A young Lou Yaconelli as "Earle Douglas" - mid 1920s. | Luigi 'Lou' Yaconelli (1903 - 1964) Screen names of: Lou Yaconelli Earl Douglas Earle Douglas |
1936 theater ad. (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above is actress Ruth Findlay in a still from HEROES OF THE ALAMO (Sunset, 1937). Her real name was Ruth Elise Fraser and she was the daughter of silent and sound film director Harry L. Fraser. Ruth married Lou Yaconelli in 1947. More about her is further down this webpage. |
"My brother Lou entered the Naval Reserve in '39 or '40 as a cameraman. And he was given the rank of Chief Petty Officer before the war began. He was called into active duty and served in the Alaska theatre. One of his pictures appeared in Life magazine with a group of pictures labelled "The Navy picks its best battle photos". He later served in Guadalcanal. When the war ended, he was assigned to making training films. He would go to a carrier or battleship and shoot the material wanted, fly back to Hollywood, edit and narrate the film, and send it on to headquarters for distribution. He retired from the Navy with the rank of Commander."
Lou remained in the Navy and government service. He was a combat photographer during World War II and Korea, and rose through the ranks from Chief Petty Officer to Commander. He passed away on December 9, 1964 at an Albuquerque hospital. The death notice mentioned that "Yaconelli was a retired commander in the Navy and was in charge of the Motion Picture Production at Sandia Base" (Sandia was a nuclear weapons facility in Albuquerque and is now part of Kirtland Air Force Base.) Survivors included wife Ruth, daughter Luana Jean Yaconelli and son Stephen Yaconelli.
As to Lou's personal life, there were two marriages:
On April 15, 1933. Lou tied the knot with a Nadine Perry (nee Nadine Park) in Los Angeles and that was his first marriage and her second. On the marriage license, Lou listed his occupation as "Life Insurance Agent". A year or two later, he returned to movies. The pairing with Nadine didn't last long, and she married husband number three in September, 1936.
Lou's second marriage was successful - he married Ruth O'Donnell on April 17, 1947 in Saline County, Arkansas and they were together through his death in 1964. Ruth was previously married to a Grant O'Donnell. She was Ruth Elise Fraser, the daughter of prolific silent and sound film director, producer, writer Harry L. Fraser. And in the 1930s, she acted in a few films using the screen name of "Ruth Findlay".
More on Ruth and children is further down this webpage.
Although some of the data may be incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has info on Lou Yaconelli / Earl Douglas / Earle Douglas: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0235035/
Lou's last leading man role was in THE BROKEN COIN (Pizor/Imperial, 1936). Unavailable for viewing, UCLA Film Archives has two reels of nitrate prints from that movie: https://search.library.ucla.edu/permalink/01UCS_LAL/17p22dp/alma99107123506533
October 1, 1941 issue of Variety listed 54 people leaving for officer and non-commissioned officer duty with the Naval Reserve Photographic Unit: "To the San Diego Naval Air Station went Chief Photographers ... Lou Yaconelli"
Ancestry.com had Navy records indicating that Lou began his service on April 9, 1941 and his promotion to Commander occurred June 1, 1957.
March 9, 1961 Van Nuys, California News and Valley Green Sheet newspaper had an article with photo on Lou Yaconelli receiving an Outstanding Performance rating and Sustained Superior Performance award for his work as a motion picture producer for the Atomic Support Agency, Sandia Base, Albuquerque, New Mexico: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85166946/the-van-nuys-news-and-valley-green-sheet/
December 11, 1964 Albuquerque, New Mexico Journal newspaper had a funeral notice for 61 year old Lou Yaconelli. He passed away on December 9, 1964 at an Albuquerque hospital. The death notice mentioned that "Yaconelli was a retired commander in the Navy and was in charge of the Motion Picture Production at Sandia Base". (Sandia Base was a nuclear weapons facility in Albuquerque.): https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84793318/albuquerque-journal/
Ancestry.com had Yaconelli family trees as well as the Boston, Massachusetts Birth Index for Luigi Iaconelli [sic]. He was born April 16, 1903 in Boston, Massachusetts to Carlo and Anna Iaconelli [sic].
