Silent Era People

[Davey Jones' Locker 1,324]

Dickie Moore was the youngest known survivor of silent film, and he was the only person alive under the age of 90. Here's an updated list:Silent survivors:Mary Carlisle (b. Feb 1914) First role: 1923's "Long Live the King"Shep Houghton (b. Jun 1914) First role: 1927's "Underworld"Fay McKenzie (b. Feb 1918) First role: 1918's "Station Content"Diana Serra Cary (aka Baby Peggy b. Oct 1918) First role: 1921's "Her Circus Man"Dorothy Morrison (b. Jan 1919) First role: 1923's "The Champeen"Silas Hathaway (b. Mar 1919) First role: 1921's "The Kid"Louise Watson (b. Nov 1919) First role: 1928's "Taxi 13" (Talkie with silent sequences)Lassie Lou Ahern (b. Jun 1920) First role: 1923's "Call of the Wild"Jack Edwards (b. Sep 1920) First role: 1921's "I Do"

Jane La Varne (b. Jul 1922) First role: 1927's "That's My Daddy"Billy Watson (b. Dec 1923) First role: 1928's "Taxi 13" (Talkie with silent sequences)Kathleen O'Malley (b. Mar 1924) First role: 1926's "My Old Dutch"Maria Riva (b. Dec 1924) First role: 1928's "Die gluckliche Mutter" (Documentary)Mildred Kornman (b. Jul 1925) First role: 1926's "Thundering Fleas"

The following people did not appear in silent movies despite a misunderstanding they did:Lupita Tovar (b. Jul 1910) Appeared in 1929's "The Veiled Woman". The entire movie was shot in sound, though it may have been released in some movies without the sound playing because it was still a new technology by that point.Nanette Fabray (b. Oct 1920) Denied in an interview that she had ever appeared in a silent movie despite rumours persisting she had.Gloria DeHaven (b. Jul 1925) Appeared in a 1936 feature called "Modern Times" which is commonly referred to as "the last silent film" but was produced entirely in mono and made after the silent era.

Read the interview with Lupita. Here, I will post it again: https://michaelgankerich.wordpress.com/2013/07/28/lupita-tovar-still-carrying-on/

 

She clearly states she did work in silent films.

[Ulitzer95 12,654]

 

Dickie Moore was the youngest known survivor of silent film, and he was the only person alive under the age of 90. Here's an updated list:Silent survivors:Mary Carlisle (b. Feb 1914) First role: 1923's "Long Live the King"Shep Houghton (b. Jun 1914) First role: 1927's "Underworld"Fay McKenzie (b. Feb 1918) First role: 1918's "Station Content"Diana Serra Cary (aka Baby Peggy b. Oct 1918) First role: 1921's "Her Circus Man"Dorothy Morrison (b. Jan 1919) First role: 1923's "The Champeen"Silas Hathaway (b. Mar 1919) First role: 1921's "The Kid"Louise Watson (b. Nov 1919) First role: 1928's "Taxi 13" (Talkie with silent sequences)Lassie Lou Ahern (b. Jun 1920) First role: 1923's "Call of the Wild"Jack Edwards (b. Sep 1920) First role: 1921's "I Do"

Jane La Varne (b. Jul 1922) First role: 1927's "That's My Daddy"Billy Watson (b. Dec 1923) First role: 1928's "Taxi 13" (Talkie with silent sequences)Kathleen O'Malley (b. Mar 1924) First role: 1926's "My Old Dutch"Maria Riva (b. Dec 1924) First role: 1928's "Die gluckliche Mutter" (Documentary)Mildred Kornman (b. Jul 1925) First role: 1926's "Thundering Fleas"

The following people did not appear in silent movies despite a misunderstanding they did:Lupita Tovar (b. Jul 1910) Appeared in 1929's "The Veiled Woman". The entire movie was shot in sound, though it may have been released in some movies without the sound playing because it was still a new technology by that point.Nanette Fabray (b. Oct 1920) Denied in an interview that she had ever appeared in a silent movie despite rumours persisting she had.Gloria DeHaven (b. Jul 1925) Appeared in a 1936 feature called "Modern Times" which is commonly referred to as "the last silent film" but was produced entirely in mono and made after the silent era.

