Tag: HOLLYWOOD CAVALCADE

Who was Stephanie Insall?

In James Finlayson’s LA Times obituary, the woman who found his body was described as an old friend who had had breakfast with him for twenty years. Surely a euphemism!

Jimmy Finlayson, one of the original Keystone Kops of the Mack Sennett slapstick comedy days, was found dead yesterday at his Hollywood home, 1966 N. Beachwood Drive.

The body of the 66-year-old Scottish comedian was discovered by his old friend, English Actress Stephanie Insall.

Finlayson had been in the habit of breakfasting with the actress for the past 20 years. When he didn’t appear as usual at her home, 5959 Franklin Ave., she went to investigate.

Source: ‘JIMMY FINLAYSON OF OLD KEYSTONE KOP FAME DIES’, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct 1953, part I, p. 10.

So, who exactly was Stephanie Insall and what was the nature of her relationship with James Finlayson?

Early Life

Stephanie Hope Insall was born on 16 Feb 1908 in Bristol, England.¹ She was the daughter of Bertie Augustus Insall, a sanitary engineer, and Evelyn Liley Insall née Brown.

In 1911, age 3, she lived with her mother Evelyn and sister Marjory at the Drawbridge Hotel in Bristol.² The hotel was owned by her grandmother Mary Ann Brown.

In 1916, at the Bristol Eisteddfod, Stephanie was awarded a certificate in the category of Pianoforte (Under Nine Years of Age).³

Later, in 1923-24, she studied at the Blanche Smith Pianoforte School in Bristol and passed various music exams at Trinity College of Music in London.^4,5

Marriage and Divorce

In 1928, she married Felix Hill and they lived together in Hampstead, London.⁶

In 1934, she divorced her husband,⁷ and a year later, age 27, she sailed from Southampton to New York, bound for the Hollywood Plaza Hotel, Los Angeles.⁸

Coincidentally, James Finlayson had made the same journey just four months earlier,⁹ returning from his two year ‘quota quickie’ stint in London.

Down Mexico Way

On 12 Nov 1936, Stephanie crossed the Mexican border into the USA on foot at Calexico, California.¹⁰ She had previously been resident for one night only in Mexicali and worked as a singer. Her intention was to reside permanently at 6200 Franklin Ave, Hollywood, and her friend she intended to join there was Alex Finlayson of Culver City.

Alex Finlayson could be either James’ older brother or his nephew.

6200 Franklin Ave is the address of the Hollywood Tower apartment building, a popular residence for entertainment industry employees since it was built in 1929. Interestingly, James Finlayson also stayed here in 1937.¹¹

Clyde Cook Divorce Case

Both James and Stephanie would give evidence at the divorce hearing of Australian comic actor Clyde Cook, whose wife was accused of being a drunkard.^12,13  Cook and Finlayson, who had previously appeared together in WHAT’S THE WORLD COMING TO? (1926), had both been working for Warner Bros. in London in 1933-35, with Clyde directing a couple of the eleven films James made there.

Finlayson testified that he had seen Cook’s wife “with liquor” on several occasions, and that she had struck him once at a party:

We went up in the lift and Mrs. Cook came to the door. I gave the usual salutation and I don’t remember what happened for several minutes because I got smacked on the jaw so hard I did not know what was going on. There was no reason for it.

I then made the observation that I was not wanted, so I left, as quietly and quickly as possible.

Source: ‘Witness Testifies Blow by Mrs. Cook Laid Him Out’, Los Angeles Daily News, 4 May 1938, p. 5.

Stephanie also testified that she had seen Mrs Cook intoxicated at a London party.  Perhaps unsurprisingly, Clyde Cook was eventually awarded custody of his daughter.

Engaging Appearance

In September 1939, it was announced that they were to marry:

It will be a trek to the altar for Jimmy Finlayson, the comic and Stefani Insull [sic], English stage star now living in Hollywood – they’ll set the date as soon as that European fracas quiets down.

Source: ‘CUFF NOTES’, Elyria Chronicle Telegram, 2 Sep 1939, p. 6.

