Al St. John | WatchedThis
Al St. John
Acting
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Al St. John (September 10, 1893 – January 21, 1963) in his persona of Fuzzy Q. Jones basically defined the role and concept of "comical sidekick" to cowboy heroes from 1930 to 1951. St. John also created a character, "Stoney," in the first of a continuing Western film series, The Three Mesquiteers, that was later played (at a low point in his own career) by John Wayne. Born in Santa Ana, California, St. John entered silent films around 1912 and soon rose to co-starring and starring roles in short comic films from a variety of studios. His uncle, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, may have helped him in his early days at Mack Sennett Studios, but talent kept him working. He was slender, sandy-haired, handsome and a remarkable acrobat. St. John frequently appeared as Arbuckle's mischievously villainous rival for the attentions of leading ladies like Mabel Normand, and worked with Arbuckle and Charles Chaplin in The Rounders (1914). The most critically praised film from St. John's period with Arbuckle remains Fatty and Mabel Adrift (1916) with Normand. The name Fuzzy originally belonged to a different actor, John Forrest “Fuzzy“ Knight, who took on the role of cowboy sidekick before St. John. As the studio first intended to hire Knight for the western series but then gave the role to St. John instead, he took on the nickname of his rival for his screen character. In most of his films, screen time was set aside for St. John to do a sort of solo comedy act, emphasizing amazing pratfalls and acrobatics. He might "find" a bicycle on a fairground set, and do an astonishing sequence of acrobatic stunts on the cycle, or he might try to capture a rat, bat, skunk, gopher, or bug with hilarious and chaotic consequences. Another stunt which he used in nearly every Western was virtually his trademark: he would mount his horse in apparently the standard manner, but somehow wind up sitting facing backward, and often would ride off with the hero in this unusual orientation. When Crabbe left PRC (according to interviews, in disgust at their increasingly low budgets), St. John was paired with new star Lash LaRue. Ultimately, St. John made more than 80 Westerns as Fuzzy. His last film was released in 1952. From that time on until his death in 1963 in Lyons, Georgia, he made personal appearances at fairs and rodeos, and travelled with the Tommy Scott Wild West Show. Altogether, Al St. John acted in 346 movies, spanning four decades from 1912 to 1952. Description above from the Wikipedia article Al St. John, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Filmography Movies
Acting
Arizona Terrors
A crooked gambler poses as a descendant of a noble Spanish family has successfully secured court validation of a counterfeit land grant, and proceeds to drive out ranchers already settled on the land with high taxes, road tolls and violent tactics. A pair of horse sellers pitch in to help a customer, his daughter, and the other "tenant" ranchers after being roughed up by toll collectors when they refuse to pay the assessed toll.
Mabel's Busy Day
Mabel tries to sell hot dogs at a car race, but isn't doing a very good job at it. She sets down the box of hot dogs and leaves them for a moment. Charlie finds them and gives them away to the hungry spectators at the track as Mabel frantically tries to find her lost box of hot dogs. Mabel finds out that Charlie has stolen them and sends the police after him. Chaos ensues.
The New Janitor
The hero, a janitor played by Chaplin, is fired from work for accidentally knocking his bucket of water out the window and onto his boss the chief banker (Tandy). Meanwhile, one of the junior managers (Dillon) is being threatened with exposure by his bookie for gambling debts unpaid. Thus the manager decides to steal from the company.
The Voice of Hollywood
If you enjoy playing "Spot the Stars", this is the sort of short you'd enjoy. It's full of then-well-known Hollywood players, identified by name, who run through routines. This one, produced by Tiffany, is not particularly good as people run through canned bits, sometimes without much enthusiasm. Robert Woolsey plays a game a solitaire and it's hard to tell whether his bit was written that way or he improvised it to reflect his feelings.
Back Stage
Roscoe and Buster give a bullying Strongman the what-for, but after the performance troupe quits it's up to Fatty and Buster to keep the show going.
The Bell Boy
At the Elk's Head Hotel bellhops torment the lobby, each other and guests. The elevator is powered by a stubborn horse. A sham robbery turns into a real one. And there is a chase on a runaway trolley.
Coney Island
Arbuckle escapes the watch of his domineering wife and heads for Coney Island. Keaton arrives that same day with his attractive, and rather easy, girlfriend, who is immediately stolen from him by St. John.
His Wedding Night
Al and Roscoe, employees at a gas station, are rivals for Alice. When Buster delivers a wedding gown for Alice and begins modeling it, he is mistaken for Alice and is kidnapped by Al.
Good Night, Nurse!
Roscoe's wife, tired of his endless drunkenness, reads of an operation that cures alcoholism and has him admitted to No Hope Sanitarium to get the surgery. Roscoe, wanting out, eventually disguises himself as a nurse to effect his escape.
The High Sign
Buster is thrown off a train near an amusement park. There he gets a job in a shooting gallery run by the Blinking Buzzards mob. Ordered to kill a businessman, he winds up protecting the man and his daughter by outfitting their home with trick devices.
Production
Lovemania
This is an unusual farce comedy combining all the fast action, speed and thrills of the slapstick with the surprises of the farce. Main actor and director Al St. John was the nephew of Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and considered as a wonderful pantomimist and an acrobat. The film was actually directed anonymously by his uncle. Being part of a series called "Tuxedo Comedies", Lovemania was set up by producers like Jack White and Joseph Schenck so that Arbuckle could work behind the scenes, since he couldn't appear on screen due to his 1921 scandal.
Out of Place
Directed by and stars Al St. John and the first half is a little below average. It's a variation on the sort of rustic comedies his uncle, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, used to star in with Mabel Normand almost a decade earlier. The gags, while reasonable and appropriate, are, like the cows, milked too much. The pretty girl is swinging on a swing, reading a newspaper and knocks four of her suitors and her father into the water, with a long, slow-motion shot of them plunging into the depths.
Run, Girl, Run
A women's track team is preparing for a big meet against a rival college, but the coach is having trouble getting her team ready. Norma, the team's star, is more interested in slipping out to meet her boyfriend than she is with getting ready for the meet, so Norma and the coach engage in a clash of wills.
Lovemania
This is an unusual farce comedy combining all the fast action, speed and thrills of the slapstick with the surprises of the farce. Main actor and director Al St. John was the nephew of Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and considered as a wonderful pantomimist and an acrobat. The film was actually directed anonymously by his uncle. Being part of a series called "Tuxedo Comedies", Lovemania was set up by producers like Jack White and Joseph Schenck so that Arbuckle could work behind the scenes, since he couldn't appear on screen due to his 1921 scandal.
All Wet
A newly married couple looking for a house come up against a crooked real estate agent.
All Wet
A newly married couple looking for a house come up against a crooked real estate agent.
Stupid, but Brave
Impoverished "bum" gets a close shave from a menacing barber, then gets tangled up with a banana king, escaped convicts and marathon runners.
Speed
Speed
Ship Ahoy
Al St. John tries to kill himself, but ends up trying to save a poor girl from a nasty crook.
Gallery
