So, lets go ahead and meet these three gentlemen and one young boy.
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'Breezy' Reeves Eason Jr. was born William Reeves Eason Jr. November 19, 1914, probably in New York. He was the only child of William Sr, a film actor, director, and screenwriter, and Charlotte, also an actress who worked under the name 'Jimsy Maye.' Charlotte's mother, Mollie Shafer also worked in the film industry, first as an actress and then in wardrobe after the death of her grandson.
His first film appearance was in a 1916 Theda Bara film called Gold and the Woman.
During his brief career Breezy appeared mostly in Westerns, earning him the nickname of "Universal's Littlest Cowboy." He also had the chance to share the screen with actors like Art Acord, Hoot Gibson, Harry Carey, Mae Busch, Dagmar Godowsky, Katherine MacDonald, John Harron, and of course his parents and grandmother. Not bad for a boy under the age of ten.
During the filming of the picture, The Fox which featured Alan Hale, Breezy was playing outside when he was run over by a runaway truck. He was rushed to the hospital and held on for four days and underwent surgery to repair the damages but to no avail. Actor and friend Harry Carey went to the hospital to be by Breezy's side as soon as he heard the news, and he never left his side.
Breezy Reeves Eason Jr. passed away on October 25, 1921. He was just six years old.
He was buried at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, becoming one of the first motion picture stars to be buried there. On the day of his funeral, Universal Studios ceased production for the entire day.
His father continued making pictures but chose to use the name "Breezy" as tribute to his son. Another reason for the nickname was because of his laid back attitude when it came to making his films. Unfortunately, one of his more well known accomplishments was to have so many horses killed or injured (and later euthanized) during the filming of the 1936 film, Charge of the Light Brigade, that the Humane Society established a company that would make sure all animals were treated well on movie sets. Eason received a ton of flack from movie audiences and others in Hollywood after news of the mistreatment became public. He and his wife, Charlotte later divorced and she went on to marry a man with the last name of Rowley. Eason Sr. passed away in 1956, Charlotte followed in 1968. Both parents were buried next to their son, as well as by Molly Shafer, who died in 1940.
"'Breezy' is a likable little chap with considerable personality for one so young, and he displays promise of becoming well known among juvenile players. Of course his father's direction is responsible perhaps for his good work, but even at that he seems much at home, and shows no signs of being camera-shy." ~~ The Film Daily, 1921
His first film appearance was in a 1916 Theda Bara film called Gold and the Woman.
During his brief career Breezy appeared mostly in Westerns, earning him the nickname of "Universal's Littlest Cowboy." He also had the chance to share the screen with actors like Art Acord, Hoot Gibson, Harry Carey, Mae Busch, Dagmar Godowsky, Katherine MacDonald, John Harron, and of course his parents and grandmother. Not bad for a boy under the age of ten.
During the filming of the picture, The Fox which featured Alan Hale, Breezy was playing outside when he was run over by a runaway truck. He was rushed to the hospital and held on for four days and underwent surgery to repair the damages but to no avail. Actor and friend Harry Carey went to the hospital to be by Breezy's side as soon as he heard the news, and he never left his side.
Breezy Reeves Eason Jr. passed away on October 25, 1921. He was just six years old.
He was buried at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, becoming one of the first motion picture stars to be buried there. On the day of his funeral, Universal Studios ceased production for the entire day.
His father continued making pictures but chose to use the name "Breezy" as tribute to his son. Another reason for the nickname was because of his laid back attitude when it came to making his films. Unfortunately, one of his more well known accomplishments was to have so many horses killed or injured (and later euthanized) during the filming of the 1936 film, Charge of the Light Brigade, that the Humane Society established a company that would make sure all animals were treated well on movie sets. Eason received a ton of flack from movie audiences and others in Hollywood after news of the mistreatment became public. He and his wife, Charlotte later divorced and she went on to marry a man with the last name of Rowley. Eason Sr. passed away in 1956, Charlotte followed in 1968. Both parents were buried next to their son, as well as by Molly Shafer, who died in 1940.
"'Breezy' is a likable little chap with considerable personality for one so young, and he displays promise of becoming well known among juvenile players. Of course his father's direction is responsible perhaps for his good work, but even at that he seems much at home, and shows no signs of being camera-shy." ~~ The Film Daily, 1921
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Frank Farrington was born on July 8, 1873 in London, England.
I really don't know anything about his early life except that he made his stage debut around 1895.
He made his film debut in a 1911 short called A Slight Mistake. He appeared opposite John Bunny and Kate Price in this short which is not a bad way to start at all.
In total his career lasted about 14 years with 25 films. He started out working for the Thanhouser studios, and this is where he made a majority of his films. He also was able to work with such big names as Florence La Badie, Karl Dane, Viola Dana, Enid Bennett, and Maude Fealy.
