Mack Swain(bornMoroni Swain;[1]February 16, 1876 – August 25, 1935) was a prolific earlyAmericanfilmactor,who appeared in many ofMack Sennett’s comedies atKeystone Studios,including theKeystone Copsseries. He also appeared in major features byCharlie Chaplinand starred in both the world's first feature length comedy and first film to feature a "movie-within-a-movie"premise.
Mack Swain | |
|---|---|
 Photograph by Albert Witzel, 1920 | |
| Born | Moroni Swain February 16, 1876 Salt Lake City, Utah,U.S. |
| Died | August 25, 1935(aged 59) Tacoma, Washington,U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, vaudevillian |
| Years active | 1913-1935 |
| Spouse |
Cora Claire King (m.1899) |
Early years
editSwain was born on February 16, 1876, to Robert Henry Swain and Mary Ingeborg Jensen inSalt Lake City, Utah,and was educated in Salt Lake City's public schools. At age 6 he put on his first act called "Mack Swain's Mammoth Minstrels" in the family barn. At age 8 he stole all of his mother's sheets and linens to build his own circus tent. He ran away from home at age 15, joining aminstrel show.His mother took him home after one performance, but he persuaded her to let him continue in entertainment.[2]
Career
editIn the early 1900s, Swain had his ownstock theatercompany, the Mack Swain Co., which performed in the western[3]and midwestern United States.[4]His most notable residency, was inSanta Cruz, California,where at one point he was bringing in 6,000 patrons a week to see his performances; over two-thirds the population of the city at the time.[5]On June 24, 1907, the Mack Swain Co. had its 61st show in 50 days, breaking the record by any theater company ever appearing in Santa Cruz. That same year Swain bought the Alisky Theatre, and changed its name to Swain’s Theatre.[5]By 1913, audience attendance had begun to dry up and with it Swain's theatrical career. Mack was initially hesitant to work in the film industry, viewing it as an "inferior art form to theater," but eventually gave in after many of his fellow actors and peers had done the same.
His first foray intosilent filmbegan atKeystone StudiosunderMack Sennett.His first dressing room was shared withRoscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle.[1]Shortly after arriving at Keystone,Charlie Chaplintoo joined the studio and the two quickly teamed up. Swain would later recall that Sennett initially saw him and Chaplin as a burden, and encouraged the two to work together. These early films such as:Laughing Gas(1914)andMabel's Married Life(1914)would forge a friendship between the two that would endure until Swain's death. Chaplin would later state that his idea for his infamous character, The Tramp, came from him rummaging through Swain's and Arbuckle's dressing room; the baggy clothes from Arbuckle and the iconic mustache from one of Swain's own fake mustaches.[5]Swain and Chaplin would eventually star in the world's first feature length comedy,Tillie's Punctured Romance(1914).Chaplin soon left Keystone and Swain paired up withChester Conklinto make a series ofcomedy films.With Swain as "Ambrose" and Conklin as the grand mustachioed "Walrus", they performed these roles in several films includingThe Battle of Ambrose and WalrusandLove, Speed and Thrills,both made in 1915. Another of Swain's early comedies made a cinematic first; hisA Movie Star(1916)was the first film to feature amovie within a moviepremise.
Besides these comedies, the two appeared together in a variety of other films, 26 all told, and they also appeared separately and/or together in films starringMabel Normand,Charles Chaplin,Roscoe Arbuckleand most of the rest of the roster of Keystone players.
