Lawrence Semon (February 9, 1889 – October 8, 1928) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter during the

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

era. In his day, Semon was considered a major movie comedian, but he is now remembered mainly for working with both

Stan Laurel Stan Laurel ( ; born Arthur Stanley Jefferson; 16 June 1890 – 23 February 1965) was an English comic actor, director and writer who was in the comedy double act, duo Laurel and Hardy. He appeared with his comedy partner Oliver Hardy in 107 sh ...

and

Oliver Hardy Oliver Norvell Hardy (born Norvell Hardy; January 18, 1892 – August 7, 1957) was an American comic actor and one half of Laurel and Hardy, the double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted from 1926 to 1957. He appeared with his ...

before they started working together. He directed and appeared in the 1925

The Wizard of Oz ''The Wizard of Oz'' is a 1939 American Musical film, musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Based on the 1900 novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum, it was primarily directed by Victor Fleming, who left pro ...

'', which had a slight influence on the better-known 1939

talkie A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed befo ...

'' released by

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

. The film was included in the 2005 three-disc DVD version of the 1939 film, along with other silent ''Oz'' movies.

Early life

Born in

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

, Mississippi on February 9, 1889, Semon was the son of a travelling Jewish

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 ...

magician Zera Semon, who billed himself as "Zera the Great". His mother, Irene Semon (née Rea), worked as Zera's assistant. Along with his older sister, Semon joined his parents' act until his father's death. After completing his education in

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

, Georgia, Semon moved to New York City, where he worked for ''

The New York Sun ''The New York Sun'' is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative Online newspaper, news website and former newspaper based in Manhattan, Manhattan, New York. From 2009 to 2021, it operated as an (occasional and erratic) onlin ...

'' and later ''The New York Morning Telegraph'' as a

cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the litera ...

comics artist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the literar ...

and

graphic artist A graphic designer is a practitioner who follows the discipline of graphic design, either within companies or organizations or independently. They are professionals in design and visual communication, with their primary focus on transforming l ...

. While working as an artist, Semon appeared in monologues in vaudeville, where he attracted the attention of

Vitagraph Studios Vitagraph Studios, also known as the Vitagraph Company of America, was a United States motion picture studio. It was founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York, as the American Vitagraph Company. By 1907 ...

. In 1915, he was offered a contract with the company.

Career

After signing with

Vitagraph Vitagraph Studios, also known as the Vitagraph Company of America, was a United States motion picture studio. It was founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York, as the American Vitagraph Company. By 1907 ...

, Semon worked behind the scenes as a scenario writer, director, and film producer for actor

Hughie Mack Hughie Mack (November 26, 1884 – October 13, 1927) was an American actor of the silent era. He appeared in more than 190 films between 1910 and 1928. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was working as a mortician when he paid a casual ...

's films. He occasionally cast himself in bit parts in the films he worked on. When Mack left Vitagraph, Semon began playing the lead roles. He usually played a white-faced goof in

derby hat The bowler hat, also known as a Coke hat, billycock, bob hat, bombín (Spanish) or derby (United States), is a hard felt hat with a rounded crown, originally created by the London hat-makers Thomas and William Bowler in 1849 and commissioned by ...

and

overalls Overalls or bib-and-brace overalls, also called dungarees in British English, are a type of garment usually used as protective clothing when working. The garments are commonly referred to as a "pair of overalls" by analogy with "pair of trousers ...

who would enter any given setting (a bakery, a restaurant, a

construction site Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...

, a prison camp, etc.) and cause chaos, with people being covered with debris and property being destroyed. His short

slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such as ...

comedies were made and released quickly and prolifically, making Semon very familiar to moviegoers. As his fame grew, his films expanded from one reel (about 12 minutes) to two reels, and Semon was given a free hand in making them. This became a dangerous policy because Semon became notorious for being expensive and extravagant: his two-reel comedies could easily cost more than an average five-reel feature film. As a former

cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently Animation, animated, in an realism (arts), unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or s ...

ist, Semon staged similarly cartoony sight gags. These were not achieved with camera tricks or miniatures: Semon used full-sized props and structures, but on an epic scale. No gag was too big for Semon. He loved chase sequences involving airplanes (sometimes using three in a film), exploding

barn A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. In North America, a barn refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain.Allen G ...

s, falling

water towers A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system, distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towe ...

