Roger Imhof
Encyclopedia
Roger Imhof was a film actor, vaudeville
, burlesque
and circus
performer, sketch writer, and songwriter.
In the 1902-1903 season, he first worked with longtime vaudeville partner Hugh Conn, an association that lasted into the 1920s or possibly 1930s. Marcel Corinne (died 1977), sometimes spelled Coreene, joined the act some time in the 1910s. She and Imhof married in 1913. The trio of Imhof, Conn and Corinne toured in two comic sketches, "The Pest House" and "Surgeon Louder." "The Pest House", thought to have been set in a lunatic asylum and to run 30 minutes, was "the most popular and longest running of several sketches starring the portly pair Roger Imhof and Marcel Corinne". In 1923, he appeared in the Broadway play Jack and Jill.
He reportedly invested in Chicago and Los Angeles real estate, but lost most of his money in the stock market and during the Great Depression
.
He became involved early on in the nascent Hollywood film industry, apparently "as a presenter, promoter, or agent". As an actor, he appeared in films from 1932 to 1944, including San Francisco
(1936), Drums Along the Mohawk
(1939), The Grapes of Wrath
(1940) and This Gun for Hire
(1942).
Of the songs he composed, 11 are extant, including the 1906 "Old Broadway".
Imhof died on April 15, 1958 and was buried in Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park.
, Department of Special Collections, Stanford University, and the Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas.
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
, burlesque
Burlesque
Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...
and circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
performer, sketch writer, and songwriter.
Career
Born Frederick Roger Imhoff, he began his career as a circus clown, with the Mills Orton Circus, and an Irish comic. He "toured in vaudeville and burlesque between 1895 and 1930." By 1897, he was "teamed with Charles Osborne in a comedy contortion and burlesque acrobatics act." Around this time, he dropped an "f" from his name.In the 1902-1903 season, he first worked with longtime vaudeville partner Hugh Conn, an association that lasted into the 1920s or possibly 1930s. Marcel Corinne (died 1977), sometimes spelled Coreene, joined the act some time in the 1910s. She and Imhof married in 1913. The trio of Imhof, Conn and Corinne toured in two comic sketches, "The Pest House" and "Surgeon Louder." "The Pest House", thought to have been set in a lunatic asylum and to run 30 minutes, was "the most popular and longest running of several sketches starring the portly pair Roger Imhof and Marcel Corinne". In 1923, he appeared in the Broadway play Jack and Jill.
He reportedly invested in Chicago and Los Angeles real estate, but lost most of his money in the stock market and during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
.
He became involved early on in the nascent Hollywood film industry, apparently "as a presenter, promoter, or agent". As an actor, he appeared in films from 1932 to 1944, including San Francisco
San Francisco (film)
San Francisco is a 1936 musical-drama directed by Woody Van Dyke, based on the April 18, 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The film, which was the top grossing movie of that year, stars Clark Gable, Jeanette MacDonald, and Spencer Tracy. The then very popular singing of MacDonald helped make this film...
(1936), Drums Along the Mohawk
Drums Along the Mohawk
Drums Along the Mohawk is a 1939 historical Technicolor film based upon a 1936 novel of the same name by American author, Walter D. Edmonds. The film was produced by Darryl F. Zanuck and directed by John Ford. Henry Fonda and Claudette Colbert portray settlers on the New York frontier during the...
(1939), The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath (film)
The Grapes of Wrath is a 1940 drama film directed by John Ford. It was based on John Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. The screenplay was written by Nunnally Johnson and the executive producer was Darryl F...
(1940) and This Gun for Hire
This Gun for Hire
This Gun for Hire is a 1942 film noir, directed by Frank Tuttle and based on the novel A Gun for Sale by Graham Greene. The film stars Veronica Lake, Robert Preston, Laird Cregar, and Alan Ladd.-Plot:...
(1942).
Of the songs he composed, 11 are extant, including the 1906 "Old Broadway".
Imhof died on April 15, 1958 and was buried in Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park.
Papers
Collections of his papers and other material are held by the Green LibraryGreen Library
The Cecil H. Green Library is the main library on the Stanford University campus and part of Stanford University Libraries and Academic Information Resources . It is named for Cecil H. Green....
, Department of Special Collections, Stanford University, and the Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas.
Partial filmography
- Charlie Chan's Greatest CaseCharlie Chan's Greatest CaseCharlie Chan's Greatest Case is a murder mystery film starring Warner Oland as the Oriental detective Charlie Chan. It was based on the Earl Derr Biggers novel The House Without a Key....
(1933) - Hoop-LaHoop-LaHoop-La is a 1933 drama film notable as both a pre-code film and as the final appearance of actress Clara Bow. It was directed by Frank Lloyd and released by Fox Film Corporation, with Preston Foster, Richard Cromwell, and Minna Gombell also in the cast...
(1933) - David HarumDavid HarumDavid Harum; A Story of American Life is a best-selling novel of 1899 whose principal legacy is the colloquial use of the term horse trading.-Literary significance and criticism:...
(1934) - Grand CanaryGrand Canary (film)Grand Canary is a 1934 Fox film of A. J. Cronin's novel of the same title. The film was produced by Jesse L. Lasky and directed by Irving Cummings.-Cast:*Warner Baxter as Dr. Harvey Leith*Madge Evans as Lady Mary Fielding...
(1934) - Music in the AirMusic in the Air (film)Music in the Air is a 1934 romantic comedy musical film based on Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II's Broadway musical of the same name. It stars Gloria Swanson as a opera diva, John Boles as her librettist and Douglass Montgomery as an aspiring songwriter who stumbles into their stormy...
