Eldon Raymond McKee (December 7, 1892 – October 3, 1984), also credited as Roy McKee, was an American stage and screen actor. His film debut was in the 1912 production ''The Lovers' Signal''. Over the next 23 years, he performed in no less than 172 additional films.

Early life

McKee was born in

Keokuk, Iowa Keokuk is a city in and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States. It is Iowa's southernmost city. The population was 9,900 at the time of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. The city is named after the Sauk people, Sauk chief K ...

, to Albert N. McKee and Alice Yetter McKee. During World War I, he was an Army lieutenant in France and reportedly wore his uniform in four war-themed films.

Stage and film careers

On Broadway, McKee portrayed Jack Weaver in ''The Phantom Legion'' (1919). He also acted on stage in ''A Fool There Was'', ''The Fortune Teller'', and ''

Madame X ''Madame X'' (original title ''La Femme X'') is a 1908 Play (theatre), play by French playwright Alexandre Bisson (1848–1912). It was novelized in English and adapted for the American stage; it was also adapted for the screen sixteen times ...

''. Early in his acting career, McKee also made films in the eastern United States for the Edison and

Lubin Lubin (; ) is a city in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in south-western Poland. It is the administrative seat of Lubin County, and also of the rural district called Gmina Lubin, although it is not part of the territory of the latter, as the town for ...

studios and was billed as "Roy McKee".

The Smith Films

From 1926 to 1928, he was associated with

Mack Sennett Mack Sennett (born Michael Sinnott; January 17, 1880 – November 5, 1960) was a Canadian-American producer, director, actor, and studio head who was known as the "King of Comedy" during his career. Born in Danville, Quebec, he started acting i ...

, with McKee portraying Jimmy Smith in a series of 29 ''Smith Famil''y comedy films. Supporting cast included several regulars: Ruth Hiatt as Mabel Smith; Mary Ann Jackson as Bubbles Smith;

Carole Lombard Carole Lombard (born Jane Alice Peters; October 6, 1908 – January 16, 1942) was an American actress, particularly noted for her energetic, often off-beat roles in screwball comedies. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Lombard ...

as Lillian;

Andy Clyde Andrew Allan Clyde (March 25, 1892 – May 18, 1967), was a Scottish-born American film and television actor whose career spanned some 45 years. In 1921 he broke into silent films as a Mack Sennett comic, debuting in ''On a Summer Day''. H ...

as Uncle Dan; Leo Sulky as Jimmy's friend; Sunshine Hart as Jimmy's mother-in-law. Produced by

the series included many of the regular Sennet characters:

Tiny Ward Roscoe Samuel "Tiny" Ward (January 2, 1893 – September 12, 1956) was an American actor. He occasionally was billed as Jack "Tiny" Ward. Due to his appearance in several "classics" he is a fairly well-known face in film history. Early li ...

, Vernon Dent,

Irving Bacon Irving Ernest Bacon (September 6, 1893 – February 5, 1965) was an American character actor who appeared in almost 500 films. Early years Bacon was the son of entertainers Millar West Bacon (who was a teenager) and Myrtle Vane. He was born ...

, William McCall, Louise Carver, Barney Hellum,

Billy Gilbert William Gilbert Barron (September 12, 1894 – September 23, 1971), known professionally as Billy Gilbert, was an American actor and comedian. He was known for his comic sneeze routines. He appeared in over 200 feature films, short subjects a ...

, etc. The films (all silent) were released at a rate of roughly one per month as one-reel fillers. The series is best remembered as the launching pad for

, who quickly eclipsed McKee in her fame. The films were: ''Smith's Baby'' (1926); ''Smith's Vacation'' (1926); ''Smith's Landlord'' (1926); ''Smith's Visitor'' (1926); ''Smith's Uncle'' (1926); ''Smith's Picnic'' (1926); ''Smith's Pets'' (1927); ''Smith's Customer'' (1927); ''Smith's New Home'' (1927); ''Smith's Surprise'' (1927); ''Smith's Kindergarten'' (1927); ''Smith's Fishing Trip'' (1927); ''Smith's Candy Shop'' (1927); ''Smith's Pony'' (1927); ''Smith's Cook'' (1927); ''Smith's Cousin'' (1927); ''Smith's Modiste Shop'' (1927); ''Smith's Holiday'' (1928); ''Smith's Army Life (1928)''; ''Smith's Farm Days'' (1928); ''Smith's Restaurant'' (1928); ''Smith's Catalina Rowboat Race'' (1928). Producer Sennett had discontinued new filming in 1928, but stockpiled several Smith shorts for release into 1929, removing "Smith" from all the titles: ''The Burglar'' (1928), ''The Chicken'' (1928), ''The Bargain Hunt'' (1928), ''Baby's Birthday'' (1929) ''Uncle Tom'' (1929), ''The Rodeo'' (1929), and ''The New Aunt'' (1929).

