Joseph Bridger Cawthorn (March 29, 1868 – January 21, 1949) was an American stage and film comic actor.

Biography

Born on March 29, 1868, in New York City to a minstrel-show family, Cawthorn started out in show business as a child, debuting at Robinson's Music Hall in New York in 1872. He appeared in minstrel shows and

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

as a "Dutch" comic, employing a thick German dialect. He later worked in British

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Br ...

s and American touring companies. Cawthorn made his

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

debut in 1895, 1897 or 1898, and embarked on a long career lasting over two decades. His first success was playing Boris in

Victor Herbert Victor August Herbert (February 1, 1859 – May 26, 1924) was an American composer, cellist and conductor of English and Irish ancestry and German training. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and conductor, he is bes ...

's 1898 operetta '' The Fortune Teller''. Other notable Broadway roles included the title character in ''Mother Goose'' (1903) and inventor Dr. Pill in the fantasy musical ''Little Nemo'' (1908). In the latter, he was called upon to ad lib to buy time during one performance while a problem backstage was dealt with. As "the scene called for him to describe imaginary animals he had hunted", he invented the "

whiffenpoof A whiffenpoof was a tool for training Boy Scouts in tracking skills. The whiffenpoof itself was a small log, about the size of a stick of firewood, with nails driven into it on all sides, so that it bristled with nails. This was dragged through th ...

" on the spot.

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

students in the audience appropriated it for the name of their

glee club A glee club in the United States is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs by trios or quartets. In the late 19th century it w ...

. When his Broadway stardom waned, Cawthorn moved to Hollywood in 1927 and started a second prolific career, appearing in over 50 films, the last in 1942. He played Gremio in the first sound adaptation of ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunk ...

'' in 1929, starring

Mary Pickford Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...

and

Douglas Fairbanks Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films including '' The Thi ...

; Schultz in '' Gold Diggers of 1935''; and

Florenz Ziegfeld Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the ''Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He also p ...

's father in ''

The Great Ziegfeld ''The Great Ziegfeld'' is a 1936 American musical drama film directed by Robert Z. Leonard and produced by Hunt Stromberg. It stars William Powell as the theatrical impresario Florenz "Flo" Ziegfeld Jr., Luise Rainer as Anna Held, and ...

'' (1936). He was Queenie Vassar's third husband; they were married from 1902 to his death."Queenie Vassar to Wed Cawthorn" ''New York Times'' (June 1, 1902). Cawthorn died on January 21, 1949, at age 80, in

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. He is buried in Hollywood Forever cemetery.

Complete filmography

* '' The Secret Studio'' (1927) - Pa Merton * ''

Two Girls Wanted ''Two Girls Wanted'', also known as ''2 Girls Wanted'', is a 1927 American silent comedy film directed by Alfred E. Green and starring Janet Gaynor, Glenn Tryon and Ben Bard. Cast * Janet Gaynor as Marianna Wright * Glenn Tryon as Dexter Wri ...

'' (1927) - Philip Hancock * '' Very Confidential'' (1927) - Donald Allen * '' Silk Legs'' (1927) - Ezra Fulton * ''Hold 'Em Yale'' (1928) - Professor George Bradbury * ''

Speakeasy A speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an illicit establishment that sells alcoholic beverages, or a retro style bar that replicates aspects of historical speakeasies. Speakeasy bars came into prominence in the United States ...

'' (1929) - Yokel * '' Street Girl'' (1929) - Keppel - Cafe Owner * ''

'' (1929) - Gremio * '' Jazz Heaven'' (1929) - Herman Kemple * ''

Dance Hall Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for dancing. From the earliest years of the twentieth century until the early 1960s, the dance hall was the popular forerunner of the discothèque or nightclub. The majority of towns and cities in ...

'' (1929) - Bremmer * '' Dixiana'' (1930) - Cornelius Van Horn - Carl's Father * ''

The Princess and the Plumber ''The Princess and the Plumber'' is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Alexander Korda and written by Howard J. Green. The film stars Charles Farrell, Maureen O'Sullivan, H. B. Warner, Joseph Cawthorn, Bert Roach and Lucien Pri ...

'' (1930) - Merkl * '' Kiki'' (1931) - Alfred Rapp * ''

A Tailor Made Man ''A Tailor Made Man'' is a 1931 American MGM pre-Code comedy film directed by Sam Wood. Adapted from the 1908 Hungarian play ''A Szerencse Fia'' by Gábor Drégely (staged in English in New York in 1917), the film stars William Haines and Dor ...

'' (1931) - Huber * '' The Runaround'' (1931) - Lou * '' Peach O'Reno'' (1931) - Joe Bruno * '' White Zombie'' (1932) - Dr. Bruner * '' Love Me Tonight'' (1932) - Dr. Armand de Fontinac * ''

They Call It Sin ''They Call It Sin'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by Thornton Freeland and starring Loretta Young as a farmer's daughter who follows a traveling salesman to New York City, only to discover he already is engaged. Plot Small-to ...

'' (1932) - Mr. Hollister * ''

Men Are Such Fools ''Men are Such Fools'' is a 1938 American romantic comedy directed by Busby Berkeley and written by Norman Reilly Raine and Horace Jackson. The film stars Wayne Morris, Priscilla Lane, Humphrey Bogart, Hugh Herbert, Johnnie Davis, and Penny Si ...

