Tag: James Finlayson

Categories
Biography Film Hollywood

Madame Mystery

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

Photo of the Hollywood Tower apartment building, where Stephanie Insall stayed
Hollywood Tower, 6200 Franklin Ave., Los Angeles, California.
Source: User ‘Los Angeles‘, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

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.

Stephanie Insall pictured at the Clyde Cook divorce trial in 1938.
Source: ‘SCOTCH COMEDIAN AIDS CLYDE COOK DIVORCE CASE’, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 1938, p. 3.

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).

Still from HOLLYWOOD CAVALCADE (1939), with Hank Mann, James Finlayson, Eddie Collins and Heinie Conklin dressed as Keystone Cops, and Jed Prouty as the Chief of Police.
Hank Mann, James Finlayson, Eddie Collins, Heinie Conklin and Jed Prouty in HOLLYWOOD CAVALCADE (1939).
Source: Photoplay Studies, vol. 5, no. 18, p. 11.

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, 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:

Advert for Singing & Diction tuition placed by Stephanie Insall of London, England, in the Los Angeles Times of 3 Jul 1953.
Advert placed by Stephanie Insall in the Los Angeles Times.
Source: Los Angeles Times, 3 Jul 1953, p. 30.

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.

Categories
Biography

Hook, Line and Sinker

Fishing for descendants of the actor James Finlayson

I’ve long searched for possible descendants of James Finlayson. His 1919 marriage to Emily Cora Gilbert ended childless after less than five years and he never remarried. Nevertheless, rumours have persisted of offspring in either England or France perhaps the result of a romantic dalliance while in London or Paris, both cities where he enjoyed holidaying.

Today, I can exclusively put those rumours to bed!

DNA Testing

I share ~12.50% of X-chromosome DNA with James Finlayson, our common female ancestor being Isabella Todd Henderson née Wood, maternal grandmother of ‘Fin’ and my great-great-grandmother (on my mother’s side).

I took a DNA test with FamilyTreeDNA some years ago, initially to find more about my paternal line via Y-chromosome DNA. Later, I upgraded to autosomal DNA testing, and I subsequently uploaded the results to the genealogy site MyHeritage where I have had some success confirming matches with second and third cousins.

I recently had a match with a Madame Mabel from Normandy.  I was puzzled at this as I’d only previously had matches with Baltic Sea nations such as Germany, Denmark, Poland, Sweden, Finland and Latvia. These matches had made sense as my great-great-grandfather James Henderson, who was a ship’s captain, had visited ports in these countries (and had clearly created a few non-paternity events!), but I wasn’t aware he had ever sailed to France.

However, I knew from passenger list records that his grandson had…

The French Connection

On 16 August 1924, age 36, James Finlayson arrived at Ellis Island, New York on the ship Paris from Le Havre in France.1 His marital status was single, his occupation was actor, and his last permanent address was Hotel Rochambeau in Paris, France. His final destination was his home at 1515 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California and he had previously resided in the U.S. from 1911 to 1924.

This was the return leg of a trip James had made to Scotland, when he had delivered a film lecture at the Stenhousemuir Picture Palace.

The address given in Paris on the ships’ manifest should actually have said Hôtel de Rochambeau which is named after a lieutenant general who fought alongside George Washington in the American Revolutionary War. The building is located at 40 Rue du Cherche-Midi.

Hôtel de Rochambeau, 40 rue du Cherche-Midi, Paris 6e (Source: Wikipedia)

Nine Months Later

Near this address is a church called Eglise Saint-Ignace. It was here, on 1 April 1925, that an infant was baptised.2 Of course, April 1925 is almost nine months after James Finlayson left France in August 1924…

The discovery I have made in the Paris Archives – thanks to Madame Normand – has a record type of ‘Naissance‘ (French for birth).

The baby girl is named ‘Avril Deau‘ – her first name after the month in which she was born (Avril being French for April). Her middle name – pronounced d’oh! – is perhaps a maternal ancestor’s surname linked to the town of Deauville in Normandy?

The mother is recorded as ‘Marie Mosquini Poissonnier‘ and was unmarried. She was the daughter of a fishmonger (Poissonnier – French for fishmonger – is an occupational surname like Smith, Archer or Taylor).  

