Joe Rock
Encyclopedia
Joe Rock was an American
movie producer, director, actor and screenwriter best remembered today for producing a series of 12 two reel comedies starring Stan Laurel
in the 1920s.
After infantry service in World War I
, Rock began his film career as a comedian in silent films — he had a broad grin and protruding ears, which gave him a comical appearance — but soon found greater success as a producer.
, A short-lived career with Vitagraph Studios
as a comedian teamed with Earl Montgomery in countless comedy shorts as Stowaways and Strategy (1917), Farms and Fumbles (1918), Harems and Hookum (1919), Zip and Zest (1919), Vamps and Variety (1919), Rubes and Robbers (1919), Cave and Coquettes (1919), Throbs and Thrills (1920), Loafers and Lovers (1920), Sauce and Senoritas (1920) and many more.
had forsaken the stage for full-time film work, and was still involved with actress Mae Dahlberg
. Among the films they appeared together was the 1922 parody, Mud and Sand
. Around this time Mae started interfering with Laurel's work and was holding him back. Laurel insisted (no doubt with pressure from her) that she be in his every picture, and audiences didn’t like her. When Joe Rock put Laurel under contract for twelve two-reel comedies, the contract had one unusual stipulation, that Dahlberg was not to appear in any of the films. It was felt that her temperament was hindering his career. When she balked, Rock held firm, finally offering her a most unusual and humiliating deal. He would give her several thousand dollars, along with some jewels she had pawned, if she would go back to Australia. When Stan showed no inclination to demur, she accepted the offer, which was ironclad. The ship’s purser had strict instructions: Mae would not receive her payment until the ship was a day out at sea. Stan was finally free.
The twelve two-reel comedies were Mandarin Mix-Up
(1924), Detained (1924), Monsieur Don't Care
(1924), West of Hot Dog
(1924), Somewhere in Wrong
(1925), Twins
(1925), Pie-Eyed
(1925), The Snow Hawk
(1925), Navy Blue Days (1925), The Sleuth
(1925), Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pryde
(1925), Half a Man
(1925).
. The films were Tailoring (1925), All Tied Up (1925), Three Wise Goofs (1925), Heavy Love (1926), The Heavy Parade (1926), Three of a Kind (1926), Old Tin Shoes (1927), Three Missing Links (1927), and Campus Romeos (1927). Produced by Joe Rock, the shorts were made by Poverty Row studio Standard Photoplay Co. and released by Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr.
's Film Booking Offices of America
, (F.B.O.).
Ironically, comedian-turned-producer Joe Rock, who created the series, didn’t think The Three Fatties were fat enough. Frank Alexander and Kewpie Ross were actually padded far beyond their natural waistlines. Built on the premise that three fat men were funnier than one, Rock created a surprising number of outlandish situations for the trio during the series long run.
Clarendon Road Studios, Borehamwood.
The Neptune Film Company opened the first studios in Borehamwood in 1914. It contained just a single small windowless stage (the first “dark stage” in England), relying entirely on electricity from a gas powered generator for lighting. Production ceased during 1917 and the studio was sold to the Ideal Film Company who used the site up until 1924. During 1928 the studio was sold to Ludwig Blattner. The Blattner Studio was leased to Joe Rock Productions during 1934 and 2 years later they purchased the site. Rock Productions built 4 new large stages and began making films including the 1937 feature The Edge of the World
.
. In return for Powell agreeing to direct The Man Behind the Mask
, Rock agreed to back the filming of what would become The Edge of the World
, Powell's directorial breakthrough.
: partly about the island's history before and after the eruption, but mostly about the eruption. Making the documentary was a challenge, because Joe had no film footage of the island and he was unable to locate any witnesses who recalled the original 1883 event. After making this movie on a very low budget and releasing it, Joe went on a trip to England. He had formed a production company to make Krakatoa
, but he permitted that company to go out of business because he had no further projects envisioned for it.
and actually receiving it. Rock produced the 1933 film Krakatoa
, a documentary about the volcanic eruption of 1883. This film won the Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Novelty)
in 1934. However, Rock was in Europe at the time that the award was announced, and had no representative to claim the trophy. Rock's name did not appear in the film's credits. Meanwhile, his production company had failed, and when he returned to the United States he could no longer document that he was the head of the production company named in the film's credits. Almost fifty years later, while sorting out some of his papers, Rock located documents which established his proprietary claim ... and the Academy belatedly gave him his trophy.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
movie producer, director, actor and screenwriter best remembered today for producing a series of 12 two reel comedies starring 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...
in the 1920s.
After infantry service in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Rock began his film career as a comedian in silent films — he had a broad grin and protruding ears, which gave him a comical appearance — but soon found greater success as a producer.
Career
Joe Rock began his career as a stunt double for Mary PickfordMary Pickford
Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
, A short-lived career with Vitagraph Studios
Vitagraph Studios
American Vitagraph was a United States movie studio, founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York. By 1907 it was the most prolific American film production company, producing many famous silent films. It was bought by Warner Bros...
as a comedian teamed with Earl Montgomery in countless comedy shorts as Stowaways and Strategy (1917), Farms and Fumbles (1918), Harems and Hookum (1919), Zip and Zest (1919), Vamps and Variety (1919), Rubes and Robbers (1919), Cave and Coquettes (1919), Throbs and Thrills (1920), Loafers and Lovers (1920), Sauce and Senoritas (1920) and many more.
