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Transcription

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Front cover:
Clyde Cook - c1920s.
Photograph courtesy of Nick Cook.
Back Cover:
Clyde - c1920s.
Photograph courtesy of Performing Arts Collection, Arts Centre Melbourne, Australia.
IRN72866
Gone but not forgotten: the Clyde Cook story
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First published in Australia in 2012 by Mitchell McKay
PO Box 9495, Port Macquarie NSW 2444 Australia
www.pmheritage.com.au
ISBN: 978-0-9870684-1-5
Design and layout: www.creativetwist.net.au
Proofreader: Chantelle Hancey
Printed by: Dashing Print
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Copyright © 2012 Mitchell McKay
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be r
eproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any
form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of
the copyright holder.
Disclaimer
The information contained in this publication has been compiled
from sources known, to the best of the author’s knowledge, to be
accurate at the time of printing.
The author has endeavoured to ensure that all the information
contained in this publication is true and correct as at the date
of publication, however, will not be liable for any erroneous or
misleading information nor any damages or loss arising in any
way from or in connection to any information contained in this
publication whether in an action or taught, product liability, statute
or any other basis.
All attempts have been made to avoid giving any offence to
members of the public, whether living or deceased.
Every effort has been made to identify the copyright holder of
images reproduced in this book that might not be in the public
domain and to obtain permission for their use. If a copyrighted
image is found to have been used without the proper permission,
the copyright holder is asked to contact the publisher of this book so
that the proper permission can be obtained and the copyright holder
acknowledged in future printings.
Foreword
In my work as a radio broadcaster I have been fortunate to uncover some
wonderful stories and interview many interesting people over the years. These
stories have always fascinated me. At the end of each one I have come away more
informed about a place or an individual and intrigued to know if there is more
to the tale.
This is one of those stories.
When Mitch McKay shared with me the story of Clyde Cook, I was very
interested in his story as I am involved with our local Player’s Theatre and was
totally unaware that Port Macquarie had its own home grown movie star.
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From very humble beginnings Clyde Cook was what I would call an all-rounder,
being able to survive by his wits and abilities in the hardest of all professions –
show business. What a talented person to be able to master the art of acrobat,
dancer, singer and comedian eventually making it on one of the toughest stages
of all – Hollywood.
Mitch is passionate about local history and has been extremely generous to me
and our ABC audience with our forays into many historical locations for my
breakfast program.
I know you will enjoy reading about Clyde Cook’s remarkable journey across
the stages of the world and his rare mix of talent and abilities which took him
to the heights of his profession.
Cameron Marshall
Regional Content Manager
ABC Mid North Coast
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Contents
Introduction1
Growing up
2
On stage - the vaudeville years
3
On screen - silent films to the talkies
18
Family life
35
Life after performing
45
So, why tell this story?
49
A selection of reviews
50
Theatre engagements
53
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Filmography55
Acknowledgements61
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Introduction
The idea for this book started after I read an interesting
snippet in a newspaper about a dancer who was born near
the town that I have called home for more than 30 years –
Port Macquarie.
The young man’s name was Clyde Cook. Not having ever
heard of him, nor knowing of anyone who had, I started to
seek further information.
As luck would have it two months into my research I came
across Dr Clay Djubal from The Australian Variety Theatre
Archive an independent not-for-profit research website
devoted to the period of theatrical activity in Australia that
might be considered the “golden years” of minstrelsy and
vaudeville. The motivation for his website had been the
need to rectify the exceedingly poor amount of research
directed towards this area of Australian history and address
the many myths, inaccuracies and gaps that are to be found
in the existing historical record.
The concept for Clay’s archive stems from his post-graduate
research undertaken at the University of Queensland
between 1997 and 2005. While investigating the life and
career of his great-great-great uncle, vaudeville entrepreneur
Harry Clay, he became aware that the variety industry had
been much bigger and more industrially complex than
implied in the few publications that have been written on
the area.
Clay, who had collected enough information for a small
entry on Clyde but did not plan to do anything more in
the foreseeable future, had hoped that his research would
be a useful start for someone else, me, to take on and it
certainly was.
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In Clay’s words:
“It is perhaps not surprising that variety theatre has
never received sustained or rigorous attention from
historians, given that popular culture entertainment
has long been viewed as the poor cousin of ‘legitimate’
drama and literature. A consequence of this lack
of attention, however, is that our understanding of
Australia’s developing national identity and social
construction, especially during the pivotal Federation
and World War I eras, is not reflecting the cultural
processes that occurred.”
Also during my research I was fortunate to make contact
with Clyde’s son Nick. Through a series of emails over
many months, Nick provided me with photographs and his
recollections of Clyde’s life.
The result is this book – a story about Clyde Cook, a
remarkable and forgotten Australian who started his
working life travelling around Australia and New Zealand
before heading off to the United Kingdom (UK) and
France to make a name for himself on stage and then
tackling the United States of America (USA) to continue
his stage success, eventually making a name for himself
on screen.
I hope you enjoy this story.
1
Growing up
Clyde Wilfred Cook, in many cases his middle name
has been incorrectly recorded as Wilford, was born on
December 16, 1889, at Hamilton which at that time was
a small village to the west of Port Macquarie, on the Mid
North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Hamilton had
grown up around a timber mill owned by John Hibbard
Snr and Phillip Haines and by 1894 had its own school,
post office, butcher shop, store and bakery. Hamilton has
since been incorporated into Port Macquarie.
Clyde was a son to John ( Jack) Cook and Annie Elsie
(nee Johns) and a brother of Thomas Nicholas Ly-ee-moon
John Cook.
gifted athlete. The new and exciting influences of city life
saw him take up and excel in dancing, particularly the
Highland fling.
In an interview with American author Jordan R. Young in
1980 Clyde stated that:
“I didn’t know my father;
he fought in the Boer War.”
While Australians did enlist in the second Boer War (18991902) the Cook family had moved to Sydney several years
before this war had commenced, so, it is more than likely
that Clyde did know his father.
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John, who had been born in Port Macquarie in 1861,
worked as a puntman for the timber mill operating the
steam punt that transported logs along the Hastings River
to the mill. In 1882 the Port Macquarie News, the town’s
local newspaper, reported that: “about 25,000 superfeet of
logs were transported by punt each trip and that the mill was the
largest of its kind northward of Sydney.”
Clyde’s mother, Annie, is believed to have been born in
about 1865, her birthplace being recorded on Clyde’s birth
certificate as Canbourne, Cornwall, in England. However,
Annie’s birthplace was incorrectly recorded and should
have read Camborne.
As a child Clyde almost drowned twice before his fifth
birthday. The first incident occurred when he was playing
near workmen who were loading timber onto a schooner
and fell off a chute that forced timber into the Hastings
River. The second time he was pushed into a well by another
child but managed to save himself by clinging to the sides
until rescuers reached down and got him out.
It is believed that the second near death experience
convinced Clyde even at that tender age to become an
athlete. His decision to deliberately learn show stopping
tricks led him down the path of an acrobatic career that
would in later years be played out not only on stage but see
him doing his own stunts as a lead Hollywood actor.
The Cook family moved to Sydney when Clyde was six. By
then he had mastered a number of acrobatic stunts including
walking on his hands, and he stood out as his school’s most
2
In that same interview Clyde made mention of his schooling
in Sydney when he said:
“I went to school there when I was about seven or
eight; my mother started me on piano. I didn’t like
piano because the nuns would rap you on the fingers if
you didn’t keep your hands up. Then they started me
dancing because I could do the Highland fling.”
Clyde’s love for dance grew and by 1903 he was competent
in many forms, regularly showing the veterans in the art
quite a number of new and difficult steps and acknowledged
as an eccentric dancer who had few equals.
Clyde had honed his dance skills under the direction of wellknown dance teacher Tom Donnelly at Donnelly’s studio
in Hunter Street, Sydney. However, all good things must
come to an end and in 1908 Donnelly relinquished teaching
and entered the profession. As a token of appreciation of
Donnelly’s valuable services in the cause of charity during
the past fifteen years, of which Clyde had no doubt been a
part of, a testimonial vaudeville benefit concert was held
in March of that year at the Standard Theatre, also known
as the Royal Standard Theatre, Sydney. What was unusual
about this type of concert was that benefits were usually
held when a well-known theatrical performer became ill or
fell into debt, not when they were moving on.
On stage - the vaudeville years
In great demand for benefit and amateur entertainment,
Clyde appeared in several productions by producers
Charles Holloway in 1901 and John Francis Sheridan
in 1902.
In 1903 Clyde’s fortunes changed when he secured his first
contract, a two year contractual agreement with Harry
Rickards to present a tumbling and dance turn on the
other companies should Rickards not have work. Perhaps a
portion of his fee for such work was paid to Rickards.
With more performances Clyde’s talents were becoming
widely recognised.
There was, as usual, an overflowing house at the last, when
an entire change of programme was given. Great interest
showman’s Australia-wide circuit.
was taken in the first appearance of Master Clyde Cook, a
It was during this period that Clyde, accompanied by
good, and he had a great reception.
his mother, developed his singing voice, becoming an
accomplished baritone.
juvenile vocalist and dancer. His dancing is exceptionally
The Mercury, Hobart, Monday June 15, 1903.
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At the age of 13 Clyde performed with Bain’s Gaiety
Entertainers during their tour of Tasmania.
This indicates that even though he was contracted to
Rickards their agreement allowed Clyde to perform with
From November 1905 to April 1906 Clyde toured with
Fuller’s Vaudeville Company in New Zealand.
Clyde’s period with Fullers was followed by a stint with Ted
Holland in Brisbane in April 1906.
Charles Holloway
Holloway came to Australia from England in 1856 with his family and began acting in the late 1860s and with his brother William
formed their own company in 1880. By 1887 Holloway had left and in the ensuing years joined several other companies. In the mid
1890s Holloway established the Charles Holloway Dramatic Company; however, by 1897 the company was being jointly run with William
Anderson. Holloway and Anderson parted ways in December 1899 with Anderson taking some members of the company with him. The new
company was subsequently known as William Anderson’s Famous Dramatic Organisation. Undeterred, Holloway formed a new company
which debuted at the Lyceum Theatre, Sydney as Charles Holloway and His Popular Dramatic Company. Holloway toured his company
around Australia until shortly before his death from pneumonia in November 1908.
John Francis Sheridan
Sheridan was an American actor and stage manager who had a musical comedy company in Tasmania around 1900 which
performed at the Theatre Royal, Hobart. As an actor he specialised in sophisticated widow roles where he first came to act the
female in New York, doubling the part of a woman as well as his regular spot, he stole the show.
Harry Rickards
Rickards was a comedian and singer who established himself in London’s prestigious music halls during the late 1860s and went on to
carve out such a significant career in variety theatre that he was invariably referred to as the ‘Napoleon’ or ‘King’ of Australian vaudeville.
His name is also largely associated with the Tivoli theatre circuit that he established in the 1890s. When Australia was severely hit by the
economic depression in the early 1890s, Rickards was able to ride out the difficult years by concentrating on a more small but lucrative
high-class market. In later years, he frequently travelled to England and America in search of the best international acts. While many of
these performers dominated accounts of Rickards’ theatrical operations, he employed many local performers. Rickards built a substantial
fortune during his lifetime, but was also renowned for his support of local charities. After his death in 1911 his circuit was taken over by
Hugh D. McIntosh. The new company was subsequently named Harry Rickards’ Tivoli Theatres Ltd, in recognition of its founder.
3
Clyde’s reputation eventually came to the attention of the
J.C. Williamson theatrical organisation and in late 1906
they put him under contract to do a dance act with other
juveniles in a touring company.
Clyde remained with Williamson for several years, on and
off, and was largely associated with the firm throughout
much of his adult career in Australia.
He would say of Williamson’s that:
“They put on pantomimes (musical comedy shows)
– they’d import American acts or English comedians –
and all the bloody Australians would get would be the
smaller parts; one year, I was the arse part of a donkey
in one of the pantomimes, when I was 15 or 16.”
(Young 1980).
James C. Bain
Bain had started his career in variety as an amateur comic in Brisbane and went on to work extensively around Australia and overseas.
Bain appeared with most of the leading variety managements during the 1890s including the Cogill Brothers, the Continental Vaudeville
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Company, Percy St John and Harry Rickards. In 1899 he formed Bain’s Gaiety Entertainers in Brisbane and between 1903 and 1906 ran a
company in Tasmania. Bain later established himself in Sydney, becoming James Brennan’s general manager at the National Amphitheatre.
Between 1911 and 1914 Bain ran a small circuit in Sydney and operated his own theatrical agency circa 1915-16. Between 1916 and
1920 Bain was associated in Australia with the Fullers, Dix-Baker, Birch and Carroll, Harry Sadler, Harry Clay and Andy Kerr. Bain returned
to the stage in 1923 after several years spent in government employment and in 1924 took over the lease of Wirth’s Hippodrome, Sydney
before eventually retiring from the industry.
John Fuller
The Fuller dynasty began with John Fuller who was born in London in 1848. After working as a printing compositor Fuller abandoned his
job to join the Mohawk Minstrels and then came to Australia with the London Pavilion Company in 1889. He stayed to entertain music hall
patrons with his tenor voice before settling in Auckland where he and his wife hustled around the country with their Myriorama tableau
sideshow, and branched into vaudeville. As films boomed, they quickly established themselves as New Zealand’s leading exhibitors.
In 1912 the Fullers expanded to Australia, taking over James Brennan’s vaudeville circuit, the Tivoli’s main rivals. Though Fullers’ vaudeville
bills were pallid in comparison to the Tivoli’s, they nurtured a generation of local stars.
John Fuller senior died in 1923 and by then the business was in the hands of his three sons, John, Walter and, principally, Ben.
Ted Holland
Holland had first come to prominence in the mid-1870s as a member of Delohery, Craydon and Holland. Invariably billed as ‘the Australian
team’, the trio, arguably the country’s most popular dance act of the late 19th century, also operated their own companies in association
for much of that time. The partnership ended sometime around 1902 or 1903 and Holland turned to full-time vaudeville management. He
initially formed his own touring company and although his long-term plan was to establish his operations as Brisbane’s first permanent
vaudeville company, Holland nevertheless sent troupes on brief tours throughout Queensland and, on occasion, down to northern New
South Wales.
James Cassius Williamson
Williamson was an American actor and later Australia’s foremost theatrical manager, founding J. C. Williamson Ltd.
An influential force in the growth of dance as a theatrical art form in Australia, the company provided work for Australian dancers and
choreographers over its entire lifetime. It was instrumental in bringing to Australia major guest stars and companies from the international
dance world and also played a significant role in the establishment of professional, Australian ballet companies.
4
During his off-time with Williamson’s Clyde learned
the art of tumbling, getting tips from experienced acrobats
engaged by the company and the motley assortment
of performers who practised regularly in the sand hills
on the outskirts of Redfern and Waterloo, near Moore
Park, Sydney.
Many articles were written about the performers practising.
