Appreciation Day

 

Gertrude Messinger Appreciation Day

 

19^th February 2017 is Gertrude Messinger Appreciation Day!

 

A former Hal Roach Studios comedienne, you may know Gertrude from her involvement in “The Boyfriends” series.

With Grady Sutton, "Ladies Last" (1930), "The Boyfriends" series

 

Or, considering how overlooked or unfairly slated the series is, you probably don’t know much about her at all.

 

I’ve even got a nice, early quirky fact for you: Gertrude married one of her co-stars! Did you know that?!

With husband-to-be, David Sharpe

 





Let’s find out more about Gertie on her appreciation day:

Gertrude Dolores Messinger was born in Spokane, Washington on April 28^th 1911.

As IMDB informs us (see link below), her father, Henry B. Messinger, was a carpenter who worked for Universal Studios. This probably explains how Gertrude and her two older siblings, Buddy and Marie, became child actors for Universal in 1916/1917.

Marie didn’t feature in many films, but Buddy did. Buddy, in fact, was paired with Gertrude in the “Fox Kiddies” short comedies at this time. Buddy, interestingly, would wind up at the Hal Roach studios to take uncredited roles in the Thelma Todd and Patsy Kelly short, “An All American Toothache” (1936), the Patsy Kelly feature film “Kelly the Second” (1936), and Laurel and Hardy’s “Our Relations” (1936).

 

Back to Gertie though: As a child star, little Gertie first appeared in a shirt film entitled “The Hunted Man” (1917). I can’t find out anything about the film, but Gertrude would have been 6 years old at the time of its release. Don’t be too surprised will you now, when I reveal that she played the part of a child…

 

She first appeared with her brother Buddy in Fox’s film “Jack and the Beanstalk” (1917). As one of the “Fox Kiddies”, she appeared in “Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp” (1917) and “Treasure Island” (1918), and with both Buddy and Marie in “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves” (1918).

 

She appeared in various short and feature films for various companies until 1923, where she seems to have endured quite a long break from the world of films, as he next role would not be until 1929 when she performed in “The Jazz Age” starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

 

Shortly afterwards, she appears to have signed for the Hal Roach Studios. Her first film for Hal Roach was the studio’s second talkie - “Hurdy Gurdy” (1929) – not that any of the actors who starred in it would be proud to boast that on their CV, considering how bad it is…

 

In “Hurdy Gurdy”, she plays the daughter of Edgar Kennedy and has, at most, about three lines in the short. IMDB also suggests that she had a small role in another Roach All-Star comedy from this time, “Dad’s Day”, which also starred Edgar Kennedy.

 

Gertie would have been 17 years old at the time that “Hurdy Gurdy” was filmed in April 1929. As a youthful actor, she was perfect for Hal Roach’s imminent plans for a new comedy series aimed at adolescents, “The Boyfriends”.

With fellow "Boyfriends" co-stars, Mary Kornman and Dorothy Granger

 





The first title in “The Boyfriends” series, “Doctor’s Orders” was released in September 1930 and starred Gertie, two of the “Our Gang” children who had now grown up - Mickey Daniels and Mary Kornman – Grady Sutton, Dorothy Granger, and, important for Gertrude’s future, David Sharpe.

 

The then 19 year old Gertie would appear in 10 short films in “The Boyfriends” series, with “The Kick-Off!” (1931) marking her last appearance in the series.

 

Gertie often played David Sharpe’s girlfriend in the series, and, along with co-star Mary Kornman, she would frequently get into trouble, whereby the boyfriends – David, Mickey Daniels, and Grady Sutton – would intervene and often get into more trouble. Ultimately, it was a series high on slapstick, with Gertie frequently resorting to chucking plant pots at nasty gangsters, dancing with dummies, or out-vamping vamps such as Thelma Todd!

With Mary Kornman

 





You can find out more about “The Boyfriends” series in a future review, but the series was marred by an almost constant changing of cast and lack of continuity that could be expected from such changes. The apparent “trio” of boyfriends and girlfriends Mary Kornman/Mickey Daniels, David Sharpe/Gertrude Messinger, Dorothy Granger/Grady Sutton, was broken up initially by Dorothy Granger’s departure to make Grady more “camp”. David Sharpe also left the series for some strange unknown reason, being replaced by David Rollins (who was also then quickly dropped). Gertrude left shortly afterwards (in fact, in “The Kick-Off!” Gertie and Mary BARELY feature, again showing lack of continuity and ideas for where the series was going…). The series became the Mickey/Mary/Grady show for a few more shorts before Roach ditched it completely.

