"The last roundup" for silent comedians?

[Chris Seguin]

I'm currently waiting for an ebay delivery of a Roy Rogers DVD titled "Grand Canyon Trail". What's interesting about this film (for me) is that it's the last "featured" role of Jimmy Finlayson; in fact it's the only post-Saps At Sea role that amounts to more than extra work for Fin, and definitely the only one where he gets his name in the credits.

Which points up an interesting theme that's come up before: B-westerns as a bit of late-career "salvation" for silent comedians: Al St. John arguably had his greatest fame as "Fuzzy St. John", Andy Clyde was "California Carlson" in the Hopalong Cassidy movies and radio show, Ben Turpin's last big role was in the serial "Law Of The Wild", and Snub Pollard and Jimmy Aubrey had their turns providing "comedy relief" as western sidekicks. Not to mention Oliver Hardy in "The Fighting Kentuckian". On a lesser, non-silent level, Bert Wheeler and Alfalfa Switzer pretty much wrapped it up on TV westerns.

Anybody care to share their thoughts on this subject? I'm the first to admit I'm no expert on this subject...I've seen a few of the "Fuzzy" films and one or two Hopalongs (the radio show is downloadable at archive.org). and I've got Snub's Tex Ritter film "Rollin' Plains" somewhere, but I've yet to watch it.

Chris

[Louie Despres]

and let's not forget El Brendel on "Cowboy G-Men", "The Adventures of Rin-Tin-Tin", and his last filmed performance in "Destry".

[Richard M Roberts]

I'm currently waiting for an ebay delivery of a Roy Rogers DVD titled "Grand Canyon Trail". What's interesting about this film (for me) is that it's the last "featured" role of Jimmy Finlayson; in fact it's the only post-Saps At Sea role that amounts to more than extra work for Fin, and definitely the only one where he gets his name in the credits.

Which points up an interesting theme that's come up before: B-westerns as a bit of late-career "salvation" for silent comedians: Al St. John arguably had his greatest fame as "Fuzzy St. John", Andy Clyde was "California Carlson" in the Hopalong Cassidy movies and radio show, Ben Turpin's last big role was in the serial "Law Of The Wild", and Snub Pollard and Jimmy Aubrey had their turns providing "comedy relief" as western sidekicks. Not to mention Oliver Hardy in "The Fighting Kentuckian". On a lesser, non-silent level, Bert Wheeler and Alfalfa Switzer pretty much wrapped it up on TV westerns.

Anybody care to share their thoughts on this subject? I'm the first to admit I'm no expert on this subject...I've seen a few of the "Fuzzy" films and one or two Hopalongs (the radio show is downloadable at archive.org). and I've got Snub's Tex Ritter film "Rollin' Plains" somewhere, but I've yet to watch it.

Chris

Max Davidson's last sizeable supporting role was in ROAMIN' WILD (1936) starring Tom Tyler as well. I've always said that the pool of actors (and directors and technicians as well) shared by the short comedy, serial, and B-western industries included many of the same folk, especially by the 1930's. Other comics who worked a lot in B-Westerns and serials included MIlburn Morante, Billy Franey, Billy Bletcher, Kit Guard, Charles King (who had had his own two-reel comedy series in the 20's at Universal), Perry Murdock, John J. (Jack) Richardson, Hank Mann, Billy Engle, Fred Kelsey, James C. Morton,Harry Todd, Victor Potel, and of course, villains like Charles MIddleton, Leo Willis, and Robert Kortman always traded cowboy hats for comic villain hats with barely a blink. Even Vernon Dent worked in several early 1930's Columbia westerns, even sharing a song with Tim McCoy in one. And directors like Albert Ray, Phil Whitman, Noel Mason Smith, and of course, James W. Horne, who made a number of delightfully wacky serials for Columbia in the late 30's-early 40's. Since so many short comedies and westerns were produced independently, shot at the same studios (don't forget that the Mack Sennett Studios in Studio City became the Mascot/Republic Studios.), why would it be a suprise that the same folk who worked at those studios on one genre wouldn't find work in the otherrs made there?

I think it's pretty safe to say that more people remember Andy Clyde as Hopalong Cassidy's sidekick than for his Columbia shorts. And he's pretty darn good as California Carlson in those pictures, they usually give him plenty of room to do comic bits, and even full routines.

RICHARD M ROBERTS

[Rob Farr]

There are two nice late Max Davidson cameos on archive.org, just waiting to be downloaded to your desktop or iPhone.

One is a well-done B-western starring Johnny Mack Brown called Rogue of the Range (1936). Just as in Roamin' Wild, Max plays a travelling salesman. He wanders onto the scene at 22:37 wearing his trademark derby and a peddler's suitcase hung over his shoulders. Ham jokes ensue.

Then there is Andrew L. Stone's With Words and Music (1937), which is really A Grand National musical called The Girl Said No under a reissue title. He even gets an onscreen credit in this one. Look for his fleeting bit at 54:30. It's a shame they didn't let Max perform any of the numerous Gilbert & Sullivan numbers in the show.

[Louie Despres]

and he's got a great small role in "Union Pacific" were he's part of the card game on the riverboat.

[Richard M Roberts]

and he's got a great small role in "Union Pacific" were he's part of the card game on the riverboat.

Davidson seems to be one of the oldtimers Cecil B DeMille frequently got bit part work for. He's in the card game in THE PLAINSMAN (1936) as well, and one of the jurors in REAP THE WILD WIND (1942). I spotted him a while back in Ernst Lubistch'sTO BE OR NOT TO BE (1942) as one of the Polish bystanders on the street when the Nazis invade.

RICHARD M ROBERTS

[Chris Seguin]

And it's great to see Rychard Cramer sneer and snarl his way through "Law Of The Wild" in a performance not much different than you'd see in "Saps At Sea". Chris

[Brent Walker]

Fin's also got a pretty good post-SAPS part as the ship's cook in the Tracy-Sawyer streamliner YANKS AHOY (1943). But B-westerns definitely provided a common last round-up for comedy players. You can't get any more final than Stanley Blystone--he died of a heart attack outside the Desilu studios while working on an episode of the "Wyatt Earp" TV series.

Brent

[Chris Seguin]

Wasn't aware of "Yanks Ahoy"...I wonder if I have a copy of that laying around somewhere??
The Blystone story is an interesting one; didn't Snub Pollard have a similar experience with "The Rifleman"?

[Richard M Roberts]

Wasn't aware of "Yanks Ahoy"...I wonder if I have a copy of that laying around somewhere??
The Blystone story is an interesting one; didn't Snub Pollard have a similar experience with "The Rifleman"?

Well, Snub didn't die at the Studio, he apparently died over the weekend while he was working on an episode of THE RIFLEMAN.

RICHARD M ROBERTS