The father is recorded as ‘Jacques, fils de Finlay’.  His occupation is given as ‘acteur de cinéma’. So, Avril D. Poissonnier was the child of the actor James Finlayson.  Sacre bleu! Or should that be Holy mackerel?

Notes
Sources
  1. “New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JNH4-QMW : 30 January 2018), James Finlayson, 1924.
  2. 1925 Birth of Avril Deau Poissonnier in Paris, France; Archives de Paris, Actes d’état civil, Actes de naissance.

Categories
Biography Comedy Film Hollywood Silent Film Theatre

James Finlayson honoured at the Dobbie Hall

The portrait of James Finlayson being unveiled.
The portrait of James Finlayson being unveiled. Left to right: Ralph Palmer, Connor Draycott, John Adam, Gary Bouse (on stage), Ian Gardner.

Earlier this year James Finlayson was finally honoured in his home town of Larbert, where a painting of him by local artist Connor Draycott was unveiled on 9th March at the Dobbie Hall.

The event was naturally covered by local newspaper The Falkirk Herald, but was also picked up by BBC News and even in the Metro, which has the largest national newspaper print circulation in the UK.

A Small Town Idol

The afternoon of Fin fun was MC’d by Gary Bouse of the Dobbie Hall Trust, the charity which commissioned the portrait. There was a screening of the Laurel & Hardy film BONNIE SCOTLAND (1935), a talk about James’ early life and career, and video installations by pupils of Larbert High School.

Programme for the Remembering James Finlayson event at the Dobbie Hall
Programme for the Remembering James Finlayson event at the Dobbie Hall

Following a speech by Ian Gardner of the Dobbie Hall Trust, the portrait of James was unveiled by two of his first cousins once removed: Ralph Palmer and John Adam.  Ralph is the grandson of James’ paternal aunt Christina Palmer née Finlayson and John is the grandson of James’ maternal aunt Jane Calder Adam née Henderson.

The portrait of James Finlayson being unveiled.
The portrait of James Finlayson being unveiled. Left to right: Ralph Palmer, Connor Draycott, John Adam, Gary Bouse (on stage), Ian Gardner.

James’ portrait now stands in the entrance foyer of the Dobbie Hall alongside the Scottish Film Council plaque awarded to him in 1996 (now relocated from Bo’ness Library).

The portrait of James Finlayson hanging in the Dobbie Hall alongside his 1996 Scottish Film Council plaque
The portrait of James Finlayson hanging in the Dobbie Hall alongside his 1996 Scottish Film Council plaque

Our Relations

James Finlayson had two brothers and three sisters who also emigrated to the United States, and the descendants of his sisters Jean and Euphemia were delighted by news of the event.

Jean’s grandson, Steven Rice from Virginia, said: “When I saw the portrait of James Finlayson I was hit with overwhelming pride. Ever since I found out that James was dad’s uncle I always looked for movies that he was in, and it amazes me to find out that movie lovers still remember him for his comic acting style.“

Brother Craig Rice added: “The portrait was nice, I’m glad he is being recognized.”

And Sister Heather Dennis said: “The portrait is fantastic. I was very young when he died but we would watch him in the Laurel and Hardy movies and tell my Dad there is Uncle Jim.“

Euphemia’s granddaughter, Jeanne Hanson from Tennessee, said: “I absolutely love the portrait of my Uncle Jim. If a whimsical and a serious demeanor could be combined, the artist most definitely captured it.“

I would like to thank the people of Larbert for honouring a native son for his many accomplishments in the early era of cinema. The comedies of today could learn so much from the silent movies. Not a word was spoken but the side splitting laughter is a nod to their great acting skills. James Henderson Finlayson was one of those beloved pioneers.

Jeanne Hanson, Grand Sheik, Our Relations Tent of James Finlayson

Home Talent

The Dobbie Hall was where James started out in amateur dramatics whilst working as a tinsmith, being praised for his roles in the plays Rob Roy, Current Cash and The Shaughraun between 1907-09:

The acting of Mr J. H. Finlayson, as the “Dougal Cratur,” could not possibly have been improved upon. He was the life and soul of the piece, and his representation of the faithful and cunning follower of the Gregarach was warmly and deservedly applauded.

STENHOUSEMUIR AMATEUR DRAMATIC ASSOCIATION – PRODUCTION OF “ROB ROY”, Falkirk Herald, 13 Feb 1907.

