Billy Gilbert Movies
Tall, rotund, popular comedic supporting actor Billy Gilbert is best remembered for his ability to sneeze on cue. The son of opera singers, he was 12 when he started performing. Later, in vaudeville and burlesque, he perfected a suspenseful sneezing routine; this became his trademark as a screen actor (he provided the voice of "Sneezy," one of the Seven Dwarfs, in Disney's feature cartoon Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, [1938]). Gilbert appeared in some silent films, then began a busier screen career during the sound era, eventually appearing in some 200 feature films and shorts where he was usually cast in light character roles as comic relief to straight performers and as support for major comedians, notably Laurel and Hardy. He also frequently had accented roles, including Field Marshall Herring in Chaplin's The Great Dictator (1940). In the late '40s, Gilbert directed two Broadway shows; he also wrote a play, Buttrio Square, which was produced in New York in 1952. Billy Gilbert rarely appeared in films after the early '50s. ~ All Movie Guide- 1914
Tango Tangles is an impromptu Keystone comedy which exploited the current "tango craze." A tango contest and exhibition prompted Mack Sennett to send a crew out to a local dance hall where some of the film was shot. Charlie Chaplin appears in a tuxedo, sans the famous Tramp makeup and costume, as a drunk who flirts with the hat-check girl, and he gets into fights with Ford Sterling and Roscoe Arbuckle, both musicians at the dance hall who are also enamored with her. Although slight in plot, the film is interesting because the three principal Keystone actors appear without comic makeup and because the audience can observe the mirthful reactions of the real dancers in the hall to the comic fight between Chaplin and Sterling. Also of interest is the blending of location and studio footage, noticeable due to differences in lighting and set. ~ Phil Posner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Chaplin, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, (more)
- 1914
Charlie Chaplin's 28th Keystone comedy pits him against Chester Conklin as rival for the attentions of their landlady Gene Marsh and for Chester's girlfriend Cecile Arnold. After the midday meal, each of the rivals tries to chat up the landlady, only to be prevented by the other. They decide to go out together to prevent a fight but split up as Charlie stops in front of a bar while Chester proceeds to a park. Charlie is distracted, however, by a passing beauty who gives him the eye. He follows her a bit but is put off by the lady's large boyfriend. Going on to the park, Charlie has a confrontation with the large boyfriend and observes Chester's meeting with his girlfriend, who is incredibly solicitous. She begs for affection and even gives Chester money, much to Charlie's amazement and envy. Charlie eventually dispatches both boyfriends and follows the girls to a movie theatre where, sitting between them, he charms the pair of beauties, making some rather amusing gestures with his feet. The boyfriends show up and replace the girls in their seats while Charlie dozes. A fight ensues in which Charlie is thrown through the movie screen. ~ Phil Posner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Chaplin, Chester Conklin, (more)
- 1921
George Walsh starred in this action-melodrama from Fox about a blind girl, Betty Reed, who is the sole "witness" to the murder of a mine owner and whose mistaken testimony convicts Sid Allen (Brigham Royce), her own benefactor. Years later, the adult Betty (Edna Murphy) returns to the mining town, her sight restored. Fearing that she may remember the truth, the real murderer, "Bull" Snide (Byron Douglas), has the girl kidnapped. She is saved in the nick of time by Dynamite Allen (Walsh), the son of the man wrongfully accused. Do Betty and Dynamite fall in love despite their past? Why, of course they do! Rotund comedian Billy Gilbert adds a bit of relief to the overall tension of this melodrama directed by Dell Henderson. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1929
