HOLLYWOOD’S GOLDEN AGE: WHAT A CHARACTER (ACTOR)!
“Nobody needs a mink coat but the mink.” –S. Z. “Cuddles” Sakall, character actor (Feb. 2, 1883-Feb. 12, 1955)
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There have been so many great male character actors in Hollywood Golden Age history that, for this post, I’m going to narrow the field to comedic character actors….and even then, I’ll probably leave out some of your favorites. Of course, if you don’t have any old comedy film favorites, you’re probably not an old comedy film fan, so you’re excused (even though that’s no excuse….actually, you should be ashamed of yourself).
Leaving that aside, let’s move on, starting with the author of the above quote….a quote which probably didn’t go over too well with most of the Hollywood glamour girls he knew — speaking of which, did you know that Sakall was born in, and is strictly from, Hungary (btw, he was also in Casablanca). Here’s more scuttlebutt about Cuddles but…it’s not a lot:
Next, Laurel & Hardy fans will remember the trademark ‘double-take’ look of this gent, who appeared in many of their films, including here in one of their best, WAY OUT WEST:
Remember double features (two films for the price of one in movie houses of the 1930s-50s)? Here’s a double feature of two great comedic actors for the price of one in a scene from SHALL WE DANCE, one of three Astaire-Rogers movies in which they appeared together:
If you’re a fan of Charlie Chan movies, you may recall the pop-eyed comic who played Chan’s chauffeur in over a dozen films, as well as parts in Preston Sturges’ THE PALM BEACH STORY (1942), CABIN IN THE SKY (1943), CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK (1944), and many others. Here he is in a scene from THE SCARLET CLUE (1945):
In closing, I’ll mention several other great comedic character actors I could’ve/should’ve profiled here, but I have to stop somewhere: William Demarest, Edgar Kennedy, Frank Morgan, Franklin Pangborn, Erik Rhodes, Victor Moore, and many more. Thank you, one and all, for bringing character to comedy.
masercot 4:38 am on October 24, 2019 Permalink |
Fine examples! Might I add Tom Kennedy?
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mistermuse 8:50 am on October 24, 2019 Permalink |
Absolutely! I remember the name but couldn’t place the face until I checked — how could I have forgotten? I saw him in many a Marx Brothers, W.C. Fields, Laurel & Hardy and Three Stooges movie. My bad!
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masercot 8:59 am on October 24, 2019 Permalink
It was a time when any big Irishman could find work in the movies… My favorite line of his? “I feel a poem coming on”
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Elizabeth 4:28 pm on October 24, 2019 Permalink |
I never knew the names of any of these actors, though I remember all of their appearances. I loved the banter in the last clip. That comedic timing is priceless.
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mistermuse 7:00 pm on October 24, 2019 Permalink |
I believe that that banter came straight out of an old vaudeville skit which Mantan Moreland probably performed many times previously. An oldie but goody!
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Silver Screenings 11:37 pm on November 16, 2019 Permalink |
These posts are treats. Thanks for curating these lists and choosing such fab videos to share with us.
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mistermuse 1:20 am on November 17, 2019 Permalink |
Thank you for your comments, SS. I very much enjoyed doing this series of posts, time-consuming though it was to do the work of putting them together.
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Silver Screenings 10:29 am on November 17, 2019 Permalink
Oh yes, I can imagine the hours spent in this series. The end result is fabulous: A tour through classic Hollywood.
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America On Coffee 11:18 am on December 7, 2019 Permalink |
Memorable picks! Love them all!!💕❤️
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