David Delmar Watson (July 1, 1926 – October 26, 2008) was an American child actor and news photographer.Nelson, Valerie J
"Delmar Watson, child actor turned news photographer, dies at 82"
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

''. October 28, 2008.Andres, Holly J.
Famed news photographer Delmar Watson dies
." '' Daily News''. October 28, 2008.

Life and career

Watson was one of nine children born to actor, stuntman, and pioneer special effects artist Coy Watson Sr. The family lived in the old Edendale area (now Echo Park) of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

. Watson attended Belmont High School.Pool, Bob.
Star Shines Brightly for Hollywood's First Family; Movies: The Watson clan of former child actors finally receives recognition for its pioneering contribution to films
" ''Los Angeles Times''. April 23, 1999. Metro Part B Metro Desk Page 1. Watson acted in ''

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington ''Mr. Smith Goes to Washington'' is a 1939 American Political drama, political Comedy drama, comedy-drama film directed by Frank Capra, starring Jean Arthur and James Stewart, and featuring Claude Rains and Edward Arnold (actor), Edward Arnold. ...

'' alongside James Stewart and in ''

Heidi ''Heidi'' (; ) is a work of children's fiction published in 1881 by Swiss author Johanna Spyri, originally published in two parts as ''Heidi: Her Years of Wandering and Learning'' (german: Heidis Lehr- und Wanderjahre) and ''Heidi: How She Use ...

'' with Shirley Temple. His eight siblings (five brothers and three sisters) also acted in films, including Coy Jr., Harry and Bobs. He and his brothers played the governor's sons in ''

''. The family was honored by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce by placing the Watson family ("the First Family of Hollywood") star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...

, at 6674

Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It begins in the east at Sunset Boulevard in the Los Feliz district and proceeds to the west as a major thoroughfare through Little Armenia and Thai Town, Hollywo ...

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) * Hollywoo ...

. Watson edited and published five books: ''"Quick, Watson, The Camera (1976), ''Los Angeles The Olympic City, 1932–1984'' (1984), ''The 10th Olympiad – Japan'' (1984), ''Goin' Hollywood 1887–1987'' (1988), and ''Delmar Watson's "Babe", The One and Only'' (1992). Watson died from prostate cancer at his home in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents ac ...

, on October 26, 2008, at the age of 82.

Partial filmography

* ''

Taxi 13 ''Taxi 13'' is a 1928 silent film comedy produced and distributed by Film Booking Offices of America and directed by Marshall Neilan. The film stars Chester Conklin in what is FBO's first film with a pre-recorded soundtrack. Once thought lost ...

'' (1928) - Mactavish Child (uncredited) * '' Blue Skies'' (1929) * '' The Valiant'' (1929) - Little Boy Who Falls Down (uncredited) * ''

Lucky Star Lucky Star, The Lucky Star or Lucky Starr may refer to: Art, entertainment, and media Anime and manga * ''Lucky Star'' (manga), a manga, anime, and video game series * "Lucky Star", one of the Angel Frames from the anime and manga series ''Galaxy ...

'' (1929) - Young Tucker (uncredited) * '' Love, Live and Laugh'' (1929) - Little Boy (uncredited) * ''

The Lone Star Ranger ''The Lone Star Ranger'' is a Western novel published by Zane Grey in 1914. The book takes place in Texas, the Lone Star State, and several main characters are Texas Rangers, a famous band of highly capable law enforcement officers. It follows ...

'' (1930) - Baby Jones * '' Outside the Law'' (1930) - The Kid * '' Mothers Cry'' (1930) - One of the Williams Children - Age 3 (uncredited) * ''

Riders of the Purple Sage ''Riders of the Purple Sage'' is a Western novel by Zane Grey, first published by Harper & Brothers in 1912. Considered by scholars to have played a significant role in shaping the formula of the popular Western genre, the novel has been call ...

'' (1931) - Young Boy (uncredited) * '' Compromised'' (1931) - Sandy Brock * '' The Fourth Horseman'' (1932) - Young Boy (uncredited) * '' Wild Girl'' (1932) - Willie - Red Pete's Boy (uncredited) * '' Goldie Gets Along'' (1933) - Autograph Seeking Boy Outside Restaurant (uncredited) * '' The Last Trail'' (1933) - Pupil with Tom's Hat (uncredited) * '' To the Last Man'' (1933) - Tad Stanley (uncredited) * '' The Right to Romance'' (1933) - Bill * '' Fugitive Lovers'' (1934) - Tommy (uncredited) * ''

Straight Is the Way ''Straight Is the Way'' is a 1934 American drama film directed by Paul Sloane, written by Bernard Schubert, and starring Franchot Tone, May Robson, Karen Morley, Gladys George, Nat Pendleton and Jack La Rue. It is based upon the stage play by Da ...

'' (1934) - Crying Boy (voice, uncredited) * '' Chained'' (1934) - Boy Shipboard Swimmer (uncredited) * '' Among the Missing'' (1934) - First Boy * '' Gentlemen Are Born'' (1934) - Crying Boy (uncredited) * '' The Painted Veil'' (1934) - Crying Boy (scenes deleted) * '' Life Begins at 40'' (1935) - Meriwether Son (uncredited) * ''

Silk Hat Kid ''Silk Hat Kid'' is a 1935 American crime film directed by H. Bruce Humberstone and written by Edward Eliscu, Lou Breslow and Dore Schary. The film, starring Lew Ayres, Mae Clarke, Paul Kelly, Ralf Harolde, William Harrigan and Billy Lee, was re ...

