Comments on: The Unsung Joe: Where bit--part actors go when they die

The Unsung Joe: Where bit--part actors go when they die

jack_mo — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 17:51:03 -0800

Biographies of the most obscure micro-stars of 1940s and '50s cinema, all remarkably well-researched and richly illustrated.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 18:02:26 -0800

This looks good. Nice find, jack_mo.

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 18:11:17 -0800

An afternoon nostalgia television show you spoke in silhouette (but they couldn't name you) although the panel were very polite to you but I remembered you from Friday nights 1969 ITV - you murdered every line too old to be a child star too young to take leads four seasons passed and they axed you nervous juvenile won't smile What became of you? did that swift eclipse torture you? a star at eighteen and then-suddenly gone down to a few lines in the back page of a teenage annual oh but I remembered you I looked up to you

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 18:16:15 -0800

[this is exactly what the internet is for]

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 18:22:59 -0800

[Faith] doesn't appear in the press again until she's 47 years old. On September 27, 1956, papers across America ran this story: "Former Broadway Star Throws Self From Window in Despair" Apparently, Faith had been out of work for some time and had gone to Chicago to look for work in skid row striptease spots. One night, after three weeks of refusals, she had an argument with her roommate about her decision to go back to live with her family in Erie, Pennsylvania. The argument ended when she ran from the room and threw herself from a third-floor window in the hallway. The next day, her roommate told reporters, "She wanted the spotlight again. She would have taken any kind of work in show business." The police inventory of her belongings listed: "Miscellaneous clothing, one white metal ring, train ticket to Erie, Pa., and 85 cents". wow.

By: ethel

ethel — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 18:25:57 -0800

thank you so much, what a find! there was a zine I used to pick up, called CineMad that featured one of these "lost" or forgotten about stars of the screen in each issue.. This reminds me to dig up my old copies..

By: jack_mo

jack_mo — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 18:38:16 -0800

Nice find All credit goes to my friend Hannah (via email, hence the lack of a 'via' link).

By: maxwelton

maxwelton — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 18:48:23 -0800

This is fabulous stuff. I agree, this is the best of the internet. Obscure topics research with passion. The writing is even decent, always a plus but not necessary.

By: miss lynnster

miss lynnster — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 18:49:56 -0800

Very cool.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 18:50:44 -0800

Nice find. I find this shit fascinating.

By: DU

DU — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 19:07:46 -0800

See that blurry, indistinct shopper in front of Fred MacMurray's nose? That's him. That's Eddie Hall. This site is way awesomer than I expected. This story in particular sounds like a time travel sci fi thing. Like maybe Parry Hall will turn out to be Eddie Hall himself or whatever. That makes no sense.

By: briank

briank — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 19:46:50 -0800

Excellent find.

By: jtron

jtron — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 20:21:37 -0800

Awesome, thanks!

By: Ranucci

Ranucci — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 20:40:59 -0800

Awesome. Has anyone alerted Lileks yet?

By: Rangeboy

Rangeboy — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 20:43:27 -0800

Excellent stuff, thanks.

By: Slack-a-gogo

Slack-a-gogo — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:46:24 -0800

While looking for some character actor photos to cartoon I stumbled upon this site that has brief biographies of hundreds of GREAT CHARACTER ACTORS from the past 100 years. My only complaint was that it didn't have enough pictures. For casual browsing I recommend starting at the beginning of the Collections of Biographies. Lots of faces you probably didn't know by name. It seems like most character actors of the fifties ended up on Bewitched at one time or another.

By: gimonca

gimonca — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:50:12 -0800

By 1948, things had got so bad that she sued a carnival boss who she claimed had tried to get her to break her contract by throwing tacks on the stage while she danced barefoot. Oh, my.

By: gimonca

gimonca — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:57:14 -0800

These stills feature the remarkably menacing Lou Nova, a thespian whose previous career is as obvious as the squashed nose on his face. He doesn’t do a great deal in the film apart from loom, but he looms awfully well. In his 20 or so films, he played “Henchman”, “Fighter” “Second Muscleman” and guys with names such as “Butch”, “Bluey” and “Igor”. I imagine most of the roles involved a fair bit of looming. In Somewhere in the Night, however, he had the chance to loom under the atypical name of “Hubert”, which he must have enjoyed. Gold!

By: peacay

peacay — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 22:20:13 -0800

Thanks jack_mo. It's kind of sadly interesting observing the shadows around the stars. {and thanks Slack - lots of remembered faces in there}.

By: oneirodynia

oneirodynia — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 23:08:03 -0800

I could be here all night... this is a really great find.

By: telstar

telstar — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 23:47:56 -0800

I gotta get me a really cool name like Faith Bacon.

By: barnacles

barnacles — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:53:21 -0800

Wow, this is so amazingly better than I expected from the write-up (no offense, jack_mo, just didn't sound like my cup of tea). Thanks so much!

By: sgt.serenity

sgt.serenity — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 02:33:23 -0800

Wahey ! He's back ! Actings crazy, the tests people are subjected to are just amazing, really like nothing else - ( And Jack should know, he starred in a bit part on TV's late lamented Brookside, where he popped up as the Dole inspector who used to chase Sinbad the window cleaner about ).

By: jack_mo

jack_mo — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 04:40:51 -0800

Wow, this is so amazingly better than I expected from the write-up (no offense, jack_mo, just didn't sound like my cup of tea) Yeah, I started out with a post that said 'OMFG! This is the best website in the world! Woo!' but felt it better to tone it down... and ended up in boringland. Sorry for underselling it. Sgt. - if only. Some friends of mine were extras in Brookie, but I never got the chance.

By: Jody Tresidder

Jody Tresidder — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 05:18:10 -0800

Stunning post. (And yes one can imagine the blogger blissfully trading noir talk with James Lileks into the wee hours as someone else mentioned). Thanks very much - this is brilliant.

By: Henry C. Mabuse

Henry C. Mabuse — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 05:27:31 -0800

Ooh, choice. I agree, this is really what the internet is about. Or should be. Or was. I dunno, but this is good.

By: kirkaracha

kirkaracha — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 07:24:42 -0800

Fametracker's Hey! It's That Guy! is good, too.

By: PHINC

PHINC — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 07:40:21 -0800

Wow, agreed, interesting and amazing.

By: ClanvidHorse

ClanvidHorse — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 15:07:55 -0800

What a great find.