'' (1932) - Werner * ''

Whistling in the Dark Whistling without the use of an artificial whistle is achieved by creating a small opening with one's lips, usually after applying moisture (licking one's lips or placing water upon them) and then blowing or sucking air through the space. The a ...

'' (1933) - Otto Barfuss * '' Grand Slam'' (1933) - Alex Alexandrovitch (uncredited) * ''

Blondie Johnson ''Blondie Johnson'' is a 1933 American pre-Code gangster film directed by Ray Enright and starring Joan Blondell and Chester Morris. It was produced by Warner Bros. Plot Set during the Great Depression, Blondie Johnson (Joan Blondell) quits her ...

'' (1933) - Jewelry Store Manager * ''

Made on Broadway ''Made on Broadway'' is a 1933 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Harry Beaumont and written by Courtney Terrett. The film stars Robert Montgomery, Sally Eilers, Madge Evans, Eugene Pallette, C. Henry Gordon and Jean Parker. The film w ...

'' (1933) - Maxie Schultz * '' Best of Enemies'' (1933) - Gus Schneider * '' Broken Dreams'' (1933) - Pop * ''Cold Turkey'' (1933 short) * '' The Cat and the Fiddle'' (1934) - Rudy * ''

Lazy River A lazy river is a water ride found in water park A water park (or waterpark, water world) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well a ...

'' (1934) - Mr. Julius Ambrose * '' Glamour'' (1934) - Ibsen * ''

Twenty Million Sweethearts ''Twenty Million Sweethearts'' is a 1934 American Pre-Code musical comedy film directed by Ray Enright and starring Pat O'Brien, Dick Powell, Ginger Rogers, and The Mills Brothers. The film was remade in 1949 as '' My Dream Is Yours''. Plot Ag ...

'' (1934) - Herbert Brokman * '' The Last Gentleman'' (1934) - Dr. Wilson * ''

Housewife A housewife (also known as a homemaker or a stay-at-home mother/mom/mum) is a woman whose role is running or managing her family's home—housekeeping, which includes caring for her children; cleaning and maintaining the home; making, buying an ...

'' (1934) - Krueger * ''

The Human Side ''The Human Side'' is a 1934 American drama film directed by Edward Buzzell and written by Edward Buzzell, Frank Craven and Ernest Pascal. The film stars Adolphe Menjou, Doris Kenyon, Charlotte Henry, Reginald Owen, Joseph Cawthorn and Betty La ...

'' (1934) - Fritz Speigal * '' Young and Beautiful'' (1934) - Herman Cline * '' Music in the Air'' (1934) - Hans Uppman * '' Sweet Adeline'' (1934) - Oscar Schmidt * '' Maybe It's Love'' (1935) - Adolph Sr. * ''

Sweet Music ''Sweet Music'' is a 1935 American musical film directed by Alfred E. Green, written by Jerry Wald, Carl Erickson and Warren Duff, and starring Rudy Vallée, Ann Dvorak, Ned Sparks, Helen Morgan, Robert Armstrong and Allen Jenkins. It wa ...

'' (1935) - Sidney Selzer * '' Naughty Marietta'' (1935) - Herr Schuman * '' Gold Diggers of 1935'' (1935) - Schultz * '' Smart Girl'' (1935) - Karl Krausemeyer * '' Bright Lights'' (1935) - Oscar Schlemmer * '' Page Miss Glory'' (1935) - Mr.Freischutz * ''

Harmony Lane ''Harmony Lane'' is a 1935 low-budget American film directed by Joseph Santley, based upon the life of Stephen Foster, released by Mascot Pictures. This was the first sound film based on the life of the famous composer. Two others would follow, ...

'' (1935) - Professor Henry Kleber * ''

Freshman Love ''Freshman Love'' is a 1936 sound film based on George Ade's oft filmed 1904 play '' The College Widow'', adaptations of which were filmed twice previously, in 1915 and 1927, and parodied by the Marx Brothers in their 1932 film '' Horse Feathers ...

'' (1936) - Wilson, Sr. * ''

'' (1936) - Dr. Ziegfeld * ''

Brides Are Like That ''Brides Are Like That'' is a 1936 American comedy film directed by William C. McGann and written by Ben Markson. The film stars Ross Alexander, Anita Louise, Joseph Cawthorn, Kathleen Lockhart, Gene Lockhart and Dick Purcell. The film was re ...

'' (1936) - Fred Schultz * '' One Rainy Afternoon'' (1936) - Monsieur Pelerin * '' Hot Money'' (1936) - Max Dourfuss * ''

Crime Over London ''Crime Over London'' is a 1936 British crime film directed by Alfred Zeisler and starring Margot Grahame, Paul Cavanagh and David Burns. It was made at Isleworth Studios,Wood p.89 based on the novel ''House of a Thousand Windows'' by Ludwig ...

'' (1936) - Mr. Sherwood / Reilly * ''

Lillian Russell Lillian Russell (born Helen Louise Leonard; December 4, 1860 or 1861 – June 6, 1922), was an American actress and singer. She became one of the most famous actresses and singers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, known for her beauty ...

'' (1940) - Leopold Damrosch * '' Scatterbrain'' (1940) - Nicholas Raptis * '' So Ends Our Night'' (1941) - Leopold Potzloch * '' The Postman Didn't Ring'' (1942) - Silas Harwood (final film role)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cawthorn, Joseph 1868 births 1949 deaths Male actors from New York City 19th-century American male actors 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male stage actors Vaudeville performers