If we assume they were engaged on or after James’ birthday in August, then he would be 52 years old and Stephanie would have been 31. (It is perhaps worth noting that at the time of James’ short-lived marriage to Emily Cora Gilbert in 1919, he was 31 and Emily was 19).

But, hang on a minute, the Cook divorce case report in the LA Daily News refers to Stephanie as James fiancé. Why would their engagement announcement appear in a newspaper a year later? Had they really been engaged in 1938, or had the reporter embellished their close relationship?

Star-studded Premiere

In October 1939, the newly (?) engaged couple attended the premiere of HOLLYWOOD CAVALCADE at the Four Star Theatre.¹⁴ 730 guests paid $10 a ticket (donated to the Motion Picture Relief Fund) to see the film, a celebration of fifty years of the American motion picture industry. From a specially constructed “rooting section”, an estimated crowd of ten thousand fans cheered and applauded the stars in attendance, such as Shirley Temple, Joan Crawford and Hedy Lamar. Also attending were Mack Sennett (a technical advisor on the film, who also appears in it), Mr and Mrs Hal Roach, and Mr and Mrs Leo McCarey.

James Finlayson features in the film, where he plays one of the Keystone Cops chasing after Buster Keaton and the film’s co-star Alice Faye. James’ good friend Ben Turpin also makes a cameo appearance (as a bartender).

Declaration of Intention

In December, Stephanie filed a Declaration of Intention to apply for U.S. Citizenship.¹⁵ The form gives her address as 6200 Franklin Ave (same address as 1936 border crossing) and her occupation as actress. Her complexion was light, her eyes blue and hair blonde. She was 5ft 1in tall and weighed 110 pounds (just under 8 stone).

Film Career

The 1940 Census shows Stephanie working as an actress in motion pictures and still living at 6200 Franklin Ave.¹⁶

The American Film Institute catalogue gives her three ‘offscreen credits’:

• THIS ABOVE ALL (1942) – Womens’ Auxiliary Air Force girl
• JOURNEY FOR MARGARET (1942) – woman in subway
• THE LAW AND THE LADY (1951) – patron

THIS ABOVE ALL, a Darryl F. Zanuck adaptation of a novel set during the Battle of Britain, is interesting in that Clyde Cook also had an uncredited role (as a driver), as did another of James’ friends Billy Bevan (as a farmer).

Handywoman

And, it seems Stephanie had a hand in making a few other films too:

Stephanie Insall. Said to have the most beautiful hands of any girl in Hollywood. Her hands have been doubled in films for those of Joan Crawford, Veronica Lake, Norma Shearer, Marlene Dietrich, Hedy La Marr [sic], Claudette Colbert and Rosalind Russell.

Source: ‘Passing By’, The San Francisco Examiner, 7 Jun 1942, p. 28.

I’ve heard of body doubles, but didn’t know you could specialise in hands only! Perhaps, given her musical background, it was Stephanie’s hands seen playing the piano in close-ups, while the stars faked it in medium shots?

1966 N. Beachwood Drive

The 1950 Census records both Stephanie and James as lodgers in the household of Charles Hadlett at 1966 Beachwood Drive, Los Angeles.¹⁷ Neither of them are working and they are both single. (A third lodger is Sam Sherman, age 40, an author working at a motion picture studio).

Of course, 1966 North Beachwood Drive is the address where James Finlayson died on 9 October 1953. It is also less than a ten minute walk from 6200 Franklin Ave.

Was Stephanie merely staying over on the particular evening when the census was taken? Or were they living in sin together?

In July of 1953, Stephanie was advertising for work:

Second Marriage and Death

In 1967, Stephanie married David Ott.¹⁸ However, it only lasted a year.¹⁹

On 5 Dec 1987, age 79, she passed away in Los Angeles.²⁰ Funeral services were provided by Pierce Bros.,²¹ the same undertakers who organised James Finlayson’s funeral.

Conclusion

As shown above, the evidence places Stephanie Insall firmly in the orbit of film star James Finlayson over the span of twenty years.