Personal life and death

During the filming of ''The Unbeliever'' in 1918, McKee worked with his future wife, actress Marguerite Courtot. The two performers worked together again in 1922 in the production '' Down to the Sea in Ships''. They wed the following year on April 14 and remained married for nearly 60 years, until Raymond's death. After retiring from acting, McKee focused his attention on ''The Zulu Hut'' at 11100 Ventura Boulevard in Studio City, a restaurant that he originally opened in Los Angeles in the 1920s. McKee died on October 3, 1984, at age 91, in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

, from

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 ...

. A United States Army veteran, his gravesite is at Riverside National Cemetery in

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. As of the 2020 census, the city has a population of 314,998. It is the most populous city in th ...

. His wife Marguerite was buried alongside him two years later.

Partial filmography

* '' Dobs at the Shore'' (1914) * '' He Wanted His Pants'' (1914) * '' The Servant Girl's Legacy'' (1914) * '' The Honor of the Force'' (1914) * '' She Married for Love'' (1914) * '' The Smuggler's Daughter'' (1914) * '' When the Ham Turned'' (1914) * '' Jealous James'' (1914) * '' Pins Are Lucky'' (1914) * '' The Green Alarm'' (1914) * '' Making Auntie Welcome'' (1914) * '' Worms Will Turn'' (1914) * '' Kidnapped Bride'' (1914) * '' Long May It Wave'' (1914) * '' A Brewerytown Romance'' (1914) * '' A Tango Tragedy'' (1914) * '' For Two Pins'' (1914) * '' The Particular Cowboys'' (1914) * '' He Won a Ranch'' (1914) * '' Outwitting Dad'' (1914) * '' The Simp and the Sophomores'' (1915) * '' Not Much Force'' (1915) * '' Poor Baby'' (1915) * '' What a Cinch'' (1915) * '' Her Choice'' (1915) * '' Capturing Bad Bill'' (1915) * '' A Lucky Strike'' (1915) * '' An Expensive Visit'' (1915) * '' The Prize Baby'' (1915) * '' Shoddy the Tailor'' (1915) * '' They Looked Alike'' (1915) * '' Twin Flats'' (1916) * '' A Maid to Order'' (1916) * '' The Heart of the Hills'' (1916) * '' It Happened in Pikesville'' (1916) * '' Edison Bugg's Invention'' (1916) * '' Kidnapped'' (1917) * '' Where Love Is'' (1917) * '' The Apple Tree Girl'' (1917) * '' The Lady of the Photograph'' (1917) * '' The Little Chevalier'' (1917) * '' The Last Sentence'' (1917) * ''

Billy and the Big Stick ''Billy and the Big Stick'' is a 1917 American silent comedy drama film directed by Edward H. Griffith Edward H. Griffith (August 23, 1888 – March 3, 1975) (also known as E H Griffith, Lieut. Edward H. Griffith, Edward Griffith, and E. ...

'' (1917) * '' The Unbeliever'' (1918) * '' The End of the Road'' (1919) * '' Kathleen Mavourneen'' (1919) * '' Love's Harvest'' (1920) * '' The Girl of My Heart'' (1920) * '' Flame of Youth'' (1920) * '' The Little Wanderer'' (1920) * '' The Fortune Teller'' (1920) * '' Wing Toy'' (1921) * '' The Lamplighter'' (1921) * '' Blind Hearts'' (1921) * '' The Mother Heart'' (1921) * '' The Jolt'' (1921) * '' Lovetime'' (1921) * '' A Blind Bargain'' (1922) * '' Down to the Sea in Ships'' (1922) * '' Forgive and Forget'' (1923) * '' Three Women'' (1924) *'' Pagan Passions'' (1924) * '' Babbitt'' (1924) * '' The Valley of Hate'' (1924) * ''

Contraband Contraband (from Medieval French ''contrebande'' "smuggling") is any item that, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold. It comprises goods that by their nature are considered too dangerous or offensive in the eyes of the leg ...

'' (1925) * '' Romance Road'' (1925) *'' Oh, What a Night!'' (1926) * '' The Speed Limit'' (1926) * '' Exclusive Rights'' (1926) * '' King of the Herd'' (1927) * '' The Girl from Everywhere'' (1927) * '' Heart to Heart'' (1928) * ''

Frozen River ''Frozen River'' is a 2008 American crime drama film written and directed by Courtney Hunt in her feature directorial debut. Starring Melissa Leo and Misty Upham, the film follows two working-class mothers who team up to earn money by smuggli ...

'' (1929) * '' Campus Knights'' (1929)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McKee, Raymond 1892 births 1984 deaths Male actors from Iowa American male film actors American male silent film actors Burials at Riverside National Cemetery Deaths from pneumonia in California Male actors from Greater Los Angeles Place of birth missing 20th-century American male actors People from Keokuk, Iowa United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army officers Military personnel from Iowa