Read the interview with Lupita. Here, I will post it again: https://michaelgankerich.wordpress.com/2013/07/28/lupita-tovar-still-carrying-on/

 

She clearly states she did work in silent films.

 

I've already read it. Point taken but I don't see that as concrete evidence. She could easily be referring to those early talkies that were screened as silents because the movie theatres couldn't produce sound. When I see the name of a film prior to 1929, with her credited as having starred in it, then I will add her. Until then, it's blurred lines.

[GossipGabe 333]

 

 

Dickie Moore was the youngest known survivor of silent film, and he was the only person alive under the age of 90. Here's an updated list:Silent survivors:Mary Carlisle (b. Feb 1914) First role: 1923's "Long Live the King"Shep Houghton (b. Jun 1914) First role: 1927's "Underworld"Fay McKenzie (b. Feb 1918) First role: 1918's "Station Content"Diana Serra Cary (aka Baby Peggy b. Oct 1918) First role: 1921's "Her Circus Man"Dorothy Morrison (b. Jan 1919) First role: 1923's "The Champeen"Silas Hathaway (b. Mar 1919) First role: 1921's "The Kid"Louise Watson (b. Nov 1919) First role: 1928's "Taxi 13" (Talkie with silent sequences)Lassie Lou Ahern (b. Jun 1920) First role: 1923's "Call of the Wild"Jack Edwards (b. Sep 1920) First role: 1921's "I Do"Jane La Varne (b. Jul 1922) First role: 1927's "That's My Daddy"Billy Watson (b. Dec 1923) First role: 1928's "Taxi 13" (Talkie with silent sequences)Kathleen O'Malley (b. Mar 1924) First role: 1926's "My Old Dutch"Maria Riva (b. Dec 1924) First role: 1928's "Die gluckliche Mutter" (Documentary)Mildred Kornman (b. Jul 1925) First role: 1926's "Thundering Fleas"

The following people did not appear in silent movies despite a misunderstanding they did:Lupita Tovar (b. Jul 1910) Appeared in 1929's "The Veiled Woman". The entire movie was shot in sound, though it may have been released in some movies without the sound playing because it was still a new technology by that point.Nanette Fabray (b. Oct 1920) Denied in an interview that she had ever appeared in a silent movie despite rumours persisting she had.Gloria DeHaven (b. Jul 1925) Appeared in a 1936 feature called "Modern Times" which is commonly referred to as "the last silent film" but was produced entirely in mono and made after the silent era.

 

Read the interview with Lupita. Here, I will post it again: https://michaelgankerich.wordpress.com/2013/07/28/lupita-tovar-still-carrying-on/

She clearly states she did work in silent films.

I've already read it. Point taken but I don't see that as concrete evidence. She could easily be referring to those early talkies that were screened as silents because the movie theatres couldn't produce sound. When I see the name of a film prior to 1929, with her credited as having starred in it, then I will add her. Until then, it's blurred lines.

Well, I think she could not be referring to talkies that were screened as silents without contradicting herself. She said she couldn't speak English well enough at the time and that meant her contract wasn't renewed when the talkies came. I guess if she had been playing in an early talkie, that would've been a problem even earlier.

 

On the other hand, I agree that an interview doesn't prove anything. It could have been made up by the journalist entirely and he could get away with it, since she might already be senile and ignorant of the outside world. And no title is mentioned so it's impossible to check whether these films were ever released.

[Davey Jones' Locker 1,324]

I agree with all GossipGabe says. This quote from Lupita makes it seem highly improbable it was a sound film that was only played silently: "Silent films were wonderful because you didn’t have to worry about your dialogue. You could say whatever you felt. We had music on the set all the time. It was absolutely wonderful."

 

Wou.d definitely like to obtain the names of so e of her silent films though.