With "Boyfriends" co-star, Mickey Daniels

 



“The Kick-Off!” wasn’t just Gertie’s last appearance in “The Boyfriends” series, it was her last film for Hal Roach. She left the studios after this short for no known reason. There was a happier time around the corner, however.

 

Before appearing in a Paramount feature “The Sporting Widow” (1932), Gertrude married former “Boyfriends” co-star David Sharpe. Sharpe was the National A. A. U. tumbling champion in 1925 aged just 15, and 1926 (see IMDB). He performed in over 4,500 films as an actor and stunt double in an incredible career. The couple were married on 20^th April 1932, just before Gertrude’s 21^st birthday. David’s occupation was listed as “Real Estate Salesman”, whereas Gertrude declared that her occupation was “none”…  They had at least one daughter, Kay, who was born in 1933. (The marriage certificate and information about Kay can be viewed via Dave Lord Heath’s site; see link at the foot of this page).

 

IMDB informs us that her marriage to David Sharpe was short-lived however, lasting just over 4 years. The couple divorced in May 1936; I can’t find any information as to why. Gertie then married a Henry Knight in 1939. They were divorced in the same year! 1939 must have been a strange year for Gertie; she then married Schuyler Sanford on the 30^th September, who had begun his career in the Camera department at Paramount Pictures, and her film career started to wane.

With Dorothy Granger

 







After her departure from “The Boyfriends” series, Gertie would never work for Hal Roach again. Well, she did appear as an extra in the nightclub scene in Laurel and Hardy’s “Our Relations” (1936) but that’s hardly ‘working’ for Roach, is it?! She appeared in lots of westerns, often sporting blonde hair.

 

She did have the chance to reunite with her old pals from “The Boyfriends” series for a feature entitled “Roaring Roads” (1935), co-starring her husband David Sharpe, Mary Kornman, and Mickey Daniels. “Roaring Roads” was produced by the William Berke Production company and features a car race, gangsters, and Mickey Daniels’s hilarious high-shrilled laugh (if you’ve seen “The Boyfriends” you’ll know what I’m on about!). She would also work with Dave in a few shorts that starred Flash the Dog – yes, I’m being serious! – in 1934/1935, directed by William Berke.

She also had very minor roles in at least two “Three Stooges” shorts, “Slippery Silks” (1936) and “Dizzy Doctors” (1937).

 

After 1940, Gertie only really acted in small, uncredited roles until 1943. She didn’t appear again on film until 1949 – “Joe Palooka in the Counterpunch”. Her final appearance was in “The Greatest Show on Earth” in 1952.

 

Schuyler and Gertrude were to remain married until Gertrude’s death. She died of heart failure at the age of 84 on the 8^th November 1995, in Los Angeles, California.

 

A plucky, if at times underutilised comedienne, Gertrude Messinger is deserving of her appreciation day. I suggest you go and check out “Mama Loves Papa” (1931), one of “The Boyfriends” shorts.

 

References

The following websites contain important information about Gertrude Messinger and have been vital in writing this post:

IMDB has a useful biography and list of films that Gertrude Messinger starred in: Here 

 

Dave Lord Heath’s excellent site, Another Nice Mess, also contains lots of detailed information about the films that Gertie appeared in, and plenty of screenshots. It also contains a link to Dave Sharpe and Gertie’s marriage certificate: Here 

Linda Loredo Appreciation Day

21^st January 2017 is Linda Loredo Appreciation Day!

Laurel and Hardy fans may well remember her as Mrs Laurel in “Come Clean” (1931), but did you know that she starred in multiple Spanish language films for the Hal Roach studios???

L-R: Gertrude Astor and Linda Loredo.

 

Let’s find out more about Ms. Loredo on her appreciation day:

Linda Loredo was born Herlinda Loredo in Tucson, Arizona on June 20^th 1907.

L-R: Stan Laurel, Linda Loredo, Gertrude Astor, Oliver Hardy.

 

Her parents were born in Mexico. Her father was Santiago O. Loredo and her mother was Mercedes Perez. IMDB states (see link below) that her sister, Marie Loredo, was also an actress.

Bobb Edwards informs us (see link below) that Linda Loredo was a dancer in an LA nightclub before she appeared in a couple of silent films. However, it was signing with Hal Roach in 1929 that Linda Loredo really got her big break.