Stan Laurel
By 1924, Stan LaurelStan 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...
had forsaken the stage for full-time film work, and was still involved with actress Mae Dahlberg
Mae Dahlberg
Mae Dahlberg , was a music hall and vaudeville performer and actress in several Hollywood silent movies. In 1917, while in California, she met and formed a variety act with Stan Laurel. In 1917 she played in a comedy short, Nuts in May, notable as the screen debut of Stan Laurel...
. Among the films they appeared together was the 1922 parody, Mud and Sand
Mud and Sand
Mud and Sand is a silent film starring Stan Laurel, that was filmed in 1922. Laurel plays a matador who makes a fool of a famous Spanish dancer. The dancer demands revenge and, in the end, kills the matador by throwing a concealed brick at him after a fight with the fiercest bull in Spain...
. Around this time Mae started interfering with Laurel's work and was holding him back. Laurel insisted (no doubt with pressure from her) that she be in his every picture, and audiences didn’t like her. When Joe Rock put Laurel under contract for twelve two-reel comedies, the contract had one unusual stipulation, that Dahlberg was not to appear in any of the films. It was felt that her temperament was hindering his career. When she balked, Rock held firm, finally offering her a most unusual and humiliating deal. He would give her several thousand dollars, along with some jewels she had pawned, if she would go back to Australia. When Stan showed no inclination to demur, she accepted the offer, which was ironclad. The ship’s purser had strict instructions: Mae would not receive her payment until the ship was a day out at sea. Stan was finally free.
The twelve two-reel comedies were Mandarin Mix-Up
Mandarin Mix-Up
Mandarin Mix-Up is a 1924 comedy film directed by Scott Pembroke and starring Stan Laurel.-Plot:Stan Laurel becomes an Asian in this Joe Rock comedy. As the new baby in the family, Laurel is shown in a high chair and playing with a ball...
(1924), Detained (1924), Monsieur Don't Care
Monsieur Don't Care
Monsieur Don't Care is a 1924 silent comedy film starring Stan Laurel....
(1924), West of Hot Dog
West of Hot Dog
-Cast:* Stan Laurel - Stan, a tenderfoot* Julie Leonard - Little Mustard - Sheriff's Daughter * Lew Meehan -...
(1924), Somewhere in Wrong
Somewhere in Wrong
-Cast:* Stan Laurel - A tramp* Max Asher - A tramp* Julie Leonard - The farmer's daughter* Charles King - A suitor* Pete the Dog -...
(1925), Twins
Twins (1925 film)
Twins is a 1925 silent comedy film featuring Stan Laurel.-Cast:* Stan Laurel - Stan/his twin* Julie Leonard - Stan's girl* Alberta Vaughn - The wife...
(1925), Pie-Eyed
Pie-Eyed
Pie-Eyed is a 1925 silent comedy film starring Stan Laurel.-Cast:* Stan Laurel - Drunk* Glen Cavender - Nightclub manager* Thelma Hill - Girl in club...
(1925), The Snow Hawk
The Snow Hawk
-Cast:* Stan Laurel - Mountie* Glen Cavender - Midnight Mike* Julie Leonard - Storekeeper's daughter...
(1925), Navy Blue Days (1925), The Sleuth
The Sleuth (1925 film)
-Cast:* Stan Laurel - Webster Dingle* Glen Cavender - The husband* Alberta Vaughn - The wife* Anita Garvin - The other woman...
(1925), Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pryde
Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pryde
Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pryde is a 1925 silent, black-and-white comedy film, directed by Scott Pembroke and Joe Rock .The film iself is both a spoof of the previous Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde films Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pryde is a 1925 silent, black-and-white comedy film, directed by Scott Pembroke and Joe...
(1925), Half a Man
Half a Man (film)
Half a Man is a 1925 silent comedy film starring Stan Laurel.-Cast:* Stan Laurel - Winchell McSweeney* Tui Bow - Shipwrecked woman * Julie Leonard - Shipwrecked woman * Blanche Payson - Shipwrecked woman...
(1925).
Ton of Fun
From the Joe Rock Studios came the "A Ton Of Fun" series of comedy shorts, promoted at the time as ‘starring the three fattest men on the screen’. The series was launched in 1925 and ran two years. Alternatively known as The Three Fatties, they were played in order of girth by Hilliard “Fat” Karr, Kewpie Ross and Frank "Fatty" AlexanderFrank Alexander
Frank Alexander was an American silent film comedian and actor. Alexander, who was morbidly obese , was best known for playing villains in the films of Larry Semon, who are often the father of Semon's love interest.He is best known to contemporary audiences for portraying a villainous...