One such article was written by Alf “Redhead” Wilson:
of Hamilton. He is due here on Friday and Saturday next
with the American Picturescope Co., a little different to
what he was when he left. He is now the champion dancer
of Australia, and Mr Prentice has a standing challenge of
£50 open to all comers. Since he left here Clyde has had
a triumphant career, having appeared with the biggest
companies at all the principal theatres in Australia and
New Zealand. This will be the only chance of seeing our
representative on the stage as at the conclusion of this tour
both he and his mother, who travels with him, are leaving
In the Sandhills’ Days
to fulfil engagements in America. Mr F. Shaw, who was
such a success here with Alexander’s Co. ten months ago,
But for the onlooker to see a person, apparently sane, shed
is also with the Co. bigger, brighter and funnier than ever;
his clothes, and then to proceed either to pull his legs
Gerald Branson will be here also. The instrumentalist, Miss
round the back of neck, knowing it does not rightly belong
E. Truman, A.L.O.M., is a daughter of that famous organist
there - to throw his body through the atmosphere for no
and composer Mr. Ernest Truman. The others include Miss
reason, and all the time seriously enjoying himself, is a
Kitty Morrins, serio, Mr. Prentice, comedian, and the latest
weird experience.
moving pictures, one of which, “Honeymoon at Niagara,”
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Australian Variety and Show World,
January 17, 1917.
Some of these performers were with Wirth’s Circus which
was started in 1882 and which would become Australia’s
largest and most prestigious circus company before
eventually disbanding in 1963.
As for the sand hills, well, they are now only a memory as
the progress of Sydney has obliterated any traces of them.
Clyde returned to Port Macquarie in July 1907 with the
American Picturescope Company to perform at the nearby
towns of Wauchope on the 18th and Telegraph Point on
the 22nd.
The American Picturescope Co.
Port Macquarie residents have been looking expectantly
forward to the return of Clyde Cook, a son of Mr Jack Cook
received glowing praise. A bumper house is assured, and
we would advise all to take the opportunity and reserve
their seats at Ayres. The Co. show at Wauchope on the 18th
and at Telegraph Point on the 22nd.
The Port Macquarie News,
Saturday July 13, 1907.
While the article from the Port Macquarie News said that at
the conclusion of the tour with the American Picturescope
Co. both he and his mother would be leaving to fulfill
engagements in America no evidence of them making such
a trip could be found during the research for this book.
Between late 1906, when Clyde appeared as Tweedledum
and the Gryphon in Williamson’s Christmas pantomime
Alice in Wonderland, and his departure for the UK
sometime in 1911, Clyde was largely associated with the
Williamson’s playing roles in the pantomimes Blue Bell
in Fairyland (1907/08), Jack and Jill (1908/09), Aladdin
(1909/10), as Chop, one of the emperor’s bodyguards and
The American Picturescope Company
Often referred to as Kings American Picturescope Company, it provided programmes comprising the latest developments of
cinematography upon humorous and dramatic lines, relieved by music.
The picturescope was a moving picture machine that had been designed by Charles E. Dressler.
5
Jack and the Beanstalk (1910/11). It was during this period
he firmly established himself as one of the country’s best
dancers, even though still in his teens, and still considered a
juvenile. This reputation was further cemented in the minds
of the public when he entered a competition at Mort Lake,
a suburb of Sydney, on St Patrick’s Day 1907 and while still
in his teens competed against adult dancers from around
the country, winning the jig and reel championship.
In 1910 Clyde’s mother Annie applied for and was granted a
divorce from John and not long after finishing up with Jack
and the Beanstalk, Clyde and Annie travelled to the UK
where he attempted to break into the hugely competitive
music hall industry.
York. While an eccentric singing and recitative comedian,
he relied chiefly on dancing, gestures and tumbling to score
his points with an audience.
“I got a job to go around these things – it was the tail
end of this kind of shows you used to see – I played
down by the docks. I got £2 for dancing twice a night,
for one week. I didn’t do too good. Then I managed
to get what they called a deputy. The music halls in
London in those days, they had all these little theatres
- variety theatres where they had all these people. To
make your money in it, you had to play two theatres,
and you travelled by carriage (hansom cab) – next
break I got I went out and played one of these places and
the moment I came on stage to go into my act, some guy
said, ‘Get off, will you? Why don’t you let somebody
come on that can do something?’ The conductor said
‘Pay no attention, go ahead.’ So, I went into my little
song, and went into my dance; when I started dancing,
they got interested.
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“When I was about 16 I talked to some people from
England (in the pantomimes) – they said, ‘Boy, you
ought to go to England, or America, that’s what you
ought to do.’ America scared the crap out of me, but
England I thought I could take a break. I worked my
passage from Australia painting out the storeroom, and
went to London.” (Young 1980).
He arrived in London in December of that year when it
was snowing and despite his considerable reputation in
Australia things were not easy for the young performer.
He persistently made the rounds of the booking offices
seeking an engagement but learned that a great reputation
in Australia meant little or nothing in London. He was
down to 17s. 6d., and living in a cheap boarding house
when he was offered a tryout at the Finsbury Park Empire
Theatre. Clyde was a hit with the audience and the theatre
company signed him up. He later toured its Great Britain
circuit, giving an entertainment very similar to that which
would later gain him fame at the Hippodrome in New
6
I used to do peculiar things – somersaults – I was a
strange dancer. I was doing things they’d never seen.
Flip-flop somersaults and round-off twisters.
The nickname ‘Kangaroo Boy’ was given to me after I
got done playing these little theatres.” (Young 1980).
Over the years Clyde would not only be billed as the
‘Kangaroo Boy’ but also the ‘Inja Rubber Idiot’, the
‘World’s Best Dancer’, the ‘Funniest Man on Earth’ and
‘Hollywood’s Scamp Comic’.
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Clyde in costume - undated.
Photographs courtesy of Nick Cook.
7
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Poster promoting Clyde’s performance at the
Empire Theatre, Liverpool, England - May 1912
Poster courtesy of Nick Cook.
8
After the Empire Theatre engagement Clyde went to Paris
and armed with a well-earned reputation was engaged at
the Folies Bergère where he was earning 300 francs a week.
Clyde went straight to work without instruction, rehearsal
or knowledge of the French language – the management
leaving him to his own devices. He went on the stage and
found himself in a scene at a cafe, seated at a table with
Madame Jane Marnac and another beautiful woman.
In as much as he could not speak or understand a word
of French, he had no idea of either the comments of the
audience, which were very freely expressed, nor of the part
he was expected to take in the performance. He sat at the
table until he heard from the wings “Monsieur Clyde Cook”
and he knew that it was his cue to get up and do the same act
he had done in London. At his exit the audience applauded
but also made a noise peculiar to the French theatres –
which Clyde mistook for a hissing. It took the combined
arguments of the management and other actors to convince
him that the audience wanted to see more of him.
In late 1915 he entertained wounded soldiers in hospitals
throughout England. One such hospital was Harefield
Park where 500 wounded Australians were entertained in
whole-hearted tuition at a party organised by the concert
committee of Australians, which handled rurally the
institutions containing Australian wounded. The festivities
included a Christmas tree containing a gift for every man
at Harefield, a concert, and a programme of carols. So, his
endeavours to do something for the war effort upon his
return to Australia would not have been new to him.
Shortly after the conclusion of his Alhambra contract in
1916 Clyde returned to Australia. It is believed that his
original intent was to join the Australian Imperial Forces
(A.I.F.), but that he “was turned down because of some minor
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Clyde performed at the Folies Bergère for fourteen weeks,
his season reportedly a tremendous success. After this
he returned to London and on March 30, 1913 signed a
three year contract with the management of the Alhambra
Theatre to appear in revue. Clyde’s short time in Paris had
left an indelible impression on him, though, and during
his time at the Alhambra he made no less than twenty-five
weekend trips back to the French capital, with at least three
by aeroplane.
While at the Alhambra, Clyde’s revues included Kill That
physical defects.”
In regards to the A.I.F., Nick remembers Clyde telling him
that the minor physical defect was that he was too short
and that the recruiting officer said something along the
lines of “we’re not that desperate.”
Williamson’s subsequently signed him to a three year
contract, announcing in July that he would feature in the
company’s forthcoming and somewhat prophetic musical
comedy The Cinema Star. Clyde’s determination to do
something for the war effort, however, saw him spend
almost half his time entertaining returned soldiers and
raising money for various funds on their behalf over the
next few years. He was told that “he was accomplishing more
by the money he raised in this way than if he had been able to get
into active service.”
Fly, Eightpence a Mile, Keep Smiling, Not Likely, 5064 Gerrard
and Now’s the Time.
Folies Bergère
The Folies Bergère, a music hall, was established in 1869 in Paris, France. The height of its fame and popularity was from the 1890s
through to the 1920s with its shows catering to popular taste. The shows featured elaborate costumes; the women’s were frequently
revealing, and shows often contained a good deal of nudity. Shows also played up the ‘exoticness’ of persons and things from other
cultures, obliging the Parisian fascination with negritude of the 1920s.
The Alhambra
The Alhambra was a popular theatre and music hall located on the eastern side of Leicester Square, in the London’s West End. It was
originally built as The Royal Panopticon of Science and Arts and opened on March 18, 1854. It closed after two years and re-opened as the
Alhambra. Like many other theatres, it went into decline after World War I as the cinema and radio gained in popularity. The building was
demolished in 1936.
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A message from Clyde to his mother - 1913.
10
It is interesting that in 1917 the American magazine Variety
reported that Clyde had been engaged through Charles
Bornhaupt to appear in American Vaudeville, but had to
cancel through having been refused a passport in Australia.
While Clyde was recognised for his talent he was also
recognised by his moustache. His moustache, for which
he would become famous for in later years, appears to
have been part of his stage persona by late 1917, and was
possibly created for his role as ‘The Rolling Stone’ in The
Cinema Star. The earliest record of the moustache being
part of his onstage make-up is a photograph published
in the January issue of The Theatre magazine in 1917. He
continued to wear the moustache in his turns on the Tivoli
bill later that year.
In December 1917 Clyde was engaged as a feature
attraction in The Bing Boys Are Here. Interestingly, the same
revue had opened at the Alhambra Theatre immediately
after Clyde’s final season there. The production included
the song ‘Pussy Foot Rag’ which became a big hit for both
Clyde and publisher W.J. Deane. Following the end of the
revue’s Australian season he performed in Hello Everybody
opposite such stars as Jack Cannot and Minnie Love. A
review of the show published in The Triad, while finding the
show somewhat disappointing, nevertheless records that
Clyde “acts like a delicious idiot and dances wonderfully”. Clyde
also made what is believed to be his first film appearance in
1918 with a cameo role in the Williamson’s production of
His Only Chance, directed by Vincent White.
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It is possible that Clyde had adopted the moustache as
early as his London period, but no evidence regarding this
possibility has yet been found.
Clyde’s talents were not only confined to performing. On
August 27, 1917 he made application for the registration of
copyright in a dramatic work for his Lamp Post Act which
had originated some years earlier in the revue 5064 Gerrard.
Clyde’s final year in Australia in 1919 was not without
some controversy. In July he brought a case against his
employer J.C. Williamson Ltd before the Sydney courts,
which Smith’s Weekly suggested would test the rights of
performers whose employment and contracts were being
reneged on due to the Spanish flu pandemic and the
subsequent closure of theatres.
The Theatre Magazine
The Theatre Magazine (also known simply as The Theatre) was first published in October 1912. The first issue declared: “[The Theatre] is
absolutely independent of any management. No theatrical firm holds as much as a single share of its stock. There is only one way into its
news columns - by having something to say of interest to its readers”.
However, the magazine had its origins in Australia back in 1905 when it was known as The Theatre: An Illustrated Monthly Devoted to the
Stage. At that time it covered drama, popular and amateur theatre, music, and amusements, as well as authors, playwrights, managers,
and stars and served as a voice of the industry, arguing strongly for state subsidy of local art and drama; the editors also catered for the
general public by publishing stage gossip.
The magazine’s new format provided greater coverage of practitioner profiles and interviews as well as regular reports on “the whole
field of amusements throughout Australasia, with detailed summaries and assessments of performances, and gossip paragraphs”.
One significant change to the magazine occurred the following year when it began incorporating a section devoted entirely to variety
entertainment titled, “The Month in Vaudeville”. This recognition of variety as a significant part of the overall theatrical industry was very
much in response to the rapid and expansive growth of vaudeville across Australia. Moving pictures became an increasing focus of the
magazine towards the latter end of the 1910s and into the 1920s.
In 1924 the magazine had another name change and was known as The Theatre, Society and Home which was explained as necessary in
terms of increasing its longevity and the need to remain abreast of the times.
The magazine ceased publication towards the end of August 1926.
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Extract from Lamp Post Act application to Commonwealth Copyright Office August 27, 1917.
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Extract from Lamp Post Act application to Commonwealth Copyright Office August 27, 1917.
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Saving clause in the contract
artists provided for the suspension or termination of any
agreement in the event of fire, tempest, earthquake, strike,
At Darlinghurst Courthouse to-day, before Mr. Justice
or epidemic. After the issue of a proclamation by the State
Pring, Clyde Cook, actor and dancer, claimed from J. C.
Government the Williamson management was obliged to
Williamson Ltd. £206. 13s. 4d, salary due under contract.
close certain theatres, and abandon tours which had
Defendants pointed out that a clause in the contract
been arranged.
provided for the suspension or termination of any
His Honor, after hearing argument, said that, as the
agreement in the event of fire, tempest, earthquake, strike,
defendants were acting entirely within their rights, the claim
or epidemic.
of the plaintiff must fall.
A verdict for the defendant company was entered.
A verdict for the defendant company was entered.
The Mercury, Hobart, Tasmania, Saturday July 5, 1919.
The Sydney Morning Herald, Saturday July 5, 1919.
An actor’s salary
Supreme Court
Claim against J. C. Williamson, Ltd
Full Court
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(Before Mr. Justice Sly, Mr. Justice Gordon, and Mr.
Mr. Justice Pring, at the courthouse, Darlinghurst, sitting
Justice Ferguson.)
without a jury, heard the claim of Clyde Cook, actor and
dancer, against J. C Williamson, Limited.
The claim was for £266/13/4, being, it was set out, the
Theatrical test case
Cook v J.C. Williamson, Ltd
balance due under an engagement at £40 per week.
Mr. Watt and Mr. Evart (Instructed by Mr. Drew) appeared
for the plaintiff: Mr. Shand, K.C., Mr. W. J, Curtis, and Mr.
Jaques (instructed by Messrs. Windeyer, Fawl, Williams,
and Osborne), for the defendant company.
The action, it was explained, was the outcome of the
pneumonic influenza epidemic, in its effect on the theatrical
profession. Claims amounting to about £3000, it was
stated, were involved in the closing of theatres and the
compulsory disturbance of contracts.
The action in which this appeal arose was originally
Instituted in the District Court, when Clyde Cook, claimed
from the J.C. Williamson Company, Limited, £266/13/4,
under a guarantee clause contained in his contract, of
engagement with the defendants as a dancer and comedian.
One of the defences pleaded rested on a clause in the
contract, which the defendants claimed entitled them to
terminate the agreement when their theatres were closed
by Government proclamation. Defendant also pleaded that
they were entitled to cancel a projected New Zealand tour of
On behalf of the defendant company it was pointed out
a revue called “Hello, Everybody,” in connection with which
that the clause in the contract with the plaintiff and other
the plaintiff was engaged, and stated that he was claiming
The Triad
The Triad was a local periodical with a strong literary and artistic focus. Originally published in New Zealand, it began its Australian run in
Sydney in 1915, continuing there until 1928.
