Harry 'Snub' Pollard - FilmFlow.tv

Biography

Snub Pollard (9 November 1889 – 19 January 1962) was an Australian-born vaudevillian, who became a silent film comedian in Hollywood, popular in the 1920s.

Born Harold Fraser, in Melbourne, Australia on 9 November 1889, he began performing with Pollard's Lilliputian Opera Company at a young age. Like many of the actors in the popular juvenile company, he adopted Pollard as his stage name. The company ran several highly successful professional children's troupes that traveled Australia and New Zealand in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.

In 1908, Harry Pollard joined the company tour to North America. After the completion of the tour, he returned to the US. By 1915 he was regularly appearing in uncredited roles in movies, for example Charles Epting notes that Pollard can clearly be seen in Chaplin's 1915 short By the Sea. In later years, Pollard claimed Hal Roach had discovered him while he was performing on stage in Los Angeles.

Pollard played supporting roles in the early films of Harold Lloyd and Bebe Daniels. The long-faced Pollard sported a Kaiser Wilhelm mustache turned upside-down; this became his trademark. Lloyd's producer, Hal Roach, gave Pollard his own starring series of one- and two-reel shorts. The most famous is 1923's It's a Gift, in which he plays an inventor of many Rube Goldberg-like contraptions, including a car that runs by magnet power.

In early 1923, shortly after his second marriage, Pollard returned with his wife Elizabeth to see his relations in Australia. His visit attracted considerable attention, and he appeared again in several theatres to speak about the motion picture business. On his return to the US, he left Roach and joined the low-budget Weiss Brothers studio in 1926. There he co-starred with Marvin Loback as a poor man's version of Laurel and Hardy, copying that team's plots and gags.

In later years, Pollard claimed the Great Depression wiped out his investments, and he had been unable to "adjust to the talkies." However, in the 1930s, he played small parts in talking comedies, and was featured as comic relief in "B" westerns. Pollard's silent-comedy credentials guaranteed him work in slapstick revivals. He appeared with other film veterans in Hollywood Cavalcade (1939), The Perils of Pauline (1947), and Man of a Thousand Faces (1957). He also appeared regularly as a supporting player in Columbia Pictures' two-reel comedies of the mid-1940s.

Forsaking his familiar mustache in his later years, he landed much steadier work in films as a mostly uncredited bit player. He played incidental roles in scores of Hollywood features and shorts, almost always as a mousy, nondescript fellow, usually with no dialogue.

Snub Pollard died of cancer on 19 January 1962, aged 72, after nearly 50 years in the movie business. His interment was at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills).

For his contributions to motion pictures, Pollard has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6415½ Hollywood Boulevard.

Timeline

2009Aged 120

The Parrott Chase
(archive footage) (uncredited)

1986Aged 97

Self (archive footage)

1963Aged 74

Plumber's Assistant

1962Aged 73

Statehood Audience Member (uncredited)

1961Aged 72

Self (archive footage)
Townsman (uncredited)
Man at Balloon Society Meeting (uncredited)
Eddie, Bellhop (Uncredited)
Knuckles (uncredited)

1960Aged 71

Tattoo Artist (uncredited)
Townsman (uncredited)

1959Aged 70

Townsman (uncredited)

1958Aged 69

Reporter (uncredited)

1957Aged 68

Audience Member (uncredited)
Quartermaster Bates in 'Rain' (uncredited)
Comedy Waiter #2
Waiter (uncredited)
Townsman(uncredited)

1956Aged 67

Mr. Fields, Little Drunk at Dance Club
Carnival Patron (uncredited)

1955Aged 66

Waiter (uncredited)
Street Vagrant (uncredited)

1954Aged 65

Vagrant in Park (uncredited)
Park Caretaker
Stagehand (uncredited)

1953Aged 64

Citizen of Rome (uncredited)
Man Pacing in Jail Cell
Barfly (uncredited)

1952Aged 63

Stablehand (uncredited)
Old Man Getting Umbrella (uncredited)
Man at Assembly Meeting
Telegram Deliverer (uncredited)
Lunch Wagon Counterman (uncredited)
Barfly
Townsman (uncredited)
Street Musician

1951Aged 62

Restaurant Patron (uncredited)
Stage Door Johnnie in Opening Number (uncredited)
Townsman
Townsman at Dance (uncredited)

1950Aged 61

Spectator (uncredited)
Bartender (uncredited)
Townsman at Funeral (uncredited)
Pool Hall Patron (uncredited)
Custodian on Stairway (uncredited)

1949Aged 60

Stagehand (Uncredited)
(Unknown)
Elevator Operator (uncredited)
(Unknown)
Show Spectator
Man in Courtroom (uncredited)

1948Aged 59

Goofy (as Snub Pollard)
Townsman (uncredited)
Man on Jury (uncredited)
Wagon Train Member (uncredited)
Extra in Dive, Pointing Out Tarnowski
Party Guest (uncredited)
Second Small Man at Dance (uncredited)

1947Aged 58

Farmer (uncredited)
Townsman
(uncredited)
Townsman (uncredited)
Final Court Officer Bearing Mail (uncredited)
Barfly (uncredited)
Villager (uncredited)
Western Saloon Set Propman
Cabby (uncredited)

1946Aged 57

Amateur Contest Violinist (uncredited)
Taxi driver (uncredited)
Townsman (uncredited)
Parade Spectator (uncredited)
Town Barber (uncredited)
Campbell
Mr. Grimble (uncredited)
Miner (uncredited)
Party Guest (uncredited)
Man at Barn Dance (uncredited)
Show Boat Orchestra Drummer (uncredited)
Andy Plays Hookey
Ticket Seller

