''The County Chairman'' is a 1935 American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by John G. Blystone and starring Will Rogers,

Evelyn Venable Evelyn Venable (October 18, 1913 – November 15, 1993) was an American actress perhaps best known for her role as Grazia in the 1934 film '' Death Takes a Holiday''. In addition to acting in around two dozen films during the 1930s and 1940s ...

and

Kent Taylor Kent Taylor (born Louis William Weiss; May 11, 1907 – April 11, 1987) was an American actor of film and television. Taylor appeared in more than 110 films, the bulk of them B-movies in the 1930s and 1940s, although he also had roles in more pr ...

. It was produced and distributed by the

Fox Film Corporation The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American Independent film production studio formed by William Fox (1879–1952) in 1915, by combining his earlier Greater New York Film Rental Company and Box Office Attractions Film C ...

. It is based on the 1903 play of the same name by George Ade which had previously been adapted into a 1914

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, 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) ...

'' The County Chairman''.

Premise

A political party boss in

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...

must decide to either do what's right and lose the election or do what's wrong and win it.

Cast

* Will Rogers as Jim Hackler *

as Lucy Rigby *

as Ben Harvey *

Louise Dresser Louise Dresser (born Louise Josephine Kerlin; October 5, 1878 – April 24, 1965) was an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her roles in the many films in which she played the wife of Will Rogers, including '' State Fair'' and ...

as Mrs. Rigby * Mickey Rooney as Freckers *

Berton Churchill Berton Churchill (December 9, 1876 – October 10, 1940) was a Canadian stage and film actor. Early years Churchill was born in Toronto, Ontario. After his family moved to New York City, he graduated from high school there, studied law a ...

as Elias Rigby * Frank Melton as Hy Cleaver * Robert McWade as Tom Craden * Russell Simpson as Vance Jimmison *

William V. Mong William V. Mong (June 25, 1875 – December 10, 1940) was an American film actor, screenwriter and director. He appeared in almost 200 films between 1910 and 1939. His directing (1911–1918) and screenwriting (1911–1922) were mostly for ...

as Uncle Eck *

Jan Duggan Jan Duggan (born Genevieve Hussey; November 6, 1881 – March 10, 1977) was an American film and stage actress. Early life Duggan was born Genevieve Hussey in St. Louis, Missouri. She was the daughter of George W. Hussey Sr. and Mary E. Fl ...

as Abigail *

Gay Seabrook Gay Seabrook (born Gladys Johnson; April 1, 1901 – April 18, 1970) was a film, Broadway and radio actress. Early years Seabrook was the daughter of Rufus Johnson, a newspaper circulation manager. Career In the mid 1920s, Seabrook portrayed M ...

as Lorna Craden * Charles Middleton as Riley Cleaver *

Erville Alderson Erville Alderson (September 11, 1882 – August 4, 1957) was an American character actor, usually portraying strong-willed or wise men. He appeared in nearly 200 films between 1918 and 1957. Life Alderson was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He ...

as Wilson Prewitt *

Stepin Fetchit Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry (May 30, 1902 – November 19, 1985), better known by the stage name Stepin Fetchit, was an American vaudevillian, comedian, and film actor of Jamaican and Bahamian descent, considered to be the first black a ...

as Sass *

Carmencita Johnson Carmencita Johnson (March 31, 1923 – September 26, 2000) was an American actress. She was best known as a child actress in the 1920s and 1930s. Early life and career Johnson was born in Los Angeles, California, to Wynonah B. (née Breazeale) ...

as Schoolgirl *

Marcia Mae Jones Marcia Mae Jones (August 1, 1924 – September 2, 2007) was an American film and television actress whose prolific career spanned 57 years. Early years Jones was the youngest of four children born to actress Freda Jones. All three of her ...

as Schoolgirl * Francis Ford as Cattle Rancher

Production

The railroad scenes were filmed on the

Sierra Railroad The Sierra Railroad Corporation is a privately owned common carrier. Its Sierra Northern Railway freight division handles all freight operations for all branches owned by the Sierra Railroad. The company's Mendocino Railway group operates th ...

Tuolumne County, California Tuolumne County (), officially the County of Tuolumne, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 55,620. The county seat and only incorporated city is Sonora. Tuolumne County comprises th ...

References

External links

* * 1935 films 1935 romantic comedy films Films directed by John G. Blystone American black-and-white films American romantic comedy films Fox Film films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films Silent romantic comedy films {{1930s-comedy-film-stub