Vera White
Vera White | |
|---|---|
 Publicity photograph of Vera White, published in July 1919. | |
| Born | Harriet Vera Gertrude White 13 September 1893 Melbourne, Australia |
| Died | 11 November 1949 (aged 56) |
Vera White (1893 - 1949) was an Australian actress primarily in silent films.
Born in Melbourne, perhaps her most accessible performance today is as "Kay's Friend" in the 1928 Laurel and Hardy silent short subject We Faw Down. She delivers to Stan the pie that prevents Ollie from being stabbed by pugilist "One Round" Kelly; later, it's her delivery of Ollie's vest to his front door — and her coy fondism "Big Boy" — that provokes Mrs. Hardy's shotgun-wielding rampage that ends the picture.[1]
Early life
Vera was born in Melbourne but not from a theatrical family. Her father Hubert was a railway engineer and her mother was Amelia nee Williams. Vera worked as a cinema cashier in Sydney in January 1913 and married Joseph Thomas Everett, who was acrobat-comedian touring Australia.[2]
Career
Joe Everett and Vera White adopted the title "The Two Vincettis", apparently refining their act before boarding the SS Niagara in April 1914. In April 1917, they re-presented themselves as Joe and Vera White and their act was now called Vaudeville Chop Suey.
In early 1919, Joe and Vera were engaged to play their Vaudeville Chop Suey act for the Fuller circuit in Australia – which meant they toured extensively across Australia and New Zealand, now with Texas, a “prarie dog” as part of the act.
Vera was described as "the woman of a thousand faces" by Steve Massa's Slapstick Divas. In 1919, a New Zealand paper described her "grotesque facial contortions" as particularly amusing.[3] Vera's first identifiable appearances in Hal Roach comedies have occurred in late 1920.
Vera was injured in a car crash in early August 1928 with two other occupants and explained that they were tired after a long day's work and didn't see the truck until they struck it. This accident reveals the lot of under-paid and over-looked extras in the golden age of Hollywood. Vera had been working in Hollywood for eight years and made more than 40 film appearances by 1928 but she was still an unknown to the public and remained so for her entire career.[2][4]
Personal life
In early 1922, Vera and Joe's marriage came to an end and they stopped touring together. In April, Vera took Joe to court seeking a divorce and alleging cruelty - and The Los Angeles Times outlined her allegations of serious physical violence in some details. (4 Aug 1922)
Filmography
- Swiss Miss (1938) — extra (uncredited)
- We Faw Down (1928) as Kay's Friend
(aka We Slip Up (UK)) - The Cockeyed Family (1928) as Mrs. Beamish
- Is Your Daughter Safe? (1927) as Lady of Leisure
- Wide Open Spaces (1924) — (uncredited)
(aka Wild Bill Hiccup (USA)) - Hustlin' Hank (1923)
- Where Am I? (1923)
- Friday, the Thirteenth (1922/II)
- Many Happy Returns (1922)
- Light Showers (1922)
- The Pickaninny (1921)
- Fifteen Minutes (1921)
- Late Hours (1921)
- Trolley Troubles (1921)
- Never Weaken (1921) — (uncredited)
- Sweet By and By (1921)
- I Do (1921) — (uncredited)
- On Their Way (1921)
- Stop Kidding (1921)
- Among Those Present (1921) as Society Pilot
References
- ^ We Faw Down motion picture, directed by Leo McCarey, 1928, M-G-M.
- ^ a b Pursuit, Heathcote (5 November 2021). "Vera White (1893-1956) Life in Hollywood's golden age". Forgotten Australian Actors. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
- ^ "The Sun (Christchurch)". 19 November 1919. p. 9.
- ^ "Vera White". www.lordheath.com. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
Further reading
- Nick Murphy (5 November 2021), Vera White (1893-1956) Life in Hollywood's golden age, Forgotten Australian Actors website.
External links
- Vera White at IMDb