Eldon Raymond McKee (December 7, 1892 – October 3, 1984), also credited as Roy McKee, was an American stage and screen actor. His film debut was in the 1912 production ''The Lovers' Signal''. Over the next 23 years, he performed in no less than 172 additional films.

Early life

McKee was born in

Keokuk, Iowa Keokuk is a city in and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States, along with Fort Madison. It is Iowa's southernmost city. The population was 9,900 at the time of the 2020 census. The city is named after the Sauk chief Keokuk, who is ...

, to Albert N. McKee and Alice Yetter McKee. During World War I, he was an Army lieutenant in France and reportedly wore his uniform in four war-themed films.

Stage and film careers

On Broadway, McKee portrayed Jack Weaver in ''The Phantom Legion'' (1919). He also acted on stage in ''A Fool There Was'', ''The Fortune Teller'', and '' Madame X''. Early in his acting career, McKee also made films in the eastern United States for the Edison and

Lubin Lubin (; german: Lüben, szl, Lubin) is a city in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in south-western Poland. It is the administrative seat of Lubin County, and also of the rural district called Gmina Lubin, although it is not part of the territory o ...

studios and was billed as "Roy McKee".

The Smith Films

From 1926 to 1928, he was associated with

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 ...

, with McKee portraying Jimmy Smith in a series of 29 ''Smith Famil''y comedy films. Supporting cast included several regulars: Ruth Hiatt as Mabel Smith;

Mary Ann Jackson Mary Ann Jackson (January 14, 1923 – December 17, 2003) was an American child actress who appeared in the ''Our Gang'' short subjects series from 1928 to 1931. She was born and died in Los Angeles, California. Career Mary Ann Jackson's f ...

as Bubbles Smith; Carole Lombard aa Lillian; Andy Clyde as Uncle Dan;

Leo Sulky Leo Sulky (6 December 1874 – 3 June 1957) was an American actor. He usually appeared in films directed by Del Lord such as ''Black Oxfords'' (1924), ''Yukon Jake'' (1924), ''Wall Street Blues'' (1924), ''Lizzies of the Field'' (1924), '' Gallopi ...

as Jimmy's friend;

Sunshine Hart Sunlight is a portion of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun, in particular infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. On Earth, sunlight is scattered and filtered through Earth's atmosphere, and is obvious as daylight when t ...

as Jimmy's mother-in-law. Produced by

the series included many of the regular Sennet characters:

Tiny Ward Roscoe Samuel "Tiny" Ward (January 2, 1893 – September 12, 1956) was an American actor. He occasionally was billed as Jack "Tiny" Ward. Due to his appearance in several "classics" he is a fairly well-known face in film history. In the 192 ...

Vernon Dent Vernon Bruce Dent (February 16, 1895 – November 5, 1963) was an American comic actor, who appeared in over 400 films. He co-starred in many short films for Columbia Pictures, frequently as the foil and the main antagonist and ally to The Thr ...

, Irving Bacon, William McCall,

Louise Carver Louise Carver (June 9, 1869 - June 19, 1956) was an American actress who performed in grand opera, stage, nickelodeon, and motion pictures. Early years and career Born Mary Louise Steiger in Davenport, Iowa, she was the daughter of Mr. and Mr ...

, Barney Hellum,

Billy Gilbert William Gilbert Barron (September 12, 1894 – September 23, 1971), known professionally as Billy Gilbert, was an American actor and comedian. He was known for his comic sneeze routines. He appeared in over 200 feature films, short subjects ...

, etc. The films (all silent) were released at a rate of roughly one per month as one-reel fillers. The series is best remembered as the launching pad for Carole Lombard, who quickly eclipsed McKee in her fame. The films were: ''Smith's Baby'' (1926); ''Smith's Vacation'' (1926); ''Smith's Landlord'' (1926); ''Smith's Visitor'' (1926); ''Smith's Uncle'' (1926); ''Smith's Picnic'' (1926); ''Smith's Pets'' (1927); ''Smith's Customer'' (1927); ''Smith's New Home'' (1927); ''Smith's Surprise'' (1927); ''Smith's Kindergarten'' (1927); ''Smith's Fishing Trip'' (1927); ''Smith's Candy Shop'' (1927); ''Smith's Pony'' (1927); ''Smith's Cook'' (1927); ''Smith's Cousin'' (1927); ''Smith's Modiste Shop'' (1927); ''Smith's Holiday'' (1928); ''Smith's Army Life (1928)''; ''Smith's Farm Days'' (1928); ''Smith's Restaurant'' (1928); ''Smith's Catalina Rowboat Race'' (1928). Producer Sennett had discontinued new filming in 1928, but stockpiled several Smith shorts for release into 1929, removing "Smith" from all the titles: ''The Burglar'' (1928), ''The Chicken'' (1928), ''The Bargain Hunt'' (1928), ''Baby's Birthday'' (1929) ''Uncle Tom'' (1929), ''The Rodeo'' (1929), and ''The New Aunt'' (1929).