Swain later took his Ambrose character with him to theL-KO Kompany.Having already worked with Charles Chaplin at Keystone, Swain began working with Chaplin again atFirst Nationalin 1921, appearing inThe Idle Class,Pay Day,andThe Pilgrim.He is also remembered for his large supporting role as Big Jim McKay in the1925filmThe Gold Rush,[1]forUnited Artists,written by and starring Chaplin.[6]
Personal life
editSwain was married to actress Cora King.[7]
Death
editSwain died on a train bound from Chicago to Hollywood in August 25, 1935, following an illness that only lasted a few hours. He was buried inTacoma, Washington.[6]
It is rumored that an accident sustained in an earlyKeystone Copsskit involvingRoscoe "Fatty" Arbucklekicking him in the stomach eventually led to his death.[citation needed]
Legacy
edit
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Swain received a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame,at 1500 Vine Street.[8]
Partial filmography
edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1914 | A False Beauty | The Policeman | |
| 1914 | Caught in the Rain | Husband | Short |
| 1914 | His Musical Career | Mike aka Ambrose - Tom's Partner | Short |
| 1914 | Tillie's Punctured Romance | John Banks | |
| 1914 | Getting Acquainted | Ambrose | Short |
| 1915 | Love, Speed and Thrills | Short | |
| 1916 | A Movie Star | Handsome Jack | Short |
| 1917 | Lost- A Cook | Cook | |
| 1921 | The Idle Class | Edna's Father | Short, Uncredited |
| 1922 | Pay Day | Foreman | Short |
| 1923 | The Pilgrim | Deacon Jones | |
| 1925 | The Gold Rush | Big Jim McKay | |
| 1925 | The Eagle | Innkeeper | Uncredited |
| 1926 | Hands Up! | Silas Woodstock | |
| 1926 | Torrent | Don Matías | |
| 1926 | Sea Horses | Bimbo-Bomba | |
| 1926 | The Cohens and Kellys | Minor Role | Uncredited |
| 1926 | Kiki | Pastryman | |
| 1926 | Footloose Widows | Ludwig, Marian's husband-in-retrospect | |
| 1926 | Honesty – The Best Policy | Bendy Joe | |
| 1926 | The Nervous Wreck | Jerome Underwood | |
| 1926 | Her Big Night | Myers | |
| 1926 | Whispering Wires | McCarthy | |
| 1927 | The Beloved Rogue | Nicholas | |
| 1927 | See You in Jail | Slossom | |
| 1927 | The Shamrock and the Rose | Mr. Kelly | |
| 1927 | The Tired Business Man | Mike Murphy | |
| 1927 | Mockery | Vladimir Gaidaroff | |
| 1927 | Finnegan's Ball | Patrick Flannigan | |
| 1927 | My Best Girl | The Judge | |
| 1927 | Becky | Irving Spiegelberg | |
| 1927 | A Texas Steer | Bragg | |
| 1927 | The Girl from Everywhere | Wilfred Ashcraft - Director | |
| 1928 | Gentlemen Prefer Blondes | Sir Francis Beekman | |
| 1928 | Tillie's Punctured Romance | Tillie's Father | |
| 1928 | Caught in the Fog | Detective Ryan | |
| 1928 | The Last Warning | Robert Bunce | |
| 1929 | The Cohens and the Kellys in Atlantic City | Mr. Tom Kelly | |
| 1929 | The Locked Door | Hotel Proprietor | |
| 1929 | Marianne | General | |
| 1930 | Redemption | Magistrate | |
| 1930 | The Sea Bat | Dutchy | |
| 1930 | Soup to Nuts | First Fat Diner | Uncredited |
| 1931 | Finn and Hattie | Le Bottin | |
| 1932 | The Midnight Patrol | ||
| 1935 | Bad Boy | Man on Rowing Machine | Uncredited (final film role) |
Images
edit-
Clockwise from top:Phyllis Allen,Mack Swain,Charles ChaplinandMabel NormandinGetting Acquainted(1914) -
With Charles Chaplin and Mabel Normand inGentlemen of Nerve(1914)
References
edit- ^abHunter, James Michael (2013).Mormons and Popular Culture: The Global Influence of an American Phenomenon.ABC-CLIO. pp. 250–251.ISBN9780313391675.RetrievedMay 15,2018.
- ^"Mack Swain, Colorful Film Comedian and Pioneer, Dies".The Salt Lake Tribune.Utah, Salt Lake City. Associated Press. August 27, 1935. p. 18.RetrievedMay 14,2018– viaNewspapers.
- ^"'The Little Minister'".Petaluma Daily Morning Courier.California, Petaluma. Napa Journal. February 18, 1907. p. 1.RetrievedMay 14,2018– viaNewspapers.
- ^"At the Opera House".The Alliance Herald.Nebraska, Alliance. October 14, 1904. p. 4.RetrievedMay 14,2018– viaNewspapers.
- ^abc"The Keystone comics of Santa Cruz | Ross Eric Gibson, Local History".Santa Cruz Sentinel.January 8, 2023.RetrievedMarch 3,2023.
- ^ab"Mack Swain Dead. Pioneer Film Actor. Appeared With Charlie Chaplin in Keystone Comedies Before Days of 'Stars'".New York Times.Associated Press.RetrievedMarch 9,2015.
Mack Swain, stage and screen actor, died here late last night after a few hours' illness. He had suffered an internal hemorrhage in the afternoon....
- ^"Death Calls Mack Swain".The Los Angeles Times.California, Los Angeles. Associated Press. August 27, 1935. p. 3.RetrievedMay 14,2018– viaNewspapers.
- ^"Mack Swain".Hollywood Walk of Fame.Archived fromthe originalon May 15, 2018.RetrievedMay 15,2018.
External links
edit
Media related toMack Swainat Wikimedia Commons