Clarence William Kolb, sometimes given as C. William Kolb, (July 31, 1874 – November 25, 1964) was an American

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

performer and

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

known for his comedy routines that featured a Dutch dialect.

Biography

Kolb started out as one half of a vaudeville comedy team, Kolb and Dill, with Max Dill. They styled their act on the famous team of Weber and

Fields Fields may refer to: Music *Fields (band), an indie rock band formed in 2006 * Fields (progressive rock band), a progressive rock band formed in 1971 * ''Fields'' (album), an LP by Swedish-based indie rock band Junip (2010) * "Fields", a song by ...

. In addition to their stage work, they appeared in a series of

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

s and a

feature-length A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation ...

movie in 1917. Afterwards, Kolb made a return to vaudeville, only returning to the movies in the late 1930s. In 1935, Kolb left the act to work in films as a

character actor A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...

, eventually appearing in 75 feature films. He became famous for portraying similar characters in several films, usually, a businessman or politician. He is best remembered for his role as Henry Kilbourne, the flustered father in the multi-Academy Award-nominated hit comedy film '' Merrily We Live'' (1938), and as the corrupt mayor in the comedy ''

His Girl Friday ''His Girl Friday'' is a 1940 American screwball comedy film directed by Howard Hawks, starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell and featuring Ralph Bellamy and Gene Lockhart. It was released by Columbia Pictures. The plot centers on a newspaper ...

'' (1940). On television, he was known for his role Mr. Honeywell in the

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

My Little Margie ''My Little Margie'' is an American television sitcom starring Gale Storm and Charles Farrell that alternated between CBS and NBC from 1952 to 1955. The series was created by Frank Fox and produced in Los Angeles, California, at Hal Roach Stud ...

'' (1952). Kolb played himself in his final movie appearance, '' Man of a Thousand Faces'' (1957), opposite Danny Beck (who played the late Max Dill). On September 1, 1917, Kolb married dancer May Cloy (whose birth name was Mabel S. Larsen). They remained married until his death. Kolb died on November 25, 1964 at the Orchard Gables Sanitarium in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

. He was 90 years old.Social Security Death Index, Name: Clarence Kolb, Birth: July 31, 1875, Issued: California, Death: Nov 1964, Last Residence: (California).

Partial filmography

*''A Million for Mary'' (1916) - Louie *''The Three Pals'' (1916) - Louie *''Bluff'' (1916) - Louie *''Peck o' Pickles'' (1916) - Rudolph Schlitz *''Lonesome Town'' (1916) - Louie *''Glory'' (1917) - Louie Bohn *''Beloved Rogues'' (1917) - Louie Vandergriff *'' Two Flaming Youths'' (1927) - Kolb - as Kolb and Dill *'' Fury'' (1936) - Durkin's Friend (uncredited) *''

After the Thin Man ''After the Thin Man'' is a 1936 American murder mystery comedy film directed by W. S. Van Dyke and starring William Powell, Myrna Loy and James Stewart. A sequel to the 1934 feature ''The Thin Man (film), The Thin Man'', the film presents Powel ...

'' (1936) - Cousin Lucius (uncredited) *'' Maid of Salem'' (1937) - Town Crier (uncredited) *''

The Toast of New York ''The Toast of New York'' is a 1937 American biographical film directed by Rowland V. Lee and starring Edward Arnold, Cary Grant, Frances Farmer, and Jack Oakie. The film is a fictionalized account of the lives of financiers James Fisk and ...

'' (1937) - Cornelius Vanderbilt *'' Portia on Trial'' (1937) - John Condon *''

Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services company with a significant global presence. The company operates in 35 countries and serves over 70 million customers worldwide. It is a systemically important fi ...

'' (1937) - John Butterfield *'' Gold Is Where You Find It'' (1938) - Senator Walsh *'' Merrily We Live'' (1938) - Mr. Kilbourne *''

Give Me a Sailor ''Give Me a Sailor'' is a 1938 American musical comedy film directed by Elliott Nugent and starring Martha Raye, Bob Hope, Betty Grable and Jack Whiting. This was Raye and Hope's third film together, the first in which they played the leads ...

'' (1938) - CaptainTallant *'' Carefree'' (1938) - Judge Travers *'' The Law West of Tombstone'' (1938) - Sam Kent *''

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

'' (1939) - Mr. Horace Grayson *''

I Was a Convict ''I Was a Convict'' is a 1939 American crime film directed by Aubrey Scotto and written by Robert Hardy Andrews and Ben Markson. The film stars Barton MacLane, Beverly Roberts, Clarence Kolb, Janet Beecher, Horace McMahon and Ben Welden. The ...