Personal life and death

During the filming of ''The Unbeliever'' in 1918, McKee worked with his future wife, actress Marguerite Courtot. The two performers worked together again in 1922 in the production '' Down to the Sea in Ships''. They wed the following year on April 14 and remained married for nearly 60 years, until Raymond's death. After retiring from acting, McKee focused his attention on The Zulu Hut, a restaurant that he originally opened in Los Angeles in the 1920s. McKee died on October 3, 1984, at age 91, in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

, from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...

. A United States Army veteran, his gravesite is at

Riverside National Cemetery Riverside National Cemetery (RNC) is a cemetery located in Riverside, California, dedicated to the interment of United States military personnel. The cemetery covers , making it the largest cemetery managed by the National Cemetery Administratio ...

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire an ...

. His wife Marguerite was buried alongside him two years later.

Partial filmography

* '' Dobs at the Shore'' (1914) * '' He Wanted His Pants'' (1914) * '' The Servant Girl's Legacy'' (1914) * '' The Honor of the Force'' (1914) * '' She Married for Love'' (1914) * '' The Smuggler's Daughter'' (1914) * '' When the Ham Turned'' (1914) * '' Jealous James'' (1914) * ''

Pins Are Lucky ''Pins Are Lucky'' is a 1914 silent comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy. Plot Cast * Billy Bowers as Cyrus Singleton * Frances Ne Moyer as Ruth Singleton * Oliver Hardy as Peter Pelton (as O.N. Hardy) * Raymond McKee as John Cozens See also ...

'' (1914) * ''

The Green Alarm ''The Green Alarm'' is a 1914 American silent comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy. Plot Cast * Billy Bowers as Old Man Hokus * Oliver Hardy as Mike (as O.N. Hardy) * Raymond McKee as Jake * Frank Griffin as Police Chief (as Frank C. Griffi ...

'' (1914) * ''

Making Auntie Welcome ''Making Auntie Welcome'' is a 1914 American silent comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy. Plot Cast * Vincente DePascale as Jack * Virginia Capen as Grace * Oliver Hardy as Grocery Boy (as Babe Hardy) * Raymond McKee as Police Chief * Eva Bell ...

'' (1914) * '' Worms Will Turn'' (1914) * '' Kidnapped Bride'' (1914) * '' Long May It Wave'' (1914) * '' A Brewerytown Romance'' (1914) * '' A Tango Tragedy'' (1914) * '' For Two Pins'' (1914) * '' The Particular Cowboys'' (1914) * '' He Won a Ranch'' (1914) * ''

Outwitting Dad ''Outwitting Dad'' is a lost 1914 American comedy film that featured Oliver Hardy's first onscreen appearance. The master negatives and original print for this short were destroyed in a vault fire at the Lubin Manufacturing Company in Philadel ...

'' (1914) * ''

The Simp and the Sophomores ''The Simp and the Sophomores'' is a 1915 silent comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy. Cast * Raymond McKee - Percy Quince * Harry Eytinge - Professor Stout * Arthur Housman - Tom Haze * Oliver Hardy - Professor Arm. Strong (as O.N. Hardy) * ...

'' (1915) * '' Not Much Force'' (1915) * '' Poor Baby'' (1915) * '' What a Cinch'' (1915) * '' Her Choice'' (1915) * '' Capturing Bad Bill'' (1915) * '' A Lucky Strike'' (1915) * '' An Expensive Visit'' (1915) * '' The Prize Baby'' (1915) * '' Shoddy the Tailor'' (1915) * ''

They Looked Alike ''They Looked Alike'' is a 1915 American silent comedy film featuring Oliver Hardy. Plot Cast * C.W. Ritchie as Bill * Raymond McKee as Sam * Harry Lorraine as Rube * Oliver Hardy as Pedestrian (as Babe Hardy) See also * List of American ...