His last screen appearance was in the 1924 film, The Man Who Fights Alone.
Frank Farrington passed away on May 27, 1924 in Los Angeles. He had just finished performing at a benefit for disabled war veterans when he choked to death. He was rushed to the hospital but to no avail. What a way to go, man.
He was buried in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
Frank was married, but I am not sure of his wife's name as she is only referred to as 'Mrs. Farrington' in articles. The couple had two daughters, Irene (nicknamed Reenie) and Doris, who both worked in the film industry. Sadly, around the age of 12, Doris was stricken with infantile paralysis. Thankfully she recovered after a few months.
According to a Photoplay article from 1914, Frank enjoyed writing poetry and short plays, playing the flute, and swimming. He was also reported to be a Christian Scientist.
Swimming seems to be a recurring theme with the Farrington family. Apparently when he was younger, Frank was out swimming in the ocean and had to swim for his life when he was chased by a shark! His youngest daughter Doris was an avid swimmer by the age of nine.
In 1914, Frank declared that he wanted to become a US citizen and was going to file the necessary paperwork, but I am not sure whatever became of this.
I really don't know anything about his early life except that he made his stage debut around 1895.
He made his film debut in a 1911 short called A Slight Mistake. He appeared opposite John Bunny and Kate Price in this short which is not a bad way to start at all.
In total his career lasted about 14 years with 25 films. He started out working for the Thanhouser studios, and this is where he made a majority of his films. He also was able to work with such big names as Florence La Badie, Karl Dane, Viola Dana, Enid Bennett, and Maude Fealy.
His last screen appearance was in the 1924 film, The Man Who Fights Alone.
Frank Farrington passed away on May 27, 1924 in Los Angeles. He had just finished performing at a benefit for disabled war veterans when he choked to death. He was rushed to the hospital but to no avail. What a way to go, man.
He was buried in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
Frank was married, but I am not sure of his wife's name as she is only referred to as 'Mrs. Farrington' in articles. The couple had two daughters, Irene (nicknamed Reenie) and Doris, who both worked in the film industry. Sadly, around the age of 12, Doris was stricken with infantile paralysis. Thankfully she recovered after a few months.
According to a Photoplay article from 1914, Frank enjoyed writing poetry and short plays, playing the flute, and swimming. He was also reported to be a Christian Scientist.
Swimming seems to be a recurring theme with the Farrington family. Apparently when he was younger, Frank was out swimming in the ocean and had to swim for his life when he was chased by a shark! His youngest daughter Doris was an avid swimmer by the age of nine.
In 1914, Frank declared that he wanted to become a US citizen and was going to file the necessary paperwork, but I am not sure whatever became of this.
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Einar Hanson (sometimes spelled Hansen) was born on June 15, 1899 in Stockholm, Sweden.
Once again, I know next to nothing about his early life. What I do know is from a little tidbit from a newspaper article written about his death. Apparently Einar's father wanted his son to become an engineer and Einar at first went along with his father's wishes and took a class in college. But, he soon abandoned engineering and began focusing on drama.
Einar was discovered by acclaimed director Mauritz Stiller and was going to be prepped to be the next Rudolph Valentino.
His film debut was in the 1919's The People of Hemso. For the next couple of years he appeared in a number of other Swedish films...with no one I recognize I should mention. It wasn't until 1925 that he made a film with two of the biggest (or soon to be biggest) European stars, Greta Garbo and Asta Nielsen.
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| Greta Garbo and Einar |
He arrived in Hollywood in 1925 along with Stiller's other 'find' Greta Garbo. Guess who got the most publicity between the two?
The following year Einar starred in the film, Into Her Kingdom with Corinne Griffith. This marked his first Hollywood feature.
His next seven features included big named costars like Zasu Pitts, Mack Swain, Francis X. Bushman, Esther Ralston, Clara Bow, Gary Cooper, and Pola Negri. Not bad!
He made his last screen appearance in the 1927 film, The Woman on Trial.
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| Einar and Clara Bow |
Einar Hanson passed away on June 3, 1927 in Santa Monica, California. He was leaving a dinner party he attended with Stiller and Garbo when his car skidded off the road and flipped. He was found pinned underneath his car and died en route to the hospital. He was conscious long enough to say that he was momentarily blinded by another car's headlights while rounding a sharp curve in the road. He reportedly had been drinking before he drove. On a sweet/sad note, his dog was with him when he crashed and stayed by his master until he died.
Einar never married, and judging from what I have read it seems that he was gay and having a relationship with Mauritz Stiller. But also judging by what I have read, it seems like Stiller was the one who was really stuck on Einar. Apparently he believed that Einar owed his success to him so he in a sense "owned" him. Yikes! He also reportedly had an affair with Garbo at some point.