[Davey Jones' Locker 1,324]

5 minues of detective work later... According to this, her first silent was "Joy Street". See page 33: https://books.google.com.au/books?id=HegB7DVxumIC&pg=PP19&lpg=PP19&dq=lupita+tovar+earliest+film&source=bl&ots=2MxNkD6OMI&sig=lZ4Lrz3367pIgB70s6um43fGFws&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CEwQ6AEwDWoVChMIkcaVg93wxwIV5Z6mCh0rXwPh#v=onepage&q=lupita%20tovar%20earliest%20film&f=false

[GossipGabe 333]

5 minues of detective work later... According to this, her first silent was "Joy Street". See page 33: https://books.google.com.au/books?id=HegB7DVxumIC&pg=PP19&lpg=PP19&dq=lupita+tovar+earliest+film&source=bl&ots=2MxNkD6OMI&sig=lZ4Lrz3367pIgB70s6um43fGFws&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CEwQ6AEwDWoVChMIkcaVg93wxwIV5Z6mCh0rXwPh#v=onepage&q=lupita%20tovar%20earliest%20film&f=false

Sterling detective work.

 

This seems to be an interesting case though. According to the technical specifications on the IMDB ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0020048/technical?ref_=ttfc_sa_6 ) it had a sound version (with sound effects) and a silent version as well, but wasn't a talkie in any case, since there was no actual talking on the soundtrack. So kind of similar to Modern Times and The Veiled Woman, which are not accepted either?

 

Anyways, purists might have issues with calling it a silent film, but there's no doubt that when Lupita passes away, some obits will state that she was one of the last stars from the silent era (and seemingly the last one who starred in a "silent film" as an adult).

[Davey Jones' Locker 1,324]

 

5 minues of detective work later... According to this, her first silent was "Joy Street". See page 33: https://books.google.com.au/books?id=HegB7DVxumIC&pg=PP19&lpg=PP19&dq=lupita+tovar+earliest+film&source=bl&ots=2MxNkD6OMI&sig=lZ4Lrz3367pIgB70s6um43fGFws&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CEwQ6AEwDWoVChMIkcaVg93wxwIV5Z6mCh0rXwPh#v=onepage&q=lupita%20tovar%20earliest%20film&f=false

Sterling detective work.

This seems to be an interesting case though. According to the technical specifications on the IMDB ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0020048/technical?ref_=ttfc_sa_6 ) it had a sound version (with sound effects) and a silent version as well, but wasn't a talkie in any case, since there was no actual talking on the soundtrack. So kind of similar to Modern Times and the Veiled Woman, which are not accepted either?

Anyways, purists might have issues with calling it a silent film, but there's no doubt that when Lupita passes away, some obits will state that she was one of the last stars from the silent era (and seemingly the last one who starred in a "silent film" as an adult).

IMDB is not always a trustworthy source either as, like Wikipedia, anyone can edit it.

 

At any rate, Lupita clearly considers herself to have been a silent film actress, and that's good enough for me.

[gcreptile 10,979]

Another Guardian article on Baby Peggy:

 

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/nov/30/baby-peggy-diana-serra-cary-silent-film

 

Her increasing need of care is exhausting her finances and she depends on the kindness of strangers:

 

http://astarforbabypeggy.com/mptf-snubbed-baby-peggy-help-our-girl/dianas-statement-on-her-treatment-by-mptf/

[Guest Guest]

OK, this interview with Shep Houghton is a year and a half old now, but it's got some absolute gems in it and deserves a wider circulation. In addition to some first hand proof that he workied in the silents, there's some Busby Berkeley gossip (Shep wasn't really dancing, but nobody spotted what the back row was doing), some good old Hollywood homphopbia (Get some guys with balls in the front; let the butterflies fly in the back) and this wonderful Munchkin story:

 

The one marginalized group for which Houghton reserves bile is the Munchkins. “The Munchkins were bastards, hard to get along with,” he said. “You’d come in and a little Munchkin girl about this high would flirt, and [her husband] would see her flirting with me, and he’d get so goddamn mad and want to fight. I’d say, ‘Relax, relax.’” Houghton also recalled an incident wherein a Munchkin “slipped and fell in the toilet. The next morning they put a toitie in there — a trainer for little girls and boys. He got so goddamn mad he smashed that thing on the set. I was back there dying laughing.”

