Tom Santschi
Encyclopedia
Crystal City, Missouri
Crystal City is a city in Jefferson County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4,523 at the estimated 2009 census. It was 4,247 at the 2000 census....
- 9 April 1931, Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
) was an American leading man and character actor of the silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
era.
Career
Santschi acted in over 245 films during the period 1907-1931, and directed 28 during 1914-1916. He wrote one screen play in 1914. A 1915 two-reeler In the King's Service, in which he starred with Marion Warner, surfaced at a yard sale in Maine, and was shown along with The SpoilersThe Spoilers (1914 film)
The Spoilers is a 1914 film directed by Colin Campbell. It is set in Nome, Alaska during the 1898 Gold Rush, with William Farnum as Roy Glennister, Kathlyn Williams as Cherry Malotte, and Tom Santschi as Alex McNamara. The film culminates in a spectacular saloon fistfight between Glennister and...
(1914) at a Northeast Historic Film Festival at Bucksport, Maine in 2002.
In The Spoilers
The Spoilers
The Spoilers may refer to:* The Spoilers , a 1969 novel by English author Desmond Bagley* The Spoilers, a 1906 novel by Rex Beach, adapted into five different movies:** The Spoilers with William Farnum...
in 1914, Santschi and William Farnum
William Farnum
William Farnum was a major movie actor. One of three brothers, Farnum grew up in a family of actors. He made his acting debut at the age of ten in Richmond, Virginia in a production of Julius Caesar, with Edwin Booth playing the title character...
staged the classic movie fight of all time. The fight lasted for a full reel and looked as genuine as a filmed fight can possibly look. Every movie fight since has been compared unfavorably to this one. In 1930, Farnum and Santschi coached Gary Cooper
Gary Cooper
Frank James Cooper, known professionally as Gary Cooper, was an American film actor. He was renowned for his quiet, understated acting style and his stoic, but at times intense screen persona, which was particularly well suited to the many Westerns he made...
and William Boyd in the fight scene for the 1930 version of The Spoilers. The other two pairs of actors who tried without success to match the first fight were Milton Sills
Milton Sills
Milton Sills was a highly successful American stage and film actor of the early twentieth century....
and Noah Beery in 1922 and Randolph Scott
Randolph Scott
Randolph Scott was an American film actor whose career spanned from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of genres, including social dramas, crime dramas, comedies, musicals , adventure tales, war films, and even a few...
and John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
in 1942.
Selected filmography
- King of the WildKing of the WildKing of the Wild is a Mascot movie serial.-Plot:Robert Grant, framed for a coup in the Indian country of Ranjapur, escapes from prison to Africa in search of the real villains...
(19311931 in film-Top grossing films:-Academy Awards:*Best Picture: Cimarron - MGM*Best Actor: Lionel Barrymore - A Free Soul*Best Actor: Wallace Beery - The Champ*Best Actor: Fredric March - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde...
) - The Phantom of the WestThe Phantom of the WestThe Phantom of the West is a Mascot movie serial and the second all-talking serial they produced.Tom Tyler stars as Jim Lester, trying to prove that Francisco Cortez is innocent of killing his own father...
(1931) - The Utah Kid (19301930 in film-Events:* November 1: The Big Trail featuring a young John Wayne in his first starring role is released in both 35mm, and a very early form of 70mm film and was the first large scale big-budget film of the sound era costing over $2 million. The film was praised for its aesthetic quality and realism...
) - Vultures of the SeaVultures of the SeaVultures of the Sea is a 1928 adventure film serial directed by Richard Thorpe. The film is considered to be lost.-Cast:* Johnnie Walker* Shirley Mason* Tom Santschi* Frank Hagney* Boris Karloff - Grouchy* Horace B. Carpenter...
(19281928 in film-Events:Although some movies released in 1928 had sound, most were still silent.* July 28 - Lights of New York is released by Warner Brothers. It is the first "100% Talkie" feature film, in that dialog is spoken throughout the film...
) - When a Man LovesWhen A Man Loves (1927 film)When a Man Loves is a 1927 American silent historical drama film directed by Alan Crosland and produced and distributed by Warner Bros.. The picture stars John Barrymore and Dolores Costello in the oft filmed story of Abbe Prevost's Manon Lescaut....
(19271927 in film-Events:*January 10 - Fritz Lang's science-fiction fantasy Metropolis premieres in Germany.*April 7 - Abel Gance's Napoleon often considered his best known and greatest masterpiece, premiers at the Paris Opéra and would demonstrate techniques and equipment that would not be used for years to...
) - Jim, the ConquerorJim, the Conqueror-Cast:* William Boyd as Jim Burgess* Elinor Fair as Polly Graydon* Walter Long as Hank Milford* Tully Marshall as Dave Mahler* Tom Santschi as Sam Black* Marcelle Corday as Judy...