Smith’s Weekly
Smith’s Weekly was an Australian tabloid newspaper published from 1919 to 1950. An independent weekly published in Sydney, but read
all over Australia, it was one of Australia’s most patriotic newspaper-style magazines. It took its name from its founder and chief financier
Sir James Joynton Smith, a prominent Sydney figure during World War I, conducting fund-raising and recruitment drives. Its two other
founders were theatrical publicist Claude McKay and journalist Clyde Packer.
14
moneys after the date of the abandonment of that tour. And
assure as a thing that could be depended on, and in
the questions of law arising in the case were sufficiently
law a warranty.
important, and the result of the action was likely to affect
the interests of several other actors and actresses, the
defendants successfully applied to Mr. Justice Ferguson
to have the case remitted from the District Court to the
Supreme Court.
The submission was that the contract was current during
such period as it remained in force, and that the words
“currency of the contract” were apt words to use when a
contract might be determined by effluxion of time or by the
exercise of a reserved option. Mr. Flannery, Mr. Watt, and
The trial took place before Mr. Justice Pring without a Jury,
Mr. Evatt (instructed by Mr. W. H. Drew) appeared for the
and his Honor, holding that, the company had acted in
appellant; and Mr. Shand, K.C., Mr. Curtis, and Mr. Jaques
bona-fide exercise of the powers reserved to them under
(instructed by Messrs. Windeyer, Fawl, Williams, and
the contract, entered a verdict for the defendants.
Osborne) for the respondents.
This appeal to the Full Court was brought on the ground
Judgment was reserved.
that, as a matter al law, on the proper construction of
the contract, the plaintiff was entitled to a verdict for
The Sydney Morning Herald, Friday August 15, 1919.
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£256/13/4. No objection was taken to Mr. Justice Pring’s
finding, that so far as the contract was concerned, the
defendants acted bona-fide. Throughout the contract the
expression “during the currency of the contract” appeared,
and by clause 2 fixing the first term of the engagement, it
was set out that the said artist was guaranteed a minimum
of 22 and a half weeks’ salary during the currency of the
contract, provided that he was able to and did perform his
duties under the contract. The contention put forward by
the plaintiff was that the clause must be given its ordinary,
meaning, and that under it the company had undertaken to
pay the plaintiff a minimum salary and to pay it during a
certain period. In common acceptance, guarantee meant to
What is interesting is the variation of the monetary figure
mentioned in the newspaper articles that were written
about the court case. These figures ranged from £206/13/4
to £268/13/4 and represented a significant amount of
money at the time.
Shortly after this case Clyde left Australia rather
unexpectedly. Several references to the comedian that were
published in 1919 appear to indicate that he intended
staying in Australia at least for the foreseeable future. For
example, in May he attended the annual general meeting
of the Actors Association and was elected a Councillor
for the ensuing year, along with more than a dozen other
Hippodrome
The Hippodrome operated from 1905 to 1939 and was located on Sixth Avenue between 43rd and 44th Streets in the Theatre District of
Midtown Manhattan. For a time the Hippodrome was the largest and most successful theatre in New York and featured lavish spectacles
complete with circus animals, diving horses, opulent sets, and 500-member choruses. Until the end of World War I, the Hippodrome housed
all sorts of spectacles before switching to musical extravaganzas produced by Charles Dillingham. When Dillingham left in 1923 to pursue
other interests, the Hippodrome was leased to Keith-Albee, which hired architect Thomas W. Lamb to turn it into a vaudeville theatre by
building a much smaller stage and discarding all of its unique features. The Hippodrome’s huge running costs made it a perennial financial
failure, and a series of producers tried and failed to make money from the theatre. It became a location for vaudeville productions in 1923
before being leased for budget opera performances, then finally becoming a sports arena.
Fox Films
Fox Films had been founded by theatre chain pioneer William Fox in 1915 after he merged two companies that he had established in 1913:
Greater New York Film Rental, a distribution firm, which was part of the Independents; and Fox (or Box, depending on the source) Office
Attractions Company, a production company. This merging of a distribution company and a production company was an early example of
vertical integration.
15
performers including Arthur Stignant, Jack Cannot,
Phil Smith, Helen Fergus, Charles Workman and Tal
Odell. Within three months of committing himself to
that position, however, Clyde left the country bound for
Vancouver, Canada only to depart Vancouver on board the
Canadian Pacific Railway arriving in Portal, North Dakota,
USA on June 6, 1919.
Why Clyde left Australia unexpectedly is purely conjecture.
Clay says that:
“He may have been bitter about his treatment by
Williamson’s. Given that Williamson’s was effectively
the pinnacle of the Australian entertainment industry
he would have really only had the Tivoli organisation
to fall back on and one couldn’t see him working the
suburbs at that stage of his career.
It makes sense that Clyde left Australia – his talent,
and ego, demanded it. Numerous Australian
vaudeville performers had undertaken successful
ventures to the USA before and my guess is that he
knew he had the talent to make a go of it himself.”
On November 21, 1919 his performance in Happy Days
was special for it was in front of The Prince of Wales who
would later become King Edward VIII.
Clyde remained the chief entertainer at the Hippodrome
until late March 1920.
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It would also have been unthinkable for Clyde to have
gone back to Williamson’s and for that matter they
most likely wouldn’t have re-engaged him – not after
the court case. Clyde probably saw the writing on the
wall and decided to try his luck in the USA.”
Unlike his first attempt to find work overseas this time
the young comic was able to line up an engagement before
leaving. The reputation he had established during his time in
London was already well-known to R.H. Burnside, general
manager of the New York Hippodrome, who engaged
him in September 1919 to replace the eccentric comedian
Marcelline in the revue Happy Days by Fox Films. This was
Clyde’s first appearance in the USA and he was reportedly
an “immediate success with his pantomimic power and his
wonderful ability as a contortionist”.
As Clay says:
“Why try the USA and not the UK is the big question.
Maybe he contacted several organisations and took the
best offer…..or the first offer.
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Gala Performance programme of Happy Days - 1919.
Programme courtesy of Nick Cook.
Gala Performance programme of Happy Days
The silk programme was produced in honour of the attendance of Edward, The Prince of Wales at an evening performance of Happy Days at
the New York Hippodrome on November 21st 1919. This was the Prince’s last night in the USA, after a long post-war tour of Canada which
ended with a visit to New York.
The programme is on cream silk printed in blue typography within a blue-lined text box, with slight fringing from the raw edges at each side.
A small red, white and blue bow is attached to the programme showing unity between the United States and Great Britain, its right side
printed with a Union Jack, the left side with stars and stripes.
Silk and satin theatre programmes and playbills were produced from the 18th century onwards to commemorate special evenings at
the theatre.
17
On screen – silent films to the talkies
In 1910 Mack Sennett, a Canadian-born American director,
succeeded in moving comedy from vaudeville and the stage
on to the silver screen. Acts of ‘live’ comedy became much
more widely known as production companies began to
send their stars of the stage into theatres across the USA
and beyond.
Thus began the golden years of silent movie which reined
from 1914 until the late 1920s and it was during this
period that up to 1,000 feature films per year came out of
American studios.
But movie production wasn’t solely an American domain.
Years earlier, on August 17, 1896, Australia had screened
its first movie and in 1906 screened the first feature length
narrative film in the world – the Australian production The
Story of the Kelly Gang.
that a Royal Commission was held into the film industry in
1928, but it did little to stop the decline.
Fortunately for Clyde all of this would have had very little
impact on him as he had been on stage overseas when the
industry began to flourish and by the time the industry
was in demise he was breaking onto the silent screen in
the USA.
And while most successful screen comedians had a
vaudeville or stage background not all were successful in
their attempts at a starring screen career. Though some did
manage to hang on without ever creating a definite public
impression and Clyde was one of them.
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This form of entertainment was particularly popular in
a country where previously geographical isolation had
prevented exposure to the wider world. ‘Travelling Picture
Showmen’ – with little more than a projector and a screen
could now traverse the outback giving the people in the
country the same exposure to entertainment as their city
cousins. Silent movies were an enormously popular and
inexpensive form of entertainment – and for a fraction of
the cost of live entertainment.
By 1911, Sydney had over 100 permanent and temporary
picture show venues that employed approximately 2000
people and between 1911 and 1913 Australia produced
feature films at the rate of one a fortnight. By 1913, across
Melbourne 65,000 people were attending the cinema every
Saturday night. Clyde would have been in his element in
Australia during this period.
The Australian film industry was flourishing and continued
to do so well into the 1920s. Between 1906 and 1928 about
250 films were made in Australia. In spite of the fact that
Australian audiences were interested in seeing their own
stories on the screen the industry went into decline in the
1920s. The ever expanding U.S. and British production
companies took over the Australian distribution and
exhibition chains and Australian features were often
excluded from cinemas. The state of the industry was so dire
18
Some sources indicate that Clyde’s first foray into films was
in 1919 as an assistant cameraman in the film Soldiers Of
Fortune. This would appear unlikely as in July of that year
he brought a case against his employer J.C. Williamson Ltd
before the Sydney courts and left Australia shortly after the
case was heard, linking up with the New York Hippodrome
who engaged him in September of that year, where he
remained until March 1920.
We do know that between 1916 and 1922 there was a
cinematographer by the name of Clyde R. Cook working
on films in the USA and perhaps this could have been the
Cook who is credited in Soldiers of Fortune.
Therefore, Clyde’s screen break came when Fox signed
him to star in a series of ‘special screen comedies’ to be
made by its studios in Hollywood. Clyde left for the West
Coast a few days before his contract became effective – on
April 1, 1920.
In a column that appeared in the publication Picture Show
on February 1, 1920 Clyde said:
“It has always been my ambition to appear in motion
pictures, and it is particularly fortunate that I have
been engaged by Mr Fox, a wonderfully able pioneer
of the industry. I am certain the screen will offer me an
unlimited scope for a display of what I am able to do to
please the public.
When I came to Fox, they tried to put every kind of
make-up on me and I said, ‘No way. I don’t want that.’
Then I fell on this thing (the moustache).”
Some sources mention that Clyde’s first film was Don’t
Tickle and his second was The Huntsman, which is not
actually correct.
Described in The Motion Picture Almanac as being 5
feet 6 inches and having brown hair and blue eyes and
weighing 142 pounds, Clyde’s first film to be released was
Kiss Me Quick which screened in May 1920 and was an
immediate success.
His first three films were Kiss Me Quick, Chase Me (I) and
Chase Me (II); they were produced by Sunshine Comedies
which was a division of the Fox Film Corporation. Sunshine
Comedies had been set up to produce two-reel slapstick
comedies and eventually cartoons that were offered to
theatres along with Fox’s feature films.
Although his next four films were equally as popular
Clyde’s star appeal seems to have been somewhat
limited and Fox directors couldn’t seem to communicate
properly with him; this could have been due to the lack
of suitable material.
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Posters from Fox Film Corporation promoting:
The Huntsman - 1920
The Eskimo - 1922.
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Clyde - undated.
IRN72866
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Clyde - c1920s.
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21
In 1925 Hal Roach entered Clyde’s life. Roach had decided
that Clyde had talent and, with the assistance of Roach’s
stable of writers and directors, could become a comedy star.
Clyde Cook in Movies
“Gentleman, behold a worthy successor to Charlie
Chaplin.” This statement will be verified on having a look
“I dropped two-reelers, then Hal Roach approached me
to make some more. Everybody was chasing Chaplin.
You hadn’t a chance. That guy was way out…he was
like Shoemaker is as a jockey. I met Chaplin many
times, but then he moved up in class when he joined
Fairbanks and Pickford; we got along pretty well
in the early days.
I don’t think he behaved differently; he’d moved up.
He deserved it.
at the Australian comedian on the screen at the Tivoli this
week, where he is providing a whirlwind of laughter.
When Fox signed up Clyde Cook, he admitted that he had
secured one of the greatest finds since Chaplin. How well
this opinion is substantiated goes without saying.
Everyone’s, April 6, 1921.
Clyde’s first film for Roach was Moonlight and Noses in 1925.
Initially the film was unacceptable to Pathé who reserved
the right to refuse to release any product they felt did not
live up to the rather high standards their Film Committee
had established – a committee that met in judgement of all
films before they were released.
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I think he was a great comic.” (Young 1980).
Two-reelers were so-named because one spool held 10
minutes of film. Since the ‘shorts’ or ‘short films’ were 20
minutes they took up two reels, hence the term ‘two-reelers’.
‘Features’ or ‘feature films’ were those that ran for 40
minutes or longer.
While Clyde acknowledged that Chaplin was way ahead of
other actors of that era it is interesting to read the following
article which would indicate others put Clyde up there
with him:
It would appear that there had been no connection between
Clyde and the various directors during the making of the
film which had to be shot and reshot so Roach asked Stan
Laurel to take a fresh look at the footage.
Laurel had been persuaded by Roach to re-join his company
in 1923, largely as a writer and gag man, after previously
working for Roach in 1918. Fortunately for Roach, and
more so for Clyde, Laurel came up with an idea that saved
the film.
Harold Roach
Harold Eugene ‘Hal’ Roach, Sr. was an American film and television producer and director from the 1910s to the 1990s. Roach arrived in
Hollywood in 1912 and began working as an extra in silent film. Upon coming into an inheritance, he began producing short comedies in
1915 and released his films through Pathé until 1927, when he went to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He would change again in 1938 to United
Artists. He converted his silent movie studio to sound in 1928 and began releasing talking shorts early in 1929. In 1931 Roach began
producing occasional full-length features alongside the short product. Short subjects became less profitable and were phased out by 1936.
From 1937 to 1940, Roach concentrated on producing glossy features, abandoning low comedy almost completely.
Then in 1940, Roach experimented with medium-length featurettes, running 40 to 50 minutes each. He contended that these ‘streamliners’,
as he called them, would be useful in double-feature situations where the main attraction was a longer-length epic. Exhibitors agreed with
him, and used Roach’s mini-features to balance top-heavy double bills. United Artists continued to release Roach’s streamliners through
1943. By this time Roach no longer had a resident company of comedy stars, and cast his films with familiar featured players.
Pathé
Pathé, had been founded as Société Pathé Frères (Pathé Brothers Company) in France in 1896 by brothers Charles, Émile, Théophile and
Jacques Pathé, were the largest film equipment and production company in the world during the first part of the 20th century.
22
In 1925 Clyde also worked with Oliver Hardy in the Roach
movie Should Sailors Marry? and the following year worked
again with Hardy in another Roach film Wandering Papas, a
film that Laurel is credited with being the Director as well
as one of the writers.
Who would have thought that only a few years later
Laurel and Hardy would become one of the most popular
and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of American
cinema.
Clyde and Stan Laurel remained good friends until Laurel’s
death in 1965.
It became apparent to Roach that Clyde, although a
This presented a challenge to Roach’s writers and directors,
except for James Parrott who seemed confident in his
ability to work with Clyde, probably because he had
also come from a vaudeville background, as a singer and
comedian, something which Clyde could relate to. Parrott
set about revamping the comedian’s image by employing
new writers to develop story lines that presented unusual
situations within a ridiculous setting. This type of material
accentuated Clyde’s acrobatic talents with the persona of a
meek, mild-mannered victim of circumstance.