Only three minutes of the 74-minute Noisy Neighbors contains any dialogue; the rest of the film has hardly any noise at all. Written for the screen by F. Hugh Herbert (of Kiss and Tell and The Moon is Blue fame), the story focuses on a family of second-string vaudevillians, played by genuine vaudeville trouper Eddie Quillan and his real-life family. Inheriting a Southern plantation, Quillan and his brood land in the middle of a raging hillbilly feud. One of the mountain patriarches is played by old DeMille reliable Theodore Roberts, in his final screen appearance; he died shortly before the film's release. Also in the cast is pert ex-Sennett bathing beauty Alberta Vaughan (who appeared in a swimsuit in the film's production stills, but not on screen), and bombastic comedian Billy Gilbert, in his movie debut. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alberta Vaughn, Theodore Roberts, (more)
- 1931
A cast of silent-film veterans distinguishes the pedestrian crime drama First Aid. Grant Withers stars as a doctor who is forced to operate on a wounded gangster. As if this wasn't enough of a headache, the gangster's rivals converge upon the doc's office, hoping to find out where the patient has hidden a cache of stolen jewels. Unable to contact the police, the crafty hero manages to write a coded plea for help in a drugstore prescription. Things turn out for the best when the doctor falls in love with the gangster's sweet sister. Two-reel comedy stalwarts Marjorie Beebe and Billy Gilbert provide the laughs, while Wheeler Oakman, William Desmond, Paul Panzer and other battle-scarred veterans of the silent era go through their customary paces. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wheeler Oakman, Grant Withers, (more)
Chinatown After Dark is where you'll find Madame Ying Su (Carmel Myers), a "dragon lady" type who'll stop at nothing to get her hands on a rare dagger belonging to the Royal House of Lee Fong. Unbeknownst to the authorities, the dagger contains a priceless jewel, the owner of which will be able to wield untold power over all of Chinatown. American Jim Bonner (Rex Lease), in love with Lee Fong's ward Lotus (Vera Reynolds), is set up as the fall guy when the dagger is stolen and a man is murdered. Bonner spends the rest of the picture trying to prove his innocence to a sneezing comic-relief detective (Billy Gilbert, in one of his first important feature-length roles. "See what happens in the underworld dens after dark!" entreated the ads for this fast-moving cheapie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rex Lease, Barbara Kent, (more)
- 1931
The Our Gang kids spend so much time listening to the tall tales spun by a salty sea captain (Billy Gilbert) that they haven't any time to attend school. Their teacher Miss Crabtree (June Marlowe) angrily trails the kids to the docks, then gives the captain a piece of their mind. Apologizing, the captain suggests a drastic plan to cure the kids of their fondness for maritime stories, enlisting Miss Crabtree as co-conspirator. Inviting the youngsters to sign on as crew members, the captain orders them to board ship at midnight, whereupon he and his crew, disguised as buccaneers stage a mock pirate raid guaranteed to scare the kids out of his wits. But when the captain pretends to kidnap Miss Crabtree (who of course is in on the scheme), the kids vow to come to her rescue, turning the tables on the "pirates" in a most painful fashion. Originally released on October 10, 1931, "Shiver My Timbers" is a lesser but amusing "Our Gang" entry. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matthew "Stymie" Beard, Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins, (more)
- 1931
Another expert blend of genuine sentiment, moving pathos and belly laughs, the "Our Gang" comedy "Dogs is Dogs" was orginally released on November 21, 1931. This time, Gang members Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins and Dorothy DeBorba are cast as brother and sister, left in charge of their hateful stepmother (Blanche Payson) while their absentee father weathers a serious illness. In addition to being abused by their stepmom, the kids must suffer the taunts of their prissy stepbrother, played by Sherwood "Spud" Bailey. Fortunately, their old pal Matthew "Stymie" Beard is around to brighten their lives and to outfox the despicable Spud. Also figuring in the proceedings is the beloved Pete the Pup, who very nearly meets an unpleasant demise thanks to the combined machinations of the villains. A variety of plot complications both hilarious and heart-breaking occur before the inevitable happy ending. Incidentally, this is the film in which the crafty Stymie explains how "ham and eggs can talk" --- thereby obtaining a free meal in the process. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins, Matthew "Stymie" Beard, (more)