A very large share of the work and responsibility as to the success of the piece rested with “Private Ned Bootles” (Mr James Finlayson) and “Rev. Lincoln Green” (Mr G. Anderson), and right well did they sustain their parts. Mr Anderson, as the quiet, simple vicar, was particularly effective, while the part of “Bootles” could not have been in more capable hands than those of Mr Finlayson.

“CURRENT CASH” – SUCCESSFUL PERFORMANCE BY STENHOUSEMUIR AMATEUR DRAMATIC ASSOCIATION, Falkirk Herald, 25 Dec 1907.

Mr James Finlayson, who has scored previous successes, added considerably to his laurels as “Captain Molineux”.

LARBERT AND STENHOUSEMUIR DRAMATIC CLUB – PRODUCTION OF “THE SHAUGHRAUN”, Falkirk Herald, 10 Mar 1909.

However, James was not the only Finlayson to appear at The Dobbie Hall. His cousin Marion Finlayson was a local dance teacher and regularly held social dances and children’s fancy dress dances at the Dobbie Hall, sometimes assisted by her sister Helen and brother John.

Completing the family connection, James’ uncles Robert and Malcolm Finlayson worked as grate fitters for Dobbie, Forbes & Co., the company founded by Major Robert Dobbie, the benefactor of the eponymous hall.

Sold at Auction!

The Dobbie Hall Trust are still looking for seat sponsors for the refurbished balcony. For a small cost, fans of James Finlayson have the opportunity to have their own personalised engraving on a rose gold plaque adorning one of the new seats in the very venue where James started off his acting career all those years ago.

Flyer from Dobbie Hall Trust re balcony chair sponsorship. The cost is £50 per chair, valid for 10 years. For more info email dhtevents@dobbiehall.org.uk
Flyer from Dobbie Hall Trust re balcony chair sponsorship
Categories
Biography Comedy Film Hollywood Silent Film

Doing the Larbert Walk

James Finlayson returns to Larbert

It is a rather wet Friday afternoon in Stenhousemuir in July 1924.  At the back of the Picture Palace cinema, a small clean-shaven bespectacled man puffs on a cigarette.  Although only in his mid-thirties, he is balding and looks much older.  He is somewhat tanned and dressed immaculately in what some would describe as “the American way” down to his tortoise-shell shoes.  A sign at the front of the building reads “TODAY: ‘A Day in the Life of a Cinema Artiste’, an illustrated lecture by James Finlayson”.

Whilst the talk had covered his days at Mack Sennett with his friend Ben Turpin and then being hired by Hal Roach to work opposite Stan Laurel, most of the presentation had been spent viewing the several thousand feet of film James had brought with him from Hollywood.  This had featured scenes from some of his latest films including ‘Rupert of Hee-Haw’, a lampoon of the sequel to ‘The Prisoner of Zenda’.  The audience having long since filed out, James decides to go for a short walk back to his old family home.  After first having been tempted to cross the street to the Plough Hotel for a small libation, he makes his way out west along Main Street.

Within a couple of minutes he passes the Dobbie Hall and, making a dramatic pause, recalls his first tentative appearances on the stage inside with the Stenhousemuir Amateur Dramatic and Musical Association.  He also remembers the large parade in 1900 celebrating the laying of the foundation stone with full Masonic honours.  Some two thousand marchers, led by the Carters on horseback and including representatives of the Foresters, Rechabites, Free Gardeners, Shepherds and Ironmoulders as well as the Boys’ Brigade, stretched for nearly a mile all the way from Pretoria Road to Larbert Railway Station.

James continues on his stroll along Main Street, past the station and Foundry Loan which leads to the ironworks.  Twenty-three years ago, James had been a young tinsmith at the Torwood Foundry.  He smiles as he thinks how fitting that he appeared in a film called ‘The Village Smithy’.  Suddenly, he hears heavy footsteps behind him, then turns around and does a double-take – it’s a large, fat man wearing a bowler hat.  D’ooooooh!  

After passing the Village School where he learned to read and write, he turns right down Victoria Road, mimicking the parade route.  There he stands outside his parents’ old home.  He thinks of how much he loved them and weeps.  The tears of a clown are shed as he recollects the painful shocks of the sudden losses of first his mother, then his older sister, and finally his father.  He hopes that they would have been proud of his cinematic achievements and reflects that he has done not too bad for a wee orphan boy from Larbert.