Find A Grave has a photo of the marker for Commander Lou Yaconelli (1903 - 1964) who is interred at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, Los Angeles County, California: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/171265271/lou-yaconelli
Lou starred in some silents with brother Frank producing ... and there's more photos on the prior webpages. |
Lou Yaconelli as "Earle Douglas" - 1926 trade publication photo. From the October 24, 1925 Exhibitors Herald, available at the Internet Archive. Ad from the February 20, 1926 Motion Picture News available at the Internet Archive. Sierra's "Speedy Series" had Frank Yaconelli supervising production and starred his brother Lou (as "Earle Douglas"). (Courtesy of the Yaconelli Family) Photo above from an unidentified Yaconelli silent --- Frank is kneeling with the megaphone and brother Lou is wearing the boxing outfit. That big guy without much hair next to Lou appears to be Bull Montana. If so, this is from NO ORDINARY GUY (Sierra, 1928). There's several more photos from Frank and Lou's silents on prior webpages. |
Lou in westerns and serials. |
(From Old Corral collection) Above - pretty Frances Robinson and Lou Yaconelli (as 'Jules Lazarre') in a screen capture from Chapter 10 of TIM TYLER'S LUCK (Universal, 1937). Lou was billed as "Earl Douglas" in this cliffhanger. (Courtesy of Les Adams) L-to-R are Charlie King, Tex Ritter, Bob Terry, and Lou Yaconelli (as "Earl Douglas") in Ritter's DOWN THE WYOMING TRAIL (Monogram, 1939). (From Old Corral collection) Left to right are Lloyd 'Arkansas Slim' Andrews, Lou Yaconelli, and Kenne Duncan in a screen capture from Tom Keene's RIDING THE SUNSET TRAIL (Monogram, 1941). Lou was billed as "Earle Douglas" in the opening titles and credits. (From Old Corral collection) Above - an interesting lobby card from RIDING THE SUNSET TRAIL (Monogram, 1941), and from L-to-R are: Betty Miles, Tom Keene, Kenne Duncan, Sherry Tansey (James Sheridan Tansey), Lou Yaconelli (as "Earle Douglas"), and Tom London. If you look close, you might make out the mustached Arkansas Slim Andrews behind Keene's face. Can you spot the error in this lobby card - look at all the gunbelts and the holsters as they are on the left side. Apparently, the photo used in preparation of this card was reversed. (From Old Corral collection) Above - Tom Keene vs. Lou Yaconelli in THE DRIFTIN' KID (Monogram, 1941). In this, he was billed as "Lou Yaconelli" in the opening titles and credits. Pressbook ad below. |
Ruth Elise Fraser was Lou's second wife. She was the daughter of prolific director and jack-of-all-trades Harry L. Fraser. And in the mid 1930s, she did a few films using the screen name of "Ruth Findlay". |
(Courtesy of Les Adams) Above - Harry Carey and Ruth Findlay in Carey's GHOST TOWN (Commodore, 1936).
Although some of the data may be incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has info on Ruth Findlay: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0277546/ May 9, 1940 California marriage license for 33 year old Grant O'Donnell and 23 year old Ruth Elise Fraser in Beverly Hills. First marriage for both. Her occupation was "Actress - Motion Pictures"; was born in New York; and her mother was Janet Findlay. Their home address was 1676 Benedict Canyon, Beverly Hills, California (the address of her parents, director Harry L. Fraser and wife Janet in the 1930 and 1940 census). Her parents were witnesses to the wedding: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8VX-Q4Z Arkansas Marriage License of 44 year old Lou Yaconelli and 30 year old Ruth F. O'Donnell and they married on April 17, 1947 in Saline County, Arkansas. Both were residents of Los Angeles County, California: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NMY3-L6B A further confirmation on Ruth's ties to the Yaconelli and Fraser families is in the listing of survivors in the April, 1974 death notice on her father, movie director Harry Fraser:
"Mr. Fraser is survived by ... a daughter, Mrs. Ruth Yaconelli, and a granddaughter, Jean Warwick, both of Albuquerque, N. M.; a grandson, Steven [sic] Yaconelli of Woodland Hills (California) ..."
California Death Index and Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for 59 year old Ruth F. Yaconelli. She was born April 15, 1917 in New York and passed away April 29, 1976 in the Los Angeles area: |
Son Steve Yaconelli and daughter Luana Jean Yaconelli |
Son Malcolm O'Donnell was born March 18, 1941 to Ruth and her first husband, Grant O'Donnell. It appears that Malcolm O'Donnell became Stephen M. Yaconelli, cinematographer. (Have not found a confirmation on a legal name change to Yaconelli from O'Donnell, or whether he was adopted by Lou.)
California Birth Index for Malcolm Odonnell, born March 18, 1941 in the Los Angeles area, and his mother's maiden name was Fraser: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V2QY-TNG
Ancestry.com had 1965, 1966, and 1967 yearbooks from Sandia High School, Albuquerque, New Mexico with photos of "Luana" / "Jeannie".
"Mr. Fraser is survived by ... a daughter, Mrs. Ruth Yaconelli, and a granddaughter, Jean Warwick, both of Albuquerque, N. M.; a grandson, Steven [sic] Yaconelli of Woodland Hills (California) ..." |