Dot Farley

Dot Farley

Actress/playwright Dot Farley launched her film career in 1912 as one of the earliest members of Mack Sennett's Keystone comedy troupe. Though she would leave Keystone after a few years, Farley occasionally returned to the Sennett fold in such roles as Ben Turpin's cross-eyed mother in A Small Town Idol (1921). A "regular" in 2-reel comedies, she could also be found in such elaborate features as DeMille's King of Kings (1927). In the talkie era, Farley was busiest in the short-subject field, usually playing domineering wives and mothers-in-law. From 1931 to 1948, she played Florence Lake's busybody mama in Edgar Kennedy's "Mr. Average Man" 2-reel series at RKO. Dot Farley's feature-film work during this period was usually limited to brief bits in films ranging from Val Lewton's Cat People (1942) to Preston Sturges' Hail the Conquering Hero (1944). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide