Otto Fries
Encyclopedia
Otto Fries was an American film actor. He appeared in 129 films between 1920
and 1938
.
, Fries became a dapper-looking supporting comic with a varied background in medicine shows and vaudeville. He easily transitioned to film in the early 1910s. By 1915, he was with the Keystone Cops and entered a lifelong friendship with Stan Laurel
, which led to appearances in that star comedian's early films for Bronco Billy Anderson. Not surprisingly, Fries later landed at Hal Roach
Studios, where he supported not only Laurel & Hardy and Charley Chase but also such lesser stars as Max Davidson and James Finlayson.
Sound proved no hindrance and Fries would appear in many of Roach's German-language talkies, as well as characters in many of the Our Gang
shorts. Often cast as inebriates, detectives, and bartenders (with a memorable turn as a Blacksmith matching wits with a delinquent 9-year-old in Roach's Readin' and Writin'
), Fries played scores of bit parts and walk-ons in grade-A films. One of his more notable appearances was as a shiphand in the Marx Brothers
' Monkey Business
.
1920 in film
The year 1920 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* November 27 - The Mark of Zorro, starring Douglas Fairbanks opens.-Top grossing films :-Films released in 1920:U.S.A. unless stated*The $1,000,000 Reward...
and 1938
1938 in film
The year 1938 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*January — MGM announces that Judy Garland would be cast in the role of "Dorothy" in the upcoming Wizard of Oz motion picture. Ray Bolger is cast as the "Tinman" and Buddy Ebsen is cast as the "Scarecrow". At Bolger's insistence,...
.
Career
Born in St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Fries became a dapper-looking supporting comic with a varied background in medicine shows and vaudeville. He easily transitioned to film in the early 1910s. By 1915, he was with the Keystone Cops and entered a lifelong friendship with Stan Laurel
Stan Laurel
Arthur Stanley "Stan" Jefferson , better known as Stan Laurel, was an English comic actor, writer and film director, famous as the first half of the comedy team Laurel and Hardy. His film acting career stretched between 1917 and 1951 and included a starring role in the Academy Award winning film...
, which led to appearances in that star comedian's early films for Bronco Billy Anderson. Not surprisingly, Fries later landed at Hal Roach
Hal Roach
Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach, Sr. was an American film and television producer and director, and from the 1910s to the 1990s.- Early life and career :Hal Roach was born in Elmira, New York...
Studios, where he supported not only Laurel & Hardy and Charley Chase but also such lesser stars as Max Davidson and James Finlayson.
Sound proved no hindrance and Fries would appear in many of Roach's German-language talkies, as well as characters in many of the Our Gang
Our Gang
Our Gang, also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals, was a series of American comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and the adventures they had together. Created by comedy producer Hal Roach, the series is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively...
shorts. Often cast as inebriates, detectives, and bartenders (with a memorable turn as a Blacksmith matching wits with a delinquent 9-year-old in Roach's Readin' and Writin'
Readin' and Writin'
Readin' and Writin' is a 1932 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 111th Our Gang short that was released.-Plot:...
), Fries played scores of bit parts and walk-ons in grade-A films. One of his more notable appearances was as a shiphand in the Marx Brothers
Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
' Monkey Business
Monkey Business (1931 film)
Monkey Business is a 1931 comedy film. It is the third of the Marx Brothers' released movies, and the first not to be an adaptation of one of their Broadway shows. The film stars the four brothers: Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, and Zeppo Marx, and screen comedienne Thelma Todd. It is...
.
Selected filmography
- The Weak-End PartyThe Weak-End Party-Cast:* Stan Laurel - The gardener* Marion Aye - Lily, the birthday girl* Harry L. Rattenberry - Mr. Smith, her father* Otto Fries - The overseer* Colin Kenny - Monocle Charley* Scotty MacGregor - Pinkerton Burns * Babe London - Party guest...
(19221922 in film-Events:* June 11 - United States première of Robert J. Flaherty's Nanook of the North, the first commercially successful feature length documentary film....
) - The Handy ManThe Handy Man (1923 film)The Handy Man is a 1923 silent comedy film featuring Stan Laurel.-Cast:* Stan Laurel - The handy man* Merta Sterling - The cook* Otto Fries - The overseer* Harry Mann - A mysterious stranger* Babe London - A house guest...
