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1-22 of 22
- Actor
- Soundtrack
"America's Joyboy," beefy, plump-faced comedian Jack Oakie, was one of the funniest top and second banana jokesters of stage, radio and especially film's "Golden Age." He would accomplish so much despite the fact that he was "functionally deaf" throughout his career and performed primarily with the aid of lip reading or vibrations.
The stories vary on how he became deaf -- scarlet fever at age 9, a Wall Street building explosion where he worked -- but, whatever the case, it seems a minor miracle that he managed to become a performing success not only for his famous "triple take" comedy but also for his work in Broadway and Hollywood musicals, which could not have been an easy task! A slapstick inspiration to future comedians like Jackie Gleason, Oakie's lightweight foolery and participation in films was pretty much standard cornball with a lot of mugging to boot, but then he surprised audiences by topping it all off in the hands of the legendary Charles Chaplin with a scene-stealing Oscar-nominated support role in a political satire masterpiece.
Jack was born Lewis Delaney Offield in Sedalia, Missouri on November 12, 1903, the son of a grain dealer (who died while Jack was quite young) and a teacher of psychology (Mary Evelyn Oakie Offield). His family moved to moved to Muskogee, Oklahoma. He was raised at times with his grandmother in Kansas City, Missouri, and made extra money there as a paperboy for The Kansas City Star.
Moving eventually to New York, Jack first worked as a runner for a brokerage firm on Wall Street, and nearly lost his life when a nearby Wall Street building was bombed on September 16, 1920. Interested in comedy and mime by this point, he began building up confidence on the amateur stage and giving himself a new name, Jack Oakie, which was comprised of the first character he ever played on stage and his mother's maiden name.
Jack took his first professional curtain call on Broadway in 1923 as a chorus boy in George M. Cohan's production of "Little Nellie Kelly." From there he found employment in a number of comedies, as well as musicals throughout the mid to late 1920s, including "Sharlee" (1923), the revues "Innocent Eyes" (1924) and "Artists and Models" (1925), and the musical "Peggy-Ann" in 1926. He also appeared in a couple of unbilled film parts in 1923 and 1924.
Films came calling toward the end of the silent era in 1927, and he relocated to Los Angeles where he made several non-talkies on his arrival, including Finders Keepers (1928) starring Laura La Plante and John Harron (Bobby's little brother) and directed by Wesley Ruggles; Clara Bow's The Fleet's In (1928); and the western Sin Town (1929). With the advent of sound, Oakie was signed, with the help of director Ruggles, to a contract by Paramount and appeared in his first talkie, the Ruth Chatterton/Fredric March starrer The Dummy (1929). Jack went on to support Wallace Beery in Chinatown Nights (1929); Dorothy Mackaill in Hard to Get (1929); Betty Compson and John Harron in Street Girl (1929); and Nancy Carroll in the musical Sweetie (1929). Settling in, he never returned to the Broadway stage.
Jack finally shared top billing with Evelyn Brent in the comedy film Fast Company (1929) as Elmer Kane, a character based on the George M. Cohan Broadway show "Elmer the Great." This led to top billing in the film version of the Broadway hit musical Hit the Deck (1929), as well as the early talking comedy vehicles The Social Lion (1930), The Sap from Syracuse (1930), Let's Go Native (1930), Sea Legs (1930), The Gang Buster (1931), June Moon (1931), Dude Ranch (1931), Once in a Lifetime (1932), Madison Square Garden (1932), Uptown New York (1932), Sitting Pretty (1933) and Shoot the Works (1934). Occasional dramas came his way with Dancers in the Dark (1932) co-starring Miriam Hopkins and Sky Bride (1932) co-starring Richard Arlen.
Throughout the 1930s, the 30-year-old plus actor appeared in a host of light college-themed comedies and was lovingly dubbed "The World's Oldest Freshman" while adding to the humor of such films as College Humor (1933), College Rhythm (1934) and Collegiate (1935). Elsewhere, in Too Much Harmony (1933), his mother Evelyn was featured as his mother, and he played Tweedledum to Roscoe Karns' Tweedledee in the all-star version of Alice in Wonderland (1933).
Oakie's contract ended with Paramount in 1934 and he continued as a freelancing agent until an RKO contract came his way a couple of years later. Starting to now gain a bit in girth, Oakie went back into support roles in musicals, adventures and comedies. Among the better known films were Call of the Wild (1935) with Clark Gable and Loretta Young; Colleen (1936) with Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler; The Toast of New York (1937) with Edward Arnold and Frances Farmer; Tin Pan Alley (1940) with Alice Faye and Betty Grable and Iceland (1942) with Sonja Henie and John Payne.
