HM Walker

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Harley M. "Beanie" Walker (born June 27, 1885 in Logan County , Ohio , † June 23, 1937 in Chicago , Illinois ) was an American screenwriter.

Life

Prior to his film career, Harley M. Walker was a sports journalist for the Los Angeles Examiner . Between 1919 and 1932 he was the editor-in-chief of Hal Roach Studios . As a screenwriter, he worked on over 300 films from 1917 to 1935, including numerous classic comedies with Laurel and Hardy , Harold Lloyd , Charley Chase and the little thugs , all of which were made at Hal Roach Studios. Walker's editorial team developed, among other things, the subtitles of the silent films, many gags and dialogues and a first draft of the plot. However, many of Walker's dialogues, particularly Stan Laurel in the "Dick and Doof" films, were later changed on the set. It is therefore still controversial to this day how large Walker's part is in the numerous comedies in which he is named as a screenwriter in the opening credits.

HM Walker resigned from his post as editor-in-chief of Roach Studios in 1932 after a dispute with Roach chief financial officer Henry Ginsburg about cost savings. Until the mid-1930s, however, he continued to write regularly as a writer for Roach Studios, before he ended the collaboration entirely. Walker died in 1938 at the age of 51 of a heart attack in the Chicago apartment of composer Leroy Shield , a colleague from Hal Roach's days.

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ HM Walker in the Find a Grave database . Retrieved September 18, 2017 (English).
personal data
SURNAME Walker, HM
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Walker, Beanie (nickname); Walker, Harley M.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American screenwriter
DATE OF BIRTH June 27, 1885
PLACE OF BIRTH Logan County , Ohio
DATE OF DEATH June 23, 1937
Place of death Chicago , Illinois