This revamp gave free rein to Clyde’s acrobatics and
resulted in some very funny comedies, especially in Should
Sailors Marry?, which was directed by Parrott, and again in
Wandering Papas, where Parrott was one of the writers.
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comedian, required a strong, experienced and decisive
director to guide him.
To the camera Clyde presented a very neutral appearance,
with his defining signature a brush moustache that he
twitched in time with a simple, slow expression breaking
across his face. Thus Clyde’s entire success had to be
measured by his execution of the comedic material.
In Clay’s words:
“While some Australian actor’s Hollywood careers
predated Clyde’s, notably Louise Lovely, none can be
considered as having had the level of star power that
Clyde garnered in the early to mid-1920s. His name
and image were used to publicise films that were made
Wandering Papas - 1926.
Clyde with Oliver Hardy.
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Posters from Hal Roach Studios promoting:
Moonlight And Noses - 1925
Should Sailors Marry? - 1925
Wandering Papas - 1926
Wife Tamers - 1926.
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specifically for him and his comedic talents, while other
Australian actors who worked in Hollywood during
the 1910s and 1920s were given roles that could have
just as easily been played by someone else. It’s because
Clyde was the ‘star vehicle’ for his films that I’ve long
considered him Australia’s first true Hollywood star.”
Clyde’s career was once again on track and he began to
work with several other production companies including
Warner Bros. in 1927.
“When I left Fox, Warners grabbed me and signed me
for three years; Louise Fazenda was signed up and we
made a couple of pictures.” (Young 1980).
of The Jazz Singer. This investment along with others he was
to make over the years would provide him with financial
security in later life.
Comfortable while doing his stage skits, the apparently
disconnected shooting of a screen situation required a great
deal of effort on Clyde’s part to retain spontaneity.
It was reported that in order to develop his muscles and
make his body supple he exercised before breakfast every
morning and spent twenty minutes in back-bending,
standing on his hands, leg-stretching and many other
stunts. In this way he kept himself to 140 pounds weight.
In 1921 it was reported that at various times during the
course of his stage tumbling he had broken his left shoulder
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In October of that year The Jazz Singer, a Warner Bros.
Production, was released. It was the first feature-length
motion picture with synchronised dialogue sequences
and its release heralded the commercial ascendance of
the ‘talkies’ and the decline of the silent film era. The
film developed into a major hit, demonstrating the profit
potential of feature-length ‘talkies’ and helped Warner
Bros. begin its rule as one of Hollywood’s top studios.
Clyde, being an opportunist, bought Warner Bros. shares
believing that they would increase in value after the release
blade, his left ankle, his left hand, three fingers on his right
hand and suffered concussion of the brain. However, these
injuries had no lasting effect, as he was in better physical
condition than he was ten years earlier.
He nevertheless continued to take on roles regularly
throughout the 1920s and 1930s, eventually turning
himself into a reliable character actor.
It was fortunate for Clyde that his love for the stage and
theatre remained for when screen jobs were short he had
something to fall back on.
Warner Brothers
Warner Brothers had been founded by four brothers Harry (born Hirsz), Albert (born Aaron), Sam (born Szmul), and Jack (Itzhak or to some
sources Jacob), whose Jewish parents had emigrated to North America from the part of Poland that had been subjugated to the Russian
Empire following the 18th century partitions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The three elder brothers began in the movie theatre
business, having acquired a movie projector with which they showed films in the mining towns of Pennsylvania and Ohio. They opened their
first theatre, the Cascade, in New Castle, Pennsylvania in 1903.
Warner Bros. was a pioneer of films with synchronised sound (then known as ‘talking pictures’ or ‘talkies’). In 1925, at the urging of Sam,
the Warners agreed to expand their operations by adding this feature to their productions. Harry, however, opposed it, famously wondering,
“Who the heck wants to hear actors talk?”
Ziegfeld Follies
The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931. They became
a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air. Inspired by the Folies Bergère of Paris, the Ziegfeld Follies were
conceived and mounted by Florenz Ziegfeld, reportedly at the suggestion of his then-wife, the entertainer Anna Held. The shows’ producers
were turn-of-the-century producing titans Klaw and Erlanger.
The Follies were lavish revues, something between later Broadway shows and a more elaborate high class vaudeville variety show.
25
The Australian publication, Theatre Magazine, records
in early 1922 that one of Clyde’s latest American
appearances was as Sir Joseph Porter in the Gilbert and
Sullivan opera Pinafore.
It was the first day on the set. They said, “No way can
we wait.” I said, “Okay, pay me off.” That’s all I did;
I posed for a couple of stills; I wasn’t in the picture.”
(Young 1980).
He also appeared on the Los Angeles Orpheum vaudeville
stage in 1924 and in March of that year joined the Ziegfeld
Follies for a season.
During the filming of The Docks of New York (1928) in
which Clyde played ‘Sugar’ Steve, Clyde recalled that:
Even during his period in the talkies he fell back to theatre
appearing on Broadway where he played a soldier in the
1947 production of The Story of Mary Surratt.
In 1924 Clyde started filming He Who Gets Slapped.
“I was going to be featured in quite a bit in that. I was
working with another guy; he came from a circus
family – we were doing acrobatic stunts – he let go his
foot, or something, and kicked me right square in the
nose and broke it.
“George Bancroft and I were shipmates in The Docks
of New York, stoking the coal in the oven. They
brought over this German director, Josef von Sternberg.
In one scene we had to go down a rope ladder; they’re
the most difficult things, if you don’t know how to
use them. Sternberg complained that I didn’t go
down fast enough.
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He said, ‘I’ll show you how to do it.’ I said, ‘Go ahead.’
He bloody near fell. He got so wound up, he walked up
He who Gets Slapped - 1924.
Clyde with Lon Chaney centre and Ford Stirling right.
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What’s the World Coming To? - 1926.
Clyde with Katherine Grant left and Laura De Cardi right.
The Bush Leaguer - 1927.
Clyde with William Demarest left and Monte Blue far right.
Photograph courtesy of Margaret Cook.
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White Gold - 1927.
Clyde with George Bancroft far right.
The Docks of New York - 1928.
Clyde with George Bancroft.
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Posters from Warner Bros. and Educational Film Exchanges promoting:
Domestic Troubles - 1928
The Shooting of Dan the Duck - 1931.
The Dawn Patrol - 1930.
Clyde with Richard Barthelmess left and Neil Hamilton right.
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Thundering Taxis - 1933.
Clyde with Billy Bevan right.
Another Dawn - 1937.
Clyde with Errol Flynn centre.
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The Man from Down Under - 1943.
Clyde with Charles Laughton.
to me and he said, ‘You British…’ I popped him on the
chin, and I walked off the set. I stayed home for about
a week. Then we finished it, but he turned it over to the
assistant when they had to do a scene I was in.”
(Young 1980).
where he played the band singer in Johnny’s band singing
the 1929 classic ‘Happy Days Are Here Again’. The music
for this song was written by Milton Ager and the lyrics by
Jack Yellen.
During his early years Clyde had performed and made
friends with many who cut their teeth in vaudeville and
What Sternberg hadn’t realised was that being called
British is a form of insult to an Australian and Clyde had
reacted to the moment.
went onto bigger and better things in silent movies and
Although Clyde was based in Hollywood he briefly
returned to the UK in March 1933 to supervise the filming
of Dick Turpin, a film to which he is credited as Producer.
Clyde returned to the USA on January 26, 1934.
and who rose to headline importance.
While Clyde was known for his comedy and dancing
talents he was also a singer; his mother had encouraged
him to learn to sing during his early years in vaudeville. He
used his singing talent in the 1941 movie Unexpected Uncle
over the years and in 1944 Fields urged Universal Studios
then the talkies. One such friend was W.C. Fields, the
tramp juggler whom he had met in the English music halls
In later years when Fields was a star in the Ziegfeld Follies
he renewed his acquaintance with Clyde, who had gone to
America with the Hippodrome show. They kept in touch
to hire Clyde in the musical film Three Cheers for the Boys. It
was an all-star cast morale booster to entertain the troops
abroad and the civilians at home. Fields performing his
31
pool table routine, a vaudeville classic dating back to his
time in the English music halls, found Clyde remembered
parts of the routine that he himself had forgotten.
On the first play each team scored 66 points as each player
Referring to Fields’ pool table routine in 1944 Clyde
said that:
comedians chased her, and the Leading Men scored.
produced a hidden ball and galloped to a touchdown.
A strip-teaser popped from a Leading Men’s huddle, the
Leon Errol, who “gets drunk on rye bread” wobbled all over
the field: Clyde Cook lost his pants and did a bubble dance
“It always killed me how Bill made his exit. Going off
stage he’d pretend he’d caught his foot on a nail, which
would give him an excuse to stop, untangle himself, and
take another bow.”
in pantaloons: stunt men did handsprings over tacklers and
charges of dynamite ended each quarter.
They kicked autographed footballs into the stands and
portly Edward Arnold was introduced by Milton Berle as the
man who doesn’t need a second front.
Fields’ reply to Clyde’s comments were said with a shudder:
“Cook remembers things like that. He can remember,
too, when Jack Benny really played the violin in
vaudeville but who wants that kind of a memory?”
That stopped ‘em.
An inter-team gang fight ended with all the players
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Clyde’s time in Hollywood wasn’t all about making movies.
Frivolity also played its part and in front of a much larger
audience than one would get at the theatre.
scattering to the sidelines, when heavy weight champ Joe
Louis, here on furlough, walked sullenly across the field.
And finally Donald Barry, unable to tackle George Tobias,
hauled out his six-shooter and shot him “dead.”
Barry’s team was penalized five yards.
Referee Victor Moore, in full dress suit, called it
illegal murder.
Score 92-79! Hollywood goes nuts
The comedians gave their all for their captain Betty Grable,
The Brownsville Herald, Texas,
all uniformed in mink and sable. But it wasn’t enough.
Monday October 13, 1942.
Their script writers had thought up as many gags as those
of Rita Hayworth’s Hollywood Wolves (leading men), so
they lost a benefit gridiron farce before 45,000 howling
spectators yesterday, 92-79.
Any resemblance to a football game was not only
coincidental - it was libelous.
After a pageant such as only movie folks can produce hundreds of international flags, starlets afoot, horseback
and in Jeeps, soldiers, sailors, marines, costumed bicycle
and motorcycle brigades, pursuit planes roaring overhead,
drum majorettes and Boy Scouts - the game began.
The red-shirted comedians popped out of a hole in the
ground; the white-jerseyed Leading Men left their bench,
complete with full length mirrors, dressing tables and
portable bar.
Bald Vince Barret kicked off and the football, a dummy,
floated out of the stadium.
32
So was the game!
From the mid 1940s Clyde’s film roles became less frequent.
Clyde briefly worked for Walt Disney Studios as a gag man
for Donald Duck/Goofy shorts but after an argument with
Disney about a gag ‘not being Disney’ he walked out.
In October 1948 he returned to Australia for a short visit.
Why he returned is unclear but we do know that during his
stay he visited his brother Tom who was living in Sydney at
the time.
While in Sydney Clyde caught up with champion
Australian jockey George Moore whom he had met during
a trip George had made to the USA and they had become
friends. Over lunch with another champion Australian
jockey, Neville Sellwood, the conversation soon turned to
the other passion they both shared – golf.
It was reported that Clyde said that he had defeated Al
Jolson in a golf tournament a few days before he left the
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Clyde with his brother Tom, Sydney - 1948.
Photograph courtesy of the Cook family (Australia).
USA. Jolson was the famous American singer, comedian,
actor and star of The Jazz Singer. George didn’t mention that
he had ‘ironed out’ Norman Von Nida on several occasions.
I don’t know if Clyde managed to have a game with George
while in Sydney but it would have been interesting to
see Clyde’s face afterwards as Norman was a winner of
numerous Australian and international titles including the
British Masters.
Shortly after his return to the USA, Clyde made enquiries
about becoming an American citizen. In August 1949 he
completed his Petition for Nautralisation paperwork and
on September 9, 1949 Clyde became and American. This
was really no surprise as he had lived in the USA for 30
years, returning only that once to Australia.
Clyde nevertheless maintained a presence in the industry up
until 1953, averaging at least a film a year throughout that
period. One film that he was perfectly cast for was The Man
from Down Under, in which he played an Australian. Clyde
retired in 1963 after completing his one-day assignment
on John Ford’s film Donovan’s Reef, starring opposite John
Wayne and Lee Marvin.
Recalling how the film Donovan’s Reef came about he said:
“I hadn’t done anything in 14 or 15 years. Ford (John
Ford, who Clyde had made a lot pictures with) called
and said, ‘I want you to do something for me.’ I said,
‘When?’ ‘Tomorrow.’ That’s the only picture I’ve done that I get residuals from.” (Young 1980).
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In Nick’s words:
“When introducing the movie on the cable station
“Turner Classic Movies”, Robert Osborne noted
that this was Ford’s last picture. Ford knew he was
terminally ill with cancer, so he called people he wanted
to work with one last time. Including my father.”
Three stories about Donovan’s Reef that Nick recalls are:
• L
ee Marvin kept intently watching my father work, even
when not in the scene. Finally, my father asked what was
going on. Marvin replied that Ford had pointed out my
father, and told him: “Watch him”.
to earn credits after a plan is established – not 23 years
earlier – and will not receive pension money for decades.
Initial Guild pension eligibility required a member to
have 20 years work under the Guild’s collective bargaining
agreements (which began in mid-1937), and began paying
out on January 2, 1962.
Unfortunately, Clyde stopped working in films after 1953,
leaving him four years short of qualifying for a pension.
In the words of Jordan R. Young:
“A great deal for a lot of actors, but a rotten deal for all
the silent/early talkie actors!”
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y father performed his own stunt of being thrown
through the bar’s window during the fight scene.
• O
utside, my father had to run into the street and shout
“Free beer!”
uring the first take, his dentures slipped, so he turned
D
up camera (away from the camera) to push them back
in. Ford screamed “cut!” and demanded to know what
happened. After my father told him he was pushing his
dentures back, Ford yelled: “The camera’s over here!”
Donovan’s Reef was an important film for Clyde for not
only was it a film where he helped out his friend John Ford
but it was to be the only film Clyde would get residuals
from after all his years in the film industry.
The reason for this was in 1960 the American Screen
Actors Guild decided to strike for a better deal for
actors. The strike resulted in the Guild negotiating a
settlement wherein they agreed to give up residuals for
earlier productions in exchange for creation of a Pension
and Welfare Plan and new residuals for features sold to
television. This meant that producers were not required
to pay residuals for films, sold or leased to television, that
were made between August 1, 1948 and January 31, 1960
or before August 1, 1948 as well.
The establishment of the Pension and Welfare Plan directly
benefitted members who qualified, and was retroactively
credited back to 1937 when the Guild was recognised –
that’s where the ‘seed money’ from the producers came
into play. Generally a pension plan participant only begins
34
Family life
Over the years several reports had been made of Clyde’s
married life; the first of these was in 1922 when it was
reported that he had married Florence Miller.
Clyde Cook married
Clyde Cook the Australian comedian who has done well in
Fox Films, has recently announced a bit of personal news.
A short while back he took unto himself a wife, the lady’s
name being Florence Miller.
Picture Show, October 1, 1922.
