Saturday, December 20, 2014

Hollywood Star Franklin Pangborn

For his contributions to motion pictures, Pangborn has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1500 Vine Street.  Sadly, not many people recognize his name.  He served in World War I and worked on Broadway before going into silent movies starting around 1926.  He was a talented actor and versitle but became favored for his comedic roles.  Mack Sennett used him in many shorts.  His facial expressions and mannerisms didn't quite classify him in the realm of somewhat effiminate male characters that film historians would later call "sissy" parts, but he was often close.  His uptight characters were often authority figures that ultimately were turned on their behinds, much to the delight of the audience.
Pangborn with a famous Tarzan
It's reported that  W.C. Fields was a great fan of him which is why he used him in several movies (including 1940s The Bank Dick), as well as working with Frank Capra, Gregory La Cava, and Preston Sturges.  In 1942 he worked in.

Yet Pangborn's usual stock of characters could fit drama as well. Actually, in Hero his coordinator Now, Voyager as the cruise tourist director with legendary Bette Davis.  As the talent of the silent era slipped into the shadows of Hollywood while television was in its infacncy, he used his connections and skills to work often on the little screen.

It was reported that Pangborn lived with his mother and his "occasional boyfriend.  He passed away on July 20, 1958

  • Exit Smiling (1926) - first film
  • Cheer Up and Smile (1930)
  • Not So Dumb (1930)
  • The Loud Mouth (1932)
  • The Half-Naked Truth (1932)
  • International House (1933)
  • Bed of Roses (1933)
  • Menu (1933)
  • Wild Poses (1933 Little Rascals short)
  • Flying Down to Rio (1933)
  • Strictly Dynamite (1934)
  • Young and Beautiful (1934)
  • 1,000 Dollars a Minute (1935)
  • The Headline Woman (1935)
  • Tomorrow's Youth (1935)
  • My Man Godfrey (1936)
  • Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
  • Easy Living (1937)
  • Stage Door (1937)
  • Bluebeard's Eighth Wife (1938)
  • Vivacious Lady (1938)
  • Four's a Crowd (1938)
  • Carefree (1938)
  • Just Around the Corner (1938)
  • Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938)
  • Topper Takes a Trip (1939)
  • Christmas in July (1940)
  • The Bank Dick (1940)
  • The Flame of New Orleans (1941)
  • Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941)