(19231923 in film-Events:*April 15 - Lee De Forest demonstrates the Phonofilm sound-on-film system at the Rivoli Theater in New York with a series of short musical films featuring vaudeville performers.-Top grossing films :-Films released in 1923:U.S.A...
) - Hotel ImperialHotel Imperial (film)Hotel Imperial is a 1927 American silent film directed by Mauritz Stiller, set in World War I and starring Pola Negri as a hotel chambermaid...
(19271927 in film-Events:*January 10 - Fritz Lang's science-fiction fantasy Metropolis premieres in Germany.*April 7 - Abel Gance's Napoleon often considered his best known and greatest masterpiece, premiers at the Paris Opéra and would demonstrate techniques and equipment that would not be used for years to...
) - The Second Hundred YearsThe Second Hundred Years (film)The Second Hundred Years is a 1927 short comedy silent film starring Laurel and Hardy as convicts making an escape from prison. Their heads were shaved for their appearance in this film, and their hair had not yet grown back in their roles in Max Davidson's Call Of The Cuckoo , released a week...
(1927) - Call of the Cuckoo (1927)
- Leave 'Em LaughingLeave 'Em LaughingLeave 'Em Laughing is a 1928 two-reel silent film starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Produced by the Hal Roach Studios, it was shot in October, 1927 and released January 28, 1928 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer....
(19281928 in film-Events:Although some movies released in 1928 had sound, most were still silent.* July 28 - Lights of New York is released by Warner Brothers. It is the first "100% Talkie" feature film, in that dialog is spoken throughout the film...
) - From Soup to Nuts (1928)
- Riley the CopRiley the CopRiley the Cop is a 1928 comedy film directed by John Ford. It was a silent film with a synchronized music track.-Cast:* J. Farrell MacDonald - James 'Aloysius' Riley * Nancy Drexel - Mary Coronelli...
(1928) - Railroadin'Railroadin'Railroadin' is a 1929 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. Produced by Hal Roach and released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it was the 88th release in the Our Gang series...
(19291929 in film-Events:The days of the silent film are numbered. A mad scramble to provide synchronized sound is on.*January 20 - The movie In Old Arizona is released. The film is the first full-length talking film to be filmed outdoors....
) - The First Seven YearsThe First Seven YearsThe First Seven Years is a 1930 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 96th Our Gang short that was released.-Plot:...
(19301930 in film-Events:* November 1: The Big Trail featuring a young John Wayne in his first starring role is released in both 35mm, and a very early form of 70mm film and was the first large scale big-budget film of the sound era costing over $2 million. The film was praised for its aesthetic quality and realism...
) - Little DaddyLittle DaddyLittle Daddy is a 1931 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 105th Our Gang short that was released.-Plot:...
(19311931 in film-Top grossing films:-Academy Awards:*Best Picture: Cimarron - MGM*Best Actor: Lionel Barrymore - A Free Soul*Best Actor: Wallace Beery - The Champ*Best Actor: Fredric March - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde...
) - Monkey BusinessMonkey Business (1931 film)Monkey Business is a 1931 comedy film. It is the third of the Marx Brothers' released movies, and the first not to be an adaptation of one of their Broadway shows. The film stars the four brothers: Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, and Zeppo Marx, and screen comedienne Thelma Todd. It is...
(1931) - Bargain DayBargain DayBargain Day is a 1931 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 106th Our Gang short that was released.-Plot:...
(1931) - Readin' and Writin'Readin' and Writin'Readin' and Writin' is a 1932 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 111th Our Gang short that was released.-Plot:...
(19321932 in film-Events:*Cary Grant's film career begins*Katharine Hepburn's film career begins*Shirley Temple's film career begins*Disney released Flowers and Trees, the first cartoon in three-strip Technicolor film.*Santa, first sound film made in Mexico released....
) - Free EatsFree EatsFree Eats is a 1932 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Ray McCarey. It was the 112th Our Gang short that was released.-Plot:...
(1932) - The Trail of the Lonesome PineThe Trail of the Lonesome Pine (1936 film)The Trail of the Lonesome Pine is a 1936 romance film based on the novel of the same name. It was directed by Henry Hathaway. It was the second full length feature film to be shot in three-strip Technicolor and the first in color to be shot outdoors, with the approval of the Technicolor Corporation...
(19361936 in filmThe year 1936 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 29 - Fritz Lang's first Hollywood film Fury, starring Spencer Tracy and Bruce Cabot, is released.*November 6 - first Porky Pig animated cartoon...
) - Sons o' Guns (1936)