Alias a Gentleman
1948 film by Harry Beaumont

Alias a Gentleman is a 1948 American romantic comedy film directed by Harry Beaumont and starring Wallace Beery with a supporting cast that includes Dorothy Patrick, Tom Drake, Gladys George and Sheldon Leonard. It was produced by Hollywood studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Plot
Jim Breedin has been in prison for 15 years but his daughter Nora doesn't know it. He has had no contact with her since she was a child. On an honor farm where he is foreman, Jim meets new convict Johnny Lorgen, who mouths off until Jim sets him straight. They become friendly and talk about their futures.
About to get out, Jim is offered $250,000 for his Oklahoma farm by an oil company. Nora, who had been living on the farm, is not there, Jim unaware that she has died. He accepts the money and begins living a life of luxury. A mob boss, Matt Enley, tries to persuade Jim to come work for him, without success.
The public source identifies “Alias a Gentleman” as 1948 film by Harry Beaumont. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Alias, Gentleman and film.
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Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 26, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q4725605. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1948.
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This entry incorporates text from “Alias a Gentleman” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.