![Bobby Vernon with his daughter](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Bobby_Vernon_with_his_daughter.jpg)
Bobby Vernon (born Sylvion de Jardin
) (March 9, 1897 – June 28, 1939) was an American comedic actor in silent films. He later became a writer and comedy supervisor at
Paramount
Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to:
Entertainment and music companies
* Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...
for
W. C. Fields
William Claude Dukenfield (January 29, 1880 – December 25, 1946), better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler, and writer. Fields's comic persona was a misanthropic and hard-drinking egotist who remained a sympathe ...
and
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...
, when the sound era arrived. Blue-eyed with medium brown hair, he stood five feet and two-and-a-half inches, making him perfect for juvenile comedy roles. His comedies were popular with children.
Life and career
The
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, subdivision_name ...
-born son of entertainers Harry Burns and
Dorothy Vernon
Dorothy Vernon (1544 – 24 June 1584), the younger daughter of Sir George Vernon and Margaret ''nee'' Talbois (or Tailboys), was the heiress of Haddon Hall, an English country house in Derbyshire with its origins in the 12th century. She marr ...
(born Dorothy Baird), Bobby first worked as a newsboy in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
. He was known as "Buttons," the singing newsboy.
Sid Grauman
Sidney Patrick Grauman (March 17, 1879 – March 5, 1950) was an American showman who created two of Hollywood's most recognizable and visited landmarks, the Chinese Theatre and the Egyptian Theatre.
Biography
Early years
Grauman was the s ...
recognized Vernon's talent and started him singing at the
Empress Theatre at the age of eleven.
Later, he became one of the stock actors in the vaudeville act Kolb and Dill. After three years of working with them,
Max Dill broke his leg in their show, "The Rollicking Girl." At the age of sixteen, Vernon replaced him for three weeks.
His first experience in screen was at the age of sixteen in
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
's ''Joker'' comedies. Early in his career, he was cast as an old man.
By 1915, he began working for
Keystone Studios. He starred in many romantic comedies with
Gloria Swanson
Gloria May Josephine Swanson (March 27, 1899April 4, 1983) was an American actress and producer. She first achieved fame acting in dozens of silent films in the 1920s and was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, most f ...
as his leading lady. The pair became popular for their great screen chemistry. However, as director
Charley Chase
Charles Joseph Parrott (October 20, 1893 – June 20, 1940), known professionally as Charley Chase, was an American comedian, actor, screenwriter and film director. He worked for many pioneering comedy studios but is chiefly associated with pro ...
recalled, Swanson was "frightened to death" of her co-star's dangerous stunts. He later described his Keystone days to ''
Motion Picture Classic
''Motion Picture'' was an American monthly fan magazine about film, published from 1911 to 1977.Fuller, Kathryn H. “Motion Picture Story Magazine and the Gendered Construction of the Movie Fan.” ''At the Picture Show: Small-Town Audiences ...
:''
In December 1917, he began working for the
Christie Film Company
Christie Film Company was an American pioneer motion picture company founded in Hollywood, California by Al Christie and Charles Christie, two brothers from London, Ontario, Canada. It made comedies.
While Charles served almost exclusively in ...
.
On September 9, 1918, Vernon left the Christie studio to serve during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
at the submarine base at
San Pedro, Los Angeles.
Vernon's career never progressed to feature films. He was busy making two-reel comedies. In a 1929 interview, he said:
A few months prior to the interview, he underwent a dangerous spine operation. The doctors claimed it was from years of taking falls.
Vernon sang and danced at
Grauman's Theatre
Grauman's Chinese Theatre (branded as TCL Chinese Theatre for naming rights reasons) is a movie palace on the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.
The original Chines ...
to great applause in February 1930.
Vernon completed his 12-year contract with the Christie Film Company in 1929. He then began freelancing. His first sound comedy was ''Cry Baby'', directed by
Del Lord
Delmer "Del" Lord (October 7, 1894March 23, 1970) was a Canadian film director and actor best known as a director of Three Stooges films.
Career
Delmer Lord was born in the small town of Grimsby, Ontario, Canada. Interested in the theatre, he t ...
in 1930. This was not his first sound film, as he made a brief cameo in ''The Voice of Hollywood'' #3 in 1929.
In 1933, after an acting career of 19 years, Vernon turned to writing. His last credited work in film was for ''Geronimo'', released in 1940.
Family
Vernon married Angelina Repetto (1898-1981) of
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
; the couple had one child, Barbara Dorothy Vernon, born in 1922. Angelina was the sister-in-law of
Reggie Morris
James Reginald "Reggie" Morris (June 25, 1886 – February 16, 1928) was an American actor, director, and screenwriter of the silent era. He appeared in 46 films between 1913 and 1918. He also directed 40 films between 1917 and 1927. He w ...
, thus making the two men brothers-in-law.
Death
Vernon died of a heart attack on June 28, 1939, in
Hollywood, California
Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...
