1923 silent film comedy with James Finlayson as T. O’Hallahan, the foreman in a sawmill.
With Stan Laurel and Katherine Grant. Hal Roach comedy one-reeler. Directed by George Jeske. Distributed by Pathé. Released 29 Apr 1923.
Notable as the first Hal Roach film to feature Stan Laurel as a star.
This 1919 silent film comedy features James Finlayson as a blacksmith.
With Louise Fazenda, Chester Conklin and Phyllis Haver (also a small cameo from Ben Turpin). Mack Sennett two-reeler. Directed by F. Richard Jones. Distributed by Paramount. Released 9 Mar 1919.
Sources: ‘For Art’s Sake – BEN TURPIN’, Ben Turpin Filmography – Sennett 1917-1927; Sherk, Warren M., The Films of Mack Sennett: Credit Documentation from the Mack Sennett Collection at the Margaret Herrick Library, Scarecrow Press, 1998, p. 215; ‘How To Advertise THE VILLAGE SMITHY’, Paramount Comedy Releases Press Books (Sep 1918-Sep 1919).
As noted previously, in real life James had in fact been a tinsmith, as was his older brother Alex. Their father Alexander was a blacksmith and their paternal grandfather Robert was an iron grinder.
The excerpt below from The Falkirk Herald confirms that James worked at Jones and Campbell’s Torwood Foundry which was located at 55-59 Foundry Loan just a short walk from the Finlayson family home on Victoria Road, Larbert.
1923 silent film comedy where James Finlayson plays the part of the hard-hearted landlord. Watch James fall through the ice at the end of the YouTube clip below.
Starring Snub Pollard with Marie Mosquini. A Hal Roach comedy two-reeler, the film parodied the 1922 documentary NANOOK OF THE NORTH. Directed by Charley Chase. Distributed by Pathé. Released 4 Feb 1923.
Sources: Motion Picture News, 3 Feb 1923; The Film Daily, 23 Jan 1923; The Charley Chase Filmography, The World of Charley Chase.
1923 silent film comedy with James Finlayson as ‘Lieut. Hans Downe’.
Starring Stan Laurel as ‘Prof. Stanislaus Laurello’ and also briefly featuring Katherine Grant as ‘Mrs. Laurello’. Directed by Ralph Ceder. Produced by Hal Roach. Released 30 Sep 1923.
The film was a burlesque of the jungle adventure documentaries by Martin and Osa Johnson (e.g. 1921’s TRAILING AFRICAN WILD ANIMALS) and H.A. Snow (e.g. 1922’s HUNTING BIG GAME IN AFRICA WITH GUN AND CAMERA). It was the first in a series of such spoofs partnering James with Stan, the second being FROZEN HEARTS and the third being THE SOILERS.
James had a small role (as ‘Field Sergeant’) to provide some light relief in this 1930 World War One fighter ace drama directed by Howard Hawks and starring Richard Barthelmess and Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
The film was later renamed as Flight Commander and can be viewed here at the Internet Archive.
1924 silent film comedy with James Finlayson as ‘McGregor’s son’.
Starring Stan Laurel. Directed by George Jeske. Produced by Hal Roach. Distributed by Pathé. Released 3 Aug 1924.
You’d have thought they’d cast someone older to play his father – or got him to wear a wig!
1926 silent film comedy with James Finlayson as the butler ‘Simpson Sniffle’.
Starring Mabel Normand. Directed by Richard Wallace in collaboration with Stan Laurel (under F. Richard Jones supervision). Produced by Hal Roach.
1923 silent film comedy with James Finlayson as Sylvester Finkelbuster, Chief of Police, aka ‘The Man Who WAS Sold’.
Starring Snub Pollard. Directed by Charles Parrott (aka Charley Chase). Produced by Hal Roach. Distributed by Pathé. Released 27 May 1923.
Source: Motion Picture News, 26 May 1923.
1927 silent film comedy with James Finlayson as the teacher who has a nightmare about taking the Our Gang kids on a tour of Europe. Directed by Robert F. McGowan. Produced by Hal Roach. Reviewed in Motion Picture News of 7 Jan 1927.
See if you can spot Stan Laurel!
1927 silent film comedy with James Finlayson as ‘Boss of the Busy Bee’.
Starring Mabel Normand. Directed by Hal Yates (under F. Richard Jones supervision). Produced by Hal Roach.
The wig – unusually depicting him with a full of head of hair – is duly used as a prop when it catches fire!