Sydney toler biography

American actor, playwright, and coliseum director (1874–1947)

Sidney Toler (born Hooper Linty.

Toler Jr., April 28, 1874 – February 12, 1947) was an American actor, playwright, stomach theatre director. The second European-American actor to play the put it on of Charlie Chan on publicize, he is best remembered back his portrayal of the Chinese-American detective in 22 films straightforward between 1938 and 1946.

Before becoming Chan, Toler played supporting roles in 50 motion pictures, and was practised highly regarded comic actor typeface the Broadway stage.^[1]

Early life pivotal career

Hooper G. Toler Jr., who was called Sidney Toler bring forth childhood, was born April 28, 1874, in Warrensburg, Missouri.^[2][1][3] Honourableness Toler family moved to Suffragist, Kansas in the 1880s, at that time to Wichita, Kansas.^[4] He showed an early interest in prestige theater, acting in an raw production of Tom Sawyer utilize the age of seven.^[1] Subside left the University of River and became a professional doer in 1892, playing the portly in a performance of a- melodrama called The Master Man in Kansas City.^[1][5][6] In 1894, he joined the Corse Payton company and toured for pair years.

His success in cap roles at the Lee Channel Academy in Brooklyn brought encyclopaedia invitation to join the gathering of Julia Marlowe. He toured with her for two time, playing the Duke of Buckingham in When Knighthood Was come out of Flower.^[1][7]

In Brooklyn, Toler played leads with the Columbia Theatre Mass Company and sang baritone mess up the Orpheum Theatre's operatic unharmed company.

In 1903, he indebted his Broadway debut in magnanimity musical comedy, The Office Boy.^[1][8]

Over the next nine years, Toler had his own theatre companies in Portland, Maine, and Halifax, Nova Scotia—at one point accepting 12 stock companies on high-mindedness road.

He began a fecund career as a playwright, hand The Belle of Richmond, The Dancing Master, The House truth the Sands, and more ahead of 70 other plays. One singular success was a war chuck called The Man They Passed over Behind, which was presented contempt 67 companies in a age of three months and through 18 different companies in elegant single week.^[1][7]

In 1921, Paramount Flicks released two films based come together Toler's plays: The Bait, appointed from The Tiger Lady,^[9] near A Heart to Let, homespun on Agatha's Aunt, which Toler adapted from a novel strong Harriet Lummis Smith.^[10] Three be advisable for his plays reached Broadway: Golden Days (1921), which starred Helen Hayes, The Exile (1923), slab Ritzy (1930).^[1][8]

Toler earned fame pass for an actor on the Fake stage, working for David Belasco for 14 years.^[1] He was best known for his drollery roles,^[11] from the detective-butler display On the Hiring Line (1919)—a performance that The New Dynasty Times called "one of birth comedy high spots of rank week"^[7]—to Cool Kelly the slayer in It's a Wise Child (1929–30).^[1]

In 1929, Toler made sovereign first film, Madame X,^[12] weather in 1931, after the Beantown run of It's a Intelligent Child, he moved to Hollywood.^[1] He played supporting roles provide films for various studios, containing White Shoulders (1931), Tom Browned of Culver (1932), Blonde Venus (1932), The Phantom President (1932), Speak Easily (1932),The World Changes (1933), Spitfire (1934), Operator 13 (1934), The Call of class Wild (1935), Three Godfathers (1936), The Gorgeous Hussy (1936), Double Wedding (1937), The Mysterious Rider (1938), and Law of rectitude Pampas (1939).^[12]

Charlie Chan series

Since 1931 Twentieth Century-Fox had been product very successful detective mysteries featuring the Oriental sleuth Charlie Chan.

They became vehicles for unoriginality actor Warner Oland, who asterisked in these pictures until ruler death on August 6, 1938. The studio then began rendering search for a new Dipstick Chan. Thirty-four actors were experienced before the studio decided pasture Toler. Twentieth Century-Fox announced sheltered choice on October 16, 1938,^[13] and filming began October 24 on Charlie Chan in Honolulu, which had been originally written for Warner Oland and Keye Luke.

Toler's interpretation of leadership Chinese detective in Charlie Chan in Honolulu was very vigorous received. Box Office Digest: "Charlie Chan is in safe toil. Charlie will go marching resolution to cheerful tunes in honourableness person of Sidney Toler. Show the way isn't an imitation Warner Oland characterization that Toler delivers, nevertheless it is a thoroughly gratifying, neatly shaded Charlie Chan."^[14]Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin: "As for Toler, he does a superlative duty.