, auto wrecks and/or explosions, and liberal use of substances in which to douse people. A typical Semon comedy might involve barrels of flour, sacks of soot, gallons of ink, pools of motor oil, or pits filled with mud. For example, in Semon's '' The Bell Hop'', a man sleeping under the spray of a malfunctioning fountain imagines he is swimming in the ocean, and in his sleep he dives off the bed, through the floor, and into a vat of paint in the lobby below. Oliver Hardy recalled in an interview that Semon, when staging his comedy short '' The Sawmill'' set in a

lumber camp A logging camp (or lumber camp) is a transitory work site used in the logging industry. Before the second half of the 20th century, these camps were the primary place where lumberjacks would live and work to fell trees in a particular area. Many ...

, would not film in the studio and use traditional, painted stage sets. Instead, Semon took his troupe on location—itself an expensive undertaking—and insisted on building permanent log cabins, complete with modern conveniences for the entire cast and crew. The production budget soared, and his bosses at Vitagraph finally demanded that Semon become his own producer and underwrite his productions personally. Semon also spent freely in his personal life, with frequent long-distance travel. Director

Norman Taurog Norman Rae Taurog (February 23, 1899 – April 7, 1981) was an American film director and screenwriter. From 1920 to 1968, Taurog directed 180 films. At the age of 32, he received the Academy Award for Best Director for ''Skippy (film), Skippy' ...

recalled that by the mid-1920s Semon would hand a script to him and then depart for New York, leaving Taurog to film the script with stunt double Bill Hauber impersonating Semon. Upon Semon's return to Hollywood, Taurog would film close-ups of Semon to fit into the action filmed with Hauber. Semon tried to reverse his money problems by entering the more lucrative field of feature films. He produced and starred in a few features in the mid-1920s, including the financial disaster ''

'' in 1925;"Larry Semon"
obituary, ''Variety'', October 10, 1928, p. 57, col. 1. Internet Archive. Retrieved November 28, 2018. by 1927, however, he was back in short subjects released through

Educational Pictures Educational Pictures, also known as Educational Film Exchanges, Inc. or Educational Films Corporation of America, was an American film production and film distribution company founded in 1916 by Earle (E. W.) Hammons (1882–1962). Educational p ...

. After filing for bankruptcy in March 1928, Semon returned to vaudeville. While traveling on the vaudeville circuit, he suffered a

nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...

and went back to Los Angeles.

Death

After returning to Los Angeles, Semon was admitted to a

sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, is a historic name for a specialised hospital for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments, and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often in a health ...

Victorville, California Victorville is a city in Victor Valley in San Bernardino County, California. Its population as of the 2020 census was 134,810. Victorville is the principal city of a Victor Valley–based urban area defined by the United States Census Bureau: ...

, where on October 8, 1928—at the age of 39—he died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

and

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

. His wife Dorothy Dwan was reported to be at his bedside when he died. He was cremated and his ashes were given to his wife. In its obituary for Semon, the

trade paper A trade magazine, also called a trade journal or trade paper (colloquially or disparagingly a trade rag), is a magazine or newspaper whose target audience is people who work in a particular trade or industry. The collective term for this a ...

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' speculated that ongoing stress related to his dire financial circumstances was a contributing factor in his demise, alluding to the 1925 production of ''

'' as the major cause of his money woes:

Nicknames

French audiences knew him as Zigoto, Italian ones as Ridolini, and Spanish ones as Jaimito ("Jimmy") in pre-

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

releases and Tomasín ("Tommy") in the 1940 rereleases by Manuel Rotellar.Claudia Sassen
quotes Juan Gabriel Tharrats.

Filmography

As a director, not a star: * '' Tubby Turns the Tables'' (1916) * '' Terry's Tea Party'' (1916) * '' Out Ag'in, in Ag'in'' (1916) * '' More Money Than Manners'' (1916) * ''

The Battler "The Battler" is a short story written by Ernest Hemingway, published in the 1925 New York edition of ''In Our Time (short story collection), In Our Time'', by Boni & Liveright.Oliver (1999), 21 The story is the fifth in the collection to fea ...

'' (1916) * '' Losing Weight'' (1916) * '' The Man from Egypt'' (1916) * '' A Jealous Guy'' (1916) * '' Romance and Roughhouse'' (1916) * '' There and Back'' (1916) * ''

A Villainous Villain A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, and others worldwide. Its name in English is '' a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes''. It is similar in shape to the Ancient G ...

