Forgotten Actors: August 2016

Wednesday, 31 August 2016

Willie Best

Born: 27 May 1916, Sunflower, Mississippi, USA

Died: 27 February 1962, Hollywood, California, USA

Willie Best was an unusual bit part player in over 100 films. He was unusual because he was often credited for his parts in films and therefore became well known to the movie going public. His performances were usually comedic in stereotypical roles for a black actor of the 1930s and 1940s. He was revered by his contemporaries like comedian Bob Hope and producer Hal Roach and is remembered in the same way as Mantan Moreland for bringing a unique comic twist to a sometimes ordinary film. After his film career ended, Willie turned to television and was a success in series like ABC TV's 'The Trouble with Father' and CBS's 'My Little Margie'.

Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter (1939) as Apollo Johnson

Slightly Honorable (1939) as Art, the elevator operator

Willie Best is on the right, with Pat O'Brien and Ruth Terry.

Best's dancing in the hallway was funny.

Busses Roar (1942) as Sunshine

Ruth Terry

Born: 21 October 1920, Benton Harbor, Michigan, USA

Died: 11 March 2016, Rancho Mirage, California, USA

Ruth Terry was a child singer who sang with the Paul Ash Theater Orchestra from the age of twelve and then later, after leaving her hometown, with Clyde McCoy's orchestra. When Ruth entered films she worked her way up quickly through the ranks to leading female roles in B-movies and Westerns of the 1930s and 1940s. In 1947 she retired to Canada after marrying her second husband. She came out of retirement in the late 1950s to make guest appearances on television shows like 'The Real McCoys' and '77 Sunset Strip' before retiring from public performance altogether in 1966.

Slightly Honorable (1939) as Ann Seymour

With Pat O'Brien.

Pistol Packin' Mama (1943) as Vicki Norris / Sally Benson

Bernard Nedell

Born: 14 October 1893, New York City, New York, USA
Died: 23 November 1972, Hollywood, California, USA

Bernard Nedell's parent were both stage actors and he appeared himself from an early age. He spent much of the 1920s in England initially on stage and then on British films. By the late 1930s Bernard had returned to his native country and continued his film career. He was often cast in supporting roles as the bad guy right up until the end of his film career in the late 1940s. Like so many actors of his generation, Bernard Nedell found work in television in the 1950s, making guest appearances in series like 'Passport to Danger'.

Fast and Furious (1939) as Ed Connors

Slightly Honorable (1939) as Pete Godena

With Claire Dodd.

Claire Dodd

Born: 29 December 1908, Des Moines, Iowa, USA
Died: 23 November 1973, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA

Claire Dodd was working as a model in Los Angeles when she was cast as a Goldwyn Girl in Eddie Cantor's movie Whoopee! (1930). Florenz Ziegfeld, who produced Whoopee! offered Dodd a part in his next Broadway musical, Smiles, which ran until January 1931. Dodd joined the Ziegfeld Follies and moved to New York City. Darryl F. Zanuck signed Claire to Paramount and she returned to Los Angeles. Claire Dodd appeared in more than 60 films in a career than only lasted 12 years, after which she retired and married her second husband.

The Payoff (1935) as Maxine

With James Dunn.

Slightly Honorable (1939) as Alma Brehmer

Howard C. Hickman

Born: 9 February 1880, Columbia, Missouri, USA
Died: 31 December 1949, San Anselmo, California, USA

Tarzan's Revenge (1938) as Mr. Johnson (uncredited)

Howard C. Hickman is on the right, with Joe Sawyer.

Convict's Code (1939) as Prison Warden (Credited as Howard Hickman)

Slightly Honorable (1939) as Sen. Sam Scott (Credited as Howard Hickman)

With Pat O'Brien.

Four Mothers (1941) as Music Foundation Director (uncredited)

Howard Hickman is on the right in the dark coloured jacket, sitting next to Claude Rains. Frank Ferguson is on the far right of the picture.

Philip Morris

Born: 20 January 1893, Duluth, Minnesota, USA
Died: 18 December 1949, Los Angeles, California, USA

The Falcon in San Francisco (1945) as Train conductor (uncredited)

Philip Morris is on the left of this picture, with Tom Conway, Edward Brophy and Sharyn Moffett.

Johnny Strong

Born: 14 August 1920, Jamestown, New York, USA
Died: 6 January 1992, Yucaipa, California, USA

Johnny Strong was a tall, well-built actor. At 6'5" he might have gone on to make a career out of his height, but this does not appear to have happened. According to records Johnny's film career seemed to be over within 18 months of it starting. Perhaps Johnny was not leading man material and his size and good looks may have detracted the attention from the star of the film, but this is just speculation. There is very little information available about 'Big' Johnny Strong's career.