Stenhousemuir to Larbert

Route from the Plough Hotel, Stenhousemuir to Victoria Road, Larbert
Source: Google Maps

The short story above was submitted as an entry to the ‘500 Words for Falkirk’ short stories competition held by Great Place Falkirk in 2021. It depicts an imagined stroll by James Finlayson from a cinema in Stenhousemuir to his family’s house in Larbert and was inspired by a couple of newspaper articles: the first described the parade marking the start of construction on the Dobbie Hall in June 1900,1 and the second James’ film lecture at the Stenhousemuir Picture Palace in July 1924:

Local picture-goers had the opportunity on Friday last of acquiring first-hand knowledge about the famous film centre – Hollywood. Mr Jim Finlayson, of whom reference has already been made in this corner, appeared in person at Mr Faulkner’s establishment and gave a sort of illustrated lecture.

Mr Finlayson brought with him from Los Angeles several thousand feet of film depicting a day in the life of a cinema artiste, with himself as the character study in this instance. His remarks, together with the picture, were interesting to a degree.

Source: ’JOTTINGS OF THE WEEK – LARBERT AND STENHOUSEMUIR’, Falkirk Herald, 19 July 1924, p. 4.
Detail from Ordnance Survey map Stirlingshire nXXIV.14 (Revised: 1943, Published: 1947) showing the Picture Palace cinema and the Plough Hotel in Stenhousemuir with the Dobbie Hall to the west
Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland

New York to Glasgow

James had sailed from New York to Glasgow on the S.S. Tuscania, travelling First Class and arriving in Scotland on 9 Jun 1924.2 The ship’s manifest gives his occupation as Actor & Film Director, which opens up speculation that perhaps he had shot a behind-the-scenes Hollywood documentary? He arrived in his native Larbert on the same day, impressing the local youth with his stateside garb:

After chronicling from time to time items of interest regarding Jim Finlayson, the film star, who, amongst other distinctions, can say he is a Larbert chiel, this week we are able to report his arrival in the “dear auld hame”.

Mr Finlayson got here on Monday, to the delight of the younger generation, who seemed greatly taken on with his decided American appearance. With his “tortoiseshells”, the lad o’ pairts does not seem to have altered much during his thirteen years’ absence.

To a friend, Mr Finlayson confided that he saw no difference in the townlet, except that it was wetter than it used to be. Just to show that he hasn’t lost his skill in the tinsmithing line, Jim visited Torwood Foundry on Tuesday and produced a dustpan.

Source: ’JOTTINGS OF THE WEEK – LARBERT AND STENHOUSEMUIR’, Falkirk Herald, 14 Jun 1924, p. 6.
Detail from Ordnance Survey map Stirlingshire nXXIV.13 (Revised: 1943, Published: 1947) showing Larbert Village School and Victoria Road in Larbert with the Torwood Foundry to the north
Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland

London to Europe

After his visit to Larbert, he went to London and then on to Europe:

Jim Finlayson, the “film punster” (as he was designated by a Los Angeles contemporary) is not going back to the States without seeing a big slice of Europe.

Mr Finlayson left for the South on Sunday night, and after a brief stay in London he means to visit most of the Continental capitals, not by common or garden rail transport, if you please, but by the more up-to-date air service.

Source: ’JOTTINGS OF THE WEEK – LARBERT AND STENHOUSEMUIR’, Falkirk Herald, 5 July 1924, p. 4.
The Dobbie Hall around the time of James’ visit
Photo: Falkirk Herald Photographic Collection, Falkirk Council Archives

Le Havre to New York

He returned to New York from Le Havre, France aboard the S.S. Paris on 16 Aug 1924.3 He had been staying at the Hotel Rochambeau in Paris. His subsequent return to work being reported in the movie press:

Jim Finlayson, Roach comedian, has returned to New York en route to the Coast from Scotland to begin work on Labor Day.

Source: ’Finlayson Returns’, The Film Daily, 27 Aug 1924, p. 1.
S.S. Paris
Photo: Freshwater and Marine Image Bank, University of Washington

Many happy returns

He would return again to Scotland the following year,4 when he stayed at the Plough Hotel mentioned in the short story above.