- 1931
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are victims of the depression in this tworeeler. They do have an old car, a tent and some clothes, though, so things could be worse. With Stan's help, things do get worse -- their tent goes up in flames and their laundry shrinks down to minuscule size. They are forced to beg for food and a kindly old lady (Mary Carr) offers to fix them a meal. They chop some wood (always dangerous in Laurel and Hardy's world) until they're called to the kitchen. While eating they overhear an argument between the old lady and a cruel-sounding man (James Finlayson). Her mortgage money has been stolen and the man is threatening to throw her out on the street. The boys are horrified when they hear this; what they don't know is that it is merely a scene being rehearsed for a local playhouse. Stan and Ollie want to help the old lady, as she helped them, so they try to auction off their car to come up with the money. The car winds up in pieces and Stan somehow gets his hands on a bystander's wallet. Ollie, thinking that the wallet belongs to the old lady, angrily drags Stan back to her to fess up. But the old lady finally tells them the truth about the play. Stan has been bullied by Ollie long enough and he fights back, chasing Ollie to the woodshed and chopping at it until it collapses on him. This ending is one of the few times in Laurel and Hardy films that Stan exacts revenge for the abuse he has received from Ollie. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1931
The second of 16 Thelma Todd-ZaSu Pitts comedy shorts for producer Hal Roach, this two-reeler proved one of the team's very best. Homesick in the big city, ZaSu falls in love with a prizefighter (Guinn "Big Boy" Williams) from her home town of Joplin, MO. He feels certain that he can win his final match if only she appears in the audience wearing a certain lucky hat. Arriving with girlfriend Thelma (who's dating Williams' fight manager Reed Howes), ZaSu promptly looses her hat in the crowd and pandemonium ensues. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1931
In their third two-reel comedy for Hal Roach, the zany team of beautiful Thelma Todd and plain-Jane ZaSu Pitts find themselves hired as maids in a swank mansion after its owner (Elizabeth Forrester) accidentally runs them off the road. This is the comedy short where Todd, pretending to be a woman of the world, slips head first into a bathtub full of water. Collecting herself, she looks at the camera with an "Imagine my embarrassment!" Oliver Hardy couldn't have done it better. The Pajama Party was directed by producer Roach himself. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1932
Stan Laurel arrives at the hospital to visit his friend Oliver Hardy. It takes him more time to locate Ollie's room than it does for him to destroy it completely. That happens when the doctor (Billy Gilbert at his most fulsome) enters to see how his patient is doing. Ollie, his broken leg elevated, tells him how nice it is to have some peace for once, and that's about when Stan decides to use the counterweight attached to Ollie's leg as a nutcracker. In the blink of an eye, Ollie is smashed up on the ceiling and the doctor is out the window, hanging onto the counterweight for dear life. The rope breaks, Ollie falls and breaks the bed and the doctor just barely escapes being flattened on the sidewalk far below. As a result, Ollie's hospital stay, which was supposed to last two months, has been shortened to just enough time for him to get his clothes and leave. Stan cuts off the leg of Ollie's pants so he can get them on -- the trouble is that the wrong leg was removed; what's more, the pants aren't even Ollie's, but his roommate's. Then Stan accidentally sits on a hypodermic needle that was left in the room. The needle was loaded with sedative, so when Stan gets behind the wheel to take Ollie home, it turns into a wild ride that goes on for a surprisingly long time before the inevitable accident. The first half of County Hospital is classic Laurel and Hardy fare, but the second half is marred by bad back projection. The Roach Studio was having some financial difficulties at the time, which had an affect on the quality of its releases. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1932
