Behind the scenes still at the Hal Roach Studio

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Yair Solan
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Behind the scenes still at the Hal Roach Studio

Postby Yair Solan » Fri Jul 10, 2009 2:16 pm

I recently stumbled upon this wonderful still online, a behind the scenes shot of several Roach staffers:

Image

Looks like this dates from the early '20s. Charley Chase is standing at the center, H.M. "Beany" Walker is standing on the far right and Tom McNamara, who had co-directed some of the early Our Gang shorts, is the kneeling man with glasses and his hand on his chin.

Do any of the other folks look familiar?
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Michael J Hayde
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Re: Behind the scenes still at the Hal Roach Studio

Postby Michael J Hayde » Fri Jul 10, 2009 3:06 pm

Is that Robert McGowan standing (or leaning) at far left?

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Last edited by Michael J Hayde on Fri Jul 10, 2009 3:16 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Richard M Roberts
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Re: Behind the scenes still at the Hal Roach Studio

Postby Richard M Roberts » Fri Jul 10, 2009 3:09 pm

Michael J Hayde wrote:Is that Robert McGowan standing (or leaning) at far left?

Michael


Yep.

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Re: Behind the scenes still at the Hal Roach Studio

Postby Michael J Hayde » Fri Jul 10, 2009 3:17 pm

Okay, I'm 1 for 1. Could that be Hal Yates between McGowan and Chase? It looks like the same fellow identifed as Yates in Maltin/Bann's "Little Rascals" book, page 3.

And I'm thinking the fellow drawing on the ground at right is Mr. Roach himself.

Michael

Thomas Reeder
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Re: Behind the scenes still at the Hal Roach Studio

Postby Thomas Reeder » Fri Jul 10, 2009 3:51 pm

The fellow second from the left with the pipe looks a little like William Beaudine, who did a couple of films for Roach in the early '20s.

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Re: Behind the scenes still at the Hal Roach Studio

Postby Steve Massa » Sat Jul 11, 2009 1:39 pm

Hi guys
It's hard to say 100%, but the guy squatting on the left in the flat cap looks like it might be Alf Goulding.

Steve

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Re: Behind the scenes still at the Hal Roach Studio

Postby Brent Walker » Sat Jul 11, 2009 9:22 pm

That's Hal Yates with the pipe, not Beaudine.

As for "Charley Chase", here's a jaw dropper for you - I think it may be Henry Lehrman! It looks like him, and not tall and thin enough to be Chase, and this may be circa April 12, 1927, when Lehrman was announced in the L.A. Times as being placed in charge of the Hal Roach story department. I don't know how long he lasted, because I haven't seen any other mentions--knowing Lehrman, he might have rubbed someone (Roach?) the wrong way but this may be a brief shot in that moment.

In that same announcement, it said Louis Gasnier (future REEFER MADNESS director) was going to make some two-reel westerns for Roach, and that they'd recently signed Reed Heustis and Lige Conley as writers. I don't see Lige, I don't have any photos of Gasnier handy, and I can't remember if I've seen a photo of Heustis before.

Anyway, see what anyone else thinks about it being Lehrman rather than Chase.

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Re: Behind the scenes still at the Hal Roach Studio

Postby Brent Walker » Sat Jul 11, 2009 9:31 pm

Here's a copy of that article announcing Lehrman at Roach, from the April 17, 1927 Los Angeles Times:

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Re: Behind the scenes still at the Hal Roach Studio

Postby Yair Solan » Sat Jul 11, 2009 10:15 pm

Brent Walker wrote:As for "Charley Chase", here's a jaw dropper for you - I think it may be Henry Lehrman! It looks like him, and not tall and thin enough to be Chase, and this may be circa April 12, 1927, when Lehrman was announced in the L.A. Times as being placed in charge of the Hal Roach story department. I don't know how long he lasted, because I haven't seen any other mentions--knowing Lehrman, he might have rubbed someone (Roach?) the wrong way but this may be a brief shot in that moment.

In that same announcement, it said Louis Gasnier (future REEFER MADNESS director) was going to make some two-reel westerns for Roach, and that they'd recently signed Reed Heustis and Lige Conley as writers. I don't see Lige, I don't have any photos of Gasnier handy, and I can't remember if I've seen a photo of Heustis before.

Anyway, see what anyone else thinks about it being Lehrman rather than Chase.


Brent, I wasn't completely certain it was Chase, and the possibility of it being Lehrman is intriguing to say the least! But if the squatting man with the glasses is in fact Tom McNamara, that would place the photo at 1921-23 - as far as I can tell, he wasn't at the studio in 1927 when Lehrman was briefly there - so it seems like it's an either/or scenario with Lehrman and McNamara.

If the man with the glasses is Tom McNamara, the photo would have to be from the early '20s, and with the personnel from the early Our Gang shorts on hand (McGowan/McNamara), it would sort of make sense for Chase to be there, as he had supervised the earliest entries.
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Re: Behind the scenes still at the Hal Roach Studio

Postby Richard M Roberts » Sat Jul 11, 2009 10:31 pm

Brent Walker wrote:That's Hal Yates with the pipe, not Beaudine.

As for "Charley Chase", here's a jaw dropper for you - I think it may be Henry Lehrman! It looks like him, and not tall and thin enough to be Chase, and this may be circa April 12, 1927, when Lehrman was announced in the L.A. Times as being placed in charge of the Hal Roach story department. I don't know how long he lasted, because I haven't seen any other mentions--knowing Lehrman, he might have rubbed someone (Roach?) the wrong way but this may be a brief shot in that moment.

In that same announcement, it said Louis Gasnier (future REEFER MADNESS director) was going to make some two-reel westerns for Roach, and that they'd recently signed Reed Heustis and Lige Conley as writers. I don't see Lige, I don't have any photos of Gasnier handy, and I can't remember if I've seen a photo of Heustis before.

Anyway, see what anyone else thinks about it being Lehrman rather than Chase.



That's not Henry Lehrman, it's Charley Chase (unless it might be Joe Keaton)! None of the guys listed in that press release except Reed Heustis lasted ten minutes at Roach if they ever stepped foot on the lot for anything but lunch. Gasnier directed the pilot for the "Paprika Pete" comedies that starred Eugene Pallette that was such a disaster that Gasnier and Pallette were shown the door and they sent Clyde Bruckman and Stan Laurel back out to Victorville to reshoot it and it limped out as SHOULD TALL MEN MARRY at the end of Pathe's release schedule. Lehrman didn't last a week and he was back at Warner Brothers. I don't know about Conley, but Heustis worked on and off as a Roach gag writer in the late 20's.

Thats definitely an early 20's picture, taken when Charles Parrott was Director-General of the Studio.

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