Bobby Ray (born Wilhelm Robert McBain Fuehrer, October 6, 1899 – March 26, 1957) was an American

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or a ...

of the

silent era A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, wh ...

. He appeared in more than sixty

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

s between 1914 and 1927, including a group from the mid-1920s featuring

Oliver Hardy Oliver Norvell Hardy (born Norvell Hardy; January 18, 1892 – August 7, 1957) was an American comic actor and one half of Laurel and Hardy, the double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted from 1926 to 1957. He appeared with his c ...

. He was originally a

child actor The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage or in film, movies or television. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associ ...

.Roots p.365 In addition he directed six short films and two

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

s ''

Riley of the Rainbow Division ''Riley of the Rainbow Division'' is a 1928 American silent war comedy film directed by Bobby Ray and starring Creighton Hale, Al Alt and Pauline Garon.Munden p.644 In Britain, it was released under the alternative title of ''Flappers in Khaki ...

'' and ''

Dugan of the Dugouts ''Dugan of the Dugouts'' is a 1928 American silent comedy film directed by Bobby Ray and starring Pauline Garon, Danny O'Shea and Ernest Hilliard.Munden p.206 It was one of two films directed by Ray, a former silent-era film comedian, who late ...

'' (both 1928). Following the arrival of

sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

, Ray developed a new career as an

assistant director The role of an assistant director on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have to tak ...

that continued into the 1950s. Much of his work during this period was for the low-budget studio

Monogram Pictures Monogram Pictures Corporation was an American film studio that produced mostly low-budget films between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram was among the smaller studios i ...

, but he later moved into television.

Selected filmography

* ''

Hop to It! ''Hop to It!'', also released as ''Hop to It, Bellhop'', is a 1925 American silent comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy. Cast * Bobby Ray as A bellhop * Oliver Hardy as A bellhop (as Babe Hardy) * Janet Dawn as Saleswoman * Frank Alexander a ...

'' (1925) * '' Stick Around'' (1925) * '' Hey, Taxi!'' (1925) * '' They All Fall'' (1925) * ''

'' (1928) * ''

'' (1928)

References

Bibliography

* Munden, Kenneth White. ''The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States, Part 1''. University of California Press, 1997. * Roots, James. ''The 100 Greatest Silent Film Comedians''. Rowman & Littlefield, 2014.

External links

* 1899 births 1957 deaths American male film actors American film directors Male actors from New York City {{US-film-actor-stub