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy have been working for a circus as two halves of an ersatz horse. When the circus closes, in lieu of pay, each employee gets a portion of the show. Stan gets the flea circus and Ollie gets Ethel the chimp. They try to check into a boarding house, but the proprietor (Billy Gilbert) -- who also has a wife named Ethel -- turns the chimp away. To get her in, the boys dress her in Ollie's clothes, while Ollie puts on her tutu. After the usual Laurel and Hardy confusion, they all wind up in the same room together -- Stan and Ollie, sharing a bed, unfortunately, with the flea circus. Someone in another room puts on some music; Ethel, overhearing it, starts to dance. The boys start yelling at Ethel, and the boarding house proprietor, thinking it is his wife, dashes in brandishing a gun. Ethel, the wife, actually does walk in, but runs off when she sees the chimp. Ethel, the chimp, gets ahold of the gun, and Stan, Ollie, and the proprietor take off, too. This is a loose variant on the same situation that drives two other Laurel and Hardy shorts, 1929's Angora Love and 1931's Laughing Gravy. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1932
Produced by William Randolph Hearst's Cosmopolitan Production for MGM, this well made Grand Hotel clone was based on a 1931 novel by Faith Baldwin. Warren William stars as David Dwight, a building and bank magnate who not only attempts to double-cross his backers but is two-timing both his wife (Hedda Hopper) and devoted secretary/mistress (Verree Teasdale). Threatened with losing his conglomeration in general and the 100 stories Dwight Building in particular to Hamilton (Arnold Lucy), David's cynical manipulations end up backfiring with unforeseen tragedy. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warren William, Maureen O'Sullivan, (more)
- 1932
In spite of a sudden end which makes this Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy two-reeler seem incomplete, there are quite a few wonderfully funny moments. Arabella Hardy (Mae Busch) is more than fed up with her husband Ollie, who has been spending all his free time with his pal Stanley. Their domestic squabble is interrupted by the phone -- it's Stan, asking if Ollie wants to accompany him to a cement workers' bazaar. Ollie tries to pretend it's his boss, Mr. Jones, which causes Stan to carefully check his mirror to make sure who he really is. Mrs. Hardy, however, is not so easily fooled -- mostly because Stan comes over to say it was him, not Mr. Jones, on the phone. The resulting explosion from Mrs. Hardy causes Ollie to hide out at Stan's. To solve this marital dilemma, Stan suggests that Ollie adopt a baby, which will draw Mrs. Hardy's attention away from her husband's extracurricular activities. Ollie likes the idea and comes home with an infant in his arms. But it's too late -- Mrs. Hardy is gone and a man Billy Gilbert shows up with papers for both of the boys -- Ollie is being sued for divorce, and Stan is being sued for alienation of affections. When Stan tries to take his leave, Ollie is outraged and scandalized. As a result, Stan gets to share Ollie's misery as they stay up, trying to keep the baby quiet and fending off angry neighbors when it cries. The picture ends with the boys asleep in bed with the baby, but Stan's the one sucking on the bottle. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1932
In this classic two-reel comedy from the Hal Roach Studio, blonde Thelma Todd and plain-Jane ZaSu Pitts are depressed because their cheapskate boyfriends (Billy Gilbert and Charlie Hall) refuse to take them anywhere other than the amusement park at Coney Island. Things brighten considerably when they meet a couple of sophisticated Englishmen (John Loder and Claud Allister), who invite them to -- Coney Island. Finally able to spend an evening at home, the girls answer the doorbell, only to find Laurel and Hardy inquiring if they would like to accompany them to -- Coney Island. Thelma and ZaSu respond by hurling kewpie dolls after the unlucky suitors. Stan and Ollie appeared in this comedy as a favor to their boss, Hal Roach, who sat in the director's chair. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1932