, aged 42.
["Bobby Vernon, Actor of Silent Screen, Dies", ''New York Times'', June 29, 1939.] He is interred at
Forest Lawn Memorial Park in
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...
.
Partial filmography
* ''
The Hungry Actors
''The Hungry Actors'' is a 1915 American short comedy film featuring Harold Lloyd.
Cast
* Roy Stewart
* Jane Novak
* Harold Lloyd
* Neely Edwards
* Violet MacMillan
* Martha Mattox
* Bobby Vernon
See also
* Harold Lloyd filmography
These a ...
'' (1915)
* ''
Fatty and the Broadway Stars
''Fatty and the Broadway Stars'' is a 1915 American short comedy film directed by and starring Fatty Arbuckle.
Cast
* Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle
* Ivy Crosthwaite
* Mack Sennett
* Joe Weber
* Lew Fields
* Sam Bernard
* William Collier Sr.
* Joe ...
'' (1915)
* ''
A Dash of Courage'' (1916)
* ''
Hearts and Sparks
''Hearts and Sparks'' is a 1916 American silent comedy film directed by Clarence G. Badger and starring Gloria Swanson.
Cast
* Billie Bennett
* Nick Cogley
* Albert T. Gillespie
* Tom Kennedy
* Joe Lee
* Hank Mann
* Slim Summerville
* Gloria ...
'' (1916)
* ''
A Social Cub
''A Social Cub'' is a 1916 short silent comedy film directed by Clarence G. Badger and starring Gloria Swanson.
Cast
* Elizabeth De Witt
* Gonda Durand
* Harry Gribbon
* Reggie Morris
* Blanche Payson
* Della Pringle
* Gloria Swanson
* Jos ...
'' (1916)
* ''
The Danger Girl
''The Danger Girl'' is a 1916 American silent comedy film directed by Clarence G. Badger and starring Bobby Vernon and Gloria Swanson.
Plot
Reggie's sister disguises herself as a boy to prove to her brother and sweetheart that a vamp is on ...
'' (1916)
* ''
Haystacks and Steeples
''Haystacks and Steeples'' is a 1916 American silent comedy film directed by Clarence G. Badger and starring Gloria Swanson.
Cast
* Sylvia Ashton
* Helen Bray
* George Felix
* Reggie Morris
* Della Pringle
* Gloria Swanson
* Josef Swickard ...
'' (1916)
* ''
The Nick of Time Baby'' (1916)
* ''
Teddy at the Throttle
''Teddy at the Throttle'' is a 1917 American silent comedy short film starring Bobby Vernon, Gloria Swanson, and Wallace Beery. Wallace Beery and Gloria Swanson were briefly husband and wife offscreen during this period.
Cast
* Bobby Verno ...
'' (1917)
* ''
Whose Baby?
''Whose Baby?'' is a 1917 American silent comedy film directed by Clarence G. Badger and starring Gloria Swanson
Gloria May Josephine Swanson (March 27, 1899April 4, 1983) was an American actress and producer. She first achieved fame a ...
'' (1917)
* ''
The Sultan's Wife
''The Sultan's Wife'' is a 1917 American silent comedy film directed by Clarence G. Badger and starring Bobby Vernon and Gloria Swanson. The film is also known under the title ''Caught in a Harem''.
Plot
Gloria follows sailor boyfriend Bobby ...
'' (1917)
* ''Petticoats and Pants'' (1920)
* ''Why Wild Men Go Wild'' (1920)
* ''Fresh from the Farm'' (1921)
* ''Hey, Rube!'' (1921)
* ''Pure and Simple'' (1921)
* ''A Hickory Hick'' (1922)
* ''Choose Your Weapons'' (1922)
* ''Cornfed'' (1924)
* ''Reno Or Bust'' (1924)
* ''Broken China'' (1926)
* ''Cry Baby'' (1930)
* ''
Sheer Luck
''Sheer Luck'' is a 1931 American crime film directed by Bruce M. Mitchell and starring Jobyna Ralston, Nick Stuart and Philo McCullough.Pitts p.65
Cast
* Jobyna Ralston as Betty Carver
* Nick Stuart as Jimmie Reid
* Bobby Vernon as Archib ...
'' (1931)
* ''
He's a Honey'' (1932)
* ''
Lone Cowboy
''Lone Cowboy: Live & Solo'' is the twenty-ninth album by American singer-songwriter Michael Martin Murphey, his first solo album, and his third live album. The album was recorded live in October 2008 at the Western Jubilee Warehouse Theater in C ...
'' (1933)
References
External links
*
*
*
Bobby Vernonat Virtual History
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vernon, Bobby
1897 births
1939 deaths
American male screenwriters
American male stage actors
American male silent film actors
Male actors from Chicago
20th-century American male actors
Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
20th-century American comedians
Comedians from Illinois
Screenwriters from Illinois
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American screenwriters