In the late 1930s, Jack traveled to Europe for some work and suffered a huge career setback when he returned to Hollywood and found himself unwanted. The draught lasted nearly two years until a major comeback thanks to Charles Chaplin. While such film highlights must include Million Dollar Legs (1932), King of Burlesque (1936), The Affairs of Annabel (1938) and Rise and Shine (1941), Oakie will in all probability be best remembered for his lip-smacking parody of Benito Mussolini ("Il Duce")in Chaplin's classic The Great Dictator (1940). As Benzino Napaloni, the dictator of the fictional country of Bacteria, Jack earned his only Oscar nomination in the "Supporting Actor" category. Throughout his lead career, he worked with a quality number of diverse leading ladies on film from Carole Lombard to Lily Pons.
Oakie also found work on radio, hosting his own show, "Jack Oakie's College," between 1936 and 1938. His deafness did not affect the output of his work, and, as a pro, seldom were there problems in accommodating his disability. Director Jules Dassin, in fact, once made it a point to state that Oakie never caused any delays in the filming of his film noir Thieves' Highway (1949).
Into the 1950s and 1960s, his career slowed down quite a bit, primarily due to his disability. He appeared to good advantage in the films The Rat Race (1960) and Lover Come Back (1961) and with TV comedy and drama on such popular shows as "The Real McCoys," "Daniel Boone," "Bonanza" and, his last, "Night Gallery" in 1972.
Jack Oakie was married twice. His first marriage (1936-1945) was to Venita Varden, who perished in the 1948 air crash of United Airlines Flight 624 at Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania. Oakie's second marriage was to actress Victoria Horne in 1950; they moved to an estate in Northridge and lived there until his death. The USC School of Cinematic Arts continues its durable ties with Hollywood history in the form of The Jack Oakie and Victoria Horne Oakie Charitable Foundation, which provides scholarships.
The comic actor died on January 23, 1978, in Los Angeles, California at the age of 74 from an aortic aneurysm. His remains were interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, in the Los Angeles area.- Douglas Baker, better known by his moniker "Ox" was one of the meanest, vicious, hated and ugliest wrestlers ever. Bald, with a hairy chest, arms and back, Baker would deliberately grow his mustache long and curl his eyebrows up to gain a more "evil" look. It paid off as Baker was jeered and hated by wrestling fans all over. Known for his "love" of beating people up, Baker never won a major title, but was always perfect for feuds with more popular stars like André René Roussimoff, Dusty Rhodes, and Bruno Sammartino. Originally from Sedalia, Mo., Baker got his best national exposure playing Slag, Kurt Russell's opponent in the ring, in the cult classic Escape from New York (1981). Baker is pretty much retired from wrestling scene, but has made an appearance or two on the independent circuits in the 1990s.
- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Actor
Stephen Eads (Co-Producer) has been working with Bruce Willis since the early 1990s on such films as Pulp Fiction (1994), 12 Monkeys (1995), The Sixth Sense (1999), The Last Boy Scout (1991), Death Becomes Her (1992), Striking Distance (1993), Armageddon (1998), The Siege (1998), Unbreakable (2000), and Sin City (2005) among others. Eads' associate-producer credits include The Whole Nine Yards (2000), The Kid (2000), Bandits (2001), Tears of the Sun (2003), recently released indie 16 Blocks (2006), and the upcoming Perfect Stranger (2007) starring Bruce Willis and Halle Berry. Born in Sedalia, Missouri, Eads went to college at University of Missouri-Kansas City and then moved to New York City to attend the School of American Ballet at Julliard. During this time in NYC, Eads and Willis met, and their collaboration continues.- Dorothy Dwan was born on 26 April 1906 in Sedalia, Missouri, USA. She was an actress, known for The Drifter (1929), The Wizard of Oz (1925) and Square Crooks (1928). She was married to Paul Northcutt Boggs Jr., Larry Semon and Fred Buckels. She died on 17 March 1981 in Ventura, California, USA.
- Ann Baker was born on 23 July 1930 in Sedalia, Missouri, USA. She was an actress, known for Meet Corliss Archer (1954), Lux Video Theatre (1950) and Crossroads (1955). She was married to William Earl Long. She died on 2 March 2017 in Torrance, California, USA.