Alice is believed to have been born in 1896 or 1897 in
Lincoln, Nebraska.
Using the stage name Alice Knowlton – a stage name
was common, but where the name Knowlton came from
is unknown – she had several theatre productions to her
credit before marrying Clyde.
According to the issue of The New York Evening Telegram
of January 20, 1923, Alice was to appear in a ‘musical
play’ at the Winter Garden called The Dancing Girl which
opened on January 24; however, she doesn’t appear in the
opening night cast. The show closed on May 12, 1923.
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Is Clyde Cook, the comedian now doing work with the Fox
forces in America, a benedict? That is a question that has
worried his numerous friends since it was discovered that
a marriage license exhibited at - the Registrar’s office in
Los Angeles was made out in the names of our hero and
Florence Miller. The name of the bride is not unknown in
the picture studios, which lends color to the supposition
that Cook is a blushing bridegroom.
The Sunday Times, Perth, Western Australia,
October 29, 1922.
Clyde denied these claims.
In Movieland
by “Focus”
Our friend Clyde Cook, comes forward with an important
From October 20, 1923 to May 10, 1924 she was freelancing
as a dancer and singer in the Ziegfeld Follies. Clyde joined
the Follies in March 1924; if he didn’t already know Alice
then he met her at the Follies.
In July of that year the following was reported in Photoplay:
“Are you returning soon to New York?”
He was a polite young man striving to
prolong an altogether too brief conversation
with a most attractive girl.
“No, indeed,” she replied, “I’m to be married out
here in Hollywood.”
“To whom?” he asked, battling for time
and hoping for a reprieve.
request: the news, rumours, and reports of his marriage are
not true.
Says he “I’ve got a double, that is, there is another Clyde
Cook in Los Angeles - and I get his bills, his calls, his
creditors - but getting his wife - that is a bit too much.
Please tell my friends I am not married, and, as far as I
know, have not the slightest intention of being” - which was
quite a mouthful.
“To Clyde Cook.”
And that’s the way the secret became known.
We overheard it.
Alice Knowlton and Clyde Cook,
one of the best laugh makers on the screen,
are soon to be married.
The Morning Bulletin, Rockhampton, Wednesday
February 27, 1924.
In May 1925 Clyde did marry Alice Margaret Draper.
Miss Knowlton is one of that bevy of beautiful
girls that has made Flo Ziegfeld’s Follies famous.
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Poster from RKO Vaudeville promoting
Clyde Cook and Alice Draper - 1932.
Alice Draper - undated.
Photograph courtesy of Wendy Schussler.
After Alice’s stint with the Follies ended she then went
on the road with Bert Gordon in the Recital Classique in
December 1924.
Alice was still using the surname Knowlton in 1928 when
she and Cook made Lucky in Love.
Clyde Cook has made arrangements to take the principal
singing and talking role in the Vitaphone production,
“Lucky in Love.” Alice Knowlton, Cook’s wife and former
stage partner, is playing the feminine lead.
The Boston Globe, January 22, 1928
However, by 1932 she was using the name ‘Alice Draper’
when they performed together.
Clyde with Alice in Paris - c1933.
Photograph courtesy of Pamela Wisniewski.
Photoplay
Photoplay was one of the first American film fan magazines. It was founded in 1911 and began as a short-fiction magazine concerned
mostly with the plots and characters of films at the time and was used as a promotional tool for those films.
Photoplay reached its apex in the 1920s and 1930s and was considered quite influential within the motion picture industry.
36
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Clyde with daughter Julia Ann - February 1935.
Photograph courtesy of Culver Pictures.
Their marriage produced one child, Julia Ann, who was
report and use it again. This time they have the baby to
born in Hollywood in 1928.
back up the story, for late Tuesday night Julia Ann Cook
arrived at the Hollywood Hospital.
Baby Arrives - Years Late
Production at the Lasky lot, where Cook is being co-starred
Clyde Cook was reported father long time ago,
with Georg Bancroft in a new film, was held up yesterday
but it’s true now.
partly in honor of the occasion.
Mrs. Cook, who formerly was Alice Knowlton, member of
About two years ago there was an erroneous report that
the Ziegfeld Follies, and Julia Ann both are in the best of
Clyde Cook, comedian, had become a proud father. This he
health and spirits, says Cook. The comedian and the former
branded as slightly premature. Yesterday, however, Lasky
stage star have been married three years.
publicity men were looking through the files to find that
Los Angeles Times, Thursday June 21, 1928.
37
Unfortunately, for Clyde and Alice by 1938 divorce
proceedings had begun and although they started amicably
Cook filed a cross-complaint to his wife’s divorce suit
which had accused him of hiding away $75,000 worth of
diamonds, and of having deserted a wife and child
Clyde Cook alimony proceedings simple
Associated Press Leased Wire
in Australia.
The Bakersfield Californian, Friday February 18, 1938.
Mrs Clyde Cook the former Alice Draper of the Ziegfeld
Follies, wanted $600 monthly alimony pending trial of her
Hollywood roundup
divorce suit. Cook stage and screen comedian, offer $250.
Mrs Cook accepted and they shook hands.
The Bakersfield Californian, Friday January 7, 1938.
they soon turned nasty with the media taking a keen
interest in the proceedings – an interest that would last for
several months.
Clyde Cook movie comedian, and his wife, Alice Draper,
former Ziegfeld Follies beauty, charged each other with
drinking in a contested divorce case today.
Mrs Cook in suing the comedian claimed he drank in
excess, choked and beat her, and was selfish and arrogant.
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Comedian Blames Liquor for Domestic Troubles
Clyde Cook, film comedian and character actor, yesterday
attributed his domestic troubles to excessive use of liquor
on the part of his wife, Mrs Alice Margaret Cook, when he
filed a cross-complaint for divorce in Superior Court.
Mrs Cook, once Alice Draper of the Ziegfeld Follies, was
wont to accuse him of beating her when as a matter of
She claimed he once even tore off her wedding ring.
Cook in a cross-complaint claimed that his wife did the
drinking, and then imagined events that never occurred.
The wife asks $400 a month alimony, division of $168,000
community property and custody of their 9 year old
daughter, Julia Ann.
Trial of the case underway, before Judge Ruben Schmidt,
will be resumed on Monday.
San Mateo Times, Saturday April 16, 1938.
fact she injured herself by trying to perform “stunts and
gyrations” while under the influence of liquor, according to
Cook’s complaint.
The comedian also complains that his wife accused him of
abandoning another wife and child in Australia when she
was well aware he had never been married before.
Clyde Cook in divorce suit. Fight with Wife’s Attorney
Clyde Cook, the film comedian, and Joseph Cummins,
his wife’s attorney, fought with their fist in the Superior
Court during an interval in the hearing of the Case in which
In her own divorce action, Mrs. Cook complained that the
Mrs Alice Cook a former Ziegfeld Follies girl is suing for
actor kicked and beat her and tore of her wedding ring and
divorce.
drank continually.
She alleged that Cook was a deserter from the army in
Both Cook and his wife ask the court for custody of their
Australia where she also alleged he had left another wife
daughter, Julia Ann, 9 years of age.
and child.
Los Angeles Times, Thursday February 17, 1938.
The fight occurred after Cummins declared that Cook had
called him unprintable names.
News about Hollywood
The Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday April 21, 1938.
Clyde W. Cook motion, picture comedian, charged today
that his wife, the former Alice Draper of the Ziegfeld Follies,
suffered from hallucinations and once fell and hurt herself
while intoxicated.
38
Actor’s wife’s pajamas decent
The pajamas Mrs Clyde Cook wears, are in her own
words, “terribly decent.” She described her sleeping attire
yesterday when she testified in the spirited divorce contest
between herself and Clyde Cook, film comedian.
Refuting testimony of her husband that she appeared at
a Los Angeles country club in immodest garb, Mrs Cook
declared: “I’ve never been immodest: I sleep in pajamas,”
describing them as “terribly decent.”
She also testified that once Cook forced so many sleeping
tablets down her throat that she slept for three days and
three nights.
Oakland Tribune, Tuesday April 26, 1938.
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Tears banned says Mrs Cook
Tells court comedian wouldn’t let her cry
when mother died
Clyde in court during his divorce proceedings - April 1938.
Photograph courtesy of Ken Robichaux.
“He wouldn’t allow me to cry because he said it was too
silly,” yesterday testified Mrs. Alice Margaret Draper
Cook, former Ziegfeld Follies beauty, in substantiation of
Best way to find out is to look
her charges that Clyde Cook, Australian stage and screen
comedian, treated her cruelly during her married life.
Mrs Clyde Cook insisted at her divorce trial yesterday that
Mrs. Cook’s testimony was given during questioning
her comedian husband Clyde, had $168,000 in securities
regarding the couple’s relationship about the time of the
in a Hollywood bank safety deposit box.
death of her mother in 1936.
Cook said their value was only a third that amount,
“It is a fact that I took a drink the night my mother died,”
so Superior Judge Lewis H. Smith announced he
she said. “I locked myself in the bathroom and did cry.”
would hold court in the safety deposit vault today and
settle the question.
Mrs. Cook told Superior Judge Lewis Howell Smith that
she consumed only one-tenth the amount of liquor of
The film comedian felt visibly affected as he charged
which Cook assertedly accused her of drinking after the
his wife with attempting to destroy the affection of their
death of her mother, who died here and was buried in
daughter Julia Ann, 10, for him.
Lincoln, Neb.
Both are seeking the child’s custody.
The Cooks are engaged in counter divorce actions.
The Morning Herald, Uniontown, PA,
Los Angeles Times, April 29, 1938.
Saturday April 23, 1938.
While Clyde had been successful in obtaining a divorce,
which obviously came at a financial cost, he had actually
lost something far more important to him – his daughter.
39
Divorce Won by Clyde Cook
CLYDE COOK. Wife to Receive Bulk of His Estate
Comedian’s Wife Given Custody; Judge Blames Liquor
LOS ANGELES, 27 May
Clyde Cook, Australian stage and film actor, yesterday was
The Court has divided the 70,000 dollars (£17,500) estate
granted an interlocutory decree of divorce from his wife
of Clyde Cook, the Australian film comedian whose wife,
Mrs. Alice Margaret Draper Cook, former Ziegfeld Follies
Alice Cook, a former Ziegfeld Follies Girl, recently sued
beauty, in the court of Superior Judge Lewis Howell Smith
for divorce. Mrs. Cook has been granted real estate to the
after four weeks of trial.
value of 35,000 dollars (£8,750) and other property valued
Mother gets child
at 10,000 dollars (£2,500).
Cook has been allowed to retain the stocks and bonds that
The victory, however, was not entirely Cook’s in as much
he claimed to have bought before his marriage.
as Judge Smith awarded custody of the couple’s daughter,
The Court also ordered Cook to pay 65 dollars a month for
Julia Ann Cook, 10 years of age, to the mother until next
his daughter’s maintenance until November l8, when the
November 18, when the matter of custody will again be
taken up.
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His hands clasping his head, Cook’s expression was
downcast as he heard the judge give the custody order.
At the same time his wife burst into tears of apparent
happiness.
Settlement Later
The matter of community property disposal will be resumed
at a later date. Cook claims the property to be worth only
Court will hear an application to determine which parent
shall have permanent custody of the child.
The Sydney Morning Herald, Saturday May 28, 1938.
In a rather unusual statement Judge Lewis Smith, in
granting the divorce, said:
“When one surrenders the domination of her
destiny to John Barleycorn the foundation of
domestic happiness is doomed.”
about one-third of the wife’s $168,000 estimate.
Los Angeles Times, May 18, 1938.
The name Barleycorn is reference to an English folk song
where the character, John Barleycorn, is a personification
Clyde was devastated.
of the important cereal crop barley and of the alcoholic
beverages made from it, beer and whisky. In the song, John
Clyde Cook’s wife gets £9000
Barleycorn is represented as suffering attacks, death and
Australian Associated Press LOS ANGELES, 27 May
indignities that correspond to the various stages of barley
cultivation, such as reaping and malting.
The Court has divided the 70,000 dollars (£14,000) assets
of Clyde Cook, the film comedian and his wife, who were
recently divorced. Mrs. Cook will receive real estate
valued at £7000, and other property valued at £2000. The
comedian will be allowed to retain stocks and bonds which
he claimed he bought before his marriage. The Court also
ordered Cook to pay 65 dollars (£15) a month for his
daughter’s maintenance until November 11, when the Court
would determine her permanent custody.
40
What is interesting is that once the interlocutory decree
of divorce had been awarded the media frenzy stopped.
In regard to the matters of custody and of the community
property disposal that were mentioned in the Los Angeles
Times article of May 18, 1938 and which were both to be
heard at a later date, the media just dropped coverage.
During the research for this book neither of the claims of
Clyde having been married before his marriage to Alice
The Courier Mail, Brisbane, Queensland,
could be confirmed so it is believed that Clyde’s first
Saturday May 28, 1938.
marriage was to Alice.
After the divorce Alice reverted back to the name Alice
Draper and had small parts in the following films:
•
All by Myself (1943) – bit, uncredited performance
•
So’s Your Uncle (1943) – pidgeon girl
•
His Butler’s Sister (1943) – spinster, uncredited
By all accounts she led a hard life having more than her fair
share of ups and downs, struggling with alcohol and her
marriage ending in divorce in 1969.
performance
•
Moonlight in Vermont (1943) – waitress, uncredited
performance
•
Murder in the Blue Room (1944) – first maid,
uncredited performance
•
Hi, Beautiful (1944) – undetermined role, uncredited
performance
•
Alice with Wendy left and Pamela right -
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His Excellency from Brazil (year unknown) – spinster.
After her career in entertainment ended Alice maintained
contact with some of the girls from her days with the
Follies, invested in real estate, and was financially well off.
As for Julia Ann, at one stage of her life she was a model.
Hold Worker in Assault
California Model Takes Severe Beating
A 52-year old electrician was held by police today on
suspicion of assaulting model Julia Ann Cook, 23,
daughter of movie comedian Clyde Cook, with a deadly
weapon.
Robert M. Brown was arrested yesterday after Miss Cook
was found badly beaten in the hallway of an apartmenthotel. She was hospitalized with face and head injuries.
The model told police Brown beat her with his fists and
a metal chair and officers said they found a bloodstained
chair in Brown’s apartment.
He told police Miss Cook “started it” and he was “just
defending myself.”
The Toledo Blade, November 23, 1951.
While Clyde may have harboured some anger towards his
former wife Alice he still had love for his daughter Julia
Ann, for he visited her in hospital.
Julia Ann eventually married James R. Sivell and had three
children, James, Wendy and Pamela.
December 1960.
Photograph courtesy of Wendy Schussler.
From 1969 to 1971 Alice stepped in to look after Julia’s
children as their father was in Vietnam.
On May 14, 1972 Alice passed away in Palm Desert,
Riverside, California. She never remarried and at the time of
her death her name was recorded as Alice Margaret Cook.
What is interesting is at the time of Clyde’s death in 1984
Julia Ann wrote to her daughters saying how sad she was
about the ‘what ifs’.
Sadly, Julia Ann passed away in July 1989 at the age of 61 in
Los Angeles, California.
Julia Ann’s daughters recalled their mother’s love for
Clyde and how she would often say that he used to make
them pancakes.