 

https://lareviewofbooks.org/essay/last-great-nobodies

[Predictor 1,018]

The Hollywood Reporter has published a new article on Baby Peggy today. It says that she uses a walker to transport herself, but is agile nonetheless. It also reveals that she has had two minor strokes in recent years, which is probably related to what a previous report posted brought up regarding her health. Economically, she seems to be struggling as well: When asked for financial aid, the Motion Picture & Television Fund Country Home were unhelpful cheapskates so lots of fans managed to force convince them to change their mind. But MPTF's offer, a home in Hollywood, wasn't an interesting proposal to Baby Peggy so I dunno where that leaves her at the moment...

 

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/last-living-silent-star-child-871602

[YoungWillz 21,060]

Lassie Lou Ahern speaks at 96!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOtXUSK12_g

[Sawbux 11]

last one on the list at the top passed a couple of weeks ago

 

Gloria DeHaven

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloria_DeHaven

[maryportfuncity 10,654]

The Hollywood Reporter has published a new article on Baby Peggy today. It says that she uses a walker to transport herself, but is agile nonetheless. It also reveals that she has had two minor strokes in recent years, which is probably related to what a previous report posted brought up regarding her health. Economically, she seems to be struggling as well: When asked for financial aid, the Motion Picture & Television Fund Country Home were unhelpful cheapskates so lots of fans managed to force convince them to change their mind. But MPTF's offer, a home in Hollywood, wasn't an interesting proposal to Baby Peggy so I dunno where that leaves her at the moment...

 

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/last-living-silent-star-child-871602

 

 

Well, it leaves her as a reportable person and firmly in our form-studying sights, obviously

 

Every cloud, eh?

[CoffinLodger 1,248]

 

 

 

Anita Page no longer meriting consideration (I thought there was a specific thread for silent film actors but can't seem to find it).

Now there is.

 

* Frederica Sagor Maas (1900-2012)

* Rosa Rio (1902-2010)

* Nina Vanna (1902-1953)

* Johannes Heesters (1903-2011)

* Doris Eaton Travis (1904-2010)

* Marie Glory (1905-2009)

* Edna May Weick (1905-1983)

* Edith Haldeman (1905-1984)

* Mona Ray (1905-2005)

* Barbara Kent (1906-2011)

* Judy King (1907-1997)

* Miriam Seegar (1907-2011)

* Dorothy Bartlam (1907-1991)

* Baby Lillian Wade (1907-1990)

* Pola Illéry (1908)

* Lelita Rosa (1908)

* Manoel de Oliveira (1908)

* Carla Laemmle (1909)

* Georgie Stone (1909-2010)

* Billy Jacobs (1910-2004)

* Brigitte Borchert (1910-2011)

* Dorothy Janis (1910-2010)

* Lupita Tovar (1910)

* Paulette Dubost (1910-2011)

* Baby Marie Osborne (1911-2010)

* Jack Murphy (1911-1962)

* Coy Watson Jr. (1912-2009)

* Annalisa Ericson (1913-2011)

* Daisy D'ora (1913-2010)

* Leon Holmes (1913)

* Michael D. Moore (1914)

* Jack Cardiff (1914-2009)

* Baby Ivy Ward (1914)

* Loni Nest (1915)

* Arthur Trimble (1916-1948)

* Amparo Arozamena (1916-2009)

* Frank Coghlan Jr. (1916-2009)

* June Havoc (1916-2010)

* Isuzu Yamada (1917)

* Diana Serra Cary (1918)

* Virginia Davis (1918 - 2009)

* Billy Butts (1919)

* Louise Watson (1919)

* Vondell Darr (1919)

* Mickey Rooney (1920)

* Jean Darling (1922)

* Jane La Verne (1922)

* Malcolm Sebastian (1923-2006)

* Hannerle Maierzak (1923)

* Billy Watson (1923)

* Hanna Maron (1923)

* Gerry Watson (1928)

 

 

Underlined names have there own thread on the site.

