Our first birthday is that of screenwriter William Slavens McNutt (1885). McNutt was a prolific writer in the early 1930s, writing the vast majority of his screenplays between 1930-33. He was nominated twice for Oscars; for 1932’s LADY AND GENT (shared with TIGer Grover Jones) and 1935’s THE LIVES OF A BENGAL LANCER (shared with Jones, TIGers Waldemar Young and John L. Balderston and non-TIGer Achmed Abdullah). He wrote the screenplay for MRS. WIGGS OF THE CABBAGE PATCH (1934). In his stead is George Breakston and the Wiggs pooch.
Comedic actor Billy Gilbert (1894) was known in vaudeville for his exaggerated sneeze routine. So famous was it at the time that he wound up being Sneezy in SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS. He is also remembered for his work in HIS GIRL FRIDAY as a process server and THE GREAT DICTATOR as Herring. He played Charley the bartender in THE OUTCASTS OF POKER FLAT (1937) and Tonio in THE UNDER-PUP (1939).
Dickie Moore (1925) was a great child actor who carried a career into his early thirties. He was in three films with Virginia during the 1930s. He was Gogo-young Peter in PETER IBBETSON (1935), Timothy in TIMOTHY’S QUEST (1936) and Jerry Binns in THE UNDER-PUP (1939). While it was hardly a large part for him, TCM did show at least one film he was in today, 1947’s OUT OF THE PAST. The photo is of Dickie and Ginny in IBBETSON, playing Cooper and Harding as children.
Jane Isbell (1927) appeared twice in “Weidler-scope”, playing Edith Potter’s daughter in THE WOMEN (1939) and pulling what I call a Tony Danza by playing “Jane” in THE YOUNGEST PROFESSION (1943). Jane stayed in the business until the late 1940s, but only had two credited roles. One was a 1945 sex-ed film and the other was a pretty good film called BETTY CO-ED starring TIGers Jean Porter and Shirley Mills. I’ve chosen a cheesecake photo of an older Isbell.