In her daughter Pamela’s words Julia Ann died ‘a tragic
death’……. a far cry from that happy little girl with her
father in the photograph taken in 1935, that appears in this
book, and only three years before her parent’s divorce.
Clyde’s next marriage was to Jane Edna in 1944 in Las Vegas,
Nevada. During the research for this book no evidence of
Jane’s maiden name could be found.
All that is known of Jane is that she was born in 1922 in
San Diego, California and her and Clyde divorced before
August 1949. It is believed that there were no children
from this marriage.
41
Clyde’s last marriage was to Constance Eve Walters in
1949, Walters being her surname from a previous marriage,
and they had a son Nicholas James (Nick) who was born in
June 1954.
that Nick was directing. Her ‘day job’ was as a secretary,
Constance was born in England in 1919 but had emigrated
to Australia with her family before returning to England
around 1943 en route to the USA.
was a child, moving onto high school/college theatre, then,
In Nick’s words, “she disliked the name Constance and was
known as Eve and she was a former dancer”. While living in
Australia Constance had also been a nurse.
mostly for the Santa Barbara School District. She also
worked as a telephone operator for a while.
Theatre must be genetic as Nick was a puppeteer when he
in spurts, to community theatre. However, Clyde had no
interest or patience, Nick thinks, with ‘amateurs’. Clyde
didn’t even attend any of the shows that Constance or Nick
were involved in.
Prior to me contacting Nick the only story that he had
heard of his father’s life in Australia was that as a child, he
danced in prize rings between bouts, and people tossed
coins his way.
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Nick knew that his grandmother, Annie Cook, had
come to the USA with Clyde but was not aware that
Annie had died in 1924 in her home at 1760 Las Palmas
Avenue, Hollywood, after an illness of six months. She had
undergone three major operations. Annie was cremated at
the Strother and Drayton mortuary and her ashes placed at
Hollywood Memorial Park.
Deaths
COOK - September 17th, at Las Palmas,
Hollywood, California.
Constance - late 1940s.
Nick grew up in Hollywood and Avalon which is on
Catalina Island off the Los Angeles coast. From about the
age of five he lived in Carpinteria and remembers Stan
Laurel, an English comic actor, writer and film director,
famous as the first half of the comedy team Laurel and
Hardy, as ‘Uncle Stan’.
Annie Cook, aged 56. Deceased was the mother of Clyde
Cook, Australian comedian, prominent on the stage and
in pictures. Another son Tom, is a resident in Sydney.
Mrs Cook was well and favourably known in the theatrical
colony of Australia and America, as she travelled with her
son everywhere he played.
Everyone’s, October 8, 1924.
It is interesting to note that in 1920 forty acres of the
His childhood was probably better than most but not as
good as some and as Nick says, “the only ‘different’ factor was
the age difference between his parents.” The age difference was
30 years.
cemetery were sold to Paramount Pictures for their studio
Constance taught dancing to children for a few years
in Carpinteria and did a lot of backstage work in local
community theatre, choreographing a number for a show
1998 the cemetery was purchased by Forever Enterprises,
42
expansion. In the ensuing years the cemetery fell into a
state of disrepair with toppled headstones, dead trees, dying
lawn and litter cluttering up the once beautiful gardens. In
renamed Hollywood Forever and the graves restored and
the grounds revitalised.
Nick also did not know that Clyde’s father John had died
in 1923 in the Armidale district of northern New South
Wales – he basically knew nothing about his grandparents,
Clyde’s marriages or of his Australian and British heritage.
According to Nick, his parents, “just didn’t talk about the
past” – and Nick did ask.
Constance passed away in January 1979 at the age of 59 in
Santa Barbara, California.
Nick remembers his father as a determined man who took
his career very seriously and knew well the value of keeping
himself fit and healthy.
Nick can recall some stories that his father recounted
about his early years. One of these was to do with Tyrone
Power Snr.
The show that Nick refers to would have been Alice in
Wonderland when Clyde and Charles Smith played the
roles of Tweedledum and Tweedledee respectively.
It was reported in The Sydney Morning Herald, NSW,
Tuesday, December 25, 1906 that: “they came in for
commendation, and the former, was twice encored for a smartly
carried out Scarecrow Dance.”
“In another panto, my father played a goose. Yes, a
goose. In one scene, he thought it would be funny to
peer at the audience through his legs. He did so, got
the laugh, then had a problem: the costume’s head was
stuck between his legs, and he couldn’t straighten up. He
started leaping around the stage, trying to get unstuck.
The more he did this, the harder the audience laughed.
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“Tyrone Power Sr. was touring in a play about a
disgraced vicar (or somebody similar). At the end of the
play, the character had to address “an unhappy mob of
locals”, armed with rocks, sticks and other appropriate
angry mob weapons. My father (at the time a child)
was one of the crowd, hanging onto a brick.
He got caught up in the emotion of the moment, and
heaved the brick at Powers during his speech, nailing
Powers right in the kisser. Being a real pro, Powers
finished the speech.”
His fellow performers onstage were not amused.
And then he and the other acrobats were ‘demons’
in the ‘transformation scene’. The production’s
transformation scene started in a ‘haunted forest’,
with the backdrop painted on scrim. The ‘fairy forest’
is painted on the upstage backdrop. When scrim is
illuminated from the front, and not the back, it is
opaque. When lit from the back, and not the front,
Other stories that Nick remembers are of Clyde’s
pantomime days:
“My father’s big break came when he was
understudying the principle comic’s part, a scarecrow,
in a panto. (I don’t know the title.) One day, my father
was at the dentist, having some work done.
The assistant stage manager ran in, and literally pulled
him out of the chair, telling him “you’re on!”
The principle comic had just dropped dead of a heart
attack. My father went on, although he carried a
handkerchief in one hand, so he could turn upstage
periodically to spit blood into it.”
Annie - undated.
43
scrim is transparent. So by cross-fading lighting from
front to back, the scene magically ‘transforms’.
Now back to the story – the acrobats jumped around
the stage, and every once in a while, jumped through
a ‘haunted tree’ set piece. There was a table backstage
that the acrobats ‘hit’, then they went into a back roll to
shoot out the bottom of the tree set piece.
During one performance, a stagehand moved the table.
Another acrobat dived through the tree. My father
(he was onstage) reported he heard a thud, followed by
suitably demonic swearing.”
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According to Nick, his father was a ‘bread and butter’
character actor during the sound era. Most of his credits
were one or two sceners and he was forever running from
one soundstage to another.
For Nick, the paragraph from the book Clown Princes and
Court Jesters by Kalton C. Lahue and Samuel Gill:
“Curiously enough, Cook’s name continually appears
in conversations with other comics of that era and it is
evident that those in the business held a lot of respect for
the little Australian’s talent.”
is almost a classic backhanded compliment, as it shows that
Clyde did receive recognition for his efforts – from his
peers. That is more important for a professional than the
adoration of fans.
Specifically, it explains the most outstanding characteristic
of Clyde’s career: its length. He transitioned from vaudeville
to silent – and not many vaudeville performers were able
to achieve this feat. In the silents, he moved into character
support roles, which provided a more expansive career path
than the two-reelers. He was able to again switch to talkies.
Big names such as Buster Keaton, John Gilbert and even
Charlie Chaplin were unable to withstand this shift in the
entertainment industry. Clyde worked consistently until he
‘gave it up’. Not too many people, then or now, can say they
made a living acting in Hollywood.
44
Life after performing
In his interview with Jordan R. Young in 1980 Clyde
Cook said:
“I retired when I thought I’d had enough of it. They
were bringing in strong people, and I’d gotten myself up
to a salary that was asking a hell of a lot from them, for
what they could get.”
When asked how he would describe his style of comedy
Clyde said:
in the Whatever Became Of…? series by American author
Richard Lamparski, Clyde began to receive a minor flood
of fan mail.
Clyde replied to the fan mail on personalised stationery
that was printed on a khaki coloured card that Constance
had created.
Nick has no idea where his mother got the caricature of
Clyde that was used on the stationery as he says, “that wasn’t
my father’s handiwork, he didn’t draw that well.” However, the
caricature on the stationary perhaps best portrayed what
the public remembered of Clyde that of a thin rubbery
man who wore a hat and had a paintbrush moustache.
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“Oh, I don’t know what the hell you’d call it.
I think I’m as funny as the situation is, if I don’t
dramatise it, in other words, if I think funny. That’s the
way I like to play it.
I don’t like the force comic that wants to push it down
your throat….broad comedy.
I like the Stan Laurel type. You don’t do anything, but
what you do is funny.” (Young 1980).
Even though Clyde’s career had finished he was still
remembered by the public. In November 1966 after buying
a ticket to attend the screening in Santa Barbara, California
of The Taming of the Shrew (1929), starring Mary Pickford
and Douglas Fairbanks and in which Clyde played the part
of Grumio, he stayed on to reminisce with some of the
viewers who recognised him.
There was further evidence of Clyde being remembered by
the public when in 1977, following a story that appeared
In the summer of 1981 Charles Vodicka, an Australian
film distributor living in the USA, saw a small story in a
Los Angeles newspaper about an elderly Australian actor,
Clyde Cook, living up near Santa Barbara.
Charles’ partner at the time, Honey Lea, and another
Australian, Geoffrey Hales, had been working together
doing some public access television in Los Angeles. They
contacted Clyde and then along with a cameraman went to
his home to interview him as they thought Clyde would be
a great short documentary subject.
Of their day with Clyde, Honey would write:
“At 90 years of age, Clyde Cook runs his fine old fingers
over his head - as if to extract memories. It was late at
night and he had been talking, almost non-stop since
early morning, in front of cameras, hot lights and an
enthralled crew who were running out of video tape.
And, he was still coming up with amazing tales from
Richard Lamparski
Lamparski had been a PR man for Paramount Television, CBS Radio and the Ice Capades when in the late 1960s he wrote a series of
pamphlet-sized fanzines titled Whatever Became Of...? that had him tracking down many of his favourite former stars of old time radio,
serials and silent pictures.
He scored himself a Whatever Became Of...? radio series on WBAI New York and eventually a long running series of hardcover books on the
same subject.
45
his extraordinary show business career that began
at the age of seven in Australia and grew to a fame
that spanned three continents, earning him the titles ‘World’s Best Dancer’, the ‘Funniest Man on Earth’
and ‘Hollywood’s Scamp Comic’, to name just a few.”
This interview turned into interviews that would last a year.
As Geoffrey recalls:
“After we began interviewing him we realised his story
was too wonderful and big to be done in five minutes.
He told us of his beginning in Australian vaudeville,
his trip to London and subsequent career in the English
music hall world, of how he had learnt acrobatics in
Australia and that his solo routines were extremely
physical and dangerous - his most famous music hall
routine “the little lamplighter” had him tumbling from
high ladders and street posts.
in the theatre during the daytime and swap dance and
acrobatic moves.
Clyde then talked of the friends that he had made while in
Hollywood: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy and the Australian
actor Errol Flynn, who Clyde trained with in fencing, and
also William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davies who he
had become friends with through his first wife Alice, who
had worked with Marion. Marion’s career had, by the mid1920s, become overshadowed by her relationship with the
married Hearst.
In the summer of 1982, at the conclusion of the interviews
with Clyde, Honey said:
“From the start Clyde’s incredible life demanded
respect. He won us all during our visits. And now,
having spent a year with the project and recently in
compiling this information, I have become deeply
touched and inspired by this gentle, old man and his
wonderful history. It wrenches my heart that he lives
alone with his memories. With obvious urgency, the
documenting of his life has become a goal of mine. I feel
privileged to have come this far and intend to continue
with heartfelt enthusiasm.”
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He also told us how the Prince of Wales was a fan and
would come backstage and even got made up in Clyde’s
greasepaint on occasion.”
During the interviews Clyde also said that he had been
popular in Paris, where he was known as Dudule. The name
Dudule comes from Clyde’s film Should Sailors Marry?,
which was known in France as The Marriage of Dudule,
and that his strenuous and acrobatic routines had drawn
the attention of Nijinsky, who was appearing nearby with
the Ballet Russes. Although they could not speak to each
other, as Clyde only spoke English, they would get together
As Geoffrey recalls:
“We did get several hours of video but realised we
needed a budget and a lot more research to do this
project properly, and we had to be more prepared when
we spoke to Clyde so we could prompt him on by asking
the right questions. We put together a treatment with
lots of photocopied images from Clyde’s collection and
Ballet Russes
The Ballets Russes (The Russian Ballets) was an itinerant ballet company from Russia which performed between 1909 and 1929 in many
countries. Directed by Sergei Diaghilev, it is regarded as the greatest ballet company of the 20th century. Many of its dancers originated
from the Imperial Ballet of Saint Petersburg. After the Russian Revolution of 1917, younger dancers came from those trained in Paris, within
the community of exiles.
The company featured and premiered now famous (and sometimes notorious) works by the great choreographers Marius Petipa and
Michel Fokine, as well as new works by Bronislava Nijinska, Léonide Massine, Vaslav Nijinsky, and the young George Balanchine at the
start of his career.
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Clyde - March 17, 1980, Carpinteria, California, USA.
Photograph courtesy of Jordan R. Young.
Frank Van Straten
Van Straten is a notable performing arts historian and author. He was the first archivist of the Performing Arts Museum (now Performing Arts
Collection, Arts Centre Melbourne in Australia) and its director from 1984 until 1993.
47
as I was coming for a tour in Australia I decided to try
and raise the money for the documentary in Australia.
I went to several of the state film companies and was
knocked back constantly despite Frank Van Straten
from the Museum of Performing Arts being very
keen and helpful.
I returned to Los Angeles after a year in Australia
and not long after that Clyde passed away.
I felt we had missed our chance and we were very sad
but felt honoured to have heard Clyde’s story from
his own mouth.”
of death is uncertain. An autopsy has been scheduled. The
Neptune Society is in charge of arrangements.
Carpinteria Herald, Friday August 17, 1984.
Silent, talkie picture comedian Clyde Cook
CARPINTERIA
Comedian Clyde Wilford Cook, who made the transition
from silent films to talkies and appeared in several “Bull
Drummond” movies plus the original “Dawn Patrol” has
died at the age of 87.
The Australian born actor died in his sleep at his home
near Santa Barbara on Aug 13. The cause of death was
arteriosclerotic cardio vascular disease, Santa Barbara
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In 1994, shortly after the split of Czechoslovakia into the
independent Czech Republic and Slovakia, Charles flew to
Prague the capital city of the Czech Republic to visit family
and friends taking with him the video. Upon his return to
the USA Charles had a stroke and was repatriated back to
Australia but the video remained in Prague. Perhaps one
day it will surface.
While the public remembered Clyde for his outgoing
personality, in reality, retirement for Clyde was a quiet life
and he mainly stayed at home as a ‘house husband’. As there
was a 30 year age difference between Nick’s parents it was
Constance who worked full-time while Clyde took care of
the house. While golfing was a passion he once enjoyed, in
his twilight years it was now just a memory. He still enjoyed
life on the water and occasionally went sailing with the
family physician, when the latter had a boat.
On August 13, 1984 Clyde Cook died at his home in
Carpinteria. He was cremated.
Actor Clyde Cook found dead in yard
Clyde Cook, a retired film actor and resident of 1314
Vallecito Place in Carpinteria, was found dead in the back
County Sheriff’s Sgt C.D. Smith said.