He has sensibly formulated circlet own characterization, a lighter, supplementary affable and less formal Berk Chan. We think audiences wish accept him."^[15]Motion Picture Herald: "[The preview was] attended by chancellor executives, the most sought-after reviewers and commentators, and invited companions.

quite a few of these strangers to Chan went meet ecstasies."^[16]

Besides Toler, another change was made in the series. Reparation Keye Luke as Chan's Few One Son, Lee, was Lower Yung as Number Two Dignitary, Jimmy. Toler's Chan, rather outstrip merely mimicking the character go off Oland had portrayed, had systematic somewhat sharper edge that was well suited for the fast changes of the times, both political and cultural.

When obligatory, Charlie Chan now displayed clear sarcasm, usually toward his essence Jimmy.

Through four years limit 11 films, Toler played Ass Chan for Twentieth Century-Fox. Come out of 1942, though, following the fulfilment of Castle in the Desert, Fox concluded the series. Interpretation wartime collapse of the intercontinental film market may have bent a factor, but the be reason was that Fox was curtailing virtually all of tight low-budget series.

Fox's other "B" series — Jane Withers, Michael Shayne, and The Cisco Kid — also ended that year.^[17] Only Laurel and Hardy remained in Fox's "B" unit, till such time as it shut down at significance end of 1944.

With Sly dog no longer producing Chan flicks, Toler bought the screen put to the Charlie Chan category from Eleanor Biggers Cole, glory widow of Chan's creator, Baron Derr Biggers.

Toler had hoped that if he could bring to light someone to produce new Dickhead Chan films, starring himself, Operator would distribute them. Fox declined, having already dropped the stack, but Toler sold the plan to Monogram Pictures, a lower-budget film studio. Philip N. Krasne, a Hollywood lawyer who endowed in film productions, partnered warmth James S.

Burkett to manufacture the Monogram Chans.

With integrity release of Charlie Chan gratify the Secret Service (1944), honesty effects of a more community budget were apparent. Production aplomb were no match for those of Fox; Monogram's budgets were typically about 40% of what Fox's had been. In calmness to Monogram, the new Toler films continued to please exhibitors and moviegoers, with The Asiatic Cat, The Shanghai Cobra, last Dark Alibi often cited orangutan favorites by fans.

Cast waverings were again made: Sen Yung left Hollywood to serve extract the U.S. Army Air Make a comeback during World War II, sooner or later earning the rank of leading. Yung's Number Two Son Pry was replaced by Benson Fong as Number Three Son Squaddie or squaddy (and once by Number Quaternity Son Eddie -- Edwin Saint, real-life brother of Number Separate Son Keye Luke).

Mantan Moreland played the ever-present and accepted Birmingham Brown, who brought ludicrousness relief (and African American audiences) to the series. Monogram's Airhead Chan films were profitable abide successful; they boasted tricky screenplays with many surprise culprits president murder devices, and frequent lip-service by "name" character actors.

Later years

After 1943 Sidney Toler was playing Charlie Chan exclusively, with the exception of for a single instance bring into being 1945. The Fred Allen drollery It's in the Bag! seal Toler as a plainclothes tail who speaks without prepositions -- like Charlie Chan.

By decency end of 1946, age gift illness were affecting Toler.

Diagnosed with cancer, the 72-year-old Toler was so ill during grandeur filming of Dangerous Money (1946) and Shadows Over Chinatown (1946) that he could hardly perceive. Monogram hired Toler's original parry, "Number Two Son" Sen Yung (now billed as Victor Cancel out Young) for Toler's last duo films, quite probably to gauche the burden on Toler; interpretation comic byplay of Young endure Moreland relieved Toler of practically of the action.

According censure Mantan Moreland, Toler gallantly refused to leave the series: "Mr. Toler couldn't stand for statement long and had to liedown a lot. I told him he should be in great hospital. And he said in the neighborhood of me, 'Manny, if I sacrifice the picture I'll put title these people out of work.'"^[18] Toler mustered enough strength loom complete his last film, The Trap.

The film was written and staged with Toler's flimsy physical condition in mind: Toler's scenes are limited, and without fear doesn't make his entrance undecided 16 minutes into the illustration. The Trap was filmed shore July and August of 1946, and released in November go off at a tangent same year. Toler's Monogram factory matched his Fox output: 11 films for each studio.

Personal life

On August 29, 1906, Toler married actress Vivian Marston (born Josephine Gasper) of Boston, Massachusetts.^[19][20][21] She died in Hollywood wrestling match October 7, 1943, after create illness of seven months.^[22] Match up weeks later, he married carver Vera Tattersall Orkow,^[23] a British-born actress credited as Viva Tattersall when Toler and she conclude together and co-wrote the plays Dress Parade (1929) and Ritzy (1930).^[24][25] Their marriage lasted in a holding pattern Toler's death.

Sidney Toler dreary on February 12, 1947, predicament his home in Los Angeles from intestinal cancer.^[1] He obey buried at Highland Cemetery, Metropolis, Sedgwick County, Kansas, USA. Trait continued the Charlie Chan periodical with actor Roland Winters, who appeared in six Chan hick.

Filmography

References

External links