 | The 'brains' and 'action' heavies who had meaty roles and lots of dialog ... and the players who were fathers, ranch owners, lawman, mayors, judges, lawyers, storekeepers, newspaper editors, wardens, etc. |
Theodore Andrew 'Ted' Lorch 1873 or 1880 - 1947 Les Adams has Lorch credited in about 60 sound era films, and that includes 22 westerns and 8 chapterplays. A pretty "hammy" actor, he always struck me as the pattern for 'Snidely Whiplash' as well as what 'Simon Legree' would look like. Lorch is best remembered for playing the High Priest in the serial FLASH GORDON (Universal, 1936) and menacing The Three Stooges in a half dozen or so two-reelers. Lorch had a meaty role in one of my favorite Stooge shorts, HALF-WITS HOLIDAY (1946) - he plays "Professor Sedletz" and he makes a bet with Vernon Dent (as "Professor Quackenbush") that he can turn the boys into gentlemen. Chaos ensues. In the Three Stooges wacky western GOOFS AND SADDLES (Columbia, 1937), Lorch is outfitted in cavalry hat, buckskin jacket, and a big handlebar moustache for his role as "General Muster". Go to the In Search Of ... page on the Old Corral, and follow the link to the California Death Records database - there you will find a record for Theodore Lorch, 1880 - 1947. Newspaper reports indicate that Lorch died from a heart ailment.
Jim Tipton's Find A Grave website has a photo of the marker for Lorch at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=6930304 You can search for Ted Lorch appearances in the Three Stooges shorts at: http://www.3-stooges.com/text/shorts1.html | |  (Courtesy of Jack Tillmany) |
 (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above, from L-to-R are Theodore (Ted) Lorch, Charlie King, Rex Bell, Lex Lindsay and James Marcus in a lobby card from Bell's THE MAN FROM ARIZONA (Monogram, 1932). This is one of the lost/missing westerns.  (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above from left to right are Charles 'Slim' Whitaker (without his normal moustache), Tom Tyler, Jeanne Martel (who would become Tyler's real life wife), Ted Lorch, and on the ground is Forrest Taylor. Scene from Tyler's ORPHAN OF THE PECOS (Victory, 1937). In this, Taylor was the brains heavy and Lorch portrayed a "snake-oil salesman". |
Murdock MacQuarrie (sometimes spelled McQuarrie) 1878 - 1942 Murdock MacQuarrie popped up as the friendly rancher, father of the heroine, occasional lawman ... and he was also a background face in crowd scenes and barrooms. Les Adams has him pegged in about 130 sound era films, of which 96 are westerns and 8 are serials. Go to the In Search Of ... page on the Old Corral, and follow the link to the California Death Records database --- they have a record for Murdock MacQuarrie (spelled Mac not Mc).
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 (Courtesy of Les Adams) Jack Perrin did a series for Bernard B. Ray and Harry S. Webb at Reliable Pictures in the mid 1930s and was replaced by Tom Tyler. Above is a scene from Perrin's NORTH OF ARIZONA (Reliable, 1935), a disappointing and disjointed mess. From left to right are Perrin, Jack Hendricks (background), Barney Beasley (background), Lane Chandler, unidentified older man, Blackie Whiteford, Blanche Mehaffey, and Murdock MacQuarrie (as the local lawman). |
 (Courtesy of Les Adams) | | Les Adams has Carpenter in 250+ sound era films, and that includes 194 westerns and 20 serials. Carpenter had a kindly face and meek demeanor, and got work as a ranch owner, an old miner, etc. (but guys like Lafe McKee, Lloyd Ingraham and John Elliott got the meatier roles). Generally, Carpenter was a background performer, bystander, spectator --- i.e., one of the townsmen, one of the ranchers, an old-timer in the local saloon, etc. In the 1920s, Carpenter was a director. Go to the In Search Of ... page on the Old Corral, and follow the link to the California Death Records database. There you will find a record for: Horace Bernard Carpenter, born 1/31/1875 in Michigan, Mother's maiden name of Coburn, and he passed away on 5/21/1945.
Jim Tipton's Find A Grave website has info on the interment location of Carpenter at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles, California: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=9360709 | |  (Courtesy of Ed Phillips) |
 (Courtesy of Jack Tillmany)  (Courtesy of Ed Tabor) The above lobby card is from GROWING BETTER (Sanford, 1923), a Bill Patton silent helmed by Carpenter. A youngish Carpenter (in his late 40s) is wearing the checkerboard shirt. The other two players are unidentified. |
 (Courtesy of Jack Tillmany) | | Franklyn Farnum Sometimes spelled: Franklin Farnum 1876 or 1878 - 1961 Les Adams has Farnum in about 175 sound era films, and that includes 62 westerns and 10 serials. He was not related to brothers William Farnum and Dustin Farnum. Franklyn was an established and respectable star during the silent era, predominantly in low budget oaters. He successfully handled the migration into talkies and found work doing supporting roles in various films though the late 1950s. In B westerns, he generally portrayed a lawman, gang leader, ranch owner ... and often wore a suit. Go to the In Search Of ... page on the Old Corral, and follow the link to the California Death Records database --- they have a record for Franklyn Farnum (with Franklyn spelled with a Y), 1878 - 1961.
David B. Pearson's Silent-Movies website has a photo of Farnum during his silent film days: http://silentgents.com/SGAnnex04.html Jim Tipton's Find A Grave website has info on the interment location of Farnum at Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood, California: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8377199 |
 (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above from L-to-R are Franklyn Farnum, Bob Custer and George Chesebro mixing it up in a scene from Custer's MARK OF THE SPUR (Big 4, 1932).  (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above from L-to-R are Franklyn Farnum, Lafe McKee, Bill Cody, Ada Ince and Bill Cody, Jr. in FRONTIER DAYS (Spectrum, 1934).  (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above is a photo of a title lobby card showing Franklyn Farnum and Bill Cody in BORDER GUNS (Aywon, 1934), one of a trio of films that Cody did for grade Z film producer Robert J. Horner. |
 | | Fred Parker ? - ? Fred Parker was another familiar performer who was an occasional lawman, ranch owner, father of the heroine ... and he was also a background face and bystander in crowd scenes and barrooms. Les Adams has Parker in about 100+ sound era films, which includes 93 westerns and 1 serial. He began doing movies in the 1920s and his last film appearance is circa 1944.
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 (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above from L-to-R are Franklyn Farnum, Fred Parker, Wally Wales and Karla Cowan in a scene from the three reel short, ARIZONA CYCLONE (Imperial, 1934).  (Courtesy of Ed Tabor) Above is a green duotone lobby card from the Wally Wales starrer THE LONE RIDER (William Pizor/Imperial, 1934). On the left are Fred Parker and Myrla Bratton (billed as Merla Bratton in this film). The "directed by Robert Emmett" is Robert Emmett 'Bob' Tansey. This was the last of the three reel shorts (approximately 27 minutes running time) that Wales did for Pizor/Imperial.  (From Old Corral image collection) Above from L-to-R are Fred Parker, Forrest Taylor, Johnny Mack Brown (all 'duded' up) and Hal Price in a lobby card from DESERT PHANTOM (A. W. Hackel/Supreme, 1936). |
Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) has information on Ted Lorch: