Larry Semon

 

 

 

Larry Semon is basically Harry Langdon and Ray Bolger wrapped up in one. I was watching Her Boy Friend last night when it hit me that he should be my next subject of discussion. Even if his talents never rivaled Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, or Harold Lloyd, he is still worthy of all the praise. Not to mention, his wonderful wife Dorothy Dwan who played his leading lady and starred in many of the films he directed, deserves more attention. I would like to partially dedicate this to her as well.

A second-generation vaudevillian who became an even bigger hit in pictures, unfortunately, he is barely remembered today. 

I've read, according to various sources, that his birthdate ranges from February 8-9 or July 16, which is my guess. I find that odd because I never noticed until now...but I knew that it wasn't too long ago when I posted his birthday remembrance on Instagram. If you know his real birthdate, please let me know! Despite the day, Larry was born Lawrence Semon in West Point, Mississippi in 1889. His father, Zera Semon, was a magician and ventriloquist known as "Zera the Great," and his mother, Irene Semon, worked as his father's assistant. He had two older sisters, Elizabeth and Zera, who were also a part of the family act until their father's death in 1901.  

Upon finishing school in Savanah, Georgia, Larry moved to New York City and found work as a cartoonist, comics artist, and graphic artist for The New York Sun and later The New York Morning Telegraph. He had a second job reciting monologues in vaudeville which attracted the attention of Vitagraph Studios and led to his signing with the company in 1915. At Vitagraph he began working as a writer, director, and film producer. Since he was a director, he often cast himself in bit roles and eventually lead roles.   

His comic character was composed of a white-faced goof in brown overalls, a derby hat, and a big cheesy grin. If you took Charlie Chaplin, Stan Laurel, Harry Langdon, and a little bit of Marcel Marceau, and smushed them together, you'd get Larry Semon. I don't mean to belittle his talents, I think he was his own genius comic creation, but you know, most old-time comedians are kinda of the same in many ways. He also reminds me of Ray Bolger-- facial expression-wise.  

Theatrical poster of Larry's Father, Zera Semon.

After starring in many slapstick shorts, he became widely recognized by the public. As his fame grew, his shorts expanded to one and two-reelers. At first, he worked with his ex-wife Lucille Carlisle, but following their separation, Dorothy Dwan was cast as his new lead. Dorothy later became his devoted companion until his death. They were married on January 22, 1925, in New York City. As a wedding present, Larry presented her with the role of Dorothy in his upcoming film, The Wizard of Oz (1925). The film, however, was a financial disaster.   

Larry's only problem with filmmaking was that he would work himself to death. He liked to overdo things and create extravagant productions. As a former cartoonist, he would stage similar cartoon-like gags, which were not achieved with camera tricks or miniatures so he used full-sized props and structures, but on an epic scale. Often times he required a stunt double to impersonate him in order to achieve such obstacles. His sets were lavish and his scripts were...wild. The old saying that the stars of the 1920s were larger than life sounds a bit accurate, don't you think? In short, Larry strived for the best but ended up making things far too complex.  

Oliver Hardy recalled in an interview that when he was staging The Sawmill set in a lumber camp, he would not film in the studio and use traditional, painted stage sets. Instead, Larry took his troupe on location -- itself an expensive undertaking -- and insisted on building permanent log cabins, complete with modern conveniences for the entire cast and crew. 

Vitagraph didn't like the excessive amount of money he spent on his productions so he became his own producer. Apparently, he tried to gain money back with The Wizard of Oz, but being the financial flop it turned out to be, it ended up demolishing Larry's mental state. By 1928 he filed for bankruptcy and was performing in a vaudeville circuit once again. Then one day while performing he suffered a nervous breakdown and was entered into a sanitarium. Poor guy. On October 8, 1928, he died of pneumonia and tuberculosis at the age of 39. His wife Dorothy was there at his bedside.  

Larry Semon and Dorothy Dwan

I admire Dorothy's loyalty to her husband very much. She stood strong and was there for him at his worst. I'm at least glad Larry had someone who loved him to be there for him at his death. 

 

 

Now here's a little bit about Dorothy: 

• She appeared in 40 films between 1922 and 1930 (most of which were directed by Larry). 
• She had one child named Paul, from her third marriage to Paul Northcutt Bogg Jr.  
• There was no relation between her and Director Allan Dwan, but because she liked his work so much, took his last name.  
• While filming a picture with Tom Mix in 1927, her stunt double, Ethel Hall, was killed when the boat she was in capsized in the river! 
• Her favorite recipe was fresh vegetable salad  
• Her hobbies included speed boating, golfing, swimming, and listening to music.