The Gown Shop

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Tommie Hicks
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The Gown Shop

Postby Tommie Hicks » Thu Feb 04, 2010 4:55 pm

A Frank Hayes researcher asked that I post this video. Other than Larry and Babe, there is Katherine McGuire, Dame Frank, Fred DeSilva, Spencer Bell, Otto Lederer, and Merta Sterling rounding out the cast.
I corresponded with Fred DeSilva's nephew in the 90's and he told me that not long after this film was made, Fred and his wife were victims of one of those legendary Southern California landslides which killed Mrs. DeSilva and wrecked Fred's health. IIRC Fred did not survive the 1920's
Merta seems to be another personage who worked with both Laurel and Hardy before the teaming.
This is one of those late Semon Vitagraphs where crowded and busy nightclubs and high class and busy modiste shops are located in an EASY STREET location with no traffic or passersby.

Part 1



Part 2



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Steve Rydzewski
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Re: The Gown Shop

Postby Steve Rydzewski » Thu Feb 04, 2010 8:22 pm

Hi Tommie and thanks for posting (or linking) to a Larry Semon film I've never seen until now.
Just wanted to say Kathryn McGuire is not in this film, nor is Spencer Bell.
That Black comic is probably "Snowball" Curtis McHenry, not Spencer Bell who worked in Sennetts (Ten Dollars or Ten Days), Mermaids, Fox Comedies, etc.
He's even in L&H's "Be Big" as the guy at the train station who tells the girls "That's the last car for Atlantic City."
And the frizzy hair old guy is James Donnelly.
I'll try posting some Frank Hayes stills for your friend as I find them.
Happy Birthday, Tommie-Boy!

SteveR

Steve Massa
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Joined: Sun May 31, 2009 10:55 pm

Re: The Gown Shop

Postby Steve Massa » Fri Feb 05, 2010 9:51 am

Hi guys
Blanche Payson, Al Thompson, and Dorothea Wolbert are also in the footage, and the girl is Kathleen Myers (Keaton's leading lady in GO WEST - not Brown Eyes but the rancher's daughter).

Fred DeSilva worked a lot and directed shorts under the name Fred Lancaster - here's his obit from the 3/6/1929 Variety:

"FRED DE SILVA (Fred Lancaster) - Fred De Silva (Fred Lancaster), 52 years old, former burlesque comic and in recent years featured in musical tabs, died Feb. 24 at the Norwalk State Hospital, Norwalk, Calif., following a nervous breakdown suffered a month ago.

Only living relatives are two sisters who reside in the East. Funeral arrangements were made by several oldtime friends."

Steve

Brent Walker
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Posts: 151
Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2009 12:06 am

Re: The Gown Shop

Postby Brent Walker » Fri Feb 05, 2010 2:00 pm

Steve Rydzewski wrote:Hi Tommie and thanks for posting (or linking) to a Larry Semon film I've never seen until now.
Just wanted to say Kathryn McGuire is not in this film, nor is Spencer Bell.
That Black comic is probably "Snowball" Curtis McHenry, not Spencer Bell who worked in Sennetts (Ten Dollars or Ten Days), Mermaids, Fox Comedies, etc.
He's even in L&H's "Be Big" as the guy at the train station who tells the girls "That's the last car for Atlantic City."
And the frizzy hair old guy is James Donnelly.
I'll try posting some Frank Hayes stills for your friend as I find them.
Happy Birthday, Tommie-Boy!

SteveR


Thanks Tommie! And Steve, great point about it not being Spencer Bell. I've found that he has often been mis-credited when there is a black comedian in a silent comedy, including a lot of Semons where its not him. I'm not as familiar with Curtis McHenry, but could he be "Snowball" in THE WIZARD OF OZ? It's not Spencer Bell, though latter day sources have credited him as such--Spencer is G. Howe Black in THE PERFECT CLOWN though.

And re BE BIG, funny you should mention Spencer as I was just going through the L&H films about 2-3 months ago to give some additional unidentified L&H credits to my friend Randy Skretvedt (who's revising his great Magic Behind the Movies standard-bearer L&H tome). And I also noticed Spencer in BE BIG, plus a few other folks in other L&H films (especially Leo Sulky, who's all over the place in L&H and other Roach films but hasn't been credited for many of his appearances).

For me, it's easy to spot Spencer Bell if you know what the great bluesman Muddy Waters looks like, because they look a bit similar, with distinctive cheekbones, though Spencer's got a little bit "longer" face.

Brent

Tommie Hicks
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Re: The Gown Shop

Postby Tommie Hicks » Fri Feb 12, 2010 10:40 am

SteveR,
Good call on Curtis McHenry. If any of you who have not seen the Christie short GOOFY GHOSTS (1928), please endeavor to do so as you will see how Curtis steals the short from Jimmie Adams, Eddie Baker, and Billy Engle. Kathleen Myers rhymes with Katherine McGuire, that's close enough isn't it? ;-)
Here's the link to a fragment of Semon's HOME SWEET HOME (1919). This short has a rare appearance of Frank Hayes as a male. Also you will See Frank Alexander, Bobby Ray, Chai Hong, and Snookee the Humanzee. I have peirced the Snookee Free zone! I am going to post these shorts later on Internet Archive for the You Tube quailty isn't cutting it. I didn't have time to pretty this up with translated titles or hot jazz, so here it is raw.



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