivia was surprised at their rumored engagement ... He took her to dinner four times in one week if that is any sign! James Edward Michael Blakeley — Blakeley is his real name, but 'most everybody calls him just Jimmy ...

He is the son of James E. Blakeley, famous English comedian and the present Mrs. Grace Hyde, prominent socially in New York and London ...

He was educated in America and appeared in school theatricals while at the Hill School in Pottstown, Pa ... By the way, Hill School is also the alma mater of Franchot ToneFrank Tuttle and other Hollywood celebs ...

Blakeley, like many other screen personalities, made his start through radio ... From a couple of appearances on the air, Jimmy went on the stage and was given a test by Columbia Studios when they saw him dancing in Central Park Casino in New York ... Now he has one of the better parts in “The Gay Desperado” and is well on his way towards making his mark in this town ...

His hobbies are making model airplanes and playing the mandolin aside from his keen interest in athletics ... Football might also be listed as a hobby ... He speaks German and French fluently ...

Jimmy lives alone out in Westwood with his two police dogs ... He isn't alone much out there, though, for his place is the scene of many of the better parties given by the younger crowd ...

Think you will have plenty of chances to know Jimmy better ... His latest picture has given him a chance to really show his ability ... That's what they are looking for out here in Hollywood!

CollectionMotion Picture MagazineNovember 1936

---

More Future Favorites from the Golden Age of Hollywood.