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Post by Agnes on Apr 26, 2009 18:38:51 GMT
 Gilbert was spotted by Stan Laurel who was in the audience of Gilberts show Sensations of 1929, Laurel went back stage to meet Gilbert and was so impressed by him he introduced him to comedy producer Hal Roach. Gilbert was employed as a gag writer, actor and director, he was 35 years old when he appeared in his first film for the Fox Film Corporation in 1929. Gilbert broke into comedy short subjects with the Vitaphone studio in 1930 (he appears without billing in the Joe Frisco comedy The Happy Hottentots, recently restored and released on DVD). Gilbert's burly frame and gruff voice made him a good comic villain, and within the year he was working for producer Hal Roach. He appeared in support of Roach's comedy stars Laurel and Hardy, Charley Chase, Thelma Todd, and Our Gang. One of his Laurel and Hardy appearances was the 1932 Academy Award-winning featurette The Music Box. Gilbert generally played blustery tough guys in the Roach comedies, but could play other comic characters, from fey couturiers to pompous radio announcers to roaring drunks. Gilbert's skill at dialects prompted Roach to give him his own series: big Billy Gilbert teamed with little Billy Bletcher as the Dutch-comic "Schmaltz Brothers.'" in offbeat musical shorts like Rhapsody in Brew. Gilbert also directed these. Billy Gilbert became established in the 30's as a great comedian, among others he took part in the Laurel-&-Hardy shorts "One Good Turn" (31), "On The Loose" (31), "The Music Box" (32) with an impressive performance of Professor Theodore von Schwarzenhoffen, "The Chimp" (32), "Country Hospital" (32), "Their First Mistake" (32), "Towed in a Hole" (32) and "Them Thar Hills" (34). Moreover he also played in the feature film "Pack Up Your Troubles" (32) and "Block-Heads" (38) of Laurel & Hardy, and in the movie "Sons of the Desert" (33) you could hear his voice on the radio. |
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Post by Hives (aka Billy Gilbert) on Apr 27, 2009 20:12:43 GMT
can I say a big Thank you to Agnes who took the trouble of finding all this info on one of my favourite Co-stars. Thank you Agnes.
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Post by Lola on Apr 29, 2009 12:37:04 GMT
So now we know all about the man you'll be toasting!  |
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Post by Hives (aka Billy Gilbert) on Apr 30, 2009 9:18:23 GMT
yes, and hopefully we will be seeing him in the film "On the loose" at our next meeting.........
plus Lola.......... the mystery film if Angus allows it, there may be to much sex and violence for our genteel gathering. Our Grand Sheik will give a ruling I'm sure.
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Post by Lola on Apr 30, 2009 12:43:05 GMT
Sex and Violence!!  Bring the smelling salts, then, coz I might faint  |
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Post by Agnes on Apr 30, 2009 15:11:20 GMT
me too!!!!
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Post by Hives (aka Billy Gilbert) on Apr 30, 2009 18:59:45 GMT
I'm shocked.............and I'm bringing the film, it is kept in an asbestos sleeve.
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Post by Agnes on Apr 30, 2009 19:37:30 GMT
I think you should re-package it Hives seeing as asbestos is banned!!! Better wrap it in a fireproof blanket!!!!
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Post by Lola on May 1, 2009 12:08:44 GMT
Too hot to handle?! I'm very curious... |
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Post by Angus McLaurel on May 2, 2009 2:34:44 GMT
yes, and hopefully we will be seeing him in the film "On the loose" at our next meeting......... plus Lola.......... the mystery film if Angus allows it, there may be to much sex and violence for our genteel gathering. Our Grand Sheik will give a ruling I'm sure. Rules? What rules? |
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Post by mgm on May 2, 2009 19:22:21 GMT
Sax and Violins...are we having a musical evening?
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Post by Hives (aka Billy Gilbert) on May 17, 2009 13:25:31 GMT
I love the idea of a musical evening Jiggsy, are there chairs involved?
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Post by Lola on May 24, 2009 15:28:41 GMT
Sounds like a theme idea! Play the films where they sing & dance, everytime they do we all get up & run round the tables.... as soon as the music stops we all sit down & whoever sits down last gets the next round in!!
No?
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Post by Angus McLaurel on May 24, 2009 17:05:55 GMT
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?