Those forgotten actor/actresses..

[skyvue]

Guinn (Big Boy) Williamson

Guinn Williams looked and often sounded (perhaps not surprising, since he was from Texas) a bit like Geo. W. Bush.

 

[dhermann1]

I'll second the George Arliss nomination. I read his autobiography many years ago, "Üp the Years from Bloomsbury". He started out at age 7 doing recitations in union halls. Yes, rugged English union men paid a 7 year old to recite for them, back in the 1880's.
How about Sara Allgood? She was Roddy MacDowell's mother in "How Green Was My Valley", one of my very very most favorite films. And throw in Roddy's Dad, Donald Crisp. And round it out with Anna Lee, also in the same cast.
Check out Sara Allgood in Hitchcock's 1930 production of "Juno and the Paycock". It was a very unsuccessful film in many ways, but still EXTREMELY worth seeing. She is magnificent in it.
OK, a few more that haven't been mentioned so far: Margaret Sullavan was a huge star in her day, not much remembered now. See her in "The Little Shop Around the Corner".
OMG! Let's go back to the silent era for the greatest western star EVVVER, William S. Hart. If you've never seen a Wm S Hart flick, just go out and find one. NOW!
I mean, there just is no second place for cowboy stars.
We talk so much about Keaton, Lloyd and Chaplin. The fourth big name of the era was Harry Langdon. I've never seen much of his work, but I'd like to. Likewise Fatty Arbuckle. He's a very major star.
One last real obscure name: John Bubbles. For a couple of years, before Chaplin burst on the scene (i.e. like 1913 to 1915) Bubbles was HUGE. He was 5ft 4, almost 300 pounds. His style was pretty theatrical, not cinematic. Chaplin made him instantly obsolete. But he had been a huge stage star and jumped feet first into films. There is even today a John Bubbles Theater somewhere in Harlem.

 

[skyvue]

Margaret Sullavan was a huge star in her day, not much remembered now. See her in "The Little Shop Around the Corner".

I love Margaret Sullavan. THE GOOD FAIRY, written by Preston Sturges and available on DVD, is also delightful.

We talk so much about Keaton, Lloyd and Chaplin. The fourth big name of the era was Harry Langdon. I've never seen much of his work, but I'd like to. Likewise Fatty Arbuckle. He's a very major star.

Ditto Charlie Chase, for whom there is a new early-career-overview boxed DVD set.

 

[NicknNora]

Guinn Williams looked and often sounded (perhaps not surprising, since he was from Texas) a bit like Geo. W. Bush.

oops. I called him Williamson and you are correct, it's Williams. When I was looking for his image I ran across the Bush comparison photos. They do look quite a bit alike. I won't get into what type character Williams usually played and do a comparison (no politics allowed lol ). Let's just say I'm a fan of Williams but...lol

 

[HadleyH]

I'm glad you haven't forgotten!

I haven't forgotten them or the other actors I listed but sadly a lot of people have forgotten them unless they are film buffs like us. The people I listed were most often cast as supporting actors not the star of the film which is why I think a lot of people either don't remember them or are totally unaware of their work. It's a real shame because they did really good work.

May be I am the only one who thinks this here, but I do not believe for a second that people, and I am not talking only about film buffs, are totally unaware of Peter Ustinov's (aka Monsieur Poirot) work. Not for one second.
If we are talking actors and actresses from the teens, 20s, 30s etc yes most of them have been forgotten perhaps.... but Sir Peter Ustinov? Hardly.

 

[Carlisle Blues]

Billy Curtis (June 27, 1909 - November 9, 1988) was an American film and television actor.

His height was 4 feet 2 inches (1.27 m). The bulk of his work was in the western and science fiction genres. One of his early jobs was as one of the Munchkins in The Wizard of Oz. He also appeared in Adventures of Superman in the 1950s.