The Plough Hotel around the time of James’ stay
Photo: Kemp Postcard Collection, Falkirk Council Archives

Finlayson would repeat these transatlantic crossings a number of times in his lifetime, with at least four voyages on the S.S. Paris. If only they had sail miles in those days instead of air miles – d’oh!

Notes
Sources
  1. ‘MAJOR DOBBIE’S GIFT TO LARBERT & STENHOUSEMUIR’, Falkirk Herald, 27 June 1900, pp. 4-5.
  2. 1924 Incoming Passenger Lists for the port of Glasgow, Ancestry.co.uk, The National Archives of the UK; Kew, Surrey, England; Board of Trade: Commercial and Statistical Department and successors: Inwards Passenger Lists.; Class: BT26; Piece: 755.
  3. “New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JNH4-QMW : 30 January 2018), James Finlayson, 1924.
  4. 1925 Incoming Passenger Lists for the port of Liverpool, Ancestry.co.uk, The National Archives of the UK; Kew, Surrey, England; Board of Trade: Commercial and Statistical Department and successors: Inwards Passenger Lists.; Class: BT26; Piece: 792; Item: 6.
Categories
Biography Comedy Film Hollywood Silent Film

Tell It To A Policeman

James Finlayson Assaulted

In January 1925, the actor James Finlayson was assaulted by a robber:

James Finlayson, comedian at the Hal Roach studio, reported to the police yesterday an attack on him by a robber, who he beat off. Finlayson said he left the apartment of a friend at Forty-sixth street and Western avenue about 1 a.m. As he was getting into his car, a man with a hat pulled down over his eyes approached and said he was an officer. Finlayson said he asked to see the man’s badge and the man struck him with a blackjack, but the actor dodged and the blow fell on his shoulder. Then he shoved his knee into the man’s stomach and ran, he said.

‘FILM COMEDIAN TELLS OF FIGHTING OFF THIEF’, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan 1925, p. 27.

Somewhat ironically, just a few months after this incident, the film TELL IT TO A POLICEMAN was released on 24 May 1925. This Roach-Pathé comedy two-reeler, directed by Fred Guiol, features James with Glenn Tryon and Blanche Mehaffey. It’s the first in a series of films where Finlayson supports Tryon, the others being THUNDERING LANDLORDS, MADAME SANS JANE, CUCKOO LOVE and FLAMING FLAPPERS. The review in Motion Picture News described it as “fair entertainment”,1 whilst Exhibitor’s Trade Review thought it “chock-full of laughs and thrills”.2 Make up your own mind by viewing it on the Internet Archive here.

Tell It To A Policeman - A Knock 'Em Dead Comedy
Excerpt from May 1925 cinema listing for the Majestic Theatre, Madison, WI

Blackjack: a small, flat, blunt, usually leather-covered weapon loaded with heavy material such as lead or ball-bearings, intended to inflict a blow to the head that renders the victim unconscious with diminished risk of lasting cranial trauma.

Wiktionary

James Finlayson Assaulted Again

Six years later, James was once again assaulted by a blackjack-wielding robber, but this time did not make good his escape:

Struck with a blackjack in the hands of a highwayman, James Finlayson of 6141 Afton place was knocked unconscious today when his assailant found he had no money.

‘SHOOTING THUGS FLEE WITH $45’, Los Angeles Evening Express, 20 Nov 1931, p. 3.

6141 Afton Place was the address of the Afton Arms, where Finlayson had been staying for at least 4 years.3,4

Afton Arms Apartments, 6141 Afton Place, in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California. Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #463.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, taken by user Downtowngal.

The idea of a movie star not having any money seems far-fetched, however in March 1932 James was sued by the accommodation for $620 rental (the equivalent of about $11,000 today).5

The intimation of his death in The Falkirk Herald – which was no doubt based on information from his younger brother Bob who was an occasional correspondent – mentions that Finlayson “lost a large part of his capital in the California bank crash”.6 This could refer to one of the many bank failures which occurred in America in the aftermath of the Wall Street Crash of 1929.

So, maybe James Finlayson was broke in November 1931 and had no d’oh after all!