'' (1915) * '' Twin Flats'' (1916) * '' A Maid to Order'' (1916) * ''

The Heart of the Hills ''The Heart of the Hills'' is a 1914 silent short film directed by and starring Wallace Reid and co-starring his wife Dorothy Davenport. It was produced by the Rex Motion Picture Company and distributed through the Universal Film Manufacturing C ...

'' (1916) * '' It Happened in Pikesville'' (1916) * '' Edison Bugg's Invention'' (1916) * '' Kidnapped'' (1917) * '' Where Love Is'' (1917) * '' The Apple Tree Girl'' (1917) * ''

The Lady of the Photograph ''The Lady of the Photograph'' is a 1917 American silent comedy drama film directed by Ben Turbett and starring Shirley Mason, Raymond McKee and Gerald Pring.Connelly p.371 It was made by the Edison Studios shortly before they withdrew from pro ...

'' (1917) * '' The Little Chevalier'' (1917) * '' The Last Sentence'' (1917) * '' Billy and the Big Stick'' (1917) * '' The Unbeliever'' (1918) * ''

The End of the Road ''The End of the Road'' is the second novel by American writer John Barth, published first in 1958, and then in a revised edition in 1967. The irony-laden black comedy's protagonist Jacob Horner suffers from a Existential nihilism, nihilistic p ...

'' (1919) * '' Kathleen Mavourneen'' (1919) * '' Love's Harvest'' (1920) * '' The Girl of My Heart'' (1920) * '' Flame of Youth'' (1920) * '' The Little Wanderer'' (1920) * '' The Fortune Teller'' (1920) * '' Wing Toy'' (1921) * '' The Lamplighter'' (1921) * '' Blind Hearts'' (1921) * '' The Mother Heart'' (1921) * '' The Jolt'' (1921) * '' Lovetime'' (1921) * '' A Blind Bargain'' (1922) * '' Down to the Sea in Ships'' (1922) * '' Forgive and Forget'' (1923) * '' Three Women'' (1924) *''

Pagan Passions ''Pagan Passions'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Colin Campbell and starring Wyndham Standing, June Elvidge, and Barbara Bedford. Plot As described in a film magazine review, when her husband commits suicide, Dreka Langley ...

'' (1924) * ''

Babbitt Babbitt may refer to: Fiction * ''Babbitt'' (novel), a 1922 novel by Sinclair Lewis ** ''Babbitt'' (1924 film), a 1924 silent film based on the novel ** ''Babbitt'' (1934 film), a 1934 film based on the novel *Babbit, the family name of the titl ...

'' (1924) * '' The Valley of Hate'' (1924) * '' Contraband'' (1925) * ''

Romance Road ''Romance Road'' is a 1925 American silent comedy film directed by Fred Windemere and starring Raymond McKee, Billy Bletcher and Margery Meadows.Munden p.664 Plot summary Cast * Raymond McKee as Patrick O'Brien * Billy Bletcher as Patrick's P ...

'' (1925) *'' Oh, What a Night!'' (1926) * ''

The Speed Limit ''The Speed Limit'' is a 1926 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Frank O'Connor and starring Raymond McKee, Ethel Shannon, and Bruce Gordon. It was produced by the independent company Gotham Pictures. Plot As described in a film m ...

'' (1926) * ''

Exclusive Rights In Anglo-Saxon law, an exclusive right, or exclusivity, is a de facto, non-tangible prerogative existing in law (that is, the power (sociology), power or, in a wider sense, right) to perform an action or acquire a benefit and to permit or deny ot ...

'' (1926) * '' King of the Herd'' (1927) * '' The Girl from Everywhere'' (1927) * '' Heart to Heart'' (1928) * ''

Frozen River ''Frozen River'' is a 2008 American crime drama film written and directed by Courtney Hunt. The screenplay focuses on two working-class women who smuggle illegal immigrants from Canada to the United States. The film received two Oscar nomination ...

'' (1929) * '' Campus Knights'' (1929)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McKee, Raymond 1892 births 1984 deaths Male actors from Iowa American male film actors American male silent film actors Burials at Riverside National Cemetery Deaths from pneumonia in California People from Greater Los Angeles Place of birth missing 20th-century American male actors People from Keokuk, Iowa United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army officers Military personnel from Iowa