The year was 1936 and Shirley Temple (b. 1928) had already won an Oscar. Poor Little Rich Girl was her 34th movie role...that was in only five years of acting!
Poor Little Rich Girl was a pretty good movie, but maybe not as good as some of her bigger hits. Watching it made me think that you certainly won't see movies like this being made these days. The message she gave was that it is OK for an eight year old to wander off at a train station, and everyone will take you in and feed you, etc. No one checked to see if she made it to her new school safely. It was a different era, the depression, and I guess they wanted people to take care of each other.
But, I digress. Temple was the star and this blog isn't about stars, no matter how cute. Let's dig into the wealth of Bit Actors chosen for this movie. (And everyone else was a Bit Actor when Shirley Temple made a movie.)
Jack Haley (1898 - 1979) who played The Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz (1939) was a song and dance man who took Shirley in, so he could put her in the act. Haley also made Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm with Shirley in 1938. Alice Faye (1915 - 1998) played Haley's wife. A wonderful singer, her voice added a lot to the act, and the movie.
Gloria Stuart (1910 - 2010) played the love interest of Shirley's father. A beautiful woman who went on to make 77 appearances in the movies and on TV. You will remember her as Old Rose on the mega hit Titanic in 1997. She was even beautiful at 87.
Shirley's father was played by Michael Whelan (1902 - 1974). This was his fifth film. In the 1950s he was in quite a few westerns on TV, but even with 80 titles in his filmography, none appeared to be big hits. (I'd say, Bit Actor.)
In a small part you can find Jane Darwell (1879 - 1967). I think my favorite Darwell role is Ma Joad in The Grapes of Wrath (1940). With 202 roles, it would take a long time to see everything she did, from 1913 to 1964. Her last film was Mary Poppins (1964). She played The Bird Woman...tuppence a bag.
In an even smaller part, Fred "Snowflake" Toones (1906 - 1962) plays a porter at the train station, being type cast as usual. With 214 acting roles, Snowflake had quite a career. Billy Gilbert (1894 - 1971) gets to do a double take as a waiter, but he has no lines, and no sneezes. He does have 220 titles listed on IMDb, from 1929 to 1962.
Lastly, let's mention Tony Martin (b. 1912) who had a song and a closeup. Tony went on to marry Alice Faye the next year. Not bad, Tony! That marriage only lasted four years, but then he married Cyd Charisse (1921 - 2008), and that one lasted 60 years. Faye went on to marry band leader Phil Harris (1904 - 1995) and that marriage lasted 54 years.
I couldn't find Poor Little Rich Girl on DVD. Maybe it will eventually show up. In any case, every classic film collection should have some early Shirley included. Mine does.
Showing posts with label Billy Gilbert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Billy Gilbert. Show all posts
Monday, December 6, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Laurel and Hardy
I knew I would have a lot to say about Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy when I started this blog. (And so did my family!) I was involved in the Sons of the Desert from the mid 1970s until about 1990. I met some great people who were, and are still involved in the club.
The SoD is not a fan club, rather it is described as a group of film buffs who get together to study all aspects of the films of Laurel and Hardy. Of course, all of it is done with a half-assed dignity about it, as prescribed by Stan Laurel himself.
Laurel and Hardy worked together in films from 1917 until 1951. Their earliest films did not include them as a team, just as two players who happened to be in the same film. They also, each, made many films without the other. I am not going to give you a complete history here, but there are quite a few good books on the subject. Try to pick up Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy: An Affectionate Biography
by John McCabe. The most important thing is to watch the films and enjoy them.
Of course, L&H were very funny and creative, but just how far can all that talent go without the bit actors and supporting cast to bring variety to the story line? Two of the most important supporting cast members in many of the L&H films were Mae Busch and Charlie Hall. So important, in fact, that the SoD makes a toast to their popularity at the annual banquet.
In the 1933 film, Sons of the Desert (which is the inspiration for the Sons of the Desert organization), Mae Busch has an important role as Ollie's wife. Charlie Hall appears in the film, but he only has a part as a waiter. If you simply look at the cast members in these older films, you get important insight into the way the early studios worked. These players were on a contract with Hal Roach, so they did whatever was needed. A big part one week, an extra the next, but you still got paid.
A look at the rest of the cast in that movie turns up a few surprises. I mentioned Billy Gilbert in a previous post, but only his voice (no sneezes!) made it into this film. T. Marvin Hatley wrote much of the music at the Hal Roach Studios, including the Ku-Ku Song (L&H theme) and a lot of background music commonly used in Our Gang, L&H and other films. Hatley can be seen as a pianist.
A 23 year old Bob Cummings is an extra in only his second film appearance. Just a face in the crowd. Other extras include Lillian DeBorba, who is the mother of Dorothy, who played Little Echo in the Our Gang comedies. Even Hal Roach himself was in the film.
It is difficult to tie this up to a neat end, but if I keep writing, I will use up all my creativity! Stay tuned!
The SoD is not a fan club, rather it is described as a group of film buffs who get together to study all aspects of the films of Laurel and Hardy. Of course, all of it is done with a half-assed dignity about it, as prescribed by Stan Laurel himself.