Mr Cook joined the Ziegfeld Follies after World War I, and
then went to Hollywood.
He appeared with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in the 1930 “Dawn
Patrol,” the story of World War I flying aces: “Barbary
Coast” in 1935; “The Light that Failed,” another World War
I film with Ronald Colman in 1939; the 1940 pirate movie
“The Sea Hawk” with Errol Flynn; “The Mysterious Doctor,”
A World War II movie made in 1942; “The Verdict”; “To
Each his Own”; and finally “Donovan’s Reef” with John
Wayne in 1963.
The Register, Santa Ana, Orange County,
Sunday September 23, 1984.
In most cases Clyde’s year of birth has been reported
incorrectly and so his age at the time of his death would
also be erroneous. Clyde was born on December 16, 1889
and passed away on August 13, 1984, making him 94 years
of age at the time of death.
After his father’s death Nick cleaned out Clyde’s house and
placed all of his belongings into storage. That is where it
had remained until I made contact with him for this book.
yard of his home Monday by police. Cook was found after
his son, Nick Cook of Orange, told local authorities he had
been unable to reach his father for several days, and asked
that an officer be sent to the home to investigate. The cause
48
So, why tell this story?
In this day and age all over the world there is a tendency
by the media to label every man and his dog a celebrity or
a star more often than not for achieving very little. Some
people are given this tag for being infamous rather than
famous, for making a name for themselves for all the wrong
reasons – explicit material that ‘accidently’ finds its way
onto the internet, drugs, drunken behaviour and I’m sure
there are others. Sometimes they have very little else to do
with their time and in some cases family money has assisted
them to live this lifestyle and in turn they receive the tags
of celebrity or star; something that they have not earned.
included prominent names such as Cecil B. DeMille,
Samuel Goldwyn, Jesse Lasky, Walt Disney, Hal Roach,
Mack Sennett, and Walter Lantz.
Not bad for a boy who came from a small village and
humble beginnings in Australia all those years ago and
progressed to the world stages of London, Paris, New York
and then Hollywood to help pave the way for the success
that Australians have on the international arts stage today.
A boy who dared to dream and reach for the stars to
become one!
In Australia we have given the title of celebrity or star to
our own home-grown entertainers such as Errol Flynn,
John Farrow, Joe Kirkwood Jnr, Helen Reddy and Cate
Blanchett as we have to those who were born overseas, and
we call Australians, Olivia Newton-John, the Bee Gees,
Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman. Yet while they may
have had their personal dramas published in the media
during their careers they certainly earned their tags of
celebrity – for they achieved - receiving respect from not
only the public but their peers.
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Clyde Cook and other Australians of his era such as Leon
Errol, Annette Kellerman, Harry ‘Snub’ Pollard and Mae
Busch also succeeded but they were different. They were
our pioneers who embraced the saying ‘have a go’ and made
that long journey overseas – in an era when travel seemed
to take for ages.
Nick with Clyde’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame - mid 1960s.
The star is located at 6531 Hollywood Boulevard (star rank 2026).
And like all those names that I have just mentioned Clyde,
too, has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was
inducted on February 8, 1960 for his contribution to
motion pictures.
For me, what started out as a story to acknowledge Clyde’s
achievements turned into a more in-depth look at a person
whose family had become distant – yet one that I had
inadvertently become part of – albeit for a short time.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400
five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the
sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard
and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California.
The stars are permanent public monuments to achievement
in the entertainment industry. Initially 1,558 honourees
were installed between 1960 and 1961 and these were
selected by committees representing the four branches of
the entertainment industry at that time: motion pictures,
television, audio recording, and radio. The committees
Now, my hope is that this story brings Clyde’s family closer
together – something that I’m sure Clyde would have
wanted far more than any acknowledgement.
49
A selection of reviews
The Rickards Season
is in store for the audience. On Thursday night Mr. Mark
Anthony, who has gained a great London reputation as a
Now that Mr. Harry Rickard has established a connection
society entertainer and raconteur, and Miss Mollie Bentley,
with Broken Hill the theatre going public may expect
a talented descriptive vocalist, will effect a further change in
to have opportunities of witnessing most of the good
the programme.
things which that enterprising entrepreneur has to offer.
The Advertiser, Adelaide, South Australia,
…………………
Monday March 9, 1903.
Tumultuous applause also greeted Master Clyde Cook, a
dancer who can show the veterans in the art quite a number
Fullers’ Vaudeville Company was further added to
of new and difficult steps. His vocal powers were limited,
on Monday evening by fresh arrivals, and a splendid
but his eccentric dancing was uncommonly good. He gave
performance of mirth and jollity was given before an
an exhibition of club swinging and stepdancing combined
audience that completely filled the building. Last night’s
which was pretty to watch.
arrivals were…………………
The Barrier Miner, Broken Hill,
Among the other performers deserving of mention is Clyde
Thursday February 5, 1903.
Cook (the clever boy dancer), Ward Lear (mimic), Will
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Lochrane (Scotch comedian), Miss Malvena Moore (serio
The Tivoli
and danseuse), and Will Rollow…………..
Otago Witness, January 24, 1906.
The presence of several new artists at the Tivoli Theatre
attracted a full house to that popular little place of
amusement on Saturday evening, when the performance
was carried out with success………………………
Theatre Royal
Mr. Ted Holland’s Company presented a very enjoyable
Master Clyde Cook, who is a terpsichorean prodigy,
entertainment in the Theatre Royal last night, and the
gave an exhibition of step-dancing, and also contributed
audience demonstrated their approval by recalling nearly all
a vocal item.
the artiste. Miss Gertie Mason, soubrette and dancer, won a
The Advertiser, Adelaide, South Australia,
very hearty recall, and Master Clyde Cook, boy vocalist and
Monday February 23, 1903.
champion dancer, was no less successful.
The Brisbane Courier Mail, Queensland,
Tivoli Theatre
Thursday May 3, 1906.
An enthusiastic audience, completely monopolising all
Theatre Royal
the accommodation at the Tivoli Theatre, accorded a
demonstrative welcome to those ever popular entertainers,
Messrs. Pope and Sayles, on their re-appearance on
Saturday evening………………………………
50
The attractive programme now being submitted at the
Theatre Royal drew another good audience last night.
Recalls were frequent, and encores were readily given.
The rest of the company, including Master Clyde Cook,
The splendid “turn” provided by Monaghan and Sheehan,
the child vocalist and dancer, sustained their parts with
English musical artists, was again responsible for a great
great credit. This evening the talented baritone, Mr. Wallace
deal of the enjoyment of the evening. Miss Gertie Mason,
Brownlow, will make his debut on the Tivoli boards, and
Miss Ida Berridge, Miss Bessie Young. Mr. George Warsaw,
as he is said to be in exceptionally good voice a great treat
Mr. Harry Linden, Master Clyde Cook, and Harvey and
Morris all had good receptions, and the other members of
the very few combinations now touring the Commonwealth
the company was also well received.
which can boast of a properly balanced vocal quartette.
The Brisbane Courier, Queensland,
Thursday May 17, 1906.
Clyde Cook, with the company, is now the recognised
champion dancer of Australia. His dancing is of a unique
nature, introducing imitations of horses galloping, side
drums; and various novelties seldom seen.
Theatre Royal
Clarence and Richmond Examiner,
The new programme now being submitted at the Theatre
Royal drew another good audience last night, and great
enthusiasm was manifested. The Allan Sisters confirmed
the good impression made on their first appearance on
Saturday. ………Mr Clyde Cook’s excellent exhibition
of step dancing was one of the features of the evening’s
entertainment, and …….
Saturday August 3, 1907.
Clyde Cook, who figures in many J.C. Williamson
pantomimes as a dancer, in conjunction with the Adelaide
boy Bert Watson, has ‘made good’ in London. He is now
doing the Moss Stoll circuit at more salary a week than he
got in Australia in three months.
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Tuesday May 22, 1906.
Alice in Wonderland
A fairy pantomime by children for children was
presented at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Sydney, where the
first representation of “Alice, in Wonderland” was
successfully given………..
Tweedledum and Tweedledee (Clyde Cook and Charles
Smith) also come in for commendation, and the former,
was twice encored for a smartly carried out Scarecrow
Dance, while vocally the honours were carried off by Harry
Le Breton (the Executioner), though ‘ his fine voice will
hardly hold out, through-the season if he persists
in singing from the chest high notes intended for the
head register.
The Mail, Adelaide, Saturday September 7, 1912.
Clyde Cook, the Australian dancer, is still doing remarkably
well in London in both Alhambra revues Not Likely and
Keep Smiling. He has been featured on the daybills and
other printed matter, with names that are famous in the
English amusement world. Clyde’s mother has been with
her son for some considerable time now.
Australian Variety, July 22, 1914.
LONDON CHATTER. London. February 2, 1915
A.N.A. in London
Mr. A. H, O’Connor, recently vice president of a West
Australian branch, is chairman of the committee appointed
to take charge of arrangements for the formation of a
London branch of the A.N.A and presided at the inaugural
meeting. After the business of the evening was disposed
The Sydney Morning Herald, New South Wales,
of a most delightful concert was given. Australian songs
Tuesday December 25, 1906.
and Australian singers, violinists, and pianists generously
contributed to the evening’s entertainment. Among the
American Picturescope
singers were Miss José Bytheway (Queensland), Miss
Ruth Bucknall (New South Wales), Miss Rena Sari (West-
After an absence of almost a year those two fine performers
Australia); Miss Lois Cummings, and Mr. M. Ratcliffe.
Fraser Shaw and Gerald Branson are to be here again
The Misses Lorna and Toots Pounds gave some of their
on Tuesday and Wednesday next with the American
clever impersonations, and much-appreciated “turn” was
Picturescope Company. Speaking of the performance a
a Mr. Clyde Cook. Mr. Fred Nott, Mus Bac. (Victoria) was
southern paper says that the performances of one and all of
the company can be recommended to all. Special attention
has been paid to the versatility of the artists, and it is one of
the accompanist. But not the least interesting item on the
programme was a speech by Sir George Reid. ……..
The Barrier Miner, Broken Hill, Saturday March 27, 1915.
51
Clyde Cook, the Australian acrobat and dancer celebrated
kept for an unusually lengthy period without being given
the third year of his engagement at the Alhambra Theatre,
an opportunity for witnessing an attraction of
London, on March 30th. This is certainly a fine record for
this class………….
this clever young performer.
Australian Variety, April 12, 1916.
The reformer’s moments are recorded by the camera
and released in a film entitled “The Ladies’ Progress: A
Clutterbuck on the Loose.” The idea provides immense
Another clever Australian in the person of Clyde Cook will
scope for, fun and elaborate stage production. Miss
be seen; this young man has only recently had a successful
Florence Young plays the film princess; P. Smith, the
London career; he is” one of the features of the attraction,
reformer; Leslie Holland, the picture producer; Reginald
being a remarkably clever actor, and as an eccentric dancer
Roberts, a screen hero: other important characters being
he has few equals.
sustained by Gladys Moncrieff, Minnie Love, and Claude
Saturday March 17, 1917.
Bantock, whilst that remarkable dancer, Clyde Cook, will
appear for the first time since his return from London,
where he created a sensation, in revue work last year.
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Clyde Cook, the eccentric dancer and clever character actor,
The Advertiser, Adelaide, Monday May 14, 1917.
now connected with “The Cinema Star,” was one of the
star turns at the Alhambra Revue, when he introduced his
Clyde Cook (Tivoli) would do well to take a little more
famous act, “The Rolling Stone,” which he is presenting in
interest in his work. Talking about cutting this and that
“The Cinema Star”.
when doing your turn is of no earthly interest to an
The Queenslander, Brisbane, Saturday April 28, 1917.
audience who want to and pay to see an act at its best. This
par is not meant for a knock but a gentle hint.
Australian Variety, August 15, 1917.
“THE CINEMA STAR”
Tomorrow morning, at 9 o’clock, the box plans will open
at Allan’s in connection with the forthcoming presentation
of the new musical comedy success, “The Cinema Star,”
with which the J.C. Williamson famous Royal Comic Opera
Company will begin their season at the Theatre Royal
on Saturday evening next. This fine new piece should be
Clyde Cook, Australia’s eccentric dancer and comedian
was added to the [Sydney Tivoli] bill this week. Closing
the first half of the show he made one of the hits of the
afternoon with his very humorous fooling and sensational
acrobatic dancing.
Australian Variety, October 3, 1917.
warmly welcomed by local theatregoers, who have been
A.N.A.
The Australian Natives’ Association (A.N.A.) was established in Melbourne in 1871. It was founded as a friendly society whose membership
was open to Australian born males only. It gradually established city and country branches in Victoria. By 1901, a total of 205 branches had
been formed. When the A.N.A. was formed, it had two aims: to act as a friendly society offering financial support to its members in need;
and to promote the moral, social and intellectual improvement of its members. It shunned traditional friendly society practices of ritual and
regalia and set its sights on influencing public thinking and government policy on a range of issues related to Australian nationalism.
The A.N.A. provided services such as sick pay and funeral benefits. It was also an important presence in many communities through
its debates, concerts and other social activities. In the late nineteenth century the ANA actively promoted the cause of federation of the
Australian colonies.
In January 1915 Australians living in London decided to form a branch of the A.N.A. and apply to the Australian Association for a charter.
52
Theatre engagements
1901: Charles Holloway
1908: J.C. Williamson
(The Criterion, Sydney; June 15—28, The Milestones
(Her Majesty’s, Sydney; December 19—31, Jack and Jill).
of Life).
1902: John F. Sheridan
(Her Majesty’s, Sydney; January 1—*, Jack and Jill).
(The Criterion, Sydney; September 20—October 24,
(Her Majesty’s, Melbourne; December 18—31, Aladdin).
Mrs Goldstein).
1903: Harry Rickards
(Her Majesty’s, Melbourne; January 1—* - Aladdin).
Cook secures his first contract, a two year contract with
Rickards, to present a tumbling and dance turn on the
Harry Rickards
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showman’s Australia wide circuit.
(The Tivoli, Sydney; March 21, Benevolent Fund of the
Australian Vaudeville Association matinee).
1905: John Fuller and Sons
(Opera House and Palace of Varieties, Auckland, New
J.C. Williamson
Zealand, ca. November—December).
(Her Majesty’s, Brisbane; May 23, Aladdin).
(The Royal, Wellington, New Zealand, ca. December).
(Her Majesty’s, Melbourne; December 17—31, Jack and
the Beanstalk).
1906: John Fuller and Sons
(The Royal, Wellington, New Zealand, ca. January),
(Opera House and Palace of Varieties, Christchurch, New
(Her Majesty’s, Melbourne; January 1—*, Jack and
Zealand, ca. January—February),
the Beanstalk).
(The Royal, Wellington, New Zealand, ca. March—April).
(Her Majesty’s, Sydney; April 8—*, Jack and the Beanstalk).
Harry Rickards
Cook leaves for UK sometime in 1911.
(The Tivoli, Sydney; April 14—* - billed as ‘a reappearance’
in Sydney).
1913: Begins a three year engagement at the Alhambra Theatre,
London on March 30. Revues include: Kill That Fly
Ted Holland
(October 14, 1912, joined company March 30, 1913).