 

 

Jean Darling has died. http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/HAL-ROACHS-LITTLE-RASCALS-Star-Jean-Darling-Has-Died-20150906

 

pretty much just Lupita Tovar left now. correct me if i'm wrong

 

You were wrong, but she's gone now anyway http://beta.noroeste.com.mx/publicaciones/view/lupita-tovar-protagonista-de-la-primera-pelicula-del-cine-sonoro-mexicano-fallece-a-los-106-anos-1056655

[CoffinLodger 1,248]

Leonard Landy who starred in the Our Gang films has died aged 84  http://variety.com/2017/tv/obituaries-people-news/leonard-landy-died-dead-our-gang-little-rascals-1202508793/

[Predictor 1,018]

3 hours ago, CoffinLodger said:

Leonard Landy who starred in the Our Gang films has died aged 84  http://variety.com/2017/tv/obituaries-people-news/leonard-landy-died-dead-our-gang-little-rascals-1202508793/

Weren't silent movies pretty much dead by the time he was born?

[Joey Russ 7,228]

1 hour ago, Predictor said:

Weren't silent movies pretty much dead by the time he was born?

Not necessarily. The Artist won best picture 5 years ago...

 

I'm so sorry for being a smartass...

[Sir Creep 7,070]

15 hours ago, Predictor said:

Weren't silent movies pretty much dead by the time he was born?

Yes, it's a TERRIBLY misplaced link, seeing as Our Gang shorts were talkies, and it was already posted by me elsewhere.
SC

[Death Impends 7,979]

Remember those intermittent hoaxes from a few years back that suggested one of the few "living" silent film actors had just died, only for it to later be uncovered they died in 1987, or something like that? Bit of a different case with Don Marion Davis, who was stricken off in 2012, but it turns out he's still alive and well. Turns 100 in a couple of days.

[Gooseberry Crumble 5,346]

to Nanette Fabray 97 today! 

[msc 18,479]

8 minutes ago, Gooseberry Crumble said:

to Nanette Fabray 97 today! 

 

Any excuse to post

 

 

 

 

[Gooseberry Crumble 5,346]

26 minutes ago, msc said:

 

Any excuse to post

 

 

 

 

Nope. 

She's worth a mention especially as she either only just made it onto the crowdsourced  deathlist or just missed getting on it  by a few points. I can't recall which but I remember it being raised at the time. 

Not many folk left from the silent movie era.Their always  worth a mention especially in the run up to people choosing names for next year. 

[msc 18,479]

Err, any excuse for me to post it. She's a highly underrated comic performer this side of the pond, imo.

 

 

[Gooseberry Crumble 5,346]

12 minutes ago, msc said:

Err, any excuse for me to post it. She's a highly underrated comic performer this side of the pond, imo.

 

 

Oops a daisy Sorry! I didn't click on your video clip link so didn't grasp   were you were coming from! 

[Death Impends 7,979]

Doesn't seem Fabray was actually a silent film survivor? Per an earlier post in the thread.

 

On 9/11/2015 at 09:53, Ulitzer95 said:

The following people did not appear in silent movies despite a misunderstanding they did:

Lupita Tovar (b. Jul 1910) Appeared in 1929's "The Veiled Woman". The entire movie was shot in sound, though it may have been released in some movies without the sound playing because it was still a new technology by that point.
Nanette Fabray (b. Oct 1920) Denied in an interview that she had ever appeared in a silent movie despite rumours persisting she had.
Gloria DeHaven (b. Jul 1925) Appeared in a 1936 feature called "Modern Times" which is commonly referred to as "the last silent film" but was produced entirely in mono and made after the silent era.

 

Worth noting she is a vaudeville survivor, however.