He also appeared in the 1938 Musical/Western The Terror of Tiny Town. This film is, as far as is known, the world's only Western with an all-dwarf cast. Many of the actors in Tinytown were part of a performing troupe called Singer's Midgets, who also played Munchkins in The Wizard of Oz, released in 1939.

He also had a starring role in American International Pictures' 1973 release, Little Cigars, about a gang of "midgets" on a crime spree.

Billy Curtis was the main reason for Judy Garland's comment that the Munchkins were "little drunks." He made several passes at her during the production, to which she responded "Mother wouldn't approve."

here with Charlton Heston.

 

[rkwilker]

Saw a Danny Kaye movie yesterday. What a wonderful comic actor. Had forgotten how much I like him.

 

[Geronimo]

Ava Gardner. You wouldn't think that a lady with a face like hers would be easily forgotten:

Did a great job in Mogambo and is probably the reason why I fondly remember 55 Days to Peking when I haven't seen it in 10 years.

 

[tuppence]

I like Anna Sten, for sentimental reasons.
http://www.cyranos.ch/smsten-e.htm

 

[Amy Jeanne]

My Favourites:

Lilyan Tashman

Hugh Herbert

Karl Dane

 

[HadleyH]

Karl Dane

Thank you Amy Jeanne for posting that. Karl Dane is one of the many forgotten actors and also casualties of the advent of sound in the late 20s.

"His film career didn't amount to much until 1925 when he hit the big time in King Vidor's "The Big Parade". after that he appeared with Tom Mix, with Marion Davies and played a shifty arab in "The Son of the Sheik" with Valentino.

"Unfortunately, Karl Dane, the ex MGM star, could not get rid of his heavy accent and he ended up running a hot dog stand near the main entrance to the studio- - .On April 1934 he took all his old press clippings, his rave reviews, his MGM contracts, and spread them out in his tacky furnished room. He stretched out on the clippings and put a bullet to his head".

So sad.

 

[mike]

Thank you Amy Jeanne for posting that. Karl Dane is one of the many forgotten actors and also casualties of the advent of sound in the late 20s.

"His film career didn't amount to much until 1925 when he hit the big time in King Vidor's "The Big Parade". after that he appeared with Tom Mix, with Marion Davies and played a shifty arab in "The Son of the Sheik" with Valentino.

"Unfortunately, Karl Dane, the ex MGM star, could not get rid of his heavy accent and he ended up running a hot dog stand near the main entrance to the studio- - .On April 1934 he took all his old press clippings, his rave reviews, his MGM contracts, and spread them out in his tacky furnished room. He stretched out on the clippings and put a bullet to his head".

So sad.

whoa! what a story!

 

[Fletch]

Dane - who really was a Dane, born Karl Gottlieb - emigrated in 1916 and held various blue collar jobs, including carpentry, before entering show biz. His misfortunes began with several failed marriages, including one wife who died in childbirth. He also had a common-law marriage in 1928, resulting in what was probably the first suit for "palimony."

In 1932 Karl made his last picture. He then sunk his money into mining stocks, but was bilked dry by his partner. The hot dog venture - a very Danish thing, by the way; Copenhageners love their rød pølser - was his last resort, because MGM had blackballed him. He could not work on the lot even as a carpenter. Another job as a waiter fizzled because the restaurant expected him to bring in business thru his celebrity. The guy could not catch a break - not unusual in those years - but for someone who had been such a star, it was obviously too much to take.

Karl's body was to be sent back to relatives in Denmark. Jean Hersholt, the Danish character actor, organized a campaign to cajole MGM to pay for a burial in California, which they did.

 

[bd3]

I'm kind of fond of.....

Agnes Moorehead. While she is most known for playing the mother in Bewitched she made some great movies in the 40's. Citizen Kane is one that comes to mind.

Van Johnson is another. He was in many movies. The Caine Mutiny and Brigadoon are 2 that I can think of off the top of my head for him.

I left out another great actor and one of my personal favorites, Fred MacMurray. He was in some wonderful movies. Double Indemnity, The Caine Mutiny, and my children love Follow Me Boys.