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James B. Adams (October 4, 1888 – December 19, 1933) was an American silent-screen comedian and actor.
In 1921, Adams starred in two-reel comedies for 
He briefly replaced 
Christie hired Adams for six comedies released in 1926 and 1927. The Christie comedies were more polite and less extreme than the slam-bang comedies of other studios, but Christie's soft-pedal comedy style did find an audience. Star comedians Jimmie Adams,
Adams died of
Career
In 1921, Adams starred in two-reel comedies for Educational Pictures
Educational Pictures, also known as Educational Film Exchanges, Inc. or Educational Films Corporation of America, was an American film production and film distribution company founded in 1916 by Earle (E. W.) Hammons (1882–1962). Educational pr ...
and Al Christie
Charles Herbert Christie (April 13, 1882 – October 1, 1955) and Alfred Ernest Christie (November 23, 1886 – April 14, 1951) were Canadian motion picture entrepreneurs.
Early life
Charles Herbert Christie was born between April 13, 1 ...
. The slightly built, pencil-mustached Adams has been described by historian Kalton C. Lahue as "a poor man's 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 ...
." Like Chase, and unlike the other comics at Educational, Adams favored situational comedy over slapstick.
He briefly replaced Mack Sennett
Mack Sennett (born Michael Sinnott; January 17, 1880 – November 5, 1960) was a Canadian-American film actor, director, and producer, and studio head, known as the 'King of Comedy'.
Born in Danville, Quebec, in 1880, he started in films in the ...
comic Harry McCoy
Harry McCoy (December 10, 1893 – September 1, 1937) was an American film actor and screenwriter. He appeared in more than 150 films between 1912 and 1935.
Early years
McCoy was born on December 10, 1893, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, ...
in the cartoon-inspired ''Hall Room Boys'' series (produced by Harry Cohn
Harry Cohn (July 23, 1891 – February 27, 1958) was a co-founder, president, and production director of Columbia Pictures Corporation.
Life and career
Cohn was born to a working-class Jewish family in New York City. His father, Joseph Cohn, w ...
and Jack Cohn
Jacob Cohn (October 27, 1889 – December 8, 1956) was a co-founder of Columbia Pictures Corporation.
Early life
Cohn was born in New York, the son of Joseph, a tailor from Germany, and Bella, from Russia. He had three brothers, Maxwell (1888� ...
, later of Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...
). By 1924, Adams was back with Educational.
Christie hired Adams for six comedies released in 1926 and 1927. The Christie comedies were more polite and less extreme than the slam-bang comedies of other studios, but Christie's soft-pedal comedy style did find an audience. Star comedians Jimmie Adams, Bobby Vernon
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 for W. C. Fields and Bing Crosby, when the sound era arrived. Blu ...
, Lige Conley
Lige Conley (born Elijah Crommie; December 5, 1897 – December 11, 1937) was an American actor of the silent era. He appeared in 140 films between 1915 and 1938.
Biography
As Lige Crommie, the curly-haired young comedian joined the stock ...
, Neal Burns
Neal (Neil) is a given masculine name and surname of Gaelic and Irish origin. The name is an Anglicisation of the Irish Niall which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "hon ...
, and Billy Dooley
William Dooley (born 26 March 1969) is an Irish former hurler who played for Offaly Senior Championship club Seir Kieran. He played for the Offaly senior hurling team for 11 seasons, during which time he usually lined out as a right corner-f ...
constituted a lineup that was no threat to Hal Roach
Harry Eugene "Hal" Roach Sr.Randy Skretvedt, Skretvedt, Randy (2016), ''Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies'', Bonaventure Press. p.608. (January 14, 1892 – November 2, 1992) was an American film and television producer, director, a ...
, but nevertheless entertained millions with a style than neither Roach or Mack Sennett
Mack Sennett (born Michael Sinnott; January 17, 1880 – November 5, 1960) was a Canadian-American film actor, director, and producer, and studio head, known as the 'King of Comedy'.
Born in Danville, Quebec, in 1880, he started in films in the ...
could or would provide.
Adams was also a singer. In 1930, he co-starred with burly comic Bud Jamison
William Edward "Bud" Jamison (February 15, 1894 – September 30, 1944)Okuda, Ted, and Edward Watz. 1999. The Columbia Comedy Shorts: Two-reel Hollywood Film Comedies 1933–1958'. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. . was an American film actor. ...
as " The Rolling Stones (silent film)" a pair of singing vagabonds touring America. Adams also sang with The Ranch Boys, a musical group featured in 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 ...
comedies.
Death
Adams died of myocardial infarction
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...
at age of 45, in Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from 191,719 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth-larges ...
.
Partial filmography
* '' Hold Your Breath'' (1924) *''Triumph
The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...
'' (1924)
* ''Stop Flirting
''Stop Flirting'' is a 1925 American silent comedy film directed by Scott Sidney and starring Wanda Hawley, John T. Murray, and Ethel Shannon. It is based on the 1923 play of the same title by Frederick J. Jackson.Her Man o' War
''Her Man o' War'' is a 1926 American silent war drama film directed by Frank Urson and starring Jetta Goudal, William Boyd and Jimmie Adams.Goble p.240
The film's sets were designed by the art director Max Parker.
Synopsis
After being captur ...
'' (1926)
*'' The Farmer's Daughter'' (1928)
*'' The Office Scandal'' (1929)
* ''The Grand Parade
''The Grand Parade'' is a 1930 American drama film directed by Fred C. Newmeyer and starring Helen Twelvetrees, Fred Scott and Richard Carle.Kennedy p.306 It is now considered to be a lost film.
A struggling minstrel show entertainer's life is ...
'' (1930)
External links
* * 1888 births 1933 deaths 20th-century American male actors Male actors from New Jersey American male silent film actors Actors from Paterson, New Jersey {{US-film-actor-1880s-stub