Four actors, four birthdays, one TIG!

William Burress (1867) was active on Broadway from 1900 to 1920, becoming a favorite of playwright Glen McDonough. He started working in films in 1915 and continued that until 1939. He played a musician in THE BIG BROADCAST OF 1936 (1935), although I have to ask, “Didn’t all those BB films have enough real musicians in them already?” He played Cousin Lucius in AFTER THE THIN MAN, the toymaker in BABES IN TOYLAND and apparently is best known for playing Dr. Scott in some film about a military officer who was small in stature.

Bert Hanlon (1890) has an IMDb biography that starts like this:                “Composer, songwriter, actor, author and director, educated at City College of New York. He appeared in vaudeville, Broadway musicals and films and wrote special material for films, as well as serving as dialogue director. One of his jobs was as publicity director for Yonkers Raceway.” I guess he just forgot to cure polio while he was at it. His film career was actually one of the least important of his career, it was only slightly longer in length and larger in volume than our Ginny’s. He played Vandaele in SURRENDER (1931) Virginia’s very first film at age four.

Charlie Hall (1899) got his start in the famous Fred Karno vaudeville troupe in England and came to the U.S. in the mid 1920s. He worked regularly, playing foil to the great comics of his day, including his fellow Karno alumnus Stan Laurel. He get into TIG by having been the druggest in THE PINCH SINGER with Virginia’s brothers.

Dick Simmons (1913) played Douglas Sutton in Virginia’s penultimate film, THE YOUNGEST PROFESSION (1943). Simmons was a contract player and had significant roles in several films, including THE LADY IN THE LAKE and PILOT NO.5, but is best remembered as SGT. PRESTON OF THE YUKON on 1950’s television. He’s seen here with Ann Ayers in TYP.