The Falcon in San Francisco (1945) as First mate (uncredited)

Johnny Strong was quite a bit taller than Edward Brophy.

This time Johnny Strong is with Robert Armstrong.

Edmund Glover

Born: 17 June 1911, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Died: 25 November 1978, New York City, New York, USA

The Falcon Out West (1944) as Frank Daley (uncredited)

Edmund Glover is on the far left, nearest the camera. On the right is Mary Halsey.

Back to Bataan (1945) as Scotty (uncredited)

Edmund Glover is on the left, with John Miljan in the middle.

The Falcon in San Francisco (1945) as Star Coastal Lines clerk (uncredited)

Dick Tracy (1945) as Joe, police radio dispatcher (uncredited)

Robert Armstrong

Born: 20 November 1890, Saginaw, Michigan, USA
Died: 20 April 1973, Santa Monica, California, USA

The Falcon in San Francisco (1945) as De Forrest Marshall

G.I. War Brides (1946) as Dawson

Maxine Semon

Born: 8 April 1909, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA
Died: 18 October 1985, Los Angeles, California, USA

Maxine Semon was a comedic actress of the stage and screen. She began her film career in the Edgar Kennedy short comedy 'Feather Your Nest' (1944) and worked sporadically throughout the 1940s. By the end of 1949 Maxine had also made her Broadway debut in the comedy 'Mr. Adam'.

Feather Your Nest (1944) as Sirena

The Falcon in San Francisco (1945) as Plain girl in hotel hallway (uncredited)

With Edward Brophy.

The Life of Riley: Peg's Birthday (1950) (Season 1, Episode 14) as Honeybee Gillis

With Gloria Winters.

Date with the Angels: Pike's Pique (1957) (Season 1, Episode 12) as Madame La Capricorn

Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) as Portobello dancer (uncredited)

Carl Kent

Born: 28 January 1918, New York City, New York, USA
Died: 14 December 1959, North Hempstead, New York, USA

The Falcon in San Francisco (1945) as Rickey

Ralph Dunn

Born: 23 May 1900, Titusville, Pennsylvania, USA

Died: 19 February 1968, Flushing, New York, USA

The Patient in Room 18 (1938) as Hotel Desk Clerk (uncredited)

Ralph Dunn is on the left, with Harland Tucker.

Invisible Stripes (1939) as Doorman (uncredited)

The Falcon Strikes Back (1943) as Motorcycle Cop (uncredited)

With Tom Conway.

Escape in the Fog(1945) as Police Desk Sergeant (uncredited)

The Falcon in San Francisco (1945) as Arresting Police Officer (uncredited)

With Tom Conway.

Dick Tracy (1945) as Det. Manning (uncredited)

Ralph Dunn is on the left, with Morgan Conway.

Fay Helm

Born: 9 April 1909, Bakersfield, California, USA

Died: 27 September 2003, Santa Monica, California, USA

Give Out, Sisters (1942) as Susan Waverly

Captive Wild Woman (1943) as Nurse Strand

With John Carradine.

Phantom Lady (1944) as Ann Terry

The Falcon in San Francisco (1945) as Doreen Temple

With Tom Conway.

John Mylong

Born: 27 September 1892, Vienna, Austria-Hungary [now Austria]
Died: 8 September 1975, Beverly Hills, California, USA

The Falcon in San Francisco (1945) as Carl Dudley

Mary Worth

Born: unknown
Died: unknown

The Falcon in San Francisco (1945) as Dowager in Pullman berth (uncredited)

Mary Worth peeps her head out to talk to Edward Brophy, who is undressing.

Joan Beckstead

Born: unknown
Died: unknown

The Falcon in San Francisco (1945) as Beautiful girl on train (uncredited)

Just a quick glimpse of Joan Beckstead as she walks by Tom Conway and Edward Brophy.

Hermine Sterler

Born: 20 March 1894, Bad Cannstatt, Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Died: 25 May 1982, Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

The Falcon in San Francisco (1945) as Ms. Carla Keyes (uncredited)

Napoleon Whiting

Born:21 September 1910, Canton, Mississippi, USA
Died: 22 October 1984, Los Angeles, California, USA

Napoleon Whiting made a career out of playing stereotypical roles in films and television. He is most famous for his appearances in the James Dean film 'Giant' (1956) and the tv series 'The Big Valley'.

The Falcon in San Francisco (1945) as Pullman porter (uncredited)