. The films were Tailoring (1925), All Tied Up (1925), Three Wise Goofs (1925), Heavy Love (1926), The Heavy Parade (1926), Three of a Kind (1926), Old Tin Shoes (1927), Three Missing Links (1927), and Campus Romeos (1927). Produced by Joe Rock, the shorts were made by Poverty Row studio Standard Photoplay Co. and released by Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr.
Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr.
Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kennedy, Sr. was a prominent American businessman, investor, and government official....
's Film Booking Offices of America
Film Booking Offices of America
Film Booking Offices of America was an American film studio of the silent era, a producer and distributor of mostly low-budget films. The business began as Robertson-Cole , the American division of a British import–export company...
, (F.B.O.).
Ironically, comedian-turned-producer Joe Rock, who created the series, didn’t think The Three Fatties were fat enough. Frank Alexander and Kewpie Ross were actually padded far beyond their natural waistlines. Built on the premise that three fat men were funnier than one, Rock created a surprising number of outlandish situations for the trio during the series long run.
Elstree Studios
The Purchase of BBC Elstree CentreElstree Studios
"Elstree Studios" refers to any of several film studios that were based in the towns of Borehamwood and Elstree in Hertfordshire, England, since film production begun in 1927.-Name:...
Clarendon Road Studios, Borehamwood.
The Neptune Film Company opened the first studios in Borehamwood in 1914. It contained just a single small windowless stage (the first “dark stage” in England), relying entirely on electricity from a gas powered generator for lighting. Production ceased during 1917 and the studio was sold to the Ideal Film Company who used the site up until 1924. During 1928 the studio was sold to Ludwig Blattner. The Blattner Studio was leased to Joe Rock Productions during 1934 and 2 years later they purchased the site. Rock Productions built 4 new large stages and began making films including the 1937 feature The Edge of the World
The Edge of the World
The Edge of the World was the first major project by British filmmaker Michael Powell.-Plot:The film is the story of the de-population of one of the isolated, outer islands of Scotland as, one by one, the younger generation leaves for the greater opportunities offered by the mainland, making it...
.
Michael Powell
In 1935 Rock met director Michael PowellMichael Powell (director)
Michael Latham Powell was a renowned English film director, celebrated for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger...
. In return for Powell agreeing to direct The Man Behind the Mask
The Man Behind the Mask
The Man Behind the Mask is a 1936 British mystery film directed by Michael Powell and starring Hugh Williams, Jane Baxter, Ronald Ward, Maurice Schwartz, George Merritt, Henry Oscar and Peter Gawthorne...
, Rock agreed to back the filming of what would become The Edge of the World
The Edge of the World
The Edge of the World was the first major project by British filmmaker Michael Powell.-Plot:The film is the story of the de-population of one of the isolated, outer islands of Scotland as, one by one, the younger generation leaves for the greater opportunities offered by the mainland, making it...
, Powell's directorial breakthrough.
Krakatoa
As a boy, Joe was an avid reader. He had been very impressed by a book that described the Krakatoa eruption of 1883. In that year, an obscure island in Indonesia exploded in one of the biggest volcanic eruptions of recorded history: the explosion was heard thousands of miles away, and many people died. In 1933, for the fiftieth anniversary of the eruption, Joe Rock produced a documentary titled KrakatoaKrakatoa (film)
Krakatoa is a 1933 short documentary film produced by Joe Rock. It won the Academy Award in 1934 for Best Short Subject .Educational Pictures was the film distributor of the film....
: partly about the island's history before and after the eruption, but mostly about the eruption. Making the documentary was a challenge, because Joe had no film footage of the island and he was unable to locate any witnesses who recalled the original 1883 event. After making this movie on a very low budget and releasing it, Joe went on a trip to England. He had formed a production company to make Krakatoa
Krakatoa (film)
Krakatoa is a 1933 short documentary film produced by Joe Rock. It won the Academy Award in 1934 for Best Short Subject .Educational Pictures was the film distributor of the film....
, but he permitted that company to go out of business because he had no further projects envisioned for it.
Academy Award
Rock has the unenviable distinction of holding one of filmdom's more bizarre records: the longest wait between winning an Academy AwardAcademy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
and actually receiving it. Rock produced the 1933 film Krakatoa
Krakatoa (film)
Krakatoa is a 1933 short documentary film produced by Joe Rock. It won the Academy Award in 1934 for Best Short Subject .Educational Pictures was the film distributor of the film....
, a documentary about the volcanic eruption of 1883. This film won the Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Novelty)
Academy Award for Live Action Short Film
This name for the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film was introduced in 1974. For the three preceding years it was known as "Short Subjects, Live Action Films." The term "Short Subjects, Live Action Subjects" was used from 1957 until 1970. From 1936 until 1956 there were two separate...
in 1934. However, Rock was in Europe at the time that the award was announced, and had no representative to claim the trophy. Rock's name did not appear in the film's credits. Meanwhile, his production company had failed, and when he returned to the United States he could no longer document that he was the head of the production company named in the film's credits. Almost fifty years later, while sorting out some of his papers, Rock located documents which established his proprietary claim ... and the Academy belatedly gave him his trophy.