 

Roach signed her to star in Spanish language versions of popular comedies made by Laurel and Hardy, Charley Chase, and Harry Langdon (see Bobb Edwards’s biography and Dave Lord Heath’s website links below). At that time, Roach would have his stars – such as Laurel and Hardy, Chase, and Langdon – speak Spanish phonetically alongside a range of performers who were fluent in the language to create quality film versions for foreign markets; much better than being dubbed or having subtitles added!

Linda Loredo, naturally, was perfect for such a venture, being able to speak Spanish fluently.

 

She starred in at least three Spanish language versions of Charley Chase shorts: “All Teed Up” (1930), “The Pip from Pittsburgh” (1931), and “Thundering Tenors” (1931), and two Harry Langdon shorts: “The Head Guy” (1930) and “The Shrimp” (1930).

She starred in four Laurel and Hardy Spanish language films: “Blotto” (1930), “Hog Wild” (1930), “Be Big” (1931), and “Chickens Come Home” (1931). She also appeared in one English language Laurel and Hardy film, “Come Clean” (1931). As David Lord Heath states (see link below), Linda Loredo is one of the only actresses to have performed as Mrs Laurel and Mrs Hardy in the boys’ films.

 

It’s hard to find out information about some of these Spanish language Hal Roach films. How many of these films listed above are available to view/have survived? Is it likely, do you think, that the Spanish language version of the Harry Langdon shorts will ever be found? Where are such prints likely to be found?

“Come Clean” (1931) sees Linda Loredo as the apparently long-suffering Mrs Laurel. She gives a perfect performance of the eye-rolling, “STAAANNLEEEE” screaming, acerbic shrew. Clearly irritated by her husband’s behaviour in many of the screenshots throughout this post, Linda Loredo’s performance is on par with the other cantankerous Mrs Laurels.

 

I find it interesting in “Come Clean” that you can hear traces of Linda Loredo’s Hispanic heritage as she delivers her lines. Much of her time on screen in “Come Clean” is with Gertrude Astor, who played a similarly aggressive Mrs Hardy.

It’s in the Spanish language version of “Chickens Come Home” (1931) that Linda Loredo commands more standalone screen time, this time as the sharp and wise Mrs Hardy, astutely aware of her husband’s suspicious behaviour. There are more comedy moments for Linda Loredo in this film; socking her husband on the chin and head, ripping his coat to pieces in front of him and punching a hole in his hat, with those latter actions not present in the English language version.

 

She’s a vibrant and plucky performer, portraying anger and injustice particularly well in her extant films.

 

Fingers crossed that at some point in the coming years, more of the Spanish language films that she performed in will be found.

 

Linda Loredo is also the subject of a curious anecdote which can be found in Jimmy Starr’s autobiography (see link below). Jimmy Starr had a forty year career in Hollywood, largely as a gossip columnist. In his autobiography, he tells a story from February 1928 which involves Linda Loredo and a man named Reggie Morris, a gag writer at Fox studios.

Reggie and Linda had been seeing each other for about three weeks, when one night, February 15^th 1928, Reggie and Linda had been making love, only for Reggie to suffer a fatal heart attack during the act of lovemaking. Linda Loredo called the doctor, who found Reggie dead upon his arrival…

Sadly, “Come Clean” was to be Linda Loredo’s final film for Hal Roach. In June 1931 she was admitted to hospital to have her appendix removed. There were post-operative  complications which meant that she was hospitalised for a further couple of months, before she succumbed to peritonitis on August 11^th 1931.

L-R: Linda Loredo and Rina De Liguoro.

 

She was just 23 years old. Linda Loredo was buried in Calvary Cemetery, LA.

 

If more of her Spanish language films for Roach had survived and been more widely accessible to view over the years, and if her life hadn’t been tragically cut short, it’s likely that Linda Loredo’s name would be synonymous with black and white comedy cinema today.

 

References

The following websites contain important information about Linda Loredo and have been vital in writing this post:

IMDB has a useful biography and list of films that Linda Loredo starred in: Link

Bobb Edwards has written a fantastic biography of Linda Loredo, where you can also see a photo of her grave in Calvary Cemetery, LA: Link

Dave Lord Heath’s excellent site, Another Nice Mess, also contains lots of great information about Linda Loredo and screenshots, as well as Linda Loredo’s Death Certificate: Link

Finally, Jimmy Starr’s autobiography, Barefoot on Barbed Wire: An Autobiography of a Forty-Year Hollywood Balancing Act, Scarecrow Press, 2001, pp.103-104, contains the anecdote about Linda Loredo: Link