1945Aged 56

Cemetery Guard (uncredited)
Drunk (uncredited)
Hog Contest Spectator (uncredited)
Hugh's Rental Coachman (uncredited)
Ice Cream Vendor (uncredited)

1944Aged 55

Charlie's Triple Trouble
Flop House Tramp (archive footage)
Lucky Cowboy
Man Trying to Stop Fight
Pop Denton (uncredited)
(Unknown)
Janitor
Witness (uncredited)
Townsman (uncredited)
Father at Baby Window (uncredited)
Airport Baggage Clerk (uncredited)

1943Aged 54

Fireman
Saloon Swamper
Dance Official
Townsman in Church (uncredited)
Irate Father (uncredited)
Flower Delivery Man (uncredited)
Sheriff Hogwaller (uncredited)

1942Aged 53

(Unknown)
2nd Bartender
Baseball Game Spectator (uncredited)
Foreign Agent
Supper Club Patron
Knocked-out Motorist (uncredited)
Soup Customer (uncredited)
Stubby - Cab Driver (uncredited)
Sailor (uncredited)

1941Aged 52

Saloon Drunk
Wedding Chapel Attendant (uncredited)
Red Skins and Red Heads
Party Guest (uncredited)
Racetrack Spectator (uncredited)
Air Raid Refugee in Basement Crowd

1940Aged 51

Townsman (uncredited)
Archie
Pa, Man in Nightshirt

1939Aged 50

Poker Player
Cookie
Janitor Suds
Keystone Cop

1938Aged 49

Peewee
Pee Wee
Pee Wee
Pee Wee
Pee Wee
'Perky'

1937Aged 48

Cookie
Stubby
Bartender
Strange As It Seems: The Herald of the Skies
Bartender
Prisoner
Bad guy caught by sash window in shed (uncredited)
Pee Wee McDougal
Campbell
Edgar Wolfe (as Snub Pollard)
Pee Wee

1936Aged 47

Snub - Waiter (uncredited)
Gyp
Hadley
Vic Moran
White Legion
Baker
Cookie (Hart hand)

1935Aged 46

Drummer (uncredited)
Property Man
Cinvvict Shorty
Danny, the Pickpocket
Frank Smith

1934Aged 45

Renegade
Victor
King's Physician's Aide
George

1932Aged 43

(Unknown)
Bill Collector (uncredited)
Harmonica Player Joe Atterbury (uncredited)

1931Aged 42

Plumber's assistant
Photographer at Birthday Party (uncredited)
A Community Player (uncredited)

1930Aged 41

Boggins

1929Aged 40

Springtime Saps
(Unknown)
The Big Shot
(Unknown)
Here We Are
(Unknown)
Pipe Down
(Unknown)
Sock and Run
Alphonse

1928Aged 39

Thick and Thin
(Unknown)
Once Over
Snub Pollard
(Unknown)
Men About Town
(Unknown)
No Kidding
(Unknown)

1927Aged 38

The Bum's Rush
(Unknown)
Mitt The Prince
(Unknown)
(Unknown)

1926Aged 37

(Unknown)
The Yokel
(Unknown)
The Boy
All Wet
(Unknown)

1924Aged 35

Inventor Ignatius Pollard
Get Busy
Shorter pal

1923Aged 34

(Unknown)
Before the Public
(Unknown)
The Old Settler
The Auctioneer's Helper
Papa
Hired Hand
Snub / Big Boss
The Mystery Man
Detective Snub Pollard
Inventor
Abner Maize
(Unknown)
Fully Insured
Our Hero
It's a Joy!
The Papa

1922Aged 33

Years to Come
The Bridegroom
Blow 'Em Up
The Governor
Pardon Me
(Unknown)
Snub - the Newspaper Plant Janitor
Full o' Pep
Snub
A Hobo
Snub - the Scenario Writer
Punch the Clock
Snub
Strictly Modern
Chambermaid Man
Hale and Hearty
(Unknown)
Some Baby
(Unknown)
The New Director
(Unknown)
The Good Grandson
Snub the Ferryboat Pilot
The Chauffeur

1921Aged 32

The Tenderfoot
His Best Girl
(Unknown)
Rush Orders
Marquis de Marmalade
Big Game
Hunter
Blue Sunday
(Unknown)
High Rollers
(Unknown)
At the Ringside
(Unknown)
What a Whopper!
(Unknown)
Name the Day
(Unknown)
The Husband
On Location
The Caretaker of the Estate
The Hustler
Snub

1920Aged 31

Red Hot Hottentotts
(Unknown)
Why Go Home?
(Unknown)
Slippery Slickers
(Unknown)
The Dandy
The Dandy
Getting His Goat
(Unknown)
Prince of Rochquefort
Snub
Raise the Rent
(Unknown)
Bicycle Messenger
Cracked Wedding Bells
(Unknown)
Drink Hearty
Snub
All Dressed Up
(Unknown)
Husband
Any Old Port
(Unknown)
Don't Rock the Boat
(Unknown)
(Unknown)
(Unknown)
Live and Learn
(Unknown)
A London Bobby
(Unknown)
Money to Burn
(Unknown)
Cash Customers
The Chap
Park Your Car
(Unknown)

1919Aged 30

1918Aged 29

1917Aged 28

1916Aged 27

1915Aged 26

Extra
A Countless Count
Count
Fresh from the Farm
(Unknown)
Luke's Co-Worker
Moke Morpheus
Sourball Joe
Hugo Snubb
Snub Larkin
(Unknown)
(Unknown)
(Unknown)
Tin-Horn Tommy

1913Aged 24

Sally Scrags, Housemaid
Butler

Year unknown

Teaching the Teacher
Teacher