(1926) - 3 Bad Men3 Bad Men-Cast:* George O'Brien as Dan O'Malley* Olive Borden as Lee Carlton* Lou Tellegen as Sheriff Layne Hunter* Tom Santschi as 'Bull' Stanley* J. Farrell MacDonald as Mike Costigan* Frank Campeau as 'Spade' Allen* Priscilla Bonner as Millie Stanley...
(19261926 in film-Events:*August - Warner Brothers debuts the first Vitaphone film, Don Juan. The Vitaphone system used multiple 33⅓ rpm disc records developed by Bell Telephone Laboratories and Western Electric to play back audio synchronized with film....
) - The Desert's TollThe Desert's TollThe Desert's Toll is a 1926 western film, directed by Clifford Smith. A print is preserved at the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York.-Plot:...
(1926) - Her Honor, the GovernorHer Honor, the GovernorHer Honor, the Governor is a 1926 silent drama film starring Pauline Frederick, directed by Chester Withey and featuring Boris Karloff.-Cast:* Pauline Frederick - Adele Fenway* Carroll Nye - Bob Fenway* Greta von Rue - Marian Lee...
(1926) - Paths to ParadisePaths to ParadisePaths to Paradise is a 1925 silent comedy directed by Clarence Badger, produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film is based on a 1914 play, The Heart of a Thief, by Paul Armstrong and stars Raymond Griffith and Betty Compson. The film was lost for many decades...
(1925) - Beyond the BorderBeyond the BorderBeyond the Border is a 1925 Western film directed by Scott R. Dunlap and starring Harry Carey.-Cast:* Harry Carey - Bob Smith* William Scott - Bob Moore* Mildred Harris - Molly Smith* Tom Santschi - Nick Perdue* Jack Richardson - Brick Dawson...
(19251925 in film-Events:*November 5: The Big Parade holds its Grand Premier*December 30: premier of Ben-Hur the most expensive silent film ever made costing 4-6 million dollars -Top grossing films :...
) - The PlundererThe PlundererThe Plunderer is a 1924 silent American Western film directed by George Archainbaud and starring Evelyn Brent. An earlier version starred William Farnum in 1920...
(1924) - The SpoilersThe Spoilers (1914 film)The Spoilers is a 1914 film directed by Colin Campbell. It is set in Nome, Alaska during the 1898 Gold Rush, with William Farnum as Roy Glennister, Kathlyn Williams as Cherry Malotte, and Tom Santschi as Alex McNamara. The film culminates in a spectacular saloon fistfight between Glennister and...
(19141914 in filmThe year 1914 in film involved some significant events, including the debut of Cecil B. DeMille as a director.-Events:*The 3,300-seat Mark Strand Theatre opens in New York City....
) - Alas! Poor Yorick!Alas! Poor Yorick!Alas! Poor Yorick! is a 1913 short comedy film featuring Fatty Arbuckle. The film's title is taken from the Shakespeare play Hamlet.-Cast:* Wheeler Oakman* Tom Santschi - * Lillian Hayward* Hobart Bosworth* John Lancaster...
(19131913 in filmThe year 1913 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* The Squaw Man, the first Hollywood feature film, is made.* December 29, Charlie Chaplin signs a contract with Mack Sennett to begin making films at Keystone Studios.* D. W...
) - The New SuperintendentThe New SuperintendentThe New Superintendent is a 1911 short drama film directed by Francis Boggs, featuring Hoot Gibson as an extra.-Cast:* Herbert Rawlinson* Tom Santschi* Fred Huntley* George Hernandez* Nick Cogley* Edward H. Philbrook...
(19111911 in filmThe year 1911 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*March 23: D.W Griffith shows the first major close-up shot on film with the successful release of The Lonedale Operator proving his ever growing mastery of how to utilise film....
) - Pride of the RangePride of the RangePride of the Range is a 1910 short Western film directed by Francis Boggs. It features Hoot Gibson in his first onscreen role.-Cast:* Tom Mix* Art Acord* Milton Brown* Hoot Gibson* Al Green* Betty Harte* Tom Santschi...
(19101910 in filmThe year 1910 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The newsreel footage of the funeral of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom is shot in Kinemacolor, making it the first color newsreel....
) - Ben's KidBen's KidBen's Kid is a 1909 short comedy film featuring Fatty Arbuckle. It was Arbuckle's acting debut.-Cast:* Tom Santschi * Harry Todd* Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle...
(19091909 in filmThe year 1909 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*Matsunosuke Onoe, who would become the first superstar of Japanese cinema, appears in his first film, Goban Tadanobu.*James Joyce opens the Volta, the first cinema in Dublin....
)
Death
Santschi died in his sleep from a heart attack at the age of 52. He was interred at Hollywood Forever CemeteryHollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery, originally called Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery, is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angeles, California. It is located at 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard in the Hollywood...
. His gravestone gives his date of birth as 1880.
External links
- Tom Santschi Memorial at Find A GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...