Laurel and Hardy worked together in films from 1917 until 1951. Their earliest films did not include them as a team, just as two players who happened to be in the same film. They also, each, made many films without the other. I am not going to give you a complete history here, but there are quite a few good books on the subject. Try to pick up Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy: An Affectionate Biography
by John McCabe. The most important thing is to watch the films and enjoy them.Of course, L&H were very funny and creative, but just how far can all that talent go without the bit actors and supporting cast to bring variety to the story line? Two of the most important supporting cast members in many of the L&H films were Mae Busch and Charlie Hall. So important, in fact, that the SoD makes a toast to their popularity at the annual banquet.
In the 1933 film, Sons of the Desert (which is the inspiration for the Sons of the Desert organization), Mae Busch has an important role as Ollie's wife. Charlie Hall appears in the film, but he only has a part as a waiter. If you simply look at the cast members in these older films, you get important insight into the way the early studios worked. These players were on a contract with Hal Roach, so they did whatever was needed. A big part one week, an extra the next, but you still got paid.
A look at the rest of the cast in that movie turns up a few surprises. I mentioned Billy Gilbert in a previous post, but only his voice (no sneezes!) made it into this film. T. Marvin Hatley wrote much of the music at the Hal Roach Studios, including the Ku-Ku Song (L&H theme) and a lot of background music commonly used in Our Gang, L&H and other films. Hatley can be seen as a pianist.
A 23 year old Bob Cummings is an extra in only his second film appearance. Just a face in the crowd. Other extras include Lillian DeBorba, who is the mother of Dorothy, who played Little Echo in the Our Gang comedies. Even Hal Roach himself was in the film.
It is difficult to tie this up to a neat end, but if I keep writing, I will use up all my creativity! Stay tuned!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
More about me...and Billy Gilbert
As I was saying...when I became an adult and had to go to work, I found myself selling cameras and photographic equipment. This added to my understanding of the process of making movies. I was later able to attend many Photo Marketing Assoc. trade shows and once went to Photokina in Cologne, Germany, the largest photo trade show in the world.
During that time, my friends included a projectionist named Ray. That was in the early '70's, before theater owners figured out how to multiplex theaters and show 24 movies in one location. The booth had two projectors and the operator had to changeover from one to the other when each reel of film ran out. That's why older movies have those flashing white circles every once in a while, to tell the projectionist when to click the changeover shutter. If you see one while watching an old movie on TV, count to ten and then you will see the second one.
They added a second theater, then more and more. Since one projectionist couldn't handle more than one film, they came up with platters, where the entire movie is spliced together and laid flat, pulling the film from the center of one platter, then thru the projector, and finally wrapping it onto a second platter. Now one projectionist could run all the films in a theater, being there only if a problem arose, like a broken film. Eventually the theaters eliminated projectionists altogether and you now have manager/operators. My friend's union was not happy!
Ray was a great guy. He retired and moved down south somewhere and I have lost touch. But we saw a lot of films for free, thanks to Ray. More about me tomorrow.
Now for the bit actor of the day. How's your memory? What do you think of Billy Gilbert? He lived from 1894 to 1971. IMDB credits him with 222 appearances from 1929 until 1962. That's a career. Did you know he was paid an additional amount if he was required to sneeze in a part? Actually, he did at least part of the voice of Sneezy in Disney's 1937 hit, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He had another good role as the bartender in the Jimmy Stewart film, Destry Rides Again. I became familiar with Gilbert during my long membership in The Sons of the Desert, the Laurel and Hardy organization. He appeared in the only film L&H made that won an Academy Award, a short called The Music Box Let's talk about that next time.
During that time, my friends included a projectionist named Ray. That was in the early '70's, before theater owners figured out how to multiplex theaters and show 24 movies in one location. The booth had two projectors and the operator had to changeover from one to the other when each reel of film ran out. That's why older movies have those flashing white circles every once in a while, to tell the projectionist when to click the changeover shutter. If you see one while watching an old movie on TV, count to ten and then you will see the second one.
They added a second theater, then more and more. Since one projectionist couldn't handle more than one film, they came up with platters, where the entire movie is spliced together and laid flat, pulling the film from the center of one platter, then thru the projector, and finally wrapping it onto a second platter. Now one projectionist could run all the films in a theater, being there only if a problem arose, like a broken film. Eventually the theaters eliminated projectionists altogether and you now have manager/operators. My friend's union was not happy!
Ray was a great guy. He retired and moved down south somewhere and I have lost touch. But we saw a lot of films for free, thanks to Ray. More about me tomorrow.
Now for the bit actor of the day. How's your memory? What do you think of Billy Gilbert? He lived from 1894 to 1971. IMDB credits him with 222 appearances from 1929 until 1962. That's a career. Did you know he was paid an additional amount if he was required to sneeze in a part? Actually, he did at least part of the voice of Sneezy in Disney's 1937 hit, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He had another good role as the bartender in the Jimmy Stewart film, Destry Rides Again. I became familiar with Gilbert during my long membership in The Sons of the Desert, the Laurel and Hardy organization. He appeared in the only film L&H made that won an Academy Award, a short called The Music Box Let's talk about that next time.
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