'' (1916) * '' Love and Loot'' (1916) * '' Sand, Scamps and Strategy'' (1916) * '' She Who Last Laughs'' (1916) * '' Walls and Wallops'' (1916) * '' Jumps and Jealousy'' (1916) * '' His Conscious Conscience'' (1916) * '' Hash and Havoc'' (1916) * '' Captain Jinks' Evolution'' (1916) * '' Rah! Rah! Rah!'' (1916) * ''

Help! Help! Help! ''Help!'' is the fifth studio album by the English Rock music, rock band the Beatles and the soundtrack to their Help! (film), film of the same name. It was released on 6 August 1965 by Parlophone. Seven of the fourteen songs, including the sin ...

'' (1916) * '' Shanks and Chivalry'' (1916) * '' Speed and Spunk'' (1917) * '' Captain Jinks' Widow'' (1917) * '' Captain Jinks' Nephew's Wife'' (1917) * '' Captain Jinks' Dilemma'' (1917) * '' Bullies and Bullets'' (1917) * '' Jolts and Jewelry'' (1917) * '' Big Bluffs and Bowling Balls'' (1917) * '' Somewhere in Any Place'' (1917) * '' Rips and Rushes'' (1917) * '' He Never Touched Me'' (1917) * '' Cops and Cussedness'' (1917) * '' Masks and Mishaps'' (1917) * '' Guff and Gunplay'' (1917) * '' Pests and Promises'' (1917) * '' Footlights and Fakers'' (1917) * '' Bombs and Blunders'' (1917) * '' Turks and Troubles'' (1917) * '' Flatheads and Flivvers'' (1917) * ''

Dubs and Drygoods The terms dub, dubs, or dubbing commonly refer to: * Dubbing, a post-production process used in filmmaking and video production * Accolade (also known as dubbing), a central act in rite of passage ceremonies conferring knighthood * Dub music, a ...

'' (1917) * '' Hazards and Home Runs'' (1917) * '' Gall and Gasoline'' (1917) * '' Boasts and Boldness'' (1917) * '' Worries and Wobbles'' (1917) * '' Shells and Shivers'' (1917) As a Comedy Star: * '' Chumps and Chances'' (1917) * '' Gall and Golf'' (1917) * '' Slips and Slackers'' (1917) * '' Risks and Roughnecks'' (1917) * '' Plans and Pajamas'' (1917) * '' Plagues and Puppy Love'' (1917) * '' Sports and Splashes'' (1917) * '' Tough Luck and Tin Lizzies'' (1917) * '' Rough Toughs and Roof Tops'' (1917) * '' Spooks and Spasms'' (1917) * '' Noisy Naggers and Nosey Neighbors'' (1917) * ''

Guns and Greasers A gun is a device that propels a projectile using pressure or explosive force. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns or cannons), or gas (e.g. light-gas gun). Solid projectiles may be fr ...

'' (1918) * '' Babes and Boobs'' (1918) * '' Rooms and Rumors'' (1918) * '' Meddlers and Moonshiners'' (1918) * '' Stripes and Stumbles'' (1918) * '' Rummies and Razors'' (1918) * '' Whistles and Windows'' (1918) * '' Spies and Spills'' (1918) * '' Romans and Rascals'' (1918) * '' Skids and Scalawags'' (1918) * '' Boodle and Bandits'' (1918) * ''

Hindoos and Hazards Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also been u ...

'' (1918) * '' Bathing Beauties and Big Boobs'' (1918) * '' Dunces and Dangers'' (1918) * '' Mutts and Motors'' (1918) * '' Huns and Hyphens'' (1918) * '' Bears and Bad Men'' (1918) * '' Frauds and Frenzies'' (1918) * '' Humbugs and Husbands'' (1918) * '' Pluck and Plotters'' (1918) * '' Traps and Tangles'' (1919) * '' Scamps and Scandals'' (1919) * '' Well, I'll Be'' (1919) * ' (1919) * '' The Star Boarder'' (1919) * '' His Home Sweet Home'' (1919) * ''

The Simple Life ''The Simple Life'' is an American reality television series starring Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. It depicts the two wealthy socialites, as they struggle to do menial, low-paying jobs such as cleaning rooms, farm work, serving meals in fa ...

'' (1919) * ''

Between the Acts ''Between the Acts'' is the final novel by Virginia Woolf. It was published shortly after her death in 1941. Although the manuscript had been completed, Woolf had yet to make final revisions. The book describes the mounting, performance, and a ...