(The Royal, Brisbane; April 28—*).
Eightpence a Mile (May 9, 1913).
Keep Smiling (October 6, 1913).
J.C. Williamson
Not Likely (May 4, 1914).
(Her Majesty’s, Sydney; December 24—31, Alice in
5064 Gerrard (March 19, 1915).
Wonderland).
Now’s the Time (October 13, 1915).
Cook returns to Australia in May 1916.
(Her Majesty’s, Sydney; January 1—*, Alice in Wonderland).
(The Royal, Sydney; December 14—*, Blue Bell in
Fairyland).
1916: J.C Williamson
(Her Majesty’s, Melbourne; October 7—November 24,
Cinema Star).
(Her Majesty’s, December 23—31, Cinema Star).
53
(Her Majesty’s, Sydney; January 1—February 9,
Cinema Star).
(The Royal, Adelaide; Jun 23—July 3, Royal Comic
Opera Company).
Rickards Tivoli Theatres Ltd.
(The Tivoli, Sydney; 29 September—*).
J.C.Williamson
(New Zealand tour; ca. October).
(Her Majesty’s, Sydney; December 29—31, The Bing Boys).
(Her Majesty’s, Sydney; January 1—*, The Bing Boys).
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(Her Majesty’s, Brisbane; ca. June—July*, The Bing Boys).
(Her Majesty’s, Sydney; ca. September—*, The Bing Boys,
return season).
(Her Majesty’s, Sydney; December 26—31,
Hello Everybody).
(Her Majesty’s, Sydney; January—*, Hello Everybody).
Cook leaves for the USA in 1919.
(New York Hippodrome, Happy Days.)
54
Filmography
★
Kiss Me Quick (1920).
★
Fox Film Corporation.
★
Chase Me (I) (1920).
★
★
Chase Me (II) (1920).
Don’t Tickle (1920).
★
★
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The Huntsman (1920).
★
All Wrong (1921) - Private Wright.
Skirts (1921) - Peter Rocks Jr.
★
The Jockey (1921).
★
The Guide (1921).
★
The Sailor (1921).
★
The Toreador (1921).
★
The Chauffeur (1921).
The Pinhead (1924).
•
★
Pony Express (1924).
Lou Anger Productions.
★
The Misfit (1924) - the husband (Director and Writer).
Lou Anger Productions.
★
The Broncho Express (1924).
Educational Films Corporation of America.
★
The Orphan (1924).
★
Wet and Weary (1923).
•
The Cyclist (1923).
★
The Artist (1923).
★
High and Dry (1922).
★
Lazy Bones (1922).
So this is Marriage? (1924) - Mr Brown.
Metro-Goldwyn Pictures Corporation.
•
He who Gets Slapped (1924) - clown, uncredited
performance.
Metro-Goldwyn Pictures Corporation.
★
Splitting Hairs (1922).
★
Moonlight and Noses (1925) - burglar.
Hal Roach Studios.
★
The Eskimo (1922).
55
★
Should Sailors Marry? (1925) - Cyril D’Armond.
•
Hal Roach Studios.
★
Starvation Blues (1925) - street musician.
Paramount Pictures.
•
Hal Roach Studios.
★
What’s the World Coming To? (1926) - Claudia, the
Barbed Wire (1927) - Hans.
A Sailor’s Sweetheart (1927) - Sandy McTavish.
Warner Bros.
•
blushing groom/the baby.
Good Time Charley (1927) - Bill Collins.
Warner Bros.
Hal Roach Studios.
•
★
Wandering Papas (1926) - the camp cook (aka Enough to
Beware of Married Men (1928) - Botts.
Warner Bros.
Do (UK: short version)).
Hal Roach Studios.
★
Lucky in Love (1928) (aka Clyde Cook in Lucky in Love
[USA copyright title]).
★
Wife Tamers (1926) - butler.
Warner Bros.
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Hal Roach Studios.
•
★
Scared Stiff (1926).
The Docks of New York (1928) - ‘Sugar’ Steve.
Paramount Pictures.
Hal Roach Studios.
•
★
He Forgot to Remember (1926).
Domestic Troubles (1928) - James Bullard/Horace Bullard.
Warner Bros.
Hal Roach Studios.
•
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Miss Nobody (1926) - Bertie.
Pay as You Enter (1928) - Clyde Jones.
Warner Bros.
First National Picture.
•
•
•
The Winning of Barbara Worth (1926) - Tex.
Ambitious Annie).
Samuel Goldwyn Company.
Warner Bros.
White Gold (1927) - Homer.
•
DeMille Pictures Corporation.
•
The Brute (1927) - Oklahoma Red.
The Climbers (1927) - Pancho Mendoza.
Through the Breakers (1928) - John Lancaster.
Gotham Productions.
•
Warner Bros.
•
Five and Ten Cent Annie (1928) - Elmer Peck (aka
Celebrity (1928) - Circus.
Pathé Exchange.
•
Beware of Bachelors (1928) - Joe Babbitt (with talking
sequences).
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Pictures.
•
Simple Sis (1927) - Jerry O’Grady.
Warner Bros.
•
Interference (1928) - hearse driver.
Paramount Pictures.
•
The Bush Leaguer (1927) - Skeeter McKinnon.
Warner Bros.
•
The Spieler (1928) - Luke McIntosh (aka The Spellbinder
[UK]) (with talking sequences).
Ralph Block Productions.
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•
Captain Lash (1929) - Cocky.
•
Fox Film Corp.
•
Strong Boy (1929) - Pete.
Cosmopolitan Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
★
•
A Dangerous Woman (1929) - Tubbs.
Jazz Heaven (1929) - Max Langley.
★
The Taming of the Shrew (1929) - Grumio.
•
The Secret Witness (1931) - Larson, building engineer.
Columbia Pictures Corporation.
★
Elton Corporation and Pickford Corporation.
•
Stout Hearts and Willing Hands (1931) - Keystone Kop.
Masquers Club of Hollywood and RKO Pathé Pictures.
RKO Radio Pictures.
•
Don’t Divorce Him (1931).
Christie Film Company.
Paramount Pictures.
•
Never the Twain Shall Meet (1931) - Mr Porter.
The Wide Open Spaces (1931) - townsman at wedding.
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In the Headlines (1929) - Flashlight.
•
The Engineer’s Daughter (1932) (aka Iron Minnie’s
Revenge (1932).
•
Masquerade (1929) - Blodgett.
★
What Price Taxi (1932) - first taxi boy.
Hal Roach Studios.
•
Women Everywhere (1930) - Sam Jones.
•
Blondie of the Follies (1932) - dancer.
Cosmopolitan Productions and Metro Goldwyn Mayer.
•
Officer O’Brien (1930) - Limo Lewis.
Pathé Exchange.
★
Strange Innertube (1932) - Hercules.
Hal Roach Studios.
•
The Dude Wrangler (1930) - Pinkey Fripp.
K.B.S. Productions.
•
West of Singapore (1933) - Ricky.
Monogram Pictures.
•
Wings of Adventure (1930) - Pete ‘Skeets’ Smith.
Tiffany Productions.
•
Oliver Twist (1933) - Tom Chitling.
Monogram Pictures.
•
The Dawn Patrol (1930) - Bott (aka The Flight
Commander [USA copyright title]).
★
First National Pictures and The Vitaphone Corporation.
•
Sunny (1930) - Sam.
Hal Roach Studios.
•
First National Pictures.
★
The Shooting of Dan the Duck (1931).
Daybreak (1931) - Josef.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Strictly in Confidence (1933) (Director).
Warner Bros. and First National Productions.
•
E.W.Hammons (Educational Pictures).
•
Thundering Taxis (1933) - one of the taxi boys.
Shock (1934) - Hawkins.
W.T. Lackey Productions.
•
Dick Turpin (1935) (Producer).
John Stafford Productions and Stoll Picture Productions.
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•
•
The Informer (1935) - flash patron, uncredited
•
performance.
uncredited performance.
RKO Radio Pictures.
Universal Pictures.
Calm Yourself (1935) - Joe.
•
•
One Hundred Men and a Girl (1937) - man in restaurant,
The Bishop Misbehaves (1935) - mission patron,
Bulldog Drummond’s Peril (1938) - Constable Sacker
Paramount Pictures.
•
Kidnapped (1938) - Blubber the ship’s cook.
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.
•
•
Barbary Coast (1935) - Oakie.
Mysterious Mr Moto (1938) - sandwich man.
Samuel Goldwyn-Mayer.
•
•
The Perfect Gentleman (1935) - drunk
The Storm (1938) - tailor, uncredited performance.
Universal Pictures.
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•
•
The White Angel (1936) - Perkins, a soldier uncredited
Storm over Bengal (1938) - Alf.
Republic Pictures.
performance.
•
Arrest Bulldog Drummond (1939) - Constable Sacker.
Paramount Pictures.
•
Tugboat Princess (1936) - Steve the Engineer.
Kenneth J. Bishop Productions and Central Films.
•
The Little Princess (1939) - hospital attendant.
•
Bulldog Drummond Escapes (1937) - Alf.
Paramount Pictures.
•
Bulldog Drummond’s Secret Police (1939) - Constable
Hawkins.
•
Lancer Spy (1937) - orderly, uncredited performance.
Paramount Pictures.
•
•
Another Dawn (1937) - Sergeant Murphy.
Bulldog Drummond’s Bride (1939) - Constable Sacker
Paramount Pictures.
•
•
•
•
Pack Up Your Troubles (1939) - British guard, uncredited
Wee Willie Winkie (1937) - Pipe Major Sneath.
performance.
Souls at Sea (1937) - Hendry the coachman, uncredited
•
The Light that Failed (1939) - Soldier, uncredited
performance.
performance.
Paramount Pictures.
Paramount Pictures.
Love under Fire (1937) - Bert.
•
Wolf of New York (1940) - Jenkins, uncredited
performance.
Republic Pictures.
58
•
The Sea Hawk (1940) - Walter Boggs.
•
•
Dance, Girl, Dance (1940) - Claude, uncredited
The Man from Down Under (1943) - Ginger Gaffney.
•
performance.
Follow the Boys (1944) - stooge, uncredited performance.
Universal Pictures.
RKO Radio Pictures.
•
•
•
The White Cliffs of Dover (1944) - Jennings, uncredited
Suspicion (1941) - photographer, uncredited performance
performance.
RKO Radio Pictures.
Sergeant York (1941) - British soldier, uncredited
•
performance.
To Each His Own (1946) - Mr Harkett.
Paramount Pictures.
•
•
Ladies in Retirement (1941) - Bates.
The Verdict (1946) - Barney Cole.
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•
•
•
Bulldog Drummond at Bay (1947) - hotel clerk, uncredited
Unexpected Uncle (1941) - band singer.
performance.
RKO Radio Pictures.
Klondike Fury (1942) - Yukon.
•
So You Want to be in Pictures (1947) - actor in army
scene, uncredited performance.
King Brothers Productions.
Richard L. Bare Productions and The Vitaphone Corporation.
★
The Gay Nineties (1942) - Gay Nineties Skit.
Universal Pictures.
•
To the Victor (1948) - Cockney bartender.
•
Counter Espionage (1942) - Hot Chestnuts Huckster,
•
•
•
This Above All (1942) - truck driver, uncredited
Sword in the Desert (1949) - sentry.
Universal International Pictures.
•
When Willie Comes Marching Home (1950) - Tarjack,
performance.
White Cargo (1942) - Ted the first mate on the Congo
•
Queen.
Pride of Maryland (1951) - Fred Leach.
Republic Pictures.
Loews and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
•
•
•
Rogue’s March (1953) - fisherman, uncredited
Forever and a Day (1943) - cabby.
performance.
RKO Radio Pictures.
The Mysterious Doctor (1943) - Herbert, uncredited
performance.
•
Loose in London (1953) - taxi driver.
Monogram Pictures.
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•
The Maze (1953) - cab driver, uncredited performance.
Allied Artists Pictures.
•
Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953) drunk in the pub, uncredited performance.
Universal International Pictures.
•
Superman (TV Series) – ‘A Ghost for Scotland Yard’
(1953) - news vendor.
•
Donovan’s Reef (1963) - uncredited performance.
John Ford Productions and Paramount Pictures.
★
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Denotes short film – usually two-reelers running 20
minutes or less.
Of the others that are listed, except for the Superman
TV series episode, they are feature films running 40
minutes or longer.
60
Acknowledgements
When I started my research for this book I did not expect to make contact with
so many interesting people from such diverse backgrounds.
This story could not have been told without the following people, some of
whom I have been fortunate to have spent time with and others who I have not
yet had the pleasure of meeting:
Nick Cook, Dr Clay Djubal, Jeannette Delamoir, Ken Robichaux, Margaret
Cook, Jordan R. Young, Valerie Yaros, Eva Tucholka, Harriet Culver, Gwen
Whitlock, Wendy Schussler, Pamela Wisniewski, Mickey Gautney, Staci Reilly,
Lucy Spencer, Gary Welte, Richard W. Bann, Charles Vodicka, Geoffrey Hales
and Honey Lea.
to
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My darling wife Karen
For encouraging me to write this story
and your invaluable assistance with research.
Just when I had solved one issue you would find something to top it
– which meant further research.
I love you.
Courtney and Haydn
I love you for not only contributing to my grey hair but for being in my life.
and to
Emil Ruggiero
My very dear friend.
Thank you for finding the missing links when I had just about given up.
and finally to
Maddyx
May all your dreams come true.
61
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about the author
Mitch grew up in Sydney and in his school years showed no interest in history at
all, in his own words, probably because of the way that it was taught - either by
dates or rote. However, Mitch was interested in people as their stories brought
history to life.
After completing his schooling he moved to Port Macquarie on the New South
Wales Mid North Coast and landed a job at a local Council. While continuing
to study he became interested in history and it was in later years that he became
the Heritage Officer of a local Council.
Mitch left Council in 2009 and established Port Macquarie Hastings Heritage
a consultancy that specialises in researching and interpreting history and
culture and providing advice aimed at achieving a balance between preservation
and change.
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This is Mitch’s second publication, the first being It’s not Hollywood, but… which
was published in 2011.
Mitch will tell you that he is not an author just a person who likes talking to
people - as it’s the people that have the wonderful stories, stories that they will
tell if they are only asked and if we have time to listen.
Clyde Cook was a remarkable man. Born in a
small timber village near Port Macquarie, New South
Wales, he went on to become a feature specialty act with
J.C. Williamson’s before trying his luck in Great Britain.
There he established a considerable reputation as a
dancer and singer in vaudeville, revue and musical
comedy. And that’s only half the story. With his
trademark moustache, Cook starred in a series of
slapstick comedy films in the early 1920s which had
been built around his talents as an acrobatic comedian.
In the process he became Australia’s first true Hollywood
star, and later went on to appear in more than 140 films.
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Another remarkable aspect of Clyde’s career is that not until
now has it been told in any depth. In Gone but not forgotten:
the Clyde Cook story, Mitch McKay takes us on a journey
of discovery, providing insight into a man who
had few equals as an eccentric dancer and
whose contribution to American
cinema saw him accorded a
star on the Hollywood Walk
of Fame.
Dr Clay Djubal
Australian Variety
Theatre Archive

media preview copy only not for publication

Transcription

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