The 1937 film Way Out West was a story about riches being bestowed on a poor girl who worked in a saloon, and the attempt to steal it by her boss and his lady friend. Sounds serious, doesn't it? It could have been an early drama. 1937 was also the year for A Star is Born, The Good Earth, and Lost Horizon so Hollywood was making some wonderful dramas by then.
Of course, the stars of Way Out West were Laurel and Hardy, so there is not much drama here! As the tag line reads, "A Rumble Of Roars That Ends In A Laff Riot."
The boss is played by James Finlayson, the actor who first started making the frustrated "Doh" sound, usually directly into the camera. The young girl who really inherited the money was played by the wonderful Rosina Lawrence, and the lady friend who tried to help Fin steal the money was Sharon Lynn.
I have mentioned Rosina Lawrence before, as it was my considerable pleasure to know her. She became a countess when she married Juvenal P. Marchisio in 1939, a NY judge and a leader in the postwar relief efforts in Italy. After his death, she eventually married John McCabe, Stan Laurel's biographer. Her obituary in the New York Times can be seen here.
Rosina only made 30 films, preferring to be a housewife after she married. But she was a dancer and had a good career working with Rita Hayworth, Jean Harlow, Charley Chase, Warner Oland and others. She was one of the teachers in several Our Gang comedies, including Bored of Education in 1936 which won an Oscar.
Sharon Lynn (or sometimes Lynne) had 32 movie roles, none were big hits, but some may be worth looking for. In 1935 she was in Go Into Your Dance with Al Jolson and Ruby Keeler.
Most of the cast of Way Out West were regulars at Hal Roach, so you see them in Our Gang comedies, Charley Chase and L&H films. The Avalon Boys supplied some good music, and Chill Wills provided the low voice for Stan Laurel in his big hit, In the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.
The mule was played by Dinah. This was her only film.
Showing posts with label Way Out West. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Way Out West. Show all posts
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Chill Wills, Famous Singer!
Chill Wills has a great voice. His is right up there with Basil Rathbone, John Caradine, and Andy Devine for great acting voices. More about great voices in later blogs.
Chill Wills (1903-1978) got his start as a singer in vaudeville. He was the bass in a quartet he formed called the Avalon Boys and they were popular in the 1930s. I saw him first in It's a Gift, with W. C. Fields, and his voice and face were instantly recognizable. The Avalon Boys were singing at a campfire and Fields wandered over to add his voice to theirs. It's a Gift from 1934 is one of my favorite Fields movies.
The Avalon Boys went on to work with Bing Crosby in Anything Goes, and then with Laurel and Hardy in Way Out West. The group apparently disbanded in 1938, according to the Turner Classic Movie web site. That year, Chill Wills did the voice of a midget in an elevator in another L&H film, Blockheads. The Midget, played by Karl 'Karchy' Kosiczky, would be one of the Munchkins in The Wizard of Oz the next year.
Wills became a great western character actor, which is his real claim to fame. It is probably tough to be saddled with a voice that is so unusual, but he always made the best of it. It must be like having Rondo Hatton's face. Nothing can be done, so take the great parts you are offered.
Wills played cowboys and soldiers for quite a few years, then in 1950 be became a mule. Yes, he was the voice of Francis the Talking Mule in that series of movies. I don't remember those movies well, but I have seen some of them. Something I must add to the Netflix list!
He continued in movies and also had quite a career in television. Westerns, dramas, comedies, voice-overs...whatever came along. I can remember him showing up everywhere. Burke's Law, The Rounders, Gunsmoke...he was also in one episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents in 1958, and I bet he held the chilling part up to an Emmy standard, even though he never won any awards. He came close with a Best Supporting Actor nomination for The Alamo.
I don't know if you can qualify Chill Wills as a superstar, but I sure would. His acting made an impression on me, and probably inspired later actors to work in a niche as a character actor as well. I guess that's what it was supposed to do!
Chill Wills (1903-1978) got his start as a singer in vaudeville. He was the bass in a quartet he formed called the Avalon Boys and they were popular in the 1930s. I saw him first in It's a Gift, with W. C. Fields, and his voice and face were instantly recognizable. The Avalon Boys were singing at a campfire and Fields wandered over to add his voice to theirs. It's a Gift from 1934 is one of my favorite Fields movies.
The Avalon Boys went on to work with Bing Crosby in Anything Goes, and then with Laurel and Hardy in Way Out West. The group apparently disbanded in 1938, according to the Turner Classic Movie web site. That year, Chill Wills did the voice of a midget in an elevator in another L&H film, Blockheads. The Midget, played by Karl 'Karchy' Kosiczky, would be one of the Munchkins in The Wizard of Oz the next year.
Wills became a great western character actor, which is his real claim to fame. It is probably tough to be saddled with a voice that is so unusual, but he always made the best of it. It must be like having Rondo Hatton's face. Nothing can be done, so take the great parts you are offered.
Wills played cowboys and soldiers for quite a few years, then in 1950 be became a mule. Yes, he was the voice of Francis the Talking Mule in that series of movies. I don't remember those movies well, but I have seen some of them. Something I must add to the Netflix list!
He continued in movies and also had quite a career in television. Westerns, dramas, comedies, voice-overs...whatever came along. I can remember him showing up everywhere. Burke's Law, The Rounders, Gunsmoke...he was also in one episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents in 1958, and I bet he held the chilling part up to an Emmy standard, even though he never won any awards. He came close with a Best Supporting Actor nomination for The Alamo.
I don't know if you can qualify Chill Wills as a superstar, but I sure would. His acting made an impression on me, and probably inspired later actors to work in a niche as a character actor as well. I guess that's what it was supposed to do!
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