(1934) - Judge PriestJudge PriestJudge Priest is a 1934 American comedy film. The film was based on humorist Irvin S. Cobb's character Judge Priest. The film was directed by John Ford and produced by Sol M. Wurtzel in association with Fox Film...
(1934) - One More SpringOne More SpringOne More Spring is a 1935 film about three people living together in the maintenance shed at Central Park as an alternative to living on the streets. The film was written by Edwin J...
(1935) - Life Begins at FortyLife Begins at Forty (1935 film)Life Begins at Forty is a 1935 black-and-white film starring Will Rogers and Richard Cromwell. It is based on the non-fiction self-help book Life Begins at 40 by Walter B. Pitkin.-Cast:*Will Rogers as Kenesaw H. Clark*Richard Cromwell as Lee Austin...
(1935) - George White's 1935 ScandalsGeorge White's 1935 ScandalsGeorge White's 1935 Scandals is an American musical film, written by Jack Yellen and produced in 1935 by Fox Film Corporation . It was a follow-up to the 1934 release, George White's Scandals.-Plot:The film centers on real-life stage and screen producer George White as he gathers acts for his new...
(1935) - The Farmer Takes a WifeThe Farmer Takes a WifeThe Farmer Takes a Wife is a 1934 play by Frank B. Elser and Marc Connelly based on the novel Rome Haul by Walter D. Edmonds. It was well-received upon its opening night on Broadway on October 30, 1934 at the 46th Street Theatre. The production was directed by Marc Connelly and used set designs by...
(1935) - Steamboat Round the BendSteamboat Round the Bend-Plot:A con man enters his steamboat in a winner-take-all race with a rival while attempting to find a witness that will save his nephew, who has been wrongly convicted of murder, from the gallows.-Cast:* Will Rogers - Doctor John Pearly...
(1935) - RiffraffRiffraff (1936 film)Riffraff is a 1936 film starring Jean Harlow and Spencer Tracy. The movie was written by Frances Marion, Anita Loos, and H. W. Hannaford, and directed by J. Walter Ruben.-Plot:...
(1936) - Three GodfathersThree Godfathers (1936 film)Three Godfathers is a 1936 western film, adapted from the novel of the same name by Peter B. Kyne. Three bank robbers find a newborn baby and his dying mother in the desert...
(1936) - San FranciscoSan Francisco (film)San Francisco is a 1936 musical-drama directed by Woody Van Dyke, based on the April 18, 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The film, which was the top grossing movie of that year, stars Clark Gable, Jeanette MacDonald, and Spencer Tracy. The then very popular singing of MacDonald helped make this film...
(1936) - Red Lights AheadRed Lights Ahead- Cast :*Andy Clyde as Grandpa Hopkins*Lucile Gleason as Molly "Ma" Wallace*Roger Imhof as Pa Wallace*Ben Alexander as George Wallace*Ann Doran as Mary Wallace*Frank Coghlan Jr. as Willie Wallace*Paula Stone as Edna Wallace*Addison Randall as Nordingham...
(1936) - High, Wide, and HandsomeHigh, Wide, and HandsomeHigh, Wide, and Handsome is a 1937 American musical film starring Irene Dunne, Randolph Scott, Alan Hale, Sr., Charles Bickford, and Dorothy Lamour....
(1937) - Every Day's a Holiday (1937)
- The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939 film)The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a 1939 film adaptation of Mark Twain's classic novel of the same name, starring Mickey Rooney in the title role.-Cast:*Mickey Rooney as Huckleberry Finn*Walter Connolly as the 'King'*William Frawley as the 'Duke'...
(1939) (uncredited) - Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter (1939)
- Drums Along the MohawkDrums Along the MohawkDrums Along the Mohawk is a 1939 historical Technicolor film based upon a 1936 novel of the same name by American author, Walter D. Edmonds. The film was produced by Darryl F. Zanuck and directed by John Ford. Henry Fonda and Claudette Colbert portray settlers on the New York frontier during the...
(1939) - Abe Lincoln in IllinoisAbe Lincoln in Illinois (film)Abe Lincoln in Illinois is a 1940 biographical film which tells the story of the life of Abraham Lincoln from his departure from Kentucky until his election as President of the United States....
(1940) - The Grapes of WrathThe Grapes of Wrath (film)The Grapes of Wrath is a 1940 drama film directed by John Ford. It was based on John Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. The screenplay was written by Nunnally Johnson and the executive producer was Darryl F...
(1940) - Little Old New YorkLittle Old New YorkLittle Old New York is a 1940 Fox history film directed by Henry King and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. The movie stars Alice Faye, Fred MacMurray and Richard Greene and is based on the play by Rida Johnson Young. The play opened on September 8, 1920 and starred Genevieve Tobin, Douglas Wood and...
(1940) - Man HuntMan Hunt (1941 film)Man Hunt is a 1941 American thriller film directed by Fritz Lang and starring Walter Pidgeon and Joan Bennett. It is based on the 1939 novel Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household and is set just prior to the Second World War. A Jewish liberal, Lang had fled Germany into exile in the mid 1930s - this was...
(1941) - This Gun for HireThis Gun for HireThis Gun for Hire is a 1942 film noir, directed by Frank Tuttle and based on the novel A Gun for Sale by Graham Greene. The film stars Veronica Lake, Robert Preston, Laird Cregar, and Alan Ladd.-Plot:...
(1942)