I would say it’s a small one today, but I have this fear that the day I do that someone will point out that one of the TIGers had the biggest role in the biggest film ever and everyone should know that and I don’t.

First up, Tom McGuire (1873) was in over 170 films from 1919 to his final film, GOODBYE, MY FANCY in 1951. Another usually uncredited actor, he showed up in a lot of the series, Charlie Chan, Torchy Blane, The Saint, Dr. Kildare. He played bartenders on several occasions and party guests as well. He was a party guest in his final film as well as in DIMPLES. He was a juror in a film Ginny had a walk on in after she had become popular, THE SPELLBINDER (1939).

Sir Guy Standing (1873) played a doctor in THE BIG BROADCAST OF 1936. He only made twenty films, usually playing what he was, a gentleman. He was Col. Stone in THE LIVES OF A BENGAL LANCER and Duke Lambert in DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY. Tragically, he died of a rattlesnake bite in 1937.

Frank Tours (1877) was a music director, composer, and conductor. He was the music director one of the very early musicals, THE COCOANUTS, in 1929. He also handled that chore for THE EMPEROR JONES a few years later. Less notable was his work on MOTHER CAREY’S CHICKENS (1938), the RKO feature no one wanted to be in but Virginia was. We’ll let a lobby card of Virginia in the film stand in.  There’s no indication Ginny sang in this film (Walter Brennan did, though), but the gesturing looks like she could be, so we’ll just pretend.

Regina Wallace (1886) played a lot of society women. She did also play Mom Palooka in a Joe Palooka short, but the exception just proves the rule. She was Mrs. Lornow, hostess of a charity masquerade ball in THIS TIME FOR KEEPS (1941). Here Mrs. Lornow is awarding Harriett Bryant her prize for best costume, an honor Harriett doesn’t want because: A) her parent’s don’t know she sneaked into the party, and B) the prize is several cases of bar soap Harriett spent half the film trying to dispose of in the first place. 

Betty Blythe (1893) played Mrs. South in THE WOMEN (1939). She had been a stage actress with some success, but when she came to Hollywood in the early 1920s, the studios were only interested in one thing and it wasn’t her acting ability. She starred in THE QUEEN OF SHEBA, wearing 28 costumes that she claimed would have fit comfortably in a shoebox. Blythe later moved to England where she performed both on stage and in films, most notably the 1925 film SHE. By the time of THE WOMEN she had aged into character parts, her earlier infamy forgotten. 

Gertrude Sutton (1903) played Miss Burke, Ice Box’s wife, in THE SPELLBINDER (1939). A large plurality of her roles were as maids, as this photo from ANOTHER FINE MESS will attest.

Mary Dees (1911) is famous for a couple of things that had little to do with her talent. First, she was a double for Jean Harlow in a couple of films and was pushed into action to help MGM finish SARATOGA after Harlow’s death. Unfortunately, her voice was too high and they needed another double for that. The other thing she was known for was her dating habits. Long term paramours included Jack Dempsey, Bruce Cabot, and mobster Johnny Roselli. By the time of THE WOMEN, in which she played “girl”, her career was just about through. She had a small part in A NIGHT IN CASABLANCA seven years later and that was it.