This is one of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy's most popular two-reelers; it's particularly rich in gags, well-structured, and is a hilarious illustration of the chemistry that brought the duo its fame. It begins with Stan and Ollie as fish salesmen, and doing very well at it too. Then Stanley comes up with the idea of catching the fish themselves and cutting out the middleman. Ollie does him one better by deciding to buy a boat instead of merely a couple of fishing poles. The first sign of trouble (other than the fact that the two have been thinking to begin with) is that the boat they buy comes from a junkyard. Clearly disaster is waiting to happen, and it does, right on schedule. The boys fill the boat up with water to find leaks and the two of them wind up thoroughly drenched. Ollie gets more paint on himself than on the boat. He and Stan bicker throughout until Ollie points out that here they are, "two grown-up men acting like a couple of children," which, of course, is the charm of Laurel and Hardy comedies. By the end of the film, both the boat and the boys' car are wrecked. The only thing that is still in one piece is an obnoxious-sounding horn belonging to Stan. This was the last Laurel and Hardy picture directed by George Marshall (his others were Their First Mistake and Pack Up Your Troubles). Marshall left Hal Roach's studio because of budget cuts, but went on to an illustrious career that included features such as You Can't Cheat an Honest Man, Destry Rides Again, and The Blue Dahlia. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1932
In this classic two-reel comedy produced by Hal Roach, the zany team of Thelma Todd and ZaSu Pitts are serving on a jury when fluttery Pitts accidentally swallows Exhibit A, a time bomb. Sneak Easily was the first of the Todd-Pitts comedies to be directed by Gus Meins, a fine comedy craftsman who more than anyone understood the disparate girls' appeal. As always, Todd and Pitts are helped to no end by a fine supporting cast that this time includes Bobby Burns, James C. Morton, Billy Gilbert, Rolfe Sedan, Charlie Hall, and Harry Bernard, all Roach favorites. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1932
The first of three Thelma Todd-ZaSu Pitts two-reel comedies directed by former gag man George Marshall, Strictly Unreliable featured the dowdy Pitts as a stage-struck spinster who stumbles onto the wicked stage during the blonde Todd's vaudeville turn. As always, the girls benefited from a strong supporting cast, this time including Billy Gilbert, Charlie Hall, Bud Jamison, Charlotte Nemo, and future Three Stooges foil Symona Boniface. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1932
Earning instant stardom via his appearance in the 1932 "Our Gang" comedy "Free Eats," 3-year-old George "Spanky" McFarland was rewarded with his own two-reel vehicle, appropriately titled "Spanky." One suspects, however, that the film, a remake of the 1926 "Our Gang" entry "Uncle Tom's Uncle," was on the drawing boards long before Spanky signed with Hal Roach, inasmuch as the youngster's "showcase" scenes are largely unrelated to the plot proper. While Spanky toddles around the house attempting to kill bugs with an outsized hammer, the older Gang members endeavor to stage a barn production of Uncle Tom's Cabin, with black youngster Mathew "Stymie" Beard pressed into service as both Uncle Tom and Topsy. Comedy buffs will enjoy the brief but explosive appearance by Billy Gilbert as Spanky's loutish father, and the clever utilization of a Negro spiritual lifted from the soundtrack of the Laurel and Hardy feature Pardon Us (1931). "Spanky" was originally released on March 26, 1932. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George "Spanky" McFarland, Kendall McComas, (more)
- 1932
To further her husband's political career, wealthy Mrs. Clark (Lillian Elliot) throws a lavish party in her home for the poor children of the community. Among the invitees are the Our Gang kids, including Matthew "Stymie" Beard, who of late has been getting into trouble because of his tall tales. Thus, no one believes Stymie when he claims that a pair of midgets, disguised as infants, have invaded the party for the purpose of stealing everybody's wallets and jewelry. As it turns out, however, Stymie is telling the truth for the first time in his life. Originally released on February 11, 1932, "Free Eats" benefits from a strong adult supporting cast, including Billy Gilbert and Paul Fix (the latter in female drag!) as a pair of crooks. The film is best remembered, however, as the "Our Gang" debut of 3-year-old George "Spanky" McFarland, who delivers a rambling, impromptu monologue about monkeys, swings, and airplanes --- hardly a high point in American comedy, but enchanting nonetheless. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matthew "Stymie" Beard, Kendall McComas, (more)
