Larry Semon in San Bernadino?
SRydzewski
Is there anyone out there in the San Bernadino, CA area that may have access
to some October 1928 newspapers?
Here's the scoop: On October 8, 1928 comedian Larry Semon died age 38 at a
health ranch in the desert of Victorville, CA of pneumonia. A day later only
six people were invited to attend his funeral in San Bernadino, including his
widow, the actress Dorothy Dwan; her mother (Mrs. Nancy Smith of Philadelphia)
and a friend; a Christian Science reader and her assistant; and the funeral
director.
Newspapers of the day mentioned that the body was to be cremated and the
ashes flown back to Phila for burial in the family plot. Recently I made a
very thorough search of the Phila burial records to no avail; there was no
Larry Semon buried on or after 1928.
My next move was to send for a copy of Larry's death certificate from the
Vital Statistics Branch of the Calif Dept of Health Services. A search was
made by the dept but no record of his death was found!
Did Larry Semon fake his death in 1928? We know his movie career was on
it's way down; we know he was filing for bankruptcy just prior to his death.
There's so many unanswered questions!
But my first one is: Is there anyone out San Bernadino way that can access
an October 9-11, 1928 paper to do some research into this mystery? Thanks so
much...
Steve Rydzewski (Philadelphia)
Elizabeth
This is really intriguing. . . I did a bit of poking around on line and
wound up at the Mug Shots site, where I found the same info you've posted
here, attributed to you, "Larry Semon researcher!"
If nobody from San Bernadino turns up, you should try putting in a request
at your local library for photocopies of the obits via interlibrary loan.
Or you could contact the San Bernadino library directly. They should have
the newspapers on microfilm.
What do the Philadelphia papers say? If he was buried in Philadelphia, they
probably would have covered the story.
Is there any chance that Semon's last name had a different spelling
originally? Or that his legal name was something else? Do you have a copy
of his birth certificate? Do you know if the alleged family plot in
Philadelphia was on the mother's or father's side? Any idea when his
parents died? Or when Dorothy Dwan died and where she's buried? Somebody
else's burial site might lead to his. . .
Please keep us posted on this!
Elizabeth /*\
P.S. Maybe Paul Reubens is really a very well-preserved Larry Semon.
SRydzewski wrote in message
<19990713191118...@ng-fk1.aol.com>...
JimNeibr
>else's burial site might lead to his. .
I don't know that there is any record of Dorothy's death. She is given a death
date in Who's Who In Hollywood, but top necrologists like Billy Doyle refute
that. I don't know what Doyle lists in his book on Silent Film Performers for
Scarecrow Press.
I do know that Dorothy Dwan lived quite a long time, but do not believe she is
still living.
JN
"The most contagious thing in the world is enthusiasm."
Elizabeth
>>else's burial site might lead to his. .
JimNeibr wrote:
>I don't know that there is any record of Dorothy's death. She is given a
death
>date in Who's Who In Hollywood, but top necrologists like Billy Doyle
refute
>that. I don't know what Doyle lists in his book on Silent Film Performers
for
>Scarecrow Press.
>
>I do know that Dorothy Dwan lived quite a long time, but do not believe she
is
>still living.
Hmm, well so much for that. If she lived a long time, she's probably buried
with husband #14!
Elizabeth /*\
JimNeibr
Hmm, well so much for that. If she lived a long time, she's probably buried
with husband #14!
------
I don't know how many times she married, but do know she was still around as
recently as the 1960s. Who's Who in Hollywood lists her death date as 1970,
but that has been refuted by others. I think perhaps the best source would be
Billy Doyle's book on silent performers, but I dont have that one.
Rob Farr & Kathy Lipp-Farr
Maxine Semon? She pops up in RKO Edgar Kennedy and Leon Errol comedies
of the 1940's. She is definitely related to Larry (she has the Semon
schnozz), but how? Niece? Daughter? Sister? Daughter? Sister? (Ooops,
slipped into Chinatown dialogue)
Variety Obits mentions a Maxine Semon who was a circus artiste.
Hope no one is offended by this waaay off-topic tangent.
Rob Farr
--
http://www.netcom.com/~lippfarr/mugshots.htm
Home Page of Forgotten Silent Comics
SRydzewski
Thanks for your input and funny stuff. Elizabeth, yes I spoke with Rob Farr
about the Semon Mystery for quite a while now. Rob and I are old friends.
You've mentioned some good ideas on where I should go with the research and
think I'll follow up on it!
About Dorothy Semon, a woman by that name died in New York City in September
1979, aged 82. But whether she was the one and same Dorothy Dwan only the
obituary (if any) will verify (more digging!).
Steve
BoggsArt
>Hope no one is offended by this waaay off-topic tangent.
>
>Rob Farr
>
...Ahem...
...Larry Semon was a popular "second string" comic for whom both Stan and Babe
worked before they became a team...
(There ya go, folks...the thread is offically "on topic" now, go ahead...)
***Runs out of the room chasing a walking egg***
rock...@my-deja.com
was a FIRST string comedian. At the peak of his popularity Semon made
about the same as Chaplin and was extremely popular.
To keep this on topic (as if it ever was off)... Larry in addition to
treating Babe as an equal in his stock company also taught him (or at
least developed Babe's love for) golf. He also hired Stan at a time
when no one else would or did.
Rob Stone
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Share what you know. Learn what you don't.
themagic...@gmail.com
> Is there anyone out there in the San Bernadino, CA area that may have access
> to some October 1928 newspapers?
> Here's the scoop: On October 8, 1928 comedian Larry Semon died age 38 at a
> health ranch in the desert of Victorville, CA of pneumonia. A day later only
> six people were invited to attend his funeral in San Bernadino, including his
> widow, the actress Dorothy Dwan; her mother (Mrs. Nancy Smith of Philadelphia)
> and a friend; a Christian Science reader and her assistant; and the funeral
> director.
> Newspapers of the day mentioned that the body was to be cremated and the
> ashes flown back to Phila for burial in the family plot. Recently I made a
> very thorough search of the Phila burial records to no avail; there was no
> Larry Semon buried on or after 1928.
> My next move was to send for a copy of Larry's death certificate from the
> Vital Statistics Branch of the Calif Dept of Health Services. A search was
> made by the dept but no record of his death was found!
> Did Larry Semon fake his death in 1928? We know his movie career was on
> it's way down; we know he was filing for bankruptcy just prior to his death.
> There's so many unanswered questions!
> But my first one is: Is there anyone out San Bernadino way that can access
> an October 9-11, 1928 paper to do some research into this mystery? Thanks so
> much...
>
> Steve Rydzewski (Philadelphia)
who writes is a young Italian film researcher, i knew that the actor Larry Semon is dead in a sanatorium in Victorville in the far 8 october 1928.
I write you, as I try to find more information and to clarify the death.
Do you have a document or material regarding the death of the actor at the registry office?
Thank you very much for helping.
Sincerly, Denis Zanette.
This is my email for sending the Larry's death certificate: themagic...@gmail.com