'' (1935) - Child (uncredited) * '' Freckles'' (1935) - Little Boy (uncredited) * '' Annie Oakley'' (1935) - Wesley Oakley * '' We're Only Human'' (1936) - Tommy Anderson (uncredited) * ''

Sutter's Gold ''Sutter's Gold'' is a 1936 American Western film. It is a fictionalized version of the aftermath of the discovery of gold on Sutter's property, spurring the California Gold Rush of 1849. Edward Arnold plays John Sutter. The supporting cast in ...

'' (1936) - 3rd Newsboy (uncredited) * '' The Country Doctor'' (1936) - Oldest Wyatt Boy (uncredited) * '' Silly Billies'' (1936) - Martin * ''

Show Boat ''Show Boat'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Edna Ferber's best-selling 1926 Show Boat (novel), novel of the same name. The musical follows the lives of the pe ...

'' (1936) - Boy (uncredited) * '' Old Hutch'' (1936) - Allie Hutchins * ''

The Great O'Malley ''The Great O'Malley'' is a 1937 crime film directed by William Dieterle and starring Pat O'Brien (actor), Pat O'Brien, Sybil Jason, Humphrey Bogart, and Ann Sheridan. The 1925 silent version ''The Making of O'Malley'' starred Milton Sills, Dorot ...

'' (1937) - Tubby * '' Maytime'' (1937) - Maypole Singer (uncredited) * '' We Have Our Moments'' (1937) - Little Boy (uncredited) * '' Let Them Live'' (1937) - Boy in Orphanage (uncredited) * ''

The Road Back ''The Road Back'', also translated as ''The Way Back'', (german: Der Weg zurück) is a novel by German author Erich Maria Remarque, commonly regarded as a sequel to his 1929 novel ''All Quiet on the Western Front''. It was first serialized in the ...

'' (1937) - Boy (uncredited) * ''

It Happened in Hollywood ''It Happened in Hollywood'' is a 1937 American comedy film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Richard Dix, Fay Wray and Victor Kilian. The arrival of sound wrecks the career of a leading western actor while his leading lady rises to new h ...

'' (1937) - Boy (uncredited) * ''

'' (1937) - Peter * ''

52nd Street 52nd Street is a -long one-way street traveling west to east across Midtown Manhattan, New York City. A short section of it was known as the city's center of jazz performance from the 1930s to the 1950s. Jazz center Following the repeal of P ...

'' (1937) - Young Benjamin (uncredited) * '' Outlaws of the Prairie'' (1937) - Dart Collins Jr. (uncredited) * '' Clipped Wings'' (1937) - Mickey Lofton - as a Boy * '' Tovarich'' (1937) - Urchin Stealing Groceries (uncredited) * '' Change of Heart'' (1938) - Jimmy Milligan * '' Hunted Men'' (1938) - Robert Harris aka Butch * '' Breaking the Ice'' (1938) - Reuben Johnson * '' A Christmas Carol'' (1938) - Snowballer in Gang (uncredited) * ''

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virgini ...

'' (1938) - Thad Goodwin Jr. - 1861 * '' The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1939) - Joe (uncredited) * '' You Can't Cheat an Honest Man'' (1939) - Boy with Slingshot (uncredited) * '' The Family Next Door'' (1939) - Boy (uncredited) * '' Young Mr. Lincoln'' (1939) - Admiring Boy in New Salem (uncredited) * '' When Tomorrow Comes'' (1939) - Boy in Wagon (uncredited) * ''

Those High Grey Walls ''Those High Grey Walls'' is a 1939 American crime film directed by Charles Vidor and starring Walter Connolly and Onslow Stevens. It is also known as ''The Gates of Alcatraz''. Plot Dr. MacAuley, a kindly beloved country doctor, is sent to Fil ...

'' (1939) - Boy (uncredited) * '' Here I Am a Stranger'' (1939) - Shoeshine Boy (uncredited) * ''

'' (1939) - Hopper Boy #2 * '' Legion of the Lawless'' (1940) - Lafe Barton Jr. * ''

His Girl Friday ''His Girl Friday'' is a 1940 American screwball comedy 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 ed ...

'' (1940) - Skinny (uncredited) * '' I Take This Woman'' (1940) - Smaller Murphy Kid (scenes deleted) * ''

My Little Chickadee ''My Little Chickadee'' is a 1940 American comedy-western film starring Mae West and W. C. Fields, featuring Joseph Calleia, Ruth Donnelly, Margaret Hamilton, Donald Meek, Willard Robertson, Dick Foran, William B. Davidson, and Addison ...

'' (1940) - Boy (uncredited) * '' The Lady from Cheyenne'' (1941) - Toothless Boy (uncredited) * '' New York Town'' (1941) - Hungarian Boy (uncredited) * '' Among the Living'' (1941) - Newsboy (uncredited) * '' Gas House Kids Go West'' (1947) - Young Boy (uncredited) (final film role)

References

Bibliography

* * Holmstrom, John (1996). ''The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995''. Norwich: Michael Russell, p. 144-145.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Delmar 1926 births 2008 deaths 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American photographers American male child actors American male film actors Belmont High School (Los Angeles) alumni Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from prostate cancer Male actors from Los Angeles Male Western (genre) film actors People from Echo Park, Los Angeles Delmar

Life and career

Partial filmography

See also

References

Bibliography

External links