James’ LA Times obituary places the beginning of the relationship in 1933. Their appearances at the Cook trial confirm James and Stephanie together in the same London social circles. Add in her divorce in 1934, and emigration to the United States in 1935, just months after James departure, then perhaps a picture can be pieced together.

They both lived in the same apartment building 1936-37, were apparently engaged in either 1938 or 1939, and were seen stepping out together at a movie premiere. In 1950, they were lodging together in the same apartment where three years later Stephanie would find James dead.

Lastly, one wonders why they never did marry? Seems like it will remain a mystery.

Notes

MADAME MYSTERY (1926) is a Hal Roach comedy starring Theda Bara. It features James Finlayson, Tyler Brooke and Oliver Hardy in supporting roles. It was directed by Richard Wallace and Stan Laurel.

Sources

1. “England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NN7H-DRF : 10 February 2018, Stephenie Hope Insall, ); citing p 375 ln 2993, index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 1,597,121.
2. “England and Wales Census, 1911,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X71Z-Q18 : 12 July 2019), Stephanie Hope Insall in household of Mary Ann Brown, Bristol, Gloucestershire, England; from “1911 England and Wales census,” database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 14, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.
3. ‘BRISTOL EISTEDDFOD – SECOND DAY’, Western Daily Press, 22 Jun 1916, p. 7, FindMyPast, British Newspaper Archive.
4. ‘BRISTOL CENTRE SUCCESSES’, Western Daily Press, 16 Jul 1923, p.7, FindMyPast, British Newspaper Archive.
5. ‘BRISTOL CENTRE SUCCESSES’, Western Daily Press, 15 Jul 1924, p.7, FindMyPast, British Newspaper Archive.
6. “England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVZ1-KQQV : 8 October 2014), Stephanie H Insall and null, 1928; from “England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005,” database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing 1928, quarter 1, vol. 1A, p. 1101, Hampstead, London, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.
7. Divorce Court File: 9889, Appellant: Stephanie Hope Hill, Respondent: Horace Alexander Felix Hill, Type: Wife’s petition for divorce [WD], The National Archives, ref. J 77/3268/9889.
8. Ancestry.com, New York, Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
9. “New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:24V8-5PH : 12 March 2018), James Finlayson, 1935; citing Immigration, New York, New York, United States, NARA microfilm publication T715 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
10. The National Archives and Records Administration; Washington D.C.; Manifests of Alien Arrivals at Calexico, California, March 1907-December 1952; NAI: 2843448; Record Group Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004.; Record Group Number: 85; Microfilm Roll Number: 13.
11. Screen Actors Guild membership application, 12 Jun 1937, James Henderson Finlayson, member no. 10080, SAG-AFTRA Archives.
12. ‘SCOTCH COMEDIAN AIDS CLYDE COOK DIVORCE CASE’, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 1938, p. 3.
13. ‘Witness Testifies Blow by Mrs. Cook Laid Him Out’, Los Angeles Daily News, 4 May 1938, p. 5.
14. Kendall, Read, ‘Filmdom Turns Out En Masse for Premiere’, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct 1939, p. 30.
15. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Naturalization Records of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, Central Division (Los Angeles), 1887-1940; Microfilm Roll: 56; Microfilm Serial: M1524.
16. “United States Census, 1940,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K9CD-PB4 : 27 July 2019), Stephanie Insall, Councilmanic District 2, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Township, Los Angeles, California, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 60-125, sheet 3B, line 61, family 91, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 – 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 398.
17. “United States, Census, 1950”, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6XG2-4KBJ : Tue Mar 18 05:47:04 UTC 2025), Entry for Charles Hadlett and Catherine Hadlett, April 10, 1950.
18. Ancestry.com, California, Marriage Index, 1960-1985 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.
19. Ancestry.com, California, Divorce Index, 1966-1984 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.
20. Ancestry.com, California, Death Index, 1940-1997 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000.
21. ‘DEATH NOTICES/FUNERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS’, Los Angeles Times, 8 Dec 1987, p. 79.