It’s a fairly short TIG lineup today and I have but four honorees.

Songwriter Gus Edwards (1879) makes TIG based on his song, “By the Light of the Silvery Moon” being performed in BABES ON BROADWAY (1941). Edwards was involved in all parts of the industry in the early days of the 20th century. He performed in vaudeville, organized his own theatre companies, and published music. In 1906, he formed a singing group called Gus Edwards’ Postal Telegraph Boys featuring a teen named Julius Marx. Julius would later go by his nickname-Groucho-and go on to become the second best singer of “Lydia, the Tattooed Lady”. Edwards was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970, his greatest honor before today.

Travis Banton (1894) was the chief costumer at Paramount while Ginny was there in the 1930s. He was also a gownmaker to the stars, doing wonderful work for the likes of Carole Lombard, Marlene Dietrich, and Maw West. In 1937, he designed less flashy and revealing costumes for MAID OF SALEM. Banton lost his job at Paramount to Edith Head in 1939.

British actor Alan Mowbray (1896) won a medal for bravery in World War I. After the wear, he took to the stage, came to America, performed on Broadway, and made his film debut by age 35. Like many British actors, he did a few turns as a butler on film, but was quite adept at playing clever villains. Off camera, he was one of the founding members of the Screen Actors Guild and a member of the Royal Geographic Society. His place in TIG is a small connection, He played Sir Tony Gelding, yet anther character in LONG LOST FATHER (1934), a film Virginia was barely in.

Actor Stanley Brown (1914) was a contract player at Columbia in the late 1930s. As such, he had roles in both films of Virginia’s two picture loanout there in 1939. He played a party guest in THE LONE WOLF SPY HUNT and a reporter in OUTSIDE THESE WALLS, a film I really hope to see one day. He also was one of several actors who played Ollie Shaw in the BLONDIE films. Late in his career he changed his professional name to Brad Taylor while working at Republic Pictures.

A bonus TIGer today is Bill Madsen (1908) was appeared in the Our Gang short THE PINCH SINGER (1936) with the saxophone playing Weidler Brothers. Bill played a page. His IMDb birthday entry fills in for him.