Identifying photo

[Maurice Terenzio]

A friend of mine and his aunt were going over some of her papers and came upon this autograph photo of an actor/celebrity. They hoped that I could identify him. I can't, but perhaps one of you can. Any guesses? Any help would be appreciated.

[William Ferry]

My first guess would have been Will Rogers, but the autograph would seem to prove me wrong. It looks somewhat like "F W Martin".

[Maurice Terenzio]

I would like to thank everyone who took the time and trouble to examining this photo. I'm sure everyone noticed the Will Rogers resemblance. For what it's worth, I did notice one thing. Back in the day when the photo was printed, the negative was flipped, so the image is reversed. How do I know this? Funny you should ask. The first indication was the ring on his right hand. Hardly conclusive but it is normally worn on the left hand. This led to a closer inspection of his garments. The breast pocket of the coat was on the wrong side. The clincher was the buttons of his vest were also on the wrong side. As to the glasses, although Rogers certainly wore them in everyday life...less so in the movies, it is interesting that Rogers favored the same type of frames. However, Rogers and the gentleman in the aunt's photo part their hair on the opposite side. Men tend to comb their hair in one singular way. Despite a remarkable resemblance, I would think that the man in the aunt's photo was not Will Rogers. This is just my somewhat educated opinion.

Once again, I would like to extend my thanks to all that looked at this photo. I have always been impressed with the unpretentious yet scholarly approach to film by the members of this website. Although the identity of the gentleman has not been established, since no one recognizes him, I believe it is safe to assume that he is not a celebrity. More likely an old photo of a relative or close family friend.

[Richard M Roberts]

Forgive me Maurice for not saying anything, but I had no idea who it was and unlike some on other newsgroups, when I have nothing to say, I don't say anything.

But I will agree with you that when I looked at the picture, my mind said "This is not a celebrity, this is a real farmer from somewhere". Those are real holes in the pants and coat pockets from real wear over time, not quickly stressed by a wardrobe mistress.

RICHARD M ROBERTS

[William Ferry]

I think you've both pretty much nailed this as bring a "real" person vs. a "reel" one. It was a fun exercise.

[Richard M Roberts]

It's much harder to spot real people these days, there are so few.


RICHARD M ROBERTS