Sources
  1. ‘Tell It To A Policeman’, Motion Picture News, vol. 31, no. 21, 23 May 1925, https://archive.org/stream/motionpicturenew00moti_7#page/2554/mode/2up.
  2. ‘Tell It to a Policeman’, Exhibitor’s Trade Review, vol. 17, no. 26, 23 May 1925, p. 58, https://archive.org/stream/ex00newy#page/58/mode/2up.
  3. 1927 Ship’s Manifest of Alien Passengers for the United States on S.S. Paris sailing from Le Havre, France on 27 Jul and arriving in New York on 3 Aug, FamilySearch, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KXL5-QBB.
  4. 1930 United States Census of Household of James Henderson FINLAYSON, Los Angeles, California, USA, FamilySearch, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XCJB-4BD.
  5. ‘NEWS FROM THE DAILIES’, Variety, 1 Mar 1932, p. 42.
  6. ‘Larbert and Stenhousemuir’, The Falkirk Herald, 17 Oct 1953, p. 6.

Categories
Comedy Film Hollywood Silent Film

A Man About Town

Store detective James Finlayson hides from suspected shoplifter Stan Laurel
Scene from A MAN ABOUT TOWN (1923)

Store detective James Finlayson hides from suspected shoplifter Stan Laurel
Scene from A MAN ABOUT TOWN (1923)
1923 silent film comedy with James Finlayson as Hunko, a store detective.

With Stan Laurel and Katherine Grant. Hal Roach comedy one-reeler. Directed by George Jeske. Distributed by Pathé. Released 16 Sep 1923.

A conductor tells Stan Laurel to follow a girl to be sure of transferring to the right car. Stan follows the wrong lady, who leads him into a lot of trouble. He is taken for a shoplifter but manages to evade the police. When he imagines he has at last caught the right car, he finds himself on the police wagon. This single-reeler is satisfactory entertainment.

Source: Exhibitor’s Trade Review, 15 Sep 1923, p. 716.


Categories
Comedy Film Hollywood Silent Film

Near Dublin

James Finlayson smashes a chair on Stan Laurel's head
Scene from NEAR DUBLIN (1924)
1924 silent film comedy where James Finlayson plays the part of Sean O’Hare [a pun on shorn of hair], brick merchant.

With Stan Laurel and Ena Gregory. Hal Roach comedy two-reeler. Directed by Ralph Ceder. Distributed by Pathé. Released 11 May 1924.

Sources: Motion Picture News Vol. XXX No. 17 Booking Guide Section, 25 Oct 1924, p. 69; The Film Daily, 4 May 1924, p. 12; Moving Picture World, 10 May 1924, p. 226.

Categories
Comedy Film Hollywood Silent Film

Pick and Shovel

Katherine Grant, Stan Laurel and James Finlayson in a publicity shot for PICK AND SHOVEL (1923)
Source: Exhibitors Trade Review, 16 Jun 1923, p. 102

1923 silent film comedy with James Finlayson as the foreman in a coal mine.

With Stan Laurel and Katherine Grant. All three main characters essentially reprise their roles from THE NOON WHISTLE. Hal Roach one-reeler. Directed by George Jeske. Distributed by Pathé. Released 17 Jun 1923.

Scenes from PICK AND SHOVEL (1923)
Source: Motion Picture News, 7 Jul 1923, p. 76


Categories
Comedy Film Hollywood Silent Film

The Noon Whistle

James Finlayson and Stan Laurel in THE NOON WHISTLE (1923)
Source: Exhibitors Trade Review, 5 May 1923

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.

Stan Laurel starts as star in Hal Roach one-reel comedy, NOON WHISTLE
Source: Motion Picture News, 28 Apr 1923


Categories
Biography Comedy Film Hollywood Silent Film

The Village Smithy

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).

James Finlayson, Chester Conklin and Louise Fazenda on promotional material for THE VILLAGE SMITHY (1919)
James Finlayson, Chester Conklin and Louise Fazenda on promotional material for THE VILLAGE SMITHY (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.

James Finlayson in 1901 Census
Excerpt from 1901 Census of the household of Alexander Finlayson in Larbert
(ScotlandsPeople: Census 1901 485/0A 001/00 043)

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.

The Falkirk Herald, 27 Jul 1927, p. 16
The Falkirk Herald, 27 Jul 1927, p. 16