He is best remembered for playing father figures in such films as Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), Little Women (1949), On Moonlight Bay (1951) and By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953).

[5] In the 1910 census, when his family was residing in Fowler, Indiana, Ames' name was given as Harry L. Wycoff and his father was listed as a manager of a meat market.

[6] Ames' involvement with entertainment began when he worked as a stage manager for the Charles K. Champlin Theatre Company.

Among his important roles at MGM was his portrayal of Mr. Smith in the studio's 1944 hit film Meet Me in St. Louis.

He appeared in the Doris Day-Gordon MacRae film On Moonlight Bay (1951), its sequel By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953) and Peyton Place (1957) and From the Terrace (1960).

In the 1961 Walt Disney comedy The Absent-Minded Professor, Ames played college president Rufus Daggett.

His last screen role occurred in Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), playing the grandfather of Kathleen Turner's character.

Ames also appeared in episodes of the NBC anthology series The Barbara Stanwyck Show and on the short-lived CBS legal drama Storefront Lawyers.

Ames called his business partner, who obtained the money from a bank and delivered it to the house as instructed.

[19] In 1980, after 50 years in show business, Ames received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award.