'' (1919) * '' Dull Care'' (1919) * '' Dew Drop Inn'' (1919) * ''

The Head Waiter ''The Head Waiter'' is a 1919 American silent comedy film featuring Larry Semon in the titular role. The film also features Oliver Hardy. Cast * Larry Semon as The Head Waiter * Oliver Hardy as A Cop (credited as Babe Hardy) * Lucille Carli ...

'' (1919) * '' The Grocery Clerk'' (1919) * '' The Fly Cop'' (1920) * '' School Days'' (1920) * ''

Solid Concrete Solid is a state of matter where molecules are closely packed and can not slide past each other. Solids resist compression, expansion, or external forces that would alter its shape, with the degree to which they are resisted dependent upon the ...

'' (1920) * '' The Stage Hand'' (1920) * '' The Suitor'' (1920) * '' The Sportsman'' (1921) * '' The Hick'' (1921) * '' The Bakery'' (1921) * '' The Rent Collector'' (1921) * ''

The Fall Guy ''The Fall Guy'' is an American action-adventure television series produced for ABC and originally broadcast from November 4, 1981, to May 2, 1986. It stars Lee Majors, Douglas Barr, and Heather Thomas as Hollywood stunt performers who moonl ...

'' (1921) * '' The Bell Hop'' (1921) * '' The Sawmill'' (1922) * '' The Show'' (1922) * '' A Pair of Kings'' (1922) * ''

Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

'' (1922) * '' The Agent'' (1922) * '' The Counter Jumper'' (1922) * '' No Wedding Bells'' (1923) * '' The Barnyard'' (1923) * '' The Midnight Cabaret'' (1923) * '' The Gown Shop'' (1923) * '' Lightning Love'' (1923) * ''

Horseshoes Horseshoe is a shoe for horses and by analogy is applied to many things with a similar shape. Horseshoes (game), a tossing game played with a horseshoe Horseshoe(s) or Horse Shoe(s) may also refer to: Places Settlements and jurisdictions * Horse ...

'' (1923) * '' Trouble Brewing'' (1924) * ''

The Girl in the Limousine ''The Girl in the Limousine'' is a 1924 American comedy film starring Larry Semon and featuring Oliver Hardy. The film is based on the 1919 The Girl in the Limousine (play), play of the same name by Wilson Collison and Avery Hopwood. Plot Ca ...

'' (1924) * '' Her Boy Friend'' (1924) * '' Kid Speed'' (1924) * ''

My Best Girl ''My Best Girl'' is a 1927 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Sam Taylor starring Mary Pickford and Charles "Buddy" Rogers that was produced by Pickford. Rogers later married Pickford. Charles Rosher received an Academy Award ...

'' (1925) * '' Wizard of Oz'' (1925) * '' The Perfect Clown'' (1925) * '' The Dome Doctor'' (1925) * '' The Cloudhopper'' (1925) * '' Stop, Look and Listen'' (1926) * '' Pass the Dumplings'' (1927) * '' Spuds'' (1927) * '' The Plumber's Daughter'' (1927) * '' A Dozen Socks'' (1927) (uncredited) * ''

The Stunt Man ''The Stunt Man'' is a 1980 American satirical psychological black comedy film starring Peter O'Toole, Steve Railsback and Barbara Hershey, and directed by Richard Rush. The film was adapted by Lawrence B. Marcus and Rush from the 1970 nove ...

'' (1927) * '' Oh, What a Man!'' (1927) * ''

Underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...

'' (1927) * '' Dummies'' (1928) * '' A Simple Sap'' (1928)

Gallery

File:Passing the Buck (1919) - Ad 1.jpg, Ad for the comedy short film '
in ''The'' ''Moving Picture World''

References

External links

*
Larry Semon: The Cartoonist as Comic (Part 1)(Part 3)Larry Semon
at Virtual History

{{DEFAULTSORT:Semon, Larry 1889 births 1928 deaths Male actors from Mississippi American male film actors American male screenwriters American male silent film actors 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis Deaths from pneumonia in California People from West Point, Mississippi American vaudeville performers Silent film comedians People from Victorville, California Film directors from California Film directors from Mississippi American comedy film directors 20th-century American male actors Articles containing video clips 20th-century American comedians Screenwriters from California Screenwriters from Mississippi American comic strip cartoonists American comics artists American graphic designers American people of Dutch-Jewish descent 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters Tuberculosis deaths in California Comedians from Mississippi American male comedians American slapstick comedians