'' (1939) - John B. Harrison *'' Society Lawyer'' (1939) - Mr. Leonard *'' It Could Happen to You'' (1939) - Alfred Wiman *'' Good Girls Go to Paris'' (1939) - Ted Dayton Sr. *'' Five Little Peppers and How They Grew'' (1939) - Mr. King *'' Our Leading Citizen'' (1939) - Jim Hanna * '' Beware Spooks!'' (1939) - Commissioner Lester Lewis *'' The Amazing Mr. Williams'' (1939) - Police Captain McGovern *''

'' (1940) - Mayor *'' Five Little Peppers at Home'' (1940) - Mr. King *'' The Man Who Talked Too Much'' (1940) - E.A. Smith *'' No Time for Comedy'' (1940) - Richard Benson *'' Tugboat Annie Sails Again'' (1940) - J.B. Armstrong *''

Michael Shayne, Private Detective ''Michael Shayne, Private Detective'' is a 1940 American mystery film directed by Eugene Forde and starring Lloyd Nolan, Marjorie Weaver and Joan Valerie.Backer p.106 It is based on Brett Halliday's novel '' The Private Practice of Michael Sha ...

'' (1940) - Brighton *'' Caught in the Draft'' (1941) - Col. Peter Fairbanks *''

Blossoms in the Dust ''Blossoms in the Dust'' is a 1941 American biographical drama film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Felix Bressart, Marsha Hunt, Fay Holden and Samuel S. Hinds. It tells the story of Edna Gladney, who help ...

'' (1941) - Texas Senator T.R. Cotton (uncredited) *'' Nothing But The Truth'' (1941) - Mr. Van Dusen *'' The Night of January 16th'' (1941) - Tilton *''

Bedtime Story A bedtime story is a traditional form of storytelling, where a story is told to a child at bedtime to prepare the child for sleep. The bedtime story has long been considered "a definite institution in many families".Dickson, Marguerite Stockm ...

'' (1941) - Collins *''

You're in the Army Now In Modern English, the word "''you''" is the second-person pronoun. It is grammatically plural, and was historically used only for the dative case, but in most modern dialects is used for all cases and numbers. History ''You'' comes from ...

'' (1941) - General Winthrop *'' Hellzapoppin''' (1941) - Andrew Rand *'' True to the Army'' (1942) - Gen. Marlowe *'' The Sky's the Limit'' (1943) - Harvey J. Sloan (uncredited) *'' The Falcon in Danger'' (1943) - Stanley Harris Palmer *'' True to Life'' (1943) - Mr. Huggins *'' Standing Room Only'' (1944) - Glen Ritchie *'' Irish Eyes Are Smiling'' (1944) - Leo Betz *'' Something for the Boys'' (1944) - Colonel Grubbs (uncredited) *'' Three Is a Family'' (1944) - Mr. Steele *'' What a Blonde'' (1945) - Charles DaFoe *'' Road to Alcatraz'' (1945) - Philip Angreet *''

The Kid from Brooklyn ''The Kid from Brooklyn'' is a 1946 American musical comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod and starring Danny Kaye, Virginia Mayo, Vera-Ellen, Steve Cochran, Walter Abel, Eve Arden, and Fay Bainter. Virginia Mayo's and Vera-Ellen's sin ...

'' (1946) - Mr. Austin *''

White Tie and Tails ''White Tie and Tails'' is a 1946 American comedy drama film directed by Charles Barton (director), Charles Barton and starring Dan Duryea, Ella Raines, William Bendix, and Frank Jenks. The film tagline is "Clothes Don't Make the Man ... a Gentl ...

'' (1946) - Mr. Arkwright *'' The Pilgrim Lady'' (1947) - Prof. Rankin *''

Lost Honeymoon ''Lost Honeymoon'' is a 1947 American screwball comedy film directed by Leigh Jason and starring Franchot Tone, Ann Richards (actress), Ann Richards and Tom Conway. The working title of the film was ''Amy Comes Across''. Plot Soon after the ...

'' (1947) - Mr. Evans *'' Fun on a Weekend'' (1947) - Quigley Quackenbush *''The Hal Roach Comedy Carnival'' (1947) - Cornelius Belmont Sr., in 'Fabulous Joe' *'' The Fabulous Joe'' (1947) - Cornelius Belmont, II *'' Blondie in the Dough'' (1947) - J.T. Thorpe *''

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. Christmas Day is observance of Christmas by country, observed around the world, and Christma ...

'' (1947) - Judge Alston *''

Impact Impact may refer to: * Impact (mechanics), a large force or mechanical shock over a short period of time * Impact, Texas, a town in Taylor County, Texas, US Science and technology * Impact crater, a meteor crater caused by an impact event * Imp ...

'' (1949) - Darcy *''

Adam's Rib ''Adam's Rib'' is a 1949 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by George Cukor from a screenplay written by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin. It stars Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn as married lawyers who come to oppose each other in ...

'' (1949) - Judge Reiser *'' The Rose Bowl Story'' (1952) - 'Gramps' Burke *'' Shake, Rattle & Rock!'' (1956) - Judge McCombs *'' Man of a Thousand Faces'' (1957) - Clarence Kolb (final film role)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kolb, Clarence 1874 births 1964 deaths American male film actors American vaudeville performers Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) American people of Austrian descent 20th-century American male actors American male television actors 20th-century American comedians American male comedians