One of his most famous screen appearances was in the 1927 Clara Bow film, Children of Divorce. Costar Esther Ralston later said that Clara would often talk about her sex life with her lover, Gary Cooper, who was also in the film. Oh my!
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Charles Emmett Mack was born Charles Emmett McNerney on November 25, 1900 in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Do I know anything about his early life? Negative.
His first film role was in 1916 in the short, Dolly's Scoop. The film is noteworthy not only for it's cast which featured Lon Chaney, but also because instead of using title cards, the director chose to use subtitles for everything the actors said. That is what I thought silent films were like before I actually watched one.
Charles soon became the protege of famed director, D.W. Griffith. His next screen appearance was in the 1921 Griffith film, Dream Street, which also starred Carol Dempster, the girl all the other Griffith girls loved to hate. This film is noteworthy because it included a sound introduction done by Griffith himself.
Unfortunately, the Griffith/Mack partnership wasn't all fine and dandy. Charles appeared in the 1924 Griffith picture, America, which was a huge failure both critically and commercially. It marked the end of Griffith's run as the greatest director of the silent screen.
During his career, which lasted from 1916 until 1927 and included 17 titles, he shared the screen with such notables as Clara Bow, Mae Marsh, Mildred Harris, Tyrone Power Sr., Lionel Barrymore, Pola Negri, Norma Shearer, Dolores Costello, Anna May Wong, Warner Oland, and Mary Astor.
His last film role was in the 1927 film, First Auto. His film, The Rough Riders was released posthumously a few months after his death.
Charles Emmett Mack passed away on March 17, 1927. He was on his way to film a scene for The First Auto at a racetrack when he crashed his car and was killed. He was only 26 years old.
He was buried in the Calvary Cemetery in Los Angeles.
There was another silent film actor named Charles E. Mack that passed away in 1934. Do not confuse the two. They were not one in the same and were not related.
Do I know anything about his early life? Negative.
His first film role was in 1916 in the short, Dolly's Scoop. The film is noteworthy not only for it's cast which featured Lon Chaney, but also because instead of using title cards, the director chose to use subtitles for everything the actors said. That is what I thought silent films were like before I actually watched one.
Charles soon became the protege of famed director, D.W. Griffith. His next screen appearance was in the 1921 Griffith film, Dream Street, which also starred Carol Dempster, the girl all the other Griffith girls loved to hate. This film is noteworthy because it included a sound introduction done by Griffith himself.
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| Charles and Carol Dempster |
Unfortunately, the Griffith/Mack partnership wasn't all fine and dandy. Charles appeared in the 1924 Griffith picture, America, which was a huge failure both critically and commercially. It marked the end of Griffith's run as the greatest director of the silent screen.
During his career, which lasted from 1916 until 1927 and included 17 titles, he shared the screen with such notables as Clara Bow, Mae Marsh, Mildred Harris, Tyrone Power Sr., Lionel Barrymore, Pola Negri, Norma Shearer, Dolores Costello, Anna May Wong, Warner Oland, and Mary Astor.
His last film role was in the 1927 film, First Auto. His film, The Rough Riders was released posthumously a few months after his death.
Charles Emmett Mack passed away on March 17, 1927. He was on his way to film a scene for The First Auto at a racetrack when he crashed his car and was killed. He was only 26 years old.
He was buried in the Calvary Cemetery in Los Angeles.
There was another silent film actor named Charles E. Mack that passed away in 1934. Do not confuse the two. They were not one in the same and were not related.
"I was allowed five minutes on each set and I used to think up new
jokes every night to spring on them next day. We went on Mr. Griffith's set
whenever he was working because that was the real thrill. He'd look at me when
we'd come in, but he'd never speak...One day, I'd gone down to his set for some
reason, and was sitting on the curb waiting for a bus to go back, when Mr.
Griffith came out after me. 'Come and rehearse this scene,' he invited me. I
was just a kid and I thought he was making fun of me. 'No thanks,' I said, 'I
came to this studio to learn to be a director!'" ~~ Charles Emmett Mack -
Motion Picture Classic - June 1923.
The story about young Mr. Eason actually made me tear up: Harry Carey's bedside vigil and the studio ceasing production for the day just made it all the more poignant.
ReplyDeleteI've read somewhere, and am open to contradiction about this, that Mr. Mack's death involved a collision with a horse-drawn conveyance. Sadly ironic considering that The First Auto was about...cars replacing horses.
Thank you for an emotionally involving posting.
Yeah, the story of Breezy Eason is just awful. You can tell that little boy was loved and was mourned by family, friends, and fans alike.
DeleteThe story of Charles Emmett Mack's death could have involved a horse drawn carriage. All I have ever read was that he crashed his car and not much else in way of details. It is interesting that while researching a lot of the deaths of stars there are some articles that just put the facts while some weave all these details into it to make it sound scandalous. But hey, gotta sell the newspapers somehow!