- Actress
- Writer
- Director
Lucille McVey was a writer at Vitagraph when she met Sidney Drew shortly after his wife's death. They married almost immediately although he was more than twice her age. She scripted and he directed a number of domestic comedies, said to be more subtle and wholesome than those previously filmed. After his death she lost interest in films. She died in 1925 after a lingering illness.- Priscilla Moran was born into poverty, her parents both ill with tuberculosis at the time of her birth (and from which, neither ever recovered.) Her father owned and ran a small movie house in Sedalia, and she was named for actress Priscilla Dean. When she was barely four, it was suggested that the family move to a drier climate to try to improve their health. Friends urged them to go to Hollywood, where they felt Priscilla would be able to easily break into the movies and provide a source of income for her parents. During a trip to a casting office, she was spotted by the director of "The Toll of the Sea", and was picked on the spot for a part. Priscilla became an instant favorite of her co-stars and other actors - including her namesake, Priscilla Dean. When her co-stars learned of the parents' financial problems, they took up a collection to help her. Soon, Priscilla's own salary easied her family's financial burden. However, upon her mother's death, almost all the money was used to pay for doctors and burial expenses. On April 22, 1923, her father left her with the John Coogan family (parents of Jackie Coogan), and dropped out of sight. The Coogans wanted to adopt her, but six months later her father reappeared and took her away. Nothing is known of this time of her life, and there was no news of the Morans for several months. Eventually, they resurfaced in New York, where Mr. Moran had begun the Priscilla Moran Productions Company, and was looking for investors. One woman paid Moran $35,000 for stock on the condition that she receive custody of Priscilla - so that she could "protect her investment." Moran agreed, Priscilla got a new home, and he disappeared again. Two months later he resurfaced and went to visit Priscilla, but never returned her. They ended up in New York where he named a movie executive her legal guardian in his will. He then borrowed $500 dollars and left for the Southwest, where he died only days later. Her father's death made Priscilla's life more complicated. There was a drawn-out court battle with three parties asking for custody - her first guardian, the man named in her father's will, and her aunt and grandmother. The judge viewed the first two petitioners as having tried to buy Priscilla, and custody was awarded to the aunt and grandmother. Priscilla went to yet another new home, and her life as a "movie star" came to an end.
- Charles G. Finney was born on 1 December 1905 in Sedalia, Missouri, USA. He was a writer, known for 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964), The Mermaid (2014) and Rattlesnake: Life and Death of a Western Gladiator (1976). He died in 1984.
- Actress
Patricia West was born on 24 August 1912 in Sedalia, Missouri, USA. She was an actress. She was married to Bob Stimming and John Sherwood. She died on 9 September 2003 in Camarillo, California, USA.- Josh Prenot was born on 28 July 1993 in Sedalia, Missouri, USA.
- Vane Calvert was born on 6 January 1876 in Sedalia, Missouri, USA. She was an actress, known for Ambush Valley (1936), Million Dollar Racket (1937) and The Drunkard (1935). She was married to G Bert Rodney, William H Neely and Craig. She died on 14 March 1956 in Clovis, California, USA.
- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Writer
Educated at the University of Arkansas, Clyde De Vinna entered the film business almost at its beginnings, and became a cinematographer in 1915. He was behind the camera on dozens of films for many different studios, but did much work for independent producer Thomas H. Ince and MGM. De Vinna didn't care for studio-shot pictures, and preferred films that were to be shot on location, where he did much of his best work.- Joe Harris was born on 27 September 1907 in Sedalia, Missouri, USA. He died on 26 July 1952 in Fresno, California, USA.
- Actress
- Additional Crew
Fern Carter was born on 13 March 1893 in Sedalia, Missouri, USA. She was an actress, known for Mike Fright (1934). She died on 8 December 1961 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Joel Townsley Rogers was born on 22 November 1896 in Sedalia, Missouri, USA. Joel Townsley was a writer, known for Suspense (1949), The Unforeseen (1958) and Star Tonight (1955). Joel Townsley died on 1 October 1984 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Johnny Luther was born on 3 August 1908 in Sedalia, Missouri, USA. He was an actor, known for Stormy (1935), Two Gun Law (1937) and The Texas Tornado (1932). He died on 30 July 1960 in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Carol Brice was born on 16 April 1918 in Sedalia, North Carolina, USA. She was an actress, known for Camera Three (1955). She was married to Carey, Thomas. She died on 15 February 1985 in Norman, Oklahoma, USA.
- Jack Bland was born on 8 May 1899 in Sedalia, Missouri, USA. He was an actor, known for Juno and the Paycock (1938), The Opry House (1929) and Nine O'Clock Folks (1931). He died on 18 October 1968 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Doug Van Horn was born on 24 June 1944 in Sedalia, Missouri, USA.
- Ivadell Carter was born on 7 January 1914 in Sedalia, Missouri, USA. She was an actress, known for Evangeline (1919), Jubilo, Jr. (1924) and The Sun Down Limited (1924). She was married to Fahy Johnson and Wendell "Peter" Patten. She died on 2 April 2010 in Burbank, California, USA.
- Writer
- Music Department
Charles Wolfe was born on 14 August 1943 in Sedalia, Missouri, USA. He was a writer, known for American Roots Music (2001), The Atomic Cafe (1982) and The Appalachians (2005). He was married to Mary Dean. He died on 9 February 2006 in the USA.- Anne Hubbell Lustig was born on 10 May 1962 in Sedalia, Missouri, USA. Anne was a producer, known for Great Books (1993), Stargazers (1994) and Alaskan Wilds (1998). Anne was married to Peter Lustig. Anne died on 8 April 2003 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA.