Karl Hackett recap and timeline with some new discoveries = more things to investigate
During June-July, 2006, we did did some heavy-duty Internet searching for census records, birth and death info, newspaper articles, etc. Lo and behold, Tom McGeeney located more on Hackett in several 1928-1929 Ohio, Pennsylvania and Chicago newspapers. Let's summarize what we know about Karl Hackett and add the newspaper information. Newspaper articles and excerpts/quotes are highlighted IN THIS COLOR:
- 1893: born Carl E. Germain on September 5, 1893 in Missouri.
- 1916: Registers for the draft in Carthage, Missouri; profession is "actor".
- February 12, 1918 - Warren Evening Mirror (Warren, Pennsylvania) newspaper article:
"... Mary's Ankle, the brilliant New York success by May Tully, which Mr. Woods will present at the Library theater on Thursday evening with the original New York cast and production."
"The play is effectively mounted and acted by a notable company, including ... Karl Hackett ..."
- 1918: is a member of the 313th Engineers, 88th Division, US Army, in World War I; that unit did serve in France during the last few months of WW1 and the Division began moving overseas from Camp Dodge, Iowa on July 25, 1918; Germain achieves the rank of Corporal; Armistice was November 11, 1918.
- 1919: works in the film A DEBTOR TO THE LAW (Pan American, 1919), which was filmed in Texas and Oklahoma.
- 1920: portrait shot of Karl and wife from a photo studio in Dallas, Texas.
- 1921: portrait shot of Karl from a photo studio in Los Angeles, California.
- 1922: press material and photos of Hackett and Eunice Goodrich starring in PERILS OF THE WEST for P. S. McGeeney's Shamrock Production company; this is to be the first film in a new series; filming done in Texas.
- January 7, 1928 - lengthy article in the Zanesville (Ohio) Signal newspaper, including a mention of Ruby Moore who may have been Hackett's wife. Also mentioned is Katherine Moore (spelled KathErine, not KathArine) - a relative of Ruby Moore - best guess is that she's Ruby's mother:
"Life has been unusually sweet for Karl Hackett since he left Zanesville and he has enjoyed unlimited success. After leaving this city he went to California where he appeared as leading man in motion pictures for four years, playing a number of times opposite Anna Q. Nilsson, who has been so popular with local theater patrons. He was presented in the old Pan American movies and later joined the 101 Bison, Goldwyn and Shamrock companies, most of the latter organizations films being released as Arrow productions. He left the movies to replace Bert Lytell in Mary's Ankle at the Bijou theater on Broadway, where he was acclaimed a tremendous success. After these lengthy engagements he organized his own stock company with which he has been touring the East for several seasons and is now bringing his newest offering back to Zanesville where he has so many admirers. Hackett plays leading roles and comedy parts in his own company and also directs all the productions."
"There are 25 people with the Hackett Players ..."
"Numbered among his 15 principals are ... Ruby Moore ... Katherine Moore ..."
- January 21, 1928 ad in the Zanesville (Ohio) Signal newspaper: theater ad for the "Karl Hackett Players" opening January 21, 1928 at the Weller Theater in Zanesville, Ohio in the play It Pays To Advertise. The ad also mentions that the next plays by the "Hackett Players" will be Baby Mine followed by Little Johnny Jones.
- February 3, 1928 article in the Times Recorder newspaper (Zanesville Ohio): article headline reads "Hackett Company Pleases At Weller".
Other comments in that article include: "Karl Hackett and his company know what the people want and are giving it to them at the Weller theater in Little Johnny Jones this week.", and, "In the role formerly played by George M. Cohan himself at the Weller theater, Karl Hackett is scoring a personal hit with the patrons."
- February 8, 1928 article in the Newark (Ohio) Advocate and American Tribune newspaper: article headline reads "Karl Hackett and Company To Play Here". The "Karl Hackett Players" open in Newark, Ohio (February 8 to February 20, 1928) in same plays as mentioned in the Zanesville (Ohio) Signal newspaper ad above. Article includes a large photo of Hackett.
- February 20, 1928 article in the Newark (Ohio) Advocate newspaper: article headline reads "Karl Hackett relinquishes management of vaudeville players" and "Following the cancellation of several engagements Karl Hackett of the Hackett Players called his company together Saturday night and relinquished the management."
- September 3, 1929 ad in the Southtown Economist (Chicago) newspaper: typical theater ad announcing that the Elliott Players open Saturday, September 7, 1929 at the National Theater on South Halsted Street, Chicago, Illinois in Grant Mitchell's Hilarious Comedy The Whole Town's Talking. "Mr. Karl Hackett" is listed in the ad as a member of the Elliott Players, "the Foremost Dramatic Stock Company in Chicago".
- 1935: Hackett has an uncredited role in the Shirley Temple THE LITTLEST REBEL (20th Century Fox, 1935); followed by about 150 film appearances during the period 1935-1947, primarily in B westerns.
- April 1, 1938 Social Security application for Ruby Moore Germain: born 1/1/1898 in Dallas, Texas; parents were Charles Alexander Moore and Katharine Brennan (Moore). Home address was 871 N. Oxford Ave, Los Angeles, California. Employer was Alfred C. Watts, 1128 N. Flores, and she began work on January 9, 1938.
- October 24, 1948: Hackett passes away at the Veterans Administration National Military Hospital in Los Angeles County; interred at the Los Angeles National Cemetery (military cemetery).
- June 27, 1974: California Death Index has a listing for Ruby B. Germain, born 1/1/1896 in Texas, and passed away on 6/27/1974 in the Los Angeles area.
Where do we go from here? We wait ... and hope that a Hackett family member will contact us with some additional info.