WHO DONE IT (1917) Gale Henry, Billy Franey , MIlburn Morante

[Richard M Roberts]

1917 Universal Joker Comedy directed by William Beaudine and featuring Gale Henry, Billy Franey, Milburn Morante, Charles Haefeli, Eddie Baker and Milton Sims:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OrjeFaeCSE

RICHARD M ROBERTS

[William Ferry]

Billy Franey gets short shrift from a lot of comedy fans, but I've enjoyed the few films of his that I've seen. Gale Henry is always a delight.

[Ed Watz]

Billy Franey gets short shrift from a lot of comedy fans, but I've enjoyed the few films of his that I've seen. Gale Henry is always a delight.

Agreed, William! There’s nothing wrong with Billy Franey, he’s a very funny little guy. It’s nice how he became a stock company member of the RKO short subjects department in the early 1930s. Franey has a hilarious scene to himself in Clark & McCullough’s THE ICEMAN’S BALL (1932) and soon became a fixture in Edgar Kennedy’s Average Man series. By the mid-1930s, bald-headed Franey was rather ancient-looking, and without his exaggerated comedy mustache, he reminds me of Jackie Wright from The Benny Hill Show. If you get a chance check out KENNEDY THE GREAT (1939) where he and Edgar have some of their very best scenes together.

--And Gale Henry - fabulous, as always! Loved the way Charley Chase showcased her in his films, particularly the gems included in the recent Blu-Ray Charley Chase At Hal Roach: The Late Silents (1927).

[Ed Watz]

I noticed that the IMDB has Billy Franey’s birthdate listed as June 23, 1889. If this is true, it would make him 10 months older than Edgar Kennedy, who portrayed his son-in-law in many of the “Average Man” shorts. While it’s certainly possible, keep in mind that Franey wore almost no makeup in these later films, where he looks and sounds superannuated in contrast to Edgar. Franey’s 1940 Variety obituary claims he served in the Spanish-American War and would be given a military funeral at the Sawtelle Veterans Cemetery. Variety also states that Franey was 55 years old but that might be bad guesswork (he would’ve been 13 years old at the time of the 1898 war). In Franey’s last few Kennedy shorts like DRAFTED IN THE DEPOT (1940) his facial appearance is even more weatherbeaten and his physical activity is very limited. If I had to make a guess I'd imagine circa 1880 would be a more realistic birthdate for Billy.

Here’s his headstone from the Find a Grave website, extra points to whomever can decipher it:

[Ian Elliot]

Hello Ed! The stone is fully readable here— makes reference to his First World War service, but no date of birth given:

https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/WILLIAMGERALDFRANEY/CA5604A

[Ed Watz]

Hello Ed! The stone is fully readable here— makes reference to his First World War service, but no date of birth given:

https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/WILLIAMGERALDFRANEY/CA5604A

Many thanks, Ian! I just found his draft registration card and lo and behold, Billy was born in 1889!

The question remains: why did Variety claim he served in the Spanish-American War?

[Rob Farr]

The question remains: why did Variety claim he served in the Spanish-American War?

Maybe because Franey was born looking old, like John Ford.