Slim Summerville (born George Joseph Somerville; July 10, 1892 â€"
January 5, 1946), was an American film actor and director best known
for his work in comedies.Summerville was born in Albuquerque, New
Mexico, where his mother died when he was only five. Moving from New
Mexico to Canada and later to Oklahoma, he had a nomadic upbringing.
In Canada, in Chatham, Ontario, he lived with his English grandparents
and obtained his first job there, working as a messenger for the
Canadian Pacific Telegraphs.The beginning of Summerville's
three-decade screen career can be traced to another early job he had,
one working in a poolroom in California. There in 1912 he met actor
Edgar Kennedy, who took him to see Mack Sennett, the head of Keystone
Studios in Edendale. Sennett immediately hired him for $3.50 per day
to perform in bit parts, his first being in the role of a "Keystone
Kop" in the short Hoffmeyer's Legacy. Tall and gangly, Summerville
used his physical appearance to great effect in many comedies during
both the silent and sound eras. His work in films, however, was not
limited to acting; he also directed more than 50 productions, mostly
shorts.Occasionally, Summerville played in dramatic films, such as All
Quiet on the Western Front (1930) and Jesse James (1939), but he was
most successful in comedies, including several with ZaSu Pitts. He
also performed with child star Shirley Temple in the musical-comedy
dramas Captain January (1936) and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938).
January 5, 1946), was an American film actor and director best known
for his work in comedies.Summerville was born in Albuquerque, New
Mexico, where his mother died when he was only five. Moving from New
Mexico to Canada and later to Oklahoma, he had a nomadic upbringing.
In Canada, in Chatham, Ontario, he lived with his English grandparents
and obtained his first job there, working as a messenger for the
Canadian Pacific Telegraphs.The beginning of Summerville's
three-decade screen career can be traced to another early job he had,
one working in a poolroom in California. There in 1912 he met actor
Edgar Kennedy, who took him to see Mack Sennett, the head of Keystone
Studios in Edendale. Sennett immediately hired him for $3.50 per day
to perform in bit parts, his first being in the role of a "Keystone
Kop" in the short Hoffmeyer's Legacy. Tall and gangly, Summerville
used his physical appearance to great effect in many comedies during
both the silent and sound eras. His work in films, however, was not
limited to acting; he also directed more than 50 productions, mostly
shorts.Occasionally, Summerville played in dramatic films, such as All
Quiet on the Western Front (1930) and Jesse James (1939), but he was
most successful in comedies, including several with ZaSu Pitts. He
also performed with child star Shirley Temple in the musical-comedy
dramas Captain January (1936) and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938).
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